Design Center

Today we went to the design center to pick out everything for the house. I went with my mom before we had the house, but it seemed much more "real" this trip. We have 30 days to make the final selections, but we wanted to go twice to be sure everything is perfect! Since every change after that 30 days means more money. I meant to take more pictures today, but it was all so overwhelming that by the time I remembered it was getting busy so I will have to get pictures next trip. We ended up spending about 4 hours there and had to take a lunch break to clear our minds. I thought we were doing great until we ended up back in the brick and siding room. This is the only room however where I actually took pictures.

We had a difficult time choosing a brick color from such small samples. So we picked out something then drove by some addresses to see it on a house. We choose the brick on top with the siding color next to the brick. The trim and garage door will be the lighter color, with navy blue shutters and front door. 

This gave us some idea what our house will look like since it is the Durham. This is the house that actually made us fall in love with the floor plan. When we first walked though it, there was only framing. Today we walked though it again and now they have some flooring, cabinets, and dry wall. I can't wait until our house is under construction and we can walk though it and see all the progress.

Minestrone Soup

With fall in motion I decided to try a new soup that I saw on Erica's kitchen adventures. I wasn't sure if it would be a hit with Matt, but he loved it. This is super simple to throw together in the morning and made the house smell amazing. I would try this one out soon. It makes quite a bit though so be prepared for some leftovers or you could freeze it for later.

3 cups chicken broth (I used reduced sodium)
28oz. can diced tomatoes
1 (14.5 oz) can cannellini beans
2 carrots diced (I used baby carrots and just guessed on the amount)
1 stalk celery, chopped (I didn't have any and it turned out fine)
1 c onion, chopped
1 tsp dried thyme
1/2 tsp dried sage
2 bay leaves
Salt & pepper, to taste
 1 cup pasta, uncooked
2 c roughly chopped fresh or frozen (drained) spinach
1/2 lb ground sausage, browned

In the crockpot mix the broth, tomatos, beans, carrots, celery, onion, thyme, sage, bay leaves, salt and pepper.

Set on low for 6-8 or high 4-6 hours.

About 30 minutes before you eat add the pasta, sausage, and spinach. Remove the bay leaves and serve sprinkled with shredded Parmesan.

Caesar Pork Chops and Pasta

This recipe from Kraft has been a huge hit at my house. While the pork chops weren't bad they didn't blow me away. The pasta on the other hand is requested at least once a week by my husband and I have even made it without the spinach if I am in a pinch and don't have any at the house. I made a few changes to the pasta but even how it is written is pretty good. One thing about the pork chops the cheese seems to fall off and while it isn't very pretty the taste is pretty good. I used a lite Caesar dressing and it turned out just fine.

Ceasar Pasta Salad

1 cup penne pasta
about 1/4 cup Casear Dressing, I never measure just coat the pasta
1 cup tightly packed baby spinach leaves
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/4 cup Parmesan cheese

Cook pasta in a large saucepan as directed on package. Drain pasta.

Add to pan with spinach and garlic. Cook and stir 1 min or just until spinach is wilted. Stir in dressing and cheese. Stir for about 1 min. Then serve warm.

Ceasar Pork Chops

2   bone-in pork chops (3/4 lb.), 1/2 inch thick 
1/4 cup KRAFT Classic Caesar Dressing
1/4 cup  Parmesan Cheese

 Heat nonstick skillet on medium heat until hot. Top pork chops evenly with dressing and cheese; press cheese into dressing to secure. 

Add cops to skillet cook 4-6 min on each side or until done. 
 

Journey to becoming homeowners!

We are on our way to being homeowners! I can't believe that it is actually true. We love our apartment but we want something of our own with a backyard for Bosco. So once I got my job we started talking about a time line for buying a house and then in late May we decided on a whim to stop by a new neighborhood near my work that we found. We figured we would just stop in and get some information on pricing and figure out what it would cost to buy a new house. Over the next few months we went to open houses, found an amazing Realtor, looked at pre-existing houses, and new construction. While I wasn't sure if I want to build or find something pre-existing, Matt knew from day one he wanted to build. He was a trooper though and looked at other houses. I soon came to realize that I loved the idea of building and having everything nice and new. So we meet with Ryan and Brighton homes to see more about pricing and floor plans. We got a great feeling from Brighton so we decided to go with them.

We were positive we wanted the floor plan we looked at in May, but I wanted to be sure we didn't miss anything so Tammy, the sales rep, showed us other floor plans that fit into our budget and then we walked though some houses under construction. After walking though two of them she said well we have this house, Durham, under construction it is a little more, but still fits into your budget. We decided to walk though it anyways just in case and of course we feel in love. So for about a month we went back and forth. We walked though the houses many times and keep looking over the price sheet. One Sunday I even went down to the design center with my mom to look at cabinet and floor choices so I could figure out the upgrades. We finally decided to place an offer on the Durham on Sunday (the 18th) and see what kind of deal we could work out. We got a call Monday evening that we didn't get the house and I was heartbroken, I wasn't sure what to do. Not only did we not get the house but their counteroffer was ridiculous. After talking everything over with Matt we decided to counter one more time and if they didn't accept we would move on. We didn't change much in our offer from the original but it must have been enough because on Tuesday we found out they accepted our offer. We are expected to close around April if everything goes as planned. Here is the outside of our house and the floor plan.