I, too, have been reading about your family, your plans, and your challenges, and, like everyone else, I'm looking forward to seeing your After pics! I am no decorator myself. I have been doing the same thing you are--reading magazines, library books, and mostly online to figure things out. There are quizzes you can take, too, that might help you define your style. Once you know what you want, keep reminding yourself what that is, and don't let yourself wander too much from the plan. Stick to your guns! We just rebuilt our home after a total loss due to a fire and have not had much left for furnishings. We have had to buy just a few brand new things. Mostly, though, we've been having lots of fun acquiring nice things at bargain prices by searching for, bargaining for, and buying well-built items from Craigslist, Goodwill, Salvation Army thrift stores, auctions, antique stores, estate sales, yard sales, and junk stores. We inspect things thoroughly to see what they're made of and how they're made, and to see if we can refinish or paint them. I think we're ending up with better things than we could get if we bought all new stuff from a furniture store. (And it's sort of like a treasure hunt, lol.). Good luck!! I'm definitely going to be watching for your posts!

angel19603, I find one of the most fascinating ones for me is The Enchanted Home. This gal is building a house that is incredible. That is the only word for it. She has great photos in every blog. There isn't a lot of "teaching" just sharing. She does a house "update" on Thursdays, and I usually have my jaw on the floor because I can't believe anybody is building a house/mansion like this in this day and age. It is really incredible. Cote de Texas is always enjoyable, Joanie is a really funny gal and she has some great ideas. Her photos are wonderful and she does seem to "explain" things and teach why certain things work and others don't. She also does the occasional interview with other designers, photographers, etc. so there are lots of good tips. I check out others, but these two are ones you might like to check out. -Bee

I'm enjoying all the additional comments; one just cannot get enough of praise. It never gets boring! hoovb, thanks for the good wishes for hubby. Yes, he does have two more roses to plant. He did use sliders, but thank you for that helpful tip. I'm afraid placing and replacing area rugs didn't help. The two big chairs are almost impossible to move and you can't use sliders on them. Olychick, you're so bad! Please do not mention area rugs for at least a year. I think the right one is lovely on wood floors but I'm not so sure that they work or look well on a thick carpet. I really like the less cluttered look right now.

Mondigliani was never one of my favorites. I think a geometric Klee is the solution. I have a few favourites myself but I would have to dig them up.