Resolutions

I'm trying to only make one resolution this year - be a better blogger!

The last two months brought some major life changes for Van and I. I'm hoping that 2009 will be a time for us to enjoy some of the changes we made in 2008.

After much searching, we finally found a house and we are set to close on Jan. 30! Well, it's actually a townhouse, but it is more than twice the size of our little one-bedroom apartment. We have been very busy finalizing all of the details that come with purchasing a home - securing a mortgage, completing the home inspection, etc. I've also been busy trying to clean and organize our apartment and start packing. I'm really proud of myself because I have already taken six bags of stuff to Goodwill. Which I think is a big accomplishment for a true pack-rat.

Paula Deen Dinner Night

Okay. I love Paula Deen. She is the grandmother that everyone wants. (I still heart you too Nana) I love watching her shows on Food Network. She just seems like so much fun be around. I usually try to avoid her recipes because of the butter/fat content. Not that I am the healthiest eater in the world, but I do try to avoid recipes that feature butter as the primary ingredient.

Last Sunday, I splurged and had Paula Deen dinner night. I made Chef Jack's Corn Chowder and Paula's Garlic Cheese Biscuits. I did make several attempts to try to make the recipes a little better. I used fat-free reduced sodium chicken broth instead of regular and fat-free half and half instead of regular. I also substituded heart smart bisquick and cheddar made from 2 percent milk in the biscuits. Everything was worth the effort and the result was true comfort food. Van especially liked the biscuits and they were super easy to make. Both recipes ended up being keepers.

House Hunting

As much as I love my HGTV, I have to admit I hate trying to find a house in Northern Virginia. I knew this wasn't going to be easy, but I had no idea how stressful this whole entire process would be. We have spent countless hours looking at all types of houses in all of the different suburbs in our area. I feel like we are being realistic about what we can afford. We're obviously not trying to find a place one block from the metro with all the bells and whistles for $300,000. Although, we would be ecstatic if that did exist. Maybe today will be the day...

Happy Halloween!

Since it's October, I had to make Great Pumpkin Cookies. This year, I invited my friend to bring her daughter over to help decorate. We all had a blast and managed to keep the icing mostly on the cookies.

Great Pumpkin Cookie

Van Noticing My Cookie Sitting on the Table

My Great Pumpkin Cookie After Van

YIPPEE!!!

My computer is finally fixed. I'm so glad to have it back!

Still Here

I haven't disappeared again. Unfortunately, my laptop decided to stop working. Boo! I'm hoping that it will be fixed soon and I will be able to catch up on my blogging. There are so many exciting things happening - we're trying to find a house, I made great pumpkin cookies and we got our wedding pics back from our photographer - I can't wait to fill everyone in.

Thursday Thirteen - Debate Watching

Thirteen Thoughts While Watching the Debate 1. Did everyone miss government class in school? 2. I'm really glad that I bought wine tonight. 3. I think that there should be a moratorium on the word maverick. 4. The real-time poll on CNN is a nice addition. 5. Sarah Palin's highlights are really nice. 6. I can't believe that Palin wants to strengthen the No Child Left Behind Act because it's worked oh so well. 7. Why can't we be friends? 8. Candidates aren't comedians. 9. It looked like Biden had a little Botox. 10. Does anyone really win? 11. At the end of the day, we aren't we just stuck with politicians. 12. Dear CNN, do we really need an hour and twenty minutes of post-debate analysis? 13. The best thing I've seen so far tonight is the preview for Religulous.

Get the Thursday Thirteen code here!


The purpose of the meme is to get to know everyone who participates a little bit better every Thursday. Visiting fellow Thirteeners is encouraged! If you participate, leave the link to your Thirteen in others comments. It’s easy, and fun! Trackbacks, pings, comment links accepted!

View More Thursday Thirteen Participants