Wondering...your Mom most likely feels close to her son...they share a home now...why should she want to see him homeless upon her death? If she buys his cigs and booze..he must be doing enough household duties to get those things..she may buy them whether he did or did not do anything for her....have you ever gone there to help out? Run errands, take her to dr....all those things that adult kids do for parents?? Maybe...your brother feels obligated to live there....be her housemate because he does not see anyone else stepping up to do the maintenance that she may need to run a house...I have seen this arrangement for years with men who live with parents... They give up certain life events such as dating, marrying and sometimes holding a good job because demands at home do not allow it...when my father was ill...I could not work....I had my own home but had to stay at home just to be able to care for my fathers transportation needs to drs ofc. My mother would not do it.... It sometimes appears as if the brother has a great time, but have you actually thought of the things he may have to deal with...maybe that is why the booze...is your concern having the will favor you some? I think your mom might see you as someone who she cannot depend on...I have a mother who made it public knowledge that she favored her boys over her daughters....she even said it as I was carting her a** around town running errands...while my oldest bro...her favorite did not lift a finger for her...ever..that I saw.... My middle bro owns the house...mother is not that crazy about him...but she will leave anything she has to my younger bro....older bro has his own money too....I do not go to my mothers house because when I did my brothers wete verbally hateful....you never knew what they would say....my mother basically kicked me to the curb 14 years ago when I started working full time....if I could not do things for her...she had no reason to talk to me..as she had done to all five of daughters....when my older sister passed away...she did not want to really talk to me after all that time...nephew passed away several months prior and I sat next to her after 12 yrs and she got up and left room. When my sister passed away she started speaking to me only to get a ride to funeral home...after that..nothing...about 2 yrs later after a conversation with another sister about problems in my marriage...my mother calls about a month or so later.....only to hear the details...thinking I would tell her anything...when I did not give her what she wanted...she stopped calling...my mother was just vacant emotionally to her daughters...not much better with sons but she treated them better.... If you are smart...you will let your brother be with this issue....some women thrive on seeing their kids fight..mine did....I have nothing to say to my mother that would mean anything at this point...she raised her kids half a**ed...but we all turned out good.....the girls all have had marital problems...and dependence on husbands because we were forced to leave home by the time we were sixteen....I did not go to clg till I was an adult and had no op to have a real career... I say all this because some women are just born to make trouble for their kids...they will play one off on the other....thats likely what she is doing now...her way of saying..."see what i did"...

Thank you all for your kind words. It's always fun to show our Before & After project pics here. You get inspired and work so hard creating something new. It's nice to be able to share it . . . even if the end results don't end up in your home (LOL)! Oakley: Haha!! I don't think DD is going to want to give up all of her new (old) furniture and decs to move back into a shared, already-furnished bedroom at her sorority house next year when it's finally redone. She'll be a senior then and is already loving her home only a couple of blocks from campus. Although she definitely IS missing having someone else plan, shop for and cook all the meals (LOL)! The wall's of DD's room were already painted that color by the previous tenant and I don't have a clue what the brand name or color of it is. Sorry. Is your son going to OU? I agree, decorating a son's place is (usually) a lot less fun than decorating a daughter's. My own son's place made me cringe during his six years at OU! Arcy: I LOVE your DD's headboard. How beautiful!!! The fabric is wonderful and looks beautiful with that dark wood. This is a fun age for our daughters, isn't it? Jake: that sounds a lot like my son's rooms when he was in college. Yaya: yes, it drove me to distraction not to be able to do much of anything while my hands were healing. Although I've developed significant arthritis in both hands as a result of the surgery, the fracture and the subsequent long immobilization periods, I love being able to work with them again! Patty: DD was seven? My goodness, it HAS been a long time, hasn't it? Her desk color? Yes, It wouldn't have been my choice, but she does love it and, yes, she can paint it again someday if the mood strikes her. (Shudder) That desk (and all of it's drawers and cubbies) was very tedious and hard to paint. I wouldn't want to do that one again ever! What fun to be able to do your GD's bedroom! You'll have to share that with us when you finish it. Well, thank you all again for allowing me to share my Summer's decorating projects. DH & I have just started redoing his study yesterday. More grunt work and a lot less fun than DD's but the results will be good . . . once we ever finish! Lynn This post was edited by lynninnewmexico on Mon, Aug 4, 14 at 23:27

awm thank you ! Everyone's responses have been so great. franksmom..you MUST post your chair !! I would love to see. Beekeeperswife posted 2 chairs from a customer of hers a while back and that got me started thinking . I don't know where the pics are now on GW but a search might turn them up..they were wonderful ! Thank you ! nuts..you are right about that m3d is fantastic ! I am so glad I have someone so talented to work on the chairs. He did do a fantastic job. Thank you ! c this is how the first looked when I found it on the curb...that was fabric on the back stuffed with horsehair..I didn't know but I should have saved it :(....Kenny would have re-used it...oh well...next time !

I am headed for a tkr after we're in our new house - will start the process - pre op appointments, etc. in January. I'm not sure how long it will take after that to have the operation...the doctors have told me to limit walking/hiking after the operation, to switch to nonweightbearing exercise like biking and swimming. I hate water, and the nearest public pool is about 20 miles from here. So - I need to look for an exercise bike, I guess. The only thing I'm dreading - I've heard that many people wind up with catheters afterwards - true? I've had them before and hated the pulling feeling whenever I moved. We're about 30 miles from the hospital where I'll go for the operation, but there is a good PT clinic in our small town, so that's good.