A Shower for that Sweet Lil Deer

I made it back!  I actually didn't go anywhere this time, but I've been going non-stop for the past week and things are finally starting to calm down...well at least my house is back to normal.  For the past week our house has been baby shower central.  Eric was so sweet to not say anything about the massive amount of baby shower decorations that had taken up residency on our kitchen table for the week...planning this shower for the weekend of his first football game of the season might have been my best idea yet because he was so distracted by football he didn't notice my giant mess. =)

After several weeks of planning, Sunday afternoon we showered my SIL, BIL, and soon-to-be sweet little nephew with love and food and tons of cute little baby stuff!  I had so much fun putting this shower together, from the invitations, to the food, to the decorations.  I was so excited to see how all of my Pinterest-inspired ideas came together and they did perfectly!  And now for the photo overload.....

Since my BIL is an avid hunter and they used had a hunting themed pregnancy announcement, I went with a [light] hunting theme. My goal was rustic baby hunter...not camo and orange overload.  I found an invitation I liked on Pinterest and re-created my own version using picmonkey.com.

Of course I had to incorporate some of my many chalkboard signs...this one was in our laundry room entryway.

These were my two main decorated tables in the kitchen: one served as the dessert table and the other was a day-of addition topped with a collection of pictures/prints/nick knacks.  I may be a little biased but I think they turned out pretty cute.

This table included the picture they announced their pregnancy with, chalkboard countdown board, his monogram, a print I found on pinterest and recreated with Picmonkey, a cute little onesie, and a few treats. My favorite parts were the "To go to sleep I count antler, not sheep print." and the monogram.

The monogram was a last minute addition Saturday morning.  I found the paper on one of my trips to Hobby Lobby and really wanted to use it for the shower, but had not found anything I really wanted to do with it.  Saturday morning I realized I did not have a single monogram to decorate with...shocking I know.  I pulled out my Cricut and went to cutting, well my Cricut went to cutting.  I had the easy job that involved a glue stick and putting it together.  I put it in a shadow box frame that I rotate my seasonal scrapbook sheets in, but them realized it doesn't have a stand and I didn't have anything to prop it up. Luckily one of the deer antler racks that I borrowed for accent decor was the perfect width and height to hold up the frame!

The dessert table was a lot of fun to decorate, too!  My Cricut did all the work for the Welcome Baby Banner on the wall, which turned out so cute! We were all on dessert overload after the shower, and we still have a ton of sweets leftover!

One of my most favorite parts of the decor was the centerpiece on the dessert table.   I found the W (for the baby's name) on one of my Hobby Lobby trips.  It was too cute NOT to buy to incorporate into the decor. I leaned it up against one of the burlap covered mason jar vases and set them in front of one of the deer antler racks.  It was perfect!   Funny story...I wanted to use some burlap to cover a few mason jars and to use as table runners.  I started to buy some and then I remember I had several pieces leftover from my SIL and BIL's wedding shower we threw them a couple of years ago, so I got to use the same burlap and mason jars for their baby shower, too.

These were the two desserts that I made (my MIL who threw the shower with me, made the others). I had originally planned to make blueberry lemon cupcakes, which would have been fantastic I'm sure, but the closer we got to the shower, the more I realized boxed cake mix would be just fine, so I picked up a couple of boxes of Devil's Food cake mix for the occasion.  I did, however, make the buttercream icing and dyed it blue so they would color coordinate.  They turned out so cute, and were absolutely delicious.  The other treat I made were dipped oreo pops.  I saw them on Pinterest when I first started planning the shower and knew I HAD to make them. They were a hit and I am trying to figure out a reason to make them again soon.

Of course we had more than just sweets to snack on.  My MIL got a delicious sandwich tray and made some pigs in a blanket which are my favorite! I made a couple of dips: cold spinach dip which I have made at least 5 times this summer, and ranch dip for pretzels and carrots.

