The biggest issue is fungus gnats. Tiny black flies that love to live indoors or out and infest every single plant even if its in a pot. They are smaller than fruit flies. Outdoors, I use a form of Bt and also benefical nematodes as I used to get a LOT of these fungus gnats, they even get inside the leaf layers of brussles sprouts, which are not good eating when you see tiny back flies in the cooking water. Indoors, when I start seeds, I use a mix of seed starting soils, like Natural Beginnings from Gardens Alive, as well as a Jiffy mix that is sold by the bag through sevral web sites, and even shreaded coconut husk fibers called coir. These are all quite 'clean' and have little to no real soil in them. They help hold just the right amount of moisture too. The fungus gnats usually come from outdoor soils, lay eggs in the soil that turn into tiny maggots and these feed off the tender roots of any plants. Thats one reason you see house plants suddenly dieing for no apparent reason. To check indoor plants, I use yellow sticky traps that rest horizontally on the edges of the pots. After just a couple of days, these traps can become loaded with tiny black gnats! Outside is where I use a form of Bt and also water in the beneficial nematodes that live in soil and go after the fungus maggots. My garden soil here isn't perfect, but if I can reduce harmful bugs from killing plants, its a big help. I use scent lures and sticky traps for my apples, peaches, and even cucumbers. Each sticky trap has a scent lure that attracts the pests common to these plants. Some plants and trees are highly resistant to diseases and bugs. Asian pears, asparagus, and blueberries to name a few. It may be better to head to a nursery/garden shop, as Home Depot and Lowes tend to offer a very limited amount of organic supplies. Here, we have only a very few products that are organic and most are for bugs (Neem) and disease control (Serende). The bags of soil offered by Miracle Grow tend to be a bit harsh as they simply use chemical equivilents to the real soil nutrients. I have a small leanto shed that stores corn gluten, fish meal, humate, kelp meal, and a few others. I use these as natural nitrogen additives, or in the case of humate, many minerals and micro nutrients. If you do plan to spray for any bugs that might be feeding on the leaves, try Neem. I wouldnt spray any herbs with anything unless the bugs are chewing holes in the leaves however. Bt, is a liquid mixed with water and has several different strains, of which one is for the gnat control. Ever hear of squash vine borers? These bugs bore into the base of squash vines and destroy the insides which cause the plants to quickly die. I have used another form of Bt and actually injected it into the main stems of squash plants, by using an insulin syringe. The Bt attacks the borers and kills them. Imagine a garden thats a living thing like us, it just can't survive all by itself if you want good yields and quality crops. I have only 2000 sq. feet of garden space, and there is also areas all around the edges of my garden that have fruit trees, or some permanent plants like asparagus and horse radish, which I harvest every spring. For your pot of cilantro, add some seeds every 2-3 weeks, so they can give you more than 1 or 2 harvests. Only thing is, if they are clumped together, they are hard to seperate if there are two stages of growth within each other. Indoors, I start about 60 petunia plants, 60 or so impatien plants, peppers, tomatos, basil, and a few others about mid April. This year, seedless watermelons with a necessary pollinator, as well as a few cantaloupe types. Brussels sprouts again too, but will be covered with a light weight white plastic fabric to block out the bugs, then my big batch of corn, which I plant every other year. I have a small tractor and a big rototiller to turn the soil over every spring, and work in any soil ammendments needed. Here is a link that might be useful: Natural Beginnings

Chalk it up to a learning experience. Some people say if the ground is not frozen, you can still plant outside. And, if it was dry in the store and dry when you got it home, it was already a goner. They need to be kept watered, and they need a lot of light. You can try to save it, but they are not an indoor plant. Always check on the overall condition of the plant before you leave the store. There is a reason why it was "on sale". Here is the primer on "gift" roses: How to save a potted gift rose Also check out: questions about the winter Consider it a nice temporary decoration. If you want to try again, then next spring (early May), go find one that is fresh and has been watered. Bring it home. Follow the directions in the "How to save" thread, and plant it outside. You'll have a nice plant.

Strayer: Funny that you should bring this up because we *just* ( as in yesterday) decided to replace our Valet Intercom system instead of ripping it out. It took us weeks of agonizing, lol! My first instinct was to remove it ( we have the units upstairs as well) but our neighbors( and close friends) replaced their identical units with 'prettier' models and of course, DH wanted to do the same. We'll be getting the new units next week - they have the same dimensions and all we have to do is hook them up. This is where we ordered our new units from: http://www.stateintercom.com/

If you have children, I would suggest using an ottoman style coffee table. That is the ‘only‘ style that I would recommend with children afoot. But you can read up on “child-friendly” coffee tables for additional options. Personally, I do not think having a coffee table is worth endangering any child - based upon statistics re: the number of children that are seriously injured every year, due to glass coffee tables and other sharp edged and/or hard surface coffee tables. Plus, I grew up in a house/considered a mansion (8 bedroom, 5 bath) - where young children were carried out via ambulance (on more than one occasion) due to serious injuries, sustained from a beautiful coffee table. It was terrifying for the injured children, and it was also terrifying and heartbreaking for the other young children who were witnessing these events. So, imo, there is no “fashion” that is worth a child’s health or life. I am mostly ignored and oftentimes undermined, on this site, when I attempt to promote the use of ottoman coffee tables for child safety. But it is something I am passionate about. And so, I persevere.