Tune in Tuesday. Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers.

We spent a lot of time in the car today and listened to Anthology a decent part of the drive. So now I have Petty on the brain! Enjoy!



Happy Tuesday!

Hodge Podge Asian Chicken Stir-Fry.

I'm finally cooking again!! Or at least trying to. A week ago I took some time to browse the interweb and get ideas for easy, fast, semi-healthy recipes. After a ton of reading and learning a new thing or two, Monday I decided to take a peak in the pantry and fridge and see what (little) I had to work with. I was pretty pleased with the end result. So easy and delicious! You can change it up incorporating whatever meats, veggies or noodles you'd like and it will probably taste just as good. Below I've included my recipe notes. Hope everyone has a yummy Friday!

Prep Time: 10 minutes

Cook Time: 20 minutes

Servings: 2

Ingredients

• 2 Tablespoons Olive Oil, Divided
• 1 cup Mushrooms, Sliced
• 2 whole Boneless, Skinless Chicken Breasts, Chopped
• 2 cloves Garlic, Minced
• ¼ cups Broccoli (or your vegetable of choice)
• ½ cups Unsalted Peanuts
• 3 Tablespoons Low Sodium Soy Sauce
• KC Masterpiece Honey Teriyaki Marinade
• ½ lb of Whole Grain Whole Wheat Spaghetti Noodles (or your pasta of choice)
• Salt And Pepper, to taste 

Directions

1. Marinate chicken using the KC Masterpiece Honey Teriyaki marinade at least 30 minutes. I did 6 hours. (The longer the better).
2. Cut the chicken into approx. 1 inch cubes. Set aside.
3. Cook noodles in a separate pot following directions on the package. Once cooked drain, rinse and set aside.
4. Heat a skillet on medium heat and add 1 tablespoon olive oil. Add mushrooms and saute until soft (about 5 minutes). Remove from skillet and set aside in separate bowl.
5. Add the remaining olive oil to the skillet and add the chicken. Brown on all sides until cooked, (about 5 minutes per side). 
6. Next add in mushrooms, garlic, broccoli and peanuts and stir for 30 seconds to 1 minute. Turn heat to medium low.
7. Pour soy sauce into skillet coating chicken and vegetables. Mix well and cover with lid to steam for another 30 seconds to a minute. 
8. Add in noodles and stir together until mixed well. Turn off stove and again cover with lid to steam while waiting to serve.

Five Months of Payton.

Once again I'll say it - "Don't Blink!" Our little Sweet P is growing like a weed. Rolling, scooting, bouncing and talking up a storm. Here are just a couple of photos from her 5 month photo shoot last week. We have a lot of fun during these little sessions. Happy Thursday!

Tune in Tuesday. Beirut.

Tuning in to one of my all time favorite bands playing one of my favorite songs. Would love to hear them live one day. Enjoy!

Happy Tuesday!

Happy Birthday Dylan and Mahna Mahna!

You know how they say "Don't Blink"? Well, let me tell ya - Don't! Dylan has been 2 for a little over two weeks now and it still feels weird when I say it. TWO YEARS!! Wow. Our little ham (I call him little ham a good bit because the kid is pretty darn hilarious) has changed so much. No more walking. We now run. No more reaching on our tip toes. We climb (and very high at that). He talks a ton, he understands much more. He jumps, he slides, he dances, he plays hide and seek (also known as "make momma panic") and once again, he CLIMBS! He quotes movies and things he hears that make him laugh. He imitates. He sings. And what once was just peach fuzz a top his rather large noggin is now a full head of shaggy brown hair. I can go on and on. I love our little boy and I thank God each day for pairing him with us. He can be oh so stubborn, impatient and frustrated at times (all like his momma), but more than that he shows so much kindness, love and joy. I'm so blessed and proud to call him ours.

To celebrate his 2-year mark, we figured what would be better than some Muppets! Like I mentioned in my sneak peak post the Lotts watch a whole lot of the Muppets. We own the soundtrack too! Everyone of us loves them and I hope Payton grows to love them just as much. In addition to Kermit and Friends - since Dylan is a summer baby we deal with that good ole Mississippi summer heat (I melt. Literally. I have witnesses.). So I decided to include some water fun for the kids - inflatable slip-n-slide, kiddie pool, water sprinkler - all that good stuff. AND of course what would a party be for me without an opportunity to design some stuff! I tried to keep it more simple this year, but still enjoyed working up a few things for the partay.

It really was a great celebration full of fun for Dylan and the kiddos made special with family and close friends by his side. Below is a series of photos of the day and all the designed decor. Hope you enjoy. Mahna Mahna!

The Birthday Invite.

Front Door decor. Consisted of framed art, multi-colored streamers (I heart streamers - so cheery) and balloons.
Framed art was based on some simplistic character designs I had found that I fell in love with.

Back Porch decor. Billy Ball Bouquet, Streamers, Balloons and Dylan's toy
Muppet PUPPETS used as table centerpieces!

