The Small Things that Make a Difference

We got a flyer on our door last night from our apartment leasing office. I saw it and thought, "uh-oh. Now what?" There's always a lot of activity going on that comes along with maintenance, as with any apartment. The doors need painting, the siding needs re-done, etc., etc. Fairy and Clementine aren't too keen on strangers, so it can be a lot of upheaval for them, especially when we aren't there.

But this time the flyer said something to this effect, "come join us for a complimentary holiday breakfast on your way to work." A nice surpise! But then I proceeded to forget all about it and it wasn't until this morning as I was riding through the complex on the way to work when I saw the staff outside the office with a big picnic table full of food. Cars were pulling in, Missy was running food to the cars with a big smile, and then the folks would drive off to work. I was greeted by name (which I am still amazed that they know since I'm hardly ever in the office)from halfway across the parkinglot and asked if I would like breakfast. Missy offered to take my Christmas cards into the office to save me a trip to the mail box and Nadine unpacked the breakfast kit so that it would fit in my backpack. I got a choice of bagel from Panera and an orange juice. It was such a simple gesture, but the whole swift 2 minute exchange was so warm and inviting that it really changed my whole attitude about going to work this morning. I could smell the cinnamon wafting from my backpack as I was pedaling down Sharon Rd.

Although I'm excited to move into a house, it will be sad to leave the Hamptons and the real nice community feel that's there and the top-notch staff.

All the Trimmings

It's so exciting to watch the progress of our home! The cabinets and wood trim really adds a lot of dimension, I think, and we are extremely happy with the cabinet style. I'm going to love living in this kitchen! In case you can't tell from all my recipes I post, I love to cook (well so far anyway).

Plenty of cabinets to store all the gadgets, and a nice big pantry for my can and jar collection.

I love the fact that there's an island, too- oh the possibilities! I may never make it to Hawaii, but I can legitimately say, "I have an island of my own."

Small but classy details...

Upstairs looking from the master bedroom to two across the way.

They put the banister in!

And the pillars and faux balcony (Paul is in there for scale. Geologists usually use a pencil or penny, but a man will work too).

Mavis

Mavis, the maple we adopted earlier this fall, has finally decided she better catch up with the big girls and drop her leaves for hibernation. It was probably our nice, cozy, sheltered patio that made her lazy. But the cold week we had last week was frigid even on a sheltered patio, so I'm sure that's what initiated defoliating. I have to admit, I wasn't sure if very young maples went through the rigors of dropping leaves and regrowing them in the spring, thinking that the first year might give them a break since life is already tough enough just trying to break out of a seed. But, lo! I went out to water this weekend and there she was with a few leaves less! She didn't bother going to the bright red for showy display, but rather, a mellow yellow.

The Spare Room

I don't know what got into Paul the other night, but he came home from work and went straight into the Spare Room and started pulling out box after box after box.... "What the heck are you doing?" I asked, a bit concerned. "Looking for the Christmas decorations," he replied casually. If you know Paul, you'd realized how highly unusual it is for him to jump straight into a chore after work. He's more of a save-it-for-the-weekend kind of man.

I was ecstatic because I've been dreading the adventure for weeks, not having a clue where the decor was admidst the many boxes that we are storing in that room awaiting our move to our new home. We never bothered unpacking most of our things, knowing we were going to be moving in 6 months or so. Happily, Paul knew exactly where everything was because he methodically packed the room before he got his job.

After about 1/2 hour, Paul had blockaded himself into the back corner of the room by stacking boxes in the walkway he created to get there, so in the end I could not see him from the doorway.

"Paul, where are you?" I called out to the endless pile of boxes. "Over here!" he waved a hand at me over the top.

I was worried that something was going to fall on him, so I worked at clearing a pathway for myself to get to where he was, upsetting the strategic box placement that he made.

"Ah, there you are!" I think he was happy I came to help. :-)

A while later, with nothing more than a backache for catastrophe, we had all our boxes and Christmas tree out for decorating this weekend. We have one heck of a busy weekend planned!

