Back in college, a gf and I used to schedule cleaning day once a month at each others' house. The task seems so much lighter with someone else there to help.

My house was built in 1976 and we bought it in 1981. Very Southern California suburban tract housing. The first few years I lived here, I painted everything EXCEPT the 3 bathrooms and the kitchen. I did the downstairs tiling with help from Hub and a friend 20+ years ago, and have not done flooring since. It's high time. Carpets are threadbare, but I won't install until it's all painted.

Every winter and some mid-summers, I have a chunk of time when business is slow so I can tackle a project. In the past 5 years, I've re-painted ~75% of the walls. This is the first I've done anything in the upstairs bathrooms, except put in new faucets.

The glass block I'm looking at is frosted/translucent and much thinner than the wall blocks, which I absolutely love. Even so, tiling this little bathroom will run over $300, and I'm doing all the labor. And then there's the medicine cabinet, and the light fixture, and the mirror, and... At least I've already bought the towel racks!

My general decor vision is color-intense, arty, ethnic modern. I don't feel obligated to stick to anyone else's concept of theme. I buy what I love and work from there.

TVC and Jawjaw, any idea when y'all start?

We bought the floor tiles already Meredith and we might start on it in the coming weeks. Right now there is absolutely no tile in there so we won't have any major demolition to worry about.

We have to remove the bowl and sink first though. We had well water here up until last year. Our home was built in the 70's (I think or late 60's) so the bowl has some nasty iron stains that I can't remove. I'll be happy to see it go!

We do all our own labor too, which helps keep the cost down.
We'll buy things as we go along. I'd like a new mirror and light fixture too.

Your glass blocks sound pretty, as does your home's intense color scheme. I'm not brave enough for that. I'm one of those people who are afraid of color. LOL I think that dates back to our first living room sofa, which had intense shades of orange, gold and brown flowers all over it. I was sick of it by year two and we owned that thing until it completely self destructed. Now I keep everything very neutral with a lot of black and beige running through almost every room.

What year is this? I've had the tiles a long time already, so I guess one could say I'm pacing myself.

I'm a cottage, 30's, 40's, kind of person. I love shabby chic, antiques, big overstuffed chairs and lace. I love color but mostly the soft ones, pinks, yellows, and sea greens...Oh and purples, lavenders, etc....and WHITE! Like my bedroom is a soft yellow with a high-back antique bed and tons of pillows, old quilts, and layered dust ruffles. I'm a romantic at heart even though I can't seem to sustain a date! hahaha ... ahem...what the devil am I laughing at?

Right now my first priority is a new couch. Then carpet, then the other stuff. I've worn out everything in this house.

JJ, your bedroom sounds so country -cozy. I have a country bedroom too. And I think you just described my room! I have patchwork blankets as well, and soft yellow and white Laura Ashley wallpaper. Off-white wooden panel boards decorate the lower half of the walls. A large white fan-lamp hangs from the middle of the ceiling.
Then a couple of wicker chairs with cream lacy pillows, two old burros, a large wooden clothes closet and a bookcase are up against the walls. We just had the floor laid out with high polished wooden ship deck slabs, (with real wooden nails). Most of all I love my light airy curtains that billow out when the breeze comes in.
Gee, we could swap bedrooms, and really get confused. Am I home or not? heh?!

JJ, I love shabby chic but nobody sells it in Daytona Beach. I traded the couch I bought at least 20 yers ago with a friend for hers 5 years ago and I'm stuck with it. I won't buy something I don't like just to have something new. I want shabby chic everything!!!!

Oh Hannelore...that sounds just like heaven to me. I love the description you give. I've always wanted (no laughing...)a pink house with white trim....a screened-in back porch with wicker swings at both ends, lots of plants and flowers around....ceiling fans......dogs running everywhere....sigh....

Here's a great link to see all different types of rooms, styles, and the publications they are in:

http://www.cottageliving.com/

Just click on the OPEN UP TO SPACIOUS KITCHENS and then click on the rooms you want to see. Lots of them and all different kinds of styles.

Here is a sample of a house I would LOVE to call my own...don't you love it?

TVC, that orange-gold-brown color scheme was soooo early 70's. When we moved in here, the carpet was orange and brown shag. *GAG* I love orange, but this was certified ugly. Your neutral color scheme sounds soothing. If you ever want to spice it up a bit, buy some bright throw pillows. If you get tired of them, they make great pads when you're gardening!

Jawjaw, that's exactly how I imagined your house! Maybe with a weeping willow in front and a magnolia tree in back. And on the porch, all the boomer gals would be hanging out with tall glasses of iced tea

Saundra, what kind of furniture is in Daytona Beach? You can get just about anything around here, so I'm lucky in that respect.

JJ, thanks for the link...they have beautiful ideas! I think I'll forget about work today and just surf...tee hee.

That country cottage is so like 'Agatha Christie'...don't you think? It's darling. With all the successes coming your way; who knows...never say never! I sure can picture you there, and I can picture us Boomers, just like Meredith said, all coming and visiting, drinking summer cocktails...ah,… iced tee...and fanning ourselves with those over-sized southern fans.

I have a dream too. I would love to have a cottage overlooking the ocean. I got a picture of one next to my computer. It's what I need to motivate me. And I think these dreams keep us young. As long as we are healthy, we are never too old to dream… and never too old to strive for it!

Meredith, if you decorate like you make jewelry, I wnat to live in your home! And it sounds like you do.

Hannelore, I would also love to have a home that overlooks the ocean but every time I seriously think about it, I have a hard time removing myself from our family and friends who live nearby. I would love to decorate a beach house. I would use white, shade of blue and yellow, in the common areas, then be bold with color in the bedrooms. It's fun to think aobut even if it won't happen. Change is so hard for Ross and i since we were both raised in this town and ahve lived in our home for almost 25 years.

I recommend creating a folder and filling it with pictures of lushily decorated rooms so that when the day comes, you're ready to decorate.