Repair a wall...

Before you paint any wall you must repair any cracks and fill all holes. When repairing a crack it is very important to remove all loose paint. Be aware that a small crack can easily become a larger blemish once you remove all the loose paint. Don't panic! You are doing the right thing for a permanent repair. Once the loose paint is gone, wipe down the area with a dry cloth. Now prepare the surface for spackling. If crack is larger than 1/4'' or if you can fit two nickels side by side, than you should use some joint paper or mesh to retain the plaster and to prevent the crack from coming back. If the the crack is not that bad, simply fill it first and then proceed to plaster the bare spot. I found this great spackle at ACE Hardware, it is a vinylized spackle. It is not two heavy so it won't droop, yet it is thick enough to go on smoothly. The benefit of this type of spackle is that the vinyl helps it not only to adhere better, but it also helps to prevent a new crack. Remember to take your time. Several light coats are far better than one heavy one. When you do light coats you will be able to control the finished product better and with little sanding. Remember to wait between coats to dry. Once you are done and you prime the area or use one of those new paints with primer already included, you will be the only one that knows that wall was ever damaged. Sit back and enjoy the fruit of your labor.

The proper bit for the job...

There are many types of drill bits available on the market, and using the right one not only make the job easier, but it will prevent damage to the item you are building or repairing.

There are the following types of bits:
>wood drill bit
>metal drill bit
>carbide tip drill bit
>glass/ceramic/plexiglass drill bit
>masonry drill bit

There are others but these are the most common. They come in all sizes and depending on how much you want to spend, the quality ranges from bad to excellent. The smaller the drill bit the better quality you should get since they can break easily if they are of cheap metal. Avoid dollar store drill bits.

Each package will indicate the types of materials it can be used on.

When drilling a hole to use a screw, use a drill one size smaller than the screw to avoid making to large of a hole. Always use the correct bit and don't force the drill, let the drill make the hole by applying just the right amount of pressure don't force the drill since you will burn out the drill and cause the drill bit to become dull or even worse you can split the wood, glass or ceramic and ruining the job. Take your time and you will be pleased with the result.

Clogged toilet...

Normally it is not a difficult thing to unclog a toilet. You simply use a toilet plunger or an auger. However, I ran into a clog which had me puzzled. I used the above mentioned methods with no results. I tried liquid plumber, rid x, bleach and soap, with no success. I figured the clog must be in the pipe so I remove the toilet and find that the pipe is clean. I took the toilet outside and filled it with water and it just sat there. I turned it upside down and tried to use a rod from the bottom outlet on the toilet, it however, got just so far and would not go any further. I discovered the clog was not waste, as I thought, it was a plastic cover of some sort. I tried to get it out but could not, so I just went an bought a new toilet at Hobo for $50 and problem solved. I remove all parts from the old tank and saved them just in case I or someone else needs a toilet repair.

So, there you have it a clog which could not easily be removed. As for removing the old toilet. It is not difficult if the retaining screws aren't rusted. Assuming they aren't, first turn the water supply off. Remove bolts from bottom of tank and lift off tank from toilet base. Now remove bolts from the bottom of toilet base. If there is caulk between toilet and floor, use a box cutter and break the seal. Lift off toilet base and clean area, remove all old wax and old screws.

To install your new toilet first place the main toilet base upside down and place wax ring on bottom of toilet with flange facing you. Squeeze some of the wax onto the bottom of toilet so ring won't fall off when you turn toilet around. Go to the pipe on the floor and place the two new bolts into cast iron flange. if you have small plastic washers, use these to hold bolts in place. If you don't have these washers, use a little putty or wax to keep them upright. Carry toilet and place it carefully onto the bolts. Sit on toilet to press wax into place. Make sure toilet is straight and tighten it down. Don't over-tighten since you could crack the porcelain. Now place rubber bushing on bottom of tank and place it on base. Use the two long screws with rubber washers to bolt toilet tank to base. Tighten this slowly and evenly. Now install water supply and turn water on. Look for leaks and adjust water level if need be. Some sweating might occur, this is normal and not to be viewed as a leak.

