Gaining 20 lbs.

So when we headed to Georgia I was expecting nothing but good old southern cooking.  Well, that is one aspect of Savannah that I had entirely wrong.  Savannah is a college town, home to the Savannah College of Art and Design (SCAD).  The town is full of unique and amazing little places to grab a bite to eat.  I never expected to find French, South African, BBQ and ice cream that were all out of this world.  

 Zunzi's was a little hole in the wall that only did take out.  Steve and I ate there twice throughout the week and the other couple with us ate there 3 times.  Let's just say it was yummy.  The sandwiches were so original.  Steve had a salmon sandwich while Ava and I went for the chicken pictured above.  Ah.May.Zing.

Mrs. Wilkes' Boarding House was the traditional southern food I had been thinking of.  We waited for almost an hour to eat at a table full of people we didn't know but we had a great time.  There was fried chicken, meat loaf, pulled pork and every kind of side you could possibly want.  It was served family style on the table and they just kept the food coming.  We needed to be rolled out of that place we all ate so much!

Wiley's Championship BBQ definitely delivered as well.  I had a brisket sandwich that didn't even need sauce which I think is a sign of great BBQ.  Steve had one of their specials that day which was a smoked corned beef Reuben.  Since we got home he's been trying to figure out how to recreate that sandwich.  Ava had a little pulled pork slider that she porked down too :o)

River Street Sweets and Leopold's Ice Cream was our go to for something sweet.  River Street Sweets had pralines and caramels and brittles and anything else sweet you could possibly want.  Leopold's was an old fashioned ice cream parlor that had the creamiest ice cream I've had in a long time.

If you ever make it to the Savannah area I would recommend any and all of these great food spots.  

Next week will be back to normal as far as posts go.  I have a few recipes of my own to share as well.  I hope everyone has a great weekend.  We're hanging out with friends and family and playing our own Minute to Win It game.  Should be fun or very very entertaining at the least!

Hilton Head

We spent 2 sunny filled days on the beaches of Hilton Head and it was a perfect break from the walking of Savannah.  We have never been to Atlantic beaches only the Gulf so I was anxious to see the difference.  

I was pleasantly surprised by how nice and compact the sand was which made it super easy to walk on.  Ava loved sitting on the edge of the water and building drippy castles.  She sat for hours playing and building things in the sand.  Steve and I took turns playing with her in the sun and then relaxing under the shade of the umbrella.  There were plenty of things to discover and one day her friend Carter was there to play with her as well.  

We can't get enough of the beach.  Love. It.

Sunny Savannah

We traveled to Savannah for a week with our friends and their little one.  Savannah's a place I've wanted to visit for a while now and I somehow convinced the rest of the crew to come along too.  Steve kept asking me the weeks leading up to the trip, "So why are we going there anyway?"  I tried explaining that it's a city with a lot of history and it's really pretty but that didn't sound like a reason for us to drive 14 hours to get there in his mind.  He was game though and for that I was very appreciative.  I still don't think he knew what to expect until we got there.  

We stayed in a nice little apartment in the historic district which was right in the heart of everything.  We did lots of walking (in 90+ degree weather), had a great tour by Savannah Dan whose wearing the stylish suit and hat above, ate a ton of great food which will have it's own post later and relaxed.  Some of the highlights of Savannah were visiting the creepy yet beautiful Bonaventure Cemetery, touring the Owens-Thomas House, walking the riverfront, strolling the many streets and squares of this beautiful city and visiting Old Fort Jackson.  There were fountains for the kiddos to run through and lots of friendly people sitting out enjoying all that Savannah has to offer.  If you've ever thought of visiting, I can say that you definitely should.  Beautiful, southern city with lots of personality.

Home Again and Tech Problems

We were in Savannah all last week and I have tons to share.  However when I let our darling furball Simon out of his cage yesterday, he promptly went to my computer and bit through the keyboard wire in one quick chomp.  I think that was his way of saying don't leave me that long again.  Since then I can not get a single keyboard to work and therefore my computer will not start up at all.  I'm working on it and hope to be back tomorrow with lots of pictures from beautiful Georgia.  

The picture above is Ava helping me pack before we left.  I told her she needed to play by herself for a while so I could pack.  I put the suitcase on the couch walked into the bedroom only to hear, "Mommy, I packing too!"  This was her version of packing.

Chocolate Hazelnut Bliss

My high school German teacher introduced me to Nutella.  It's not something I buy very often but boy when I do I ask myself why I don't buy it more often.  It's a delicious chocolate hazelnut spread that is so yummy on toast.  I decided to let Ava try it and it was a good decision for me to strip her down.  There was Nutella EVERYWHERE!  We're talking in the hair, ears, all over the tummy and arms.  It really was everywhere.  She loved it though and had a great time eating it.

The weather is getting chilly and the leaves are starting to loose their green.  Fall is almost here.  Yippeeee!!  

I came across this store on Etsy and fell in love with her work.  Pinch Me Boutique is making some ghoulishly great gourds just in time for Halloween and fall.  I am particularly fond of the Nightmare Before Christmas style gourds.  I just love this time of year!

Lastest Addiction

Recently the 3 closest malls to my house have put in a new store, Charming Charlie.  I am completely and utterly addicted.  It's mainly an accessories store with amazing earrings, bracelets, necklaces, purses, shoes, etc. that are all reasonably priced.  They have some clothes but I'm more interested in all the things that sparkle.  I think what I am really drawn to about the store is the way it is organized.  Everything is grouped by color.  I went in this last time looking for something bluey green and something red.  I headed for those sections and magically I found some great stuff. Ava loves the stores too because they play their music kind of loud and it's all upbeat dance music.  She's jammin' though the store as I look through all the pretties.  In my mind it's the perfect mother daughter experience.  She loves trying on and modeling all the goodies once we get home too.  My darling husband should be a little worried...