Nesting Instincts

The babies leave their nest every day with Mama Tina (the Survivor).
And we are finishing our nesting here at the ranch. I am checking off the To-Do list one thing at a time, with a big push last week. We finished putting in our new backdoor, finished the bedrooms off, painted the hall closet, made the middle bathroom presentable, hung bathroom mirrors, bought a twin boxspring and set up our twin bed, borrowed a dresser for the yellow room, hung more pictures, cleaned up the game room /office, reorganized the laundry room, bought a couch, washed off the back porch, and put one more coat of stain on the dining room chairs.

Are you tired yet? I was.
Our goal was to host our first dinner party on Friday night. Steve and Janis put so much work into the house and we wanted to bless them. I followed Steve's request: "Nora, I want you to make me the spiciest Szechuan shrimp you can!" So our menu was set:

Crudite with Peanut Satay Sauce

Roasted Spiced Cashews and Almonds

Three Citrus Salad with Shaved Fennel and Red Onion

Black Sesame Grilled Chicken

Spicy Szechuan Shrimp

Brown Rice with Green Cilantro Sauce

Sambal *Chili Garlic Sauce*

Grapefruit Curd with Marscapone Cheese and Vanilla Bean Ice Cream

Crispy Chocolate Chip Cookies

The best part was that Connor helped me cook. He went with me to pick up the couch, he treated me to Dairy Queen and then he helped me get ready for our dinner. Thanks bud!