ICE STORM 2010

So everyone most likely knows that Memphis was hit with a little winter weather this weekend. It only takes a little for Memphis to go crazy. I will say this was a little different than anything I've experienced since living here. The weathermen knew it was coming and by Friday all schools in the area had been cancelled. One of the many benefits of still being in school I suppose.

I still made it to work bright and early on Friday morning. And by 10 it was raining and sleeting and snowing pretty hard. We were allowed to leave early because the roads were getting bad. So since I had already made plans to eat dinner at my friends Joe and Tracy's house (they just finished renovating their kitchen which is gorgeous) we decided that Joe would just come get Lena and I and we would just have a sleepover at their house. The roads had gotten pretty bad by Friday evening and we were all happy to just hunker down. Joe cooked an awesome meal which was followed up by chocolate chip cookies! Yum!

Saturday morning when we woke up everything was just covered in ice. Not to bad, but I was nervous that the power was going to be out at my house. Luckily it wasn't. Some of friends parents were having a ice storm party so we carefully made our way over to their house and then we just hunkered down for the day. It was so nice to not have to get out and just spend the day lazing around. A bunch of our friends kids were sledding. It was relaxing and SAFE.

By Sunday, the sun was out and I was able to get into my car, which was a relief. I was able to run some errands. I do not have any big meals planned so no Menu Monday but I did go get the stuff to make Weight Watchers Broccoli and Cheese soup. Which I love. I always double the recipe so I can freeze it. Its so easy to make and so good. See recipe below!

And finally last night I watched the Grammys. I thought they were pretty good up until whoever Maxwell is performed. Loved loved Lady GaGa's performance with Elton. I also thought Beyonce rocked it! And Pink's performance was quite impressive. All in all it was a really fun awards show. Can't wait to download some of the performances tonight!

WEIGHT WATCHERS BROCCOLI AND CHEESE SOUP (1PT PER CUP)

WAVERING

So if you had asked me yesterday, I had my mind made up. Why would anybody NEED an iPad. Why would anybody WANT one. It looked like a humongous iPhone or iPod Touch to me. And look how big it is. It looks so breakable.

I am a fan of all Apple products. Obsessed would be an understatement in regards to my beloved iPhone. And my iPod Classic is practically an appendage to my body. Do not go anywhere without it. I have a Mac Computer at work which of course I believe is far superior to any PC. But I would not necessarily purchase a Mac for my personal use at home because I would not want to spend the thousands of dollars on all the software that I would want to go on said computer.

But really, having a iPhone already I thought, "That iPad thing looks neato but I don't really have any use for it."

But today I'm all

That's preeeeeeeeeeeeetttttttyyyyy!

And you know what did it for me????
This screen/App with the books on the bookshelf with all your favorite book's covers displayed. I want a virtual bookshelf.

And now that is that. I want a iPad. I want to read books on an iPad. Forget the Kindle.

P.S. And if you are going to spend the money. Might as well get the 64 GB. Right?? Anybody with me? These suckers aren't cheap.

MOVIE REVIEW

So Kenny and I are big movie watchers. My husband has this thing for movie popcorn (more like obsession) and will go see any movie with me JUST to eat the popcorn. REALLY.

On top of going to the movie theatre regularly we are also members of Blockbuster.com and rent and watch around 1-2 movies a week. We also have HBO and other movie channels where we watch a lot of movies. Don't ask me how we have time for this. So I thought I would start giving short movie reviews after we watch movies. I have been doing this lately anyway. I promise not to give anything away.

So last night we went to see BOOK OF ELI. I made the mistake of looking at Entertainment Weekly's review. I usually just glance to see what letter grade they give the movie and then go back and read the review afterwards. Yesterday I read the entire review so going into see Book of Eli I had lowered my expectations because EW had given it a low grade.

This movie was intense. I love End of the World movies/Post Apocalyptic because I like seeing how people are surviving. Think I Am Legend, The Road. This movie follows Denzel Washington as he moves through the country trying to survive all the while protecting the only copy left of the King James Holy Bible. People want to take the Bible from him to obtain the power they believe it holds. Parts of this movie are pretty gory because Denzel(Eli) has learned very well to protect himself with a very large knife. HA!

I have to tell you that I was really into this movie. Very suspenseful and perhaps even a bit thought provoking. It is one of those movies that I want to see again to catch things that I missed the first time. I give it a very strong A.

Entertainment Weekly gave it a D. I strongly disagree with pretty much everything the reviewer said. You can read their review here but I would not suggest reading it if you want to see this movie. (Edited to add: In reading people's responses and comments to the review most people also disagreed with the reviewer and thought it was a great movie.)

Oh and P.S. How gorgeous is Mila Kunis. She was in this movie and did a great job. You would recognize her from That 70's Show and Forgetting Sarah Marshall. Love her!

WEEKEND RECAP

My weekend was extremely relaxing. Kenny was out of town for market so I was all by my lonesome. On Friday night I can barely remember what I even did. Must have been really interesting. I think I caught up on some Tivo and went to bed early. It was glorious.

On Saturday morning I woke up and went to a Weight Watchers meeting. I needed to get my monthly weigh in done and I decided to stay for the class. I was very happy to hear that I somehow was down a couple of pounds despite my very gluttonous weekend in New Orleans last week and being fully clothed. Now I really need to be more strict on counting my points. I do very well on the weekdays but on the weekends is where it gets tough.

After the meeting I stopped into our Pottery Barn outlet for inspiration. I have finally gotten around to decorating our front room of our house and am planning to redo our den in the near future so I was just looking to get ideas. I love that we have a Pottery Barn outlet. If you scope it out enough you can find some good deals. I found a rug that I really liked for our den that I will keep in mind when I start picking out furniture for that room.

