Oh my gosh, what a surprise to see my old thread pop up! It was, all in all, a great trip for them all. What worked? Just about everything . . . and thanks to everyone for the wonderful advice! ~ Sleeping arrangements: DD and 2 of the girls fit nicely in DD's room (bed, window seat bed and single mattress on floor). The two other girls slept out on our living room sofas. That room closes off with 3 sets of French doors, so they had a bit of privacy, at least. The 2 guys slept in our guest room. Bathrooms: I decided before anyone arrived that, with seven 18 & 19 year olds in one house, there would be no long baths; only quick showers. So, I put 2 wood tv tables in the bathtub with a laundry basket on each. One held big stacks of folded bath towels and washcloths. The other was for the used ones. I told them not to hang the damp ones. The nightmare of many wet towels hanging everywhere inspired that decision. Great one on my part!!! I just washed and replaced the towels every afternoon while they were out sightseeing. I also had stocked both guest bathrooms with a box of essentials: from travel-size tubes of toothpaste, deodorants, Kleenex; small combs, Tylenol, Tums, Chapstick, toothbrushes, girl essentials, sunscreen. Thank goodness, as they were pretty much all used! ~ I put a supply of local postcards, stamps and pens in each bedroom for them to send postcards quickly and easily. Also a supply of local travel books to inspire their daily outings. ~Food/Meals: as I expected, they ate like they were all starving. They loved my meals . . . even the vegetarian. I'd stocked up on enough snacks to keep them all happy. Thank goodness! ~Sightseeing: LOL LOL LOL!!! None of them had been to New Mexico before and their expectations were funny, to say the least. We have small herds of wild horses, but they're wild, not kept in pens. Our visitors wanted DD to drive them , wherever they were so that they could "pet them" and take pics! That didn't happen (LOL), but they did see some occasionally here and there. Same with coyotes. DD had to warn them not to make a big deal about any Native Americans they saw. They tried to speak Spanish to people here, which was met with patience and kindness (thank goodness!). Our chile was "too hot", but they loved exploring Santa Fe and Albuquerque. And Madrid, NM, where the movie "Wild Hogs" was filmed. What didn't work? Well, getting 7 college freshmen to agree on anything, such as where to go exploring next or what movie to watch, was a PIA for DD. One gal turned out to be a hypochondriac, which frustrated the rest. And, DS & his girlfriend decided at the last minute to cancel their hotel reservations and sleep on a queen-size air mattress in our foyer (the only place left!), as they stopped by for a few days on their way to his new job in Tucson, AZ. So, we ended up with a real houseful . . . but it was a lot of fun. Would we do it again? Yes, if DD asked. Would DD do it again? Absolutely not. She said it was fun but exhausting. This Spring Break she's bringing (just) two of her close friends/sorority sisters here to celebrate her 21st birthday. They'll dance at some of the higher end (read: safe) clubs. Shop Santa Fe and ABQ Uptown. Visit Madrid and The Tram. Eat out at some favorite spots and generally spend all the money their parents promised them for this year's Spring Break on themselves instead of an expensive hotel room. Their first choice, Austin, TX, was pretty much already booked up, as South by Southwest will be there at the same time. They were looking at $500/night for modest hotel rooms and super-inflated SbSW ticket prices! So, we'll be entertaining again, but on a much more sane level! Lynn

What're your summers like, Nancita? What exposure does the porch have and what do you use it for? For our front, north-facing walk-in porch I chose a traditional Charleston green, a regional color which is almost black, for a deep, cool look that would harmonize with the lighter green foliage all around, but we were forced to go light on the porch we sit out on because the summer sun on even a medium green here will make it too hot to walk on. I noticed on browsing the web that current front porch floor colors are typically deplorably limited and boring, but I would think any color that was considered generally acceptable for a front door could be used in a somewhat muted or darkened, or perhaps lightened, version without raising eyebrows. For back deck color, you're outside but still separated from "nature" while sitting on it. Would you like a look that reinforces the shelter feeling (interior-style elements and colors carried outside), or would you like to embrace nature more and feel more as if you were sitting in a park or woods, only without your chairs sinking in? :)

If your window trim is white and fascia are white, use white gutters and downspouts but if your siding is a dark color, paint the downspouts the same or similar color as your siding (with paint intended for metal if the gutters are metal) so the downspouts will visually "disappear". White and gray are not the only colors worth considering. If you are in a wooded area, also consider sage green. If you are in a more sandy desert area, consider a pale brown/tan (without the pink or yellow hue). Where you live, what kind of lot you have and how you maintain the yard adjacent to your home can affect how much and quickly your siding will get dirty. If the current paint on your home is looking really bad -- if it's peeling or cracking or just really dirty -- it will need a serious cleaning so consider having it pressure washed before repainting it. You may be able to rent a pressure washer if you are DIY inclined.

you can warm up the space w/a nice rug, a nice sofa (maybe a darker leather or charcoal) potted plants, wood side chair. But the first thing I'd do is tackle the focal point and that's the fireplace. Will you be hanging your TV there? if so, remove that surround mantle thing and just do a large, wood floating wood beam. Then, those 30 year old boodcase cabs need to go. or at least modify them by getting new doors, maybe some floating wood shelves. I'll give some photoshop pics so you can see what I mean. Lots of DIY's tutorials on doing your own bookcases or floating shelving. buy your own pieces of wood from a lumber yard, cut to size, stain and finish for your shelves. lot cheaper that way. I know this is brick, but imagine your mantle surround removed and replaced w/a floating wood beam. (you can make one of these by buying a 6x8 or 4x6 wood beam, cut it to size, use lag bolts in the back to attach to the fireplace. stain the wood ) I love this black bookcase w/the white back, and the other side an antique wood chest w/a mirror hung above. This is what updating the bookcases (on both sides) would look like w/wood tops and shelving. install some sconces at the top. I love the dark contrast of the tile in the surround, and the simple wood mantle piece. (but a single floating beam would look fine too). you need a nice chandelier to finish it off. remove both sides and build something like this. it's not that difficult. do the surround like this one and mount tv abov it. notice the furniture and black accents and how it warms up the room I mentioned leather and a nice rug (try Loloi rugs on wayfair, ChrisLovesJulia for some nice options) notice the bookcases on both sides w/floating wood shelves. you could even paint the bookcases a diff color, but get some butcher block for the top (and shelves, along w/new door faces) for example, new shaker doors and theyre painted a nice medium gray (try Kendall Charcoal, Chelsea gray or even Wrought Iron. BM colors) what do you think about going darker, like black, on that wall, remove the mantle surround and case units, and bring in something like these armoires. and nice chandelier and furniture finish it off. this would actually match your flooring quite well. or, redo the fireplace entirely w/some limestone, do a black accent wall on either side,get some wood consoles, and decor. stage your furniture like shown here. don't forget the light instead of painting, get some dark consoles (the mirrored doors would work well w/your tile floor) and think aobut doing a diff tile surround. notice the simple white mantle w/o the surround pieces around the tv. love the light and furniture set-up. if you like the white, then do the mantle surround like this along w/the bookcases. To me, the black fireplace surround is a must for some contrast. Pair it w/textured items seen on the wood shelves, textured rug, wood table and a sofa/chairs that match this look any of the items in this picture will bring warmth and depth to your space. you can DIY? check out this before cabinet for $1200, they did what you see here. painted in Revere Pewter