'Tis Better to Give Than To Receive

...but it means I don't get much of my own stuff done.

I had a bit of a revelation today.  I thought it was pretty impressive, but in the grand scheme of things it wasn't life-altering.  It was a day that I had a stack of things to go through.  So did everyone else.  A few things I had on the back burner didn't get done, but I was able to delegate a few (website pages to Wendy, expired products to Karen, you get the idea.)  At about midday, I looked around and realized I wasn't getting much of my own tasks completed, however I was guiding and helping keep a lot of other people stay on track.

Now there are two ways to handle a day like that:  you can either get frustrated with being pulled in so many different directions, or you can just embrace the role and bounce from person to person helping out when and where you can.  Normally, I would be the former.  Grumbling about my own stuff not getting done, dodging and just giving quick answers.  People would be frustrated or stuck themselves and not sure where they are headed.

I looked at Kelly today and said, "I don't feel very productive.  I'm not getting any of my own stuff done, but I'm helping everyone else get theirs done.  But you know what?  I just realized something.  That's my job."  I'm the Head Tech.  I should be supervising and ensuring that they are on task and getting things looked after.  I forget that sometimes, and I also forget how much I enjoy helping them.

I have to remember that when I get back to work Thursday and find my pile all backed up and untouched from today.

Pics as promised for my painted doors.

A few weeks ago, I mentioned about painting the porch posts and then changing the colour of our front door and the garage doors.  So I've finally taken a picture of the finished product.  The posts are white, but the doors were the same brown as the front door.  For someone like me that loves colour, it was BORING.  And, since I can't have time to just sit and be still on my holidays, I decided to do it right.  Sand, wipe down, tape off, prime, and paint.  Since I wasn't hustling and decided to take my time, it took me a few days.

Unfortunately, our brick has a bit of a pink tinge, so options are limited.  Pinkish brick with a dark red ochre just doesn't work.  So green it is!
Garage doors are a big area on the front of the house, so when you paint them, sometimes it's all you notice.  The piddly little front door can't really compete.





So I figured I would paint the front door two shades darker.  Just enough to make it a little different.
So my doors are green and I've decided that I am completely in love with Sherwin Williams.  They have sales the week or so before a lot of long weekends.  (Purdy brushes...  I love Purdy brushes!)  The best part: the paint is just so rich and luxurious, it makes me look good.  Yet another instance where having the right tools makes the job SO much easier!


So once again, I have holidays coming up.  My last week of the year before the Christmas break.  Tim is itching to paint the powder room.  Current colour: brown.  (The entire house is brown.  I think Fabio found a sale on a skid of brown paint!)  And I am currently over the moon with the thought of going very bold in the powder room.  Something striking and possibly fairly dark.  Perhaps a lovely purple/plum colour...

The Meat Merchant Inc.

The Meat Merchant Inc.:
I love trying to figure what to eat. Even better, I love finding recipes that are quick and easy. One of my favourite meals is steak with baked potato, but this would put a new twist on it. Haven't tried it yet, but will let you know if I do.
'via Blog this'

This is the toughest blog I will likely ever write.  We have no children, but we have cats.  Well, now we have one.  I can't type out the full story, but I'll cut and paste a copy of the email that I sent to everyone about what happened.  I can't dwell, I can't answer questions.  I need to take my moments to cry and keep moving.  For better or for worse, that is what I do, and that is what I need right now.

I knew I couldn't recount the details more than once, so I sent a blanket email to everyone I could find an email address for at the time.  Fortunately, I have great friends and fabulous family.  Lot of real and virtual hugs and not many questions.  The pain will fade, but there will always be a raw spot for my Coco Puffy.  There was only ever one Puffy and he was the most fabulous cat EVER.  (Sorry Dodger, you're cute, but Puffy was my baby.)

