Changing a Light Switch

I needed to change out a light switch
Instead of spending $$$ for an electrician
I decided to try it myself

I checked out a video on YouTube
And started in

WARNING
ALWAYS TURN THE ELECTRIC OFF
AT THE CIRCUIT BREAKER!!!!

Something we did after we moved into our home

Was to label all of the external circuit breakers

It sure does help when you need to fix something electrical

It seemed the 1st switch on the left was not working

I haven't had a front porch light for several months

And it really bothers me when I get a late night knock on the door

AFTER I had turned off the breaker

I took the switch out of the wall

And detached the wires

I needed to cut them because the were too tight into the switch

I also needed to strip a small amount of the wire cover off

Because there was not enough wire to wrap around the new switch screw

Once the wire was prepped

I twisted each piece around the screws and tightened with a screwdriver

Most homes are wired with 2 black power wires

Some have a green ground wire

But ours is grounded behind the switches so I didn't need to use a ground wire

I placed the switch back in it's new home
And just screwed it back in
Voila, complete

Remember
Always turn off any circuit breaker before
Attempting Any type of electrical work

That's what I did with my Thursday Afternoon
What did you do today?

7 Years of Learning and Joy

When I received a phone call to help a friend
Clean a few file cabinets I never dreamed it would
Turn into a full-time learning experience

Though I had a wealth of administrative experience
I had No healthcare experience
But a friend put her trust in her gut
And offered me a position I just couldn't pass up

On February 26, 2007
A friend became an employer
And an even greater friend than ever imagined

My job today still includes some file cleaning
But also includes the wearing of Hats
I'd never imagined I would ever wear

And even a Tiara every now and again

I have the joy of working with an amazing staff

Who have walked some tough times with me

As I've learned and grown

Grieved and found joy again

With this friend/employer

I've painted

Both walls and canvas'

I've watcher my grand-girlies

Be taken care of and loved

 

She (my friend/employer)

Has remembered dates that nobody wants to face

 

We have shopped together

In our Jammies and in the middle of the night

 

 

We had braces on at the same time :)

 

Enjoyed Christmas parties together 

With our awesome staff

Yes, in our jammies again

And even weathered some powerful storms together

Through it all

I would not trade a moment of it

For any other job on this earth

My friend/employer

My sister in Christ

You have blessed my life

And I am SO grateful 

These 7 years later

That you trusted your gut

And had me clean out your file cabinet 

Here's to Many more cabinets and years of Learning and JOY

Champagne Bucket Version 1

Hi Friends,

Now that the Olympics are Over
I am able to get back to a few simple projects I've been wanting to tackle

I found a nice champagne bucket recently
And have decided to add flowers to it for my dining table

Using 'fake' flowers is not something I do often
But I'm willing to give it a try

I went to my local Micheal's with my 
25% off your entire purchase coupon
This is a great one, especially if you purchase several items 
Which are already on sale

I got a square foam
But needed to cut off the corners to fit inside the bucket

I also purchased several types of white flowers

I thought they would work best for a 

Fresh, clean simple arrangement

Once I place the foam in the bucket

I just began adding flowers

This is my first real arrangement

So I'm sure I'll do Lots of tweaking over the next several days, weeks...

I am quite pleased with the look
I will be adding a fun spring vignette to the table 
But for tonight
It makes me happy

I'm joining these great bloggers
Marty at A Stroll Through Life for Inspire Me Tuesday
Brenda at Cozy Little House for Tweak it Tuesday
Kim at Savvy Southern Style for Wow us Wednesday 

Pampering Mom

It's been nice to have my mom 
Stay with me for the past several weeks
We've watched a lot of the Olympics
And had a few nice dinners
As well as a bit of fun

But today I was able to pamper her just a bit

I prepped her for a haircut

We were going to go short

But she decided she only wanted a trim

Once finished cutting

I prepped her for a little color freshening

What do you think?

Do you like her new look?

Okay,

I went ahead and had it washed out

And then blew it dry

Now what do you think?

