Random Roundup & The End of an Era

1. Justin and I participated in our first family 5K this past Saturday. I am not sure what motivated Justin (perhaps it was all my nagging) but he finally agreed to partake in a race with me...please take the word "race" very loosely. Since I haven't worked out in over 16 weeks, except for an occasion evening stroll, I didn't set my expectations too high. In fact I planned to walk the entire distant (this might have also influenced Justin's decision to join). The race was Saturday evening down in Missouri City. The race started at 6 and Justin, Haley, and I crossed the finish line at 6:46. I can't say that this is a time that I am proud of but it was probably one of the most fun to date because my family was with me. Haley fussed for a few minutes but for the most part dedicated her time to motivating us by yelling run! I guess it worked because we jogged all the down hill portions. Hopefully Buskirk Bean # 2 didn't get too shook up. Hehe. I think Justin may have actually enjoyed himself cause we are already talking about another one in October!

2. Sunday we went to Erin and Chris' for a Texas Showdown party. The party was alot of fun even though the Texans lost the game. I am not a big fan (in fact I just learned who our quarterback was yesterday) but I was sad that they lost. Hopefully this is a minor setback and they can pull out a decent season.

So, I have decided, after much consideration, to take a break from my weekly Random Roundups. It has gotten to the point where I am having to force myself to come up with things to write about and is losing some of the fun. Plus the weekly write up isn't really motivating me to use my camera which was the original plan for RR. I will still be posting regularly but it will be more event based, or photo op driven, rather than a weekly synopsis of our lives.

Thanks for reading!

Random Roundup

1. Haley has an ear infection. Apparently my daughter inherited my high tolerance for pain because when I took her in on Friday the ear infection had already ruptured. I had no idea anything was even wrong with her until I noticed some drainage in her ear. The doctor assured me once again that I was not the world's worst mom and gave us some ear drops to heal it right up. This morning she was good as new.

2. I turned 29 on Thursday. There is something very doom and gloom about 29...it is basically just a holding point for 30. I can hardly believe that I am so close to leaving me twenties behind. It was an amazing decade.

On to more exciting birthday news...I got to celebrate twice. On my actual birthday Justin and Haley took me to dinner at Texas Roadhouse (best rolls ever). They also got me a new bracelet and a really sweet card. I couldn't have asked for a better birthDAY. Then Saturday night we got together with friends and family at one of my favorites spots...Texadelphia (best cheese dip ever)...for cheesesteaks and a few brews. It was a wonderful night only made better by arriving home to a giant cookie cake. I love my life...even if I am turning 30 in 365 days.

3. I bought some picture flashcards the week before last in an attempt to be a better mom and have been trying to use them with Haley. She doesn't really like to sit and go through them as I had originally intended, instead she takes them all out, spreads them on the floor, and then walks all over them. When she is done making a mess she jams them all back into the box and proceeds to carry it around the house repeating over and over "flashcards, flashcards, flashcards". It is hilarious. The way she says flashcards has got to be up there on her list of funniest things done to date. Justin and I can't help but laugh every time.

4. Justin and I added a few more movies to our have watched column.

Movie: 500 Days of Summer
Buskirk Review: 4 Stars

Movie: Time Travelers Wife (only watched by myself)
Buskirk Review: 3 Stars
Sara's Tear Jerker Review: off the charts!!

Random Roundup

1. Haley had her 18 month checkup last Thursday. She is growing like a tall skinny weed; she is in the 95th percentile for height but on the 55% for weight. The doctor said everything looks great. On a negative note I think Haley has decided to hate the doctor's office. As soon as we set foot in the cheerfully colored patient room and she heard the crackle of the paper on the exam table she went ballistic. She cried and screamed and cried some more until we finally let her crawl around on the floor and play with every odd thing in my purse. I think at one point her tools of fun were a nail file, some anti-bacterial foam, and a hair tie. Thankfully Haley is not the first baby to cry through an appointment. Our doctor just talked a little louder and we moved through the appointment as though everything was cool.

