Photo Hunt

Snapped this photo last weekend and didn't realize until I uploaded it just how funny it is.

Take a look at the picture below and see how many issue you can find that call my parenting into question?

1. shirt...but no pants (I promise there is a diaper on under there)
2. shoes are on the wrong feet
3. wire shelves turned upside down in the background (major tripping/poking hazard hazard)
4. empty laundry baskets (either I have all my laundry done or it is still in the dryer getting wrinkled-most likely)
5. bath scrubber and baby powder on the living room floor (no explanation for this one-just weird)
6. last week's grocery ads and random fabric scraps being used for toddler entertainment
7. small galvanized bucket that was once used to hold peanuts...my husband got it for a five finger discount back in college (we are instilling in her that stealing is okay)
8. the most outrageous crime...the Nebraska hat (how could I ever let her think she would go anywhere but A&M. Hahahaha.You can see below that she is much happier once that hat is off. Ha.

PS...the quilt she is standing on is one my most recent additions. I will get some better pics as soon as I have a free minute. It seems like we have been running crazy lately.

Random Roundup

1. Wednesday night we went over to Devin and Erika's house for dinner. Originally the plans were set up so Justin could go over and help fix Devin's boat but the required parts didn't come in so that was a bust. Instead we decided to just get together for dinner and a little conversation. It seems every time we hang out with the Blount's it is a big group of us and the visiting is sacrificed for loud kiddos, babbling babies, cooking, drinking, etc. It was really nice to just be the four of us...well, Haley makes five...and get to chat. Plus we went over to help convince them just how cute little babies are and that they should definitely have a little Haley of their own. My reasons are selfish...I need more playdate companions!

2. Thursday night we went out to dinner with the Wicke's. We haven't seen Matthew and Sarah in several weeks and we were starting to think they didn't like us anymore. Tears. Luckily it was just the business of summer that was keeping us apart. We had dinner at BJ's. The food was yummy and the company was great. It is always a treat to hang out with the Wicke's.

**With all the eating away from home that we are doing you might think I am avoiding the grocery store. Ha.

3. I have never signed up for Facebook. I was tempted when Justin finally took the plunge a few months back but decided in the end to stick to my guns. I have cheated a time or two and looked on Justin's account but that is it...I swear. I wouldn't really say that I hate Facebook, in fact it is a great way to keep up with a lot of friends, I just never signed up and now I am afraid of repeating my embarrassment on mySpace. After years of refusing to sign up for mySpace I finally broke down and created a profile. Little did I know that that same moment mySpace began losing the battle to Facebook. I seem to always be on the tale end of things. To this day I think my profile still exists and I only have 3 friends. How embarrassing is it that I will go down in history for having the least number of friends via social networking?!?! It is there permanently for everyone to see. Someday Haley might get on mySpace and think her mom is super lame.

4. This past weekend we went to Rockport with my family to celebrate my niece Lucy's birthday. My BIL Chris' parents are incredible nice and let us enjoy the fun of their condo a time or two each summer. It is so much fun to have a place to go and relax and just have a good time. We spent the entire weekend lounging by the pool and napping. Haley is still really loving the pool. She loves splashing and kicking her feet. This weekend I even tried putting her under the water a few times...she seemed totally fine with it. I was the one that freaked out; It is really hard to consciously dunk your child under the water.

5. I was able to get two quilts bound this week. I finished up the smaller one by the end of the work week and the second I complete during our 6 hours worth of car time this weekend. I will show pictures later.

Random Roundup

I really contemplated just skipping this week since I was running a day behind and feeling super lazy last night. Lucky for your guys I got a burst of energy this morning. Here is last week's Random Roundup.

1. Thursday my wonderful husband finally caught up with me in the age department...Justin turned 28! Not sure if everyone was aware of this but I liked younger men back in my dating days and ended up with a husband who is 11 months younger than me...and who never let's me forget it. However for a brief period every summer from July 15th to August 25th we are exactly the same age (by the number) and I love to rub it in. Happy Birthday old man!

