Vet you don't know what staggity means

Sometimes it's good to mix things up (for instance, I love it that my 5-year-old son thinks a Storm Trooper is a Storm Troopider, McDonald's is Old McDonald's and Dominoes are Domidoes).

Scrambling things in decorating works, too. Case in point: On my desk, an oak library table, I've got a few second-hand silverplate items, a box that once held jewelry and a plate that probably served bread. Now they hold pens and paperclips.

The lamps are new and acrylic, the desk, old and wooden, the paperweight, glass. Mixing surfaces, textures, styles and even ages of items keeps things interesting.

If your desk is looking a little predictable, check out the kitchen, the garage, bedroom or bathroom to see what you can find to shake things up. Sometimes it makes all the sense in the world.

(Oh, and staggity. My son's reaction to the mouse, with its hair stuck in spikes because of the rain, that our cat Homer left on the doormat: "Why does that mouse look all staggity?"
"Staggity?"
"You know, like it was hit by lightning?"
"Oh...static-y."
That's one way of putting it. Here's another: Yuk.)