If the old toilet has badly rusted bolts. I just reccommend using a chisel and hammer to break the porcelain of the base at the hold-down bolts and removing the toilet as one piece. Do this slowly so you don't damage the floor. Use goggles since the porcelain can fly and hit you in and eye.

It is a dirty jog, but you will save yourself $$$$.

A couple of hints...

When the cold weather comes around there are some very importannt things we must do to prepare. One thing many folks ignore until it's absolutely impossible to ignore, is the changing of the batteries on your digital furnace thermostat. Most homes now have these programmable type thermostat. Most have 2 to 4 double "A" batteries. These are what I want to speak about. I recently changed the batteries in my unit. After I did so I noticed my furnace was working very badly. It even got to the point where it tripped the circuit breaker inside of the unit. I am glad my son had shown me where this breaker was located since it was below zero outside. I thought it was the flame sensor since I have had to replace this more than once, but I found the problem to be the batteries I put in the unit. I had been given some batteries, brand new, which I used. I did notice that these batteries were thinner, not much, maybe 1/32, so I paid it no mind since they were "AA" size. Here's what was happening, the batteries were not a tight fit, they were snug but not tight, so whenever any vibration would hit the thermostat such as one walking by it or the beat of a song, the battery would move and affect the setting on the thermostat. If the furnace was operating at the time the unit would send a signal to stop and immediately to re-sume. This was sending a message to the on-board computer that the there was something wrong and it would trip the circuit causing the furnace to stop operating completely. This happened twice before I decided to change the batteries. I place name brand ones this time not generic ones. And thank God it has worked fine. So in this case it is to ones advantage to spend the extra dollor or two on the best batteries to prevent these problems and also to prevent from freesing. I now wonder if I really had to replace the flame sensor on the unit last year. You see i also had put generic batteries in at that time. Never again! I learned my lesson. I am glad I did not give up on checking what the problem was. What led me to thinking it was the batteries is the process of elimination I always use when trying to figure out why something is acting up. You see in this case I said, "Well the furnace was working fine until I replaced the batteries, so that must be the problem" and it was. I learned this many years ago when I replaced the spark plugs in a Buick I owned. After I changed the plugs the car worked terribly. I checked the wires and just about everything you could imagine. Then I said to myself it worked well before I changed the plugs so....Yes, that was it, once I put the old plugs back in the car worked fine. Apparently one of the new plugs was faulty. Another lesson learned. So remember to keep it simple always retrace your steps and you will most of the time find the solution.

The next thing I want to talk about is those pesky little mice that find their way into the house. I have tried several types of traps in my lifetime but the ones I find work the best are glue traps. I place these along the baseboard behind a piece of furniture so that pets and children can't get them stuck to their bodies. That glue is some really sticky stuff. Anyway, this has proven to be the best method to catching those little guys. Hope all this helps to prevent you some headaches.

Cool tool...

There are so many wonderful tools out there. I thought I new about just close to all of them. But, I find so many interesting inventions that I am amazed and glad to find and use.

My latest find is this wooden tool made by hand which when placed inside a hat it stretches the hat to your likeing. I started collecting vintage fedoras. Most of them fit me fine, but 3 of them were a little to snug. So I did some research and found this amazing hand made hat stretcher. I paid $9 for it and it works like a charm.

It is interesting to note how many, if not all, tools were invented because of the need to make something work, or as in this case, fit. Most tools are not that complicated, but someone had to have the patience to invent it. I am grateful to those individuals since they make my life a little simpler...

Uses for foam strip...