2. Justin and I watched a couple movies last week. Apparently we are now getting into the comedy section of our queue. Here are a couple of reviews for you:

Movie: Hot Tub Time Machine.
Buskirk Review: 2 1/2 stars

Movie: I Love You Man
Buskirk Review: 4 1/2 stars (Just might not agree but I thought it was hilarious!)

3. Friday night we got together as a family to wish Kurt and Agata safe travels. They are headed to Italy for 2 weeks to visit Agata's family and do some sight seeing. Listening to all their plans half made me want to get a passport and hop in their luggage but then I thought a 9 hour flight in the luggage compartment might not be very pleasant. I will have to settle for Surfside beach and trips to the outdoor Pearland mall for now.

4. Saturday morning we went to IHOP. I love IHOP. What is not to love about pancakes, hash browns, and OJ?!?! I loved it at 4:00 in the morning in college when I was battling too many beers and I still love it now at 8:00 in the morning when I am trying to restrain my toddler from putting syrup in her hair. Their food may not be all that amazing, their service never the best, but the place always smells like bacon. I love IHOP.

5. Justin missed out on IHOP but instead got to get up at 4:00 in the morning to go fishing to catch nothing but back pain. I love my husband more than I could ever express but I will never understand the obsession with fishing. Fishing to me is less exciting than watching a pizza bake.

Random Roundup

1. Last week I got my first trial run of being a stay home mommy...sort of. Haley was sent home from school Monday and Wednesday with fever so I got to stay home with her all day on Tuesday and Thursday. As a side note I think there might actually be something wrong with the daycare thermometer because I never recorded over a 99.2 degree temp once she was home but I am not going to speak up...she did have a runny nose which needed to be mommy monitored. Ha. I love getting to spend the day playing and snuggling with my little girl. She is such a joy right now always wanting to play and read...and give hugs. It is amazing all the cool things she can say and do now. I am constantly in awe. As a trial run for staying home I think it went pretty well. I can see where there will need to be some adult time interjected throughout the week but for the most part it was a blast. I can hardly wait.

2. Buffalo Chicken Pizza Friday.

Based on past Random Roundups, and today's, it seems like our family eats a ridiculous amount of pizza. I promise I do cook dinner from time to time and it is generally healthy. Ha.

3. So after staying home with a booggered little Haley last week wouldn't you know that I would come down with the worst case of the cold yet. Justin had a little go round right before Haley, then it was Haley with the sniffles, and then me with the full blown cough, sneeze, chills, common cold. How is it that the mom always get the worst of it and have to still keep plugging a long. PS. There is nothing harder than having to get up in the middle of the night when you can hardly breath to rock your toddler back to sleep while trying desperately not to sneeze or cough. I love being sick.

4. Justin, Haley, and I attended a little pool party on Saturday to wish our friends Brett and Sophie and their little girl Annabelle farewell. After working in the US for about 2 years they decided it was time to head home to Australia. It is sad to see them go but I know they must miss there family terribly and this will be a good move for them. I know it is hard for us with Justin's family living in Nebraska and missing them all the time but just imagine if they lived on a different continent. I don't think international living is the Buskirk future.

5. Friday night, along with the pizza, Justin and I watched 17 Again. I am almost embarrassed to write that I put this movie in our queue but I was pleasantly surprised in the end. If you are looking for a deep sophisticated movie this is not for you. This was much more of a funny family movie with some romance mixed in.

Movie: 17 Again
Buskirk Review: 4 stars

Random Roundup

1. I tried my skills out on another new recipe. I am not sure if skills is the right word since the most difficult step in this recipe was boiling water but I am going to go with it. I saw the recipe the week before last on the Tasty Kitchen blog and thought it looked right up our alley. It came together real quick and tasted pretty good. Here is the link to recipe. We added a little extra cheese to ours (of course) and had it will green beans and garlic bread. Yummy.

2. This weekend Justin left town, yet again, for a fishing trip to Seadrift. He was gone Friday through Sunday. It was a group of about 10 of them and I think they had a pretty good time. The weather was really hot but they still managed to catch some fish and have a little fun. Justin even won a $1.50 in the Saturday night poker game. As you can see from his winnings it was high stakes. Ha.

