I grew up in "out in the country", and we traveled by landmarks. Once Fincutter's barn burnt down, we all had to figure out another way to give directions!

The original Black Friday was the start of the depression of the mid-1800s. Black Tuesday was the start of the Great Depression of 1929. I think "Holiday Kickoff" or something would b...

Did I not say, "I love the use of the royal "we"? We regret if we were mis-understood and offer our sincere apology. We still keep Mummy's pearls tucked away.

I love the use of the royal "we" in some of these posts. It's ok to display funky jewelry, but I keep my mother's pearls and a few other pieces hidden away. Why invite trouble or misu...

I know this is obvious to most of us, but start out with scrupulously clean. All the cute handtowels in the world won't make up for crud behind the toilet. eewww.

I love an old fashioned coat pile in the bedroom, too, along with the friendly chaos of handing out coats at the end of the evening.

Having a pile of coats on my guest room bed seems so retro. I love it. Back-in-the-day memories of falling asleep next to a pile of coats while my parents partied late into the night. (Probably 10...

My parents and in-laws always directed us (very politely) to separate rooms even though we were living together, but we never complained about it or tried to change them. I think they appreciated ...

I'm with ChrisGal about an open lifestyle. I leave out a basket of toiletries, including spray deodorant (which I hate but I can put it out for the next guest, too). I provide the firs...

The lightweight sheers around the crib are a choking/hanging hazard. The moon is just creepy and angry looking. Safety first.

We taught our kids how to shake hands at a very early age. It's a small thing, but I was really proud at their kindergarden "graduation" that they remembered what to do: Look the other perso...

And then there was "Mom, I'm too OLD to still be at the kid table!" In my big Irish family, someone had to die before a place at the big table opened up.

We keep coming back to Laura's Small Cool. And it always makes me happy. I'd love to see the view from the bed area into the living area.

There really are places to create double duty, so you may want to consider editing a couple of things (some chairs and maybe your kitchen table?) before adding a coffee table. If you think you nee...

I love the "after" photos of your place. You did a lot with just a few easy changes. Grad school is a lot of work; don't forget to breathe.

Check out the "baby seat" in the first image. Child seat safety has certainly come a long way.

We tried moving with a pre-adolescent once. Our first project was to re-secure the door frame to her room, which she had loosened when she slammed the door, yelling, "You've totally ruined my life...

When I really want to tear through and clean my place, I pretend that my mother is coming for a visit, which is really goulish since she's been dead for a long time. Some shrink would ...

Please post photos of how the space turned out! We'd all love to see the "after" pics!

Lisa (montreal), point well taken about decorating adult children's places. But a grad student living on a teaching assistant stipend and student loans doesn't have a lot of time or money. ...