GOBBLE GOBBLE

Kenny and I got home last night from an amazing Thanksgiving weekend. It was exactly what we needed minus the long car drive there in back with the rest of the country's population. Wednesday night, after work, we made our way to my family's lake house outside of Atlanta. It is on Lake Lanier. We got there at 2:30 am and fell into bed!

Then it was Turkey Day! My brother, sister and law and nephews came. My cousins both got married this past year and it was nice to hang out with everyone and their husbands. My aunt and uncles extended family were in town to. There were about 20 of us total! It was a big family Thanksgiving and my aunt and her sister did such a fabulous job hosting everyone. I ACTUALLY have a few pictures. And then...my camera died. We have got to get a new camera pronto!

The fabulous table settings for the big dinner. We ate on the main floor's porch overlooking the lake. The sun even came out for the event eventually. It really was so nice.

The porch fireplace. So nice to sit outside next to the fire!

My Aunt Pam greeted me with a little arrangement for my bedside table in honor of Elle.

There was a rousing came of corn hole going on the lower porch with my nephews.

The Elting family (my aunt, uncle and cousins) also have a tradition of skeet shooting every Thanksgiving so we all loaded up to shoot some skeet. I have to say my husband was one of the best and definitely held his own out there. Plus he looked pretty cute doing it! I told him I needed to send him bird hunting!

My uncle giving my mom a little refresher course on shooting.

And this would be my mother and husband in competition.

And that is where the camera died. But dinner was amazing. And I have to say one of the best I have had in years because we all chose not to eat on any hors d' oeuvres before dinner and I was not full before sitting down. In fact, I was starving and because of that I loved every bit of that caloric gluttony!

The rest of the weekend was pure enjoyment. My cousins and their husband's had to head back to Atlanta to do some things so the crowd was smaller. And we pretty much watched football at the house next to a huge fire and ate our way through the weekend. Kenny and I were so thrilled to be able to relax. We had not been able to in so long.

On Saturday, we went to a sports bar in a nearby town to watch the LSU/Arkansas game and to have some wings and draft beers. That helped our small case of cabin fever and then it was back to the lake house to watch my

MISSISSIPPI STATE BULLDOGS DEFEAT THE OLE MISS BLACK BEARS AND TAKE HOME THIS!!!
It really was the perfect way to end the weekend!

THE SEASON IS OVER

So this past weekend was our last home football game and Kenny and I's last weekend in Starkville. We rented a house with a bunch of friends and piled in there like sardines. It was fun hanging out with everyone.

I have to say I am a little relieved this was our last game for the year. Football season has kept us so incredibly busy and the constant going out town has started getting a little hard. I am ready to be at home for a few weekends and just do nothing. I am thinking that this will be a possibility in January. However, I have loved every single minute of this fall and all the games!

So who watched the game? What a heart breaker right? It was so much fun being there. A few seasons back Mississippi State would not have been able to come back from a 10 point lead. But we did and then the overtimes! Oh the overtimes! We had so many chances to pull out the win. I mean the kicker missed a 20 yard field goal. But in the end it just wasn't in the cards for us. I actually wasn't that sad about the loss because our season has been so good and we played so well! Arkansas just played better.

Now its time to beat the Black Bears and then onto our bowl game!

REASONS WHY I LOVED THE BULLDOG FOOTBALL SEASON
1. Getting to see Mississippi State fans care about our football program! Everyone stays for the games and are so pumped up! I am so exhausted after every game from cheering and ringing my legal cowbell. Thank you Dan Mullen for turning our program around!

2. Being ranked for most of the season! Even after our loss against Arkansas we are still in the polls.(barely) But we are there.

3. Getting to see my friends every weekend and people you might not see otherwise and spending time with them. Tailgating=fun!

4. Going to have to put this one on here but getting to eat at all my favorite Starkville restaurants like City Bagel and the Grill. I hope to make it to Restaurant Tyler for basketball season. But there was not a single weekend we were in Starkville where we did not eat at City Bagel at least once if not more!

