on our weekend...

It's me here for a quick post of some pretty silly pool photos :) This weekend is the kick off for pool season. And Sebastian was all for it :) He is such a water bug! Him and his cousin were doing all kinds goofy jumps off of the pool side. I had fun taking these pictures. 

Bobby had work all last night and because we were having a Memorial Day Garden Party on today, Sebastian and I decided to have a sleepover at my in laws. I cooked up a light dinner of Gnocchi with Summer Vegetables and also whipped up one of my all time favorite summer desserts--Warm Berries 'n' Dumplings (yes, martha is my friend). Yummy! 

Well, can't chat for too long. I'm off to have a good 'ol time sitting poolside with a beverage in my hand. I'll be back with part two of our weekend :) Get out there and soak up the sun! And don't forget to rub on that sunscreen!! 

♥A. 

on one year...

Can't believe it's been ONE year already! We had a lovely time in Maryland this past weekend. The weather was beautiful and our stay at The Sandaway B & B was top notch. I would love to go again. 

We arrived on Friday a bit early and decided to take a trip on the ferry over to St. Michaels to have a look around plus grab a bit to eat. 

We ended up eating at a place called Big Pickle. Such a cute little restaurant which were famous for their fried pickles! I had a genuine Maryland cream of crab soup for lunch. Speaking of crab, I think Bobby and I ate crab in most every meal we had in Maryland. Crab dip. Crab cakes. Cake soup. Crab pasta!! You can call me "crabby anny". Just kidding. Don't. 

The B & B was much more than I had expect. My in laws were the ones who recommended Sandaway after staying there last year and for some reason the vision in my mind did not do justice! 

We ended up getting one of the bigger rooms and so it wasn't right in the main house. Even though we chose to have that sort of experience it was still nice to sort of be spread out and not all be the same house. If you get what I'm hinting at ;) 

 The second photo up was the main house. The photo above is where we stayed which was just right next to the main house. We were on the lower level with a screened in porch. It was so lovely to sit out there in the evening and watching the sun go down. You could even see the bay just by laying in bed! To. Die. For.

 My favorite part of our stay was the sailboats. There were so many on the water that weekend and it was so beautiful watching them glide on the sparkly water.

Saturday we splurged on a kayak rental for 24 hours. We packed a picnic and heading out on the bay in the afternoon. We spent a good four hours out exploring the water. Have you ever been kayaking?? Not as easy as it may look! It was a work out man! Oh and let's not forget about the sun burn...ouch!

I was even able to wake Bobby up early on Sunday (our last day) to take one last kayak ride on the bay. It was hard but I did it! Sipping on some coffee on a kayak in the bay...not something you do everyday :D 

All in all, the weekend away with my husband of one year was nothing short of amazing! It was peaceful and relaxing and fun! We did miss our little boy but it help knowing he was in good hand. Thanks to my wonderful in laws :)

ps: fun fact-- our room had it's own guess book and after going through it one night guess who I found? Mother-in-law and father-in-law. Yep we stayed in the same room. How funny is that. haha.

♥A. 

on coconut crusted chicken...

Today we took a little family trip to Maple Grove to see some drag races. With Sebastian being sick the past week, and currently still is, we needed to get out somewhere and since Bobby came across some free tickets it seemed like the perfect thing. Have you been to a drag race? Super loud man! Although we didn't stay too long it was still nice. We got ourselves from fresh air and in my eyes the drive is a beautiful one. I have a special place in my heart for farm land and driving by a few cow farms today made me smile. You see, I grew up around cows and they always bring back familiar images in my memory. 
Gee, that being said we got home in time for me to whip up something for dinner and considering that today is Cinco de Mayo, I couldn't help feeling like Coconut Crusted Chicken with some Sweet Chili Sauce would be perfect on this happy fifth of May! 

