Ashley: The sudden change in temperature is what I would say is cause for the leaf drop. Crotons are notorious for leaf drop due to changes in growing conditions, that is why I have never wanted to try growing one. They like high humidity. I would say your croton will send out new leaves once it acclimates to the indoor environment. In Florida this year I saw Crotons growing outside in January, when nights can drop to the low 30's, so they can take some cold. Christopher

Hep! it is indeed mealybugs, I took a closer look and I certainly see little bugs, they are powdery white but has small legs, when I wipe with alcohol they become dirt yellow smudge... the hoya is hanging in a small closet with a northern window- my husband just peeked over my shoulder, not east as I said before.. I have other plants in there for winterstorage, my hibiscus looks like it has a bit of 'spiderweb on it- I know it is a pest but do not know what the name is. My irises that was delivered a bit too late to put in the ground last fall is in there too, One of them was filled with small lice. I sprayed it down with the chrystanmentum spray and it seemed like it did the job. I decided To make a fast sweep of the houseplants and realize that the grape ivy too has white clusters (stems , leaves, underleaves) I look at the passiflora and detect a bit of spiderwebbing. I move on to the bedroom and my hibiscus in there is too affected by webs I am afraing to take down my green hoya... ahmm. went and bought isoprpyl at the pharmacist, could only find 71% / 90% I got the lower number and diluted with water. now it's war! any takes on dealing with the buggers in the soil? should I start watering with soap? can I use dishdetergent water? which soaps to avoid??? thanks klk *I don't know what systemic is but do not like the name, sounds like something I do not want in the house...*

I have SW Hopsack in the dining room and entry. Considered Latte but wanted just a tad bit more "drama". How about cutting the Latte with some white (1/2 or 1/3) and repainting the Latte walls? IRRC Kilim Beige is the next lightest color but that's probably too light. Wonder what a mix of Kilim Beige and Latte would look like? Monica

Good Morning! Can I just state again that you guys here are all the absolute, very, very best!! I appreciate all the advice and encouragement, it matters to me. Last night was a gut wrenching OMG moment and I automatically came here to sob out my misery to the board and you did not disappoint :) To put it in perspective, it basically looks like a cotton ball exploded in my kitchen. The ceiling is white and brand new since it was raised a foot. The DR walls were opened up so I have more light in the kitchen and they are a freshly primed white. My old medium oak cabinets were painted..... white! Our old floor has risen fron the dust and is finely covered in white from the spraying of the bottom cabinets. My old appliances are (you guessed it) white. My brand new recessed lighting gives off a heck of a lot of light as opposed to the lovely flourescent big box it replaced (the electrician is coming back to put in dimmers) and all that white is really startling to me. Granite goes in on Thursday then floors can be selected, which I know will help. I just had a real brain freezing moment last night and all that I have learned here just flew out of my head. As many have experienced and stated here as the planner, designer, whatever we call ourself, most times we are too, too close to the intimate details and we imagine all who see our choices must be thinking "whoa, what the heck was she THINKING??" DH came home and really thought it all looked great. He didn't want me to paint his solid wood cabinets and I was so certain he would regret letting me have my way. I think he likes it more than I do! We now have crown moulding from keeping old, shorter cabinets and that is an adjustment to see open space. Oh so many other things I can beat myself up about in the moment, so I better stop. I told DH at least I have digital pictures of what was.... so I can look back and remember why we wanted this change. Back to the boards, so many pesky details I haven't dealt with yet and I need inspiration that I find here so often. *Deep breath and pulling up my big girl pants* Time to get back to work! Thanks again, this has helped more than you can know :)