Random Roundup

1. Thursday night Justin went with friends to the Jimmy Buffett concert in the Woodlands. He had a great time...but I had even better time. I had a quiet house all to myself to do some much needed organizing/straightening. I wouldn't say I am a clean freak but I do really enjoy a tidy house and mine had gotten out of control. After my tidying I even found some time to work on some unfinished sewing projects. Yeah for me. I am on a deadline to get things completed since we are leaving for Nebraska this coming Thursday.

2. Haley had her 15 month check up this week. She has never really had any problems with the doctor's office in the past but today was a new story. She cried and screamed and generally did not want to do what I needed her to do. Lay still, let them measure you...lay still, let them poke you with needles...now that I think of it I hate the doctor's office too. Haley is weighing in these days right at 24 lbs. I was somewhat shocked at this since I was sure she weighed 50 lbs already. Ha.

3. All I can say is...

I ran in my third 5K this weekend at the Geronimo Duckfest and I won!! I am going to take all the congratulations even if they aren't entirely justified. I mean I did win 3rd place in my age division (20-29) but I got beat by every single one of my "teammates". By teammates I mean my dad, Erin and Chris. I am okay with getting beat...all I really care about is crossing the finish line in one piece...which I did. Yeah for me.

Yeah for Erin too since she won third in her division. Yeah for Chris for completing his first 5K and not rubbing it in how much faster he was than me. And yeah for my dad who completed the 5K with his best time ever of 27.25!

4. This week, along with my husband's help, I completed another quick little project. I used an old spindle I bought awhile back at a junk/antique store and made a stand for my necklaces. Nothing too fancy but I think it fits nicely on my vanity and it is much prettier than the shoe box I had been keeping my jewelry in.

5. Haley new word for the week...diaper. It is absolutely hilarious. The entire time I am changing her she chants "diaper. diaper. diaper.". I can't help but smile and think that she is a genius. Haha.

Have a great week!

Ta-da

Check out what I made! Remember the fabric I posted yesterday? Well this was the perfect project for it. What do you guys think?

It was originally going to be a new school bag for Haley however it ended up being way too big...so it is now a new craft bag. I love it and have already started planning all the variations I can make. Anyone need a new bag?

In the Works

This fabric is a little more contemporary than I am typically drawn to however I had just the project for it.

Stay tuned for completed project photos...which I am quite pleased with (toot-toot).

Just to Brighten Your (my) Day

Last Sunday when Justin went fishing Haley and I decided to make pizza rolls for dinner. It was a new recipe and quite good. Haley couldn't get enough of them and absolutely loved the pizza sauce. By the time we were done she was dirty from head to toe. Instead of trying to clean her up I just took her outside and rinsed her in the sprinkler. She wasn't too sure about that one but was easily appeased with play time in her wagon.While she was playing I snapped a few phots that I think turned out pretty cute.

This picture is by far my favorite...if you ignore the fact that she still has pizza remains on her belly and that there is a weird green mold growing on our back porch. Ha.

Random Roundup

1. We went straight from walking to gymnastics. Haha. Check out Haley on the trampoline. She loved it. I felt bad for the other kiddos waiting in line for their turn cause she wasn't about to stop without a tantrum. Haha.


2. For anyone who missed my only post all week...I cheated and linked to my sister. It was a bad week.

3. Haley has added the following words (or some variation) to her growing vocabulary:

banana
Elmo
moo (like a cow)
cookie

In case anyone was wondering...I think she is amazing! She has also become really good at pointing. I think we might have been a little behind on this accomplishment but that is only because I didn't know she should have been doing it. I really need to read more books about how to be a mommy, maybe something with a checklist. Haha.

4. Justin went fishing twice this weekend. No luck on the fish but I think he had a pretty good time. He went out in the kayak on Saturday and then wade fishing on Sunday.

Big shocker alert...I am already tired of fishing season.

5. We cleaned the garage this weekend. Of all the rooms in the house this one really is our catch all. It is a room always in limbo...stuff to go to the attic, projects we are working on, Justin's fishing gear. It seems like we give it a good thorough cleaning about every 3 months or so. The big difference about this time was that we made room for my car. I get to park inside now! I am so excited! Yeah for me!

I Am Lazy

I am being blog-lazy this week. Surprising even to myself since our weekend was packed full of fun events.

So to prove just how lazy I am being...