You know that self adhesive foam strip mainly used for weatherstripping? Well, I have found many uses for it in addition to weatherstripping. You can use a small piece of it to quiet a door which people love to slam. You can place it on a dresser drawer if you don't want the wood to hit the frame of the dresser. You can place strips of this foam under ceramic items which you want to display but don't want to scratch, you protect both the display item and the shelf you are displaying it on, and this also prevents vibration from moving the item or causing it to fall and break. I found a great use for this foam strip totally by accident. I collect vintage fedoras and one of my hats was about 1/8 of an inch to big. But I really love the hat so I wanted to make it fit. I looked online and found a hat store which sold an item called a hat size reducer. I thought this was wonderful so I bought two of them at $5.95 each. When I recieved the package I noticed it was nothing more than strips of self adhesive foam. I attached it to my hat and it fit perfectly. I then went to Ace Hardware and purchased 3 different sizes of this foam. I found that the thinner of the three, about 1/8 of and inch thick worked even better since you can put one strip and see how it fits and then you can always add smaller lengths directly over the first strip until you get a good fit. You place this foam under the interior headband. Once it is there it is invisible and will not come off. By the way, the one at Ace was half the price and you get over 10 feet of the stuff. There are two types of this foam, open cell and closed cell. I use the open cell which is more pliable and like a sponge it can be squeezed and it will come bakc to size, so when you use it on a hat it comforms to your head size for a comfortable fit. You can play around with the different sizes to see which fits your needs the best. I am not sure, but I bet you can buy this foam at the dollar store. A helpful hint: when you use this foam on wood or metal you can make it adhere better by blowing some hot air on it with a hair dryer. This activates the adhesive for a good bond. In fact, this idea with the hair dryer can be used on anything that is self adhesive or self stick or peel and stick.

Hope these uses for foam are useful for you. By the way, hats off to the guy or gal who decided to use this foam for hat sizing and gave it a fancy name and package...

General purpose foam cleaner...

I have not posted anything on this blog for a little while now so I decided to post about a cleaner which I had used in the past and for some reason or another I had stopped using it, The product is called Tuff Stuff, it is a foam cleaner. You apply it directly to the surface to be cleaned and allow it to work for about 30 to 40 seconds, and then you simply wipe off with a clean sponge or towel. If the surface is really soiled or stained, then you can genttly rub with a damp sponge or towel. I have heard that going in a circular motion is best.

I bought mine at Murray's Auto Parts. I could not find it at the regular stores I go to, maybe that is the reason I stopped using it since I don't go to so many different stors unless I have to. I am glad i did buy it since I cleaned my recliner and sofa with it. It makes them feel fresh and clean. I think it is pretty safe on the fabric. It is great for use in the car. It easily cleans all the interior and dries quickly so you can go about your business.

Woolite has a similar product which I have used, but I prefer the Tuff Stuff. So, get off your butt and go buy a can or two and clean all those items you have been putting off for a better day. You will feel better about yourself for having done so...

Let's clean a gutter...

Cleaning a guttr(s) is not difficult. You must have a steady ladder and a helper. The helper simply needs to hold the ladder for safety.

Have a bucket and a scraper or scoop, so you can clean out the gutter. Most of the time the only things you will find inside the gutter are leaves and bird nest. I have run across a gutter which was full of dirt to the point weeds were growing there. This should never happen. When your gutters are clogged you risk having water go back into your house causing damage to your walls. In the cold weather these dirty gutters create ice dams which then cause leaking into the house. So, save yourself a whole lot of trouble by cleaning your gutters.

Place the ladder securely under the area of the gutter where you are going to begin. While your helper is holding on to the ladder, go up the ladder with your bucket and scoop. Look into the gutter and clean as needed. Move across the gutter until done. Once you have finished, place ladder close to the downspout, with a garden hose, run water down the downspout to insure it is flowing freely.

Now you can relax since you know water will run down the gutter into the downspout and away from your house.

If you are afraid of going up a ladder, then don't do it, hire someone, or find a willing friend to help.

Using a screwdriver vs. a power drill/driver...

