It's the little things...

Last weekend we realized that every time the coffeemaker cycled on, it would make our ground fault outlet trip and we'd lose power to half of the kitchen outlets.

We, of course, didn't diagnose this problem before our planned visit to The Home Depot.  No, that just isn't our style.  Too easy, ya know.  Instead, later, I picked the girls up from work and took them with me to get a new GFCI outlet.  How hard could it be?

Do you know there are actually choices when you want a GFCI outlet?  I know now.  20 volts vs. 15 volts.  Red and black test/reset buttons vs. all white.  I thought I was doing well when I told the guy who offered to help me that I needed the Decora style.  He told me that's all they come in.  Who knew?  So, bottom line, I knew the info that wasn't necessary but didn't know the answers to the real questions.

Eventually, after a call to Clarence, I managed to choose the right outlet.  As I was leaving the mysterious land of electrical gadgetry, I happened to notice something interesting.  Another call to Clarence to check his willingness to do the additional installation and I happily headed to the check-out with this direct-wired nightlight.

You see, we have a nightlight we turn on in the kitchen every night, in order to safely climb the stairs to our bedroom.  Plus, we had this open slot where we had originally planned I-don't-remember-what (maybe a hard wired switch for our remote control ceiling fan?).  Anyhow, that spot hasn't ever had anything, nor had I ever managed to remember to look for a switch plate cover to cover up the hole.  (I know that's hard to believe, just keeping it real.)

Clarence installed it that night and I am simply delighted.  The gaping outlet hole is gone, and in its place is something perfect for our needs.  No more groping down the steps in the dark if we happened to forget to turn the nightlight on, plus this location actually gives us better light on the stairs themselves.

We all know that the little things can drive you crazy but, in this case, a little thing makes me incredibly happy.