Mission Accomplished
...well, at least the first part of the mission! I had the family over last night for dinner to lure them to my house and make them work! Mom, Dad, Gram, Ed, Brooke, and Mike all joined me. I've learned that $5/lb beef tenderloin at the Elmer IGA is just as good as the $18/lb beef tenderloin at Wegmans. The stuff at Wegmans was pre-cut. The beef at the IGA was a huge, 5-lb tenderloin that I had to cut and trim. So, there was a bit more work. It was probably also a little fattier. But, it was still just as tender and just as delicious! I just rubbed the steak with a spice rub, let it sit at room temperature for 30 minutes then threw it on a CHARCOAL grill - I refuse to use gas. Here's what I think was in the spice rub:
- 1 Tablespoon Paprika
- 1 Tablespoon Garlic Powder
- 2 Teaspoons Dried Thyme (not real sure about this one)
- 2 Teaspoons Salt
- 2-3 Teaspoons Pepper

Okay, the only actual measurements I remember are the first two. Mom brought Voeckler Baked Beans, I threw together some instant loaded mashed potatoes, deviled eggs, garlic bread, and Mike made a salad - he makes really good salads!!! Oh, and I baked a strawberry cake with cream cheese frosting. By the end of the meal, I think they were actually asking to come over to do more work!!! They wanted an excuse for me to make the steak again. I also have a very good red wine marinade and it's a toss-up between the two recipes which they prefer.

So, then it was time to work. Apparently the sink was made of cement. It was probably 4 or 5 feet long and 2 or 3 feet wide. Then it was a good 2 or 3 feet deep. Not very light. I tried just budging it and it wouldn't move anywhere. Dad, Mike, and Ed struggled to get the thing off of the base. I just wanted it put on the other side of the basement to use as a table. However, apparently whoever installed the sink was so afraid that it was going to tumble over (the sink basin wasn't actually attached to the base) that they cemented the legs to the floor of my basement!!! In order to move the washing machine, the base had to be removed, so Dad and Ed chiseled out the legs! They determined that it wouldn't be safe to use as a table - especially since I'm accident prone. They attempted to move the thing upstairs, but were exhausted after the first step. I believe my brother said he only had 3 steps left in him. So, the decision was made to break it up and carry it out in pieces!

In the meantime, I had to clean out the area at the top of the stairs for them to get through. That area is just a collection of CRAP! Well, while Brooke and Gram were finishing up the dishes, mom and I boxed up the stuff and moved it to the dining room. How is it that my dining room is now full??? The space the stuff came from is only about 3 feet by 3 feet!!!! I know what I'm doing this week. I also had the opportunity to clean out behind my refrigerator. It was disgusting back there! The girls were all anxious to come back again and houseclean with me!!! I'll be glad to have everyone over and feed them!!!

After all of the work was done, we had a nice little visit before it was bedtime - it was a work night afterall!