Have you tried posting your questions on the Painting forum? Those guys are extremely knowledgeable about this stuff.

My assumption would be that you need to sand it all down, prime it, then paint with semi-gloss.

That's a big job. You're a brave woman. :)

I tackled this job in our loft/family room. It was a HUGE job (the room is big though, and has lots of trim/windows and I did it by myself). I'm not the greatest painter either, but here is what I did. Patched nicks with paintable wood patch. Lightly sanded, vacuumed, then washed with soap and water. Let dry. Put a coat of Kilz primer on. Then two coats of semi-gloss BM Linen white paint. Although prepping is a major pain, it is really makes a difference in the finished product. The trickiest part was painting the baseboard, as I had existing carpet in place that had to remain. I used the extra wide painters tape, put it between the trim and the rug, and sort of pressed down on the carpet so it pulled a little away from the trim. I also patched/sanded/vacuumed/ washed/painted the walls and rearranged furniture as well, phew!! I don't know where the energy came from! It didn't come out perfect, but every time I walk in the room I still can't get over the fact that I took on the project, and completed it! It gave me the self confidence to take on more projects.