After Pottery Barn I went and purchased this lovely for our front room. I made some changes so it won't look exactly like this picture but its the main idea.I am so relieved to finally be making some headway in getting this room decorated. I have already purchased the rug and two chairs to go in the room also. I have also bought a botanical book to frame some prints. I will be sure to include some before and after pics when I feel like it is complete. Then on to the den.

Saturday night I met up with my girlfriend Susan for cheese dip and margaritas. We planned on going to see The Lovely Bones but the movie theatre did not have power so we went to my house and drank wine and watched the Pregnancy Pact on Lifetime. Did you guys watch this??? It was crazy. I truly cannot believe it was based on a true story. Got to love some Lifetime movies

On Sunday I slept late, watched my back episode of Big Love which was such a good episode and then watched Julie & Julia. I loved this movie. I loved Meryl as Julia and getting to learn more about Julia Childs. I adored all the french cooking and I loved that it was about a blogger. It definitely made me realize that I seriously NEED a Le Creuset stew pot so I can make Beef Bourguignon in a Red Wine Sauce. And that I NEED to Master the Art of French Cooking. Maybe I should enroll in some cooking classes?? I give this movie a A.

About the time I finished watching my movie Kenny came home!!! I was so happy to see him because he had been gone for a long time. He tried to relax a little bit while I got some dips and things ready to have Susan and Andrew over to watch the Saints game. Oh my goodness that game was soooo intense. Susan grew up in New Orleans and we all of course wanted the Saints to win so bad. When it was tied with a minute left and the Vikings were about to score we thought it was over. So sick to our stomachs. But we got so lucky and that turnover and that field goal sealed the deal. SAINTS ARE GOING TO THE SUPERBOWL!!!!! CANNOT WAIT!!!!

So looking back over this post. I basically watched and ate my way through the weekend and it was wonderful. A little boring and monotonous but wonderful. Here is what we are eating this week. Only a couple of recipes because we are busy the rest of the week.

MENU MONDAY
Sunday- Crack Dip( best and easiest dip ever recipe Below) and Susan brought over taco soup served with Frito's,sour cream and Mexican cheese. Yum!!

Monday - Easy Slow Cooker Pot Roast

Tuesday - Make Mine a Mojito's Mexican Stuffed Shells. Recipe Below (She mentioned that this was her favorite recipe that her mom made up and I thought it sounded so good.) I am going to use ground turkey, reduced fat cheese, light sour cream, you get the idea. But I give her all the credit for this recipe. Excited to try it!

CRACK DIP- Named because you can't stop eating it. Like crack. Ha! I usually double this recipe because people love it so much.

2 Blocks of Cream Cheese

2lbs of Mild Sausage

2 cans of rotel tomatoes

Brown sausage and drain. Put into microwave safe bowl. Cube both blocks of cream cheese and add to the sausauge. Pour both cans of rotel tomatoes into bowl and heat in microwave until the dip is melted and combined. Stir every few minutes. So easy!!

Mexican Stuffed Shells (from Make Mine a Mojito)

Ingredients:
1 pound ground beef
1 medium-sized yellow onion finely chopped
1 packet taco seasoning
1 package of cream cheese
1 box of jumbo pasta shells
1 10 oz. or 16 oz. can enchilada sauce (mild, medium, or hot) depending on how much sauce you like
1 bunch scallions diced
1 package Mexican cheese blend
Diced tomato for garnish

Directions:

Cook the jumbo shell pasta in boiling water. Drain when al dente. Set aside to cool.

Sautee onions and beef in a skillet over medium-high heat. When the onions are translucent and the meat is cooked through, add the packet of taco seasoning. Stir well. Add the entire package of cream cheese and allow it to melt into the beef mixture. Allow the mixture to cool.

Then stuff a heaping spoonful of the beef mixture into one of the cooked jumbo shells. Place the filled shell in a baking dish. Repeat this process until all of the beef mixture is gone.

On top of the shells in the baking dish pour the enchilada sauce. Sprinkle the diced tomato and scallion on top of the shells. Cover the shells with Mexican cheese.

Bake on 350 degree for 30-40 minutes until the shells are warm in the center and the cheese is melted.

KING CAKES

So a conversation that I was following and participating in on Twitter got me (scuse my country talk for a moment) hankerin for a King Cake. And people started chiming in on who made their favorite King Cake.

Being from Hattiesburg, MS. Yes home of the Tiger Woods Sex Rehab. Can you believe it!! Tiger Woods went to Hattiesburg MS for rehab!!! Thanks for putting us on the map Tiger. Anyway back to the very serious subject at hand. Hattiesburg is only a very short drive from the coast and a couple hours from NOLA. Which lets some of that Mardi Gras fever make its way up to us. And because we have good King Cakes at our disposal I have extremely high standards. A grocery store King cake just will not do.

My absolute favorite King Cakes hail from a place called Paul's Pastry. These are to die for and now I NEEEEED ONE!!!. Anyone want to send me one??? My favorite is the blueberry filling with cream cheese. Yes I said cream cheese!!! For me to truly enjoy a King cake it has to have cream cheese. The standard ones are just okay while more authentic.

My friend Mego(short for Megan pictured here on the left.) lives on the Mississippi Gulf Coast and has season tickets to the Saints game so I trust her opinion! Go Saints!!! She says that Haydel's Bakery makes her favorite King Cake. I looked at them online and they have cream cheese King Cakes too. So they have my stamp of approval too.

