Trying to reconstruct myself as a full-time working single mom hasn’t been an easy transition. Like the kitchen remodel I’ve been assisting with, it seems I get a little closer to the finished product every day. Some days the changes are significant, like putting doors on the cabinets or installing new appliances. Some days it’s under cabinet trim and ceiling panels in the basement. It’s hard to be satisfied with baby steps when you have a vision of a beautiful finished product. But that is the only way to get from one place to another, isn’t it?

I did get to use my new favorite tool again today: the Fein tool. It’s fun and I like the smell it makes. I’m going to have to get one of those. (I don’t know what I would do with it at home, but I’d think of something.) I also got more practice with caulk today. The secret of doing a good job when sealing cracks is a damp finger. hhmm…

Two abstract tools needed for most construction jobs are math skills and patience. I had to calculate half of 355/8 inches. I could, but not in my head. I felt a little like the tin man in need of an oil can. You’ve heard that phrase, “measure twice, cut once.” Really it’s more like measure 5 times. I felt like my old jr. high math book come to life.

The patience comes into play when what seemed like a simple task, putting on drawer pulls in this case, becomes an ordeal. I say you should always double the estimated time for a job. We again had a cheap screw snap off, this time inside the hole of a drawer pull. An attempt to save the pull required a trip to the hardware store for a tool called a tap and die. Although that tool sounds like a frat house game, it was supposed to re-thread the hole once the broken screw was drilled out. That tool actually broke during use. Counting the trip to the hardware store it was easily an hour on one drawer pull that we still didn’t get on.

So more lessons from screws today.

· Did you know that there are adjustable length screws called snap-off screws? They can be as long or short as you need them. Convenient, huh?

· With special equipment, you can fix a screw-up – sometimes.

· And the following is good advice whether you are attaching door handles or starting a new relationship:
If you want everything to line up right in the end, you need to be careful how you measure things up, have some good cognitive skills, and maintain the patience and determination to finish the job.