Attatching the stripped wires directley to the battery posts by wrapping them around sounds a little sloppy, just my opinion. The connection won't be real good. I'm guessing that the lighter in the 1989 is an older one made before it was as common to use them for powering devices. I would try to find an adapter at a store like Radio shack that will let you use the charger without having to cut the wires. I would also look into whether or not feeding current back into the lighter socket is going to cause any problems, I don't know enough about it to say. Another option would be to cut off the adapter, and install some battery clamps/clips to the stripped wires. If you can find some clamps that attatch to the wires by wrapping the wire around a small screw built into the clamp, then tightening the screw, it will be easier to attatch the wires to the clamps. The other method would be to crimp the clamps onto the wires with a pair of pliers. Then attatch the clamps to the battery, positive , then negative. Remove negative then positive. I like to wear gloves when working with car batteries, in case there is any acid present, and because the terminals are made of lead. Anyone who knows more please add your $0.02...

We have a drawer unit inside our laundry closet, which is right at the back door where we come into the house. The drawers are the kind that have gaps above them.....drawer modules for wardrobes. Above the drawer we had several power points installed and with 2 surge protector outlets, we can charge about 8 items at a time. The phones, torches, batteries, cameras etc are all in the drawer, with just the cords snaking out the front, up into the power points. It's wonderful, and nothing can get knocked off, because they're all safely in the drawer. It's neat and hidden away, and yet handy. We were lucky though, because we were building a new house, and had the idea for this before we built. Even when our kids come home to visit, they charge their phones and cameras etc in the "charging drawer" and so we don't have a heap of gadgets cluttering up the bench tops. I'm kind of amazed that more companies haven't come up with ideas for charging stations, because it seems like every household has endless gadgets that need to be charged nowadays. Hope you find yours soon Regards Lily

I don't have a picture (yet, we aren't quite done!) but I got the idea here for a charging drawer and put it in my kitchen just inside the entry from the mudroom. We also enter primarily from garage through mudroom (new mudroom) into kitchen. They just built me a special drawer that holds a basic surge protector with multiple outlets. The electricians shortened the cord on the surge protector and installed an outlet behind the drawer. The cabinet guys modified the drawer with a special shelf that keeps the cord from falling when the drawer is pulled in and out. We just started putting things in there to charge, and next thing I knew DH was putting in his wallet and keys too. :) Seems to be working out great. I was worried that I wouldn't hear it ring if my phone was in there charging, but I can, at least from anywhere on the first floor. We do NOT put mail in there, however, can't help with that part.

Most of this table fol-d-rol was foisted upon American women in the 20th Century, mostly by 'Home' magazines. There was money to be made selling accoutrements that aped a dying world of live-in help. Unless you have butlers, cooks, servers and dishwashers at the ready, all this is TOO MUCH: Charger/dinner plate, b & b plate, soup dish, salad plate, individual s & p's, dessert dishes -- and sometimes more. Add the various glasses, silverware, silver serving pieces, candlesticks and flower holders, placecard holders. People would be 'at table' for hours! It's OVER. Who can be 'gracious hostess' while fulfilling all these roles? How can the food be edible once served? Some 'rules' are still quoted, like only linen cloths below a formal meal. Placemats are OK for luncheons. Do not 'layer' placemats on top of table cloths. (Looks OK to me, but I can see the same 'why not' as laying area rugs over carpeting. A a charger is usully a decorated plate, intended to be admired. It's not a substitute for a table cloth or placemat (to catch drips). It can support an early course, served separately in a small container; it provides a 'landing place' for the utensils for the course. (After which the charger, the dish, and the spoon or fork are removed.) We won't mention *paper* anything . Your laundress has to get the candle wax out of the table cloth anyway; she'll get the lipstick and wine stains out of those napkins. The butler can finish polishing the silver. Today, I'd like to see a means of keeping hot food HOT at table. Replace 'chargers' with battery-powered heating elements! That's just me...I'm a slow eater. Maybe more people would slow down if they didn't have to race the falling temperature of their food. Maybe they'd wipe their mouths before transfering bits to a wine or water glass.