Anyway had to share since I have the sweet morsels on the brain now. And to say one more time that I hope that the Saints go all the way!!! Who makes your favorite King Cake??

IDOL

So who is watching this season?? I have loved this show since the first season but I am ready to admit that the episodes so far this year have been somewhat lackluster. It is because Paula is gone? Is it because I know Simon will be gone next year and then I will officially stop watching it.

I am ready for Ellen to get here. I adore Ellen and can't wait to hear her sarcastic quips regarding the contestants performances. I am hoping the season gets better once the actual competition starts because right now I feel like I am just watching fake auditions.

The only people that have caught my attention so far(besides all the TN people that are mortifying) are the people with the sad stories. Last night I loved the guy who had the autistic son who sang the "Someone To Watch Over Me" a song that I love. Or the girl who sings to her grandmother who has Alzheimer's. But I want some new undiscovered talent. It seems so far everyone they have given the golden ticket to sounds the same.

I will end my American Idol rant here. But right now I just hope it gets better. Since this is my last season anyway I would like it to be a good one. I'm going to miss Simon.

WHO DAT

This was the balcony across from our balcony at the hotel.  It was someones home and I was a little obsessed with how he decorated it. I just loved all the details.  And if you are wondering how I knew it was a man... well Saturday morning we saw him in there in his matching set of cowboy and horse pajamas. True story.

This weekend I hopped in the car with a bunch of girls to go to New Orleans for a bachelorette party. And all I can say is thank goodness I had yesterday off. I am still so tired and worn out but it was so much fun!

When Rachael the bachelorette picked the weekend she had no way of knowing that this weekend would be the playoff game vs. the Cardinals for the Saints. Which if you are from Mississippi, Louisiana, or just the south in general this is a HUGE deal. Having the game and all the people in town just made the weekend more fun.

On Friday night we went to a restaurant called Rockin Sake. I normally hate sake but this place had flavored sakes. So we got the lychee. Yum!!! It was so delicious. So we ordered a couple more bottles. And they also had this roll called the LSU roll that was to die for. If you ever go there...get it!!

After dinner we stopped in a little restaurant for an after drink before going to a bar to dance.

On Saturday morning we went and got beignets to go from the famous Cafe Du Monde and had mimosas and had Rachaels lingerie shower. She got a bunch of cute stuff. Afterwards we all got dressed to go watch the Saints game at a bar.

After Saints whooped that behind.My friend Megan in the picture above on the right was sooo excited.  They have season tickets and she is a big Saints fan.  She will get to go this weekends playoff game. We went back to the hotel and got ready to go out. We all wore black, gold, and hot pink. Tracy had made cute little mardi gras masks and other fun favors.Megan and I were trying ours out.

We all went to dinner at Crescent City Brewhouse where the food was divine. And then of course we hit up Bourbon. Bourbon was soooo packed but such good people watching. This guy literally showed up. Dipped a few people including the bachelorette and then disappeared. It was so random. But he was a really good dipper.

It really was such a fun weekend.  And I cannot wait to get back to New Orleans.  I love that city so much.  My friend Susan is getting married there in May and I have already book a room for an extra night so that Kenny and I can have a little vacay.  In the meantime I will be cheering on the Saints.  Hope they go all the way!!!

I'M YOUR BIGGEST FAN

I have a slightly new obsession. I looove Lady Gaga. It all started with her breakout hit "Just Dance" and then it was "Poker Face" and "Paparazzi" and now I just can't stop listening to "Bad Romance." I have her album and I really love the entire thing.

Yes I know she dresses really outlandishly. And yes her performances are beyond bizarre. But I kind of like all that. It is like I was telling a friend, it really is no different than Madonna wearing a cone bra and setting things on fire in the 80's. Plus I like the theatrical side of her performances. The girl can dance and her videos are crazy. But it all just contributes to the artist that she has created which is meant to be a spectacle. Is it going to do down in history for being monumental. No. But it is fun! And her music is REALLY fun.

Love this video for Bad Romance. It is so weird and crazy! (Click below)

BAD ROMANCE VIDEO

ITS BAAAAACK

Yep I am back to doing this blogging thing and you know what that means. Menu Monday. Hooray!! ( I'm sure you all share my enthusiasm right??)

I had a great weekend. Friday night Kenny and I stayed in minus the really quick trip to Blockbuster. It was just soooo cold out I could not imagine doing anything else. So we watched District 9. I have decided that I might officially be a sci-fi nerd when it comes to movies, but this movie was not my cup of tea. Granted I was fighting off sleep for the last 45 minutes so I don't remember all of it. But it was not what I expected. It did keep our attention and we both just thought it was okay. I would give it a C-.

On Saturday, I had a lunch date with my friend Christin at Old Venice. We enjoyed a delicious lunch and a Bellini. I used to drink Bellini's in college at Old Venice and had not had one since college. It was so good. After lunch we ran a few errands and went to a few stores. It was a fun afternoon.

On Saturday night I had a low key girls night out planned with some girlfriends. We went to Salsa for cheese dip and Margaritas. This is my favorite thing to do!!! Our waitress was awesome and left us alone to just drink and eat our way through many baskets of chips and TWO things of cheese dip while we talked! So much fun! And then afterwards we had to stop by Muddy's Bake Shop. Tracy had never been before so we had to introduce her. It was packed but we managed to get a table and all split a different type of cupcake. I of course brought a box home.

Yesterday, I grocery shopped and we watched some of the Wild Card games. It was such a relaxing Sunday and then last night I was so excited because it was the season premiere of Big Love. One of my favorite shows! It really was such a good weekend. Perfect balance of relaxing and socializing.

