I too have been using Paypal for years and have never had a problem. I don't have a credit card registered on there any more as I don't sell alot so it seemed unnecessary. I do have my bank account info listed, and I check my bank account daily to make sure my money is still where I put it. I think Paypal is very safe, they are very fast to act on a fraud complaint if there is one, and I think as long as you know what is going to come and go from your bank account/paypal account/ebay account you'll be fine. As Tally pointed out, your banking info is right there on your check. There are lots of scammers out there, any one of us could get hit today or tomorrow or may have been hit and we don't know it yet. The key is to keep track of what's going on, pay attention, check things regularly and report any irregularities. If you do all of that you will be as safe as you can be in today's world. Suzan J

Thanks ronbre, for all your thoughts, there are some good ones in there! I love my house, but there are some things that were not well thought out by us, but that was because we were living in a FEMA trailer and wanted out of it in a hurry, so we found this houseplan and built it pretty much as is from the plan. The back door and the breakfast nook and the fireplace could have used some tweaking in where they were placed, but we were in such a hurry we didn't catch that. Weren't even in the house 2 years, when we got hit by another hurricane, and flooded with 3 ft of water, so again, we were in a hurry to get it fixed and get back "home" rather than living somewhere temporarily. I have always wanted a fireplace with a mantel to decorate, and so I think it needs to be a focal point, but obviously the big tv is also a focal point. My recliners are both actually a chestnut colored leather, one is just darker than the other, as we didn't decide we wanted two when we purchased the first one, therefore they are obviously from different dye lots. =( Again, my mistake, that's what I get for being in a hurry! But I definitely want to add more seating in this room, not just move around the chairs that I have now. I need a conversation area and so that is why I am thinking two club style chairs for either side of the entertainment center or adding a loveseat. Then I could make the reading nook like you are talking about by the window!!! The ceilings are great to look at and to have "mood lighting"(DH calls it nude lighting in the bedroom...ha) but it also makes me think things have to be centered off of the ceiling, like the entertainment center or our bed for example. You answered one question about the art with the red in it. I figured it was too big for that wall, but just wanted to see what others thought. It would only have about an inch clearance around it. I am also looking for some kind of chest or demilune table for that little wall. Trying to make that DH landing spot for keys, wallet etc, instead of the bar in the kitchen. The nightstands in the bedroom are the same height, the lamp on the left is a little shorter than the one on the right, I just thought they probably shouldn't be taller than the headboard of the bed. It's not real easy to reach the lamp to turn it off from bed. I need a console/buffet, more seating, coffee table, end table, lamps, rug, artwork, drapes. Accessories, I'll worry about later. I just want to get my big pieces set first. I have "hurricane fatigue" and just want this done and pray that we will have a quiet season this year, so we can actually relax and actually enjoy our home.

hi Ilovemy trees, I am in 5b too (Central IL) and I have gardened for years and just started having a very little bit of rabbit trouble (They disappeared two good sized petunia plants in full bloom) last summer. But over the winter the voles cleared out almost the whole flower bed along the garage: obedience plants, a mass of probably 4x2 that I have had for 10 years (5 teensy plants remaining), 1/2 of a really nice geranium that was probably at least a foot wide at the bass, several helianthus, a lot of bee balm, who knows what else. Another smaller bed they "took out" a beautiful napeta, completely imploded it, two teensy sprigs sticking out of the mound of soil, surprisingly left alone a 2 foot mass of white iris...too early to tell if they got my Henry Eilers BES, and the Double Trouble sneezeweed. Durn rascals! My brother had excellent luck with mousetraps baited with slightly chewed tootsie rolls, but I have a nosey dog and can't do traps. Guess it'll be annuals in those beds this year. Boo hoo. So much of gardening is trial and error...plus what works this year backfires next year. It seems like I have a run of daisies one year, and then next year it's the bee balm that shines. The voles nibbled the bark off my yew bushes on one side of the house! But they are staying green and healthy looking so far! So don't put all your eggs in one basket!

When I grew in NY I left my Catts outside when temps dropped to the 40's at night but warmed up to the 50-60's day. I watered any which were dry in the morning. Vandas and Phals. hard cane dendros came inside at night. Oncids can take cool temps but you need to be careful watering them if the daytime is not warm. I grew mine on a deck off my kitchen. When I worried about the night temps, I moved them in and put them back outside in the morning. Lot of work but the orchids benefit from the sunshine and breezes. When the temps drop low the orchids are not going to take up the water. They shut down. Leaving them out at night is risky. Best to prepare and start bringing them inside for the winter. Jane