My Mother would cringe to hear these words "I bought another book". But, I did. This one is about DIY (do it yourself) home repair, geared to women. It's called 'Dare to Repair'. So, do you?

I have. I've fixed a toilet, removed a broken light bulb, and figured out the fuses enough to replace them at least once. There is a lot I still want to learn. But, since I learn from experience it's a slow process. You learn as something breaks or runs down, hence the whole repair gimmick.

Home repair is something we all should work on. Not just for saving money on hiring professionals but because so much of this is simple stuff really. You can do it. Best of all you feel so great having done it yourself.

Of course, it's not just for women. Men are expected to be home and car repair gurus. As if they were born that way somehow. Just as women are (or were) expected to know how to sew on buttons, hem pants and cook a dinner for 8, with perfect table settings.

Anyway, the book has a website. I'm going to poke around there tonight. Dare to Repair Check the Home Repair channel at BackWash to find more websites.

My best advice is 'don't be afraid to blow things up'. Eventually you will get that stain out of the carpet, the water will dry up and your hair will grow back. But, nothing beats the triumph of knowing you did it yourself!

PS - Read the instructions, be an informed home repair geek.