For his birthday we went to dinner at Texas Roadhouse (yummy - for sure our favorite chain restaurant) and just hung out with our little family. It was nice and relaxing and the perfect evening. For his gift I really can't pin point one thing. Justin's gift strategy is to purchase a lot of different items for himself prior to his birthday, claim they are birthday gifts, and hope that my memory fails me again. I think the running tally was...a pair of boots, a set of battery powered hand tools, a outdoor shade tent, an attachment for the power washer, and the list goes on.

Happy Birthday Babe!!

2. My parents came through town on Tuesday night so we got together for dinner at Gringo's. Regardless of the wait we had a great time and enjoyed the visit as always. Hopefully next time they can stay a little longer. Since my parents retired and built their house in Geronimo they seem busier than ever. They are always going somewhere, doing something, visiting someone...it is crazy. And here I thought I was working at this amazing job so that I could one day retire and sit around on my rear end all day and do nothing. Ha

3.  We got a package from the mailman on Thursday!! In the package were my two most recent quilt tops ready to be bound...yeah! I had sent them off to Nebraska a couple weeks ago to have them quilted. As usual Sonya and Shelley had them done and back to me in no time. The thread choices were perfect and the stitching looks amazing. It is so nice to have such a wonderful family that will do all the hard work for me...he he. Thank you girls for all the help. I promise to hold any new projects I have until our next visit so I can put in the labor myself.

I will post some pictures of the quilts once I have them bound. I should have the first done by this weekend but the second might be a few weeks. Stay tuned.

4. Justin and the boys had their most successful wade fishing trip yet this past weekend. I think the final total was 8 trout, 1 redfish, and 1 something I don't know the name of. Since they were so proud of their bounty we decided to celebrate with a fish fry Saturday night. Justin and I have never taken on such a large frying event with just our fryer and it was a definite test of our skills. Luckily we managed to get all the food cooked and served before midnight. Ha ha. Just kidding. The fish turned out great, the hush puppies were edible, so I was happy!

5. My last note is going to be a complaint I have with Texas right now...the mosquitoes are freaking ridiculous! With all the rain we had a few weeks ago and the warm weather they have just gone crazy. I think our front porch must be a ideal breeding ground or something because when you open the front door there is a cloud of mosquitoes that enter the house. It is pretty hard to keep them from coming in when Haley wants to walk by herself and doesn't really understand the concept of hurry just yet. On the plus side she has learned how to say a new word, go-go-go. Unfortunately I have already blown through my first can of bug spray and they don't seem to be letting up. Maybe I should give the city a call and request a few more drive-bys from the bug sprayer. Ha.

Harvest

After a long wait the Buskirk peach tree was finally ready to harvest. I think we must have picked peaches for 2-3 hours and in the end we had about 35 lbs of peaches. The first couple that we picked off the tree we decided to try as samples and they were delicious. We were so excited about all the peach things we could make: jam, cobbler, ice cream, etc.

Unfortunately once I got the peaches inside and started trying to clean and slice them I realized that there was no way I was going to make it through the entire tub. Almost 50% of them I had to throw out immediately because of bugs. The other 50% I had to mutilate in order to get the bug holes out. We only ended up getting two small bags worth of peaches to put in the freezer. It was a little sad but still a good experience and made for some really good photo ops. Anyone have advice on how to keep bugs away from peaches for next year? I am sure by the time we decide to leave this house we will have finally learned how to grow peaches. Ha.

Random Roundup

1. Haley participated in a 4th of July parade at her school last week. I actually worked a couple hours overtime so I could go watch. All the kids that were able to ride bikes, scooters, or tricycles did that and then the kids Haley's age and younger were pulled in wagons. Everyone decorated their modes of transportation with red, white, and blue. It was amazing how elaborate some of them were. The little babies were even out there being pulled around in a crib. The whole event was pretty funny. The parade was just a circle around the parking lot that they made three times with patriotic music playing in the background. It is crazy how entertaining such a small thing can be. All the kids loved it!

2. We watched another movie this week...Igor. I am not sure why we rent so many cartoons. Every time we receive a new set of movie to watch I am convinced that someone has broken into our account and tampered with the queue. Did we seriously pick these out?!?!

