Sesame Orange Chicken and Peanut Butter Banana Cake

My last blog post was in OCTOBER! WOW am I behind. So since then we had sweet little Gavin. I will blog about the nursery and my son another time but that would take longer than I have tonight. With the baby and now work I have found it rather hard to cook. Like everything else I am having to simplify rather than eliminate things that are important to me. With that said I have found a new interest in pinterest. Right now the only use I have for it is to store my recipes I like so I don't have to print them all and add to the ever growing library in my kitchen. This way I can pin it, try it and if I like it use it again sometime. If I hate, it's gone!

Today is Presidents Day so I didn't have to go to work. We went ahead and dropped Gavin off at Daycare (only for a few hours) so Miles and I could go on a brunch date and then I could prep dinner. These meals were inspired by my pinterest boards. The Sesame Orange Chicken was good but the Peanut Butter Banana Cake as DELICIOUS!!!!!!

NOTE: We buy bananas every week and anything that even starts to turn brown we stick in the freezer. Banana bread or now peanut butter banana cake is always an option in this house. Also, if I try it and it tastes the same I am not opposed to buying great value at Walmart :)

SESAME ORANGE CHICKEN

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
• 4 pounds boneless skinless chicken thighs
• 2/3 cup honey barbecue sauce
• 2/3 cup orange marmalade
• 1/2 cup orange juice
• 1/4 cup reduced-sodium soy sauce
• 1 tablespoon minced fresh gingerroot
• 1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
• 2 tablespoons sesame seeds, toasted
• Hot cooked rice

Directions

• Place flour in a large resealable plastic bag. Add the chicken, a few pieces at a time, and shake to coat. Transfer to a 4- or 5-qt. slow cooker.
• In a large bowl, combine the barbecue sauce, marmalade, orange juice, soy sauce, ginger and pepper flakes. Pour over chicken. Cover and cook on low for 4-6 hours or until meat is tender. Sprinkle with sesame seeds. Serve with rice.

Peanut Butter Banana Cake

Ingredients:
Cake
1/2 cup butter, softened
1-1/2 cups sugar
2 eggs
1 cup mashed ripe bananas (2 to 3 medium)
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 cup 2% milk

Frosting
1/3 cup creamy peanut butter
1/3 cup 2% milk
1-1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
3 cups confectioners’ sugar

Directions:
In a large bowl, cream the butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Beat in bananas and vanilla. Combine the flour, baking powder and baking soda; add to creamed mixture alternately with milk, beating well after each addition.

Transfer to a greased 13-in. x 9-in. baking pan. Bake at 350° for 30-35 minutes or until a toothpick inserted near the center comes out clean. Cool on a wire rack.

For frosting, in a small bowl, beat the peanut butter, milk and vanilla until blended; gradually beat in confectioners’ sugar until smooth. Spread over cake.

Both recipes came from www.tasteofhome.com

Our Halloween Turtle

I'm not much on the idea of Halloween but I do love all of the little kid costumes and of course Jada in her costume. We got her this turtle outfit last year but she wasn't a fan of the hat. This year she loves all of it. She even smiled for this blog post.

Petunia Pickle Bottom - I'm in love with my diaper bag

For Melissamakah (my week long birthday holiday) day 3 I got the most wonderful gift from Miles. I have been eyeing the Petunia Pickle Bottom "Cake" diaper bag even before I knew I wanted a baby. So naturally when we got pregnant that is what I wanted. Then it was just a matter of girl or boy to decide on the color. Clearly we are having a boy so then it was the question of black or brown. Does it match the baby's room or does it match the stroller? So you are probably reading this thinking to yourself how ridiculous I am and you are probably right but after a lot of back and forth I went with black. I don't want to push my black stroller with a brown diaper bag. And would I really showcase my diaper bag in the baby's room once the baby actually gets here? HA probably not. Even though the bag was a little (a lot) more than I wanted to spend or should spend I needed it! We did luck out so I told Miles this would be the perfect birthday gift (two months early). The deal was that if he bought it it had to be put up and never looked at until my birthday. IT'S ALL MINE NOW AND I AM IN LOVE!

This might be a little preview of what the baby's room looks like even though I said I wanted to wait until it was done. 

