Im a 46 yr old artist and teacher in Cushing Ok. I kind of dropped everything and moved back to my home town in 2000 to take care of my mom after my dad died. That decision was rewarded by meeting my SO. (some day, like, when the house is finished, will be DH) My mom died last year after a short illness at the great age of 89. SO and I are now totally renovating the home my parents designed and built in 1955. Fortunately we have his house to live in while mine is torn up. So far he has done all the demolition (Im still getting stuff moved out! 50 years of living + lots of stuff). My house has a few features Im trying to convince him to keep, like the built in ironing board/laundry hamper/desk(which I really need to photograph for youall), and Im keeping a few of my dads cabinets. After the house is done I can get to work on the garden. One of the best things is that I will, finally, have an actual art studio, instead of keeping supplies in boxes. Gardenweb has been a very helpful source of information and advice. There is a great wealth of knowledge and experience here.

I have no kids, DF has 2 grown and happy ones. No pets. But we both teach Middle School, so we get plenty of kid time!

I still dont know how to post photos directly into a message, but I keep a little blog of personal projects and to show off student art, etc etc., and will blog the remodel from time to time.

I've been away a few weeks...what a nice thread to come back to! IT's nice to put faces to the names :)

I'm still "away" so I'll have to post what I can find online from home.

So let's see...I'm Dawn and I've been suffering this addiction to GW for approximately one year. No treatment helps (it just leads to a discussion on window treatments so I've given up).

I found this site when working on a remodel of our existing home, a 1980's townhome sitting on the side of a lovely little lake in Anchorage Alaska:
(the view from my kitchen)
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my kitchen:
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I fancy myself a great person who hires gardeners:
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If I had time I'd garden myself :) But much like city mom...I'm a bit busy (I want to send you hugs darling...we've been dealing with mystery illness for two years now).

I am married 2 years one month...to a lovely man. We have a lovely son, who is 2 years old (ok do the math quickly...we might have had a bit of a shot gun wedding) heh heh

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He was well worth the bullet dodging, but unfortunately for him, he's been ill since birth with a mysterious illness yet to be fully diagnosed. This is why I'm "away" as we're in Maryland hoping for help at a hospital here. It appears I will live here with the baby temporarily (about two months, possibly three) but we'll be home for christmas....ummmm 2008 maybe :oP and if our home isn't done by then...well heck I give up! To city mom...I hope you are able to get your lovely girl stabelized and move on with good health soon! We've looked at celiac and while it's not a fun diagnosis, you can work with it :) It's so much better than many alternatives!

Our remodel is going so badly we've purchased home number two to live in...a 1970's townhome in Anchorage Alaska (you see a theme here?) which I'll have remodeled as well. It appears I love to remodel...which is probably true! I'm a budding designer in my own mind, and also taking design courses on the "side" of my real life. I used to bring home a paycheck, but am now full time at home taking care of our son since even the best salary is hurt with the cost of a full time nurse! It's our deepest hope that soon we'll know what is causing our darling son's problems and we can move on toward brighter futures! (Ones that involve sleep!)

This is not a mirror image of one cat :)
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keefer and aubrey (very spoiled kitties)

We (dh and myself) own a business in Alaska, and someday will sell our and travel the world in our 47' Nordhavn (this is a fictional boat named Pinot Envy...which we will make real someday) and we're darned likely to own a home in Duluth MN in the next year. It comes with extensive gardens...so I suppose I'll have to become addicted to the real side of GW won't I?

I used to be an obnoxious banker (I promise I only said "no" to mean people...and um their friends). I miss banking terribly actually. I spent over 20 years in the business and was known to be an expert in my funny little field.

I hope to have a home to show off soon...but in the mean time, I'm known as a chicken loving, feather fancying, china obsessed GW big mouth. And heck that's fun so I don't mind it!

Oh my goodness Tritia! My oldest son Lochlainn walked in while I was looking at your pics & wanted to know when I took a picture of him! He was looking at the pictures of Kyle & Micah.

Here's another pic of Lochlainn w/ his brother Liam:

Seriously he even has the curl in the middle of his forehead !

Roseluvr,

I researched my mystery rose & I think that it might be Cottage rose. I know it def. had Cottage in the name. The bush has thin canes w/ small thorns, about 5' tall (the tag had said 4') but things grow much larger in garden. The soil is very rich & I actually have a very hard time getting plants that require poor soil to come back.

Springevillegardens,
Your arbor is simply to die for!

My name is Val and I started out in the garden forums (my zone is 5) a few years ago. I live on the east coast of Canada (New Brunswick), am married and have a 5 year old.

Last March I returned to work full time after having been a SAHM for a few years. It's been quite an adjustment - I now work 60+ hour weeks. Not much computer time and my presence on the boards has been almost nil.

We moved in to our home, a fixer-upper, 7 years ago and it's still a work in progress. When we bought it, it was like walking into a 1978 time capsule, but we saw the potential. I loooooove this kind of thing. Most walls are still bare, because I paint them every year or so :O) Still searching for just the right colors. Still can't make decisions on what to hang where. Usually around Christmas time I panic, knowing that family will be here, and I get lots of projects done...it's my most productive time of year I think.

Here's a picture of me - taken by DS with his digital camera - and a picture of DS picking a bouquet for Mom.

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Oh my.... so many beautiful homes, gardens, not to mention families! Everyone here is so accomplished in so many different ways. We are all blessed to have this forum to share our multiple interests in our homes and families.