3. Since all our men were out of town for the weekend we decided to have a little girls weekend of our own. We had a lot less booze and a majority of our participants were under the age of 6 but we still had a blast. Friday night my niece Lucy had a girls only birthday party with some of her friends so we spent our first night of Girls Weekend painting finger nails, eating pizza and cake, and making tie dyed shirts. Saturday we charged up with a breakfast at Cracker Barrel before spending the day shopping over at Baybrook. During all the down time in between we just enjoyed relaxing and visiting. When even found time to watch some new movies. It will say that it was, hands down, the best slumber party I have been to in the last 15 years (and the only).

Movie:  Remember Me
Buskirk Review: 4 stars

Movie: Up in the Air
Buskirk Review: 4 stars

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.

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. 

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.

Random Roundup

1. Justin and I have been talking for quite a while about moving all my crafting/sewing stuff into his office and we finally started this week. We started by cleaning up his office and eliminating a bunch of stuff that he doess't need or use anymore. It always amazes me how we are still in love with each other regardless of the fact that he and I are such opposites when it comes to organization. I am a strong believer in everything should have a labeled home and he is a strong believer of the "piles" filing system....it makes me want to pull my hair out. Come to think of it maybe sharing a work space is not such a good idea. Ha. Too late to turn back now.

2. Anyone want to take a guess at what Haley and I had for dinner on Thursday night? I will give you hint: Justin was out of town. We had pizza! This time from Little Cesars so we splurged for crazy bread too. Yummy! Haley loved it as usual.

Justin was out of town for three nights on a "work-related" fishing trip. He insisted that he had to go even though I am still not convinced. The trip was to Port O'Connor and it was a fishing tournament put on by our company as an employee appreciation type thing but the only people who get to go are managers and outside sales. Can you tell I am a little bitter? However as I typed that last sentence I thought to myself...do I really want to go spend three nights with a bunch of men talking about fishing and getting obnoxiously drunk? No thank you. I guess I can't be mad at him anymore. Unfortunately he did not win the tournament but he did come home with a few entertaining stories and a new DXP cup (yeah).

3. Saturday night I ventured out for my second night ever away from Haley. I figured I was due a little girl time so I made plans to drop the little munchkin off with my parents and get together with my best friend from high school Megan. Stay tuned for a separate post about my adventures in Austin (to entice you to come back I will just tell you that there was a "Keep Austin Weird" event taking place Saturday night). I returned Sunday morning to pick Haley up and was glad to find her in one piece...however she did have a faint smell of cheese puffs on her breath at 9 am. Ha. It was a nice trip and hopefully will be a good reminder to me that every now and then I need some Sara time.

4. Monday night we had corn casserole for dinner which was super yummy. It was a recipe that I was introduced to by Justin's family but had yet to make it myself. They serve it at just about every Nebraska holiday and it is always a big crowd pleaser. It is different from other corn casseroles I have tried because it uses pasta. I gawked the first time I saw it since I am used to my moms which is more like a corn bread. We enjoyed it so much Monday night that we had it again Sunday night with burgers. This is definitely going to be a new Texas Buskirk staple.

Corn Casserole
1 can (15 oz) cream style corn
1 can (15 oz) whole kernel corn,  undrained
1 cup cheddar cheese
1/2 cup butter, melted
1/2 medium onion
1 cup of macaroni
salt and pepper to taste

Mix all ingredients in an 8x8 baking dish and bake uncovered at 325 for 1 hour, stirring after 30 minutes. Serve to your friends and family so they will be amazed by your cooking skills.

Random Roundup

1. Justin worked late on Wednesday night so Haley and I once again had pizza. It is some what of a staple for us when he is away. This time was a real treat though...we had leftovers from Pizza & Brew. Yummy. Their Buffalo Chicken Pizza is to die for...even three days later heated up in the over.

2. We spent the weekend out of town again!! We headed to my parent's neck of the woods to get together for father's day and to float the Blanco river. It was a ton of fun. The weather was beautiful and the river was full and flowing. We spent the entire day lounging around soaking up the sun and hanging in our new luxurious river recliners (once Justin found out they had tubes with built in coolers he had to have them). Only the best for Haley's dad. Stay tuned for pics later this week.