5. The weather for every single football game was amazing. No rain, no clouds and not even to cold!

6. Spending time with Kenny. The car rides down there. And then our seats were separate from everyone elses during the game. So it would just be him and me sitting together during the game and we would talk about the game and people watch. It was just so much fun doing it all with him and I loved the time together. Especially since it might become a rarity for a little bit in the future.

On Sunday, we rode home with our friends and I slept the afternoon away. Then last night Kenny decided to set up Elle's new swing we bought her. He was so proud and excited! The boy is starting to love him some baby gear!

Umm so it is Thanksgiving this week! Get excited!!

WHO IS EXCITED??!!!!

About a Royal Wedding!!!!!!

I can already tell I might start to obsess over this whole shebang. I have really liked Kate or Katherine as they are now calling her, since she started dating William 8-9 years ago. I mean really who hasn't. I liked how she did not seem to want the media attention and stayed true to herself.

I can only hope that her and William are truly in love. And I think they are. Unlike Princess Di and Charles. I want them to be together forever! Yes, I know I sound like a 6th grader right now.

Plus it is so intriguing to me to think about how her life is going to change. I mean she fell in love with this boy who happened to be a prince. But to marry him is a full time job and you are under such intense scrutiny. I mean look at it already, the last two days of morning news have been completely devoted to them and their engagement. Can you imagine being judged by the Queen on everything you do?? Yikes!

And while I am not to crazy about her sapphire engagement ring (it seems more of a right hand ring to me.) I do think it is really special that is was Diana's and William felt like she should have it.

Alright I am rambling. But I do plan on waking up at 3:00 am to watch this royal wedding like we always hear our moms say they did.

WEEKEND RECAP

We had such a crazy weekend! And I know I promised pictures of the nursery but our camera is not working and well the camera phone isn't doing the room justice. So all in good time! I promise. Plus I need to add some personal touches. We hung some shelves and they need to be accessorized and my friend Susan at J Press Designs is designing some customized artwork to hang over the crib and we need some cute lamps because the overhead lighting is horrible! I despise overhead lighting!! So there is still a little left to do!

I will show you this picture of the armoire that was mine and my mother's as a child! Isn't it cute.... I love the color with the gray and we are putting baskets in it for organization and I will also keep all of the books in it that my mom brought up from when I was a little girl. I love books and was so excited to see all my favorites that we will read to Elle.

Friday my mom got into town and we got to work covering/upholstering the valances for the windows that we had made. And I was dying for some Mexican so we all went out for some chips and cheese dip after a trip to Lowes. Why is it when you just want to run into Lowes it always turns into at least an hour trip! Ugg! The Mexican food was delicious anyway!

Saturday morning Kenny and I both woke up early! The weather was horrible but he had a golf lesson scheduled and my mom and I had a ton of errands to run. I hugged and kissed him goodbye and told him I was getting in the shower. I was about to get out the shower when my mom knocked on the door and told me that Kenny had been in a car accident. He was okay but needed me to run an up to date insurance card to the accident.

And now for my PSA: You might have heard that most car accidents happen with 1-2 miles of your house. This is 100% true for every accident I have EVER had (which might be up to a total of 3 or 4). And was true for this one too. My husband travels to see clients for a living every single day. He has never gotten into an accident until now and he was less than .5 a mile from our house. Always, always, always put on your seat belt even if you are just running somewhere that is close by.

Anyway, the lady that hit Kenny has good insurance and the car is already in the shop. But you can imagine that I looked a mess when I arrived at the scene of the accident with wet hair, a long sleeve tshirt that was entirely too small for the preggy belly, sweat pants and Uggs all in a panic! He grabbed the information and told me I could wait at home. Ha!

After all the excitement Kenny managed to still get to his golf lesson that he rescheduled and my mom and I ran a ton of errands and got so much accomplished. Then we met my sister who had just taken her Praxis for grad school for pedicures. They were heavenly and I think we all needed some pampering by this point.

That night we cheered on our Bulldogs while they played Alabama despite the beating! I love them anyway and then watched Post Grad. Terrible movie by the way. And it had so many famous people in it.

