Weekend Review: Bonfire, Fishing and Birthday Edition

So Sis2's birthday was last Wednesday. Well, her "party" was Saturday. Sis1 and Emmy came over Friday night and I cooked supper for everyone. It's not something I'd normally volunteer for but since I was off work anyway, I figured it'd be a nice break for Mama who's usually stuck with that chore. I agonized for DAYS on what to cook because, while everyone else in the family will eat pretty much anything (that's diabetic friendly, at least) Daddy is a hard sell. He's the pickiest eater in the family.

My first thought was pizza. But we eat pizza all the time. And I didn't figure he'd like the crust I make. Then I thought, pizza casserole. But he's also anti anything casserole. I think that's a man thing, though. So I really didn't know what to fix. It wasn't until I was in the grocery story Friday morning that I decided on Parmesan crusted chicken for the ladies and pork chop for the man of the family. (He's also not a chicken fan. He's nuts!) It was little deflating, though, when I told Mama what the meal plan was and she said, "I've had porkchops in the freezer for months and anytime I ask him if he wants them for supper he says no."

Insert scream--->here.

Ya'll. The anxiety of cooking for a picky eater is no joke.

I had to run over to the folks' house to pick up a cake mix and while there I sort of felt him out on the whole pork chop situation. He said he'd eat it but to make sure it wasn't dry.

That was my ah-ha moment. Why he doesn't want Mama to cook pork chops...she dries them out. Which is easy to do with pork chops, to be honest.

So what was my solution? Two words: Slow Cooker. Or, one word, if you want to be all name brand about it: Crockpot.

Awe, yeah.

I poured a little bit of Coke in the cooker, seasoned up the pork chop with a little S&P and a pinch of cayenne. Tossed in a handful of dried onion flakes (because I forgot to buy an onion) and let that baby slow cook on high for about 3 hours. About half an hour before I was ready to take it out, I poured a little bar-b-que sauce on it to make it bar-b-que-y and make a little bit of a sauce out of the Coke. When I finally took it out it was kinda falling apart. Nothing dry there, MISTER!!!!!

Anyway, menu rounded out with some twiced baked (and oversalted) potatoes, ( The season salt got a little overly excited when I tipped the shaker. Oops! ) baked beans and brussels sprouts. Everyone cleaned their plates except for Sis1's b. sprouts and Emmy didn't finish all of her chicken. She mostly ate potatoes.

I cleaned my plate, though.

And this girl begged off everyone's plates.

Saturday morning started off with me cooking breakfast for Sis1 and myself. And Libs, of course. While Sis1 was in the shower, I got busy making some cream cheese danish out of crescent rolls, cream cheese, sugar, lemon juice and vanilla. (I'll hafta post the recipe sometime. I got it off that dumb social media site everyone hates. haha)

Then it was off to the pond for fishing!

The kids had a blast, though and they each caught one or two. Emmy and Efan both caught two. Lyssa caught one. Sis2 caught two and Sis1 caught a bigass tree branch. haha

I caught nuthin'.

We gave up fishing around 11am and headed back to the folks' house for the danish and lunch. I fixed jalepeno popper pigs in a blanket.  All anyone could say was...YUM. Oh, and we ate left over twice baked (and oversalted) potatoes. And Pringles.

We played with the kids and talked and hung out for a while. I had a little PMS backache flare-up and had to escape to a bedroom to lie down for a bit. That lasted all of maybe thirty minutes before Lyssa was back there wanting to cuddle on the bed with me. Which would have been great if I hadn't been lying on a twin sized daybed. haha That didn't last long either, though, before she was up wanting me to help her play on the computer. So, yeah.


Anyway, around 5-ish we started the bonfire and I was really miserable and wishing I could just go home but knowing I had to just suck it up and pretend to have fun when actually I just wanted to cry.

PMS and family/social time is an excellent combo. On opposites day, as the Pioneer Woman would say.

Really, it was too hot for a bonfire. The high Saturday was 79 and while that isn't HOT, it's definitely too warm to be sitting around in front of a fire. Especially since we're more used to huddling under blankets around the fire while toasting marshmallows. Instead, we were sweating and swatting mosquitoes.  Super fun.

It turned out to be mostly fun, though. We ate cake. We roasted hotdogs. The kids ran around like maniacs. Sis2 got some fun swag. Twas all good. 

Sis1 and I escaped around a quarter to nine and to "settle my nerves" I drank a Seagrams Fuzzy Navel. Yum. Those things always relax me and that's why I bought them Friday morning. Look at me. Thinking ahead. haha

Sunday morning dawned with gray skies and the threat of ugly weather so I rushed around and fixed breakfast while Sis1 got all packed up and ready to head out in hopes of beating any storms that might decide to come out and play. I was in such a rush that I actually forgot to get Libby out of her crate! I'm a terrible mother. LOL I was cutting the butter into the flour for biscuits when Sis1 came into the kitchen and asks, "You want me to take Libs out while you do that?" *facepalm*

Terrible. Mother.

Anyway, breakfast got cooked and eaten, Libs got to pee and the girls got on their way home well before any rain hit. The rain that we did get off of Karen only lasted about twenty minutes. The girls totally coulda stayed. BUT...I'm kinda glad they hurried home. Because it gave me the perfect excuse to just veg the heck out. I went over to the folks' just long enough to fix another batch of jalepenos in a blanket forl lunch and watch a few episodes of Gater Boys  (yes, that's a thing. And yes, it's kinda dumb. Not as dumb as Turtleman, though. haha) before I went home and reclaimed my space.

I did enjoy the weekend, but boy and I glad it's over. ;-)