I'm new to the decorating forum after having spent the past year hanging out in the kitchen forum. We live in California - in the Bay Area. Homes out here are not so beautiful as many of yours--but the weather is sure great!

I'm 42 years old, been married for 17 years and am a SAHM raising three three wonderful children, 14-year-old boy, 12-year-old girl, and 6 year-old-girl. Before kids, I worked as a software engineer, but hope to find work in the new year once I get this house in order.

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We remodeled our house last year and moved out for 7 months. Over the summer we completed the exterior landscaping and my current project is to decorate my living and dining rooms.

As part of our remodel we swapped our family room and kitchen. It went from this:

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to this:

Hi,
This has been such a great way to find out a little more about the talented people around here! Thanks ttodd for starting this, and love your beautiful stained glass windows. It's wonderful feeling a part of all the projects that get accomplished here and I love your advice.

I live in the rural Pacific NW. Though it doesn't often snow here, you can see our home below with before and after shots of the remodel we did on it after buying it...eyeopening to tackle that for sure even with a GC! (The top photo had to be patched together). And now I've become quite a committed DIY'er along with DH, whose famous words, *we can do that ourselves* and a tiling class at HD started a saga... He thinks we're finally finished...LOL.

I love seeing the pics of your amazing homes and hearing the story of msrose picking paint and seeing totallyblessed's house getting finished. Squirrelhaven and the others who do photoshop just leave me spellbound...gotta learn that one of these days. Organic, if you're reading this, would love to trade vegan recipes with you sometime. Oceanna and williamettemom--you're practically neighbors. Sippimom, your porch is so inviting!

I'm Nana to 2 and 3 yr olds with their mom, DD and SIL nearby. I love decorating, but lack any skill whatsoever, so just copy others with creativity like all of you, as best I can. So nice to meet each one and hope your holidays are blessed.

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Hi. I am fairly new to this forum. I actually found it by accident last summer. I also love the Garden Junk Forum. Lots of great gardening ideas there.
I am a 41 yr old nurse (work in a NICU) married for 23 years to my high school sweetheart and have 2 great kids. I work the overnight shift from 7pm-7am so my posts are often at crazy hours, ha ha.
I have a 23 year old son who is an accountant for a big 4 firm and just recently moved out on his own- still adjusting to that one, sniff sniff. My daughter is 20 and is in college now hoping to be accepted into the Nursing program. Go figure.
I love seeing all the names and now the faces of the frequent posters here. I really got some great advice when I was doing some work on my kitchen recently.
Here is me and my hubby :

Hi, I'm Lara and I don't know how long I've been on this site. I'm 36. I'm originally from Chicago and now I live in Clarksville, TN with my husband and three kids. I met DH when I was in Korea while serving the Army when I was but a child ;) He stayed in 12 years and is a Contractor on Ft.Campbell. I am a tax preparer and pretty recently I got my real estate license (I have the best timing ever lol) But I do really enjoy it despite the market conditions right now. We bought our house back in 1999 and it's constantly a work in progress. Here's my family:

What a great thread! I LOVE the pics of the kids and pets!!! Six daughters! I bet you have some fun times in that house! LOL And ttodd - your son has eyelashes to die for! Igloochic - your precious baby boy's big brown eyes just grabbed at my heartstrings. I hope you soon have a diagnosis and treatment for your wee one. You too citymom - that must be very frustrating for the both of you!

Okay - a bit about me. I've been around here a year or so I guess, maybe a bit longer. I live in Tennessee - quite near the mountains and national park. I've been married almost 26 years to my best friend, we have no children by choice. We do however, have a *baby* of the 4-legged variety. She is the first dog hubby and I have ever had since we've been married. Never thought I'd have an inside dog. Never dreamed she'd steal our hearts so completely. Here she is on Halloween:

I hope that works, I've never posted a pic here before.

Anyhoo, we built this house 10 years ago. I love decorating and hubby and I both love antiques. The thrill of the search is almost as much fun as finding that perfect piece. I also love gardening. We enjoy traveling and just this last year bought a travel trailer and have greatly enjoyed that. We are also big into boating and lake activities. Outside activities I should say, we love the outdoors.

I enjoy this board and have really enjoyed all the pictures on this thread.

tina

What a great thread! It's wonderful to see faces and places I've been reading about for so long.

No pics to share, alas... one day!

I've been addicted here for about three years now, give or take. I live in southern NM -- but I still introduce myself as a native Chicagoan. (Les, you and I should swap!) Jewish and (appropriately) neurotic, but in a nice way. I teach college, as does DH, my "Latin lover" (he's Peruvian). Two sons, 3 and 6, whom I adore madly. Thinking about #3, but not sure how I'd square that with a thriving research career...

What else? Interested in decorating, but we live out in back of nowhere, so the retail opportunities for improving the casa are somewhat limited. I love learning from the folks here, though, and am gradually beginning to trust my own taste far more than I ever did. I'm waiting for something good to show up on my local Craigslist, as opposed to that king-sized brothel bed from a while back...

Igloo, glad you posted. That little one is a sweetie! I've been thinking about you. Wishing you and your little fella a good time of things in MD -- may they grant you a speedy and constructive diagnosis soon.

Hi everyone! It's great to meet so many other people who share my love of decorating!

My name is Ruthie, I am 45 and have been married 15 years to a great guy. We have two girls 13 and 7.

