I also have a problem with rose slugs. I've done lots of research to positively identify the problem. But I have yet to find a satisfactory solution. Last year I vowed to solve the problem by religiously removing and killing the slugs early in the year, hoping to stop the life cycle of these buggers once and for all. Didn't help - if I miss 2 or 3 days of picking them off, they infest and defoliate the plants in ridiculous amounts. This year I simply have no hope of stopping them. I didn't address the problem and my roses are already 100% defoliated on any leaves that are more then a week old. I have yet to find any way, organic or not, to stop them. I find lots of info on the rose slugs but not much in the way of solutions to them. I'm going to try planting a number of companion plants and host plants for beneficial insects. I'm writting this year off...but maybe it will help for next year. It's a really demoralizing situation.

If your hutch was your grammy's, I wouldn't do anything permanent to change it; it is worth something as is, not if altered. IMO, if you wanted to change something about it, cut a piece of wood to fit in under the top, along the back and make your changes to that piece of wood. If you ever change your mind, you remove it or change it to something different. If you want to change the look of your hutch, add some more colorful accesories to it and arrange those sitting where the urn and candlesticks are to groups of 3s.

Mine don't have themes and my friends think I'm nuts. But to me (a right-brained CPA), it makes perfect sense...what I've done. I have 4 sm. children. I have five "series" of albums in process, all chronological. I have the series for me and DH. I don't tend to do anything really creative in them. Then I have a series for each child from birth (or just before birth in Mommy's tummy!). Those I've been more creative with. That way, when DH and I are no longer around, no one is fighting to split the family pictures. I'll get 5 copies of the same picture made if it's one I really like. The elder members of my family are all gone and all I ever wanted was the pictures. Sadly, I didn't get any. Plus, my children are the most over-photographed children around. I've had a camera shoved in their faces since birth! They love seeing their pictures. If I did a separate album for every event, trip, or whatever, I'd have way too many albums. This way seems more manageable. It's much easier for me to keep up. Just my $.02!

I work in a store and we have an amazing scrapbook section. We are a discount store and I know one of the Laura Ashley scrapbooks sells for 19.99 at our store and 59.99 at Micheals...and yes, it's the exact same book. Talk about a mark up at Micheals. I get some of the neatest items there. And best of all I get first dibs and I get to order it so if I see something I really want, I order it in. :)