Last Minute Thoughts

Before the Journey

We’re supposed to be leaving Monday morning. Everything’s got to be packed and all. Because of our hectic schedules this week, I can’t say we’ve really gotten anything done.

Tonight, I just got a few minutes to pick up some of the many things we needed for the trip.

Hopefully, I’ll wake up tomorrow feeling up to doing laundry and packing the bags before we head off.

It’s been an excruciatingly exhausting week so I’m glad I at least got around to ordering the books I needed for my classes this fall. One professor still hasn’t posted the learning materials we need to get and I am hoping they won’t be crazy expensive either. I’m fortunate enough that all these classes only required novels and old anthologies.

Theme

The last time I wrote, I was seriously considering this pretty cool theme for the blog. I’ve been wanting to freshen up the whole look and aura, and I’ve even written about it in a previous post. I have to say that I have always been OBSESSED with space – especially the horsehead nebula. So … with that said, you may expect to see a whole lot of distant, stars hung on a massive wall of infinite darkness. I think space is the ultimate frontier … both physically and metaphysically. It’s in this huge void that we finally find peace.

I’ve been meaning to write earlier … about a couple of days earlier but I can definitely say that not much has happened so far.

Something about the Sapphire Walls

There’s this concept that all homes and especially the living room should be light and airy. I swear, every article you read talks about pink-based whites and creams and lofty curtains to make the living room more inviting to your guests.

Honestly, I am the one using the living room the most. The last thing I want to do is come home hoping to unwind but be miserably stuck with some crappy manifestation of the idea that my living rook should cater to others. Yeah, it sounds a bit selfish, but I literally don’t have guests. If anything, whoever lives with it, deals with it. And whoever deals with it should make the call.

So sapphire blue it is.

I’ve always gravitated towards rich, jewel tones. If anything, I’d rather keep my furniture neutral against such a rich backdrop.

I’ve painted two different darker blues on the wall and of course, we’re going for the darker but richer one because it really is stunning. Unfortunately, I don’t like it in a satin finish so when I go back to the home improvement store to pick up the paint, I’m going to settle for flat. It’s dark enough to hide most everyday mishaps and I’ll always have extra paint for touch ups.

I’ll paint once I come back in town. I’m just waiting for all this chaos to settle down. Just waiting for this year to be over because next year will be way better.

Review & DIY: Updating a 1-pole light switch to an Adorne Switch

I’ve got a pretty old home but the good thing about being a homeowner is being able to customize and update your home if you don’t like the way it currently is. I bought a house about a month ago and so far, I’ve painted some rooms and I’ve changed some lighting fixtures as well. I still have a lot to do but today I decided to check out the Adorne switch system by Legrand.

I painted my current office to the color, Palisade Blue, by Valspar and despite how beautiful the color was, the old wooden light switch was a sight for sore eyes. I was determined to change the light switch.

I’ve been looking at the Legrand system and I decided to pick up the Paddle light switch in Magnesium (they also have this switch in white) and I got the gang plate in Titanium. I wanted to get the Satin Nickel gang plate and the Touch switch (this is an amazing light switch) but for the sake of trying something new, I decided to get the more affordable options just in case I didn’t like the finished result. I got both the light plate cover and Paddle light switch for under $13 at Lowe’s.

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I’ve changed light fixtures in the past so I figured the principles would generally be the same.

So here comes the how-to part (note: the color of the photos are a bit off since I was working during sundown):

1. Disconnect power from the breaker before you begin so you don’t end up electrocuting yourself.

2. Unscrew the old gang plate (light switch plate cover) from the wall.

This ugly-old thing ...
This ugly-old thing …

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3. Pull the old light switch towards you and disconnect the wires from the terminal holes. You’ll typically find three wires. For this DIY project regarding a one-way switch and not a three-way, we’re going to be focusing on the black and the red wire.

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* if the wires do not come out of the terminal, you can also cut them and then use a wire stripper to reveal more usable wire.

4. Unsnap the gang plate cover from the metal frame of the new gang plate. Mount the metal frame to the wall where the old gang plate was with the two provided screws. Be sure not to over-tighten.

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5. Insert the one wire into the 1-pole terminal of the new electrical switch (Paddle) and use a screwdriver to tighten the screw at the top of that terminal to secure the wire. Insert the other wire into the HOT terminal and secure the wire in the terminal as well. (my home is wired insanely weird so in a sense, everything is backwards regarding wire colors. Be sure to use a circuit checker if you are having difficulty identifying which wire is hot.)

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6. Ease the electrical switch back towards the wall and snap the switch into the gang frame.

7. Snap the wall plate cover to the metal frame. You will hear three audible clicks meaning the cover is secure.

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8. Switch the power back on from your breaker and enjoy your new Adorne Paddle switch and gang plate.

Review: Overall, I really like the Adorne system by Legrand. Be sure to check out their website for more options and solutions for anything from under cabinet lighting to cable management. You can spend as little as $10 or as much as $150 for a wall switch plate/electrical switch(or a dimmer/USB outlet/etc.) so there is something for everyone. I am pretty excited that this part of the room has taken on such a modern and finished look with only $13 spent. I look forward to investing in more Adore outlets and fixtures for the rest of the house.

I hope you enjoyed this article and look out for more DIY articles now that I have a new home to work on!