I really enjoy using my drill/driver. It has saved me a lot of time and saved my hands from using a standard or phillips screwdriver. There are times however when it is not a good idea to use a power driver. Some finished wood or hardboard furniture, the type you assemble at home, should not be assembled using a power driver, unless you can adjust the torque so that it will not split the wood. Many of the makers of such furniture will void the warranty if they suspect you used this method to assemble the product and thereby ruined it. On solid wood you can easily make use of these tools. Be mindful however, that if you are screwing the screw at a very high rate the screw may travel further than required and perhaps ruining the board. So be patient, let the power of the screwgun do the job. Don't add too much pressure once the screw has caught. I always recommend drilling a pilot hole slightly smaller in diameter than the screw you are going to use. You will find that doing this really makes the job easier and cleaner. Remember when drilling, also let the power of the drill do the job. Adding extra pressure only causes the drill to heat up and the bit has a greater chance of breaking, which can cause injury. When not sure if a cabinet or whatever you are assembling is wood or particle board, use the old fashin screwdriver, it will take a little more work and time, but chances of ruining the item are reduced. As a side note: when using particle board I always like to apply a bead of wood glue to all the joints, this seems to make the finished product a little more sturdy.

So, enjoy using your cordless drill/driver, and take all precautions and your projects will look great.

Replacing a door...

It sounds like a big job, but it really is not. Let me tell you how I changed my service doors on my garage. Yes, I did say doors, I don't know why but when this garage was built, they installed two 30'' doors as service doors. In case you have not heard them called by this name, that is how I learned to call the doors or door of a garage which are meant to be used by the humans, as you know the other door is the overhead door. Well, the doors on my garage had seen better days. They were beyond repair. So I decided I would replace them. I originally thought of using metal doors but then when i went to the Homedepot, I saw these man-made fiberglass doors with the raised panel design. I figured I would give them a shot. Instead of the old cardboard or particle board core, these have a foam core. The doors are super lightweight. So I bought these. I first took a good look at the existing doors to make sure they opened and closed properly and then I removed the hinge pins from one of the doors. I put the new door on it's side and then placed the old door next to it. I wanted to check the width and length of both doors. The new doors were about 1 inch longer. So I marked it and had my son cut the excess off. I then marked where the hinges would go on the new door by placing the doors next to each other where the hinge would go. I marked the section and then I removed the hinge which was on the old door and since it was in excellent condition I installed it on the new door. I did this for both hinges and since I had just removed the pins from the other part of the hinge, the other half of each hinge was still on the existing door jamb. I carried the door to the jamb and fit the hinges into place and placed the pins back in. This door was hung. Now I proceeded to remove the other door and do the same as with the previous one, My son cut the excess length off and then I placed the hinges on the new door. I carried this door to the door jamb and installed the hinges and pins in place. This door was now hung also, but it was about 1/2'' to wide. I did not want to shave this much wood off with a wood plane. So I marked the door and had my son cut the excess width from the door. As you may have figured out I did remove the door to do this procedure. Now I carried the door back and hung it on the jamb. Both doors were done. They looked pretty good. A far cry from the old ones. Since these doors meet at the center, I placed a one inch by 3/4 inch board on the outside of the door which was not going to have the door knob to seal the gap between the doors when closed. Since I have never used this type of door outdoors before, I decided to coat all the sides and corners with a pol-acrylic clear spray to protect the doors from the rain and snow. I then painted the doors the same color as the overhead door. Just as a security measure I sprayed the painted surface with the same protectant. It is clear so you can't even tell it is there. I think they will hold up well. I will speak on installing the lock in another post.

Get 'er done...

If there is anything you need to get done outside of your house or in the garage or even on the car, do it now. The weather is very pleasant and you can do much without breaking a sweat. But, not for long, before you know it, it will be cold and you are going to wish you had gotten all those little things done.