And now, what everyone has been waiting on.

MENU MONDAY
Sunday- Slow Cooker Pepper Steak served over white rice

Monday - Barbecue-Stuffed Potatoes served with green beans

Tuesday - Leftovers for Kenny- Dinner out for me

Wednesday - Fresh Tomato, Sausage Pecorino Pasta

Thursday - Leftovers

Friday - I leave for New Orleans for a Bachelorette Party. Yay!  So Kenny's bacheloring it up. He's on his own! Ha!

WINTER.....YUCK

So one of my friends just sent me this and it cracked me up. Now granted, it is freakin freezing here. I am already soooooo over winter. I am counting down the days until Spring! (heck even March) It is 10 degrees and feel like it is below 0. Which is so cold for the south. But the South tends to get a little overwhelmed by a little wintry mix.

Warning! Warning!

A snowflake drifted through the jet stream from Iowa and attempted to
land near Nashville. Avoid the area!!!

TDOT has responded with 6 snow plows that were able to surround the
flake.

They hit it with flame throwers and did melt it before it struck the
ground however.

They are now working with a Shop Vac to remove moisture before it
freezes.

33,000 metric tons of salt have also be applied in the general area as a
precaution.

In other news....

A freak salt storm has been reported in the parking areas and sidewalks
around Dell in Nashville.

Walking and driving is hazardous due to the accumulation of salt which
has made walkways slippery due to its round granular shape.

LET'S GO TO THE MOVIES

Hope everyone had a great New Year holiday. I did not take pictures of our little get together. But we had so much fun. I drank waaaay to much champagne and lets just say our competitive game of Catch Phrase made the night. Since then Kenny and I have been trying to stay warm during this cold snap and even snow today!!!

Over the Christmas holidays (we had over a week off) we saw ALOT of movies, some old on DVD and some in theaters. We are a big movie watching couple anyway but I would say we watched more than average in the last few weeks. So here is a rundown!

INVICTUS - Starring Morgan Freeman and Matt Damon. This movie is about rugby, South Africa, and Nelson Mandella. I still know absolutely nothing about Rugby. Nothing. Except for Matt Damon is really really cute as a blonde and in a rugby uniform. But the movie was good. (a little slow) I will give it a solid B.

STAR TREK- To this movie's own credit. I fell asleep during this one. But having never seen a single minute of a Star Trek it was okay. I was totally lost but that fellow that plays Kirk is quite handsome. I give it a C.

SHERLOCK HOLMES - Robert Downey Jr. sure has had quite the comeback. And not to mention I am absolutely obsessed with Rachel McAdams. There was a good plot and lots of action in this movie and of course they set it up for a sequel. Even Jude Law as Watson did not bother me in this flick. I normally do not care for his movies. I give it an A.

REVOLUTIONARY ROAD- Starring Kate Winslet and Leo DeCaprio. (Jack and Rose!!!) I know this movie is old news but I just watched it on HBO from start to finish and I have to say that it is really sticking with me. It is about the demise of a marriage and very sad. But thought provoking and you can't help holding out hope because after all its the reunion of Jack and Rose. (not really) This made me officially in love with Kate Winslet! Love her. I give this movie a -A.

AVATAR- I can't believe that we actually stood in line for this movie New Moon style. I felt like such a nerd. Every showing was sold out. But it was worth it. If you have even the slightest interest in this movie you have to go see it in theatres because I am afraid the effects and the movie just won't be the same at home. The effects are amazing and the story is predictable but draws you in. I would go see it again. A

PUBLIC ENEMIES- Starring Johnny Depp. A gangster style movie where Depp plays the bad guy quite well. You still like him. However this movie is very violent. A lot of people get killed. B

MY SISTERS KEEPER- I hated this movie. As a fan of Jodi Piccoult's books this movie was such a disappointment. It was nothing like the book and they completely changed the ending. No bueno!! D

THE UGLY TRUTH- Cant even really review this one because we took it out after 5 minutes. Terrible is an understatement. F

RACHEL GETTING MARRIED - Starring Anne Hathaway. This one is old too. But I just now watched it. I really like it and Anne Hathaway did a phenomenal job. It is a bit slow and parts of it I found to very odd. It of course takes place during a wedding weekend but this wedding is very strange and offbeat. It left me asking do people really have weddings like these?? C

DEFIANCE - Starring Daniel Craig and Liev Shreiber. This movie takes place during World War II and those movies are generally hard to watch but leave you thinking. Kenny and I both liked it and it kept us on the edge of our seats. A


Okay, so like I said we have watched ALOT of movies. This isn't even all of them. Ha!!!

NEW YEARS AND RESOLUTIONS

So NYE really isn't my favorite holiday but the last couple of years we have done low key things and I find that to be a lot of fun.

So our plans for tomorrow are to go over to a friends house. She is making dinner. I am bringing lots of appetizers and the ingredients to make this delicious champagne punch. And the other attendees will bring the rest of the things needed. So low stress and relaxing and so fun. It is what we did last year and I am looking forward to it. If a wild hair strikes we might stop by a close by bar but there are no real plans. I will try to take pictures of the festivities.

Then for the rest of the weekend, Kenny and I want to go see Avatar. I know, kind of nerdy but I heard it is really good and we both love going to movies. We are also going to spend some of Christmas money and gift cards and go shopping. Excited about my four day weekend.

RESOLUTIONS
-I am going to try and get back on the blogging train. I have totally been slacking. I just haven't felt like I had anything to say. But i forget that I do this so that Kenny and I can look back at the things that we did together and our day to day lives. So who cares if it is interesting to anyone else. So I am going to try and be better.

