Kate, you have a houseful! Love seeing their photos. We don't have real kids so our cats are our babies! This is Penny, with her usual facial expression ("Yes, I am the queen!"). She's 8 years old. She was the queen from the first moment she walked in the door. She's not sure what to do with George (the new cat) because he didn't get the memo that she is in charge! LOL And this is George. And yes, he's sleeping in the washing machine! What a goober. We just got him at the end of October after we lost our sweet old Max. It's been a long time since we had a young cat in the house (he's about a year and a half) and every day is an adventure! He's the friendliest, cuddliest cat we've ever had. This is our Max. We just lost him last fall to colon cancer, which is apparently very rare in cats. He was 14 years old and we adopted him when he was about 6 months old. They sure leave a big hole in your heart when they are gone! Max, Penny and George were all adopted from the Humane Society. We just love them to pieces! Donna

LOL, justgottabeme....you are freaking squirrel out! She is probably bathing in rubbing alcohol at the mere thought!!! those are great ideas...and you know, I will admit that having a budget can actually be more enjoyable. We are gutting and redoing our kitchen and if we had a ton of money from the get-go, I would have done stained wood cabinets and granite counters. The more I live in this house (70's ranch) the more I realized that granite is not really true to the style of the home, and so I settled on butcherblock (not to be used for cutting, we will waterloxing the counters. I can see squirrel hyperventilating now! LOL). Problem is...wood floors, wood cabinets, BB counters? What is this...a ski lodge? So now I settled on antique white cabinets. The floor plan of the kitchen has changed a bit, too. So it seems you were into decorating at a young age. That's cool, and I hope my DD will remember I let her try different things...and even if they don't work out, maybe she will learn WHY they didn't work out. I decided to relinquish one room of the house...hers...and let whatever happens happen (within reason.) I won't even tell her about your DD's room...might give her some ideas! Sounds very cool...for a teen girl! And also, being the parent of an only, I kind of want a "cool" atmosphere because I do want DD and her friends HERE, rather than someone elses house. Thanks again!

I love purple in ALL its forms, and green goes so lovely with it. I know you said sophisticated, but don't know if you meant more modern, or just not girly. Here's a few things I found: http://www.rosenberryrooms.com/purple-lavender-kids-room.html (There are some girly things, but they have some pretty lamps and chandeliers that might prove inspirational.) http://www.pbteen.com/gift/thm/thmgrl/index.cfm?page=all (This is all of PB Teens girls' rooms, and many of them aren't girly. None are necessarily the colors you want, BUT many use complementary colors which would be easy to change out to lavender/green. The DOTTIE comes in a purple/blue/aqua combo: http://www.pbteen.com/gift/thm/thmgrl/thmgrluld/index.cfm They also have several that use white linens with accent colors, which you could also do, like: http://www.pbteen.com/gift/thm/thmgrl/thmgrlbrs/index.cfm http://www.pbteen.com/gift/thm/thmgrl/thmgrlgng/index.cfm http://www.pbteen.com/gift/thm/thmgrl/thmgrlbcp/index.cfm (A lot of these come in purples and greens.) This is a sitting room, but a little more elegant with the color scheme: http://www.ointeriordesigns.com/images/oprah1.jpg Here's one I found at Rate My Space (though maybe too girly): http://scripps-content.communicationsmgr.com/pcsupload/f6372f89-a483-4462-a489-e67aef704996_player.jpg Well, it's time for lunch. Hopefully some of those will inspire you! (I may look around some more, since what's not to like about purple and green?!) ^_^

awe baby faces...I googled them too..I have a Border/Austrailan Shepard...Some of the pictures look kinda like Dobermans..some look like Blue Heelers...What interesting combinations they come in..and sizes...some look quite good sized.. Are they typically a medium breed dog?? I have had many a person ask me if my dog is a Blue Heeler as she's black and white ticked..but if you know your breeds a bit better, it's clear that her head is nothing like a Heeler. LOL She's all Border on that part..:o)