3. We started trying to use time outs with Haley. It seems ridiculous even to me, since she is so young, but I had to come up with something. I found that I was starting to raise my voice (yell) with her and that isn't the mom I want to be. In particular we have started using time out to keep her out of the trash can. Our little girl is like a sneaky little raccoon. One second she is playing sweetly with her toys and the next minute I turn around and she is pulling an empty package of (insert some gross food here) out of the trash. We have moved the trash can multiple times but to no avail. The time outs seem to be working in that she knows she is getting in trouble but I am not sure she has made the connection between them and the trash can. We will just have to keep at it. Wish us luck.

4. The peach tree seems to be stalled. We still have a ton of fruit on the tree but it doesn't seem to be getting any bigger or ripening at all. We have had multiple people suggest to us that we should be watering it more so we will give that a shot and see if it helps. I am going to be ridiculously sad if we don't even get one edible fruit for this years harvest. I will keep you guys posted.

5. My new favorite summer show is Toddlers & Tiaras. It is hilarious because those moms are so crazy! Plus it is fun to watch because I know in ever episode I've watched that Haley could easily take Grand Supreme!!! Ha-ha. For those of you not up to date with your pageant terms Grand Supreme is the highest award you can get. Only cutest, most talented, princesses win it. Oh my gosh...it is happening to me!

Random Roundup - Two Week Special Edition

1. Haley took her very first plane ride. Everything went pretty smoothly...she didn't even cry once. We didn't have any issues with her ears or the air pressure changes and we were able to keep her entertained for the entire flight. I did cheat and gave her her old friend paci...on the advise of my doctor. It was like reuniting two best friends after years apart. Makes me wonder if I stripped it away too early? Egh, she seems to be doing just fine without.

Justin and I were another story. Packing the night before the trip was chaotic for me. Will I need this toy or that one. Will she want to read this book or these seven. By the time my head hit the pillow we had managed to get it all in. The next afternoon at the airport I began to question me packing skills. We (Justin) had to lug what seemed like a ridiculous amount of luggage for 5 nights through the airport, plus a car seat, a stroller, and a diaper bag. Justin was a trooper. I think I saw people point and laugh and crack an imaginary whip at him a few times but he just kept trudging along. I think he thought if he stopped to defend himself he might fall over. Ha. I love my husband.

2. I tried another new recipe last week that turned out pretty yummy. Lemon Cupcakes. They were a little more difficult than my typical dessert endeavors but were worth the extra effort. Plus not making them wasn't an option. Once I see a recipe that looks half appealing and has "Lemon" in the name I have to make it. I love lemon. I am addicted to lemon! I even took the extra time to pipe on my lemony cream cheese frosting so the cupcakes would be extra cute. Didn't turn out like you see in the magazines but I am still learning the art of cake decorating so give me a break.

3. We spent this last weekend with ECLG and Kurt & Agata in Rockport. Chris' family bought the condo last summer and they have been so nice to let our family share in the fun. It was a great time. We spent the whole time lounging by the pool and just being lazy. The boys managed to get a little fishing in and Haley and I snuck in a three hour nap on Saturday. We also watched The Hangover which makes me laugh till my side hurts every time...no fail. That movie is freaking hilarious! Unfortunately we didn't stay too late on Sunday cause Justin and I had to get home to a house full of chores. It is amazing how dirty a house gets when no one is in it for 2 weeks...or how easy it is to forget how dirty you left it. Ha.

4. The reason for our quick trip to Nebraska was Justin's big 10 year reunion. His class of 36 had 11 show up. Doesn't really sound like a lot considering my graduating class was close to 600 but it was still a good time. We had an impromptu reunion on Friday night at the local bar and then the real reunion dinner and dance on Saturday night. We had a great time and probably drank a little too much. I will attribute spending the majority of the night hanging out with Justin's high school girlfriend and her friends to the amount of booze I took in. Plus they were all pretty cool. Oh what might have been. Ha. It was also great to have a chance to meet some people who knew Justin when he wore a wrestling singlet.

