You'd certainly be welcome, brenda.

It occurs to me that my dream house is sort of Lorelei Gilmore's with a bigger kitchen.

PS: We saw Aurelia!

Lunch with Family Flea! I did sneak a photo at the Chagall that I could post on FB if you're okay with that. Did Dillo get to slide on the Picasso after I left you?

My dream house would be not too big, and definitely cozy. But requirements include a walk-up attic (with a good window for a writing room), a front porch (with swing), a mud room/laundry room, a fireplace, a deep tub, and plenty of counter space in the kitchen (island!). Built-in bookcases wouldn't hurt, and lots of natural light.

Oooh. Yes, please.

Tom - that was horrible. HORRIBLE.

I'm pretty happy with our house the way it is, at least for now -- though it is on the small side, and will no doubt feel smaller as the kids get bigger. All we really need right now is (say it with me!) room for more bookshelves.

...Oh, and a window seat somewhere. And a roof over the front porch. And a carport, and a finished basement would be great too, and I'd like a few more windows on the south side...

Really, I think my dream house is basically my childhood home, with perhaps a bigger kitchen. But man, I loved that house, and I appreciate so much more about it now than I did when I was a kid. I kind of wish my parents hadn't sold it, though I understand why they did, and I love where they live now too. I just miss the old place.

If we're building dream houses, it's going to have a bookcase that conceals a hidden passage, right?

At least. I might need two or three.

At least. I might need two or three.

Heck, set it up so that all the interior walls are hollow. That's where the servants' passages are in palaces.

Kate, I'm sorta like you. What I want in a dream house is what I want in this house. It's a work in progress I hope to manage. As much as I hate finding contractors, I like the projects, progress and caretaking. I had a revelation that in some ways, I see myself as curator of an old house.

I think my perfect house is in fact a housekeeper/concierge. The rest I will invent.

If we're building dream houses, it's going to have a bookcase that conceals a hidden passage, right?

It's been said before that millionaires who don't have these in their homes clearly do not know what to do with their money. So, my dream house has that and a round tower room the top floor of which is a reading nook/art studio combo. That will need to be a bigger than average tower. The library is separate. I think I want some of the house on an open plan because my dream kitchen is not only commodious for cooking but also is where people congregate while the cooking happens. I love the idea of a Great Room. But I also want a cozy living room. I want a generous porch on at least two sides of the house, back porch screened in. Or maybe it's a proper sun room.

Oooh, a sleeping porch.

Yeah!