Rinse Station Signage + Water Buckets.

The Party Favors! Including original designed gift tags. Love some PEZ.

The Cake!! By AlliCakes. Made Dylan smile.

Food Table Decor.

The Lotts. 

Our little Sweet P hanging out with her Nonie during the festivities.

Birthday Boy and Daddy blowing out the candles.

Delicious and so fun to look at.

Precious Emma Kate.

Dylan + Rex. Slippin' and Slidin'.

Miss Collins. A true doll.

Ken A. Brewer aka Poppy.

As Julie Sings It Best.

What are some of your favorite things?

Aztec Prints on the Perfect Sized Tote.

I already have one of those ginormous beach bags. The kind that can probably fit an entire family of five inside. But I needed something small for the pool this summer to carry the bare necessities for myself, Nathan and the kiddos. I found this little nugget at Target and immediately fell for it. It's the perfect size and the print is gorgeous.

Aztec Tote Bag from Target!

Knuckle Rings

Can't get enough of my new Chevron and Initial Knuckle Rings. Check them out at arcoavenue.com.

Chevron + Initial Knuckle Rings from Arco Avenue.

Arrested Development. Season 4.

Nathan and I blew through it within a week. So so so so good! Netflix Original on Instant. If you haven't seen it yet, go watch right this minute!

24

Mine and Nathan's new show. We're EXTREMELY late in getting here, but we're here now. Only on Season 1, but loving it. It may possibly be our new "Lost." We're always looking for our new Lost, but nothing ever quite compares.

Summer Drank.  
Former barista turned coffee addict here. I never even enjoyed coffee drinks of any sort while making them back in college. It was staring at a computer screen for eight hours a day that finally lured me into the java world. Anywho, summer time is of course cold coffee time. And the only cold coffee drink I'm digging these days is a good ole Iced Caramel Latte, Sugar-Free with Skim from Cups Espresso Cafe in Jackson. And with those new exciting little nuggets of energy known as Expresso Ice Cubes! Thirsty my friends?

Tune in Tuesday. Of Monsters and Men.

I'm pretty sure we're all on board the "Of Monsters and Men" train now, but just in case....

Happy Tuesday Folks!

Watch Of Monsters and Men - "Little Talks" on PBS. See more from Sound Tracks.

A Baby Nursery : The Payton Edition

I LOVE (in all caps) a good baby nursery. They are so fun to decorate. And I love to see how others decorate theirs. There are so many sweet and beautiful directions to be chosen. So now that Dylan has finally moved to his big boy room (Still a work in progress. Look for a future post.) I felt like sharing some photos of Payton's revamped nursery. To all who followed the old blog, some of this will look familiar to you. With Dylan's nursery I spent a good bit of time sewing the bedding, creating original art and gathering furniture pieces for the room. Those of you who have decorated a nursery know the undertaking and cost of all that goes into it so I wanted to make the experience enjoyable, but a once in a lifetime one. I picked a gender neutral color scheme knowing there could potentially be a baby girl Lott one day (well whadda ya know?!). Yellow, white and robin egg blue (if you know me and my home - you know this is pretty much my favorite color scheme) were chosen for the dominant colors in the room while hints of green, red and orange were added in in a way that could easily be switched out if needed. So for Payton's sweet little nursery all I had to do was add a few "girly" touches here and there. I switched out the oranges in the room with pinks, created a new bird illustration to replace the elephant illustration I had created for Dylan, added some new knick-knacks and wah-lah! This is what I came up with....enjoy!

Original Designed Art and Sewn Bedding. 

A close up of the illustration. 

Cross-Stitch of Payton's initials from my sweet amazing friend, Roiann. 

What would a Melissa Lott project be these days without some fabric flags?

Easy Peezy Fabric Art made with Wooden Embroidery Hoops. I just
switched out the oranges and added in some pink patterned fabrics.
Like I said - Easy Peezy! 

One of my many childhood Winnie the Poohs plus one of
my favorite china dolls.

Some old and new knick-knacks. 

Sneak Peek : Planning a 2-Year Olds Birthday

It's safe to say the newest Muppet Movie is a weekly staple at the Lott abode. Ever since the soundtrack became available 2 years ago. If you do the math that equals a whole lot of Muppets. Nathan. Dylan. Myself. We all love it. So it only seems fitting that we celebrate Dylan's 2-Year mark with Kermit and friends. Currently working on the details, but here's a little sneak peek for what is to come. Happy Sunday and Mahna Mahna!

Introducing Payton.

A little late in posting, but I've been away from the blogging world for while. Just trying to get back in the swing.

On March 8, 2013 the Lotts welcomed precious little Sweet P into the world. Payton Elisabeth Lott. She's one happy healthy baby girl. Head over heels are we.

Sweet P's Birth Announcement. Original Design and Photography.

Original Photography of our little girl. Two Months here.

Payton. 3 Months.