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You are here: Home / DIY / Day 26, Thirty Days of Gratitude & The Tuesday Talk: Confidence

Day 26, Thirty Days of Gratitude & The Tuesday Talk: Confidence

November 26, 2013 By Karen Cooper 2 Comments

Welcome to The Tuesday Talk and Thirty Days of Gratitude, Day 26, all rolled up in one! Let’s talk confidence today.

Last year, I wrote this blog post about having confidence doing DIY projects. I am really proud at how I’ve gotten more and more confident in trying new DIY projects. For example, last year, I don’t know that I would have had the gumption to reupholster my dining room chairs, but I did it this past weekend.

back of chairs - finished dining room - Dogs Don't Eat Pizza

This is what I said about confidence last year at this time:

I have always – in my head – felt like I could do anything. And then the rubber hit the road and, there were times, I chickened out.

Until I realized that I really could do just about anything.

So, today I am grateful for confidence.

This was my first big DIY project:

My first big DIY project - Dogs Don't Eat Pizza

Circa 2009

I tore out the corner cabinet that was in our breakfast room.  The cabinet was small and two of the shelves were broken, so it wasn’t effective storage.  One day, I just decided it was time for it to go.

Tore out the corner cabinet - Dogs Don't Eat Pizza

I took a sledgehammer to the shelves and pried out the sides.  I only damaged the drywall in one or two spots.

And you know what?  I patched the drywall myself.

Had I patched a big hole in drywall before?

Nope.

Did I successfully patch the hole?

Yep.

I had always wanted to tile something.  I decided to start small – the backsplash in my laundry room.  Here it is (sorry for the poor photo quality!), finished:

I tiled a backsplash! - Dogs Don't Eat Pizza

I just did it.  I bought the supplies – adhesive backing (I used SimpleMat Tile Setting Mat from Home Depot – very cool product), tiles, tile cutter, grout, grout float, sealer.  I was so proud after I did it, I did a happy dance.

Had I ever tiled anything before?

Nope.

And I survived.  And had the tile backsplash I wanted.

So much of DIY’ing is just having the guts to do it.  For example, tearing the carpet off the beautiful wooden stairs, like I explained in this post.  I had thought about it for years.  I just needed the confidence to up and do it one day.

runner complete - Dogs Don't Eat Pizza

Which leads me to the toilet. Plumbing has always freaked me out.  But yesterday, we had a clogged toilet.  It had been clogged for almost 24 hours.  I plunged and plunged, hoping against hope that it would resolve itself.  It didn’t.

The last time we had a bad clog, we called a plumber, and he charged us some terrible amount of money to use an augur to resolve the clog.  He mentioned that you could buy one at a hardware store, but that “they didn’t work as well.”  Sure.  Right.

When the toilet was still clogged after plunging and hot water and dish soap didn’t work, I decided to get my own augur.

That’s right.

And yet, for some reason, as I approached the hardware store, I was reticent.  I was almost nervous about it.

In fact, when the greeter at the door asked me what I was looking for, I told him I was looking for a plunger.  I guess I was afraid he might talk me out of buying the augur, or look at me like I had three heads or something. I have no idea what I was thinking, in hindsight.  After all, people go to the hardware store to buy an augur, so it would be perfectly reasonable for me to do the same thing.

Seriously, it was the best $8.78 I’ve spent in a long time.

You should go buy one.  Just sayin’.  You might need it one day.

Anyway, I got home.  I followed the instructions.  I did EXACTLY what the high-priced plumber did. And you know what?

IT WORKED!

The toilet gave me a happy gurgle and flushed.

All it took was $8.78 and a little backbone.

Brittany at Pretty Handy Girl always says that, “If a human being can do it, there’s a 95% chance you can do it, too.”  I heard that in my head as I found and bought the augur, and when I jumped for joy when I fixed the toilet.

I am grateful that I have the confidence to try new things, to do hard things, to tackle projects.

So, the Tuesday Talk topic today is: What have you tried lately with a little confidence? What would you like to try?

You might also like:

  • Day 30 of Thirty Days of Gratitude
    Day 30 of Thirty Days of Gratitude
  • Thirty Days of Gratitude, Day 30: The Brave Year
    Thirty Days of Gratitude, Day 30: The Brave Year
  • Word of the Year (or Two)
    Word of the Year (or Two)

Filed Under: DIY, Thirty Days of Gratitude 2 Comments

About Karen Cooper

Hi! I'm Karen. I call myself a “recovering lawyer” - I traded in my power suits for power tools and a life of DIY adventures. Join me for DIY, home decorating, repurposing and upcycling, and organizing projects and tips as I transform a 1929 Tudor bungalow into our home. I believe in merging old and new to make a house a home.

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Day 28, Thirty Days of Gratitude: Thanksgiving »




Comments

  1. Cheryl @ Artzzle says

    November 26, 2013 at 6:20 pm

    Hi Karen,

    Those chairs are gorgeous. They really set the rug off. Well, I guess today I’m grateful for the Tuesday Talk. I used to be much more confident about projects, but am more hesitant as I age. You’ve given me a big boost today. We are just finishing our bathroom cabinets and they’re turning out great. Next I want to tile the bathroom backsplash … on my own. I’ve tiled before with great results, but this is different. There is a wooden backsplash around the vanity top and I have to pull that off, so am scared there’ll be too much patching to do. But … we’re going to buy the tile and just do it … before Christmas.

    Hope everyone has a wonderful, safe and HAPPY THANKSGIVING.

    Reply
    • Karen Cooper says

      November 26, 2013 at 10:55 pm

      I say, GO FOR IT, Cheryl! You can do it! Patching isn’t hard, and the good news is that the tile will cover the patching anyway, right? You can do it – go for it! (And then let me know how it goes!) Thank you for your sweet words – they mean so much to me. Happy Thanksgiving!!

      Reply

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Hi! I’m Karen. I call myself a “recovering lawyer,” because I turned in my power suits for power tools and a life of DIY. This blog is all about DIY, home decorating, repurposing and upcycling, and organization. I believe in merging old and new to make a house a home.




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About Karen

A "recovering lawyer," I turned in my power suits for power tools and a life of DIY. I believe in merging old and new to make a house a home. Read More…

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