Twelve Tools We Should All Have In our Home Tool Box.

Tools...

Not a dirty word Ladies, We all need a home tool box, I for one like my tools, I own my own home and have a honey do list that's 5 miles long . Being a single Lady,  there is not a significant other available for that list, I have to do it myself, simple home maintenance. You simply do not need to go buy high end tools, some you can even find in the Dollar store. I buy most of mine in Wal-Mart, or the Dollar store, you can even find some great buys at garage sales and flea markets.

I am guessing there are a lot of single folks out there, that need some advice on this subject. so here is my list.

1. First and foremost you need a good Claw Hammer, its the go too tool. A good, solid hammer can be used for driving nails into wood as well as small demolition jobs. Go for the classic 16 ounce hammer. It’s heavy enough for most basic home repair needs, but light enough for you to carry around without it being a nuisance. While your grandpa probably used a hammer with a wooden handle, you shouldn't  Wood handles break easily. Go with something that has a long-lasting synthetic handle. Also, when picking out a hammer,
2. A Measuring Tape.Whether you’re building a gun cabinet or measuring to see if that flat screen TV will fit in your den, a dependable 25′ retractable metal measuring tape is a must. Plus, they’re fun for your kids. I remember my brother and I would take my dad’s measuring tape and extend the tape all the way out, lock it, and then watch it retract. It was double fun when the end would accidentally pinch my brother’s finger, and he would start crying.
3. A set of  Flat-head Screw Drivers.A flat-head screwdriver has a single blade that fits into the single slot of a flat-head screw. Flathead screws have been around for along time, and these are what most people think of when you say screwdriver.While the Phillips screw has quickly taken the place of flat-head screws in most projects, it’s still a good idea to have a few flat-head drivers in your tool arsenal. In addition to driving in screws, flat-heads can also be improvised for different uses like light prying, scrapping, and nudging. Quick tip: make sure the electricity is turned off BEFORE you start sticking a screwdriver in a light socket to pry out a broken bulb. Trust me.
4. A set of Phillips Head Screw Drivers,the Phillips head screw has quickly replaced the flat-head screw in most projects. A Phillips head screwdriver has a four star point at the end that fits into the corresponding screw’s shallow, cross-shaped depression. This design allows a user to apply more torque than is possible with a flat-head screwdriver. The depression forces the blades of the Phillips screwdriver to slip out before any damaging over-torquing can occur. As mentioned above, Phillips screws have pretty much replaced flat-head screws, so make sure you have a good set of Phillips screwdrivers in varying sizes.
5.Crescent Wrench. Of all your tools, this baby will probably see the most action. It’s like having 50 wrenches in one. The crescent wrench is an adjustable wrench with a sliding jaw that changes the width of the wrench. So you can use the same tool on different size nuts and bolts. Remember, when you’re using a crescent wrench, the movable jaw is located on the side towards which the rotation is to be performed. This reduces the chance of backlash.
6. Socket Wrench (aka the ratchet). When you have a large project that requires you to tighten and loosen a bunch of nuts and bolts, it’s time to put aside the crescent wrench and reach for its more efficient brother. The socket wrench’s ratcheting mechanism allows you to tighten a nut without having to remove and refit the wrench after each and every turn. This can make your life a whole lot easier when you’re taking on larger projects. A 3/8-inch socket wrench with a couple of extenders and a set of sockets should do the trick.
7. Vise Grip (locking) Pliers. Vise grip pliers come in handy when you need an extra hand but only have your own two mitts to work with. Vise grip pliers are pliers that can lock in place. Some locking pliers use a mechanism that allows one- handed release of the locking mechanism; others require two hands to disengage. They are versatile tools that can be used as pliers, a pipe wrench, an adjustable wrench, wire cutters, a ratchet, or a clamp. Standard 5-10WR pliers are good for most stuff around the house and garage.
In an emergency and you need to turn off water or gas this is the tool you need.
8. Needle Nose Pliers. An essential electrician’s tool, needle nose pliers are good for any household project which requires you to cut, bend, grip, or strip wire. Because of their long and skinny shape, they’re particularly useful for getting into small cavities.
9. Cordless Drill and Bits. I didn't think I would ever need one of these, boy was I wrong! I bought some flat pack furniture and spent one day fighting the screws and the old hang crank screwdriver thingy... and the next day went out and bought my first cordless drill/Electric or battery operated screwdriver!! believe me when I say that was the single most happy making tool I have ever bought.A good cordless drill is an essential tool to have in your toolbox. It can be used for drilling holes into sheet rock or driving screws into a 2×4. When choosing a cordless drill, you want one with lots of power, which is measured by the amount of voltage in its battery. You can get drills that have batteries that go up to 18v. But when you increase voltage, you increase weight. That 18 volt bad boy weighs 10 pounds. 12 volts is a good size. It’s enough power to do most stuff around the house but isn’t too heavy. Also, make sure the drill you get has multiple speeds and is reversible. The reversible feature will come in handy if you need to take some screws out when your tree house goes awry.
10. Level. yes you do need one..Whether you’re hanging up pictures or putting a mantle over your fireplace, a straight line is absolutely crucial. You don’t want to put a bunch of nails in the wall, only to step back and see that’s it’s crooked. To get the job done right the first time, you need to use a level. There are some sophisticated laser levels available these days, but you can’t beat the satisfaction of finally nudging that bubble into place. Of course if you have the iphone level app, you’re all set.
11. Utility Knife, stop using the kitchen knives for this purpose.While it may not be the most exciting of the tools, your utility knife will never be found gathering dust at the bottom of your toolbox. Every project always provides plenty of things to cut and scrape, hundreds of tasks that cry out for the utility knife’s super sharp blade.
12. And last but never least, people buy yourself a good sturdy Tool Box.there are several options out there, from wooden boxes( I don't recommend this type if you have issues with lifting heavy things as it adds to the weight of your tools) I prefer the heavy canvas or big plastic bucket type.

