Kitchen Updates begin

I started my updates on my kitchen last night. I'm not sure I made the best choices, but they are definitely choices I'm happy with. We removed our old flourescent light and replaced it with track lighting. We also removed our old bar lighting and replaced it with a beautiful brown pendant. We ran into trouble installing both of them so we didn't get anything else done last night. Here are a few things I learned from installing my own lighting.

1. Be very careful around electricity. Allthough I like to think of myself as a "jr. electrician," I know that I am actually a woman who could electrocute herself and her husband.
2. Be realistic! If it doesn't look like something you should be doing, then STOP! Call a "real electrician" immediately.
3. Expect the unexpected. If your house was built in the "old days", there may be suprises in each fixture. All the ones that I replaced had something different going on
4. There are 3 wires in a light fixture. In order for it work, they should be spliced together by color.
5. Buy a tester. I don't know the correct name. Maybe its called a circuit tester. Whatever its called, you need something to make sure that a current isn't running through the wires. I had a near death experience when the fire shot out of my kitchen ceiling fixture.

The next step is to add trim to the cabinets and paint them an off white shade. I haven't had the chance to get any photos of everything yet, but I'll post more later.

DIY updates can be difficult, but don't get discouraged. It might take you longer to complete a project than a pro, but its great to see the final result.

I'll have posts photos later today after we're done painting.