Sunday, Kenny and I had not seen a movie in FOOOOOREEEEVER so we went to see Due Date. We get all settled in with our popcorn and drinks and our smuggled movie candy (because seriously $3 for a box of candy) and they come tell us the projector wasn't working. Boo! But they refunded our money and gave us two free movie passes so I can't complain to much. And we sure did take that popcorn home and eat it anyway! Ha! That afternoon we went over to some friends house to cook out and hang out around their fire pit. It was so fun and I was loving the cooler weather.

TAGGED YOUR IT!

Ashley over at Life As I Know It has given me a blog award!! So I am going to play along on this lovely Friday morning!

Here are the rules ...

1. Thank and link back to who gave you the award.

2. Share 7 things about yourself per award.

So here are my seven things!

1. My name is Mallory Lacey and I am a list making addict. Not exaggerating right now. I have four handwritten lists sitting right next to me. This does not include the lists that I keep on my computer that I fiddle with and update on a daily basis. I love lists. Lists take all my little anxious thoughts in my head and put them out so that I can see them and it calms me and organizes me and I feel like I have a handle on things. I realize that my lists are totally a coping mechanism but so what. I don't think I will ever kick the habit!

2. I think I have said this before but the thing that terrifies me the most in life is a big ol cockroach. I am talking those big flying suckers that are huge. I cry, I shake, I hyperventilate, I call everyone I know to come kill it. I F-R-E-A-K out! Days after seeing one I will still be jumpy and shaking shower curtains and towels or anything else that could house on of those horrid creatures. Seriously, if I am a Russian Spy and you need info from me get a cockroach near me and I will tell you everything I know. (I know this was a random comment but I watched a story about the Russian spies this morning on the news and they intrigue me so)

3. I watch A LOT of television. I mean a lot! And some of it DOES NOT make me a smarter person, nor do I tell people some of the shows I watch because they are so trashy. And yes, I have a life. I just really adore my DVR.

4. Give me a french fry or a chip or a Cheez-It any day over something sweet.

5. I love pop music and pop country and then people like Celine Dion and Josh Groban. This is the total opposite of my husband who puts up with my music tastes but is passionate about jam bands and southern rock.

6. I love cooking and have a strong obsession with all things food. I love looking at people's grocery carts to see what they are buying or what people are eating at work or at restaurants. One of my dream's in life is that my children will always think that I am/was a great cook and I instill the love of cooking them also.

7. My ultimate dream in life would be to be a cheesemonger and own a cheese and wine shop.

Please feel free to do this if you want to chime in on seven little things about yourself!

24 WEEKS

24 WEEKS

How far along? 24 weeks and 4 days. The baby weighs 1.7 lbs and is the size of an eggplant. See what I mean with these veggies/fruits. Ear of corn to eggplant.... huh??

Total weight gain/loss? Not sure a couple weeks ago it was around 14-15 lbs total. Ugg.

Maternity clothes? Still loving them!!

Stretch marks? Nope! Thankful for this.

Sleep? Actually enjoying sleep these days. Besides my arms and shoulders going numb from sleeping on my sides and the crazy dreams, I am feeling pretty well rested. Plus it is easier to get up in the morning when it is not pitch dark outside.

Best moment last week? Last week was a really good week. Not to busy and then Kenny's parents came in town for a visit. They were so generous and took us shopping at Babies R' Us and marked several things off the list that we needed for the babe. Including this stroller that I am really excited about!

I made sure to get in the cute green color so we could use it for any future baby Lacey's. They also brought her some really cute outfits and bibs and things like that! We spent the weekend hanging out watching football and cooking at home. It was a really nice visit!

Movement? Still lots and lots of movement. I read that this will decrease in the future once the baby gets bigger and can't move around so much. That will make me sad.

Food cravings? Orange flavored drinks which I am quenching with Crystal Light orange bottle packets. I have also had a HUGE sweet tooth here lately which is abnormal for me.

Gender? It's a girl! Elle Caroline!

Labor signs? No. But I am pretty convinced I am having some Braxton Hicks occasionally.

Belly button in/out? In......for now.

