THIS AND THAT

-HAPPY EASTER! I have been a total Easter slacker when it comes to festivities for Elle.  I feel terrible.  The poor girl hasn't seen an Easter Bunny, hunted for Easter eggs or dyed eggs.  Today I do plan on dying some eggs with her.  She will have a really cute and fun Easter basket, a beautiful Easter dress and we will be going to church on Sunday. So its not a total wash.  With the move and us being out of town every week for the past three weeks it all just snuck up on us.

But she did look pretty cute for PDO on Thursday and even 

let me take her picture with her Easter craft. Sweet girl.

-MOMMY TIP - If you are like our family and you download televisions shows to your iPhone to keep your preschooler entertained during car trips, late dinners or long doctors office waits then I have a tip for you! We have purchased A LOT of our episodes that Elle watches but I recently discovered on iTunes under the TV show tab you can click on Free TV episodes and every couple of weeks they have a new children's show episode. We have been able to download half hour episodes of Super Why, Daniel Tiger's Neighborhood and some others.  Pretty cool and I am always down for FREE!

I made these Spinach Turkey Meatballs Wednesday night and they were pretty delish and very simple to make.  Filling and tasty! I served them with brown rice and some roasted asparagus.  Which brings me to my next tip.

COOKING TIP- My asparagus went totally limp on me so I googled if there was anything I could do and I found a tip.  Cut off 1/4 of an inch (I just cut off the ends) and stick them in a glass of ice water and cover with a plastic bag for two hours and they should be fine.  This totally worked for me and the asparagus stiffened right back up and were totally declious.

Alright could that post been any more random! Have a great weekend!

SAIL AWAY WITH ME

We just had the BEST weekend in Fairhope. Kenny and his dad use to do a lot of sailing on the reservoir in Jackson and it had been years since they had put the boat in the water.  But how can you not have your boat in tip top shape and live in Fairhope so Kenny's dad put a lot of work into it and this weekend Kenny and his dad sailed in their first Regatta in a loooooooong time!  

While Kenny and his Dad sailed all day Saturday, Gramma and Elle spent some quality time together and I got to go shopping by myself in all the little shops in downtown Fairhope.  It was so amazing.  I even followed up the shopping with a manicure and pedicure. 

Downtown Fairhope.

After I shopped and Elle napped all the girls headed over to the yacht club to catch the guys coming in on the boat.  It ended up being a while so we had snacks and drinks at the bar which was fun. Then it was boat time!

 The boat right after the start of the race.

 The boat before it was put in the water.  It is named after the song The Wanderer.  

I think it is a pretty good name for a boat.

Out on the water looking for the wind.

 Watching Daddy sail in.  You can seem them coming in through the trees.

Elle was so excited!

 So proud of Daddy.  I love this picture!

Waiting on the race results.

And they won!!! After all those years they still got it! They won first overall and first in their category!  I have never see Mr. Ken so happy and Kenny was so excited too.  I was so happy for them!

After the award ceremony we grabbed a quick dinner at the yacht club and went home because we were all tired from the long and exciting day.

Sunday morning we went out for breakfast before we headed back to Starkville.  It was pretty day.  (Much better than Starkville. it is freeeeeeezing here!) Elle felt like doing a little posing after gobbling up her breakfast.

EASY LIVIN

So once again I went another week without blogging.  I can blame some of it on us traveling to Hattiesburg for a couple of days with Kenny while he worked and staying with my mom. We arrived home in Starkville just in time to have an amazingly low key weekend.  Isn't the beginning of spring the best.  I feel like everything slows down a little and you are so happy the weather is nice.  We have just been taking it easy and trying to relax a little bit since life has been so crazy these past few months.  Here are just a few pictures of our life as late.  Many that you have probably seen on Instagram if you follow me. ( follow me @mallorylacey) So sorry for the repeats but I still want to have these snapshots of life to look back on in this blog.  

 Daddy came home just in time on Friday to catch a little Cinderella with Elle.  We are starting to take a lot of interest in the Disney princesses.  And has anyone watched that little Sofia the First cartoon.  Pretty cute.

 Nanee (Aunt Annie) sent Elle the cutest package of Easter treats that included this bunny sippy cup. Elle was so excited about all her happies and I think Annie just wanted to majorly rub it in that she still has a Target she can go to.  Just kidding.

 We have started a weekly Friday night Mexican night.  We go eat Mexican every Friday night.  We are trying all the different Mexican restaurants here in Starkville until we find the one that is our favorite.  And oh yes that is TWO bowls of cheese dip.  We don't play around.

 My project as of late. So many dvds! All the ones on the TV stand are my girly chick flicks.  Kenny and I love movies and we used to buy a whole lot of them.  Recently we have started buying them through Apple TV but we still have all these DVDs.  They take up waaaaaay to much room storage wise so I am working on putting them all into a giant cd case.  But it is taking me a whole lot of time because I am cutting out the covers for each one to go into the slots with the DVDs. Hopefully having them all in once condensed spot will make them more convenient.

 Saturday night we went to watch the Bulldogs play baseball against LSU.  Elle was so excited.  She talked about it all day and night until it was finally time to go to the game!  We lost but we still had lots of fun!

