@janishill: Oh, I definitely agree with you on that one! My table is my parents' first table they bought 35 years ago after getting married (I sanded and stained it), my boyfriend built my headboard and stained two $1.50 wine crates to make floating nightstands. I also found my dresser on Craigslist for $10, and it's extra meaningful b/c it was from my freshman year dorm which was recently torn down at UW-Madison :) I cleaned it thoroughly and painted it -- it looks brand new! I've been stalking Craigslist for furniture for quite a while now.

Well well well..... I've been away for too long but now I'm back....and with new questions. First of all....does anyone know the brand QuickStep ? They make some laminate flooring and that's the brand I can find here. I went to the store yesterday.....they have different type of products....some are cheaper than the others of course so I was wondering which type I could buy for a living room. The minimum thickness (as they call it) is 7mm and the guy told me it wasn't enough for a room like the living room (only good enough for bedrooms). Anyone could tell me if he just wants to sell me something 3 times more expensive or if he is right ? Because someone else told me every QuickStep product is OK for a living room...... This is kind of urgent because I realised yesterday that the sales end tomorrow at this store. Thank you very much again !!!! =)

Paint the shutters, not the brick. Paint only lasts for 10 to 15 years, 20 if you are really lucky. That will go by fast and then you'll need to shell out thousands for another paint job. Paint the garage door. Consider painting the window frames, cream or sand if you want to play it safe, gray or blue gray or sage green are other options. Go to SW or BM and upload your pic and play around with color options. Your landscaping is very regimented. I'd replace the pruned shrubs with exuberant flowering bushes. You want a mix of size and bloom times. Big plants are expensive, you can always buy small ones and remove the existing shrubs as they new ones grow. I'd leave one or two of the existing ones in. Or you could add some perennials to your beds: Next, I'd pick a beautiful tree with year-round interest and place it in your yard. Fruit is nice because you get free fruit. Or get something with spectacular flowers (Japanese cherry, Magnolia) or a great shape (Japanese maple, Harry Lauder's walking stick, etc) Experiment with placement, do you want more privacy or to not block the view of your windows? Do you want to see birds out the kitchen window when doing the dishes? Do you need more shade? Make sure you get something that works well in your zone. Magnolias can do just fine in colder places, but if they bloom before the last hard frost, instead of getting beautiful blooms, you get a tree covered with dead, brown flowers that are slow to fall off.

In my family we put a bit of tea, lots of milk and a dash of sugar in the kids bottles. Thus we are all tea drinkers, my kids love making Grampy tea. Super strong Irish tea with milk and a heaping dose of sugar. Just how my dad used to make it! Never did like the taste or smell of coffee, but my kids both drink it now that they are in college. One with lots of flavored sweeteners and the other just strong espresso.