5. We have a couple potetntial careers paths for grown-up Haley popping up. First off, and most beneficial to her againg parents, a doctor. She can now identify all of the following body parts: head, eyes, nose, mouth, ears, hair, hands, finger, feet, toes, belly button, and heart. If this doesn't pan out she could also become a zookeeper since she can identify all of these animals: giraffe, elephant, zebra, monkey, alligator, cow (with sounds effects), duck. As a last resort she could be a cartoonist cause she has Elmo down pat. Ha.

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!

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!

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.

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.

Random Roundup

1. "momma, momma, momma" Haley is now saying momma. I am so excited. I waited patiently while she learned dada, uh-oh, bye, and ball all the while tying my very best to not get my feelings hurt. I mean seriously, "ball", I am so much more important than an inanimate object, right?!? Unfortunately it was no use...I was crushed inside. On the bright side, none of that matters any longer. "momma, momma, momma!"

2. We tried a new recipe this week that I was quite pleased with. It was super easy (which is always important to me), really cheap to make (ingredients you probably already have around), and it was yummy (I love all Mexican food). I hate to sound like a broken record but I got the recipe from a blog I follow. Eventually I hope that all the creative ideas I read about are going to inspire me...I want to make original dishes...yet I like to follow recipes..and I don't really like weird ingredients...what a conundrum. Ha.

Here is the recipe for Mexican Casserole.

3. I had stamp club this week. Not postal stamp...rubber stamp. Good times as usual. We made two super cute cards. I love that this club gives me a chance to get out of the house by myself and spend some time with fellow crafters. Unfortunately this week left Justin to man bath night all by himself. Around 7:30, right in the middle of visiting with the girls, I received this text from my husband...

" Never giving a bath again. Everything was fine and when I turned around to grab the towel she stood up and slipped. Bit her tongue. Blood. Crying. She is Fine."

In the end everything was fine. By the time I got home Haley was peacefully sleeping and Justin had stopped crying. The only permanent damage is that Haley will now have to deal with jokes and nicknames from her peers about her forked tongue. Haha. Only kidding.

Random Roundup

1. Following with the gross theme I have had going for a few weeks...I had my first dental cleaning in three years on Tuesday. It is so ridiculous that it took me this long considering I actually like having my teeth cleaned. It all started in the beginning of my pregnancy. I didn't have a current dentist and therefore would need to have xrays taken anywhere I tried to go. I put it off for 9 months I an effort to protect little fetus Haley from the big bad outside world. Once Haley was born I immediately made an appointment with a local dentist for a cleaning. That guy turned out to be a quack. He said I needed to have some kind of deep cleaning that was going to cost me almost $800. He was out of his mind if he thought I might actually go through with it. For the next several months I was so frustrated with the situation that I just kept putting it off. Eventually, after my teeth began to grow fur, I decided I had to do something. I suckered my husband into getting copies of my xrays from the quack and got a second opinion. To wrap this up quickly I just had my teeth cleaned, plus some work done, for $80.00....and I have my next 6 month cleaning scheduled for September. Yea for no cavities!

1.a. The only draw back to my new destist office is that the dental hygenist has really large boobs and kept rubbing them on my face as she cleaned my teeth. So ackward!! On the plus side I am sure Justin's dental hygiene will improve greatly.

2. This weekend we attended a baby shower for my cousin Blake and his wife Amanda who are expecting their first son in July. The shower was at my parents house so once again we packed up the car and headed to Geronimo.To make the trip a little more interesting this time around we carpooled with CELG!!! Let's just say that four adults and three kids in car seats does not allow for much personal space in a Tahoe. Which is really weird because I always think it is so roomly when it is just Haley and I tooting around. Ha. In the end we all survived the trip and managed to not get in any fights. Phew.

3. Over the course of the week I did quite a few little craft projects: a sock monster, a tag blanket, some personalized blocks, etc.. They were all components to a diaper cake that Erin I made for previously mentioned baby shower. I don't want to toot my own horn but I think they turned out pretty cute. I will have a more detailed post later this week showing the finished products.

4. Who uses the word toot this many times (twice seems like alot for the word toot) in one post?!?! Apparently it must be my favorite word.