What I miss: Still missing the breathing and I think my belly had a growth spurt because I am feeling a smidge more uncomfortable than I have been. But it is still completely bearable and totally worth it!

What I am looking forward to: My mom is coming in town tomorrow and I can't wait! We are going to get so much done on the nursery. It will be almost complete after this weekend. Don't worry I will be sharing pictures! Then it will be time to try and get the den back in order since we are in the process of redoing that also. And I am also anxious for Mississippi State to play Alabama this weekend. Normally I would of thought that we had no hope but Alabama is 11 and we are 17. That is something....so I am at least hoping for a good game and not a slaughtering! Go Dawgs!!

And if anyone has any good art sites on Etsy or anywhere else please let me know. Really focusing on getting some cute prints/artwork to frame and mat for above the crib in Elle's nursery and I do not know if I am just being picky or what. But I am having a really hard time! So any tips would help!!

WHERE I'VE BEEN SHOPPIN

Oh the glamorous life of pregnancy and maternity clothes. Don't get me wrong, I am extremely appreciative of the oh so comfy clothes. And as much as I fought it in the beginning the maternity clothes end up being more flattering than trying to squeeze yourself into your normal clothes. When you squeeze yourself into your normal clothes you look fat and feel squished.

But it is frustrating to know that you will only wear these clothes for such a small amount of time in the grand scheme of things. So because of that I have been very conscious of how much I spend on these clothes. I ended up buying a lot of dresses because I LOVE dresses and they are more versatile for work and for social outings.

The website I have bought the most from is Destination Maternity. This website is great because it carries clothes from the more popular places you have probably heard of like Motherhood and Pea In The Pod and also designers. Here are some of my favorite things that I have purchased and in my opinion are ridiculously affordable!

Grey Faux Wrap Dress

Empire Waisted Sweater Dress

You might recognize this one from the one and only belly pic I posted on here.

Purple Smocked Dress

This one is so comfy and when I get it to Starkville can be passed off as maroon on game day! Win win situation there!

And I am so excited about this one. I plan on wearing it to our last home football game and maybe pairing it with some purple tights for Thanksgiving Day and boots. It is brown corduroy and so flattering!

Corduroy Shirt Dress

This is only a few of the dresses I have bought and I seriously don't think that I have paid more than $50 for any of them. I also got a great little tunic from this website that I pair with black leggings and it can be dressed up or down.

For jeans I decided not to buy designer and ended up buying a pair of maternity skinny jeans from The Gap.


I also purchased a simple black pair of work pants from Target that are so comfortable and very professional along with some simple white t-shirts to wear under sweaters and jackets. My friend Mollie gave me some things from when she is pregnant and then I have just been adding pieces from places like Old Navy and Gap. I haven't really had that "what am I going to wear" issue because the things that I have been buying are so affordable and versatile and I usually buy a couple new things every few weeks. And I will always have the wardrobe for future children because most of them are not too season specific.

23 WEEKS

23 WEEKS

How far along? 23 weeks and 4 days. The baby weighs 1.5 lbs and is the size of an ear of corn. These food comparisons are crazy. One week my baby is big and fat like a spaghetti squash and now it is tall and thin like corn. I think the people who made these up reached a bit far for these comparisons. Oh well. We will go with it.

Total weight gain/loss? Not getting on the scale anymore at home. We will just be getting our weight updates at the doc's office. I don't feel like being depressed or stressed about it on a daily/weekly basis. It is going to happen regardless so why worry about it.

Maternity clothes? Still loving them!!

Stretch marks? Nope! Thankful for this.

Sleep? Sleeping pretty good except for when my arms go numb from sleeping on my side and then my fingers swell up. This morning I was up at 5:30 and couldn't go back to sleep so I watched the end of Heart and Souls where he helps the two ladies do their ghostly life tasks. I cried. After watching five minutes of the ending of the movie. I really love that movie.

Best moment last week? Last week was good. Got to hear a good strong heartbeat from our little girl and got to see some good friends in Starkville. And of course the Bulldogs won again! 7-2!