Look around and you will find something to do. I.E. replace missing caulk around doors and windows, replace weatherstrip wherever needed, paint any area that needs it and put away all the summer items such as your picnic table, umbrella, chairs and other things you will not need for the winter. If and when we have nice days in the months of October and November, you can always bring out a folding chair or two. Give your outdoor grill a good cleaning even though this doesn't mean you can't cook outside in the cold weather, we always do.

Make sure the car is ready for the cold. If you don't know how, or just don't want to get dirty, then stop in to your oil change store and have the full service performed. This should include changing the oil and oil filter, topping off all fluids and changing the air filter. The wipers should also be checked. Keep in mind that having these replaced by them will cost a little more than if you purchased the items yourself at Walmart, but you are paying for the convenience of not getting your hands dirty. many of these places will also look at all your lights and make sure they are all working as required. Even though this full service is a little expensive, you will probably not spend over $100 including filters and wiper blades. Another option is to go to your local auto parts store and buy your air filter and wiper blades from them and most of them will install them for free. (Don't forget to tip a couple of dollars). This might sound like too much money for just a couple of things, but believe me it will save you plenty of pain and suffering in the middle of winter. You might also consider replacing your battery if it is over the months of reccommended use. you can figure this out by looking ant the top of the battery and it will say a number from 24 to 72 months. this number subtracted by the number of months you have had this battery or this vehicle will tell you how many months are left on this battery. If you find that you only have 6 months or less of life on this battery, I would strongly consider replacing it. This you can also purchase at an auto parts store or at a large department store. Make sure they have free installation. Oh, before I forget, at the oil change store have them rotate your tires and check the air pressure on all tires including the spare. At this time of the year some muffler shops have a sale going on where they change the oil and oil filter, inspect your brakes and rotate your tires for under $50. Keep in mind that many of these places suggest other work which may not be necessary, just say no thanks.

These are just a few ideas to keep you happy in those cold Chicago days...

Keeping your house clean and fresh naturally...

It is so nice to walk in to a home that not only looks clean but smells clean and fresh. One item that has been on the market for many years, but is getting noticed by more folks today, is Murphy's Oil Soap. There also is Flax Soap which is basically the same. This product cleans safely and can be used on almost anything that has been painted or finished i.e. wood floors, kitchen cabinets, ceramic floors, tile floors, wood or metal doors and painted walls. It is gentle on the hands and leaves everything smelling clean. It does not mask odors with a chemical scent.

It has become famous again since so much emphasis is now placed on going green. This item qualifies since it is natural and good for the environment. Since it is popular now, you will find that the price has gone up slightly. If you like strong smelling cleaners, this is not for you. If you like cleaners which are easy to use and won't ruin anything while cleaning and helping the environment, this is for you.

I do not endorse this product or any other product for material gain, I simply like to suggest items which have worked for me. So if you try it and don't like it, thats fine, at least you gave it a shot. I, however think you will find many uses for it around the house...

Cleaning up...

I don't know about you, but I save everything. i always think i will need it someday so I should save it. What is it? It is just about anything from paid bills to an extra screw left over from a job. I have saved so much stuff that I myself don't know what I have or half the time where it is. This brings me to the point of my blog. I save stuff thinking I will need it one day, the thing is that when that one day comes I forgot where I put it so I go out and buy another. You see I create so much clutter that when I need something I rather go and buy it than waste useful time looking for it. So I, with the aid of my son ?Dave, got rid of a whole lot of it, junk! I also cleaned out my kitchen cabinets. There was so much stuff under there you would not believe me if I told you. Now there is so much space under my cabinets and in my bedroom closet...I feel good since it feels clean now. And the few things I did keep are handy where I can get them with no trouble at all. i cleaned out my file cabinet, I had coupons and expired junk back from 1986. That stuff was older than my son Dave, he was born in '87. Some of that stuff been with me so long that I did not want to part wit it. But, I did and as I said less clutter. I condensed about 6 boxes and numerous bags, into two boxes, one of which is a plastic under the bed storage unit.