Go check out the details of our weekend as told by my lovely sister at Our Wacky World.

Random Roundup

1. Haley had her very first homework assignment due this week. I was actually quite flabbergasted when it came home with Justin since I wasn't aware that she would have after hours work to complete. I may be exaggerating just a little considering it was just a all about me poster but still. It was basically just a list of questions that Justin and I had to fill out and send back to school. The reason I am writing about it is because I found some of the questions to be quite ridiculous since she is only 14 months old. Here are the questions and Haley's (my) answers.

Your Name: Haley Kate Buskirk
Your Age: One
Favorite Food: Cheese
Favorite Color: Pink
Favorite Animal: Duck
What do you look like: picture
Your family: picture
Your favorite place: home
Your favorite thing to do: play outside
**What you want to be when you grow up: zookeeper**ridiculous
**If you could have one wish what would it be: more toys**even more ridiculous

Those last two were the real doozies. I was stumped for days about what to write and hated my answers as soon as I wrote them. I tried to be as generic as possible so it wouldn't come back to bite me years from now when she is a teenager.

2. Saturday morning Erin and I ran in the Pearland Pearun 5K. I was quite impressed with myself (not to sound conceited) because I was able to cut 7 minutes from my last race and I ran the entire way without stopping. Yea me! There is still tons of room for improvement but 31 minutes and 24 seconds isn't too bad. I was actually 6th place out of 28 ladies in my age division.

We have another race on the schedule in two weeks and I am going to try and get down to 30 minutes. Wish me luck.

3. Happy Mommy's Day to me. I got to sleep late! I got to eat pancakes! I got a pedicure! I got speakers for my iPhone. I had a wonderful day...best mother's day ever!

4. Saturday I spent the day picking strawberries and making jam with my mom, Erin, and Agata. We had a wonderful day and have some delicious strawberry jam to show for it. It was so much fun that we are thing of making a family tradition out of it. I have an entire blog coming up this week with more details and some yummy pictures so stay tuned.

Moms

Once I had Haley I was immediately drawn to other's of my new kind...moms. They provided me with a much needed outlet; I was able to talk freely about poop and crying babies and rashes and shots and never once was I ashamed or embarrassed. I didn't have to be...they had all already been through it.

Moms, as a group, are like a huge stockpile of  great advice...and are always willing to share it. Every mother has their own out look on parenting but it is our individual mom duty to search through the masses to find those ideas that are best for ourselves and our families. In the last year I have received some real-mom advice that I found helpful and wanted to share.

Wrap a rubber band around a hair clip to get it to stay put.
Close doors.
Move at your child's pace from time to time.
Don't let your children suck on grocery cart handles.
Always carry snacks.
Vaseline cures everything.
Anything wrapped in cheese taste better (true for adults too).
Pick a routine that works for your family.
Be flexible.
Don't worry, I raised you and you turned out okay.
She will let you know when something is wrong.
Dipping sauces are fun for kids.
Take a hundred pictures if you want one really good one.
Don't compare yourself with others...it will make you crazy.
Play.
Enjoy every second.

To all those moms that have helped me to become the mother I am today I wanted to thank you. Thank you for being there. Thank you for your advice. Thank you for your support. Thank you!

A special thank you to my mom. You are a great mother and a wonderful role model. You seem to always get everything done so effortlessly and still have time to laugh at all my jokes (even if you don't get them). I can only hope that someday Haley will feel the same way about me as I do about you. I love you!

Made By Me: Zoo Animals

I made these zoo animal blocks for Haley last week. They were super easy to throw together and now that I know the possibilities are endless. She loves stacking them, knocking them down, and banging them together. I love trying to teach her zoo animals even though she isn't even slightly interested in learning. Plus my husband always chimes in and makes the best elephant noise ever. Makes me cry laughing almost every time.

Weekend Thrifting

I snagged these two pitchers from the Salvation Army a few weekends ago on a shopping trip with my sister sidekick. Not entirely sure why but I have had a strong desire lately to buy old, used items and make them new (to me). It is fun to take someone else's cast away and turn them into something spectacular for my home.

The larger black pitcher originally had some colorful Spanish artwork on it that I had to sand off. You can see in the second picture how scuffed up the pitcher got from the sand paper.

After the pitchers were washed and dried I painted them with a coat of primer and a top coat of heirloom white. I think they turned out pretty nice and they cost me just over $10 for both. Yea for thrifty decorating. Now I just need to find some flowers for them.