Ingredients:
2 lbs chicken breast
1 cup flour
1 cup coconut flakes
2 eggs 
salt & pepper 
1/3 cup vegetable oil
1/4 cup coconut milk (optional)

You'll want to start out cutting up the chicken breast into little chicken tender pieces. Salt & pepper the tenders. Beat coconut milk into the eggs. Coconut milk isn't a key ingredient so if you don't have any on hand don't panic. 

Set up your breading station. It used a handy tray for all of this. Less clean up is fundamental! Flour, egg and then mix 1 cup of panko with 1 cup of coconut flakes and mix together. 

Flour. Egg. Panko. Repeat. 

Once you are are done it's time to heat 1/3 cup of vegetable oil in a skillet. 

Fry one side and flip!

There you have it! Serve these crispy goodies with some Sweet Chili Sauce and you are set for a festive dinner or appetizer or snack or dessert or what ever your heart desires. You can find this Sweet Chili sauce at Wegmans, Trader Joe's or using this recipe. Not going to lie, the hubby pretty much cleaned the plate of these little guys :D That good people!

 ♥A. 

on who I am...

I am\\

//happy to be back! April was a rough one. For starters I was working, what felt like, all the dang time. Doing doubles and extra hours. Working on your feet for 15 hours in one day can surely put a damper on things. At least for me. 

Other than work, I had a few shortcomings happen my way. First, I dropped my poor Macbook and crack the case plus messed up the screen to the point of having to get it fixed. No worries since I do have accidental protection. It was fixed and is good as new. I can say that I've learned my lesson in trying to carry a million things all at once since of course my most prized possession will decide to fall from my grasp. 

Secondly, I lost my phone. It disappear in the the unknown abyss. No joke friends. I had it one minute in the car and then after running into our apartment in the pouring rain it vanished. Without. A. Trace. Although I didn't have the greatest phone known to mankind, it was still some sort of Android and it's gone forever. Or until it comes out of hiding. In any case, I had to spend money on a crappy cheap Nokia phone to hold me over until my contract is up and I can finally get my beloved Iphone. Le sigh.  

Last but not least and for the one that tops all this, Sebastian caught Hand, Foot & Mouth out of nowhere. It's been going around daycares and schools around my area. However his preschool says no one else has come down with it before or after him so really I have absolutely no idea where this thing came from. So, you see why this month has been just so much fun for me :) Now you see why I've been away for so long?! 

// excited that it's May! My little sister will be turning nineteen. Which seriously, what happened to the little brat that told on me nonstop about ridiculous things. Gone! Now I have a pretty crazy hairstylist of a sister! And then the fella and I are going enjoy a nice loooong weekend in a sweet B&B in Maryland. Thank you dear May for being here. I need you so. 

// not even going to shy away from the fact that I read The Fifty Shade of Grey series within two days! When they do make the movie for it (lord help us all) I know with every fiber of my being that Ian Somerhalder has to be Grey. It's a must. And I'm not just saying that because he is insanely mouthwatering. 

// currently on the final season of Lost. What the what! I totally missed out on this goldmine when it was on TV. I am sort of happy I did miss out since now I can just watch episode after episode on Netflix without any wait at all! No matter how it ends there will without a doubt be a hole in my heart. 

// obsessing over the color coral and wanting these maxi skirts in every color to wear this summer. 

// thanking the heavens that our neighbors below us (the one that we are on not so great terms) has gotten kicked out because obviously we are not the only ones that think the lady is a complete nut case but as does our landlord. I guess I should be ashamed that I am thrilled a single mother to one five or so year old boy is getting the boot but no joke when I say...she is psychotic. Not normal at all. I totally do not agree with her life style and she does some very strange things. And yes, I'm judging but you would too. Trust me. Anyways she should be out soon and so will be the negativity floating around. Having to avoid someone in your own home is sort of annoying. 

// feeling a wee bit nostalgic lately. Looking through photos of when I was pregnant and huge as a house with Sebastian in my belly has me on high baby fever alert. Yikes!

//glad to be back. Life keeps on truckin'! 

♥A.