Our life has been so, so hectic! We drove straight from work last Wednesday to spend Thanksgiving with Jonathan's family in Pennsylvania. His parents always host their extended family so it was a busy day of catching up with aunts and uncles and cousins. I was sick with a cold so I didn't eat much, but hey, it was good for my waistline! I always like to bring a dish or two whether or not I'm hosting and this year I wanted to put a little Southern spin on things.
(As an aside, if you know a Marylander, ask them whether they live in a Southern state or a Northern state. Personally, I believe Maryland to be a Southern state based on the people and culture in the area where I grew up and live, but ask anyone north of Baltimore and they'll probably tell you it's a Northern state. It's always an interesting debate! Though we are south of the Mason-Dixon line so I think I win!)
Anyhow, I made a double batch of Paula Deen's Creamy Macaroni and Cheese and my goodness, was that a big hit! I substituted half of the cheddar cheese for Gruyere, one of my favorite "melty" cheeses, and it was absolutely divine. I also made Homemade Cranberry Sauce again this year and now I really don't think I can ever go back to canned. Don't get me wrong, the canned sauce tastes just fine, but the homemade sauce is just so pretty!
For an appetizer, I made Pumpkin Pie Dip, my go-to recipe for any occasion in the fall. It's always a crowd pleaser. I think I should just start carrying the recipe with me because someone always asks for it! And finally, Jonathan and I made a jumbo batch of Bourbon Slush. We brought it to Christmas last year and it was all gone by the time we got to dessert, so we knew we had to make it again. It is so delicious but you have to be careful because it goes down very easily!
I've already decided that I want to host Thanksgiving next year since we'll finally have enough room for both of our families to fit in our home at the same time. That never could have happened in our itty-bitty condo. Our new house has a formal dining room which I can't wait to break in. It wasn't a must-have on my house list, but it was definitely on my wish list. Now we just need some dining room furniture!
Speaking of the house, it was appraised on Saturday and we received some wonderful news: It appraised for $50,000 over what we paid for it, which means we have instant equity in the house! And that's before any of the renovations we have planned for it! This house is definitely all about location, location, location and it showed in the appraisal. That bit of good news helped to soften the blow of finding out that the first house we put in offer in on (the one we fell in love with on our very first day of house hunting) sold for just $3,000 over our offer. Three thousand paltry dollars! That is nothing in terms of affecting your monthly mortgage payment.
However, when we made that offer, Jon and I both promised that it was our bottom line and we couldn't have any regrets. That's easier said than done, but luckily we are just as in love (for completely different reasons!) with the house we're buying. We settle in just 28 days now and we've already come up with decorating plans. Since we are so close to the water, we want our home to be just like a casual and comfy beach house. We're planning on having a lot of grays and blues and greens and maybe some yellow here and there for pops of color. I can't wait to get started!
