It is way too time consuming, even worse than this website. I'm lucky my dd being in the States brings me out fabulous stuff at a fraction of the price here. I am actually expected to keep up and I send her photos of what I have done - the ones she really likes she copies to save her heaps of time. Try to keep the written memories and milestones, they are the things you forget the fastest, just a notebook does and when you get time down the track you can put it all together. DD made me laugh, she was so confident once the eldest started school she would have sooooooo much time and there would be far less activities to photo......... ha!! she is busier than ever she helps out at school, there is some family activity every week and Miss 6 has become involved in so many after school activities - piano, art, Girl Scouts, soccer, baseball, basketball, swimming plus play dates and parties, DD's feet hardly touch the ground. As well there are always family and friends travelling and visiting.

lyndalcrombie, you are most welcome, I was a bit worried when you felt you needed to be defensive about your likes and dislikes. As I said I got allot out of your post, as I too am building and have themes and colours racing through my head and if I had any doubts about picking a colour, this forum has helped me enormously especially the informative comments on other Houzz forums from both Midesign0401 and Ladyrob1. Together they have helped me choose colours that will work for "ME" as that's the only person that has to be happy ultimately, "ME", not wanting to leave hubby out of the mix but he couldn't care less about colours and themes, I mean, most men don't care, as long as they have their chair and the remote ha-ha.....thank goodness we still have to buy all our lounge furniture, or hubby would want to take the ugly old thing he's sitting on at present, thank goodness it's not particularly comfortable, or I'd have buckleys of keeping it out of the house ha-ha Enjoy your house!!

I had a similar situation. Part of my fence is slat & & part is cap & lap. To cat proof it we put silver grey polycarb on the top half & i painted the slat to watch at the front. I was going to paint the cap & lap but as my builder pointed out, it will silver with age & the plants will grow up to hide a lot of it plus once you paint it has to be repainted every 8 to 10 years not to mention the expense. It is bugging me to look at this half pine wood half polycarb fence until it silvers but he makes a good point. I guess it comes down to money & what you can live with.

I had the same problem too. I rang Dulux and had a paint consultant come in. I have chosen the white exchange full strength throughout the double story house as we have a lot of natural light with vivd white ceilings and WA white doors and trims. The bedrooms I have 1/2 strength white exchange with vivd white ceilings. I wanted my white kitchen to pop with the wall paint colour. Our kitchen cupboards are polar silk white with moose silk contrasting and ice snow bench tops. Hopefully it all blends with the spotted gum floorboards. We have not installed the kitchen yet. I hope it all comes together. Good luck.