So these are my recommendation for a simple home tool box, you can add things like extension cords, and a myriad of other tools( and you will if your anything like me..lol) .. but this is the starter list. Leave a comment with your suggestions of what should be in a home tool kit.
Kate

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Susquehanna River Hills (Photo credit: Nicholas_T)

Make a commitment to your self to look around 
and really see what you have been given.

-Kate

Feeding your Inner Wolf

grey wolf (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

One evening an old wise Cherokee sat by the fire and told his young Grandson about the human experience. He described a battle, a fight that rages on inside of us all. A battle between two wolves. One is evil, and one is good. The Grandfather explained that the first wolf, the evil one, represented anger, envy, jealousy, sorry, regret, greed, arrogance, self pity, guilt, resentment, inferiority, lies, false pride, superiority, and ego.
The second wolf, the Grandfather continued is the good one. This wolf represented joy, peace, love, hope, serenity, humility, kindness, benevolence, empathy, generosity, truth, compassion, and even faith. The Grandson thought about this situation for some time. He then asked his Grandfather 'Which wolf wins?'
The old Cherokee looked at his Grandson and simply replied, 'The one you feed.' What you feed grows, and what you starve dies.

Which one are you feeding?

-Kate

Trapped In Bed

DIY Network logo (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

When you are stuck in bed..ill, or injured, or bored...refrain from watching hour after hour of DIY channels on television.. You end up hating your room, and getting your crazy on with weird paint choices. Puce and oxblood...REALLY??
-Kate

Forever 

I breathe in the scent of the sterile room 

Lights blind in my darkness 

You came to me in a moment of eternal time 

Amid the pain and anguish of that hell 

 I held your soft tiny hand in mine 

Whispered of a mothers love 

Your ancient eyes opened 

In a moment of clarity I knew you 

With a soft almost mythical breath I feel you go 

I hold that moment in my soul 

Forever

(c) 2009
Kate Fox

Family quarrels have a total bitterness unmatched by others. Yet it sometimes happens that they also have a kind of tang, a pleasantness beneath the unpleasantness, based on the tacit understanding that this is not for keeps; that any limb you climb out on will still be there later for you to climb back. Sometimes we hurt the ones we love the most because we absolutely know they will not throw us away for it.
Family is Family..
Kate

It's so funny how we set qualifications for the right person to love, while at the back of our minds we know that the person we truly love will always be an exception... Kate

Just Ranting About Life..