My Comfort Blanket Gone...The New Me!

I have never really been one for getting my hair cut. I would actually say I have a fear of hair change. I have had the same "style" for at least the last ten years with only a few variations in length from time to time. Typically I grow my hair out super long and let it get pretty ratty and unruly and then I go in for a trim (6-8 inches or so). My last trim had been an entire year ago (when I was home on maternity leave last April) so you can imagine it was pretty bad!! 

If I had to pin point the creation of my hair fear I would say it stems from my junior high years. I was cursed with an unfortunately horrible haircut during the height of puberty: thick coarse hair, a salon perm, and a way too short haircut. I looked like a mushroom!

Back to the present...I decided last week to make an appointment to get a new do. I have often dreamed of having stylish, short hair but I always convince myself in the end to go with what is safe. This time I broke free of my hair shackles and made a prettty big change (for me). It may not be the epitome of style just yet but baby steps are my preferred method of change. Maybe next time I will get a bob! Ha...I doubt it.

Before

If you were wondering why It from the Adam's family was visiting our home I should clarify that this is in fact me pre-hair cut! What a rats nest!

After

I feel so much lighter! I think the scale actually read a 5 lb loss. Hahaha. Only kidding. Please disregard my odd stare and forced smile...I was still in a little bit of a panic at this point.

My Hunter and Gatherer

The post is way over due however I am going with the philosophy of "better late then never". Justin went kayak fishing with Chris last Sunday out in the bay and actually had a pretty good day. I will just go ahead and give the man details as given by Justin since I really have no idea about fish.

• 
  
  22" trout
• 
  
  16" flounder 

Haley was fascinated with the fish and was constantly trying to grab them. It wasn't until she actually felt the slim that her interested waned.

Monday night Justin and I fried up the flounder for dinner along with some yummy hush puppies (Haley had fries). We wre both quite pleased with the result and may actually have to revoke our claim of not liking sea food.

Random Roundup

1. Haley is officially walking. No semi-walking...I am talking full on walking. From the kitchen to her room to the living room to the dining room back to the kitchen around the block and down the street. Just kidding about the last part...she has only broken lose once. Hahaha. A whole new world has opened up to her and she is ready to explore. I can hardly believe my little girl is walking. Tears.

2. I attempted, and suceeded in not ruining, another new and easy recipe. It is a crockpot recipe which makes my life even easier. All you have to do is just put it all together in the morning and let it go (and cross your fingers you don't burn your house down). The result was a delicious soup made even more perfect with a shredded cheese and sour cream topper. Justin liked it. I liked it. Even Haley branched out from her cheese and pea diet to try the beans and chicken. With Haley's picky eating I have developed a new found respect for my mother. She had to deal with me for 18 years! Sorry mom.

Here is the recipe for Chicken Taco Soup. This is the second recipe from that blog that I have tried and loved. I wonder what she has in store for me next. Ha.

3. Friday night Justin and I treated ourselves to dinner and a movie. Well, actually we just made pizza and watched the movie we had from Netflix, but we sure did enjoy it. We split a four meat pizza and watched the romatic comedy Inglorious Basterds. For those of you that have not yet seen this movie I am completely kidding. The movie was ridiculously gory; not really the type to make a couple want to cuddle on the couch. Regardless of the lack of romance Justin and I both really liked this movie. It was different and interesting and kept us awake for the entire 2 1/2 hours.
Buskirk Review: 4 stars

4. Saturday night we spent with our friends the Hahn's up in New Waverly eating crawfish and drinking beer. Back when we first moved to Houston we lived pretty close to each other and used to get together all the time. Now we have both since moved and live on oppoite ends of Houston. It is a little over an hour drive and unfortunately we don't make the trip often enough. We miss seeing them but hopefully with summer getting close we will find more time in our schedule to go visit. Thanks to Jill and Brad for having us up and for the yummy food.

5. Oh, and I almost forgot, when a recipe calls for something to be cooked at 250 please do not cook it at 350. Always read your recipes more then once and make note of the big details like cooking temp. If not you end up with this...

Having to pour uneaten (unedible) food into the trash. This is for sure one of my least favorite things, right along with making my house smell like burned popcorn and having to make a fresh batch of cinnabon popcorn at 10:00 pm.