I studied art and interior design in college and love it still,although am not working in the field. I was a flight attendant for many years and quit when I was expecting our first daughter.

I love to travel, entertain,garden,and volunteer.Wish I had some pictures to share, but I don't really know how to do that without help from my husband! I'll post some another time.
We live in Southern California, very close to where all the terrible wild fires were in October of this year.Unfortunately both of our daughters best friends lost their homes in the fires. It has been very ,very stressful to the community but there has been great support for the families trying to re-build.

I am all over the place on these forums... recently into the bathrooms forum as we were remodeling our masterbath. You all have great ideas and it's fun to see all of the different styles.

I agree with someone earlier... HGTV just is not that enjoyable anymore!

Take Care and I'll meet you again on the forum!

Ruthie

Wow! I LOVE seeing everyone's photos! You are all incredibly beautiful! :)

Where to begin? I'm an almost 35 SAHM and I've been married 12 years. I have two sweet little girls (ages 4 and almost 2). They keep me on my toes! I have a BS in Biology. Dh is an engineering supervisor at a manufacturing company.

I'm originally from Anchorage, AK but we moved to SW Wisconsin about six years ago. There are times when I really miss Anchorage.

In exchange for moving to the Midwest (no offense) we wanted to have a house on a bit of land (something we couldn't have in Anchorage). So we built an extremely dull, no frills, no nothing house on 10 acres of woods about four years ago. Unfortunately, I found GW this summer- perhaps if I'd found it earlier I would have not made some costly mistakes that have caused me a daily headache and heartache since. I'm not ungrateful that I have a home but I just wish that I'd had someone who would have given me some direction and explained to me about design and architecture. (you know, I hadn't realized before building this house how much aesthetics actually means to me)

Anyway, I'm an avid gardener and I'm trying little by little to rectify my mistakes. Slowly but surely I have formed some ideas in my head how to compensate for our initial design (or lack thereof) flaws. I seem to be online too much too!

BC (before children)- I loved to travel, hike, bike, kayak, read, and work briefly as an environmental scientist.
Now- I'm nervous about going away from home and I rarely have time to hike, bike, or read...BUT I do get to do other fun stuff. :) Some day I dream about going back to work but I don't know what I'd do- it would probably entail going back to school. Ack!

By the way, we call our land Bristling Acres because of all the lovely pointy and very pokey thorny black locust trees we have. They seem to absolutely bristle with very long thorns!

Right now we had a snow day since it we got about 6" last night. Hooray for a white Christmas!

I've always got tons of questions...hope you all don't mind! :)
Astrid

I'm Stephanie, age 57 and have been married for 36 years to a great guy who can do just about anything. We live on 2 1/5 acres in central Illinois with two 5 year old Shih Tzus. Our two grown children are living in the Chicago area while pursuing their careers.

DH and I built our house together in 1980 and have been working on it ever since. We always seem to have a project going. We work well together which is good since we own a business together. We're grain inspectors for ethanol processors in our area.

I found this forum in '04 when we were remodeling our kitchen and have been around ever since. I've learned so many things from you all and continue to be amazed at the talent and creativity of the people here. I love reading, music and decorating and construction. I can't wait to get started on DH's new garage next year. I just love to pound nails and using saws.

I'll go. It has been so nice reading about all of you and putting names with faces. I am too paranoid to put anything pictoral on the web but here's the rest of it:

I'm 32, SAHM of 3, ages 5, 3 and 2. Number 4 is due in February. Yes... I am insane AND have the utmost respect for anyone who has chosen to remain childless. Not that I regret it, but it is a huge undertaking to do it right, I have come to find out LOL.

B.C. (before children) I obtained a BA in Biology and right after college pursued a post graduate degree in Pharmacology. Most of the lab work I was doing, however, was biochemistry for breast cancer research. While I loved it, I knew I always wanted (lots of) children and didn't want to try to balance the role of supermom and Mrs. Nye the science lady. I knew myself well enough to know that I didn't have it in me to do both. The sucessful career role models I had lived in the lab and I didn't want to perform either role half-as*ed. Soooo, when DH and I moved to NYC for a couple of years for his job I wanted a fun crazy New York type of job for myself. I temped at some really cool places (Chanel!) and ended up getting a job at a local auction gallery where my love for antiques, furniture and rugs was spawned.

I've known DH for about 15 years (we met right after HS) and we've been married for 7. After living in temporary spaces less than 500 sq ft for about 8 years after college and not being able to (or wanting to!) afford anything but free bricks and lumber for tables we moved into a 3000 sq ft house in the SO Cal desert for 3 years and now we are in the midwest in almost double that. CRAZY!!

Mostly I lurk here or lob in a commment about something I might be familiar with. I love the advice and frequent activity on this board. Also, the ever present sense of humor and no-nonsense attitude.

I am pretty slow to actually decorate anything myself right now, being up to my ears in babies. I live vicariously through all of you and am honing my likes and dislikes for when I can actually apply it. We do have rugs on the floor and mostly leather furniture throughout. Fabrics scare me. HOWEVER my latest project was to order a bunch of Ellen Kennon paint samples (which I discovered on this board thank you very much), paint them on sample boards and then realize that none of them were right in our home. Except maybe citron for the breakfast nook. Well, it's a start, right?

I loved reading all of your posts and looking at all of your pictures of your families and your homes. Should be shopping or cleaning!

