I'll get those pics posted! The advice I got today was not to hurry to prune off any freeze damage until we're sure the risk of freeze is over. We haven't had any freeze in so many years, it's hard to remember what to do! Although the days are in the 70's, it is so dry that the nights are around 40 and could dip down further. Lots of fire risk right now, and no rain, oddly. So much looks bad (I've got to replace those impatiens and oxalis!), especially now that we're pruning the roses. Only the camellias are bursting with blooms. So pictures of the garden will demonstrate that all is not glitter in tinseltown!! Did you know there's a rose group called the Tinseltown Rose Society? Anyway, yes, the kids keep me busy. And Kitty. And our turtle Lili (or Timmy, if it turns out to be a male) and our fish (especially mine, Howard). I also made the mistake of missing a meeting at my son's school, and next thing you know, I'm chairperson of the hospitality committee, running around to Costco to get munchies and flowers for community events, open house, etc. How did this happen? IT'S A NIGHTMARE!!!! (just kidding!) I'm never missing a meeting again. Oh, and there was the "Macbeth" performance. I made several costumes, including my son's (he played Macbeth) and had fun creating props (like a torch made out of PVC pipe with a PVC cup on the end, a little flashlight thing placed in the cup, surrounded by tin foil and yellow and red cellophane (for flames). We covered the entire thing with dark brown duct tape (did you know they make that?) and it looked great! We donated everything to the school for future productions. Next play: Greater Tuna. Don't ask. I still haven't put my sewing machine away. Probably because no one knew I had one and everyone was completely amazed at how well I faked being a seamstress. I loved all the adulation! Max's friends thought I was so cool, they want me to make them costumes for the next anime convention they're going to this weekend. Forget it! I'm a lawyer!!!

not to throw you a total curve, but the reason the Hawaiians and missionaries used koa, mango, and other exotic woods is because they stand up to the humidity (I'm on Oahu). You see a lot of teak around the island - also used on boats as it does not swell - but its color is lighter - and often more Scandinavian in design. Rattan used a lot and I love the look, but impossible in my mind to keep really clean looking over time as dust and crumbs fall in. Pacific Craftworks on Oahu sells custom cabinets made from mostly darker colored woods in Viet Nam - another tropical place - that should hold up to Hawaii weather (no affiliation) - some looks like mahogany but different wood. We used them in our master bath and the prices weren't bad. The dark woods are traditional but too much can make the room feel heavy. Hawaiian homes were influenced by missionaries from New England, cowboys, Balinese, Chinese, Japanese, Filipinos, Europeans, and plantation owners. So we don't have a purely beach feel - the white rattan look is more East Coast. Tropical is the darker, wider strip, rattan. Here it is all about moss rock, exotic woods, flowers, surfboards, waves, turtles, pineapple, dark sea blues and green foliage mixed with white, cream, and woven mats. If you stick to the white (which will look clean, fresh, and airy) make sure they are quality boxes to hold up to the humidity. For the Hawaii vibe decorate with a few koa or monkeypod (less expensive) chairs, coffee table, or a bowl on your counter, bring in the light and the air and avoid kitsch. Your koa fan will tie into those accents. The one you have chosen is very modern looking and I understand that fewer blades (3 to 4) move more air than 5. Traditionally locals used lots of fans to move the trade winds and homes were designed to pull in the trades. Don't fall for a kitschy fan if it doesn't function well. Suggest any fabrics have local tropical flowers (ginger, heliconia) in large, lush prints. Your inspiration Kauai cottage has beautiful accent pillows that illustrate this - the upholstery is beige but the pillows have heliconia and tropical leaves to bring in color.

This is what I would do...don't do anything untill you have a "for future" plan. By that I mean, do a floor plan with measurements that include changing the kitchen ( go to kitchen form for help) . Get the big picture first. From there you can still paint but all other monies with be spent on getting everything up to scratch with plumbing, electric, sliders or Windows, ceilings and removing ceiling sofits if they do not need to be there. Now tackle an area at a time. When the kitchen is done you can run the same flooring throughout the open plan. Pretend that you and sis could over extend and lose the condo. If you fix what's broken first ( and or update sliders/Windows you will always be able to pass inspections and sell well. However, on the flip side with fixing what's broken first each individual remodel portion will help keep you in budget with less surprises and at the end a very professional re-do. Edited: If you decide during the fix what's broken stage that you want to have that sofit thing above kitchen island checked to see if it is there for a reason ...if it's not, take that and upper island cabinets out. Put a pretty Craigslist cabinet on that near wall for temporary storage or add shelves on that island wall until the kitchen remodel. Hire someone to fix and blend ceiling . Doing that will make the future kitchen remodel less daunting . When prepping sons condo for future kitchen remodel and removing sofits/repairing ceiling ect...we bought this cheap IKEA Applaro shelf thingy for wall storage near the island. It can be modified to remove legs. Price, $50 It comes with two shelves but extras are only $10.

We have had several failed attempts to move from our valley city suburb area to a community in the mountains nearby. First attempt we found the perfect house and the appraisal came in insanely low so we could not make the mortgage work. A year later someone came in and bought it all cash. It had been on the market for over a year when we made our offer. Second attempt we simply could not find any house that we liked within budget. Almost made an offer on one, but it just wasn't quite right. So we ended up buying land in the perfect neighborhood on a beautiful (yes sloped, it is a mountain) lot. Gorgeous views. Lovely neighborhood. Well, we spent tens of thousands on a custom design and were very clear on our budget. Our architect alleged that his area of expertise was knowing how to manage costs and keep the house on budget. Well, when we took the plans to builders, it came in at 200% of our budget. Now we're sitting on land and have a lovely plan on paper and building costs just keep going up up up. We bought a new house in the city suburbs in the valley and my husband switched to a new career where he has much more earning potential in a few years. But we're terrified that the insane cost of houses and building means we can never realize our dream. I imagine it's very similar to what's happening in lake or beach communities where people are swooping in from other states or other countries and plunking down all-cash offers that leave locals like myself in the dust. I really hope that you're able to find something you love, Annie. Don't give up hope. Maybe you'll find a great house that needs a little work. Or a junker house on a great lot and you can knock it down and build new.