Rewiring an Antique Lamp

 I picked up this gorgeous lamp at a yard sale years ago, minus the shade. I found the shade at another sale and am loving the two together. The lamp had old wiring that was crumbling and in much need of replacement.

I finally decided to tackle this job so we could actually use the lamp, instead of just looking at it. It's really not that hard to do if you know some basics. Here are some things I learned in doing this project.
1. You can buy lamp cord at a hardware or home improvement store. Make sure you get the right cord for the job, as in the right size. I had to get a smaller cord as I found out quickly that the other I had purchased was just a tad too big.
2. light sockets come apart so you can rewire if necessary. There are two screws that will hold the wire in place. Lamp cords are made of two bundles of copper wire. You can cut down the center to the right length needed and strip each end only enough to be able to wrap each side around the little bracket that holds the screw to tighten down and hold the wire in place. I found out the hard way that you should only strip the wire about 5/8 of an inch, otherwise you will have exposed wire that can touch each other and blow a fuse as well as ruin a plug. My hubby kept saying that I should take the lamp to a local electrician, but that would have cost a pretty penny I bet so my stubborn, do-it-yourselfness came out in full force...lol.
3. You can also buy the pronged plug  and wire them the same way. I knew this as I fixed my old sewing machine by replacing the pronged plug because the wire had been tweaked so long the plug no longer worked right.
4. Fixing a lamp or appliance this way saves not only money but landfill.

Next time you are out and about a spy an old something that needs new wiring, something you could put to good use, take it home and see what you can do. You may find it as easy as pie, and gain a new skill in the process. 

Becoming Self Reliant - Part 1

 I was fortunate to have a mom who was willing to teach me whatever I wanted to learn. I know it probably annoyed my sister to death as Mom always tried to include her in whatever I was interested in, whether it was crocheting, embroidery, cooking or art, but Joanne was more interested in playing outside and running with her friends. That wasn't my cup of tea so I spent a lot of time with Mom, learning domestic diva skills.
It's been fun to see a resurgence in hand made and hand crafted clothing, jewelry, aprons, and the re-purpose, re-cycle, re-use movement. I grew up with folks that naturally thought that way, but we lost those skills somewhere along the way.

The LDS church recently put out a publication "Daughters in My Kingdom" a veritable jewel of wisdom and knowledge, designed to enhance what we women do best. On page 51 of this publication there is a side note box with tips on becoming self-reliant. In light of the turmoil going on today in the world I was drawn to what is listed in the box. So today I'm going to tackle the first tip which is "Learning to love work and avoid idleness".
Vacation versus being home and working, most would say no contest there, but have you ever noticed and perhaps it's my type A personality, that when on vacation, sitting around gets old quickly. Okay, I might be the only one here....lol. Really though, it's okay to take a break from work, but there is a pervasive thought that being a domestic diva and all that goes with that is boring and just not fun. Having raised a few children myself, or dealt with them in our home, I can attest to how hard it can be sometimes. I think though, we tend to dwell on the negative and not look at the positives, such as hugs and kisses from little ones, having the opportunity to be creative in the kitchen, decorate our homes the way we like, create something uniquely us. I love how so many young moms are getting into sewing and knitting and crocheting, and how many folks are discovering the joy of raising a garden and eating the fruits of their labors. It's refreshing to see all the DYI shows on TV and publications in the stores on raising farm animals, making cheese and bread and so on. There are other ways to take the work we do and make it enjoyable, like having a purpose when we cook, perhaps adding extra ingredients to take an extra casserole to a sick friend, or as in the case of the collar you see above, bring joy to the receiver of a hand made gift. My mother-in-law loves to watch Jeopardy and Wheel of Fortune as well as Who Want's to Be a Millionaire so I sit with her at night and crochet. She loved the yarn I was using to make this, which for me was a test of my skills, so it became a gift for her. I can't just sit and watch TV unless I have a bowl of popcorn or something to occupy my hands, and popcorn 5 nights a week would not be a good idea as much as I love it. Mom lost her husband recently so sitting with her is the least I can do, and since she doesn't see well enough to do most things we understand her need to keep her mind active by the shows she watches.  Learning to love work is not as hard as it seems, and avoiding idleness can help us find what we didn't know we could do, as well as bring joy to someone else.