My centerpiece on the food table was another favorite that was initially not going to happen.  My original plan for flowers was to put baby's breath in the mason jars which I had strategically placed around the house.  The week before the shower I made sure the grocery store had some, but wanted to wait until the day before the shower to get the flowers so they would be fresh.  Saturday I went to get them and my grocery store did not have a single cut flower in stock.  The weekend before they had a ton of them but the day I needed them they had nada.  I had to choice but to head to Montgomery to get some. I headed to Publix which I remembered having a small floral section by the cards, but at some point over the last year they have discontinued that section...I could not believe it.  Defeated, I headed to Costco.  I knew they'd have flowers, but I also knew they did not have just a bouquet of baby's breath like I wanted.  What I didn't know is that they'd have 2 bouquets of beautiful giant white hydrangeas waiting for me.  I was beyond excited and was so glad that the other two stores did not have baby's breath because the hydrangeas were absolutely gorgeous!  I realize that there were baby's breath in some of the pictures above.  I had some dried baby's breath that have been in mason jars on my kitchen table all summer, which I transferred to the other jars for the shower.  I don't think anyone noticed they weren't fresh.

The rest of the decor consisted of burlap covered mason jars and my tassel banners that I had strewn throughout the living room for a little color.  I made some for a wedding shower earlier this year and I just love them.  They're made of tissue paper so they're inexpensive and easy to make and they add a bright pop of color to a room!

I cannot tell you how excited I am to to meet that sweet little baby in a couple of months and I am so excited for my SIL and BIL to become parents!

Chicken and Broccoli Stir-Fry for Two

I am a sucker for quick easy meals during the week.  I have absolutely no desire to spend more than 20 minutes putting something together after I've been working all day. When I realized that Winn-Dixie had their broccoli crowns on sale for $.99/lb I decided that stir-fry was going on the menu this week at our house.  I looked up a couple of recipes on pinterest, but nothing really jumped out at me, so I decided to DIY it.  I took the sauce recipe from one of our favorite recipes and turned it into my stir-fry sauce.

What you Need:

1 cup uncooked rice

2 cups water

1-2 Tbsp butter

2 cups broccoli

salt and pepper to taste

1 Tbsp olive oil

2 boneless skinless chicken breasts, cut into bite sized pieces

2 garlic cloves, minced

1" knob of ginger, peeled and minced

2 1/2 Tbsp soy sauce

1 Tbsp + 1 tsp rice vinegar

1 Tbsp sesame oil

1 Tbsp peanut butter

1/2 Tbsp water

1/2 Tbsp honey

2 tsp sweet Thai chili sauce

pepper to taste

sesame seeds

How to Make It:

Combine rice and water in a rice cooker and set to cook, when it's done add the butter and stir until combined.  Set aside.

Steam broccoli on stove or in steamer bag, season with salt and pepper.

In a small bowl, combine soy sauce, rice vinegar, sesame oil, peanut butter, water, honey, sweet Thai chili sauce, and pepper.  Microwave for 20-30 seconds and stir until smooth.

Heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat.  Add chicken, ginger, and garlic and saute until chicken is no longer pink.  Add sauce and cook for 2-3 minutes until combined.

To serve:
Place a scoop of rice on the plate, top with a scoop of broccoli, and a scoop of chicken/sauce mixture. Garnish with sesame seeds and serve immediately.

This meal was so good, and like I said so quick and easy.  It made enough for a plate for both of us plus some leftovers for lunch today.  Did I mention it was delicious!?!

An Anniversary

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7 years ago today a wide-eyed 22 year old, fresh out of undergrad started her first "big girl" job. It was a huge step for me.  I always assumed that I'd go straight from undergrad to grad school and get a job after that but that was not in the stars for me.  On a whim I decided to take the job and 7 years later I'm still here (well in the same building at least).  In 7 years I've run several different programs; I've written grants; I've become someone's supervisor; I've changed programs; I've lost programs; I've been challenged; I've learned to roll with the punches; I've learned to stand up for myself; I've realized that I would not be in the position I am in now if someone didn't think I could handle it; I've made some wonderful friends I would not have met otherwise; I've become passionate about issues I never thought much about; and most importantly I do feel like I am making a difference in peoples' lives which is what public health is all about.

Our Weekend in Chicago

I mentioned last week when I was recapping our Mid-Western excursion that we took a little trip within our trip.  On Saturday morning we drove a little further up I-65 to a little town called Chicago.  I love Chicago.  It's my favorite big city to visit and explore. And on top of that some more of my favorite people just happen to live there which is a HUGE bonus!

