Hello Monday! (Peter Pan Edition)

Wow!  Monday came so fast...I guess that happens after a pretty perfect weekend right?  Linking up with Heather and the crew for Hello Monday HERE

I want to state this here first....I am dubbing this 
"My Summer of Simplicity"....I am making a conscious effort to say NO....not over-extend myself like last summer...and truly enjoy life in the moment...while spending more time outdoors and resting and relaxing with my girls.  Don't get me wrong...we will have plenty of fun but with my stressful job, I need to learn to take a step back and breathe and not go 24x7 on the weekends too! 

Now...let's see how I do with that.... ;)

Here is a look at our amazing weekend....

First of all, check out our forecast...That says perfection anyway right?  After a cold and rainy April AND May...we New Englanders deserve this beautiful weather and hope that means we will have a beautiful summer!

On Friday, Rob and I were able to take a break from our work calls and sneak out for a quick lunch date while Pidge was with Papa and Diana was in school.  This was pretty much a perfect lunch for me and fueled me to get through the rest of my work day!  :) 

 "Steamahs"

That night, my parents came up for dinner and to spend some QT.  We LOVED catching up and having some fun....we shared our Nashville adventures and caught up on all things family...I went all out....I was so excited about the beautiful weather and really wanted to make an amazing meal...they seemed to enjoy it!

We started with appetizers and cocktails on the deck- Shrimp with White Cocktail Sauce.  You can find the recipe for the sauce HERE

and Strawberry Salsa with Blue Chips.  You can find the recipe HERE

My mom got a great report at her visit with her surgeon- her hip is healing nicely!  Her drink of choice was prosecco and mine was sparkling rose...perfect for a warm night!

Pidge and our new hibiscus plant :)

For dinner, we came inside and enjoyed Blackberry Smoked Chicken with Jalapeno Cornbread.  I used Shay's recipe as a guideline but substituted the chicken for the original brisket that it called for. Everyone loved it and it was super simple!

and I served an Italian Chopped Salad on the side.  My mom also surprised us with her famous potato salad- perfect summer meal!

and I didn't let my fussy girls get me down...I just went with it...remember "Summer of Simplicity" ;)

I grilled them up some personal pizzas :)

On Saturday, I started my day at the gym with my besties and then caught up on a guilty pleasure, "Dance Moms" while relaxing a bit.

Later on, I started prepping dinner.  The Batsons were coming over to chill and we were going to make the most of this beautiful weather and grill.  I was excited when Zach said that he and Shelby would join us too.  We had another chill night at home!

Sunday was "Recital Day" for Diana!  The show this year was Peter Pan!  Mama and Daddy volunteered backstage- I volunteered during the first show so Daddy could watch and then he volunteered during the second show so I could watch. Mimi and Papa came to the first show and Pidge came to  BOTH!  She was a rock star and loved every minute.  We were so excited that a couple of Diana's best friends were there too- definitely felt the love!

Here are some shots from back stage...

and a few we snuck during the show....

So as you can see it was a wonderful weekend..full of lots of QT relaxation AND excitement!  Ready to rock this week!