I like Bungalow #2. - I would add a full bath upstairs. -I would add a "Laundry shoot" upstairs. -the upstairs can be used now by your Husband and later by a teenager. My guess is that this setup would be the most expensive to build. I've had a few homes built and I can tell you that no house is perfect. You always find something missing or wrong AFTER you move in. Your wants/needs change over the years. The way you function in your daily life is a very important consideration when you are building. Getting hurt or getting a disease is almost a guarantee in life. When fifty hits, "Mother Nature" takes over, and body parts start giving out, no matter how thin, athletic, and healthy you are/were.... Random thoughts: -split stairs with a landing in between are a smart idea, no matter which plan you choose. -A bedroom with a full bath downstairs is ALWAYS a good idea, no matter what age your are. -Think of how you function in a house. Do you spend MOST of your time downstairs? Are you and/or your DH just daydreaming that you will be upstairs all the time, because you/he likes the idea of a two-story house? -If you go with a two story with all the bedrooms upstairs, do you want your laundry room up or down?...because once I bring the laundry down, I have to check, add softener, dry etc usually several times. If I had a large family living with me I would still have the laundry downstairs, but with a laundry shoot from the upstairs. When you're building you have that custom option. Over the years, I've learned that I don't always live or function like others. Example: I've read a lot of forums when I designed my kitchen. After living in this house for 2 years, I just hated my double oven setup. I had to split the ovens, leaving a counter above each one.... When building, you have to consider your needs and wants, but also re-sale value. Rarely people want to live in a BIG house when they get much older. We will be downsizing in a few years, even though I love this house, and it has a MB on the first floor. It's great that you are asking for advice and hopefully will take your time to examine what is important to YOU in your new home.

Here are a couple of recipes I collected from earlier postings (with the original comments) **************** Buffalo Chicken Posted by debbie814 Side note: This is a recipe that my hubbie makes that he learned from his college roommate from Buffalo, NY. It's very yummy!! 8 boneless chicken breasts Mix together: 1 small bottle of Frank's hot sauce (6 oz.) ½ stick of melted margarine 3 cloves garlic (minced) Dip chicken in bread crumbs, and fry in vegetable oil until golden brown. Place in baking dish, and pour the mixture over the breasts. Bake or 25 minutes @ 350. If you want it spicier, use less margarine. If you want it milder, use more margarine. Serve celery sticks with bleu cheese dressing as a side dish. ************** Buffalo Chicken Dip posted by Glenda_al 4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts (about 2 lbs) 1 12oz. bottle Frank's Hot Sauce 2 8oz pkgs. cream cheese 1 16oz. bottle blue cheese salad dressing(or Ranch if you prefer) 8 oz shredded sharp cheddar, Mont. Jack or a combo Boil chicken until cooked through, shred with 2 forks. Preheat oven to 350. In a 13x9, combine chicken with hot sauce and spread evenly. In a large saucepan over med. heat, combine the cream cheese and dressing, stirring until smooth and hot. Pour evenly over chicken. Bake uncovered for 20 min., then sprinkly with shredded cheese and bake uncovered for another 10 min. Let stand 10 min. before serving. Note: Serve with Frito scoops, your favorite crackers, etc. Just be sure to have a spoon or fork to put on chips, crackers! Have made this many times, and found it works better, for me, by mixing everything together, including the cheese, then bake for 20-30 minutes until good and hot. Then let it stand for 10 minutes or EVEN LONGER to serve. ******************** I haven't made either yet, but they sound yummy... and manly! Also, what about pizza? make the crust ahead (or I can also buy it from my local pizzaria) and put his favorite toppings on it. Cut it in squares for bite-size pieces.

Hi Kmttsmom, Thank you for being kind. I'm really not trying to get a reaction or hurt anyone and I think I've stated it over and over, but it bears repeating. :) I'm hurt too, and confused at how my estrangement got to the point it did. Years and years of misunderstanding, letting things go when they really should have been talked out then, not feeling like I could say anything because it would be taken the wrong way. So I'm just trying to understand it from a mother's point of view. And it seems like a lot of mothers are defensive (that's ok, they have a right to be, but then they take it as I'm attacking) and words like "spoiled brat" come into the picture. I'm not, nor was I ever, a spoiled brat. I was raised one of the least spoiled people you would ever meet. No electricity, no television, catchment water, no neighbors. No Christmas tree, very few presents for my birthday. My mother never bought me a car, paid for insurance, college, rent, bills, etc. I had to give away my toys to more needy kids time and again. We recycled everything. I moved out at 14 to live with my dad because of her emotional abuse, and I lived pretty much on my own because he had to work 150 miles away and would be gone for days at a time. I walked to school a few miles away and walked home, did my homework, made myself dinner, and went to bed. And I forgave her in high school. I was able to put it all behind me and move forward. And I included her in my daughter's birth. And when she needed a place to live, I let her move in with me. And then I realized she was an energy vampire. She literally sucked me dry, blamed me for everything, took my friends and started to turn my daughter against me. And she walked all over me. Time and again. So, my defenses go up too, when mothers just say that kids just need to respect their parents, and "get over it". It's a very emotionally charged situation. I didn't come on here for support, I came on here to learn what others think. So I think part of the conflict is our approach to what we expect from this board. I'm shocked at being told to go away, that my opinion is not wanted or needed or valued because I don't agree and I'm asking questions. It seems it's either one way or the highway. And when I apply this to what women here are saying about their damaged relationships the correlation seems too blatant to ignore. I don't think anyone here is a "Bad Mother". The fact that people are even talking about it indicates that they are truly trying to be good people. I'm sure everyone on here has their good and bad moments, and it can be hard to judge emotion when it's in writing, without any facial gestures or other non-verbal clues. I guess this isn't the place for me to be asking my questions because it is seen as an attack, and I felt just terrible the past few days, because I feel bad that people are taking my words that way, and now I feel attacked too. Thank you again, for your very clear, from the heart post. I do wish you the best in your situation. No one should have to feel like this. ~Silver

When my husband and I were married, he worked two jobs until he became self employed. Then he worked 7 days a week for the most part and from 7 in the morning until sometimes 8 or 9 at night. By the time he came home he was too tired. Now since he had his stroke this past October, he is back to working 6 days a week but only from 8 to 5 most of the time. So, really there was never much time for him to be at home. All home duties, mowing, gardening and the children all 4 of them were pretty much left up to me to take care of. There was no other way we could have done it. Our son and all 3 of our sons in law do know how to cook and help out around the house. So at this late date I don't think anything is going to change. I have just about always been a stay at home mom. Sue