So, if you also have saved stuff throughout the years, clean-up! As an example of how hard it is to find something when you have so much clutter, even organized clutter, is the example of when i was looking for the Deed to this property a couple of weeks ago, I never found it, I in fact had to purchase a copy of it. Now with my new found space I can tell you exactly where it can be found.

Don't complain that you don't have enough space, make good use of the space you already have by cleaning up...

Some of the best advice...

Well, you can do everything around your house or home to keep it in good shape, but there is one area which cannot be ignored. I realize most of us older folk know this by now, but for the youth out there and those of you new homeowners, that which cannot be ignored is the payment of all bills.

These bills are:
Mortgage payment
Property tax payment
water/sewer payment
Homeowner's insurance payment
Gas bill payment
Electric bill payment

These are the bills which must be paid. I did not include cable or phone since those bills will not cause you to lose your home if not paid. The others can and will cause you to lose your mind if not paid regularly.

I will speak of property tax bills for a minute. This bill comes twice a year. There are exemptions available to all homeowners. You must however apply for these in the county where you live. These will not be applied automatically. Some must be applied for on a yearly basis. These can save you thousands of $$$$$. If you have a monthly mortgage, make sure the bank is paying these on time. You can do this in several ways. One is to check your escrow balance on a monthly basis. This balance is used for your taxes and homeowners insurance payment. So at least three times a year this balance will decrease, CAUTION, it should not however go to zero or even close at any time. If you know that next month your taxes are due in the amount of $500, and you only have $250 in your escrow account, then you must make a higher payment this month indicating that you want the extra payment to go to your escrow account. If you do not take this action on your own, you can expect to see you mortgage payment increase to make up the difference. In fact it is always a good idea to add a few extra dollars to your escrow account when you can. After a year or so, you will be able to tell if there is sufficient funds in your escrow account to cover: taxes and insurance. You can prevent the bank or lender from raising your monthly installment by doing this. you can check your monthly escrow amount/balance by looking on your mortgage bill whether this is a paper bill or an e-bill, there is a section reserved for escrow as well as a section where you can add funds to the escrow. This is just as important as your monthly installment amount, so take the extra time to look at it and become familiar with it. If you elected not to have an escrow account applied to your mortgage, then be aware that you and only YOU are responsible for taxes and insurance payments.

Your water and sewer bill will not be paid by the bank, so make sure you pay this on time in order to avoid surcharges. These two, property taxes and water/sewer taxes, can cause you serious problems if not paid. The city or county can and will place a lien on your property and the longer the bill or bills are unpaid, the higher the chance your home can be placed on the auction block. So do yourself a favor and make sure you or your bank are paying these, and make sure the correct amount is being paid. This amount could be incorrect if exemptions which you do not qualify for are being applied to your bill, i.e. if you purchase your home from and older person, they were intitled to a senior discount, which you are not qualified to recieve. Your bank will not check this for you, you must do so. If you go online and check your tax bill by using your permanent tax id number, you will be able to check which exemptions are being applied or not to your tax bill. If you ignore this the county will at one point realize their mistake and YOU will pay for it with interest. Believe me it is not a pretty picture when a few years have passed and this amount has increased. your bank or lender will not come to your rescue since it is your responsibility to check this regularly.

So, there you have it. The other bills if unpaid will have immediate consequences, those being loss of heat, loss of electric, loss of phone or cable. These also hurt your credit rating. So, enjoy your property and while taking care of all the regular up-keep, be mindful of those very important bills which will not go away....

Cable ties...

Cable ties are a very handy item to have around. You can even purchase these at the $1 store.