- I am going to continue to eat well and lose weight. I have lost 20lbs in the last few months and could not be happier with loss. So I just want to keep going! And maybe I should throw some exercise in with that. But I really hate exercising. It is so much more fun to eat.

- Be more spontaneous and not worry so much. Life is a gift and I need to stop worrying about whether we are prepared for the future and live for today.

- Enjoy my friends more. Plan more trips,dinners, girls nights, etc. and get to know new people and make new friends.

2009 was a good year that was full of change and new oppurtunities. Can't wait to see what all 2010 will bring.

HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!!

MERRY CHRISTMAS

So I know I haven't been doing too well at this blogging thing. I will try to do better next year which is in about 14 days can you believe it???

Kenny and I have been thoroughly enjoying our holiday season. I finished my Christmas shopping by December 1 and I could not be happier about it. My time has not been spent running around like crazy. I have had time to relax, throw a few get togethers and watch a zillion Christmas movies. It has been heavenly.

I am so excited because Kenny and I will be doing our Lacey family Christmas(just he and I) Friday night. So presents are only two days away for me! I cannot wait to give Kenny his gifts. I hope I surprise him. We have a Christmas date night planned. We are going to go eat at an Italian restaurant and then walk through zoo lights before going home to open gifts.

Hope everyone else is enjoying their holiday season as much as we are.

MERRY CHRISTMAS!!!!

P.S. My friend Susan over at JPress Designs designed our Christmas card this year and I love it so much. Keep her in mind for next year or for any other event you have coming up. She is great at what she does and so easy to work with!

THANKSGIVING WEEKEND IN NUMBERS

2- Number of people that attended the Lacey family Thanksgiving. Kenny and me. It was heavenly.

4- The amount of times I cried during the first half of the movie The Blind Side. Looooved that movie and want to see it again. It was so good.

2- How many times we have watched Christmas Vacation already. Not to mention I have already watched The Family Stone once, every silly Christmas movie on the Family Channel and Lifetime. We have also watched Elf, and Santa Clause 2 and a few others. We like Christmas movies.

1- the amount of Egg Bowls I have ever been too. This past weekend was my first Egg Bowl. Can you believe it!!!! And what a fun one to go to!!

41-27 The score for MSU vs. Ole Miss. We beat their tails. It was soooo much fun! I think after this weekend I might be a tad obsessed with Dan Mullen. And I decided that he is reeeeaallly cute when he smiles.

3- times that we have eaten Thanksgiving dinner. Once on Thursday and a few more times for leftovers. We still have food left. Not complaining at all. It is all so delicious!

9- as in 9:00 pm. The time that Kenny and I fell asleep both Friday and Saturday night. To our credit we both worked on Friday and then Saturday we woke up at 5:00 am to make it to Starkville.

1- Present that I have left to buy on my Christmas list and I am officially DONE Christmas shopping! Hooray!!

WEEKEND IN STARKVILLE

This past weekend Kenny and I FINALLY made it down to Starkville to see the Bulldogs face off against Alabama. And while it wasn't the outcome we had hoped we still had a fantastic time.

We woke up EARLY Saturday morning and got on the road. We had big plans of hitting up The Grill before making our way over to the tailgate. We were definitely the first people in the door when they opened. Ha! We enjoyed our cheese sticks, and other appetizers and maybe a couple of mimosas (Ha!) while we watched the Ole Miss game. I love the Grill so much. After hanging out there for a while we headed on campus to meet up with friends at the tailgate. We had so much fun and it was such a beautiful day. Kenny and I still can't get over how much Game days have changed. The tailgating is craaazy and there is just so much energy. And the game was packed and that jumbo tron is ridiculous. We think we want to buy season tickets for next year so we will see.















Ummm so I had never heard about this lady but some of the guys were super excited about spotting her. I gather she is a University of Alabama YouTube phenomena. Google her. Her name is Ramp Lady and she screams really really loud. Which I would of rather not heard her demonstrate.


AND SOME OTHER THOUGHTS SINCE ITS BEEN A WHILE SINCE I BLOGGED::
• Definitely kicked off my Christmas Music listening yesterday and I am thrilled. I jut could not hold out any longer. I am soooo excited about the holidays. Yesterday I completed probably 80% of my Christmas shopping. My goal is to be done the first week of Christmas so that I can really enjoy the holidays and not be going crazy in the stores. I am also waiting for my extremely cute Christmas cards to come so that I can start addressing those and I am about to send out my invites for my Christmas party this week. I am on the ball! Now I just need to start wrapping!

• NEW MOON IS THIS WEEK!!!!! I already have my ticket bought and a girls night planned that includes sushi, movie and then maybe an ice cream so we can discuss afterwards. Am I a 13 year old. No. Am I on Team Jacob???? YES!

• I made Lifetimer in Weight Watchers last week! I am so excited and to date have lost 16lbs!

• Last night I watched Nights in Rodanthe. It was kind of weird. Richard Gere is HOT.(still)

TELL THE TEACHERS

I know everyone always says to make sure you tell the people that you love that you love them because you never know if it could be the last time. I just found out that a professor I was close to in college as were many many many other students were, passed away yesterday and I am heartbroken.

I am heartbroken at the loss of life and I am heartbroken that we had lost touch in the last couple of years. She had been battling cancer when I graduated and last I had heard was doing better. I had emailed and spoken to her briefly after moving to Memphis to let her know that I had landed the job that I wanted and I owed so much of it to her. She had been my advisor when I had strayed off my educational path and I had taken every class that she taught in my four years of being there. Totaling seven classes with her as my teacher all of them having to do with my major(which I loved). I loved her for shooting it to me straight and pulling out my talents as she did for so many other students. She was an amaaazing teacher and I am filled with regret at not having told her what she meant to me.

