Our weekend included plenty of down time but also a few adventures away from home. Let’s start from the beginning, shall we?
Friday
On Friday night, Ryan and I had plans to head out to dinner for a date night while my mom kindly offered to stay with Chase.
I was looking forward to our date night all week, especially since the date night we initially planned for last Saturday night didn’t happen. (We canceled our plans when I ended up crying off the first few swipes of mascara I put on my eyelashes since last Tuesday and didn’t feel emotionally ready to put on a happy face.) Since last Saturday night’s date night ended up looking like take out on the couch in our pajamas, I really wanted to get out of the house with Ryan on Friday and focus on enjoying a night out with my husband. Our date night ended up being so wonderful and just what the two of us needed.
Our dinner included plenty of uninterrupted conversation, laughter and lots of incredibly delicious small plates thanks to Kindred, our favorite local restaurant located in the college town of Davidson.
We made it home in time to catch up with my mom and listen to some cute stories she had about her night with Chase before heading upstairs to bed.
Saturday + Sunday
Saturday morning began at 5:30 a.m. when Chase woke up crying and coughing up a storm. Any plans we had for the day with Chase were quickly scrapped as we decided to lay low with our little man.
Chase didn’t have a fever and still had lots of energy, but we figured it was best to keep him away from other kids so our Saturday looked like a lot of playtime at home, strawberry banana smoothies, fetch with Sadie and vanilla ice cream with homemade butterscotch sauce at the end of the day. (I followed this recipe for the butterscotch sauce but used honey in place of corn syrup and it was perfectly buttery and velvety.) I also took some time to finally begin responding to a handful of the incredible emails I received over the past week which, yet again, made me cry but mostly in a cathartic way.
Sunday began on a better note when Chase woke up seeming much more like himself. Ryan, my mom and I were itching to get out of the house with Chase and spent the morning running around town, popping into Whole Foods for some of the things we needed for Alexis and Dan’s Super Bowl party and swinging by Clean Juice for juice, cashew milk lattes and vegan matcha doughnuts.
With our drinks in hand, we walked to a small local park to give Chase a chance to run around and enjoy the sunshine.
We had the entire park to ourselves and judging by Chase’s exuberant squeals and wobbly runs all over the park, he had a blast.
Once we made it back home, Chase was ready for his nap and while he slept, we made wraps for lunch and I began working on this blog post before taking a break to prep food for the Super Bowl party.
I made our family’s favorite ridiculously easy shrimp dip and Paleo lemon cupcakes for the party and both were quite tasty! (I had a few of you guys request recipes for these dishes on Instagram when I shared pics on my Instagram stories and Snapchat, so stay tuned.)
Once Chase was up from his nap we made another run out to a different local park before it was Super Bowl party time! As always, Alexis and Dan did a great job hosting the festivities (you may remember their last party where Chase met Santa for the first time…) and had tons of great food, themed cocktails and Super Bowl Squares for everyone to enjoy.
I can’t say I focused too much on the game, but I did enjoy filling my plate and surrounding myself with good friends who have been so incredibly supportive to me and Ryan.
I hope you all had a good weekend and I hope your Monday is a great one. Thanks for stopping by the blog today!
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What a nice weekend! The super bowl really is all about the food, hehe 😉
Definitely! 🙂
Not if you’re from New England! Football and the Pats is serious business here! Lol
We were surrounded by Patriots fans last night and they were definitely VERY into the game. 🙂 I was all about Lady Gaga. Haha!
Is that that milk bread?? Still haven’t had any version of it yet, but have been ogling it for as long as you mentioned it originally. I recently became obsessed with real butter, and as such, bought a french butter dish (where you pack one little bowl-type thing, and upturn it into another little bowl of water.) It’s great! Perfect for milk bread and carbaliciousness at home! (I’m pro-carb!)
Soooo glad your mom was in town, and that you had the support of your wonderful friends around you too (yes, I remember that Santa pic with Chase. lol) So glad you’re receiving comfort from people far and wide, and hope that it eases your load and helps you on your road to healing. <3 Still sending light and healing your way, from then to now and beyond.