Movement? Lots and lots of movement. I love it. She has gotten to where now I think I can feel her elbows or feet or knees poking out of me. It is weird.

Food cravings? Orange flavored drinks which I am quenching with Crystal Light orange bottle packets. Other than that no really big cravings.

Gender? It's a girl! Elle Caroline!

Labor signs? No. I wouldn't know if I was. Ha!

Belly button in/out? In......for now.

What I miss: Breathing! The last couple weeks I have had shortness of breath like can't breath when I eat or even sitting still. Kenny says I sound like a 400 lb woman when I eat sometimes because of the breathing sounds I make. I know he says this with love though. Showers just wear me out. I shave my legs every single day and I am worn out by the time I get out of the shower. Whew!

What I am looking forward to: Kenny's parents are coming in town this weekend and we have a nice low key weekend planned. And then next weekend my mom comes in town and by the time she leaves we will have the nursery pretty much done! She is bringing the window valances, the custom pillows, the armoire and a ton of other stuff for the baby and the nursery and I cannot wait!

RECIPE SHARING

So I had seen this recipe several times on other people's blogs and thought it looked good and pretty easy for a weeknight meal. So last night I made it for dinner. This is courtesy of Paula Deen so it is not very healthy but just watch your serving sizes if you are to worried about it.

I felt I needed to share because Kenny said after he was done that it was in his top ten of favorite meals I have made. The only problem is he likes everything I cook and I think he may have said this far more than ten times. So we decided that we actually need to write down some of his favorite meals. I like to cook so much that we rarely eat the same thing so it is hard to remember which ones really stand out as needing to be repeated.

Shrimp and Wild Rice Casserole

I bought two boxes of wild rice so I doubled this recipe with no problem. It made a lot. I filled up a 9X11 dish and we have half of it for left overs tomorrow night. So yay!

Ingredients

• 1 (8-ounce) package wild rice
• 1 pound medium shrimp, peeled and deveined
• 2 tablespoons butter
• 1/2 green bell pepper, seeded and chopped
• 1/2 onion, chopped
• 1 (10 3/4-ounce can) condensed cream of mushroom soup
• 2 cups grated sharp Cheddar
• Salt and pepper

Directions

Cook the rice according to package directions minus 1/4 cup water. Drain and cool.

Bring 2 cups water and 1/2 tablespoon salt to a boil in a mediumsaucepan and cook the shrimp for 1 minute. Drain immediately and set aside.

Heat the butter in saucepan and saute the pepper and onion until soft, about 5 minutes.

Preheat oven to 325 degrees F.

In a large bowl, combine the rice, soup, 1 1/2 cups of cheese,shrimp and vegetables. Add salt and pepper, to taste. Mix well. Spray a 9-inch square aluminum cake pan or an 11 by 7-inch glasscasserole dish with vegetable spray. Place the mixture in the pan and top with remaining 1/2 cup cheese. Bake for 30 minutes, until bubbly.

THIS TIME OF YEAR

So I know that I am not the only one who is flabbergasted that it is November already. Where has this year gone? I am sure that it has been flying by even more with the baby preparations and then all the football games!

So this weekend I sent Kenny off for his birthday with his guy friends to see his favorite band and I headed to Starkville (yes again!) to see the Bulldogs play the Kentucky Wildcats. There were a ton of people coming in town for this game and my friends and I had a big tailgate planned. SO MUCH FOOD is all I can say. I made Pioneer Woman's Bacon Appetizers
Holiday Bacon Appetizers

And I also made these
Mini Hot Ham and Swiss Sandwiches
The sandwiches were amazing and I want to eat them every day. The cracker and bacon recipe would be really good but I think I kind of overcooked mine a smidge.

So we tailgated all day and then watched the Bulldogs defeat the Wildcats in an extremely intense game where we had horrible referees. But once again a win is a win and I am thrilled for my team!

Sunday, I came home and slept all day. Went to bed early last night and am feeling somewhat refreshed this morning after the big weekend.

I am happy for the next two weekends we have family coming in town but we are staying home and hoping to keep the visits low key. I need some down time. Before I know it I will be playing all my Christmas music!