Tell your loved ones that they impact your life......but tell your teachers, role models, mentors and even your college advisors that they meant something to you too.

We will miss you Lora.

WEEKEND RECAP AND MENU MONDAY

Hope everyone had a very Happy Halloween. I had a very low key weekend because I sent Kenny off to Austin, Texas to see his favorite band play with a bunch of his friends for his birthday. He had an absolute blast and dressed up as a cowboy for Halloween. When in Texas do what the Texans do...right?

On Friday night I went to dinner with Tracy where I ordered an obscene amount of sushi. I have a serious self control problem when it comes to ordering sushi. After dinner we ran to the grocery store because I needed to pick some things up for my Junior League shift the next morning. We did talk about how old we are. I mean really. Dinner and grocery shopping on a Friday night. Ha!

Saturday morning I had two Junior League Merry Marketplace Shifts back to back. Uggg. One I worked in the hospitality suite and another was for my Kids in the Kitchen placement. We were doing food demonstrations. After being there since 7:30 AM i went home and napped for 4 hours. I never nap. I was soooo tired.

Saturday night I met up with Christin and JR where we gave out candy to trick or treater at their house, watched The Exorcist (really fast forwarded to all the good parts) and then went to a local bar for some food, drinks and a little karaoke. It was low key and wonderful.

Sunday, I picked Kenny up from the airport and then we napped during a little football. It was heavenly. It seemed like I napped through most of my weekend. I did manage to make a delicious and low fat casserole for dinner. Can yall believe its November????? Time to start planning our Thanksgiving menu.

Here is what is on the Menu for the week.

SUNDAY - Taco Casserole served with corn and green beans (this is from the past menus but I just now got around to making it) WW- 6pts per serving

MONDAY- Baked Shrimp & Grits served with a side salad and a Dijon lemon vinaigrette.

WW-8pts per serving

TUESDAY - Taco Casserole leftovers

WEDNESDAY - Ultimate Chicken Fingers served with new potatoes and broccoli 

WW- 3pts for 3 chicken fingers

THURSDAY - Shrimp and Grits leftovers

BACK TO THE GRIND

I started feeling bad last weekend and by Tuesday I was in bed. Not sure if it was a cold or virus but I am pretty sure that it was not the Swine. Which I almost wish it was just so that I could be done with it. But after two whole days of watching every horror movie on TV along with a marathon of that show A Haunting which I happen to love I am back to work. Although looking at the weather here in Memphis I should of just stayed in bed. It is sooooo gross here.

On a much much happier note! I was so pleased to see that as of today I have lost 15lbs!! I am so happy with my results and can't wait to get to my next goal!! I would like to lose at least another 10lbs. But we will see. If I were to lose 10 more I would be the smallest I have been in a loooooong time. Weight Watchers works! Ha!

Last night when Kenny got home we made plans to watch Poltergeist. One of my favorite Halloween movies ever. I love this movie! And for the entire seven years that Kenny and I have been together I try to get him to watch this movie every Halloween. Last night we FINALLY watched it. Annnnnnnd he hated it. How is that even possible. I looove that movie and think that it is such a Halloween classic.

I think in the next couple nights I want to watch a horror movie that I remember terrifying me when I was little that I noticed was listed on OnDemand. Sleepaway Camp II. Anyone ever seen it? Can you tell I love scary movies.

EDITED TO ADD: Okay so I watched Sleepaway Camp II last night and that movie was soooo different than the way I remembered it. It was so scary when I was younger but this time I found parts of it to be funny. The acting was horrible and overall the movie was very campy. It was demented and dirty and most of just weird. Will not be watching it again.

BIRTHDAY WEEKEND

So let me first say HAPPY BIRTHDAY KENNY!!!! This weekend was Kenny's birthday. So we made plans to relax and enjoy ourselves a little since we had been going non-stop.

Friday night Kenny and I went for a casual dinner date to Memphis Pizza Cafe. It was slammed but very delicious. Once we were done eating we headed home to meet my mom who was coming in town.

On Saturday Kenny had to work in the morning but had requested for my mom to make his favorite meal that she cooks and watch the Florida vs. State game. So while Kenny worked my mom and I ran errands. I ran into Vineyard Vines to buy him some hokies that he had wanted so that he would have something small to unwrap because I am sending him to Austin to see his favorite band for his big birthday present, but I couldn't resist getting him one of their new college polos that has the Mississippi State Bulldog on the chest. Then we grabbed lunch and swung by Muddy's Cupcakes to get the birthday boy some cupcakes. The New Yorker is his favorite. Chocolate cake with cream cheese icing. All of their cupcakes are so good though!!!

Saturday night my sister came over and we watched the Bulldogs hang in there with Florida. We played our hearts out even if we did lose.

Sunday morning Kenny had requested a country breakfast with country ham (which I have never cooked before). I found him the biggest piece of country ham you have ever seen. It was so big that he cut a big piece of it off to put in a biscuit as a snack for later. We were helping my mom load her car when I came back into the kitchen to find that the ham that was on the plate was now gone. Lena ate Kenny's ham. How selfish! Ha! Guess dogs don't understand birthdays.

Sunday night we went to see Paranormal Activity. It was really good. I can't say that I was as terrified in the theatre as I was for The Ring or even as scared as I was during the strangers but parts of Paranormal Activity were incredibly creepy and Kenny and I both were jumpy when we got home.