Tonight we also had dinner at Abuelo's with some pretty special friends of ours. It seems the older we all get the harder it is to get everyone together, A birthday is always a great excuse to see as many as can make it. Good mexican food, great company, a beautiful/stylish insulated bag from Ashley/Dustin, a bag full of goodies for the baby from Rob/Amie & a cookie cake with a big lady on it. I really enjoyed tonight. Thank you everyone. It really meant a lot! 

Melissamukah

When it comes to my birthday some might say I am a little spoiled by my husband. For some reason Miles has always thought that my birthday should be something extremely over the top and special. It has become not only a day of celebrating me getting another year older but a week of celebrating. Each day Miles gets me some special gift and then I get my main gift on October 15th. Those that know us have learned and joke that this week is something we like to call Melissamukah. So with the baby coming this year I set a limit and told Miles not to go overboard because stuff for Gavin was much more important to me. Did he listen? It is day 2 of the birthday holiday and NO he did NOT listen.

Day 1 - I went into a shop downtown about a month ago and fell in love with this little antique end table that matched my baby's room perfectly. At the time I didn't have my chair in and as we all know I still don't have my furniture in so I decided to pass on this great item and wait until I knew what I needed. I was on the phone with Miles while looking at this end table but he really had no idea what it looked like. So yesterday when it appeared in the garage I was shocked. It is no surprise that Miles ignored the shop owner with her idea for which one I liked and went straight to the one I had seen a month ago. Yes, we are that couple. I'm not going to share a picture of it just yet but as soon as we get the crib and dresser I will get things in place and show off the end result. Week 16 of my furniture order being placed and still nothing. I would not recommend getting furniture at the Baby's Room in Rogers unless you order it the second you think you might want to get pregnant. Sorry for the side rant.

Day 2 - I got home from my nephews soccer practice and  Miles was showing me how to use the new baby monitor and he had this set up in the baby's room in front of the monitor. I got the sweetest ring from David Adams Jewelers that has Gavin Witt on it. I'm in love with this baby and he isn't even here. The best part about this gift is it was made to fit my right hand but since my fingers are swollen and FAT and my wedding ring won't fit right now I have this one to wear instead.

Other Events:
Miles had another client (Callie Summers) send him home with a baby gift after a photo shoot he did. 3 baby Einstein books, a snack pod, a bathtub corner cubby, a colorful rattle & the most precious book called Belly Button Book! I read the whole thing to Miles and got excited about reading it to Gavin soon. Thank you Callie!!!

Week 33

I feel like all Miles and I do anymore is either 1. work or 2. think about this precious baby that will be joining this world in seven weeks. Although work is necessary, the baby is way more exciting. I am not someone that likes uncertainty of any kind. So when we found out we were having a baby and then having a baby boy the lists immediately started developing so that maybe I could wrap my arms around what is about to happen. I mean nine months should be a long time right??? WRONG. And the idea of making a list to plan for a new addition to our family was unrealistic. People say that until you become a parent you really have no idea what you are up for and that is so true. We don't know what we are doing and still with all of that uncertainty I am beyond excited for what is to come. I am so far out of my comfort  zone right now and still have a peace about it all knowing that Miles is going to be right here and this is OUR adventure. Plus with a name like GAVIN WITT this is bound to be a cool kid :) 

Now that that is out of the way here is an update one what we have done and what I will start stressing over soon. The baby's room is no longer a guest room which my sweet husband has to kindly remind me of every time I call it that. We didn't have to paint the room because after two years of being in this house I still like the color and it matches the fabric I picked out perfectly. We got our chair in last week and it is the most amazing chair I have ever sat in. I had a vision for the chair that I wanted and now that it is in it is everything I had envisioned. I sometimes go in that room and sit in my chair and think about having a baby soon to rock to sleep. Miles and I also found the perfect curtains for our bay windows. While he was at a wedding I went out and bought some curtain rods and decided I was going to waddle up a ladder and hang them myself. Then after learning that I was not strong enough to screw in the screws I waddled back down the ladder and let Miles put them up the next day. My mother as you know agreed to make the bedding and just this past weekend got them almost all the way done. I was a little worried about the fabric I picked out but she did such a good job and they are better than I expected and even wanted. I thought about putting up some teasers of the room but then decided the final product would be better. The only thing holding me up right now is the Baby's Room (the store). My furniture has taken about 14 weeks at this point to come in and still nothing. A little annoyed to say the least but they promised us it shipped yesterday. 

