MickeyMiniFan

This reminds me of an e-mail that comes around every once in a while. The one where the husband comes home and the house is a mess, the kids are filthy, doors left open, ice cream on the floor melting, etc. He finds his wife reading a book in a comfy chair, seeming oblivious that a bomb would have left less damage and asks her what's going on. Her reply: "You how you wonder what I do all day? .... Well, today I didn't do it." It's a classic. My kids stall because they know that eventually I'll break down and do the work. I finally got them each to do their own laundry and my hubby threw all of our laundry together creating 8 loads for me to do last weekend. He knows I'm not happy about it. I have my melt-down moments, of course, but holding toys for ransom and not allowing friends over because there's no where to walk are usually pretty effective. My next stage is going to be where the lego creations fall apart because I "needed the space" and giving them a clothing allowance. If THEY pay for the clothes, then they'll take better care of them. At least that's my latest theory. I have tried every organization strategy on the planet and every reward chart system possible. Nothing works all the time. Kids are high maintenance and need a lot of reminders. Hubby counts his reminders. "This is the 7th time you've been told to do this..." Mine usually start with "would you please..." then go to "you need you to..." and often end up at the "I really need you to do this so I won't freak out." Mommy meltdowns are not pleasant and they know it. I try to make the consequences fit the problem. Wrappers and crumbs by the computer keyboard means loss of computer use. Messy room means no sleep-overs with friends. (If you can't keep your room clean, how will you act at someone else's house?) I think I've accepted that I'll be reminding them forever. Good luck with your battles.

Adorable! I love the color scheme.

Here's one that I found on a wholesale site. It takes a minute or so to download the pdf. Scroll down to page 8 for chainsaw If it's what you want, I can order it for $9 w/my retailer's account. Michele

LOL I know, I know. You're right. I will go wear beige, keep quiet & blend in with the background....

Our little place feels so neglected. It's my dd's project and she keeps getting sidetracked. I'm starting to stress that it won't be in any condition to enter. She has such a great idea, but doesn't want to spend time on it. What's a mom to do?

What a great photo! Sounds like she'll be very protective & take good care of the house.

We called one of the builder's supply places to see who they recommended...but we needed our chimney rebuilt from the roof up. So we were having trouble finding masons. We called a specialty store - not a Home Depot type place. We've also talked to realtor friends for recommendations. They usually know who to stay away from. Just stick with what your needs are and don't let them take shortcuts to save you $$. We usually get 3 estimates. If there's a big range, then we'll get more. We don't usually tell them that we're getting other estimates. We think they should expect that. Good luck. We had to replace our roof unexpectedly, so it was a huge financial blow & really stressful. Came right after a major kitchen remodel that sucked up all of our project $$. The failing roof almost damaged the kitchen. My wish for you is a stress-free experience.

I am SOOOOOOOOOOOO jealous! What a wonderful idea. Michele

:lol: Yay! Sounds like a fun afternoon!

What a neat tribute. I saw one at a mini store and it was over $1000, but gorgeous. Good luck on your hunt!

I vote for making one cheaper. There are always those round wood pieces with the nice edges (where they sell parts for clocks & woodburning stuff) that you could cut in 1/2. Would you still want the fancy door & pediment if you had that kind of an entrance?

It's good to know about the size issues. I've been interested in the Alison Jr - all because of the name, which is not the smartest reason to like a house, but that's the reason I'm using. I've had similar issues with the Orchid and have added a basement to ours just for the kitchen space. I had a few brainstorms along the way that I can share... Make the steps in a separate tower and have landings 1/2 way in between. This takes up a more square footprint, but it can be on a tower that attaches to the back of the house with a hinge so you can swing it open or you can put the tower on the side. You could use the Alison addition just for staircases and hallways. I'm inclined to forego stairs but DD insists on having them. I've also considered stretching a house and making it wider. Specifically, I'd like the Beacon Hill, but I'd want the right side to be wider. Has anyone done this without it being a huge hassle? Michele

Thanks to your motivation, I did some painting last night. Any progress is still progress.

I'm thinking that the Garfield wouldn't be the best candidate to convert to a front-opening style. The L-Shaped layout would make it difficult to access all of the rooms from the front. I would think a house that had a flat back like the Arthur or the Westville would be better candidates. The Vineyard would leave the option for a side-opening house which could be very cute. There are ways to close the back of a house to protect it from dust & critters if that's the primary concern.

My DD is designing the spring fling and I'm just helping with the grunt work. I think I'm going to save her sketches and put together a scrapbook when it's done. I wish I had her vision. She had a plan from the day it arrived. As soon as she did the dry fit assembly, and got the scale of it, she had it all sketched out. She's frustrated with her Orchid, so it was time to switch projects. I worry that we're working at too slow of a pace, but I want her to enjoy the process too. She is willing to do a lot of the painting herself, so I'm trying to be patient. I keep encouraging her to make it into something she loves. She really wants to win the contest. When I show the smallest sign of doubt or try to be realistic about her odds of winning, she loses all interest. I should probably just learn to keep my mouth shut and come up with a Mom's prize for her entry.