And today Kenny and I both have colds. We came down with them over the weekend. Heres to hoping its not the Swine.

Here is what we are having to eat this week. I found a great website that had casseroles with WW points. So they are all from that site this week.

MENU MONDAY
Monday - Beef Stroganoff with a side salad and a lemon Dijon vinaigrette.

Tuesday - Taco Casserole

Wednesday - Pulled Pork sandwiches served with corn on the cob

Thursday - Taco Casserole leftovers

HALLOWEEN (the parts I like)

Halloween. I love it. But there are definitely parts of it that I like more than others.

My least favorite part really is the whole dressing up and costumes mumbo jumbo. I just don't really enjoy costumes. In college(Starkville) you went to this second hand place where you payed money to rent these used costumes and then you had to return them in your hungover stupor the next day before you had to pay more money. State people what was the name of this place? That lady was crazy as all get out. And honestly those costumes were so disgusting. Think about it. Sweat, alcohol and who knows what else.....yuck. I also don't enjoy wearing costumes because they always seem to be itchy and uncomfortable, especially when props are involved. Not to mention the time and money it takes to pull them together. And please do not even get me started on the skankified versions of costumes they have now. I know I sound like a spoil sport and its not to say you won't see me dressed up this year. Just not my favorite part.

My favorite most favoritest part of Halloween and I mean big time is the spooky stuff. I have been obsessed with ghosts stories, scary movies, haunted houses and stuff like that since I was younger and I still love that aspect of Halloween. I love the scary movies on TV. ( I already tivoed some thing on Bravo: 13 Most Horrifying Moments of Scary Movies) I love pulling out my copy of Poltergeist and watching it. This morning, on the radio station I listen to, they were talking about whether you believed in ghosts and people were calling in and telling their stories. I could listen to that all day. I love hearing people's ghost stories. I like to get goosebumps when things get creepy. I am dying to see that movie Paranormal Activity. I heard it is soooo scary and think that would be the perfect thing to get in the Halloween mood.

Other things I do not mind about Halloween:
Fun Size Dark Chocolate Milky Ways
Fun Size Snickers
Reese's Peanut Butter Cups
Fun Size M&Ms
Fun Size Kit Kats
Fun Size Twix
Candy Corn

DO YOU KNOW ANYBODY?

I need help finding someone who makes T-shirt quilts. I finally got the motivation to go through all of our drawers and even ventured into the attic to try and find all of our fraternity and sorority t-shirts. This is something I have been meaning to do for a while considering we have been out of college for a while, and we just keep wearing these t-shirts around the house or to sleep in making them more worn out. I was pleased with the amount that we managed to keep and was really excited when I found the trash bag in the attic that I suspected had a lot of Kenny's old t-shirts actually had a lot of the main parties and formals and what I was missing. Now I am just excited that we will have this to look at when we get old. Ha!

So! I have looked on Etsy and I have seen a few people who make the quilts but I am really nervous about sending the T-shirts off to someone I do not know. I mean it took 4 long years to collect all these t-shirts(alright maybe a couple of extra semesters) and I would hate to lose them. Has anyone had a quilt made or know somebody that has one? Or maybe you know someone who makes them. I just want to have some kind of connection or testimonial to the product ya know. I would appreciate any help!

I had a very uneventful weekend. Kenny has been out of town since Tuesday and is finally coming back today!!! Snaps!!! Finally!!! And I was supposed to go to Jackson for a friend of mines shower but my plans fell through. So on Friday I was the epitome of old and went grocery shopping and ordered out sushi for myself and watched a movie.

On Saturday I had a hair appointment which I desperately needed and then went to get a manicure and pedicure with my friend Mollie. Later that night she cooked and we watched football at her house with some other people. It was a lot of fun. Sunday, I literally watched Lifetime movies alllllll day. So pathetic. So ready for Kenny to get home. In my spare time I did manage to do a little meal planning for this week. So here is what we are having. Still doing Weight Watchers so all WW recipes.

MENU MONDAY
MONDAY - Weight Watcher Broccoli and Cheese Soup with buttered toast (for Kenny) and Oreo Pie for dessert. I made the Oreo Pie with healthier choices and got the points down a good bit.

TUESDAY - WW Stuffed Peppers with a side salad

WEDNESDAY- Broccoli and Cheese Soup leftovers

THURSDAY- WW Sweet and Sour Chicken served over Rice.

FRIDAY - Leftovers or go out

MINT

Mint.com just might be the bomb.com. That's right. I said it! Ha!  It is my new discovery and to say that I am a wee bit obsessed would be an understatement. Have yall heard of it?

Here is how they describe themselves:
In five minutes or less, you’ll see where you’re spending your money, understand how your investments are performing, and set up realistic budgets. Set up email and SMS alerts and you’ll be automatically updated whenever there’s an important change in your finances. Only Mint.com finds you personalized ways to save money, using patent-pending software which analyzes your current spending. The typical Mint.com user finds $1,000 in savings in their first visit. Learn more about our award-winning service.

Mint is a website that allows you to upload any and every financial account you have and in turn categorizes all your spending and creates a budget for you. I know that this is similar to Quicken and other software programs but this one really takes the fuss out of it all. This really plays to my personality. I love to see where it is all going and I love that it sets an amount of money for me budget wise for each category without me having to worry about it. If we go over we go over and it will adjust for next time. Love it!  

WEEKEND RECAP

Well the rain FINALLY stopped here in Memphis and I am pleased as punch. It rained for two weeks straight but this gorgeous weather we are having now is almost worth it. Not to mention that it makes for great hair days. Kenny and I had a really nice and relaxing weekend.

