Hello and welcome Spider Lily, I haven't been around here much lately, you know with the holidays and all. Just been really busy, so I'm trying to catch up tonight. :) I know exactly where Opp is. I used to live in Andalusia a long time ago. Now I live just north of Montgomery. Hope you enjoy it here. Jan

Dan land, If your cactus does look like one of the above, the lower, green, triangularly-shaped portion you're talking about is grafting stock almost certainly from Hylocereus undatus. Hylocereus undatus is a climbing, vine-like cactus that produces a large, beautiful blossoms. Those blossoms turn into large, beautiful fruits called Dragonfruit (or Pitaya). It is not know exactly where this cactus comes from, but it is believed to have originally come from the Caribbean or South America. It is cultivated in California, Israel, Vietnam and elsewhere for its fruit. It's nothing like the citrus industry, as you might imagine, but I think it's a somewhat lucrative fruit to grow. Hylocereus undatus can grow to be about 200' long under the right conditions.

Fair enough. Soy based inks have VERY VERY VERY LOW levels of VOC's. :) Heck, even wood releases some VOCs as do some trees as they grow (turpenes, for example). Actually, the USDA says none, if you want to believe them. "Using more soy oil in the vehicle means that less pigment (black, blue, red, and yellow) is needed, because the soy oil provides a lighter vehicle," says Erhan. And soy-based printing inks contain no volatile organic compounds." Note this is an OLD article, 1995, so take it for what it's worth. Curious, what makes you think that ALL VOC's are "unsafe"? Here is a link that might be useful: Soy based ink This post was edited by JerilynnC on Sun, Dec 23, 12 at 2:51

Cosmetic stuff is easy and fun and totally within the bounds of DIY. You don't have to "gut" things to necessarily achieve big style improvements. Just paint, tile, new doors, ripping out nasty carpet, etc. can make a HUGE difference in the feel of the home. Don't think structural, think color, texture, etc. for the look and feel you like. A couple of thoughts: If the kitchen is melamine, it isn't all that great aesthetically, but it does clean up well. White kitchens are "in" right now and you could change out the pulls for wrought iron ones or less modern, more cozy silver ones, and do something warm and cozy with the backsplash color and and paint the walls and island, and curtains and appliances, etc. just for starters. Google "white farmhouse kitchens" or "white country kitchens" or "white cottage kitchens" for some inspiration about small appliances, patterns, dishware, linens, colors, etc. Consider the cabinets neutral for now. As for the bathroom, you can get many elements of the look you like by tiling the shower enclosure, ripping out the door and replacing it with a curtain, and painting or tiling the walls of the rest of the room, or even putting up beadboard. I agree with others though about thinking a lot about how it will clean up when considering bathroom finishes. Barnboard is lovely in small doses but a dust magnet. I know, I had barnboard paneling in a house I lived in once, it does NOT grow on you!! Use it as an accent. As for the bedroom with the tub, you can redo the surround and also put up a wooden screen around it for now. At the very least, you could build a half wall around the tub, like the photos Nosoccermom posted. I love the Scandanavian country/cottage look, that's the way I would go.