i had plans to cook everyday this weekend, but we decided to have a Celebratory Birthday Weekend for my now 5 yr old son. we did different activities each day, dinner out, pool, breakfast out, the lake, birthday cake with grandpa.... i just didnt have a minute to get to my grills or set food out to thaw in the fridge.
but late last night after getting home, i headed to the store to get what i could. i came back with ground beef for burgers, rib steaks, pork steaks, chuck eye steaks, dogs, sausages, bacon, fixin's for baked beans, taters, and corn.
as i was prepping this morning i asked my husband if he could take pictures with his good camera. he looks at the table... packages and packages of meat. and asks why did you buy so much meat?
i said because saturday was Smoke Day, i didnt get to cook, so im doing it today. "Smoke Day??" so i tell him.... and i ask if he can be my photographer for the day because i want really good pictures of everything i am making. he agrees and takes ONE pic of my chopped onions. then his battery dies. we have four good cameras in this house and lo' and behold each and every one had a dead battery. oh, well.... that's that.
but.... then my husband sat at the table and asks me what i was making. of course i perk up and tell him everything i was going to make. he asks if i got potatoes.... "of course i did, i know you have been wanting baked potatoes."
he proceeds to sit there and help me.... and we talked ... a lot.
later i went outside to get my grilling area ready. im cleaning and moving my grills and he comes out and sits down. starts to ask me about this and that (FYI he is not into grilling) so im answering, well i made chicken in this one last so i need to scrape the fat off this side, etc etc. you need to clean the ash catcher in this one because it gets full after a few cooks.... etc etc.
he asks lighting the chimney and other stuff. im starting to think he wants to grill something himself.
i had to leave to take our teenaged girls to a friends cookout. by the time i get back he has the rib steaks on the grill. im impressed. again, he is not into it like i am. i grab the burgers i made the put them on, and i see he's having flareups. i dont want to undermine him, so i just say "i would do this..." "i usually move them like this...."
and.... we are talking.... and grilling.
we sit at the outside table and talk while the food finishes cooking.
steaks done.... i tell him its best to let them rest a few, worth the wait. by that time the boys burgers will be done.
burgers, dogs, sausages off. steaks are rested. we come inside to eat. and he did awesomely with the steaks. i salted them BIGTIME and let them sit with the salt for about 1 3/4 hours. then he seasoned them with s&P. they were super juicy, great flavor. we had a great, delicious lunch. boys enjoyed their burgers and steak with us as well.
but what was better.....
was that not one bill was discussed. not one appointment. no talk of his upcoming overtime and days away from home. no talk of his finals coming up. no arguments. no tension. we just were.
you see, we have a strained, stressful marriage. he has 16 hour days, 4 of those hours are his commute, which he shares with his foreman. if hes not working, hes in school. im always with the kids. we have four, from 16 to 3 yrs old. im always busy. we dont see each other and we probably talk less.
but today... because of TVWBB and Smoke Day. we are having an AWESOME day! sadly, i have no pics.... but im ok with that. the time i shared with my husband today is invaluable to me.
but late last night after getting home, i headed to the store to get what i could. i came back with ground beef for burgers, rib steaks, pork steaks, chuck eye steaks, dogs, sausages, bacon, fixin's for baked beans, taters, and corn.
as i was prepping this morning i asked my husband if he could take pictures with his good camera. he looks at the table... packages and packages of meat. and asks why did you buy so much meat?
i said because saturday was Smoke Day, i didnt get to cook, so im doing it today. "Smoke Day??" so i tell him.... and i ask if he can be my photographer for the day because i want really good pictures of everything i am making. he agrees and takes ONE pic of my chopped onions. then his battery dies. we have four good cameras in this house and lo' and behold each and every one had a dead battery. oh, well.... that's that.
but.... then my husband sat at the table and asks me what i was making. of course i perk up and tell him everything i was going to make. he asks if i got potatoes.... "of course i did, i know you have been wanting baked potatoes."
he proceeds to sit there and help me.... and we talked ... a lot.
later i went outside to get my grilling area ready. im cleaning and moving my grills and he comes out and sits down. starts to ask me about this and that (FYI he is not into grilling) so im answering, well i made chicken in this one last so i need to scrape the fat off this side, etc etc. you need to clean the ash catcher in this one because it gets full after a few cooks.... etc etc.
he asks lighting the chimney and other stuff. im starting to think he wants to grill something himself.
i had to leave to take our teenaged girls to a friends cookout. by the time i get back he has the rib steaks on the grill. im impressed. again, he is not into it like i am. i grab the burgers i made the put them on, and i see he's having flareups. i dont want to undermine him, so i just say "i would do this..." "i usually move them like this...."
and.... we are talking.... and grilling.
we sit at the outside table and talk while the food finishes cooking.
steaks done.... i tell him its best to let them rest a few, worth the wait. by that time the boys burgers will be done.
burgers, dogs, sausages off. steaks are rested. we come inside to eat. and he did awesomely with the steaks. i salted them BIGTIME and let them sit with the salt for about 1 3/4 hours. then he seasoned them with s&P. they were super juicy, great flavor. we had a great, delicious lunch. boys enjoyed their burgers and steak with us as well.
but what was better.....
was that not one bill was discussed. not one appointment. no talk of his upcoming overtime and days away from home. no talk of his finals coming up. no arguments. no tension. we just were.
you see, we have a strained, stressful marriage. he has 16 hour days, 4 of those hours are his commute, which he shares with his foreman. if hes not working, hes in school. im always with the kids. we have four, from 16 to 3 yrs old. im always busy. we dont see each other and we probably talk less.
but today... because of TVWBB and Smoke Day. we are having an AWESOME day! sadly, i have no pics.... but im ok with that. the time i shared with my husband today is invaluable to me.