Nowadays with so many electronics in the house, these plastic ties can organize the wires so they aren't all over the place. I know many items are wireless now, but not all are. For example, my PC right now has a usb keyboard, a usb mouse, a usb printer and the power cords, not to mention the speaker wires. I have these held together with a couple of cable ties. I tie these high on the power cord so that they are not all over the floor. This comes in handy when sweeping or mopping. And for those of you who have rugs, this is a must so you don't chew up these wires with your vac. This would not only ruin the wire, it will also damage your vac.

When using these ties pull them til they are tight and then with a pair of scissors cut the excess cable off. Once you are done you can hardly tell the cable tie is there.

Trust me, you will find a whole lot of uses for these little ties.

Check the bottom of your chair legs...

This does not seem so important, but if you have a ceramic flor or even better, a marble floor, you need to check these. Why? Because most chairs come with a plastic glide hammered to the bottom of each leg. These are great until they wear down or break off leaving a nail head to scrape your flor.

If you find that this glide is no longer there, turn your chair so that the legs are facing up, with a pair of pliers or flat head screwdriver, remove the nail. Replace the plastic glide with a new one. It may be a good Idea to change all the glides since they are just as old as the one you replaced.

If you have a hardwood floor, you might consider using the glides which have felt on them. The furniture glides easier and there is less chance of scratches.

Enjoy your furniture...

Let's change a light fixture...

Let's change a light fixture...

Whether you are changing a fixture because it is ugly and you are tired of looking at it or just because you want a fresh new look, you can do it yourself.

First make sure you have a safe step ladder. Turn the circuit breaker off or if you wish just turn off the light at the wall switch. Place ladder securely under light. Place your straight and phillips screwdriver or your four in one screwdriver on the top of the ladder. Place your pliers and electric tape there as well. Look at the fixture carefully. Remove the glass shade or cups which ever you have. Remove the bulbs and then find out how the fixture is fixed to the ceiling. It is either held up with one center nut or two screws. The two screws may also be facing down towards you with two rounded nuts at the end of each. Remove the retaining nuts or screws, lamp should also have a non-electric wire holding it up, leave this wire alone for now. Remove the wire nuts from the lamp wires which connect to the house wires. Now remove the non-electric wire and light fixture is, or should be unattached. Place the old fixture out of your way. Look at all the parts included with your new fixture. Look to see if the new lamp has the same type of assembly as the old one, if it does you can proceed to assemble it, if not you will have to remove the silver bracket which is still on the ceiling screwed into the junction or electric octagon box. Remove this by removing the two screws. Keep these screws handy in case your new fixture is not equipped with them. Now place the new bracket onto the octagon box with the two screws. Assemble your lamp if required. Now using the non-electric wire which is connected to your new fixture, tie this around the silver bracket. Don't worry if it is too long, you can easily cut off the excess. Now connect your white lamp wire to the white house wire, followed by the black lamp wire to the black house wire. Use your new wire nuts for this. Place a small piece of black tape around the wire nut where it meets the wire. If your lamp has a green wire, this is a ground wire you can attach this to either of the two screws holding upt the bracket. Now place lamp against ceiling and fasten the two screws or the center nut. If your fixture is equipped with a chain you will need to adjust this to the proper length by removing links. Place the bulbs and glas shade or cups and secure in place. Turn on circuit breaker or light switch and you are done.

The non-electric wire I mentioned a few times usually only is found on larger fixtures so don't worry if yours doesn't have one. This wire is just there to help support the weight of the lamp, it has no electrical power.

The assembly of your fixture may differ a little from the way I described, but for the most part this is how they all are. Along with my suggestions refer to the owner's instructions which came with your fixture, and you can do it yourself.

Throw away your old lamp, or recycle it by giving it away. Put your ladder away, sit back and enjoy your handy work.

Your tool box..

These are just a few of the tools every homeowner should have. Even if you are not handy, they can come in handy.

The box can be plastic or metal, your choice. You should have the following:
> Claw hammer
> Four in one screwdriver
> Pliers
> Channel lock pliers
> Hacksaw
> Utility knife
> Flashlight with fresh batteries
> Electric tape
> Duct tape

These are the primary tools which will come in handy when something decides to break-down. You may also want to pick up some assorted nuts and bolts, nails, screws and a pack of assorted hose clamps.

