04 Jun
Memorial Day 2010… Fail
On Sunday we started talking about our options for Memorial Day this year. Last year we went on a Texas safari and this year I needed to come up with something we could do with baby tagging along. And on a smaller budget. When I came across a blog that mentioned u-pick blackberry adventures in north Dallas I knew we had our activity. I was so proud of myself for calling ahead to find out when they closed, and we loaded the three of us into the car for a 45 minute drive east of Dallas.
When we walked in the door we were told that the blackberries had been picked clean! We were bummed, but we could still have lunch right, at the burger place? Nope. That closed about 5 minutes before we arrived.
T1 was so over this trip.
This ice cream cone was the only reason the trip wasn’t an absolute disaster. Made fresh using the farm’s own strawberries and peaches, it was some of the best I’ve ever had! Not worth a drive that long though.
I happened to ask someone with a dSLR to take our picture, which resulted in a really good picture of the three of us! She put the camera strap over her head and squatted down to get a good angle and everything.
On the way back we decided to visit a favorite bbq restaurant in the area, Hard 8. We were hungry but you know what? You can’t eat until baby eats! Dang this kid is needy.
Honestly I wasn’t impressed with Hard Eight. The bbq sauce was runny and not delicious, they gave me wonderbread when I asked for bread (seriously?), the free beans were overly spicy, and the overpriced salad was lettuce with two cucumbers and tomatoes dropped on top. Meh. The meat was good though.
And if you were wondering, this is what it’s like to go out to eat after baby:
Eating Out After Baby from Jenna on Vimeo.
I think it might be worth it to get a babysitter next time we want to eat out.
I'm a farm-raised almost-crunchy stroller-pushing picture-taking lifestyle-blog-writing gastronomy-obsessed divine-seeking thrift-store-combing cheese-inhaling pavement-pounding laughter-sprinkling lover of individuality and taking chances.
Ah, yes, the wonderbread. It’s kind of a “thing” at many southern BBQ places. I prefer a roll myself, but lots of places do it that way, and when you get it catered, or when there is a big family BBQ or a party, inevitably the snow white loaf gets torn open and tossed on the table. It’s weird. Bring me real bread
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Jennifer Reply:
June 4th, 2010 at 11:24 am
I eat cracked wheat, no filler, home made bread most of the time. But when I’m eating BBQ- and it doesn’t matter if it is KC, Texas, Carolina, or Midwest style- Wonderbread is the bread.
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Sophia Reply:
June 4th, 2010 at 12:44 pm
It’s so funny how that came about, that it is a staple of the BBQ scene. It reminds me of how in Tex-Mex, lots of processed foods are staples- like Velveeta cheese, for instance
I prefer a greasy buttermilk roll with my baked beans, so it certainly doesn’t have to be healthy, haha.
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At least you tried! I spent the weekend reading… I may have cooked… but we definitely weren’t eating bbq. lol. I like the southern vinegar-bbq. It’s really runny, and not too sweet. Hmm. We did pulled pork at my wedding - it was a “summer bbq” theme. Yumm.
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2Well, T1 looks happy, anyways.
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3In Texas, I’d be more concerned if they DIDN’T bring you plain white bread and a bad salad at a BBQ place. I like it that way. That ice cream, though? Looks freakin’ amazing (as does T1-yea for strangers who take good photos!).
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4We didn’t make any plans for memorial day, but at the last minute we had the surprise of having a visit from his brother who just graduated from the Marines.
So it was pretty appropriate. We ended up having a party in his honor at my husband’s cousin, then inviting him for brunch the next day and going on a hike before we had both his brothers at home for dinner again that night. So it came out great and without planning, but mind you we don’t have a baby to worry about.
The ice cream looks scumpilicious and you got a good picture of the three of you out of it for his first special memorial day outing, that is pretty good for a first time if you ask me.
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Jenna Reply:
June 4th, 2010 at 10:02 pm
A surprise visit from a Marine? How wonderful! I was thinking about how I’d like to focus more on the armed services aspect of Memorial Day as my kids grow older. I’d really like them to know why we have different holidays and what they mean. Not just a day off from school and work, you know?
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Cécy Reply:
June 5th, 2010 at 7:12 am
Yes I felt thankful that 1)we could see him and 2)well it made memorial day special.
I agree that it should be more than just a BBQ week-end. It’s sometimes hard to remember why we get that extra day off..
I think as they grow up, you can probably bring children to a memorial, or even better get them to write letters to men serving, or little packages. I know there are plenty of associations that work on such things.
