TACOMA, Wash. The visual warmth of a spectacular sunburst and slender crescent moon emanates from the entryway floor in Bonnie Wyatt's home in Seattle.

Between the 1990 and the 2000 census, the number of people working at home grew by one-third, and it's expected to be a lot higher in the next population count.

Race-car beds apparently aren't just for kids anymore.

Wouldn't you like to have some fresh ideas, month after month, for projects and plants to try in your garden or home landscape? All sorts of garden magazines offer color photographs of model gardens, articles on topics ranging from specific plant profiles to general how-to advice, and plenty of sources for decorative elements and supplies that gardeners need.

Those jolly round veggies are ripe for the picking. But brainstorming what to do with them beyond October 31 can be tricky. Never underestimate the creative power of a gourd, especially while they're super cheap.

Welcome to the dark side.

SACRAMENTO, Calif. Sean Bigley knows bamboo can be scary, the stuff of backyard nightmares.

CHICAGO Small and nimble, with bright eyes and big ears, the suspect made a dramatic early-morning appearance in the kitchen sink.

Continuing our efforts to get homes ready for winter, this week's tips will focus on rearranging the tons of snow that some weather forecasters predict this year.

Staging a home for sale can set it apart from the competition and make it inviting to the greatest number of buyers. Kiplinger's Personal Finance has these suggestions for staging your home for less than $1,000:

Taking the time to do a little preventative maintenance on household items is far less costly than having to replace a soiled carpet, broken vacuum cleaner or scratched TV.

Q. There are a number of narrow cracks in my popcorn ceiling. Is there something I can inject into these cracks to repair them and restore the appearance of the ceiling? - D. Cornwell

A GUIDE TO HOME ENERGY SAVING STRATEGIES (Part 1 of 3)

WHAT'S NEW: TABLETS CLEAN DISHWASHERS

TOKYO During his lunch breaks, Hayato Kashiwagi slips out of his office in Tokyo and heads for a nearby building where, on the rooftop three stories up, he tends a garden teeming with vegetables.

Q: How dirty do heating ducts get in a year? Is it necessary to clean them yearly as my wife insists?

The holidays typically send most families into high-stress mode. But before you start panicking, "The No. 1 thing is put the pressure on paper," says Deniece Schofield, a home management expert and author of several books on organization, including "Confessions of a Happily Organized Family." "Make sure everything is written down, because if it's in your head, it's stressful," she said.

Ornamental sweet potatoes rule! I just returned from speaking to a group, called Pascagoula Pride, that takes city beautification seriously. As I drove through town, I could not help but admire their effective use of the lime green ornamental sweet potatoes.

Homemade gifts from the kitchen are culinary treasures. They have a personal touch and in these challenging economic times, a present from hearth and heart seems especially meaningful. So when I spied A.J. Rathbun's new book, "Luscious Liqueurs" (Harvard Common Press, $12.95) I knew I'd found the blueprint for my '08 holiday gifts.

Simon Pearce is a household name in handcrafted glassware and pottery.

CHICAGO Maria Maior's son is a football-playing, skateboard-riding, Xbox-loving kid whose home reveals all the trappings of domesticity: a cushy sofa, big-screen TV, a framed poster of Brian Urlacher, one of the 12-year-old's favorite football players. On most evenings, two big dogs curl up on the carpeting.

KANSAS CITY, Mo. Wine is climbing like a vine to a top role in the American home.

No one desires to plunk down hundreds for a vacuum cleaner. It's a boring purchase. But when the old clunker just doesn't suck anymore, it's time for a new model - and fast. Having bought four vacuums in the past seven years I have a decent idea of which dirt demolishing sidekicks make the best appliances and which ones don't make the grade.

Black is not so basic when it comes to your garden. Black-eyed Susans notwithstanding, black generally has a negative connotation, a signal that all is not well with a plant - black spot fungus being just one example.

MINNEAPOLIS Last year, Lori Gordon lost half her nest egg but gained a new friend about half her age. That would be Brooke Thalacker, the teacher and aspiring school counselor who now rents part of Gordon's home.

Question: My wife and I are waking up with spider bites on our legs. My wife, who gets most of the bites, wants to spray for spiders around the house. Is this a good idea?

Q. I have beautiful hardwood floors and love to keep a nice shine on them. What is the best way to care for these floors? -M. Harris

SACRAMENTO, Calif. - An unlikely international superstar is emerging in full bloom, offering a newly affordable home luxury in an era of tight money.

We're taking questions today that continue the topic "Getting your house ready for winter."

Q: We moved into a new house a few months ago and the lighting in here is just terrible. I'd like to get someone to do some remodeling and make our rooms brighter, but don't know where to begin. Any suggestions for us?

You could be called the lawn Luddites.

Remember when the trend was to use vinyl covers to keep furniture clean? They worked - until someone poked a hole in them. (OK, it was me but it was an accident.)

ORLANDO A lifetime's accumulation of furnishings, pictures and photographs greeted Troy Beasley and his design team when they arrived to redecorate a luxury condominium in Winter Park, Fla., recently.

WHAT'S NEW: NEW TOOL OFFERS 16 SOCKET SIZES

DETROIT Hours after a second Pontiac, Mich., teen was convicted Wednesday in the stomping death of a homeless man, a third youth police had sought for more than a year in connection with the killing was arraigned.

PHILADELPHIA The Senate on Wednesday reached a compromise on extending the $8,000 tax credit for first-time home buyers, a boost the housing industry believes will help it pull out of its two-year-old downturn.

PHILADELPHIA Surprising some housing-industry analysts, the Commerce Department reported Wednesday that September's new-home sales fell 3.6 percent from August and 7.8 percent from September 2008.