Outside Lighting

One of our favorite followers, Jodi, updated her outside house lights with this beauty found at Lowes.  Jodi paid a sale price of $30 for each light!

It makes such a difference from the standard builder lights.  Thanks for the great inspiration Jodi.  Because of you, I re-did the lights at my house.  Here's a step by step tutorial for how you can change your lights as well.  Yes ladies, I did it by myself.  You can too. 

Step 1: Turn off the breaker for your outside lights.  Your breaker box is in your utility room in the basement.

Step 2:  Remove the wing nuts on the front of the light and remove light from bracket.

 Step 3:  Disconnect the wires, ground wire, and remove old bracket plate.

Step 4: Attach new bracket plate.

Step 5: Attach copper wire from light to copper wire coming out of socket and wrap around green bolt labeled "gnd".

Step 6: Attach white wires to white wires wrapping exposed end around wire from socket.  Cap with eletrical cap.  Twist cap until tight.

Step 7:  Repeat with black wires.

Step 8:  Screw wing nuts on to front of light until snug.  Will need to use an adjustable wrench to get them tight.

Step 9:  Insert light bulb.

Step 10:  Restore power by turning on breaker.

I love how these look.  I purchased them at Lowes for $23 each. 

$70 was money well spent to enhance my home with new lighting.  This really is an easy update for anyone to do.  Simply, follow the steps above and trust that you can do it!

And the Lighting Winner is:

Option 3 was the clear winner for our voters and for me!

Here's before:

 And here's after!

I love, love, love this light and the ambience it now creates in my dining room!  I got it from Overstock.com and paid $180.  That is a great price.  Davy and I hung it on Saturday (For a lighting tutorial, click here)  I encourage you to look around, find what you want and then buy it online.  You will save a ton of money!

Christmas Lights!

 This post is a combination of doing it yourself, and hiring others to do what you can't or your husband won't.  Last year, Davy decided he would put Christmas lights on the house.  After climbing on our steep roof, he changed his mind and we called "Lights Up".  They are a local Lehi company and do a fantastic job.  They cut the lights so the peaks of your home are perfect.  Moreover, they let you pay 1/2 when they put the lights up, and the other 1/2 when they take them down.  They store the lights for you, so you don't have to find room.  Call Julie Adams today at 801-766-4222 today for a free estimate.  You and your husband will be glad you did!

Now for the part I do myself:  The Porch!  It's the perfect place for my Alpine trees and garland.  When we first got married, these trees were our "Christmas Tree."  Now, they are used on the porch.  For the garland, buy it at Target for $4.  Then buy a strand of 50 lights for $2.  Wear leather gloves to wind the lights through the garland.  (This saves your hands from becoming raw from fluffing the garland.) Pre-lit garland is nice but for half the price, you can do it yourself!