We had our first baby shower last weekend. The girls really made us feel special and I fully plan on creating a blog post soon for that fun day. We got so many things for Gavin. Last night we got in our Chicco pack and play. It was quite the adventure watching Miles drag that thing out. Who knew you could have that much goodness in one box. Tonight we got a package from his parents and it had our video monitor in it. YIPPIE!!! Another toy for us to get out, play with & hope we don't break before the baby gets here. Here are a few pics we took below as well as a few fun gifts we have gotten that are practical and we have no idea how to use them. FUN STUFF! 

                              Miles had a client surprise us with these baby TOMS. I'm in love. Thank you Lisa!!!

      I found this little camera onesie online and as cheesy as it is had to get it for Miles. Gavins first camera around his neck. 

Chicco Playard - Graphica

                                    My sister got us this Chicco 360. Pretty sweet contraption :) 

                                                                   Summer Infant Video Monitor 

29 Weeks

This Thursday will be the start of week 31 of my pregnancy. At 29 weeks (on our 2 year wedding anniversary) Miles asked if he could take some maternity pictures of me. If you know me you know I do NOT like pictures of myself. After a near meltdown in the dressing room while trying to find an outfit I gave in because it is important for us to remember what it is like to have a sweet baby boy growing inside of me. Every time he moves it just blows me away that all of this is possible. I don't love being pregnant but I sure am excited to meet Gavin in 9.5 weeks. If you don't like my big belly don't scroll down :) 

Vintage Shower & Sweet Harper Grace

Kim - Joe - Cade - Harper

A while back (a long while back) I hosted a baby shower for my sister. As you are starting to notice I do not like traditional "baby" stuff. So when I found out I was having a niece it made planning the shower that much more fun. Little girls are EASY. My one request from my sis was I don't want a lot of pink. Clearly she wasn't interested in traditional either. I personally LOVE pink but went with the next best thing PURPLE mixed with a touch of mossy green and gold. Some of the stuff I used was new and some was stuff that I found around the house that just worked.

Invitations:
I couldn't do store bought invites for this shower (not that there is anything wrong with store bought invites). There was just nothing that was PERFECT. I had my mind made up what I "NEEDED" so my husband helped bring my idea to life. We sat down and this is what we came up with. It fit my theme just the way I envisioned it.

On the Menu:
I wanted to keep this fairly simple but still appear very fresh. This was toward the beginning of my pregnancy so energy was something I was lacking and food was starting to become a burden. I don't think I even at one of the cupcakes that I made for this shower and don't think I have made a batch since (even though I heard they were tasty).

• Chicken Salad Crescent Sandwiches
• Fresh Fruit Cups
• Cupcakes (of course)
• Veggies
• Chocolate
• Purple Punch

Decor:

• Cupcake Holder (decorative tree found at OOPS that just happened to be perfect for cupcakes)
• Metal Serving Tray and Utensil Holder from POTTERY BARN
• Glass Beverage Dispenser (Bed Bath & Beyond)
• Wooden Boxes (repurposed from a gift that was sent to us)
• Glass Canisters 
• Small Canning Jars (Walmart) with customized labels (created by Miles)
• Tulle & Ribbon (Hobby Lobby)
• Birdcage, Eggs, Paint & Moss (Hobby Lobby)
• Utensils, Napkins & Plates
• Harper Banner (homemade craft)
• Diaper Cake (one of the other hostesses graciously offered to make this)

The Gifts: 

• Petunia Pickle Bottom Diaper Bag (my favorite diaper bag company)
• Tutu Outfit with Matching Ruffle Socks (The Baby's Room)
• I Love My Auntie Onesie 
• Legging with Bling on the Bottom (Three Monkeys) with a matching headband

                     Me -- Kim -- Mom -- Grandma -- Aunt B -- Kerry -- Lindsay

Here are a few shots my husband and I have taken of sweet Harper Grace so that you get the entire picture of why this shower had to be so girly and custom. We just love this precious girl!