I don't know how to express how grateful I am that I was matched up with a handy-man. I am not exactly tool or fixer-upper oriented. I've never been good at fixing things if they've broken beyond simple glue and tape, or been good at figuring out just who to call if there is a problem with something needing repairs.

Clark, on the other hand, is magnificent. He is very determined to be able to do just about anything. If he doesn't know how to fix it, he'll research it and do everything possible so he DOES know. If he still can't figure it out, he'll shadow whoever does fix it so he knows precisely what to do if it happens again. He does not like not knowing how to fix something. You name it, he's investigated it: cars, drains, pipes, lights, walls, windows, furniture, landscaping-- he does it all just about.

Now that we're about three weeks away from the "official" due date of our first child, Clark has been even more adamant when it comes to being Mr. Fix-It. As previously mentioned in Yard Sale Steals, we found a crib that needed to be refinished. We started by sanding it down so the dark wood finish was no longer, and then Clark took it from there. Here's how it's turned out!


After finishing this lovely masterpiece, Clark thought he would finish the dresser he began for the nursery (also mentioned in Yard Sale Steals). Unfortunately, he learned the hard way that there are some things he doesn't have the patience for.

Clark has built some furniture for our home before the attempted-baby-dresser. He built our fabulous coffee table, and a writing desk for me as my graduation present. So, having done pieces with drawers before, he didn't think anything of the dresser. Then he started actually putting the drawers together. Let's just say impatience got the best of Clark and he has developed an absolute hatred for drawers of a more-than-averagely-small-size. So, the dresser was forsaken. He did the right thing. Had he attempted to continue building it, and continued to lose his patience, it would have cost more for him to build it than it would have for us to buy a ready-to-assemble one, which was one of the reasons he was building the dresser in the first place. So, Clark put together a new project: a dresser bought from Target for around $120.

(Sorry so crooked... I couldn't get a straight shot.)

As previously mentioned, though, Clark has multiple gifts. After finishing his goals with the furniture (the nursery is now intact), he moved on to matters around the house. He completely redid the tiling in the kitchen, since it used to be this grotesque linoleum stuff. Unfortunately I only got an after picture, not before. However, he still is going to do the bathroom since it's the same nasty flooring that we used to have in the kitchen. I promise to post before and after pictures of that once he completely finishes. But, just so you can get an idea, here's Clark's tiling-masterpiece.

Men have different ways of expressing themselves. I have no doubt that Clark doing all this work around the house and for the nursery is his way of showing excitement for the baby. He has other ways of showing it, of course, but being the man of the house helps him feel like he is ready to be a dad. After all, men don't feel manly if they're not providing for their family in some way. I am so thankful that my husband chooses to feel "manly" and show it by being handy.

I have never made quiche before. While I had planned on taking my time with this recipe, my husband called last night with the last minute, "It's supposed to rain in the morning, so we're not camping out, we're heading home! Can you have something ready?"

Normally I would just stick a couple potatoes in the oven and let him have those for dinner, but I was feeling an urge of energy and I didn't want to waste it. After all, what better way to use it than to cook?

While normally quiche is a morning meal, I decided to make it a dinner-experiment this time around.

Supplies:

- 1 frozen, but precooked, 9-inch pie crust, deep dish (you can buy these at the store! Follow the instructions on the crust to precook it before you put the quiche mixture in it)
- 10 oz package of frozen spinach
- 1/2 chopped white onion
- 1/2 to 3/4 12-oz package of bacon (center cut preferred!)
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 4 eggs
- 1 1/2 C milk
- 1/4 tsp nutmeg
- 1/8 tsp garlic powder
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1/2 tsp black pepper

Directions:

- Precook the pie crust as instructed on the packaging. While this is going on, fry up the bacon.
- Whisk together the four eggs, milk, and seasonings.
- Heat up the olive oil in a pan (separate from the bacon, or in the same pan after you've washed it). Add the onion to it and saute until soft, about five minutes. Add the spinach (once it has thawed-- if you're in a hurry, run hot water over it until it's not in a block anymore!) and saute these together until all the liquid has evaporated from the spinach.

Add the onion and spinach mixture. Stir well. Then, crumble the bacon into the mixture. Stir this until it is all equal within the eggs/milk.
- Pour the mixture into your precooked pie crust. If the instructions had the oven about 375, make sure to turn it down!
- Cook the quiche for about 40 minutes to an hour. You can check it by cutting part of it with a knife. If there's still any liquid, it means it needs to cook a little longer.
(Make sure to let it cool, too, so when you try to serve it it doesn't just fall to pieces... unless you're hungry and just can't wait!)

If you'll notice, I did not use cheese. Too much dairy tends to mess with the Mr.'s ears... but please feel free to add a cup of your favorite cheese if you like! You can layer everything into the crust and then pour the egg mixture over it, too, if you prefer. I just like it all mixed together!

By the way, this experiment definitely turned out to be a success. Clark ate 1/4th of the whole thing when he came home! Not sure if it was because he was hungry or because it was good... but I'd say it turned out rather nicely!