CasaSugar

Say What? Ali Lohan's Secondary Education

TresSugar — Sat, 09 May 2009 03:00:00 -0700

"She is home schooled. I'm a firm believer in staying in school but, in the business, it's gotten difficult for Ali to be in school."

- Dina Lohan, responding to concerns that 15-year-old daughter Ali has been playing hooky to hang out with big sis Lindsay

WENN.com

How-To: Install a Peephole

CasaSugar — Tue, 30 Sep 2008 16:00:21 -0700

This month, I've been home schooling you in all sorts of household tasks. And, now I'd like to teach you how to be a Peeping Tom without landing yourself in the slammer. It's okay to do some espionage from the comfort of your own home, if you're trying to figure out whose on the other side of your door. And, in fact, to be safe, you should always use a peephole to ensure you're not opening the door to strangers. To install a peephole in your door, you'll need a drill, a 10- or 25-foot tape measure, a peephole, a slotted screwdriver, safety goggles, and a dust mask. To learn the steps, read more.

Here are the steps, from Barbara K!:

First, put on your safety goggles and mask.
Mark where you want the peephole to go.
Make a pilot hole all the way through the door using a small drill bit.
Read the instructions on the peephole packaging, and switch to the drill bit size recommended.
Drill halfway through the door.
Switch to the other side of the door, and repeat so there's a hole all the way through.
Make sure the right side is facing out, and put the two sides of the peephole in the door. Then, tighten.
Finish tightening the peephole by putting your screwdriver in the slots of the interior bezel.
Fini! Peep away.

Source

How-To: Repair a Hole in the Wall

CasaSugar — Mon, 29 Sep 2008 07:45:32 -0700

Like us, our homes are living, breathing creatures that need a little TLC every now and then. Just as we might stub our toes or nick ourselves shaving, our homes suffer some occasional battle wounds. But recovery calls for little more than a band-aid of sorts. If you're rearranging furniture or hanging artwork, you might wind up with a small hole in your drywall, but no worries, treatment is simple with a little first aid. To fix the hole, all you'll need is a putty knife, some sandpaper, an adhesive repair patch with a reinforced metal center, paint, tack cloth, and spackle. To be home schooled in how to repair a hole, read more.

Here's how, from Barbara K!:

First off remove any loose or rough plaster with the sandpaper or putty knife.
Then, generously coat the hole with spackle, and let dry.
Apply another layer of spackle.
Once it has completely dried, smooth down the surface with your sandpaper.
Cut your adhesive repair patch to fit over the hole.
Then smooth spackle over the patch and hole using the putty knife, and let dry.
Then, smooth the area down again with sandpaper, until the surface is flat.
If there is any residue, wipe it off with your tack cloth.
Then, touch up the wall with a little paint. Fini!

Source

Casa Quickie: Neatly Nailed

CasaSugar — Wed, 24 Sep 2008 15:00:59 -0700

Hammering a nail isn't exactly the most difficult home upkeep task, and I'm sure you can do so in your sleep. But can you hammer neatly? If you adhere a couple of pieces of tape to your wall, before you begin banging away, you will prevent any marks or cracks in the drywall or paint when you're hammering. Once the nail is set in place, you can just peel the adhesive, and it will tear off around the nail, leaving your wall as clean as whistle. How about that for home schooling?
Source

How-To: Make Home Repairs in Your Living Room

CasaSugar — Mon, 22 Sep 2008 15:00:58 -0700

During home schooling month, I've brought you a number of how-to posts. Many of these were courtesy of Barbara K, a home repair and carpentry expert who wanted to inspire women to become more self-reliant when it came to the world of tools and home repairs. Here, she shows you how to make home repairs in your living room.

Source

Casa Quickie: A Rust-Free Toolbox

CasaSugar — Sun, 21 Sep 2008 05:30:35 -0700

During Home Schooling month, I've introduced you to plenty of useful tools for fixing and installing things around the house. If you stepped to it and filled up your toolbox, now you should be responsible for keeping it in good shape. According to Martha Stewart, keeping charcoal briquettes, which you can find right in your Weber, in your toolbox will prevent your tools from rusting, as the briquettes absorb dampness. You should keep a few in a small fabric bag though, since they tend to leave dust in their footprints. Clever, huh?
Source

How-To: Replace a Doorknob

CasaSugar — Fri, 19 Sep 2008 10:00:14 -0700

A broken doorknob may be the culprit in many a poorly written sitcom scene, but it is actually a reality that many of us are likely to face at some point in time. Luckily, it's not the most difficult DIY, and you yourself can rise to the challenge. Since it is Home Schooling month, I figured that now is the time to show you how. All you'll need is a screwdriver, a hex key set, a new doorknob, and the appropriate hardware to go with it. To learn the steps, read more.

Here's how, from Barbara K!:

First things first. You'll need to remove the old doorknob before you can replace it! Start by removing the trim surrounding the doorknob by unscrewing it or gently prying off the plate.
Then, take off the two long screws underneath the trim that hold the two sides of the knob together.
Detach the two doorknobs from each other, and remove them.
Then, unscrew the screws holding the strike bolt, and take out the strike bolt, leaving an empty hole in the door.
Screw your new strike bolt into place, so that the slanted side faces the direction the door opens.
Put the trim piece between the door and new knob, and then the doorknob through the hole.
Ensure that the doorknob fits the strike bolt's locking mechanism.
Put the other piece of trim and other doorknob on the opposite side of the door.
Align the two knobs and tighten the screws. Fini!

Source

Have You Built Anything?

CasaSugar — Fri, 19 Sep 2008 08:30:16 -0700

Be it a fence, a bookshelf, a house, or a garden box, I want to know. Have you built anything? Source

Garden Therapy: Leaf Relief

CasaSugar — Fri, 19 Sep 2008 05:30:59 -0700

If you're not raking up leaves in your neck of the woods yet, you will be very soon, so I have a few tips to help make the job easier. Once you've raked the leaves into big fluffy piles, consolidate them by raking them onto a large tarp. Then, drag your leaves to their final resting place, whether it be a backyard compost pile or in the green bin. Another trick? Run a lawnmower over your leaf piles, which will cut them down to size and speed up backyard composting time. Source

Name This Tool

CasaSugar — Wed, 17 Sep 2008 11:00:39 -0700

As part of our month of home schooling, I thought I should quiz you about some common tools. Can you tell me what type of tool this is?