Thank The Makers, Medals for everyone, Save the Fabric

My husband fancies me a maker of things. I possess the patience of Job to put the hex bolts of an Ikea kit together in three or more tries. So, I follow his creative lead on our projects to the point where I can turn something over in my head and come up with a solution. That has worked for us as we approach our ten-year wedding anniversary. I do love my Mark.

We had a rare role reversal this summer. I put a worm in my husband's ear that we should have a dining table. I have a strong argument for a table. It involves laundry and fabric, our two favorite domestic topics. I said it would save our shirts from stains to have a table. We currently eat while sitting in our recliners. We have matching recliners just like on Friends. But we watch anything but sports.

The Brief.

On top of adding a table, I also suggested we move the sofa to create a place for the table, which required a furniture reshuffle. I am talking Tetris-level Chinese puzzles like scooting and measuring to achieve a fit.

Yes, medals for everyone.

So back in June, I made these suggestions with no timeline. My husband told me he heard my ideas and would work on them. Now, in less than two days, he has moved mountains. It's a big deal for some people to make furniture changes. My husband needs to warm up to changes. Now, I know better than to move things. Also, I know to make suggestions and wait for him to work his magic. However, before my marriage, my M.O. was the opposite. In college, I used to get into trouble with roommates when I rearranged furniture weekly and without warning. One example was when an unsuspecting roommate came in and fell over the sofa in the dark after I Martha Stewarded the living room. So not jumping in and moving stuff was hard for me. He did all the work and should get a medal, but I refrained from moving stuff without approval so I should get a medal too.

In the final stretch, he told me, "We honestly have enough furniture to outfit two living rooms." You would be gobsmacked to witness the changes to our living situation simply by moving a few things around. Ok, more than a few things. Most furniture moved, and the dog does not know where to lay down. We like these changes; we did not have to buy anything new... yet. No one had to die, and my fancy adjustable height desk set-up is mine again. Medals for everyone.

Screws long screws short and standing on the wrong side of the door.

One of my "maker gigs" is replacing lock sets on apartments where I live. Yesterday, I started to replace a doorknob and deadbolt set. I had to stop because I tossed out the old key when I had extra keys cut to go with the new set. So when I got home with the new knob set, I could not unlock the door. Today I got the key from my neighbor Jack as he left for work and handed him the new keys, which was probably the best way to do this procedure anyway. I know firsthand that he has the right key.

There are some key points to remember about changing lock sets.

• First, there is an up and down to all the parts; see the instructions.

• Second, on a combo set with a deadbolt and doorknob, the longer bolts are for the deadbolt, and the shorter bolts are for the knob. Knowing this will save you about an hour of assembly time. Again, see the instructions.

• Also, keep the old bolts in case the new bolts are not the same length. I encountered this issue because our doors have a decorative metal shield around the knob. The shield makes the new screws a little too short. But I keep the embellishments because our building needs to retain all the decoration it can.

• Lastly, the lining up of the bolts is diabolical. I am sure if I did this more than twice a year, I would get the hang of it. If you can have a helper, hold some of the parts together tight on one side of the door while you yell at them from the other since of the door, some of the frustration would be relieved.

• Epilogue, I would test the latches and handles, both open and closed insuring all the latches line up while standing inside the apartment. That way, when you leave the key on the other side of the door, you are not locked out ... again.