You know, it's crazy that so many traders are willing to be overcharged. Perhaps, they don't know they can do anything about it and never visit this side of the forum? I even wrote one of the ladies as it was insane what one packet of seeds cost... it was over $1.50! She never even responded. I was trying to help her. (ugggggh) Anyways.... Here's my responses to your questions: Was that where a member guessed it needed that much and just put additional stamps on it, or were they postal tapes? I was thinking I really should keep track in a notebook or write a list or something. I am a very new trader, so I was really suprised seeing so many being overcharged. I should have kept better records, so I could tell you exactly. I am sure that many of them had postal tapes. I think most of them did, but I can't swear to it. I'll try to keep better track from here on out as this is good information to know. Where did you buy them (bubble mailers that are under 1/4" thick with seeds)? I'd like to buy some too, for those instances where it was just a really small trade of really small seeds, in a small quantity. I found them at Wal-Greens. The are Scotch brand from 3M. They are #0 size, 6x9 inch. They were in a bin that had a bunch of other bubble envies that were bigger. This one was priced 3 for $1.98. I did take note that they could be cut in half lengthwise and put inside a regular envy as padding very easily and fit almost perfectly. Even so, if you don't get these back in from trades that you can reuse, then you're still spending 33 to 66 cents for each trade before factoring in postage. It would be neat to see if they have just the thinner bubble wrap itself (not a bubble mailer) available somewhere. And, yes, I couldn't agree more... We all do need to address the postage issue with our own postmasters and stand up for not being overcharged at the counters as well. I wish more people were able to confront the issue rather than just not saying anything at all, paying more than they should, and just walking out. My biggest factor is that I do not want to have to go in to the post office as this costs me gas which far outweighs what I spend on postage. Plus, it's a toss-up whether I'm going to get the guy that overcharges behind the counter or the lady who charges correctly at my post office. I think like most everyone else, I'd rather not have to tell them that they've charged me incorrectly and argue with them with a line a mile long behind me, but I WILL do it, whereas many other people won't... ~Angela *who has no idea if she's going to stay away from this thread, but still has to pack and get ready for her trip to Dallas*

ok...first i put hornsworth in the pond...a green palny that i let float around . some of it stayed on the bottom and anchored. then i bought a cheap bio filter...with bio balls..hooked it up to the pump. i added barley nuggets... itried the marley mat but that didn't work so good.. i really think the barley nuggets did the trick...... i added 2 water lilies to the bottom of the pond and a green grass in a pot of rocks i submerged...oh i also added impatients in a clay pot filled with rocks..no dirt...sbmerged to rim of pot... and the biggest thing i think was to leave it alone...as has been suggested many times here. i also added 4 feeder gold fish last week.

Thanks everyone! I already have 5 in the ground and they are getting really big, but they are regular white and the fundzui- the one that blooms all sumer, by the way, he had that too. I really wanted an evergreen bush to provide a little privacy onn my driveway, which is stoned, but is visible to the street. When I saw this red sweet olive, or what most people call tea olive, I thought it would be nice to use that, it is evergreen, and I can move it if I want. So, as it grows, it will be my privacy shrub. (I really should get something else too, the drive is wide). Lou, I totally hear you on taking your shrubs with you, I would do the same thing! The grower hasn't seen it bloom yet. They have a big one,and they grow them from cuttings, but their red hasn't bloomed yet. So, the challenge will be to see when it blooms. it may take a while, but I will wait. The white bloom young, you never know, I may get lucky and it may bloom next year. You never know.... I will post a pic here, you can count on that.

we spend long time with someone who was not an architect but a residential designer--he basically wanted to just rework one of his existing plans for us--we went round and round trying to get some "personality" into his pretty basic designs...it was only when we really pressed him to think "outside the box" that he actually loosened up... we did not build the house because at that time we wanted a larger house than we could comfortable get on that particular lot... maybe your architect feels constrained because you have been really controlling the design with your vision--not a bad thing--but it could be difficult to 1)read your minds to certain extent and give you what you don't exactly know you want, 2) by giving you what you have asked for, other aspects have caused the "oddities" you mention... sometimes you can't have your cake and eat it too... did you take in photos from magazines of aspects in other homes that you found appealing and asked to have them integrated into your design? We also worked with a "real" architect on another house but the developer just kept pushing back the time that the lots were going to be ready to buy and start building... and prices kept going up in our area--it finally priced us out of building a home... the architect was so busy that keeping out house separate from all the others he was doing just seemed like too much effort... some of the best designed homes we have been in were done by local builder who basically did his own plans and took them to design firm to make blueprints and flesh them out with engineering specs... they had good use of space, natural light, storage, and some unique touches -- like the dog room with high walls tiled for first 4 ft, a concrete floor with drain, high slider windows on two walls to get cross breeze, and a built-in pet door to back yard...was not that large but was a really neat touch...people he built the house for were doctors who had 2 hunting dogs and wanted them to have way inside if bad weather came up when they were on duty... if you are just talking special touches-- would a pocket door be appropriate at some location and improve the function what about using a barn-sliding door for a media room or a play room space do your boys rooms have that make them magical? do you have any unique windows--round or square especially in a series or an irregular patter perhaps--what about an eyebrow window do you know what kind of trim you are using--are the designs showing that or just the basic floor plan? Have you checked for any line of sight issues---that might be something that bothers you without your realizing it... Are all your ceiling heights the same from room to room--that is boring--even if you want higher ceilings in most of the house--Sarah Susanka says that you need to vary the heights to give a cocoon effect in some spaces... maybe a dropped ceiling in the breakfast nook if the kitchen has high ones--- maybe a barrel ceiling or like a trapizoid one in a bath to give room dimension... don't know if any of those appeal to you or would make a difference.... it is possible for a house that large to be boring even if it is big...I know you are trying to avoid that...