Happy Friday!!!

Happy Friday!!! What a beautiful week this has been. We have had some really nice Spring weather. It has been great to leave the windows open and to take AnnaLynne outside. I absolutely love this weather. Although I like the change in the seasons, it is nice to say goodbye to the winter and all the snow.

ONE

This past Sunday, AnnaLynne and I had a play date with my friend Jenn and her little girl Caroline. Jenn and I work together, but she is still out on maternity leave, so I don't get to see her everyday. It is nice to get our little girls together to play when we can, although it is not always as often as I would like. Caroline is about 3 months older than AnnaLynne, as she just had her first birthday. Can't wait for the summer to get these girls together more often!!!

 

TWO

We went to the park this week on Wednesday and met up with my friend Meghan and her little guy Noah. Noah is older than AnnaLynne, but it is still nice to have the kids out together. We headed up to the park in Warren after I got out of work. The weather was absolutely gorgeous and although my mom had AnnaLynne out for a walk earlier in the day, I felt it was still really nice when I got home so we headed up to the park. The park is not far from our house and it has 3 different sections for the various ages in kids. I will definitely post better pictures next time. This time I focused on AnnaLynne going on the swing for the first time. I even was able to get a quick video.

THREE

Watermelon!!!! AnnaLynne tried watermelon for the first time this past week and absolutely loved it. I am trying to look for some new foods that she can eat, being that she has no teeth. She though the watermelon was so good and I couldn't keep it on her tray!!!

FOUR

Recipes!!! So I have been checking out some new lighter recipes now that the weather is getting warmer. With the spring here and summer right around the corner, I love all the produce that is in season. Here is a recipe, I'm planning on trying soon!!

  1 ripe mango cut into small cubes

  2 medium to large strawberries diced

  3 raspberries quartered

  2 thin slices of red onion diced

  5 fresh mint leaves chopped

  10 fresh basil leaves chopped

  1 tsp lime juice

  1 pinch of kosher salt

  4-6 Tilapia fillets, depending on how many you are feeding

  Kosher Salt, garlic powder, onion powder and dried parsley

Mix the mango, strawberries, raspberries, onion, mint, basil, lime juice and salt together. Cover and refrigerate for about an hour.

When ready to make dinner, sprinkle both side of the tilapia with a bit of kosher salt, garlic powder, onion powder, and dried parsley.

Heat a non-stick skillet over medium heat. Spray with a bit of non-stick cooking spray. Cook each fillet about 4 minutes a side, based on thickness. You’ll know it’s time to flip them when the ends start to turn white.

Top the cooked tilapia fillets with a scoop of the salsa.

                                

FIVE

Swimwear!! I picked up these great finds on Zulily the past week for AnnaLynne for the summer. I love that the bottoms are swim diapers. I read a lot of reviews on reusable swim diapers and iPlay got great reviews. If you can't find them on Zulily they have some in Target and on the iPlay website as well. If you have a chance to check them out, I totally would!!! You will not be disappointed.  Below are just a few that we  ordered, but they have so many more on their website, both for girls and boys.

 

Happy Friday!!! This week I am linking up with Darci, April, Christina and Natasha's blogs

for their Five on Friday!

I'm also linking up with  The Farmer's Wife and September Farm for "Oh Hey Friday"



Oh Hey Friday

Five for Friday!!!

Happy Friday!!! What a great week this has been!! It has been so nice to be home with AnnaLynne while school is closed for spring break. Although I did have to go back to work today for a half day to make up a snow day, the rest of the week was fun.

ONE

We celebrated AnnaLynne's first Easter this past Sunday and it was really nice. The weather was absolutely beautiful, we were even able to get some outdoor pictures taken. We celebrated Easter at my Aunt and Uncle's which we do every year. It was so nice to get together with family and for AnnaLynne to play with her cousins. My aunt did a wonderful job with dinner as she does every year. Before we went for dinner though AnnaLynne opened up her first of 3 Easter baskets and she loved all the toys inside. We think she loved the remote control the best. We decided to get her, her own remote control and cell phone as she is always putting our in her mouth.