 We visited our first church on Sunday.  Elle let me take a picture of her before we went and even said cheese.  We really really like the church we visited and will returning soon for Easter Sunday.

 The upside of the time change (because believe me there has been a definite downside this year for some reason) is the extended evening hours. We are loving one of the porches on our condo.  A rocking chair and a swing! Two of Elle's favorite things!

Cute daddy,daughter moment that I caught spying through the window.

TAKE ME OUT TO THE BALLGAME

Kenny and I are both so happy that we arrived in Starkville just in time for Spring.  And in Starkville, Spring means baseball.  We planned on going to a game this weekend but after our standing Friday family night out for mexican we decided to just skoot over to the baseball game and catch a few innings  of our undefeated Bulldogs. 

The stadium wasn't too crowded and we had a great time.  Elle was so excited when we pulled up to the stadium.  We explained to her that we were going to a baseball game because I think for a second she thought we were going to a football game. (southern girl through and through) After that she kept exclaiming "ball! ball!"  

Kenny looooooves popcorn and got him and Elle some to share.  I think Elle might of enjoyed it more than Kenny. So cute! They will have so much fun when she is old enough to start going to movies.

See,pretty psyched about that popcorn.

Decided to take a break and sit down on the concrete part of the stands.  

She always did this at football games too. We just let her. 

Cheering for the Dawgs!  We were winning!

Elle and I having a moment at the game.  I am sure I was telling her all of my useful baseball information that I learned from being a diamond girl in high school. Ha!

My mom came in town on Saturday and after we did a little shopping we all loaded up for the afternoon baseball game.  It ended up being a slower game and then we lost.  Boo.  It ended our winning streak because we lost on Sunday too but it was such a nice day to be at the stadium that it was still a great day.  All in all, it was a great weekend and I foresee a lot of baseball games in our future.  Especially since everyone in the family enjoys going!

WE'VE ARRIVED!

Well we made it! Finally it!  Elle and I arrived in Starkville Thursday evening.  It was around dinner time so we swung by my favorite haunt, City Bagel.  While their breakfast is my fave they have a really good dinner menu too.  Elle gobbled up their fancy macaroni and cheese.  

Pondering what life will be like in Starkville.

We couldn't start moving in to the condo until Friday morning and that is when the movers were coming too so after dinner we checked in to a hotel for the night.  Elle thought it was such an adventure! She was so wound up but having so much fun.  I learned that it is kind of hard to check into a hotel with a two year old when you have to unload and have your eyes on them the entire time.  So I had to make it look fun.  Cart ride!

Possibly watching a little Caillou during the ride.

 For one night you sure do have to pack a lot of things when you have kids.  And I only have one!

 A little less room on the way back in.

Friday morning we were up early to unload cars before we had to meet the movers at the storage unit.  This move went a lot better than the move into the storage units.  I would almost say it went perfect.  The movers made quick work of getting everything inside and were nice enough.  And once we opened all the boxes only a few minor things were broken.  I was worried about this huge glass lamp I have that we packed in a box but phew it made it!!

My sister came into town to see Elle and keep her company while my mom and I did a lot of the unpacking.  I am so grateful Annie came.  Elle was so happy to see her and she ended up helping organize a lot of things and unpacking boxes too.

Saturday morning with no food in the house.  We had to have the breakfast of moving champions! Doughnuts! From my beloved Shipley's no less.  The shop is within walking distance of our house.  Could be trouble.

 I love this picture.  Smile, doughnuts, Halloween pajamas.

 Ugg.  This is just this one room.  We managed to get most of it unpacked by the end of the weekend.  I can only live in chaos for so long.

Kenny arrived home Sunday evening.  Even though we didn't have a single bit of food in the house he ran out to get the essentials.  Ha!

 Yum! Abita Strawberry is the only beer that I look forward to drinking.  Part of it is the taste and the other part is that it means spring is coming and crawfish should be in my near future!

 Breaking in the new porch swing.

It seem appropriate that this was the first picture to be hung in the new place.  

STARTING FRESH

So we finally made the big move and arrived in Starkville last night! We are without Kenny for this moving weekend because he is at furniture market until Sunday. My mom and my sister are here to help though, along with four movers and a moving truck. Hopefully we will be able to handle it.

For now I am laying here in bed at 5AM despite being exhausted already because I am excited to get started.

In preparing for this move I've been thinking about all the things I want to do once we get settled in. How this move makes me feel like its a fresh start. A fresh start in decorating, a fresh start for Elle at a new preschool, (one that I worked at for three years in college) a fresh start for Kenny in his new job and my role in helping him.

It's not that our life NEEDED a fresh start just that moving to a new town gives you the chance to have one. We know lots of people who live here but who will our new friends be? Who will Elle's new friends be? Will we love living hear as much as we think we will? I mean Starkville in the Spring is the best!

So we will see, but for now I am excited. Excited to be back in Mississippi. Excited that this move let us move closer to family rather than farther away. Excited to be back in our college town. Excited to make a new condo feel like home.

Here's to a fresh start!