Movie: Igor

Buskirk Review: 3 stars

3. Haley had her first trip to a splash pad this weekend and absolutely loved it. She was constantly wanting to run off by herself. They had all sorts of sprayers, and slides, and activities that were great for toddlers. It is essentially a water amusement park for kids. We went with Erin, Lucy, and Grace on Sunday and it was hot and really pretty crowded but we still had a great time. We are already looking forward to our next chance to go.

4. Justin went fishing again. (yawn!) The boys all went down and did a little surf fishing on Sunday morning. Justin had a pretty successful trip catching 2 trout which we had for dinner. Who would have ever thought I would start to like fish. I am still not sure I will ever crave it or really think "I want fish for dinner" but when it is there and it is fresh I am game. With the right amount of ketchup and hush puppies for sides it is almost delicious. Ha. I am sure it is not a surprise to anyone but I think Justin is planning on going again next weekend.

5. We had an eventful game night on Friday over at ECLG's. It was the original group of six; Justin and I, Kurt and Agata, and Erin and Chris. We decided to play Pictionary, boys vs girls, which always ends with multiple divorce threats and many quiet trips home. Ha. Not sure why but this particular game really brings out the worst in all of us...and the alcohol just exaggerates it. Plus, for some reason the boys can't play any game without cheating. I haven't figured out just yet how but I know they have a system. Luckily the girls were able to overcome this time and won. Woohoo! Now as a mature adult I think we should end game nights forever. Ha. 

A Perfect Afternoon

BBQ Season 2010

BBQ season has begun. This past weekend Justin fired up the pit after 6 months of hibernation for a little 4th of July celebration. I will never understand the appeal of BBQing but Justin and my brother sure do love it. When the two of them get together it automatically becomes a competition to see who can be the best. This weekend Justin made a brisket (my favorite) that turned out delicious and Kurt made ribs that were super yummy too. The meat is obviously the real star of the show but we also had potato salad and beans. To top the meal off our wonderful friends brought a super yummy banana pudding and a tasty "Happy Birthday America" cake. It was the perfect BBQ meal to start the season. 

{It might be hard to see but the words "Happy Birthday America" were literally piped onto the cake. So cute and funny.}

I feel I should note that this weekend was my first attempt at making potato salad and I think it turned out pretty good. The recipe is my mom's and was really easy to whip up. Here are the details:

Potato Salad

4 baking potatoes

1/2 cup miracle whip

1/2 cup mayonnaise

1/2 -3/4 cup onion, grated

1/2 bell pepper, chopped

2-3 tbsp pickle relish

1 tbsp pimento

Peel and cube the potatoes to edible pieces. Boil until just tender enough to eat. I cut my cubes to about 3/4" to 1" in size and boiled for just about 8 minutes. Let potatoes cool.

Add all remaining ingredients to potatoes and stir until completely combined. Store overnight in fridge before serving.

Yummy.

Thought I would add a pic of my family just to show you how relaxed these parties are; Notice my lack of makeup and Haley's lack of clothing. It was long, wonderful day. I will try to be more presentable as the summer goes on. Ha.

Picnic Table

My husband is amazing! And I am not just being a doting wife...he has mad skills. As I mentioned on Monday Justin built a picnic table for Haley this past weekend. He worked on it off and on all day on Saturday and by the time we fell asleep that night the last coat of weather proofer was drying. We got some plans online and altered them slightly for our needs. He did a great job and I am so proud of him. Thanks honey. Haley is one lucky little girl.

(please ignore the crazy fuss, wash out on this pic. It was super bright and my lens kept fogging over when I would come outside with it. It was ridiculously humid that day.)

We are always having outdoor get togethers during the summer and this new picnic table is a great addition to keep the little ones entertained. Haley gave it a test run on the 4th and loved it. It is the perfect size for her and she can easily climb up and down without assistance. We will have to wait till we have more kiddos over but I think it should fit 4 pretty easily.