If you want you can also add a battery powered radio which you keep in the box for emergencies when the power goes out.

Keep this tool box where you can easily get to it and after using any of the tools in it remember to replace the tool right back in the box.

Which lubricant to use...

Actually I want to speak of the lubricant not to use. I am talking about bearing or wheel grease. This is great stuff when used as intended, but very damaging when used incorrectly. On a car wherever grease is used it is capped off. This is to prevent any dirt or grime to contaminate the grease. When dirt or debris sticks to grease it then acts as sandpaper or grinder. It will destroy the item by wearing it down. I learned this the hard way a few years ago. I thought it would be a good idea to grease the wheels on my garage door, and for a while it seemed a great idea, until the wheels filed down to half their original size.

There are specific lubricants for all jobs, but I have found that WD40 works great on almost everything needing a little lube job. And an added benefit is that it also prevents rust by removing all moisture from a metal surface.

You know when you next take your car for a lube job, if you notice that the attendant is going to apply grease on the hood latch or door hinges, tell him "NO THANKS" not only will this do more harm than good, but just think of the day you are all dressed up and you find it necessary to look under your hood and just by touching the latch you get all full of black grease. Or for you ladies, think of the day you have a beautiful dress on and you are entering your car and part of your dress gets caught in the door jamb and lucky you it's all full of grease. As I always say, "It's better to prevent than to lament."

Label your breakers...

It will make your life much simpler if you label the circuit breakers in your home. This is easy to do. Just buy some self-adhesive labels at your local stationary store or your good ole Walmart. turn on all the lights in the house. Switch off one circuit breaker at a time. Now walk through the house and write down which lights are off. These correspond to the breaker you switched off. Write down the rooms on the label and stick to box, either next to breaker or on the door. Now switch that breaker back on and turn off the next one. Proceed the same as before and do this for each breaker and you are done.

If you find that you can't fit all the rooms on the label for each circuit breaker, then use the number method. Place a label next to each breaker with a number, now on a sheet of paper assign that number to the correct rooms in the house. Tape this sheet to the inside of the door of the breaker box. You are done.

If someone in your house is blind or visually impaired, work with them to come up with a system they can use when they are home alone. Remember, maybe a blind person does not need the lights on, but they do need the appliances to operate.

As a side note: if you are reading this and you find that your home still has fuses, I would strongly reccommend that you have your service updated. This will be a requirement in some counties before you can sell your home.

Let's change an outlet...

First go and buy the new outlet. Most of the time all you will need is a 15amp. standard outlet. Now get your phillips and straight screwdrivers. Have some electrical tape and we can get started.

Turn off the power to the outlet by switching the breaker in the circuit box to the off position. If you are not sure which is the proper one, plug in a lamp or radio into the outlet or have someone tell you when the light in that room goes off as you switch the breakers. If you use the radio method, you can listen for the radio to stop working. Now remove the outlet cover. Remove the two screws holding the outlet in place. Gently pull the outlet towards you. Remove any tape or debris that may be on the outlet. Observe the way the outlet is wired. Loosen the screws holding the wires in place. Remove the outlet from the wires. You should have one black wire and one white one. The black is a hot wire the white is the negative. Some call it the ground wire. Place the black wire on the gold screw. Place the white wire on the silver screw. Some new outlets have a black screw instead of the gold for the hot wire. Don't worry even though this is a hot wire, it is dead since you switched the breaker to the off position. Tighten the screws and now wrap some black tape around the screws and exposed wires to prevent a short if they come in contact with metal. Return outlet to proper position and screw into place. Note that if the new screws are to short you will need to use the ones that were on the original outlet. Replace outlet cover and switch breaker to the on position. Plug something into the outlet and admire your work.