A special note to all of you who have lost a parent. My heart goes out to you. My mom is 81 and that fear is with me. I'm thinking of you.

I am old. (argghhh). I have four gorgeous kids, and have been married since 1980 (OMG). This is an old pic. I have lost 30 pounds since the end of July, thanks to Weight Watchers. So, I am not quite as fat as this pic. I have two grown dds and two twin sons. I have a new home thanks to a house fire. Love to decorate although I have little talent and imagination in that area.

I am a ex Family Nurse Practitioner/Nursing Educator. I do not miss work and have no intention of going back.

Nice to "meet" you all.

Hi-Love everyone here and trusted that I would get good advice here when I was agonizing a few years ago. I am 57,a mental health therapist with a part time practice and married to Scott, 58 and our DD is 23 teaching English in the Bronx with the Teach for America program. Our DS, age 17, is a Junior in High School. We live in Portland, Oregon. It really does rain a lot here but usually everyone just goes about their life as if it is sunny. I am so so guilty as I have promised and wanted to post pictures for years and never have learned how..so that is my New Years resolution-to post pics on the decorating forum. I know I love seeing all of yours.

Hi, I am Mary and live in the suburbs of Atlanta. I am 43, have been married to my wonderful DH for 17yrs and we have a DD who is almost 4yrs old. I work F.T. for a Finance Company so I don't have a chance to post much but love this board and all the great advice and ideas I have recieved. I am not good at decorating so need all the help I can get. Right now DH is finishing off a room in our basement and he is doing an amazing job. Can't wait to show pics when he is done.

Since I'm primarily a lurker on this site, I hesitated to post, but I guess it's about time I add my bio to this thread. I'm 52, married to DH for 29 years and live in a Chicago suburb. We have 3 children: DS #1, 24, graduated in May with a degree in mechanical engineering from Iowa State and is now working for a chemical company in the Chicago area; DS #2, 20, is a junior majoring in accounting at the University of Illinois - Champaign; and DD, 18, a senior in high school still deciding where to attend college. She is deaf and would like to work with deaf children, possibly as a teacher of the deaf. In my former life, I taught home economics in high school and junior high. I became a SAHM after our first was born. After DD was in school all day, I started working as a substitute teacher in a program for deaf and hard-of-hearing children. After DS #2 graduated from HS, I added working 2 mornings a week in the band office at the HS the boys attended. DS #2 played the trumpet all 4 years in high school. I also had a short stint working for a husband and wife team that conducted estate sales. Besides decorating, one of my other hobbies is scrapbooking. I love this message board!!

What a great thread! it's so nice to see everyone's pictures and learn a little about you.

Here's me:

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I am the mother of two wonderful grown children, and lucky grandmother to this little cutie.

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I'm retired from Boeing where I worked as a technical artist for 23 years.

Here is the rest of my family, and the reason that my decor needs to be "bullet-proof."

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I enjoy DIY and have reupholstered my furniture, sewn my draperies, made my lampshades, done woodwork, tile work and more. I love to paint, whether a whole wall or decorative painting. I love antiques, and have recently shown you all pictures of my LR, and am so greatful for everyone's help!

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Thank you all for providing such a wonderful board and so much sweetly given and stellar advice. Every day I can't wait to see all your beautiful pictures here, and every day I learn lots from you.

Here's wishing Warm & Happy Holidays to every one of you!

Oh boy this is fun!

My name is Eva. I'm a SAHM of 4 kids (blended family); 2 13 year old boys, 1 10 year old girl and a 4 year old boy. They're terrific kids. I have been married almost 5 years to the love of my life. He's a beautiful, wonderful man.

We fulfilled my childhood dream of moving to Upstate New York about a year ago, and we managed to land a house that closely enough resembled both DH's and my description of a dream home. It's not THAT much, but it's just what we wanted. We're thrilled.

I'm a pen and ink artist, a decor junky, photoshopping nut, busy mom, and internet addict.

All of my big plans for DIY projects, outdoor painting, conversion of our yard from sunny lawn to wooded haven have been delayed for a bit while I seek diagnosis for some screwy ailment. I have full confidence that, if nothing else, my stupidity will reign and I will be back in the thick of things in no time at all.

Let's see what pics I can harvest from photobucket:

This is me.

This is DH.

Here's my youngest, Basil:

Here's my family, my mom, and my sister, her husband and their two sons. I'm the pale creature with red hair.
At Stonehenge!!! The three big kids are mine, and our little monkey man is trying to pull me to the earth in that picture. Monkey!

Here's my house with pretend paint (I didn't have one with the horrid REAL paint job) : )

The Dalek cake, if that tells you something...

Divastyle, your blog is killing me!!

Awww heck, everyone is sharing...you've convinced me to post family photos. Although, I still don't see the infamous Ms. Squirrel. Maybe she is deciding to remain behind the mask! LOL!

Anyway, brief recap from above and then some photos. GW'er for a little over a year. I Live in Oregon. Married 22 years to my high school sweetheart with two girls, ages 6 and 7. (long infertility story) Just built a new house and moved in August. Everyone on here was truely a lifesaver through that long process. THANKS again to all!

Thanksgiving in Hawaii

Matching dresses

Sneakers, aka Sweety Petey

The new digs

I decided to join in but I have no pics of myself in my digital camera so I just snapped a pic that is in a frame. So, it is not the best pic. Note to others: Do not wear a black shirt with a black background in a B & W pic or you will get the floating head effect. This is me and and DNs (nieces.)

