4:50  – Wake up before the alarm.

5:00 – Let the dog out, Get the cappuccino ready, pack the kid’s lunches, hum a happy tune.

5:30 – Leisurely check overnight e-mail.  Leisurely shower and shave.

6:10 – Gently remind wife to rise and shine.

6:15 – 7:30 – Drag son downstairs to watch Buzz Lightyear while eating (3) mini-cinnamon donuts!  Pack cars!  Remind daughter to get up!  Last minute songs on iPods!  Turkey bacon or cereal for the kids!  Remind daughter again to get up!  Write notes about who to call from work!  Remind son to use potty!  Make sure today is not the day to daughter needs to bring cello!  Tell wife she looks great!  Put on as many of his clothes as son will tolerate!  Yell upstairs to daughter — “Don’t make me come up there!”  Kiss wife goodbye!  Remind daughter who has finally come downstairs to go back upstairs at get socks!  Put dog in crate!  Try to brush son’s teeth!  Cram everyone in car!  Rush to Day Care!  Finish  any remaining clothes and/or personal hygiene issues while taking off son’s coat!  Run out back to car to bring daughter to school!  Narrowly miss insane drivers in school parking lot!  Tell daughter you love her even after she tells you how much she loathes your every fiber of being!

7:35 - 7:55 – Leisurely drive to work.

Some of you who know me may know that I originally hail from a place called “Connecticut.”  Others of you familiar with history may be aware that one nickname for Connecticutians is “nutmegger.”  An even smaller subset may be aware that that particular name is actually a pejorative expression, based on the fact that settlers in that area used to sell fakenutmegs to unsuspecting cooks.  Well, oddly enough for a home cook like myself, I only just began grating my own nutmeg (the real kind thank you, not the fake –once shame on you, twice shame on me) just last month, and I have to say–the taste and aroma of freshly grated nutmeg is very distinctive and an excellent addition to any recipe. But remember–only use 1/2 the amount the recipe calls for of pre-ground nutmeg.

So the next time you’re at Penzey’s Spices or your local grocer, check it out!  And don’t forget your microplaner!

I see people on Mondays and I say “Wha’d YOU do this weekend?” and they say stuff like “Oh, we went shopping” or “Watched the game” or “Nothing.”  And I say to myself — WTF?  Maybe it’s just because we have two kids and are doing a lot of our own home renovations, but I mean – come on.  Here’s a small sample of what we did this weekend:

• Made Chinese sesame string beans, rice and dumplings from scratch.  Used the leftover rice to make fried rice w/ vegetables on Saturday.
• Finished painting kitchen trim.
• Finished installing 6 inch “Rev-A-Shelf” for empty space between cabinets.
• Helped wife installed a new kitchen faucet.
• Went for a two-mile jog with the dog and my 3-year old son (who backed out early on)
• Made an awesome angel food whip cream coconut cake to bring to my brother-in-laws, who made an equally awesome Caribbean lamb stew.
• Tried unsuccessfully to set up a new garage door opener
• Ran my work reports from home due to server issues on Friday
• Watched PLANET TERROR on DVD
• Took a one-hour nap interrupted by screaming children
• Put more batteries in Bob the Builder and Muck.

Ah…the sweet release of death.

The Wife and I have installed about ten or so faucets over the years, and we just did another one in the kitchen this weekend.  If you’ve never done it, it’s actually rather easy, and very satisfying.  But I would be lying if i didn’t say that we always run into a few hiccups, and this one was no different .  Here are some quick tips on how to make for an easy (and non-marriage threatening) faucet installation:

1. Read the instructions.  Twice.  And while you’re at it, read them again.  And not just you–have the other person read them.  Wed got everything installed, and the spray hose had a tiny leak, and it turned out to be because yours truly forgot to hand his wife a simple rubber washer.  Argh!
2. Test the connections before you start.  We had a smaller connector on the new faucet than the old faucet, and had to make a last-minute trip to Ace hardware to get the (very common) adapters,  make sure you have a simple adjustable wrench, and some silicon tape, and a flashlight.  Total cost for all these items?  $10.00.
3. Shut-off valves:  make sure you have turned off the shut-off valves, and that those shut-off valves work.  If they don’t, make sure to shut off the downstream water in the basement and lower floor bathrooms.  We had a cold-water valve that wasn’t shutting all the way, and a tiny bit of water was coming it, which it made it difficult to make the connection, and we had to re-do it.
4. Be realistic.  We have always had a water pressure issue due to older pipes in the house.  That is one of things we hope to renovate over the next few years, replacing the old iron pipes with PVC or copper.  But just because you have a pretty new faucet doesn’t mean that your water will suddenly come out faster.  But it is pretty–even if it looks like the Silver Surfer’s penis.