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Em Reply:
June 5th, 2010 at 3:46 pm
We’d like to do something to concentrate on the memorial aspect of the holiday-my husband lost some friends in Iraq and it’s important our children realize the day is for the memory of those who gave the ultimate sacrifice, not just a day off and a bbq! Although both are nice= ]
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Sad day! Going berry picking is pretty much my favorite thing on Earth. Today I’m going to use up the last of the blueberries and strawberries we picked & froze last summer so I can get ready for more. Don’t give up, different berries come into season and different times throughout the summer (here in Oregon at least), so maybe you can go pick a different kind of berry!
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6C and I have decided we hate Texas bbq. We’ve been to the supposedly “best” bbq places around Texas and it’s never been anything we’d want to go back to. And yeah, the bread?? Weird.
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7How sad about the blackberries!
As for barbecue joints… I’ve been to the original Hard 8 in Stephenville and it was good, but it’s definitely all about the beef (and the cream corn = DELISH). I’ve found a couple of bbq spots over the years that made a good bbq salad (back home that’s pulled pork and ranch dressing over lettuce), but never a good side salad.
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8I’m sorry your plans didn’t pan out, but at least you got to sample the ice-cream. It sounds and looks amazing! I’m a sucker for the fresh, local, made right here stuff. We went early Monday to pick strawberries and had eight pounds in our basket in about fifteen minutes! Yikes. They are some of the best I’ve ever had, but after the strawberries and dumplings, strawberry rhubarb pie, strawberries in yogurt, etc, were getting a little berried out. I think the rest are destined for the freezer.
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9Mmm…Hard 8. I’m sorry your experience was a bit of a disappointment. Besides the meat, the only thing we’ve tried is their cobbler and it is delicious!! Reading this post made me want some, even if it wasn’t a “Go Hard 8!” post
.
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10We live just outside Stephenville, and Hard 8 is a personal favorite. I’ve also been the location you visited, though, and wasn’t as impressed. Nothing like the original, I guess!
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Sophia Reply:
June 4th, 2010 at 12:45 pm
Weird, I grew up in Brownwood, it’s rare to find someone who knows where Stephenville is. I drive past Hard 8 every time I head down to visit my mom
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Chelsea McGowan Reply:
June 4th, 2010 at 12:47 pm
I actually live in Morgan Mill, a town of about 400, that’s 12 miles outside S’ville. Moved here from San Diego when I was in high school. How’s THAT for a culture shock, huh?
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Sophia Reply:
June 4th, 2010 at 11:41 pm
WHOA, yes, yes that is a culture shock! I’m glad that my father moved to Dallas after my parents divorced. It was hard being three hours away, but it was nice having a good mix of city and country life
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What a bummer, that all the berries were picked. The ice cream looks devine though. Wish I had one of those. Ya, not a fan of wonderbread either.
Love love the family photo. You look great Jenna!
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12Oh man! Bummer! But at least you are the kind of couple that DOES things with their new babies… I can’t stand people who use having a baby as an excuse to just stay inside all the time and never do anything…
The ice cream looks AMAZING and sad about the BBQ… great picture and oh… Love that carseat!
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13T1 is lying there so peacefully- what’s the matter?
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14Hey, at least T1 was a happy camper while you were eating! And it’s relatively easy to go out with him at this stage… he just eats a bottle and lays there.
The first time my husband and I went out to eat with our son, he actually fell off the booth seat. Took a nosedive right off *while he was sleeping*. And we were with friends, too. Childless friends.
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Jenna Reply:
June 4th, 2010 at 10:05 pm
Oh no! I’m sure they were just shocked. Accidents happen though, no matter what age. I’ve seen a few happen already in our house
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Lovely family photo, you are looking great!
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16You are looking good Jenna!
I think the video of T1 is adorable! Is he on the table or bench?
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Jenna Reply:
June 4th, 2010 at 10:06 pm
He’s up on the table with us. I love that he can entertain himself so easily.
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oh man - failed trips with a babe along sting a lot more than those without. just takes so much work to get everyone out the door…
how is t1 doing in the car these days? my 4-month old is h-a-t-i-n-g it, which makes outings even tougher to swing. hopefully just a phase, like everything else!
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Jenna Reply:
June 4th, 2010 at 10:07 pm
He just hates being strapped in so much that usually I have to endure several minutes of bloody murder screams before he falls asleep. It’s awful! The super hot car temps in TX don’t help. I can’t get him to stop hitting the burning plastic, poor thing.
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Kelli Nicole Reply:
June 5th, 2010 at 6:43 am
Two of my nieces have been like this
. Hopefully he’ll grow out of it!
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That ice cream looks amazing! And the family photo is so cute - you look gorgeous!
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19Oh, but he is entertaining himself so well! He is very cute.
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