Wine and Cheese

Since I am staying in the area for at least the next two years (one to complete the adoption and another to fulfill the post placement visits) I have decided to settle in and make it a home. I have done some work on the house in the past year to make it livable. I added air conditioning to survive brutally humid DC summers, I had shutters installed for privacy and to help defray heating costs and I did a lot of painting to brighten the place up, but now I need to focus on making it warm and cozy. I want to make it a place where when I open the door I think to myself, 'Ahh.. I am finally home.' This requires some comfortable furniture where I can nestle in to read a good book, some artwork on the bare walls and displays of personal items (photographs, knick knacks from traveling, etc.) to make this house my home.

I also need to make myself more a member of the community. To begin with, I need to find a church home. There are several churches that I attend and each has a particular aspect that I like and which speaks to me spiritually, but if I become a member somewhere I can get more involved. I also want to get involved in my neighborhood civic association and become an active member of my sorority, AKA.

And now that there is only one year left to enjoy my life as a single woman, I want to take advantage of that and spend lots of time with friends and family. So this weekend I hosted a wine and cheese. It was so much fun! My cousin was in town from LA so that gave me another reason to entertain. I bought a variety of red and white wines and arranged them on the kitchen counter with some grapes and the wine glasses. Along with the wine I served veggies and dip, an assortment of crackers, mixed nuts, cookies, and an assortment of cheeses--mild baby Swiss, a garlicky soft cheese spread, Cabernet-soaked cheddar and two cheese dishes I made from scratch: baked brie with apricot and fig jam wrapped in a puff pastry shell and cheddar cheese balls with cayenne. They both went over well! I got a lot of compliments on them and on how cute and cozy my house is so that made me happy. I plan to have something every month before my child arrives next summer. Here are some pictures from the evening.