Busy Week

This week has been incredibly busy. On Monday I had my annual HOA meeting to attend. Not only attend, but plan and head. I've liked being on the HOA board, but I'll be glad when my time is up - only two more years.

Tuesday and Wednesday were dedicated to getting ready for and hosting a Greek feast at my house. I volunteered to have a few young women over for my ward's International Missionary Dinner. All I had to do was cook an international meal and share a little about a foreign place. Easy, I thought. I love Greece - it's my favorite place. I love Greek food - I can follow a recipe. Well, it wasn't easy. As Alina put it, I went all out in true Mandy fashion.

Anyway, on Tuesday I had to go to three different stores to get some shopping done. I went to IKEA to get some new table chairs. I only had 4 chairs and I knew I'd need more. I also had to go to a Greek market for Greek olives, imported feta, and baklava (I decided to buy not make this one). Finally, I went to Smiths for my remaining supplies. That night I also cooked the meat for my meal. I'm glad I did this because if I had done it all on Wednesday, it wouldn't have gotten done.

On Wednesday, I finished cooking. I made moussaka - it's a bitch to make. It's only the second time I've made it and I don't think I'll make it again anytime soon. It's a delicious casserole with potatoes, hamburger (cooked with onions, garlic, oregano, nutmeg, and cinnamon - Alina calls it "dessert meat"), fried eggplant, cheese, and topped with a cheesy/nutmeg custard. I also made a Greek salad loaded with feta and olives. Finally, I made tzatziki (cucumber dip) to eat with pita bread. My kitchen looked like a disaster and it took forever, but the food was good and the young women liked it, so I say success. Pictures of my cooking success:

Tzatziki and pita slices

Greek salad

Moussaka

Thursday and Friday were dedicated to home improvements. On Thursday, I put a peep hole in my front door. Changed the lightbulb at the top of my stairs. This was a frightening experience. I almost cried the whole time. The only way to do it is to stand on the top wrung of a ladder and use both hands while trying not to fall to your death. I also repaired the bathtub facet. And when I say I did all of these things, I mean my dad did and I helped.

Friday, I did do all the home improvements. I (it really was me) sprayed the weeds with weed killer and cleaned out my window wells. I wanted to pull the weeds this weekend, but with all the rain, I don't know if I'll get to it.

Anyways, this week was exhausting. I did all of this in addition to working a 40+ hour week. Some of you super moms may be used to all this work, but I'm not. I'm exhausted!!