Here is Buddy:

And Cassidy:

Hi everyone! I'm Kathy, and I live near Portland, Oregon with my husband, Ray. We don't have any kids, but we do have a dog (Akayla, a Central Asian Shepherd), two cats (BB and Lucy), and three chickens (Cinderella, Belle, and Esmerelda).

Here's me, taken in June:

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We live in a log home on 29 acres. The house was built in 1981 with cedar trees that came down or were cut down when Mount St. Helens erupted (our house is only 30 miles from Helens). Most of our property is wooded (but has been logged over time), and each year my husband plants several hundred trees. The area around the house is landscaped and includes lawns, flower beds, a vegetable garden, and fruit trees. An aerial view of our property (outlined in blue):

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The house:

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Since we moved in here in 1999 (we are the third owners), we have replaced the hardwood flooring with slate, remodeled the kitchen, and replaced/removed much of the landscaping. Over the summer I installed a flagstone path (my husband built the deck in the fall of 2006):

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We're in the process of replacing all the doors and windows (four doors and two windows done so far), and our next major project will be to remodel the master bath. Outdoors, we need to remove the row of junipers along the side of the house and redo that area with boulders and dwarf conifers. We also will be redoing the front entrance area and adjacent landscaping. After those projects, it will probably be time to move! :)

I have a degree in Technical Communication (basically technical/scientific writing and editing), but I haven't worked since 1999. Now I spend my time gardening, decorating, reading forums, and planning vacations.

I found garden web several years ago when I was scheming to remodel our kitchen. I've been an avid lurker since! I'm a SAHM to 3 (plus a dog and a cat) about to celebrate a 25th wedding anniversary this March. We currently live in NW Indiana after multiple moves around the country.
We've lived in our current cookie cutter for 8 years. I still pinch myself because I can't believe we've been here this long! My DH says we are here for good but I'm still not sure I believe it. Along the way I've taken on some crazy projects (It doesn't look that hard...I think I can do it...OMG!) but I can be very indecisive. That's why I LOVE this forum. When I am not accomplishing anything, I can live vicariously thru all the amazing and gorgeous things everyone does here! Thank you! One day soon I'll decide it is time to get away from the screen, move my hands off the keyboard and tackle our MB.. You can bet I'll be begging for help! Happy holidays to all and keep those inspiring posts/pics coming. Tre

I've been resisting this thread because I knew it would take a while to read through........but how cool is this??

I love the dogs, love the flowers and scenery and homes. And all of your families are absolutely beautiful! That's because they are the families of the beautiful and helpful girls of Garden Web! (yeah, I know there's a Bob and a Michael, and maybe even a Faron or two, but I don't see them here yet, so I'm gonna ignore them for now!)

So, I live in California in the same place where I started out.......after having moved to Florida, New Mexico, and a short stint in Tucson Az. My DH started out on a farm in Central Indiana, and cannot quite come to grips with having himself dragged into the craziness that is California. He still wears jeans, dark socks, work shoes, and a hat to the beach, even to sit in a chair in the sand. I married off one daughter a few years ago, and one son this year. They both live about 5 minutes away. The last little one is busily redecorating several spaces in my house, pledging to stay for another 12-15 years.
We have two dachshunds who pretty much dictate every waking moment while any of us are home, and we all stay very busy with jobs, some volunteer work, and trying to keep DH from working his fingers to the bone.
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Here's a shot of the two of us after our first ever real trip away together (to Florida in September) after our 2-day honeymoon, 25 years ago. We just got off the plane and DD took this one and took us to lunch.

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(See how rested the man looks after a week on the East Coast and a few nice restaurant meals!)
(And yes, he wore his tennis shoes and jeans to the Florida beaches too...I despair of ever really pulling him into my world...but I keep trying.)

Red

My name is Lisa and I've been on GW for about... 4 or 5 years now? I first came here participating on the buying and selling a home forum when we were looking to move back "home" to NY and after we purchased our house in 2004. I can't believe we've been here nearly 3 years.

My house is a ca1880 "princess" Anne (it's got some queen anne characteristics on a much smaller scale) in a quaint victorian era village in the beautiful Hudson Valley NY. I absolutely love it here in my community - it's diverse, great restaurants, lots of historic sites to visit and we love being involved in the community. I'm on the planning board but there are lots of really great people who are engaged and interested in making our little community a better place, so it's an exciting place to be.

Since moving in I've been SLOWLY trying to make it our own while working around some of the PO's questionable decorating taste. It's been a challenge but always fun and satisfying. The latest is remodeling the 1990 bathroom because it was leaking into our living room ceiling. Bye bye navy blue toilet, byebye nasty tiny little neo-angle shower in a huge room, bye bye pickled oak and almond and blue fake marbled tile with little pink and blue flower accents. This time I'm not working with the PO's choices and we gutted to the studs and joists. Hopefully sometime this year I'll have some pictures to share besides a gutted room.

In 2005 I finally finished my Master of Architecture degree and started working in NYC, where I'd always wanted to work. The trouble was, real estate prices had gone through the roof and in order to find a house we could afford I had about a 2 hr commute each way. I absolutely loved my job and still miss it and the people with whom I worked (well most of them anyway) but obviously that wasn't going to work forever.

