Why change JUST the bulb?

If you've ever decided to trade cars because your tags were up for renewal, you'll probably relate to this story...

The light over the kitchen sink went out a couple nights ago but the recessed lights take a special long-neck halogen bulb, and I didn't have any spares on hand.  I looked for some at my favorite-discount-store-to-dread (WalMart) yesterday, but they have stopped carrying them, so I figured I'd wait until I was headed to Home Depot or Lowe's to pick up a few.

Lo and behold, this morning I was browsing Thrifty Decor Chick's blog and found this post for a DIY pendant light, using a conversion kit from Lowe's.

My heart skipped a beat:  I had long been toying with the idea of a pendant light above the sink, just to add a little panache to a really ho-hum fixture.  Go ahead, you can agree with me - it was a snoozer.  But I put off even seriously contemplating a pendant until I was ready to tackle all the steps in the process, namely taking out the housing for the recessed light in order to replace it with a new light fixture - which never fits exactly and then drywall repair and painting ensue.  (The spirit was willing, but the flesh was weak.)

This $20 kit was designed for slackers like me.  No killing the breaker (well, the kit says you should--but honestly, who does that if all you're doing is changing a bulb?), no climbing up in the attic, figuring out WHICH light fixture to remove, as you communicate with someone below as they tap, tap, tap their location.  No coming back down covered in fiberglass fibers.  I tend to work solo, and changing light fixtures typically requires some teamwork, and several hours of trial-and-error frustration.

But this...this was no more difficult than changing the bulb.  It took me longer to pick out the pendant light than it did to put this whole thing together, even including the time to adjust the length of the pendant.

One thing I did realize after I got it up is that our recessed "can" is seated a little low...so I guess I will have to go up in the attic one of these days and cinch it up.  For now, the flush-mounted cover is...well...not quite flush.  But I'm in no hurry to scurry up there - it may be the first day of fall but the thermostat is reading 96 F.  Whew.

Instead, I'll whip up some lemon bars and ice down some waters for a summer Bible Vacation debriefing tonight, then get some rice started for dinner.  (Note to self: watch the rice this time...scorched brown rice is not just unpalatable, it's inedible and stinky.)

Hmmm.  You know, my car tags ARE due at the end of this month...

Happy DIY-ing!