Mazen and I went to Hillsborough for a relaxing weekend with Grammie and Pea. (We left Thomas home for some me time and a huge garage overhaul!) Our trip had a few main goals: for my dad and me to attend a show and to see Grammie’s art on display.
A few months ago my dad, who likes every kind of music except country, asked me if I wanted to join him for a Nashville songwriter showcase at the Durham Performing Arts Center. I didn’t hesitate to say yes! Grammie took Mazen out on a date, and dad and I started ours with an early dinner at Antonia’s in downtown Hillsborough.
We shared this roasted vegetable starter as our “salad” course.
And I had a half portion of house-made fettuccini with a bolognese sauce for dinner. It was great!!
Before we left town, we went to a few of the art galleries open for Last Friday, including Margaret Lane Gallery where Grammie was a featured artist!
The dinosaur on the Hillsborough Riverwalk is my favorite!
She and Mazen were greeting visitors and enjoying the kids arts table.
Then dad and I departed for Durham.
Going to the DPAC made me wish we lived in a bigger city. I would love to go see some of these major Broadway shows, and I’m going to look up some of the performances at our high school and UVA to see if there are any coming up soon. We saw a lot of theater growing up and I miss it!
There was no photography inside the theater, but our show was great. We heard nine of Nashville’s finest sing the songs that they wrote that went on to become number-one hits. Songs like “Drink On It,” “The Climb,” “A Little More Country Than That,” “All The Pretty Girls,” “Heads Carolina, Tales California,” and “Live Like You Were Dying.” My dad only knew one song, but I think he might like country a little bit more now!
We got home pretty late to find that Mazen had JUST gone to sleep. He was up at 6:30 the next morning and mom had to be up early for the farmer’s market, so we were all quite sleep deprived the next day! Luckily, we all fit in short afternoon naps.
Many things in the “new house” are new: the kitchen, the bathrooms, the bedding, but some things never change, like dad’s coffee preference and pot from the 80s. I accepted a cup of Folgers with an open mind, but gosh it was awful! It tasted like a coffee substitute beverage.
Breakfast was simple:
Followed by second breakfast – the last tablespoon in the jar.
We showered and dressed and headed to the farmer’s market where mom was. She sold 10 paintings! You can learn more about her artwork here. Each painting has a story.
Mazen “bought” this one for his room. The bird decided to change the color of his feathers and was having trouble choosing a color.
After the market we went to Cameron Park, the elementary school where I started kindergarten 30 years ago (!), to meet my friend Becca, who was in my first grade class and has been a great friend ever since!
She brought her three girls (her oldest is almost taller than me!) and Mazen had a great time with them at the playground. The same dirt I played on when I was his age!
We walked home and had a picnic lunch on my parents’ porch.
There happen to be twin five-year-old boys and a seven-year-old girl who live right next door to my parents, so Mazen, who is not the least bit shy, went over and played with them for a few hours. He was thrilled and we were so thankful to the kids parents, who were also thrilled to have a new dynamic to add excitement to their Saturday. We could all sit on the porch and supervise.
Mazen came home later in the afternoon, exhausted, and we relaxed with some necessary screen time on the couch : )
Finally we set out for an early dinner downtown at Radius Pizza.
I had the above salad, which was so good with that truffle dressing, and shared this pizza with dad.
Afterwards, we went to West Hillsborough to try out Whit’s Custard that my friend Tiffany recommended. The place was happening!
Whit’s was kind of like a cross between Kohr Bros and Coldstone, and you could select any number of mixins to put in your base. I got the Bourbon Praline Pecan custard with heath bar and butterscotch! OMG.
We were asleep by 9pm and enjoyed 10 glorious hours before a 7am wake-up. I’m banking my sleep between now and October!
First thing in the morning, I set out on a run in search of coffee. I took a 1.5 mile route to get to Cup A Joe, the cutest coffee shop serving a delicious Ethiopian coffee! Delicious.
I sipped it on my walk home, which took me by the house I grew up in. I’d say my parents are 60% moved into the new house and are mostly sleeping there. The old house is unofficially on the market if anyone wants to buy an 185-year-old historic home in a charming southern town! We all love and miss the house, but I am very very happy to be sleeping at the new one. I promised them I would come visit more after the move now that they have adequate air conditioning, good shower water pressure, a modern kitchen, and mattresses from this century : )
It comes with the matching playhouse from our childhood! (Admittedly, both houses are showing their age.)
Something from my childhood not showing its age is this toast press! My mom used to press smiley faces into our toast when we were little. We played some Monster Mash too. (I am still really good at it 
)
I brought home two muffins from Cup A Joe and we shared these with bacon and strawberries.
We said goodbye to Hillsborough and G+P and hit the road to Virginia.
In the spirit of #keepingitreal, Mazen begged me to stop at McDonald’s for lunch. Pre-having-kids, I would have packed a sandwich or just had a late lunch when I got home, but as his mom, I want nothing more than to see this child smile from ear to ear. So, stop we did! (We have a rule that we only go to fast food on car trips, not making it any kind of regular habit.)
I had the Southwest salad, which was actually pretty darn good! I loved the black bean and corn mix on top, and the lettuce was a mix of romaine, mixed greens, and spinach and was better than some airport salads I’ve had in the past. Just sayin’! (Yes, I stole a few of Mazen’s fries.)
Once home, we were so happy to see Thomas and Gus! Thomas took Mazen to play putt-putt while I unpacked and wrote this blog post. Mazen got a hole-in-one on the first hole!
Hope you were able to get outside and enjoy the spring weather where you live!
Charmaine Ng | Architecture & Lifestyle Blog says
Awww, what a huge hit your Mum’s artwork is! Congratulations on selling ten pieces, that’s incredible! 🙂
Charmaine Ng | Architecture & Lifestyle Blog
http://charmainenyw.com
Mom says
Thank you! It’s been great fun and I’m so pleased Mazen likes my work.