Random Roundup

**update for the week ending 6/27/10** Forgot to post about it last week but Haley and I went to the beach with some friends last weekend. It was a mommy and kiddo thing so Justin didn't get to go. I am sure he managed just fine without us. My friend Jill, her daughter Lucy, and a new friend Pam, and her two boys, came down and stayed the night with us. Once the kiddos were asleep the mommies stayed up late chit chatting and having a few drinks. It was a blast hanging out with other mommies and just talking. The next morning we woke up and headed sown to Surfside. We drove through a few showers on the way but didn't get a drop once we were at the beach. The kiddos loved it and had the most fun just sitting under the canopy and playing in the sand. Even the mommies got involved. By the end of the day we were all covered from head to toe in sand. I even found it in Haley's ears. Ha. Unfortunately I will have to say that this was the most unpleasant Texas beach trip I have ever experienced. The beach was really dirty. Aside from all the seaweed, which can't really be controlled, the beach was covered in litter. It was really quite sad. There were beer cans everywhere and I even saw a futon and mattress at one point (it was way past usable Kurt). Not to rant but I have never understood people littering...There is absolutely no reason for it. Pick up your own trash! Anyhoo, the trip overall was a ton of fun due to the good company. I can't wait till the next get together and hope it comes soon.

1. It rained all week. Literally it rained every day. I am so tired of the rain. I was going stir crazy from being indoors so long. It was so dreary. On the plus side we watched the two Netflix movies that we have had for 3 months. Maybe it is time to reevaluate that membership. Ha.

Movie: Bride Wars
Buskirk Review 2 stars; not a favorite for sure

Movie: Smother
Buskirk Review: 3 stars; this movie was also pretty lack luster however it did have some funny parts

2. We had friends over all day on Sunday to celebrate the 4th of July. Luckily the weather ended up being pretty nice and we were able to spend the day outdoors. It was a little hot and muggy but we survived. Justin made BBQ brisket which was delicious and I made my very first potato salad which turned out pretty good.  It was a fun day. I will show you some pics from the day later in the week.

3. After being trapped in our house for days (see item 1 above) we finally decided to get off the couch and get some indoor projects done. The biggest and best accomplishment of the weekend comes from my husband. Justin built Haley her very own toddler sized picnic table! It is so cute. If anyone is still wondering my husband has mad skills! It is amazing the things he can do once he puts his mind to it. I will post pictures later in the week. I did a few projects myself but nothing good enough to steal the lime light. Ha.

4. I love Blue Bell ice cream. Their Butter Crunch flavor is to die for and it is in circulation as we speak. I better stock up.

Look What I Made

I threw this together Wednesday night. It is an owl for those who can't see it. I should have used something other than white felt for the beak but I had to work with what I had. I found the pattern on a blog and it only took me about an hour to complete. Super cute, super easy and super fun. The fabric I got while shopping last weekend with my mom. The back is polka dot minky which is unbelievably soft. Haley loves it. She is constantly rubbing the back and yanking on the button eyes.

Side note: Last weekend my mom was introduced to my ridiculous anxiety about buying fabric. It takes me forever to settle on things. Not sure if it is the lack of my decisiveness or the amount of beautiful fabrics available. My MIL and SIL can definitely vouch for the craziness. It is like pulling teeth each time they have to help me pick out fabric. Are there others like me?

Megan

As I mentioned in my last post I went to see Megan, my best friend from high, in Austin. I took the trip all by self and even though I missed Haley terribly it was a much needed break. It is remarkable what one night away can do to rejuvenate.

I got into Austin around 5ish on Saturday evening. We hung out around Megan's apartment just catching up for a hour or so and then we headed into town for dinner and drinks at a place called Doc's. It was a pretty cool little place. We set up camp outside on the patio where we could take in both the inside and outside happenings (we have a shared loved of people watching). It has been years since I have been to a bar to just hang out and it was just as fun as I remember. The majority of the night we spent talking about high school memories and catching up on what is new. We enjoyed some yummy food and perhaps a few too many alcoholic beverages. We stayed at Doc's till a little after 11. And then headed back to Megan's to watch some trashy reality television (another shared love). I was snoring by 12:30. It may not sound like much to those hard core partiers out there but to me it was a perfect night! Thanks Megan for having me and for entertaining me as always. Sorry it took me so long to come visit...I will try my best to never let it go this long again.