I think I did a nice job

If I do say so myself

Another thing that took place while mom has been staying with me

Is she had a bit of facial surgery

I'm not sure if you can tell

But in the above photo taken at Christmas

Mom had 2 large facial tumors on her right cheek

She still has a bit of swelling
But the tumors are GONE
And I think the scars will be almost non-existent

She has recovered very nicely in just under 2 weeks
No make up yet
But YAY for nearly 78 

What did you do with your Saturday?
 

It's "K" Day

It's "K" Day
She Says with a Huge Smile

I absolutely LOVE my K days
As I'm sure you are aware if you have 
Read my blog for any length of time

The temp was in the mid 70's

So, a trip to the park was in order

My K-Bel immediately took her shoes off and started climbing

My K-Baby

Not so much into taking the shoes off

But certainly Loved running around 

But especially loved this blue seal

K Day is Always a HAPPY Day

I just LOVE my K-B's

This 'fire truck' is always a hit

And today 
I even got to spend a few minutes with my
K-Bug
I can't believe she's growing up so fast

What did you do with your Thursday?

LOOK What I Found

I wish you could hear the 'giddy' in my voice :)

I found this beauty and I am SO excited

I've been looking for something like this
But had not seen anything...until

I stopped by my local Saver's
Great price
Plus 25% off for customer appreciation day

Did I score or what?

Now
All I need is for you all to share ideas of what to do with it
Oh, BTW
It is 10" tall 
and the opening is 6" across

OK, I'm ready for all of your creative idea 
Thanks in advance for sharing

Sharing At Thrifty Things Friday

Click HERE to see what I did with it 

After Work I...

Hi Friends,

Widowhood and learning to embrace it
Lends itself nicely to the need to do tasks after work

There are times when I just am unable to
Achieve completion of necessary tasks during the weekend
So, without further chit chat
Here is what I was able to do after work tonight

My kitchen light has been on the frits for about a month

Not so wonderful for evening cooking and clean up

I decided it was time to change a few light bulbs

However

Once I had removed the globe

I realized that it had these silly new fangled bulb thingy's

Tomorrow 

After work

I will be heading to The Home Depot

To purchase several more of these 

Since I had none to replace the burnt out ones

With that task incomplete

I decided to iron and hang the new curtains I purchased for my home office

As some of you may recall

When I redid my office a few weeks ago

I re~hung my old curtains 

(actually folded shower curtains)

And I received some much needed feedback

Regarding replacing said curtains

This past weekend I found something I may actually 

Enjoy living with for awhile

I will need to fluff and play with them for a day or two

In order to get the ties/bows even and the folds smoothed out

But I really do Love the new fresh clean look

One of the things I have been attempting to do

Since my husband passed

Is to add little touches of girlie to my decor

I really like the bows on these new curtains

What do you think?

My mom is still with me for about another week or so

I'm trying to cook nice meals for her

So tonight I made Parmesan chicken cutlets

I put them on the BBQ

This was mom's plate
She didn't even want to start with one piece of chicken
She had 2 and ate every bite :)

Now, I am sitting in my favorite chair
Blogging and watching the Olympics

What did you do after work today?
Or, what did you do for fun today?

Valentine Gifties

Happy Valentine's Day

I decided to make a little gift for each of the girls at our office

I found these clear plastic boxes at Target

The $1 spot - 3 for $1

 I cut some squares out of scrapbook paper

And then used a corner punch to pretty them up

Target also had their 'pink' candy packages on sale

So I picked up several bags

 Also at Target

I found a pack of glittery hearts for just a couple $$

They came in all sorts of sizes

So I was able to decorate each box a little differently

 Added some candy

And then some more candy

Voila !!!

A perfect little treat for our office staff

Turning what could be a difficult day in the life of a widow

Into a Fun and Joyful Day

I believe when we turn our sorrow's into blessing someone else

God, in turn, blesses us

Happy Valentine's Day To you All

And Remember

Even if you don't have a Valentine to Love and Celebrate with

GOD is Always present

To Love YOU!!!