Last January I answered an ad in a local paper with a fax number in my community for an architecture position close to home. Little did I know that there was a wonderful architect with an office just 3 minutes from my house in my little village. He does beautiful work, is the chair of his own community's planning board, he teaches at one of the top architecture schools in the country and is not only a great designer but one of the most technically competent architects I have ever met. He hired me in March and it's been absolute heaven working there. He's a wonderful teacher and mentor and he and his wife are also just about the nicest, most caring people I have ever worked for. They are the type of people who take you out for the holidays to a beautiful expensive meal and then thank YOU for coming. My coworkers are great too, two women who are the type of people who I would love to be friends with regardless of where I met them. I've been there for 9 months and I still can't believe how lucky I was in finding that job.

And the other bit of interesting news is that my husband and I are expecting our first child in June. We've been married for 9 years but I've been involved in school and work and am finally at a place where the pace of life has slowed down enough to move on to the next phase. We're both really really excited and after the bathroom will be focusing on the nursery.

Lisa, congratulations on your impending motherhood. My three have brought us so much happiness and continue to do so.

And Chelone, I had no idea that your dear mother had passed away this year. This is a blow to you, indeed. I completely empathize.

Red

Well, it is so nice to "meet" all of you. I have continued to read this thread but like some have been nervous about putting pics up of the kids. I guess I just will anyway :). I am a 37 year old SAHM of three (5 1/2 and 3 1/2 year old twins). I used to be a marketing manager before I starting staying home when the twins came along. My DH and I met in college and have been married for 15 years. We live in central Indiana (although we don't wear jeans and dark socks when we go to the beach :)!). I grew up in the suburbs of Chicago, but really love where we live now as there is a lot to do, it is family friendly and pretty economical!

Now that I am home full time I have become obsessed with decorating the house. I didn't think about it much when I was working, but now that I'm here all the time I am always wanting to do something! We have updated the kitchen in the past year, put wood floors in and just did a little painting. That is enough for DH, but I still have some smaller projects I want to tackle. I found GW about 9 months ago after searching for info on wood floors. Came across a post that showed some floors and have been addicted ever since! Thanks to everyone for the wonderful, caring help you provide - I love to learn from all of you and hope that once in a while I can help someone!

This is our Christams Card photo this year.
{{gwi:1857879}}

My name is Andrea, and I've been here about 5 years or so. This place can be addicting, can't it? :) It is so nice to see your photos and hear about each of you!

My degree is in Health Information Management, and I work P/T as a research analyst for a large hospital. DH is a sales manager for a large international company, a lot of fun and a great best friend, and he and I enjoy gardening, traveling, "antiquing", and our entire family enjoys going out to eat, movies, traveling together, and going to sporting events.

Our sons are 21 and 16 (and yes, they both played football---I have my own personal bodyguards! ;). DS1 is studying turf grass agronomy and plans to work in golf course management. This past year he interned with Trump, Int'l and it was a good fit---he would love to work and live on the east coast if possible. DS2 is a junior in H.S. and is visiting colleges now. He is thinking about studying business or finance and then possibly law, but that's still a way off. He definitely has the gift of gab, never meets a stranger, and loves a good debate, so I'm sure that will come into play somehow. We also have a dog, Daisy, who considers herself to be one of the kids, too....

We lost my mother in October, but everyone is doing well so far, and my father has been an example of "living" for all of us. We are so blessed to still have him here with us at 82...he's a true joy to be around.

Here are a few pics of our garden, and of our home. We just redecorated the common areas, so the only photos I have right now are those with Christmas decorations.

I'm looking forward to getting to know each one of you even better!

CityMomof3 -- you look REALLY familiar!! Did you ever attend the Evanston Vineyard? Or one of the other Chicago area Vineyards? My DH was on staff at Evanston a few yrs ago.

I'll give a quick intro - I am a huge lurker, rarely posting (at least not on GardenWeb), but I do a ton of research here. I've researched everything from shower heads to flowering vines to laundry detergent - does that make me geeky? ;) I am a SAHM to 3, just started the very early stage of homeschooling (we use Ambleside), and married to my very best friend.

I have saved dozens of photos from the posts here for inspiration. Our decorating style is classic, a bit Spanish, a bit British Colonial. DH has an artistic eye and great taste, so he's a huge help to me.

We aren't trendy decorators - we pick up pieces here and there - some antiques, some vintage, some new (to us). I think 90% of our furniture is second-hand. We try to go with high-quality used furniture, so that means that the decorating is going very slooooowly as we wait to find the right pieces. We were in our house for 2 yrs before I found a dining table I loved. But it was worth the wait!

Currently I'm making new valences for the kitchen (which is taking longer than I expected -- doesn't it always?). The next thing I'd like to do is repaint the entire house with Ellen Kennon paints. Or should I say, I'd like to HIRE someone to repaint the house with EK paints. When that happens I will post photos!

Most importantly, thank you all for your wonderful, generous advice! I have learned so much :)

Lisa...WOW! Very exciting news!!!

Such pretty ladies, kiddies, furkids and homes. Oh,your DH not bad either ladies.
I have to also say I have never seen so much talent in home decorating. Just beautiful.
That said, my name is Linda. I am 60....ish, been married for 26 yrs to the best man I have ever known.
He is a retired chem engineer and I am retired from banking.

I have a 39 yr old son from a previous marriage.
He is a pharmacist and his wife is a NP. They have given me a little sweetheart DGD. They live in TN so I drive 2hrs and can take her home with me anytime I want. Which I do alot.