That's the first time we've seen your stairs – I love the wood/paint combo! I know you're not a DIY/home design blogger, but I've loved all the snippets we've seen of your house over the years (I'm an HGTV addict.) Hope you have a wonderful Monday. <3
YES. Their milk bread is unreal. So tasty! And thank you for your kind words — your comments always make me smile and feel comforted and I really appreciate them every time!
You know I love your blog! Glad anything I (or anyone else) can say helps in even the smallest way. <3
Aw, too bad date night got cancelled, but it looks like you had a good time anyway! Glad your little man is feeling better. I spent Super Bowl pretending to watch the game while shoveling food in my face. And then the game actually got interesting!
That sounds like a wonderful weekend! If I ever make it to the Charlotte area, I would love to check out Kindred; looks right up my alley. I’m glad you and Ryan got some time out for yourselves. 🙂
I always say I go to the Super Bowl parties for the food. At least I’m honest 🙂 Hope you have a great week!
Looks like it was just the weekend you guys needed – low key but still around the people who are important to you. I hope Chase is feeling back to normal. I had a cold past week so I can definitely relate to not feeling very good.
Sounds like a fun and refreshing weekend!
We ended up laying low yesterday, which was just what we needed. But I love how into the festive, party planning mode your friends get! That Dirty Falcon just looks delish. 🙂
XO, Jessica
http://www.semisweettooth.com
That’s the drink I ended up making for myself and it was fantastic — especially if you love cherries!
I’m so glad your mom could be there this weekend with you guys! I’m sure the Kindred date was much needed! I agree…the Super Bowl is all about the food! haha
Julie,
You are such a beautiful person, inside and out. Just wanted to tell you that. 🙂
Thank you so much Amanda ? Xoxoxo
That drink looks delicious. I am not a football fan and I went to bed after the 3rd quarter and missed all the excitement. I thought Lady Gaga was great!
She was amazing!
I seriously want to get my hands on that vegan matcha donut! 🙂
I’m very excited for this family shrimp dip recipe! Glad you had such a nice weekend minus Chase being sick!
Date nights are sometimes just what the soul needs.
Looks like a great weekend! I’m glad you had a fun date night. And I loved the snap of you and Sadie! 🙂
It sounds like things are going better and I’m so happy your mom was there for you! I didn’t do anything for the game but we did make pizookies so that was delicious, ha. Hope Chase is feeling better!
It looks like you had a fantastic weekend! Mine was mostly spent trying not to be sick, being sick but still having to go to work, and then watching the game Sunday after work on the couch trying just to stay awake until the end! Thankfully I’m feeling a lot better today (nearly 12 hours of sleep will often do that, haha).
Yum sounds like you guys had a yummy date night and super bowl party! That matcha doughnut looks amazing–I’ve yet to try a matcha doughnut!
Hi Julie,
I just wanted to chime in and say how glad I am that your mom is able to be with you at times like this. There is a snark site, that I won’t even name, where commenters have scoffed at your dependence on your parents. I can’t imagine being so heartless towards you. My mom and dad both passed away at relatively young ages, and I would give ANYTHING to have them at my side at times like right now when I have the flu! And, I know, the flu pales in comparison to a miscarriage or cancer or anything like that. I hope that my 2-year-old daughter knows (or will understand with age!) that I will always be there for her for anything. I can’t imagine a mom who could do that, not doing that!
You remain in my prayers.
thank you so much, susan. i am so sorry for the loss of your parents. if the kindness you’ve shown to me in this comment is any indication, i have no doubt they were so proud of their thoughtful daughter. <3 i have never felt anything but grateful for my mom and the support of my family in my life -- there's truly nothing more important to me than my family and thankfully i haven't read anything shared on that site in years. also, it sounds like you are a fantastic mom to your two-year-old and i hope she feels every ounce of your love!!
It looks like you had such a refreshing weekend which I am sure was exactly what you needed.
Look at Chase smiling at you in that first picture. He certainly loves his mummy. What a cutie!xxx