Happy Memorial Day – it sure was nice having a long weekend! America should have more mandated holidays in my humble opinion. I am always looking for an excuse to
On Friday night, we hung out at the house. I got to catch up on my Tivo, and Travis got to catch up on his Xbox. Saturday, we went over to Wal-Mart. Travis and Carissa had McDonalds for lunch while I did the shopping. Apparently, after lunch, T&C went over to the toy section to see her pink jeep that was stored high up on some racks. My understanding of what happened is that Carissa asked her Daddy to get it down for her, and he explained that she needed to go potty first. Once she did, he would then call the potty fairy, and she would get it down and bring it to Momma’s house. Carissa rolled her eyes at her daddy, pointed over to her right, and said “Just use that ladder Daddy.” DUH!
That evening, we went over to my mom and dad’s. I offered to bring over some hot-dog fixings, but dad said that they had already taken out some steaks. Hmmm, steaks or hot-dogs? Yeah, easy answer: We went with the steaks! Delicious.
We got there early so we could enjoy the pool a little bit. We got Carissa’s purple bikini out of the cabinet, and she promptly told us ‘I don’t want that, I’m just going to go naked.’ Yes, we apparently have a two-year-old nudist in the family. After much cajoling, the suit was put on, and we had a great time getting a break from the Houston heat which has definitely arrived in full force.
Sunday, Dee and Jake came by. We played a round of Loaded Questions, which I won (did you have any doubt?). We then looked over our game selection and somehow decided on Carissa’s Disney Memory Game. I can’t believe this game is meant for toddlers… a 30 year-old, two 28 year-olds, and a 25 year old (that’s me by the way) had a REALLY HARD TIME with it.
Monday, we had a big breakthrough. Carissa finally went ‘tee-tee’ in the potty. Hallelujah! After sitting on the pot reading books, watching movies, talking about things toddlers like to talk about, etc for what seemed like eternities, she finally ‘went’. Yes, the potty-fairy was called, and she brought Carissa the much-anticipated pink jeep. You should have heard her squeals. Travis and I looked at each other and smiled, thinking we had success and how great it is to be a parent.
Only thing is… Since receiving her jeep, she hasn’t wanted to go potty again. Grrr….
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There are not too many times that I willingly acknowledge being wr- wr- wro-… Ug, ‘wrong’ is just a difficult word. But, this is one of those times where I have to admit that I was… mistaken.
Joey and Loni are going to have a baby boy! They have already named him Parker Ray Cherry. I believe the due date is October 16.
I was really leaning towards a girl for them – I was probably subconsciously wishing for that so I would have someone to buy pretty dresses and PJs with princesses on them for. You know, since my little girl refuses to wear anything that doesn’t have a Mater or a Thomas or a Mickey Mouse on it. TPTB are definitely a sexist bunch in my opinion. Seriously, how hard would it be to print a Mater on a pink shirt? And, no, a pink Minnie Mouse is not the same thing.
Maybe Parker will like Cinderella and Snow White, though… I think I remember a story where Joey was playing with his brother and sister and ended up wearing a – No, I won’t embarrass him today!
But, I digress… Congrats to Joey and Loni! We can’t wait to meet Parker! The love you feel for your child will surpass any kind of love you have ever felt before. It is definitely a ride worth going on, and we couldn’t be any happier for you guys.
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I was looking for something different to do with the back-strap we had in the freezer rather than fry it, and this recipe was definitely the ticket. Travis has now deemed it as his new favorite.
Here is the recipe as written on AllRecipes and my modifications/commentary follow behind it as I never follow directions!
Grilled Venison Back-strap
Ingredients:
* 2 pounds venison backstrap, cut into 2 inch chunks
* 1 quart apple cider
* 1 ½ pounds thick sliced bacon
* 2 (12 oz) bottles of BBQ sauce
Directions:
1. Place chunks of venison into a shallow baking dish, and pour enough apple cider in to cover them. Cover, and refrigerate for 2 hours. Remove, and pat dry. Discard apple cider, and return venison to the dish. Pour barbeque sauce over the chunks, cover, and refrigerate for 2 to 3 more hours.
2. Preheat an outdoor grill for high heat. Charcoal is best, but if you must, use gas. Remove meat from the refrigerator, and let stand for 30 minutes, or until no longer chilled. Wrap each chunk of venison in a slice of bacon, and secure with toothpicks.
3. Brush the grill grate with olive oil when hot, and place venison pieces on the grill so they are not touching. The bacon will kick up some flames, so be ready. Grill, turning occasionally, until the bacon becomes slightly burnt, 15 to 20 minutes. The slower, the better. Dig in, and prepare to want more!
Jonda Modifications:
- We only used one ‘pack’ of back-strap which I assume is about a pound.
- I put the meat in a square dish and seasoned it with Tony’s and garlic powder before pouring the cider over it to cover. I think I used about a third to a half of the standard size cider bottle. (Be sure you use apple cider and NOT apple cider vinegar!)
- I drained off the cider, patted the meat dry, and put back in the dish. I used about ¾ of a bottle of Kroger-brand Hickory Smoke style sauce.
- We didn’t have time to marinate it as long as the recipe called for, and I’m sure it would even increase in its awesomeness if we did! I marinated the meat in the cider for thirty minutes and then in the BBQ sauce for about twenty or so.
- I used center-cut bacon for the wrapping which I find to be a little less greasy and tends to crisp up better than the regular bacon.
- After wrapping the pieces, I skewered them on metal skewers for Travis to grill on our gas pit.
- We served them with roasted asparagus with garlic, a baked (aka microwaved in our house) potato, and toasted sweet Italian bread.
Woohoo it was DELICIOUS!
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Sometimes (like yesterday evening), Carissa can be the biggest, well, turd for lack of a better descriptor. But then at other times (like yesterday night), she can say or do something that just totally makes me fall completely in love with her all over again…
Carissa: “Momma, wanna come and play wit me?”
Momma: “Not right now, sweetie, Momma’s tummy is hurting a little bit.”
Carissa: “Ohhhh…. I sorry Momma. I make you feel better.”
And then, this little sweetheart, my child, MY HUSBAND’S CHILD…. Pulled the blanket off my legs…. And proceeded to rub my feet.
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Carissa: “Lookie there Momma!!”
Momma: “I see it! Wow, is that little boy driving his own power-wheels truck?”
Carissa: “YEAH! I want one too Momma!”
*Idea is quickly forming in Momma’s head*
Momma: “You know what? I saw a pink jeep the other day on the computer that you would probably like. Do you want to go see it?”
Carissa: “Oh, yeah Momma! Let’s go see it!”
*We went inside and Carissa ran up to the computer. Momma types in the amazon address and searches for the pink jeep. She quickly finds what she is looking for.*
Carissa in a solemn tone: “I want that Momma.”
Momma: “You do, huh?”
Carissa nodding enthusiastically: “Yup”
Momma: “Well, Daddy and I have been talking… If you are a big girl and start using the potty, we will get you that pink jeep.”
Carissa, scrunching up her nose: “No, I don’t like potty.”
Momma: “But you want to have that big girl pink jeep, right? You have to be a big girl and use the potty.”
Carissa, with wheels turning in her little head: “Um… Ok”
A little while later…
Carissa: “I want that pink jeep, Momma.”
Momma: “Well, what do you have to do to get it?”
Carissa: “GO SHOPPING!”
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