An Unintersting News Flash

This is to quickly report that as of 12:30 my last bowl of Butternut Squash Soup has been consumed, and Paul's was probably finished about a half hour earlier during his short lunch break. I think that was a record for us -- the longest lasting leftover being whittled away one bowl at a time. Mental note: cut the recipe in half next time. On to new leftovers! Yippee aye yeah!

My Favorite Soup

It is the weather for soups for those of us above the equator, especially for those of you in the northern states experiencing the bitterest of temperatures. It's been cold here in Charlotte, but nothing in comparison! I feel it especially because of my twice a day bike ride to work and back, and yes, it's been cold in the afternoon as well as morning, but mainly due to the breeze.

The best thing to warm the joints and bones is split pea soup. It's so easy to make in the Crock Pot if you have one, and I prefer to get it all prepared the night before, stick the pot in the fridge (I have a crock pot that has a removable pot that fits inside the metal cooker part), and then just set it in the cooker in the morning and plug 'er in. Who has time to cook after work when there's lots of spinning and knitting to do?

Here is my favorite, classic recipe for split pea soup:

1 lb. bag of dried, split peas
1 clove of garlic, crushed
1 small onion, chopped
2-3 stalks of celery, chopped (add the leaves whole on top to add to flavor, and remove after cooking)
2 medium carrots, chopped
1 ham hock
~1/2 tsp. ground cumin
salt and pepper to taste (the ham hock is quite salty so make sure you don't add to much)
1 Herbox vegetable bouillon (does not contain MSG)
~6 cups of water

Add everything to the crock pot, no need to dissolve bouillon, and cook on low heat. I leave mine in for the whole 8-9 hours I'm gone to work and it turns out great. Remove celery leaves and serve.

Fairy's New Home (amongst other things)

Saturday was one of those days that you wake up with a list of to-dos by the side of the bed. I marched Paul out of bed at an early hour and we got ready to do a number of errands, some of which I would have done during the week if I wasn't riding my bike. Paul, being the organized one that he is, organized our list into two circuits. Trip one: cleaners to pick up ties, Target to return an item (Star Wars), Trader Joe's for groceries, come home to drop off groceries. Trip two: K-mart to return an item (Star Wars, of course), Parrot University to get seeds and treats, and Costco to get more groceries.

We conquered the list, and in the order outlined by Paul, with one slight deviation: we came home with a new home for Fairy from Parrot University. All cages are on sale 20% and we found one perfect for her with wheels (big plus). We had been planning this for about a year because although she's a small bird, she's got a big personality and needs lots of toys to keep her from being bored stiff. She's been looking a little stiff lately, when we leave for work, clinging to the side of the bars and staring at us as we leave. She doesn't play with her toys, and so we figured maybe there wasn't enough room to hang the number of toys she needs to stay occupied. A nice thing is that this cage doesn't take up any more floor space than her last one - it's just taller.

Do you see her in the back near the top? Notice how the doors are all open and she's happy inside.

Coming out to say hi....

With a chow mein noodle in hand, she is the happiest of birds!

She practically leaped onto her new home when it was assembled and she has been so happy playing. Today when I left for work she didn't cling to the bars, but was sitting on a toy ringing the bell and swinging. Tonight, when I let her out as usual, she didn't come running out like she usually does, but sat in on one of her perches quite content. What a relief she seems happier!

On Sunday, we were going to intersperse the day with trips into the spare bedroom to pull out boxes and search for Christmas decorations. But in the end, the day was busy enough without that upheaval so we have to save it for next weekend. Instead, after church I cut Paul's hair because he was complaining he looked shabby and we just putzed around. I did get some spinning in for Trish and some spinning in for The Sweater, but Trish will be pleased that I did two of her skeins to 1/2 of The Sweater skein (my "recreational spinning," as she calls it).

Oh, and I thought I'd say that we are still plowing through that Butternut Squash Soup that we made before Thanksgiving. Did I mention that it was enough to feed an army? Poor Paul gets more for his lunch tomorrow, because today afterwards he made the mistake of saying that it was "tasty with some cheese and bread to go with it." Wait till he sees that he's got it packed in his lunch bag for day 2!