We arrived at my Aunt and Uncle's house mid morning and walked to the train station.  They live in the cutest little suburb with the most awesome downtown area.  They are just blocks away from restaurants, shops, and of course the train into the city. After we arrived at Union Station we headed to our 1st destination: Gino's East.  Why Gino's? Because Eric saw it featured on The Best Thing I Ever Ate on the Food Network a few years ago and he has had his heart set on trying their deep dish Chicago Style pizza ever since. This isn't the first time we've eaten at a Food Network recommended eatery; we sought out a couple of places on our trip to New Mexico a few years ago.  Gino's did not disappoint.  We tried a half supreme-half cheese deep dish pizza and it was amazing.  I am a huge fan of Chicago style deep dish, but this was Eric's first time trying an authentic one.  He loved it.  Gino's has a cornmeal based crust that we had never encountered in a pizza crust before...and now I'm on a mission to create one. =)  I've attempted deep dish pizza before [I've even made a Chicago Style Buffalo Chicken Pizza], but it's been at least 5 years since I've made one.  Rest assured it will happen again sometime this fall.

Aside from amazing pizza they had a really great beer selection.  Eric's favorite was a Wisconsin brew called Supper Club.  I had a really delicious pear cider..it had just the right amount of sweet without tasting like juice....delicious!

After we ate we headed to Navy Pier to do some sight-seeing.  While we were there we took a really neat catamaran tour of the city from Lake Michigan.  They drove up and down the coast so we could really see the skyline.

After an impromptu carousel ride [because the line for the swing ride was ridonculous], we hopped back on the train to head back to their house.  I didn't think that the day could get any better than it already was, but it did because shortly after we got back to the house this kid pulled in the drive way!

And I did everything I could to hold it together because I was so excited to see my brother who I hadn't seen since Christmas! He lives a few hours north of Chicago and came down to spend part of his weekend with us.  Like I said....my family is beyond amazing!  We finished off the evening with a couple of rounds of badminton [my cousin totally smoked Eric and Matt], walked into town for dinner, and played a few rounds of Just Dance which is now my new favorite Wii Game.

Little did we know, we were in for a real treat on Sunday. The town they live in used to hold a bike race, Tour De France style. After a 5 year hiatus the race had come back to town and just happened to be that Sunday, and one leg of the race course just happened to be down the street where my Aunt and Uncle and cousins live.  So we did what any ration people would do....we tailgated on the front lawn with all of their neighbors and cheered on the bikers all day long.  It was so much fun! 

We took a couple of breaks for golf and shopping, but were back in time for the last three races which featured all of the top racers in the Masters Division [men over 35], Women's Division, Men's Division [under 35]. To say the races were intense is an understatement.  I was blown away at how fast they were going up their street.  They were doing 1.2 mile laps in 2:15-2:25...for an hour and a half.  We did see one wreck right in front of the house...the guy clipped the tired of the guy in front of him and went down hard.  He seemed to be alright, so Eric of course asked him if he was going to finish the race.  I guess it's the coach in him.  

1. Eric and I at the bike races AKA standing in the front yard.

2. The Men's Division race.  Yes I was that close to them and can you see how far back that line goes?!

3. What do you do after a bike race?  Why you offer the riders a beer.  One of them actually came back and watched his wife race the next race with us and educated us on the ins and outs of street bike racing...FYI it can be a very shady sport. 

4. Bike Blur!  I was trying to get a picture that captured how fast they were going....this was about as good as it got and it doesn't come close to doing their speed justice. 

5. Eric and I with my cousins. I still can't get over that they're teenagers/pre-teens now!  

6. Since we were not by the Finish Line, we had to resort to asking who won when they came around on their cool down lap...Eric is high-fiving the guy who ending up winning.  

7. More bike blur.  The Under 35 Men's race was by far the most exciting. Not only was it longer than the rest, but every time they came around there was a different person in the lead.  The guy who ended up winning was at the very back of the pack with about 7 laps to go.  

I think it's safe to say that Eric thoroughly enjoyed his first trip to Chicago and I seriously doubt it will be the last.  As I said in the Indiana portion of this trip recap, this trip was right on time.  I'd been missing my family it was so good to see at least a part of them.  I was completely blown away by my brother making the trip down. As we drove back to my grandparents' house Sunday evening and I replayed the weekend's events in my head, and I was completely overwhelmed by how amazing my family is.  We may not get to see each other but once a year if that, but the times we do spend together are always so wonderful.