Thursday, June 26, 2014

Meet Rick! All American Amateur!

Have you ever had one of those days when nothing seemed to go right?    We all have!  Then there are those days when the dishwasher breaks or the washing machine decides to dance across the floor or the toilet backs up or, well, you get the picture.  Many people are finding it harder and harder to make the wallet stretch and as a result when things break are forced to figure it out for themselves. That is where I hope to help!

My name is Rick and some of you already know me from my behind the camera, and sometimes, in front of the camera appearances on my wife's YouTube channel, Noreen's Kitchen.  We have been sharing recipes, gardening and quick tips for a long time now.  I have even done a few of my handy DIY tips along the way and the response was always wonderful.  Now I have embarked on a new journey.  We are adding a new website, blog and YouTube channel to our family.  This one, right here!  Rick's Tips DIY or just Rick's Tips for short.  


My goal here is to help you, help yourself and find that place where you can feel comfortable and confident in knowing that just because something looks hard, it may not be.  Now, I would never tell you to take apart a major appliance if you didn't have an inkling of what to do.  The trick with doing it yourself, is to know exactly when you CAN'T do it for yourself.  You may find that you can do a lot more than you think!  In the end, it is best to leave the more complex things, like plumbing and electrical and gas to the professionals, for obvious safety reasons.

All of that aside.  You can do a lot.  You can change the heating element in your electric stove!  You can fix the belt in your dryer and you can even design and build a simple greenhouse to overwinter precious plants from the garden.  I hope to give you great ideas that you may not have even thought of.  I think a lot about a lot of things and I am always looking to do things better and more efficiently.


To give you a bit of background on myself, I am retired from 20 years in the United States Air Force where I was mainly a fire engine/heavy equipment mechanic. I traveled throughout the world during my military career and was stationed in such places as Honduras, Panama and Saudi Arabia for a time during the first gulf war.  

I am one of the 400,000 Americans who live with Multiple Sclerosis.  I am one of the lucky ones!  I am able to live a somewhat normal life and I don't have to use a wheelchair or walker.  Sometimes I use a cane, but for the most part, I have to take things slow, watch my balance and watch my step.  I can't do things as quickly as I once did and it is sometimes frustrating to me when my energy get zapped and I need to take a rest.  So it is important to me to help others understand that no matter their ability level, there is always something they can do for themselves.  Just like me.

Today, I live a regular life with my family.  We do our best.  We are just like you.  We worry about money, we worry about the economy and we try to make ends meet the best we can.  Sometimes we face unexpected repairs like backed up sinks, broken ceiling fans and who knows what else.  That is where I hope to help.  I also have tons of ideas that I plan to share with you that are fun, make life a little more convenient and just plain easier!  


I hope you will join me here as I post weekly blogs to help you check things off your "Honey Do" list and have a little fun in the process!  I also hope that you will follow me on my YouTube channel as well as Facebook!    Here are the links to where you can find me there:

YouTube:  http://bit.ly/1ixCK8W
Facebook: http://on.fb.me/1qiJb2m