By MARY CAROL GARRITY, Scripps Howard News Service

If you've ever been stuck at the dreaded "kids' table" at Thanksgiving or been seated at a rickety card table stuck in to expand the main table, you know how important it is to have a dining-room table that can welcome the entire family. After years of stressing over how I was going to fit guests during holiday dinners, I finally decided to get a table that had enough room for us all.

If you're like me, your sofa is such an important part of your daily life that when it's time to get a new one, it's like adding a new member to your family. And just like family members, sofas have definite personalities. Here are some tips for picking the perfect one for your home:

When you live in an old house that's full of drafts, you have to get creative if you want to stay warm in the winter. One of my solutions is to head to bed early, bury myself in blankets and get lost in a good book. If you'd like your bed to be a warm and welcoming cocoon this fall, try some of these tricks.

When I redecorated my living room this year, I struggled with a few of the decorating decisions, like what color palette to choose and what pieces of furniture I'd need. But picking my flooring was a no-brainer. I knew I wanted a natural-fiber area rug.

When I moved into my fixer-upper, I knew there was no way I could redecorate every room in the house at once, even though I wanted to desperately. My wallet couldn't stand it, nor could poor Dan's nerves.

When I visit someone's home, I am instantly drawn to the family photos on display. I enjoy hearing people's stories about their loved ones and the memories they have captured forever on film.

My flirtation with silhouettes began at my grade-school carnival, where a volunteer traced kids' profiles on black construction paper for our moms to proudly display on the refrigerator. I've been in love with these whimsical, quirky pieces of art ever since.

Even though my bathroom mirror has become an unforgiving critic as I've grown older, I am an ardent admirer of mirrors. These twinkling treasures became especially dear to me when I moved into my historic home. I discovered that, years ago, when houses were built to withstand the weather, people decorated with lots of mirrors in order to bring more light into their dark homes.

I love to help friends and customers solve their decorating dilemmas, and high up on their lists are questions about how to style highly visible spots like fireplace mantels, coffee tables and bookcases. I've found that the secret to making these all-important focal points fabulous is to create cleaner, more dramatic displays that use just a few well-chosen accents.

I consider myself a party girl: Wherever there's food, drink and laughter, I'm there. So I'm always sad when friends and customers confide that they would love to have friends over more often, but are intimidated by the thought of entertaining.