 

 

1. Cell Phone    2. Secure Buddy    3. Easter Hunters   4. Night Before Easter  

5. Remote Control   6. Easter Bunny NJ

TWO

Playtime!!! AnnaLynne had an enormous amount of playtime this week with Mommy, which was nice since usually I am at work. She got these new squirters from her Aunt Erin and cousin Nate for Easter. They are so cute and she loves putting them in her mouth. I have to say they are possibly a good teething toy as well.

Squirters

THREE

Garlic Chicken. I tried this new chicken this week which was absolutely adorable. My sister belongs to this group Frontier Co-op which is absolutely wonderful for organic products. They have food, baby items, household items, etc. If you have the privilege to join this I would highly recommend it, the prices are good and its all organic. We have so many products from here and the company is just wonderful!!!

Chicken

FOUR

I have been looking for a couple new pieces of spring clothing to update my wardrobe. I usually stick to basic pieces like cardigans, t's, jeans, etc. I try to find things that I can interchange between work and weekends. I saw Old Navy had some cute spring pieces as well as the gap. Plus Old Navy is running a great sale.

                                                              

FIVE

I am in search of a good travel bed for AnnaLynne for the summer. We are spending a week at the beach in July and then another week in the Outer Banks in August. If anyone has any suggestions I am interested. She does not like the pack in play, and she will be one in July so something that is not to small would be awesome!!!

Happy Friday!!! This week I am linking up with Darci, April, Christina and Natasha's blogs

for their Five on Friday!

I'm also linking up with  The Farmer's Wife and September Farm for "Oh Hey Friday"







Oh Hey Friday

Five On Friday!! First day of Spring

Happy Friday!!! This has been a very crazy week for us. Tom has been on a business trip in San Francisco since Monday and is supposed to come home today, but with the snow coming, who knows what will happen. I am just ready for the snow to be over with and the spring to be here. We keep getting teased here in the Northeast with some warm days and then it goes back to being cold. I guess this is just what happens when you live in New Jersey.
 

ONE

St. Patrick's Day!! We had a really nice St. Patrick's Day. AnnaLynne spent the day with my mom and sister, since I was working but then I met up with them at my moms for dinner. We had my mom's traditional corned beef and cabbage, which is just amazing!!! I was then able to get a couple shots of AnnaLynne and Nate on the couch. Trying to get an 7 month old and a four year old to sit together and smile, can be quite difficult, but they finally did it.

TWO

We had the privilege Sunday to have one of my oldest friends since third grade do pictures for us of AnnaLynne. She is an amazing photographer and if you live in New Jersey or around the area, you should definitely check out Kristen Boylan Photography. You will not be disappointed!!! Here is just a sneak peak of what she did for us.

THREE

So I am always looking for new recipes to try. I feel like though sometimes it needs to be easy, especially after coming home from a full day of working and try to get everything set for AnnaLynne and get dinner on the table. I saw this recipe on Pinterest and decided to give it a try. Trust me you will love it, plus I love that everything is all in one dish so less mess and clean up later.

 

Loaded Chicken and Potatoes Casserole

Ingredients

1 lb boneless chicken breasts, cubed

6-8 medium skin on red potatoes, cut in cubes

⅓ c olive oil

1 tsp salt

½ tsp black pepper

1 Tbsp paprika

2 Tbsp garlic powder

2 Tbsp hot sauce

2 c fiesta blend cheese  ( I used just plain cheddar)

1 c crumbled bacon

1 c diced green onion

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
2. Spray a 9X13″ baking dish with cooking spray.
3. In a large bowl, mix together the olive oil, salt, pepper, paprika, garlic powder, and hot sauce.
4. Add the cubed potatoes and chicken and stir to coat.
5. Carefully scoop the potatoes and chicken into the prepared baking dish.
6. Bake the potatoes and chicken for 55-60 minutes, stirring every 20 minutes, until cooked through, crispy, and browned on the outside.
7. While the potatoes are cooking, fry your bacon (about half a pound).
8. Once the potatoes and chicken are fully cooked, remove from the oven.
9. Top the cooked potatoes with the cheese, bacon, and green onion.
10. Return the casserole to the oven and bake for 5 minutes or until cheese is melted.

