LEM Walnut Wood Piston Style Bar Stool

About ten years ago we ordered a bar stool from mybarstools.com to put in front of the kitchen window in our DC condo.  It swiveled and was height adjustable and it served the purpose. We just moved from DC to Virginia and now have a kitchen peninsula that needs at least two counter stools. So I searched to see if we could find one like the item we already had. They were discontinued on the original site. But when I searched for the specific item I found one like it at Home Depot of all places. So we ordered one and it was shipped from California. It arrived yesterday. We eagerly unboxed it and put it together. The problem was it didn’t work. We couldn’t get the piston function to go up or down. To make matters worse, the other stool could no longer be raised or lowered. So now we had two pieces of junk. Luckily we had kept the box it came in intact. So we decided to return it to the nearest Home Depot for a refund. This morning my husband couldn’t get it out of the house fast enough. Home Depot is not the place to go on a Saturday, but in spite of that we were in and out in no time and with no hassle. I’m not sure what kind of stools we will end up with now. I do know they won’t look anything like this. 

Home Depot Visit for Bathroom Renovation

We go to the Home Depot all the time. But lately I've been using Amazon for those things too. But when it comes to thinking about a bathroom renovation, we decided to take a ride and see if we could get some ideas. When we lived in the Midwest, we renovated the entire house. But the big difference was we had a wonderful designer who knew everyone and provided us with samples that we could select from. Here, we don't have that luxury. We know a great handyman who can do the work, but we still need to figure out what materials to use. We don't have a lot of options with the tiny space we are working with,  but we still need to figure out what we want. So we walked by the toilets and the tiles and the floors and the fixtures - but didn't make up our minds about anything. So we decided we would contact our handyman and meet with him. Then he can tell us what he needs from us. I have a feeling we will be visiting the tile shop again, union hardware, and who knows what else. I used to get excited about doing this sort of thing. Now I just want it over with!

Home Depot Commercial Electric LED Puck Lights

Having turned our 76x70 inch closet in to a "monk's" room, the light fixture from the ceiling was too much light. Even with a dimmer switch the light would emit from a 16 foot height, which isn't very cozy. It works for a closet, but nor for a tiny bedroom! So we studied our options and decided that under counter lights might be the best option since the space is so small, we didn't want to hang anything from the wall, and it would have to be battery operated. Because the closet clothes rack and shelving is staying in place, the LED puck lights sounded good. So we visited Home Depot and checked the stock. We ended up with three Commercial Electric puck lights. Each one takes three AAA batteries. I first installed them using the sticky tape that comes with them, and so far two of the three have stuck well. If they don't hold I'll use the tiny screws instead. In the meantime the lights provide just the right amount of light for this tiny space. We will still have a dimmer switch added, but when you are in bed and ready to go to sleep, you just want to turn the light off from an easy place - right above your head.

Home Depot Universal Korky Toilet Flappers

When we lived in Milwaukee, I know we had problems with the house. The only difference is we also had a wonderful handyman who lived within minutes and fixed whatever the problem was. So we didn't need to think about it very much. Living here is a completely different story. Whenever we have a problem now, we try to fix it ourselves, which is rarely the case. We have to rely on someone else's suggestions, depending on the issue. Luckily, there is a building handyman who has helped us out quite a few times, and another who has done bigger jobs. A couple days ago the toilet flapper chain broke from the rubber part of the flapper. My husband and I rigged up a temporary fix until we could get to Home Depot today and find a replacement. Saturday is not a good day to go anywhere around here. The place was jammed, but we think we at least found what we needed. Now we will wait until the temporary fix breaks and change the part. I only hope the universal Korky flapper works, as it suggests. But nothing is ever that simple around here. 

The Home Depot Fix For My Favorite Cole Haan Bag

When we travel I put everything but the kitchen sink in my purse. That purse happens to be a several year old Cole Haan hobo bag that has served me very well. I'm very attached to it. Well, the stress of the weight finally took its toll on it - three iPads were just a bit too heavy. One of the metal rings holding the strap broke. The tiny nail fell out and the strap came with it. So what could be done? We decided a trip to Home Depot might be just the thing. I wanted something that looked like the original ring, but it also needed to be easily applied. With the help of the staff at Home Depot, we found a clamp of sorts that was silver and black. It wasn't exactly what I was looking for but when I put it on, it looked quite nice. Maybe I should have gotten two so it was a matching set. The best part was that this new clamp can hold up to 100 pounds! What more could you ask for? 

Hampton Bay Solar LED Spotlight

In Milwaukee we had an electrician install all kinds of garden and pathway architectural lights.  They were so pretty - uplights, down lights, and whatever other lights that were shaped like flowers and thoughtfully selected at the lighting shop. When we moved to DC, our tiny condo has a little patio with a garden. Because electrical lights are not an option here, the ambiance of the soft lights can still be achieved with solar products that have come a long way since the early years. Our little bird bath is also solar operated, and also has an on/off switch. Since we recently updated the garden with a grass path, the idea to add a couple lights surfaced again. We threw out the old fixtures we had a couple years ago. So we went to Home Depot and picked out two Hampton Bay solar uplights. They now come with batteries that can be changed every two or three years. Finally after several days of rain and miserable weather, it was finally sunny enough to install the spotlights on either side of the garden. You also have the option to put them on a stake in the ground, or hook them to a fence with screws. The little solar panel can be adjusted in many directions to catch the sunshine. After just one day in the sun, the little lights shined nicely on to the bushes and backlit the wall and fence behind them. They should get even brighter after a few more hours of daylight. Unfortunately I may need to adjust one light that shines directly in to the bedroom window. That is one place that does not need a bright light in the middle of the night. What I like about living in a tiny space is that you can still have the things you liked in a bigger place - just on a much smaller scale. But the affect is the same. 

Home Depot Big Purchases

It was a day for major purchases so we had to head out to Home Depot. We decided to take the scenic route on the George Washington Parkway towards Mount Vernon. Then we swung back up to the main drag and the busy highway and reached our destination. Everyone is always so helpful at the store. We were in search of a replacement toilet seat and cover. In Milwaukee, we did two major bathroom renovations and used only Kohler products. Here, we just needed a simple replacement. So we had pictures and measurements and had quite a variety to pick from... we couldn't believe how cheap they were! After checking out the assortment we decided on a product from a company in Wisconsin. Close enough! Then we headed to the picture hanging department as I was in need of Velcro to use to hang my dog art at the Wagtime "gallery wall." I use the heavy duty stuff because the portraits are in the front window where it can get very hot or very cold, and so far the Velcro works best on the foam board. The last stop was in the filter department - we needed Britta water pitcher filters. Usually I order them from Amazon because we need so many filters for so many things and try to order them all at the same time, especially since the minimum order amount has increased for free shipping. It wasn't really a day for major purchases, but I feel like we accomplished a great deal in one day! It doesn't take much, and we had a great ride doing it.