Homemade Hamburger Buns

On our anniversary, I felt badly that I didn't really plan a special meal.  I knew Rory would be happy with hamburgers on the grill but I decided to bake hamburger buns just to add a little more effort to the meal.  It's not surprising that I saw this recipe on pinterest (buns) and have been wanting to bake them for awhile.  Typically when I bake bread it doesn't turn out well.  It is usually dense or hard on the outside and soggy on the inside.  Tommy also joined us for dinner so we could celebrate his first day of work (woo hoo! and the little king George that was born...) so we were all very skeptical as to how they would turn out.  The men were patient as I started prepping the buns at 6:30, I read the directions wrong a few times, but they were out of the oven by 8:00.  I slid them in the fridge for a few minutes to cool down so I could cut them.  Looking back, it is a really easy recipe and it'll definitely be faster and easier the next time I make them.  So I hate when the bun is bigger than the burger! These buns were perfect because they were bigger than dinner rolls but the perfect size for burgers or sandwiches.  They were slightly crispy on the outside and soft and chewy on the inside.  I will definitely be making these again!!

(Our neighbor gave us delicious tomatoes from their garden...wish I had a green thumb!!)

Dining Room Complete!

One room is finally 100% complete!  Remember this old gem?

Let's just say the chandelier in the dining room has been my nemesis.  Rory and I have gone back and forth a lot about what our decorating style is (yes, he actually cares...maybe).  "We" have decided that we like the rustic, shabby chic country look.  Well, the original chandelier was brass with huge hurricanes = not our style.

I am always looking for a project and refused to spend money on a new chandelier.  I used my handy dandy Annie Sloan paint to create a white chandelier.  I ripped out the prongs and hid the brass chain with burlap, which drives Rory crazy but I really didn't want to paint the chain and I wanted it covered.  At Walmart, I purchased new lights since the old ones were quite long and pointy and I also found some cheap white shades.  It drove me crazy that the chandelier, rods, and shades were all three different shades of white so I spray painted the rods brown to give some contrast but I didn't like that either.  After a few weeks of staring at an 80% finished chandelier, I decided to wrap each rod with twine to give a rustic look and to compliment the wall color.  Sometime in the future, I do want to buy or make a cushion for the window seat but I settled for pillows for now. I threw together a "guest basket" so when we have people over, we can quickly grab place mats, cloth napkins, trivets, the gurgling cod, etc. Oh, and the walls are a mocha, tan color...not baby poo gold like some of the lighting makes it seem...

Cape Cod

Last summer, Rory and I drove to Cape Cod so we figured driving was the best option for this year's first Brannan Family Vacation.  If I could do it when I was 8 months pregnant, we could do it with a 9 month old, right?  We left on Thursday night in hopes that Deaglan would sleep for most of the trip.  We hit the worst storm a few hours into the drive and drove with the storm for the remaining six hours. The rain was so hard at times, we could only drive about 30 mph. I kept watching the storm on radar and it was not budging!  Rory and I took shifts with driving but we made it safe and sound to his uncle's house at around 2:30 in the morning.  We were exhausted and did not find it amusing that Deaglan thought it was time to play when we put him in his pack n play to fall asleep.  But, how could you be mad at this face?  He was just ready for his vacation!  

The weather was cloudy/drizzly/rainy the first few days on the Cape but I actually enjoyed it.  It gave me time to read an entire book (I haven't read a book since last summer...), complete a puzzle, and gave us reason to sit inside and catch up with family.  On Wednesday, we were quite thankful though to see the sun and we were ready to enjoy the beach.  Deaglan was excited to eat his first fist-full of sand and sadly enjoyed it.  I kept thinking "oh, he will have a taste and realize it is disgusting" but NO! He kept trying to sneak in bites whenever we weren't watching.  He also loved picking up the stones on the beach and tried eating a few of those, too.  Rory took him out in the ocean a few times and D loved the big bathtub.  Days were filled with bocce ball, walks, ice cream, cocktails, and good food.  It was also fun to watch Deaglan interact with his older cousin, Stoy.  He was definitely jealous of his walking and talking ability.  It was adorable to watch them play together and sometimes give each other kisses.  It is amazing how six months at this age can make a big difference in ability.  In another year though this age gap won't make a difference!  I hardly took any pictures to document vacation but I guess that just means I was too busy relaxing (aka chasing a baby all over the place). 

In short, it was nice to have the whole Brannan family together because Thanksgiving is the only time of year we see everyone.  The rental house was really nice and equipped with a lot of kitchen and baby items.  The yard looked onto a port and we were a short walk to the beach.  I think it is safe to say that the Brannan's may have started a new tradition...

On our drive back home, we stopped by Rory's grandparents so they could visit with Deaglan.  I know they were surprised by our last minute call that we were stopping by and I know it meant a lot for them to watch D crawl and play around.  It is impossible though to get babies and elderly people to look at the camera at the same time!