Link Product Listing from Category Listing

I want an home page that lists my categories with a certain styling. When you click the category it links to a product listing . How do I do this??

If I make the menu item a category listing with the appropriate associated category, none of the styling I specify works. For instance, the thumbnail sizes don't change. I have to make it a product listing if I want to style the appearance independent of the parent category listing styling.

Why is it every time I struggle with something all day and finally decide to post in the forum I discover the solution immediately after I post?

For those of you that want to do this:

1. Make the menu item a category listing
2. Then click "Click here to access the display options of the products listing (Associated products listing for category listing menu ###)" under the "Associated modules" area
3. Mark it as "Published"
4. Then change the styling