Company Came!

Alex and I had our first official house guests since getting married: my parents.  They drove down from MI on Friday afternoon and arrived just in time for my next foray into home cooking.  Again, this was a recipe Alex and I had made once before when dating: sloppy joes, not from a can, his mom's recipe.  It's one of those recipes that worries an inexperienced cooker like myself as there are no exact amounts.  Brown some ground meat and add tomato sauce, mustard, relish, and barbecue sauce 'as needed'....  I used one of my new pans for the first time and found an exciting new feature: all of the lids are equipped with a steam hole, which really comes in handy making a recipe like this as a novice cook adding too much liquid then needing to cook some of it off.... ;-)

Imprecision aside, I think it turned out great, and my parents enjoyed their first meal in our home.

The next morning, it was time for the real purpose of their visit: helping with our home-improvement projects!  We spent a large portion of Saturday at various hardware and grocery stores.  Among other things, we purchased a new grill, a patio table and chairs, a cabinet for storage in the kitchen (seriously a need - tiniest kitchen cabinets ever!), and some mums for my new pots.  I registered for these beautiful pots from Crate and Barrel and have been excited about getting some pretty flowers in them for months now.  Never having done much outdoor work before, I had no idea where to start, so it was a good thing my parents were here for input.  I don't think I will ever be a gardening lover, but I do love the result!

Things are starting to come together around here.  Maybe the next time my parents make their way down for a visit, we'll be able to just enjoy their company rather than put them to work...