I want everyone to raise your right hand now and repeat after me. I, state your name, solemnly swear to go easy on myself when it comes to organizing my life! I know, I know your desk is a pile of papers or you can't park your car in the garage because of all the stuff in your life. Well great news! You can do it slowly but surely and I'll tell you why. My first job on television where I wasn't killed in a Styrofoam boulder earthquake was as the carpenter on a show called 'Clean Sweep.'

I was the guy who built all of the storage solutions, organizational shelving etc... etc...and here is what I learned. First, practice organization on that drawer we all have in our kitchens that have as follows. Keys from homes or apartments you have not lived in for over a decade. And, Coupons from stores that aren't even in your town. Also, Rubber bands and lots of them. Paper clips. Hair. Pet brushes and buttons. Oh, let's not forget take out menus. Take that drawer and dump them out on the kitchen table and separate it into three categories. Keep, toss, and sell. Pretty self-explanatory right? Keep the stuff you really need. Throw out or toss what you don't. And sell what you can.

On our show, that was usually a garage sale, which is a great way to part with things that you still have attachment to but you know you must get rid of. For some reason attaching a monetary amount to your Grandmothers boots makes them easier to get rid of. Don't ask me why, it just does. Use this technique with your purse, wallet, garage, attic, etc... start small and work your way up. It works, I did it for one hundred and twenty shows and man you should see my garage!

I spent many years as a tile contractor. All the years I spent in some ones shower stall tiling or on my knees grouting thousands of square feet to make a living, seemed like drudgery at the time. But in retrospect, I now realize that I miss the repetitive nature of tile setting. There is something to be said for focusing in on a task at hand rather then living in your mind with all of its distractions. I was able to simplify my existence at that time in my life and not spend too much time in the future or the past. Activities like gardening, masonry, tile setting etc... really does hold much more than just the chore. There is a wonderful opportunity in doing construction especially if there is no time limit or pressure from unrealistic expectations. If you take the time to try a weekend project and truly just stay in the moment, you may find you forget your troubles and enhance your life. Plus, maybe your spouse will actually like you again IF YOU JUST DO SOMETHING AROUND THE HOUSE FOR ONCE!

I had the good fortune of hosting an event in New York City hosted by Craftsman tools. My job was to explain all the new tools Craftsman has available. Aside from being totally impressed with all the products they have to offer, the event was in studio 8h where Saturday Night Live is taped. As you walk into that space, you can see all the pictures on the walls of the guest hosts and musical acts that have appeared over the last thirty years. What a trip that was. And now I get to stand on that stage and inform and entertain people as well. There is something about the influence of a physical space around you that really can impact the way you feel. I think it is critically important to take your surroundings very seriously. By that I mean design your space in such a way to compliment and honor who you are and why you're there. Pay attention to how colors affect you and what emotions are evoked from your living spaces. If anything comes up that doesn't inspire and motivate you, then maybe it's time for a little change.

I watched my one-year-old daughter take her first steps today! I have seen this happen before with my two older boys but for some reason today felt different. First of all let me just say that my daughter is way easier as a baby than either one of my sons were. I think after two children one takes all the little advances in development for granted. Then all of the sudden, bam! There she went. Like football fullback Larry Csonka she just leaned forward with her head about nine inches from the ground and stumbled forward for nearly seven feet! My first reaction was, oh my god, she's going to crash! Then, as I saw her gain control of her body I thought, she's going to get a drivers license someday. Then, she'll date some guy and maybe even get married then... Then I stopped my mind from racing, picked her up and kissed her seventeen times and thought, today was a pretty good day.

I host a television show called 'Over Your Head' on HGTV. This show deals with couples who take on a remodeling project and then for some strange reason stop! What I've noticed after doing nearly forty shows is that most people start with great and noble intentions, and then life gets in the way. For example, the couple who are on my show this week are the sweetest people you can imagine. The husband is a web page designer and kept coming home to find his beautiful wife doing construction projects using unconventional tools. She used a kitchen spatula, the kind that you flip pancakes with, to smooth out a concrete patch on her front entry way steps. At first I thought it rather odd to use a pancake flipper as a cement trowel but now I am inspired by her determination and ingenuity. In her defense, she had very little knowledge but like the genius that she is, she went ahead and tried the project anyway! I realized that she, like many others has the burning desire to improve her condition and I am grateful to dedicate my life to giving her and others like her the know-how so she can someday retire her pancake flipping trowel and use the right tool for the job.

Hello every one and welcome to my fancy new blog. I am Eric Stromer and I was fortunate enough to be able to teach you guys some of my construction knowledge through this great new web site. Keep in mind that all of these tips are meant for you to try, make mistakes, succeed, fail, get frustrated, win, loose, etc ... In other words, just like life! Doing it yourself is a courageous act that will always force you to come up against yourself and that is the beauty of it. If you don't try, you'll never know the outcome. Good luck and thanks for tuning in!