My advice is to try several different types and see which ones work best for you. You can mount them on poles with squirrel baffles, or hang them on wires from tree branches (with a baffle ABOVE the feeder, rather than under it), or try the window feeders. A tray feeder will attract the largest variety of birds, with smaller feeders working well for cardinals, titmice, etc. If you have birds visiting your birdbath, it won't take them long to find any new feeder you put out. Get a good quality birdseed mix without too much milo (those are the reddish seeds that look like little BB's). Not much eats those, and they are used as fillers in cheaper mixes. I like a basic seed mix with plenty of millet for the small birds, and then I add extra black oiler sunflower seeds. I've also had good luck with some of the fancier mixes that include dried fruit and/or nuts. Raw peanuts in the shell are a favorite with bluejays and red-bellied woodpeckers. And, of course, a cheapie thistle sock ($2.98) will keep the migrating goldfinches happy all season. Good luck! Marcia

I think your stackers can be a good thing for you, but I do think you need some sort of "deep storage," and it does NOT have to be there. it might be easier if it were, but oh well. You live in the real world. So you'll need to find some other place to keep papers that are longer term, not needed for reference, but needed to access now and then. So use the file box or tote, and go get it when it's "paperwork processing time." And what goes in there is stuff you don't intend to refer to in the next four months. Stuff you *will* refer to can stay in the stackers. As I mentioned before, I think if you live with it for a while, your eyes open to what's working (which you have), you'll figure out for your own situation what's just permanently floating in the stackers and should get filed away (or tossed) You say you have more kitchen storage, which is great, but maybe spend a half a cabinet on a file box for stuff that's not in action at the moment? Insurance forms (unless you can download), etc.? I think a long-term, ONGOING project like the Girl Scout project *belongs* in the stacker. You need to look at it, put stuff with it, etc., every week or so, maybe even more often, so of course it goes in a high-profile spot. But paid bills don't go there. (some people even TOSS their paid bills) Personally I would--do--stick the report cards in deep, deep storage. "Heirlooms & Mementoes" storage, deep in the closet. I don't refer to them again, but if I needed them for some reason (not sure why--not even applying for a new school would require them), I could dig them out. I agree w/ you about your need to get tougher--I think most of us have a procrastination problem (well, mayb enot Ginger, LOL, but *most* of us). I have only JUST this year gotten good w/ schoolwork papers. I toss 'em pretty rapidly. Fortunately, my son's teacher has a "sign and return" stamp, so I know which ones she wants back; the rest go in the trash. I figure, if I haven't had time to discuss them w/ the kids in the 2 days following when the papers came home, it'll be too late to make much of a difference. I'm lucky, in that there's not usually much to say--"oh, I see you skipped over that one; watch more carefully" is about it--bcs they usually understand their schoolwork. They get sloppy, but I don't need to spend much time on that. I try to review the schoolwork briefly when I'm doing the school forms (the ones that you won't let leave the backpack? wise you! I got that concept last year, an am enjoying it this year), and try to deal w/ them the same way. It would be harder if I needed to review stuff with them--if they were struggling w/ the concepts. I used to try, to reinforce by reviewing, and finally just gave up--I never had time to, and decided that, since the kids were basically doing fine, I didn't need to be their tutor, too. It has saved me no end of time and guilt. I think if DD was having trouble w/ fractions, for example, and I wanted to sit w/ her for 15 or 20 minutes to coach, I'd have a tougher time, but I might still not want to keep the paper. Or, maybe that would be the ONE paper I kept, and the rest got tossed. I have gotten absolutely RUTHLESS about paper. I had a basket that was collecting paperwork I needed to "do something with" or "might do something with." And it just ended up really dragging down the house. Ostensibly it was for bills to pay, but other stuff went there, too, and it was just a huge mess. I went through it in early Dec. when my mom was here, and was amazed at how useless all that stuff was. I throw SO much out now. (I know what you mean about keeping your hands out of each other's paperwork, but are you SURE your DH couldn't give you one of his 4 drawers? Not for frequently used stuff--your stackers should help w/ that--but for deeper filing? You really need some place, and I bet he's got stuff that could go--4 drawers is an awful lot. Think about it, send up a trial balloon. You wouldn't have to OPEN the other drawers, so your hands would still be off his paperwork...)

Hi, Jane Congrats on having a house of your own. If you have the energy to cook, you might be able to do some of the cosmetic repairs yourself. I have scoliosis and mild CP, but I have done various projects around our 72 year old house. If you need to wait to do the floors, get rugs at yard sales to cover them. Hardwood floors are nice, but pets can scratch them or have "accidents" that stain them. It might not be worth it to get them refinished if you have pets. Like the others said, start with one room. Read up on fixing cracks. Get the proper mesh and a small tub of joint compound. Add a little tiny bit of water to the joint compound and stir -- maybe do this in a separate container, a little at a time if you tire easily. Make a batch just for the one repair and wait to do another. Start with the cracks (if any) that you can reach sitting down. Keep on trying (I won't go into details because there is plenty of info on the web and the forums). Just wanted to let you know that if you keep trying, eventually it will become easier. The goal is to get the joint compound on smoothly so you don't have to do a lot of sanding. If you have any respiratory problems, make sure you have a good face mask on when sanding to smooth the joint compound. There is a "sponge" sander that does not create as much dust because you wet it before sanding. Once all the cracks are fixed in the room, prime and paint. Go to your closet for a reminder of your favorite colors and use your favorite for the whole room or at least an accent wall. Good brushes are expensive but worth it. You want an angle brush for corners and edges. Goof-off or a similar product may help get the drips off the baseboards. I'm glad your kitchen is functional. That helps a lot. My house has some of the original cupboards. They were painted a pea-soup green and I painted them all white. Replaced the handles and they looked totally different. Sorry if I rambled. I can totally relate to your situation. Best of luck.

How can you not realize that someone does something when it is getting done and you know you aren't the one doing it? I chuckled at that too... But honestly I think that FDH has no clue how much time I spend doing housework. He doesn't really notice clean and dirty, so as a bachelor, he thought once a month is plenty for cleaning the bathroom. I don't think it really occurs to him that our bathroom is sparkly and I keep it that way by cleaning it every week with touch-ups when it needs it. He notices the big stuff (like a full bathroom cleaning) but the little things just blow right by him. He hasn't got a clue that I do mid-week touchups in the bathroom, or that I lintbrush the cat fur off the couch almost every morning, those sorts of things. He sees me do them once in awhile, and comments on how nice clean it is, but doesn't really realize these little things all add up to a large portion of time. I'm not complaining that I do these things, because I choose to do them without his help, just noting that he doesn't have a freaking clue ;) He helps with the big stuff, and we have an I-cook-he-does-dishes deal, but I don't think he realizes how time-consuming the little things are and just how many little things need doing.