Friday night we grabbed some dinner at Humdingers (which I love) because they have some healthier options and I can do my best to count points there. Then after dinner we went to see the movie Surrogates. I am kind of a nerd and love Sci-Fi movies and thought the premise looked really interesting. Kenny and I both really liked it. As we were standing in line we watched two huge charter buses pull up and drop off the entire Memphis Football team and their coaching staff. They all went to see Surrogates with us too. Ha!

Saturday morning I had a Junior League event for my placement of Kids In the Kitchen. The event was at the Memphis Children's museum and went really well. Once that was over I rushed home to watch the rest of the State game with Kenny. Tracy ended up coming over and watching the second half with us. All I have to say is GO BULLDOGS!!! We played amazingly and I am becoming a huge fan of Dan Mullen. We actually have an offensive team this year and it is so exciting to watch. I was heartbroken at the outcome of the game because we were just so close to winning but I am so encouraged by how well we played!

Saturday night we met up with our friends Susan and Andrew for dinner at Pete and Sam's with our bottles of wine in hand. This was our first time to eat there. I know I know. It was so good and we had such a good time. So after consuming our bottles we decided that we needed to have after dinner drinks and headed for Brookhaven Pub. And......after that Dan McGuiness for a little karaoke. Good times but definitely felt the effects of the night all day Sunday. It has been a while since Kenny and I had a night out like that. Ha!

Yesterday we just enjoyed being lazy and Kenny finally got a chance to work on the yard since the rain had prevented us from mowing for two straight weeks. It needed it! Then I cooked a couple of chicken pot pies that I was supposed to make during the week and my sister and her roomie came over for dinner. So since we got busy a couple nights last week my Menu Monday is a lot of the same stuff this week.

MENU MONDAY
SUNDAY - For lunch I made Potato Soup*. It was a weight watchers recipe. Very good and easy. And then last night the Chicken Pot Pie recipe from last week. This recipe was sooooo easy and very healthy. Lots of veggies.

MONDAY - Junior League meeting so leftovers

TUESDAY - Taco Soup recipe from last week. See link below.

WEDNESDAY - Shrimp Boil with new potatos and corn on the cob

THURSDAY - Leftovers

*POTATO SOUP
Weight Watchers points: 2 points per serving (1 cup each)

Ingredients (for 10 servings):
16 oz Ore Ida Style Hashbrowns
4 Cans FF low sodium chicken broth
1 envelope McCormick country gravy mix
1-2 onions chopped
1 clove garlic - minced

How to prepare the hashbrown potato soup:
Spray nonstick pan w/Pam and saute onion and garlic. Add hashbrowns & cook till tender.
Transfer to large stock pan.
Add 3 cans chicken broth and bring to boil. Add 4th can of broth and gravy mix, whisking gravy mix into soup.
Bring to a boil and simmer for a bit.

I'M A SUCKER FOR....

GLEE!!!!!

Well it is Wednesday night and despite the many many many shows that I manage to keep up with. (seriously I might have a problem) I am totally and completely infatuated with GLEE! I love this show. Have yall been watching?

I love all the musical numbers and have downloaded all of them from Itunes. I love how they just break into song. Like when Rachel sang Rhianna's song "Take A Bow" a couple of episodes ago. So good! I love the cute actor who plays the Spanish teacher turned Glee Club sponsor who can sing and dance to boot. And the writing and humor in this show are top notch.

Cannot wait for tonight!

HELLO THERE

Sooooooo......I have been a little MIA. Don't really have an explanation. Here are some things that have been going on:

• Kenny and I drove down to Waveland, MS with our friends Joe and Tracy to spend the long weekend with our friends Megan and Patrick who just finished building their house down there. It was an amazing time and I want to go back. I am still hoping to do an entire post on this trip because we had so much fun and took lots of pictures.

• My sister moved to Memphis for grad school and Kenny and I are so excited to have her here.

• We joined the church that we have been visiting for the last few months and we are so pleased to have found a church home.

• Kenny went to Las Vegas for market and stayed at the New York New York. He will go twice a year. I got a phone call while he was looking for some souvenirs and he said...."Everything here is just so tacky." Ha. Well yea. It is Vegas.

•FOOTBALL SEASON HAS STARTED AND THE BULLDOGS ARE 2-1! We are actually scoring and playing offense and we are flying our Mississippi State flag proudly. We also really hope to make it to some games this season.

• My best friend Stefanie and her husband Conrad had their baby, Conrad Patrick on Saturday morning. I am so excited for them and can't wait to make a trip out to Raleigh to see them.

• And after having a really sad day one day I joined Weight Watchers and I am loving it. Tomorrow will be my fifth weigh in. And I have lost around 11lbs. So I am feeling great!!! I like going to the meetings because weigh in is such an accountability thing for me. Even though only one person sees it. It still matters to me if I do not have a loss because I feel like a failure.

And now because it is Monday and I have not meal planned in months (literally) here is

MENU MONDAY!!!
SUNDAY- Went over to Christin and J.R.'s for make your own pizza night and NFL football. It was delicious and so fun. During the day I went ahead and made our Monday night dinner, and also cooked and chopped the chicken for another recipe. I am on the ball.

MONDAY - CHICKEN AND SPINACH LASAGNA 11 WW points per serving

TUESDAY - Have a Weight Watchers Meeting and a Junior League meeting so leftovers it is! 

WEDNESDAY- CHICKEN POT PIE ( My friend made this a week or two ago and said it was so awesome and so easy.) 7 WW for 1/4 of recipe.

THURSDAY - TACO SOUP 2 WW points per cup.

FRIDAY - Leftovers