Restaurant Week 2013

While Nay-nay and Pop-pop were having fun with the kids, I managed to find some ways to fill my time during my very own stay-cation in Raleigh. Brec and I took the opportunity sans children to go out to dinner for the 2013 edition of our very own Restaurant Week. This year we tried some new places and returned to a couple old favorites.

We hit the ground running with lunch on Monday afternoon as I was on my way back from South Boston, and Brec's new office is on the way home. We dined at Bull City Burger and Brewery on their in house-ground, locally pasture-raised beef burgers and duck frites. A great way to start off the week.

Then after an afternoon of painting the trim around the window panes in Meghan's room, something leftover from my 2011 painting extravaganza/stay-cation, we decided to do it up on our first night for a late (8:00 pm!) dinner at Poole's Diner. I got the crabcake, and Brec had the fried flounder, both delish. Enjoying a Pimms Pitcher outside the restaurant, waiting for our table to be ready.

On Tuesday night we stayed slightly closer to home by choosing to dine at David's Dumpling and Noodle Bar on Hillsborough St. We ordered both dumplings and noodles which were, as Pop-pop would say, fabby-fab-bu-lous.

Wednesday night we went to Beaseley's, a place we often go with the kids, but it was nice to be able to relax and enjoy the delicious chicken.

Our last night on the town before the kids return on Friday afternoon, we dined at a new-to-us Bida Manda, a Laotian restaurant downtown. Everything from the drinks and appetizers to the main courses were extremely tasty. 

Meanwhile back at the ranch daily while Brec was hard at work at the office, I was busy organizing and cleaning up and out the kids' rooms. One of my main goals in Jack & Clara's room was to attack the top of the wardrobe which had essentially become a dumping grounds for anything and everything that needed to be up high away from Meghan. Anything that wasn't placed on the wardrobe was shoved into their closet, making it the other focus of my efforts. I don't have before pictures, but following several trips to the Container Store for shelves, I can assure you that these afters are a vast improvement. 

My other big accomplishment was the rearrangement of the names & feet to include Meghan's and the special cast I got last fall of all three kids' handprints. It may not seem like much, but it took me awhile to envision how I wanted to arrange the pieces and even longer to translate my paper calculations into actual hooks on the wall. But after all my careful planning, I'm very happy with how it turned out. Below are the before and after.

Then just like that it was Friday afternoon and who arrived back in Raleigh but the children! with Nay-nay and Lucy. Lucy generously agreed to babysit the kids Friday and Saturday night so that I could attend a family wedding with Nay-nay in Chapel Hill. During the day on Saturday, also in town for the wedding, was Aunt Betts from whom we had a visit! It had been a long time since last she saw the children, almost two years. We tried to show her a good time so that she'll come back before another two year pass. ;) We dined at Armadillo for lunch, then hit the Cupcake Shoppe for dessert. Yummy.

On Saturday night Brec, Nay-nay, and I met Betty, Memo, & Augs in Chapel Hill and caravanned to the wedding venue, the "Barn at Valhalla" in Carrboro. 

Then afterward we took the opportunity of being out with a babysitter at home to finish off our evening and restaurant week with a fantastic meal at Acme in downtown Carrboro. Everything I tasted was wonderful. We'll definitely head back there to partake of the kid-friendly Sunday brunch someday.

Thanks again to Nay-nay & Pop-pop for the gift of time to ourselves that made all this home productivity and "Restaurant week" possible.