Here's the email, and then I am done:

This afternoon, Coco was outside on his harness.  I had let him out and closed the glass door instead of the screen door because the air conditioning was on.  He must have fallen off the ramp and somehow wiggled out of the lower part of his harness that fastens under the front legs, leaving only the collar part around his neck.  While this is a horrible thought, he did in fact hang while we were indoors.  Tim found him, yelled to me and I ran out and around.  It was much too late.  It was probably about 30 minutes or so before we found him.  Terrible, awful, and true.  We took his remains to the clinic for cremation - no pawprint, no reminders.  The void is enough.

We will forever kick ourselves.  Would have, should have, could have.  If only I hadn't closed the glass door, if only I had made him come in earlier.  If only we had tightened the harness so he couldn't wiggle out of it.  If we'd built stairs, done something, anything different, Coco Puffy would still be with us.  There's a big, quiet hole in this house. 

Already cried a lot and will probably cry some more, but I can't bear to see all the sad posts on Facebook or sad eyes when I get to the clinic or Run Club.  Inspection is coming and I've got distance to do.  Granted he was only a cat, but he was my Puffy.  

Megan 

(and Tim)

Wonderland and Al - should be a good day!

Heading to Wonderland for Staff Appreciation Day.  Free passes, parking, and food!  LOVE Wonderland.  Best of all, I get to chum around with Al all by myself.  For hours!  She is a hoot and I only get to see her every few months at the most.  Very cool chick.

At Ribfest, showing off a tasty back rib!

Love catching up with her and hoping that we can arrange dinner or something for a few weeks from now.  She is completely comfortable going fishing and camping and doing "country things", but she's really a city girl.  Maybe she'll want to go all "hick" and come up to the Demo Derby next weekend....

Best thing I ever learned from Al: martini bars ROCK!

International Potluck Anyone?

An International Dinner.  Have you tried this?  We've done it once before and it worked nicely.  I've even done it for a work function and it was really interesting because everyone's background is so different.  If you haven't heard of doing something like this before, let me explain: it's a potluck dinner where the dish you bring MUST be a traditional ethnic dish reflecting either your or your family's ancestry.  If your great-great-great-grandfather was Scottish, you could bring haggis for example.

In our family, my Dad is Dutch, my mother, Danish.  However, when you go backwards through the line, both families are peppered with other countries such as Germany and France.  Since that only really opens up four countries, I rely on the Greek heritage of my spouse to provide some Mediterranian flare to the dinner.  I'm even lucky enough to have a Greek cookbook.

But there is such a thing as too many choices.  It's got tons of recipes!  Appetizers, soups, salads, entrees, side dishes, garnish, cookies, cakes, pastries, syrups, condiments... it's mind boggling.  What am I going to make?  And it's laid out in the strangest way.  I'm used to cookbooks that have categories like, "Soups and Salads" or "Main Dishes".  This is separated out into "Foods from the Sea" etc.  A lot of it is lamb, fish, eggplant, zucchini, spinach - what might be considered "strange".  So I've decided that mine has to be a optional dish.  Something that isn't a main course, but still contributes like an appetizer or dessert.

So my choices are spanakopeta or dolmadakia if I'm doing an appetizer or bakalava or galatoboureko if I'm doing dessert.  I've never made any of these, but we shall see.  I've put the choice to the hostess, let's see what she picks!

My oh my, who doesn't love pie?

Just had to share this recipe because it's SO easy and it's pecan pie.  LOVE pecan pie.  It's even easy enough, I fit it into a tweet earlier today.  Just had a piece and YUM!


Quick and Easy Pecan Pie
1/2 cup sugar
3 tbsp butter
1 cup corn syrup
3 eggs
1 cup pecans
1 tsp vanilla
9" frozen pie shell, baked for 5 minutes


Boil the sugar, butter and corn syrup for 2 minutes.  Beat eggs and add in pecans.  Pour the sugar mixture over the eggs and add vanilla.  Mix to combine thoroughly and pour into pie shell.  Bake at 350F for 35-40 minutes.
Allow to cool on wire rack completely before serving.


Haven't tried it as tarts yet, but I'm sure if I finely chop the pecans, it would work nicely.



(Almost have the garage doors done, have to post pictures when I'm done....)