Pretty Darn Proud!

So this was my first fix-it project of the summer and I have to say that I am pretty darn proud of myself. I bought this dresser off craigs list for Norah.  It's antique, solid wood and has been refinished.  I felt like I got a pretty good deal but got it home and decided the drawer glides weren't sturdy enough for a child to be using. After pulling the drawers out I saw why.  They were plastic and falling apart. I did some measuring, visited Lowes (quickly becoming my new favorite store!) and then ended up ordering some glides online due to the age of the dresser.  

The glides came in record time and I couldn't wait to get started.  The problem... the directions were written for someone in the construction business and I obviously am not that person.  I again had many conversations with my dad, Steve, friends and the kind people at Lowes.  Gathering all the materials that I needed I set to work and replaced each of the glides on the bottom of the drawers.  

I was sooo proud of myself that everything lined up and actually worked.  When we do some repainting upstairs I plan on painting it white and replacing the pulls to match Olivia's dresser.                                                                                   

As I was thinking about why I LOVE projects like this the conclusion I came to is that I have my dad to thank.  I have wonderful memories of helping to paint/build a fence in our backyard, I watched him build a treehouse, and helped him build a step stool that we still use in my house today.  He was busy with his hands and he included us.  I am really thankful that I have the confidence to try things and the patience to tinker through.  

The second project was fixing a light in our basement. It is above my washer/dryer and had a pull chain. Nothing fancy... but the chain pulled right out last week. Ugh - so frustrating.  I went to... yes you guessed it... Lowes!  I ended up buying a new light knowing that Steve would have NO interest in trying to rewire the light to add a new switch.  Unfortunately we found that to get the old light down we had to take it apart anyways.  After taking off the bottom piece we could see the switch.   My head started turning and I knew I just had to try to replace the switch.

As you can see from the picture, I was able to rewire a new switch and wa-la!  I have a new light!  Again...so proud. :)

Thanks Pa for involving me in all of your projects when I was young. There is such a sense of accomplishment when I am able to fix something on my own.  Oh yes... did I mention that I fixed the garage door last week! :)  Gotta love an old house paired with someone who likes fix-it projects because there are ALWAYS things to be done.