  It occurred to me that we spend a lot of time with our I pad, I pods, smartphones, texting, TVs, stereos and all the modern technology, and we seem to fall more and more away from the communication, and old fashioned values we were taught, mostly without even thinking about what cost that is having on ourselves and our families, and as a nation.
   I find this move away from communication and family  values very alarming. Granted,  I use a computer, cell phone and reader, but I am a non-texter, by choice, if I want to talk to you I do it by telephone, that's right, I call you, or I talk face to face. 
   I have watched people walking down the streets texting, they don't even look up and watch where they are going, what can they be so engrossed in that they walk right out into traffic? 
   I have often heard of people (kids) texting whilst asleep..and not even being aware of doing it. Come on people put that phone down. Parents make the kids put the phone in YOUR room at night.
  I actually over heard a teenager at my kids school tell his parents that he couldn't text them because he left his phone at home ..(snickering as he said).he didn't know how to use the public phone, let alone where it was located..REALLY? That wouldn't have passed my "MOM Radar". COMMUNICATE.
  I hear little kids wine at their parents to get them the latest and very expensive smart phone..AND the Parents DO IT...holy cow people...my parents made me earn my allowance and I had to bank it. Mom wouldn't have paid that much money for anything..
  What I'm getting at is the breakdown in family values and parenting skills that were so common 30 years ago that simply do not exist now. Why is that? and is that one of the reasons families are breaking down? Why we are loosing entire generations of kids? 
  You're damn right it is.
  What can we do about it? Well in my opinion, take away the cell phones from your kids..limit the computer time/games,  get rid of the ipads/pods. Take the doors off bedrooms, (harsh yeah, but they can't slam their doors and hide from life,  they have to talk then don't they?). Parents need to learn to say NO. Make them communicate.  

And I'm sorry but texting isn't communicating.. its a game,"everybody is doing it.. how many words and how fast can you do it"
   TALKING is communication.
  Sitting down at supper and actually talking to your kids.. or your spouse, housemate, boy/girlfriend.  
  Talking is becoming a lost art, how are we supposed to learn how to be social, or form relationships that mean something, to make lasting friendships, and families, if all we can do in type LOL and CUL8R? Put the phones in a basket at supper time, NO PHONES, just a suggestion...
 Another thing that ticks me off,  did you know they actually tossed out writing in most schools, "cursive" is simply too hard to teach, why bother when they can use a computer keyboard instead ? SERIOUSLY?
I was livid when I found out they were not teaching my kid to write his own name.. and now at 18 he prints his name like he is 5...and I mean it looks like A 5 year old scrawled it.
 REALLY good idea don't you think? Picture this.. a man in corporate America.. buying a business... signing the papers .. and his signature.. that printed 5 year old scrawl. Would YOU trust that guy?? Heck no. 
Whats worse, 10 to 1 YOUR kid can't process the "how to of cursive handwriting" either because schools didn't bother to teach him or her how. Really great self-esteem booster for our kids isn't it.
  How many other things are our kids and family loosing? Holidays, Traditions? Family Stories and Histories? 
  We do not need to make our lives miserable, but really? We can learn from our Parents and Grandparents, they sat around the supper table and talked to each other, and families were intact and more tightly knit back then, so they must have been doing something right.

  OK, enough ranting about this subject. We simply need to take this problem in hand and do something, or we are going to loose generations, of our families, of our teaching values to our kids.. If you think you can do the techno-thingys with your kids, and still instill family values..I encourage you to really take a look at what is really happening.
  I know most of you who read this will not exactly agree with the loss of the texting, phones or other techno goodies, but isn't it time to sit on our porches, with a glass of lemonade and just talk to each other again?

  P.S. and no my kids do not have or use cell phones, computers, or video games. If they want those things they have to earn the money to buy them, or save for them and even then time is very limited for their use, and that's MY choice.  My kids? They talk.

Kate

“Too many people waste their lives grieving because they do not have something other people tell them they should want. Whether you are happy or not depends to some degree upon outward circumstances, but mostly it depends how you choose to look at yourself, whether you measure what you have or what you have not.” Kate

My Best Daily Advice: ..Forget about growing old with grace and decorum... grow old with hilarity and drama. Kate

Something I've learned....

Let your love be stronger than your hate and anger.
Learn the wisdom of compromise, for it is better to bend a little than to break.
Always believe the best rather than the worst of the one you love.
People have a way of living up or down to your opinion of them.
Remember that true friendship is the basis for any lasting relationship.
The person you choose to love is deserving of the courtesies
and kindnesses you bestow on your friends.
And your friends deserving of the courtesies and kindness you bestow upon the one you love.

I am a continual work in progress. I strive for equality, balance and compatibility -- driven by my love of God and his principals and my innate sense of fairness. This provides a certain degree of predictability in my actions, and is my recipe for success. As in all things truly worthwhile in life, love is an art, sketched and painted atop a canvas of mutual respect. Such a foundation allows only for the occasional brush stroke to cover a mixed message or misunderstanding, and avoid use of the paint roller.
Take it one day at a time, valuing all things with such an openness as to provide not only the proper balance, but to allow for proper action when needed. Communication is the key. Unconditional forgiveness. Most of all laughter. "Grow old with me, for the best is yet to be.."

Kass