The Redesign Habit

09/25/2026

09/24/2026

I have nothing against a good old-fashioned jack-o'-lantern. But the minute you cut into a pumpkin, the clock starts ticking. Suddenly that perfectly good pumpkin has a much shorter decorating life - and after all that scooping, carving and seed-covered-kitchen-counter business, it seems a little rude.

So a few years ago, I started playing with another idea: What if I decorated the pumpkins instead?

I have nothing against a good old-fashioned jack-o'-lantern. But the minute you cut into a pumpkin, the clock starts ticking. Suddenly that perfectly good pumpkin has a much shorter decorating life - and after all that scooping, carving and seed-covered-kitchen-counter business, it seems a little ru

09/17/2026

There was a time when furnishing a family room was straightforward. You bought the sofa and matching loveseat. Maybe you added a matching chair. Then came the coffee table and two matching end tables. If you were furnishing a bedroom, you brought in five pieces of matching cherry furniture that were arriving on the same truck. Matchy matchy. Not that there’s anything wrongy wrongy with that.

There still isn’t. Matching pieces can make sense for a room. But not everything has to match exactly to work together. In fact, things can get a whole lot more interesting when they don’t.

There was a time when furnishing a family room was straightforward. You bought the sofa and matching loveseat. Maybe you added a matching chair. Then came the coffee table and two matching end tables. If you were furnishing a bedroom, you brought in five pieces of matching cherry furniture that were

09/11/2026

See how I turned my office into a multipurpose craft room -- all for under $200!

09/10/2026

At 8 a.m. this morning, I poured my coffee and headed out to the little seating area on our front porch. I was in the shade with visions of sitting there enjoying a peaceful September morning.

Nope. That lasted about three minutes. It was already hot. And humid. And generally unpleasant enough that I picked up my coffee and retreated back into the house. Even the dogs aren't getting their morning walk because apparently summer has decided it lives here now.

Humble brag: one of the BIG reasons we moved back to San Diego almost 20 years ago was to escape the heat and humidity of Midwest summers. You know, San Diego, land of endless sunny-and-70. I did my time. I left. I thought we had an understanding.
Apparently, this particular summer did not get the memo.

But here's the thing. There's a pumpkin hanging on my front door, so clearly one of us thinks fall is coming.

I'm putting my money on the pumpkin.

At 8 a.m. this morning, I poured my coffee and headed out to the little seating area on our front porch. I was in the shade with visions of sitting there enjoying a peaceful September morning. Nope. That lasted about three minutes. It was already hot. And humid. And generally unpleasant enough that