Terri says
We have Whit’s Frozen Custard here in Ohio, also. In fact, I was just there this weekend with my daughter and her friends! I had the bourbon pecan flavor, too, as it was the flavor of the week. We love Whit’s. I think it’s great that you are teaching Mazen about balance and habits with food. I was just listening to a podcast where a proponent of natural beauty products was explaining that it’s the habits we do everyday that really make a huge difference in our health, and that she wishes people wouldn’t freak out about wanting to wear makeup that might not be all-natural for a special occasion, because occasionally wearing something isn’t enough to cause harm. Instead, it’s the cumulative effect of what you do everyday that adds up. She actually correlated it with the example of taking your kids to McDonald’s when you are traveling, and your options for eating are limited, saying that’s not going to cause harm, but if you’re feeding them McDonald’s everyday of the week, that will add up. I think learning about good everyday habits, and balancing those with treats and occasional exceptions (like McDonald’s on road trips only) is such a good way to help kids learn norms and boundaries, and be prepared to make healthy choices when they’re older. I actually did not grow up that way, and had to learn it as an adult.
KathEats says
🙂 Thanks for your comment! I couldn’t agree with you more.
Susan says
Loved meeting Mazen again! He’s such a personable, gorgeous boy!
KathEats says
Glad you got to see him!
Jane says
Not bashing McDonalds, but please watch out for tomaime lettuce right now, especially when pregnant. There’s a major E. Coli outbreak!
KathEats says
Good point! Is it still spreading?
Tracy says
I heard there has been an increase in cases. Be careful!
Karen says
Yes. The e coli has been linked to lettuce from Aruzona, so unless an eatery can prove their lettuce is not from AZ I wouldn’t risk it.
Karen says
Arizona , that is! Darn phone keyboard.
Laurie says
What a wonderful trip! My Mom is an artist up in Maine. It’s so much fun to go to her shows (and I love having her work on my walls).
I must admit that I love McD’s. I like the “only on car trips” rule. I need to implement that into my “Golden Arches Rule”. 🙂
Erin says
I cringe when my kids ask for McDonald’s but I could eat Chick-fil-A every day of the week. #wafflefries
Sarah says
Your parents are so cute! Your relationship with them reminds me of mine with my mom and dad!
Linda @ the Fitty says
What kind of art speaks to you the most? And what kind of coffee do you usually like? I like my coffee to be aromatic and really strong!
aimee says
The Altria Theater in Richmond gets a good amount of shows!
http://broadwayinrichmond.com/
Sandy Martin says
Your mom’s art reminds me of Maud Lewis, an artist who lived a very simple life in Nova Scotia….it was bright and cheerful….I really enjoyed watching a movie about her life entitled “Maudie” with Sally Hawkins, and I think you’d both watching it together..you should check it out…
https://www.artgalleryofnovascotia.ca/maud-lewis
Mom says
Thank you! I have seen that movie and love the work of Maud Lewis. Not sure what Cliff would do if I started painting on the walls but it’s tempting…
Sandy Martin says
Oh! Just go for it! haha
Kirsten @ little bites of my life says
OMG! The roasted salad starter looks amazing! So simple & fresh – yum!
KathEats says
It was so refreshing! A nice change from the usual salad options
Erin says
Agreed! I’m going to put “roasted salad” on my list of summer BBQ treats…
Kelly says
That coffee pot!:) I’m a dietitian and my kids love happy meals!:( Everything in moderation right!? I get their oatmeal while they eat… whatever it is that’s in that happy meal:) ha
KathEats says
I didn’t think about oatmeal for a healthy lunch but that’s a good idea!
Erin says
I saw Whit’s in your Insta stories and almost died–Whit’s started at my alma mater in Granville, Ohio not long before I graduated! It’s awesome they’ve made it down to NC–Whit’s is, indeed, delicious!
KathEats says
Oh cool! I had never heard of it and thought it was local to Hillsborough before some of you started commenting! It was fabulous!
Erin says
I’d like to know what book you are reading. I often like the same books as you, although I still can’t believe you hated The Thornbirds. <—-longtime reader. 😉
KathEats says
Haha I don’t even remember reading The Thornbirds!!
I finished The Great Alone and loved it. I needed something lighthearted after that and I started The Weekenders which is set on Bald Head Island (called Belle Island in the book!) Loving it so far. It’s only $2.99 on Kindle.
Cathy says
Hi Kath……can you recommend a coffee ? I like Seattle’s Best. Thanks. I’m looking for a great tasting coffee.
KathEats says
I would go to your favorite local coffeeshop and by it from them! You can’t get much fresher or better. As for grocery store brands, I’ve liked a few from Pete’s and Whole Foods, but I only get them when I’m traveling so I don’t remember the names. I like a medium roast and love Mexican coffee!
CQ says
That coffee maker is amazing.
Bri says
Lol, I cannot with the folger’s coffee. My brother and I just bought ourselves christmas presents of a pour over coffee maker, filters, a grinder, and real coffee to store at my parents’ house so we can stop going on panic runs for coffees during the holidays.
KathEats says
Haha that will be my future 🙂
Vera says
What brand of coffee is good?
KathEats says
Anything locally roasted!
India says
Your parent’s new house looks gorgeous. How far away are you from them? Adorable your dad invited you to a show too. And I love that you took Mazen to McDonald’s. Way to show him balance.
KathEats says
It’s about a 3 hour drive
Renee says
Aww you are making miss home. Maybe it’s because that’s where times were simpler and you never had a care in the world. Our beautiful home town has grown so much by it hasn’t lost any of its charm