At 60.....ish, I have said it all, seen it all and done it all ..nearly.
I have remodeled, painted, laid carpet, painted inside and out, refurbished furn, made draperies and anything else that was fabric. My DH is also a licensed elec, plumber and can build anything. In our younger days we were quite a team with the DIY projects. Saved lots of $$$$$$.
Then turned around and we sold every house we had completly redone.
Now we are in our golden years and bought a small 1960 ranch. We have done some work but not going to put a fortune in this one. Just want it to be a home .
Keeping my money for travel.

I love this forum. Sweet talented people.
I only have a pic of me made last year in Alaska. As a matter of fact it was midnight. A cruise. The best trip in the world.
We have two cats, and a dog.
They are nearly as cute as my DGD.
Happy Holidays to all of you .

Me last year holding up a fence in Alaska.
Only one I have saved here. Its bigggggggggggg. Sorry

Andrea - I'm currently In the Health Information Management program and will graduate in May. I start my new coding job on Tuesday! I'm guessing from your name, you live in the south. Are you in Texas by chance?

Laurie

Laurie, I'm not in TX, more in the middle South. I'm thrilled for you! I remember that feeling of completing the program and moving on to working...it's wonderful, isn't it? I started out in coding, also (it was a large referral hospital that only used RHIAs for coding at the time), and it's still my first love, really. Our research program now uses a bit of coding, so it's a skill that always keeps doors open for you. I wish you all the best in the rest of your program, and in your new job!!

I just want to say how much I've enjoyed "meeting" everyone on this forum. When I read about what everyone is doing, the thing that strikes me is how creative everyone is - and not just in decorating but in their lives. I'm sorry I haven't posted family pics but like some of the others, I'm just really paranoid about putting stuff like that on the web. Probably from too much time working in the technology area.

To Squirrelheaven, Oceanna, Lindybarts, and everyone else who does the Photoshopping to help folks here, you are soooo generous with your time and the things ya'll produce are absolutely amazing. All of you deserve stand up applause from the rest of us who gawk with mouths dropped open in amazement!! Thank you!!

Happy Holidays :)

Hi everyone I enjoyed reading about you all and seeing your lovely families and homes. I too found this site by accident while looking up on how to take care of my peace lilies. Hence my name. It has turned out to be one of those unexpected nice suprises. Everyone is so nice, helpful and TALENTED!

Well as for my bio I just turned fabulous 40 this past Oct. I'm single with no children but loving the heck out of life. I live in the big apple and keep saying I'm going to move to the burbs but haven't done so yet. LOL I love to decorate and enjoy every minute I do get to spend here. I love football Go Giants! I also like college basketball, boxing and tennis. I can cook but don't too often if I can help it. One of the perks of singledom! I do love to cook and try new recipes but btwn work and school I'm way too tired.

I made the crazy decision to go back to school to change my career. What was I thinking?! I use to be a flight attendant so I've done lots of traveling, been places I didn't want to be LOL. But overall it was a great experience. Right now I'm an auditor in the hotel industry switching over into medicine. I enjoy biology and am considering medical research too in the area of biological warfare. What an adventure at my age, honestly though I don't consider myself old I'll save those thoughts for when I'm pushing 130yrs young. LOL

Anyhoo enough boring stuff about me heres my pics.

{{gwi:1857917}}.
I have since traded in my fuzzy pink slippers for some elmo slippers.
{{gwi:1857918}}.

This is the coolest thread ever! All the pictures are gorgeous!

My name is Danielle and I live about 10 minutes outside of Boston. As a typical New Englander, I complain about the weather CONSTANTLY, but will never, ever leave ;) Almost three years ago I married my high school sweetheart, who had just returned from the Army. He is now a firefighter and I am a real estate paralegal. We have two beautiful boys, ages 2 and 1. I will be 29 in April. I LOVE decorating. This is where my heart is. A clean, comfortable home truly does do something for you. When my kids reach school age, I hope to pursue some kind of career in interiors. I love all shades of green, love to read and draw. I am not the same woman without LOST (the show). I cannot WAIT for it to start up again in February(?) Then we REALLY won't be getting anytrhing done around the house! We are currently in the midst of a complete renovation of our 1910 Victorian (the reason I found GardenWeb). While I mostly lurk here, I have found such amazing information to the point that I come here before heading to manufacturer sites. I don't have many "pretty" pics of my house as it is still under construction, but I DO have some pretty pics of the kids...

This is Finn...

and this is Cullen.

Hey Black-thumb...hoping you see this. I was asking about your paisley ottoman in a previous thread but you didn't see it. Where did you get it? Did it come with your set? I need something like that to help offset all my brown leather too. And the matching pillows...so cute.

Lindybrats sorry I missed it last time.

I got it from Levits. I will post a link for it. Get it now because they are going out of business. So the commercial says anyway.

One stop shopping on 1000's of Beautiful home decor ideas and decorative home accents from around the world!

Hi. Joining this long thread a little late. My name is Lisa. I'm 35 and currently a SAHM to two boys, ages 6 1/2 and 4. I finished a post-doc in Clinical Psychology 2 1/2 years ago, before moving from Chicago to the Philly area. I plan to go back to work part-time some day but haven't taken steps in that direction yet. I've been married for 10 years to my dh Scott who is a Neurologist specializing in Epilepsy.

