Finish what you started

Finish what you started

Hello all!  I know it's been a while since my last post, but I've been very busy over the last  month. I've taken a trip to San Francisco for a long weekend with my hubby, and also took my kids to Washington DC for Spring Break. Coast to coast in 2 weeks - wow!  I bet that will never happen again.  We've also lost our beloved dog, Haley, to old age.  Throw in a virus that had me down for about 10 days and I think you see where I've been, and why I haven't been very creative or productive over the last month.  

I've had some things hanging over my head from past projects and I've been working toward getting some things done this week.  A wise man (or woman, more likely) once said, "Finish what you start".   Isn't this what we always tell our kids?  We want them to have the satisfaction of seeing a job through from start to finish.  Finishing projects helps to build a sense of accomplishment, not to mention work on your problem solving skills.  It shows determination, especially when problems arise, and it really would be easier to walk away.  Maybe that's why so many marriages fail.  People can't see a project through.  They decide walking away is easier than working on the problem.  So maybe making your kids finish out that baseball season they hate, will save their marriage later in life.  

Recently, a friend of mine went to visit another friend that had recently "completed" a large amount of remolding and updating to her home.  I hadn't seen it yet, and when I asked the friend who did how it looked, she replied, "It's a mess.  There wasn't one thing finished!"  And I thought, how sad to have spent all that money, and when people see it, they don't even see the improvements, they can only see what looks like an unfinished project. 

Believe me I know, life can get in the way.  But I really try to make an effort to finish what I start.  Those finishing touches are the icing on the cake, the cherry on the top of the sundae.  They are the period at the end of a sentence.  Have you ever went house hunting and walked in to a house noticed all the little things that have never been finished?  The molding that never got put back up, the door that didn't get painted, it all starts to add up and before you know it you are starting to think, what else have they never done?  Do they change the furnace filter, do they perform the maintenance on items like they should, or this whole house going to explode a month after I move in?   You lose confidence in the owners, and start to question their abilities.  So that is why today I took the time to paint the closet doors and the entry door in my son's room.  It was the last thing I needed to do to complete the room, and believe me when I say that I would have rather done laundry rather than paint today.  Oh wait, I did laundry too!  Well you catch my drift.  I didn't want to do it, but I did, and now I am happy, except for the fact that completing that room painting means I now have no reason not to clean up the office.  Which is where all the junk and tools  were thrown when I started the project.  Another unfinished project, that along with the bathroom floor that needs to be washed, and the stairwell to the basement that needs to be painted and the stairs replaced.  Oh well. . . . I guess that can wait until tomorrow or the next day.  Here we go again!!

So after that philosophical post, I will share with you one of my Favorite pasta recipes.  It's called BLT Pasta. And it's what for dinner tonight!

Woman's Day 
Serves: 4  
Total Time: 25 min
 Prep Time: 25 min


 Ingredients 
 12 ounce(s) small rigatoni or other short pasta 
1/2 pound(s) sliced bacon (about 9 slices)
1 medium red onion, sliced 
1 pint(s) grape or cherry tomatoes, halved 
1 bunch(es) arugula, thick stems discarded, torn into pieces 


Directions


Cook the pasta according to package directions; drain and return it to the pot. Meanwhile, cook the bacon in a large skillet over medium heat until crisp, 6 to 8 minutes; transfer to a paper towel--lined plate. Break into pieces. Discard all but 2 Tbsp of the drippings and return the skillet to medium heat. Add the onion, season with 1/4 tsp each salt and pepper, and cook, stirring occasionally, until tender, 5 to 6 minutes. Add the tomatoes and arugula and cook, tossing, for 1 minute. Toss the onion-tomato mixture with the pasta and fold in the bacon. Serve hot or at room temperature. 


Tips & Techniques


 Prepare the recipe without the bacon (substitute 2 Tbsp oil for the drippings) and refrigerate for up to 2 days. Before serving, bring the pasta to room temperature. Cook the bacon, break into pieces and fold it into the pasta.


http://www.womansday.com/recipefinder/blt-pasta-recipe-122964