5. Haley added a new word to her vocabulary this week...."toot". Hahaha. Just kidding. She is saying "ball". It is the cutest word yet cause she does this crazy mouth pucker thing when she says it. She kind of pushes her lips out and up. I will have to try and get a pic. Oh, and she is walking. She can take about 4-5 steps in a row now all by herself. It is pretty sporadic and still not too often so I have decided to classify it as just semi-walking. My mommy instincts are tellnig me that we are within weeks of full on walking.

Check out the video below for footage of Haley semi-walking and her gnarly wipeout! Ouch!

Random Roundup

1. I apologize to the readers out there with weak stomachs since this blog is becoming somewhat gross. Last week I talked about vomit and this week it is road kill. I apologize however I just couldn't resist sharing. Monday I was driving home from work when I happened upon some uncommon road kill for the Pearland area. It was a "little armored one" (aka an armadillo). It would have been way cooler if it was still living but still an interesting sight.

Fun fact: the armadillo is the official mammal of Texas.

2. I had taken a little siesta from working out for the past 2 weeks but starting Tuesday I was back on the band wagon. The first night was a little rough but I made it through. To be quite honest I had gotten slightly disillusioned by my minute weight loss and had lost sight of my goal. The reason for my renewed devotion to weight loss...we booked flights to Nebraska for Justin's high school reunion in May. I have got to look my best. Justin has a reputation to uphold. Hahaha.

3. This weekend I made french dip sandwiches. They are one of Justin's favorites and I felt like being a loving, sweet wife. Anyway, I got the receipe here. It was pretty tasty. There are tons of recipes out there in blogland and I am loving trying them. So far they have all been pretty good but with my luck I am bound to get a food poisoning dud before too long. Ha. I also made a yummy pudding dessert but I will have an entire post on that one later.

4. Justin and I finally got around to doing yard work this Saturday. We did not get it entirely finished (we ran out of sod and the nursery was sold out for the weekend) however it is already looking amazingly better. I planted some new flowers in the beds and planted seeds in a bunch of pots. I really haven't had much luck growing flowers from seeds but we will see how it goes. I will keep ya'll posted. 

5. Haley's newest fascination is not with walking (still not there yet) but rather with sitting in chairs. She has no reservations. She will climb into anything that she can pull herself into. This weekend she sampled the seats of her toddler rocker, mommy's glider, daddy's recliner, the couch, and even a dining room chair. The last one was a bit scary since it has no arm rest and it is over tile!!! What kind of mom am I!?! She has even learned how to dive head first into her wagon so that she can just sit in the seat. You would think with all her MacGyver-esque maneuvering to get into a chair she would be able to walk!!!  

Random Roundup

1. I only had to work three days last week!! Yeah for me.

2.  Baby vomit is absolutely the most disgusting thing in the world. We had made it through an entire year of life without any real regurgitation until Friday morning. I woke up to the sounds of my precious little girl babbling and talking to herself in her room. I cheerfully (remember I had the day off) got out of bed and headed to her room until I was suddenly overpowered by an unknown smell. It got stronger the closer I got. I peeked through the door of Haley's room to see her happily playing in bed. It wasn't till I got right over her that I realized the smell was coming from her and it was vomit!!! I almost hurled myself. I grabbed her up and took her straight to the tub. After a good scrub she was banished to dadland while I got to work on her room. It took a while but I got it all clean. And with the doors and windows open for a while we were able to get rid of the smell. Now you may be asking yourself where was Justin...isn't this a job for daddies? I completely agree however my husband, from the other side of the house, wearing a chem suit and breathing apparatus, would beg to differ. Blah blah blah "I have a weak stomache" blah blah blah is all I could make out.

3. Easter means one thing(disclaimer**non-religious) to me: Mini Robin Eggs candy. They are actually just whoppers with a candy shell decorated like a little robin's egg. So cute and so yummy! I eat them a bag at a time.

4. The Buskirk Buffalo Wild Wings is open for business. Last night Justin and I attempted chicken wings for the first time. They turned out great. Chicken wings have been something I wanted to try since I got the fryer back in August but have just never had the chance.  This wasn't as daring as fried snickers or fried oreos but it was still pretty tasty. It was super easy and quick too. We just fried the wings for 10 minutes and doused with BWW honey bbq sauce. Finger licking good.