Some of us grew up watching our parents in action, the best way I know of to see what the expectations for grown-ups are. My dad used to say, “I have to throw my hat through the door to see where it lands before I walk through the door.” We never knew what Mom would be up to ‘today.’

Maybe Mom has always been a great example of the ‘creative mind.’ She was always trying something new. She’s always been as comfortable with a hammer and level as she is with a crochet hook and scissors and everything in between. She built her own kitchen cupboards. She moved doorways. She changed squared doorways to arched doorways. She wallpapered and painted, always looking for something new and interesting to make home more homey. And she always did it herself because 1.) It saved money, 2.) She enjoyed the challenge, 3.) Nobody does anything as good as yourself because you know what and how you want things done.

It’s not an accident, then, that I have always liked to do the painting and wallpapering myself, pulling colors together and accenting with my own ideas. I’m not an interior decorator in any sense of the word. But I know what I like, what makes me feel good. I’m not a cheapskate, but I am on the frugal side. I want the best value for my money so I can stretch my dollars farther. I have hobbies and interests that also require money here and there.

I want a cozy, warm, and inviting atmosphere in our home. I’ve been around enough years (haven’t we all?) to know that everyone needs to have a haven from the storm, a safe place to go to for renewal. (And the older I get, the more I understand the need for renewal.)

I like a lot of light around me. My home office faces south and is filled with sunlight all day. What an uplifting feature of my home! In the winter I like warm colors like gold and red. In warmer weather I tend toward cooler colors like blue and I always like the neutral colors. I also like houseplants, but I don’t like to pay a lot for them. I buy them small and nurture them. I also have my eye on some artificial trees. They don’t require watering and they don’t die. They just gather dust.

The children are all grown now. A dining room wall is graced with the graduation photos of all four of our daughters that surround a collage of my parents’ 50th wedding anniversary. In the living room is my “Grandbaby Wall.” I have baby pictures of each baby between birth and three months, to which I’m adding a picture of the new granddaughter born Dec. 27 and the two grandchildren we inherited when our daughter remarried. They are grandchildren, too.

I used to think that things had to match perfectly. I’ve come to the conclusion that it’s going to be the way that I want it. I wander through the dollar store for bargains to add an accent here and there. You might be surprised what you can find there and what you can do with the finds you make!

If you’ve given up because you grew tired of the fight, maybe it’s time to make a statement about you. The objective is to make home reflect who you are. My mother, at age 75, said old people can say anything without really offending people because everyone thinks that’s just the way old people are. So make your statement. It’s long overdue. It’s your house. The kids are grown, maybe gone.

Share your home decorating on a shoestring ideas with us at the message boards or email me and I’ll include them in an upcoming edition of the Senior Living Newsletter at Bella Online.