FOUR

SPRING!!! With Spring coming and Summer right after that, I decided to get AnnaLynne some spring clothes to add to her wardrobe. I guess you can say that I am tired of the winter and the dark clothing. Carter's and Kohl's was having a great sale on kids clothes and I did a major stock up. If you are looking for some new things for your little ones I suggest checking them both out!!

                                                              

FIVE

I've been trying to drink more water lately. I've seen so many recipes for detox water, and I have to say I have been enjoying this week the lemon, cucumber, and mint recipe. Again I saw these on Pinterest, so if you are interested check out Detox Water recipes.

Well Happy Friday!!! Have a great weekend!!!

I'm linking up with The Farmer's Wife and September Farm for "Oh Hey Friday"


Oh Hey Friday

I'm also linking up with Darci, April, Christina and Natasha's blogs for their Five on Friday!

Five on Friday!!!

Happy Friday!!! This has been a low key week for us.me. I was happy that I was able to get some things done around the house and I even got to do the outside Christmas decorations (lights on the bushes) due to the gorgeous weather. I knoew that we were headed towards cold weather so I got a jump on things and was happy it is now complete (pictures to come).  

So here is my post about Five for Friday.

ONE
So, I have been having trouble getting enough breast milk for AnnaLynne's bottles and have been supplementing with formula which I am so happy she took to. Although, I do like her to have as much breast milk as possible.  I decided though to try these lactation cookies so on this past rainy Thursday, I decided to make them. They turned out pretty good and actually I enjoyed the way they taste. If you like oatmeal cookies, then you will enjoy these. I may next time add chocolate chips to the recipe.

Cookie recipe:  Lactation

TWO
I love this show, I can't believe this is the last season!! It is such an easy show to relate to. I feel like the family dynamic has something everyone can relate to. I love my Thursday nights!!!

THREE
Christmas Party!!! So I have started planning the menu for our Christmas party that we have every year. I have been searching pinterested daily for some good ideas. Here's a sneak peek at 2 appetizers I'm going to serve. What do you enjoy eating at holiday parties?

Potato Cups

Meatballs

FOUR
Friends!! This past Sunday we attended Caroline's Christening. The ceremony was so nice and Caroline looked beautiful. We were so happy and blessed to share this special day with the Fish Family. I love that these two little girls are going to grow up together.

FIVE
AnnaLynne has really started doing a lot more talking this past week. I love to hear the little conversations she has with us. That little voice is just so cute.

Well Happy Friday!!! Have a great weekend!!!

I'm linking up with The Farmer's Wife and September Farm for "Oh Hey Friday"


Oh Hey Friday

I'm also linking up with Darci, April, Christina and Natasha's blogs for their Five on Friday!

Oh Hey, Friday!!

I'm very happy that it is Friday!! Here's to a weekend with both my loves. Normally I would be dreading another summer day down come August, but I'm actually not worrying since I will still be on maternity leave come September!!!

ONE

AnnaLynne and I had a lot of outings this week. The weather has been really nice which has allowed us to go outside and be busy. We had a great lunch out yesterday with my friend Jenn and her daughter Caroline. We ate outside and really enjoyed ourselves. AnnaLynne slept the entire time. We are hoping for more outings soon.

TWO

Selfies!!! I was never really interested in selfies, but AnnaLynne and I have done two this week. With Tom going back to work we wanted to send him some photos of the two of us. Hopefully soon she will be smiling in the pictures as well:) 

 

THREE

We have spent some of the days this week shopping and looking for some pants for this little one. I seem to have tons of onesies but no pants to go with them. My mom and I set out on a couple days to find  some new pants for this girl. We did find some which now allows her to wear some of the cute onesies that she has. 

FOUR

Snacks!! I am absolutely loving this snack of Wheat Thins and Philadelphia garden vegetable cream cheese. I had this at my friend Meghan's a couple of weeks ago and then had to go out and buy it for myself. If you haven't tried this snack yet, I highly recommend it!!! What snacks do you like?

FIVE

Weekend time!! I can't wait to spend the weekend with my little munchkin and Tom!!! The weekends are the best because we get to spend them together. 

I'm linking  up with The Farmer's Wife and September Farm for " Oh Hey, Friday!"