This is our 2nd house. We've lived here for 2 1/2 years. It's a new construction house, though we didn't design it (when we purchased it, it was 95% finished). It's (to our mind) not particularly attractive on the outside, but it is very spacious inside and didn't need renovation. That was key for us, as we moved here with very small kids and had just worked hard renovating parts our old house in the suburbs of Chicago. New construction is an anomoly in our neighborhood. The builder had torn down one house, split the lot, and built two houses on it, facing the other direction. So what we have is a big house on a small lot and a funny shaped (long and narrow) back yard. No one has big yards in our neighborhood, and the neighborhood has an "urban light" feel to it, with side walks and homes built close together. We actually like this--we like knowing our neighbors and being able to walk, ride bikes, etc. on the sidewalks. We walk our oldest to 1st grade, which is wonderful as well.

I like decorating but feel I am a complete novice at it. I am one of those people who know what I like when I see it but can't always imagine it in my head. Strange for me, since I consider myself a fairly creative person. I guess this is a art unto itself. We have a lot of white walls that need painting rooms that need tweaking. I just keep telling myself that it's a process and there's no hurry.

Here are my boys celebrating Hanukkah this year:

Here's a family pic. Had to go back to last April to find one of the 4 of us!

Here, you can see some of the front of our house (stucco in front, siding and stucco on sides and back):

Thanks Black-thumb. I saw that one at Levitz and it didn't look nearly as nice as yours. Goes to show you that in the right setting, and the way you pulled it all together can be gorgeous! I love your room!

Thanks!
Lindy

What a fun thread. I've been trapped with limited computer access thanks to a lovely ice storm. What a treat to "meet" everyone.

I'm Reno_fan, which means that I have a neurotic need to re-do just about everything. This includes 2 houses in the last 3 years. Thank goodness I've found an outlet for my energies; I got into real estate a couple years back and have had a blast. DH and I recently started an investment company to rehab houses in our area, so now I can play with remodeling stuff, but don't have to move my poor family around!

I'm 34, and have been married 15.5 years.

We have 3 kids; a 14 year old boy, 13 year old girl, and 9 year old girl. (Plus a yellow lab and a basset hound).

Here's my cheesy work photo:

I have been on GW close to 5 years as well but do not post frequently. I love projects and usually do one or two large ones and several small ones a year and then share it here.
I am best know by my stained concrete and paneling projects.
I have 2 boys and in January celebrate 25 years with my DH.
Here is recent photo of me:

and here are my boys and DH. My oldest just came back from Iraq :) and youngest is senior in HS.

I designed our house and have been improving it since finishing the build in 2002. All the projects have been done by us.
To see some of the projects, step by step visit - http://www.raud.net/lilly/
To see just house photos and a movie =>

I guess I need to jump in here!

I have so enjoyed "seeing" everyone :-)

My name is Robbi. I'm 44 and live in East Tennessee. I work part time (if 36 hrs/wk is part time) as a computer server administrator. I've been married to my dh for 10 year on the 27th or this month and we have 2 kids, Justin 6 and Anna 5 (yesterday!), via fertility treatments (4 invitro-fertilization cycles).

Here's them last month...

{{gwi:1857935}}

and one of me...

{{gwi:1857937}}

We live in a house that was built in the early 80's that started with 1400 sq ft. I discovered GW's kitchen forum when we put on an addition on our house making to now 3800 sq ft. We've done most of the work ourselves, so it has been very slow. We've not done much to the original side of the house (except eliminate the kitchen on that side). Now that I'm working on dh to update the 80's look (i.e. paint the paneling!), I discovered this forum. I have learned so much from everyone here. I lurk here frequently while I'm at work and have something to volunteer occasionally.

I can't find a picture of what the house looks like with the addition, but the extra space is nice now that the kids like to "move around"!

We also have 6 quarter horses and 2 dogs. We just bought a travel trailer a few months ago and love to camp and go horse back riding. We also bought a piece of property near where we camp and ride, and hope to build a cabin in the next few years (that's why we have the travel trailer for now).

I have many projects scheduled for after the holidays. So, I'm sure you will be "seeing" a lot more of me asking questions.

Robbi

Hi! everyone,
I kept thinking i should join in on this thread but couldn't for some reason or the other. I am amazed to see how big this thread has gotten to be! Its so nice to attach faces and life stories to names I see everyday. You all have such cute kids too!
As for me, I am almost 32, married to my DH for five yrs and we have a 18 month old DS who keeps us on our toes day and night! We live on Long Island and I work as a researcher in a university here.
I grew up in India and moved to the US four yrs ago. I have been posting on and off for the last yr or so. I am an avid lurker, spend almost all my free time on this site. As others have said before, I too am amazed by the talent and generosity of the people on this board. There is a wealth of information on this board not only in the experiences shared but also in all the sites and pics you guys link in your posts. Thank you! I am still learning( a whole new decor vocab at that) and trying different decor ideas with our first house. I hope to have it presentable enough soon so I can post pics and see what you guys have to say!
Thank you all for making each day fun!
Vinaya

Lindybarts
Your welcome! Thank you for the compliments. :)

Totallyblessed, I love the style of your home and I know when it is completed you and your family will be so happy. I had to check out who you were since you were so nice to respond to my Durham Furniture Pictures. You are pretty and definitely are totally blessed with a wonderful husband and children. Nice to meet you.

My friend, John had to be rushed to the emergency room tonight so I am up if he needs me since he called me from the ambulance. I can't keep my eyes open so I will go to bed but not turn the ringer off like I usually do and put it on higher than I do when it is on.