Scenes from Our Weekend

I had every intention of posting my 2016 goals last week for Thoughts for Thursday and then the entire week felt like it slipped away from me.  

Me, my Mom and Madelyn packed up on Wednesday for a little road trip to New Orleans.  Just packing me and Madelyn (for 2 days) still took an entire morning and was exhausting, but I'm so glad we did it.  

It was Madelyn's first trip to New Orleans and we had such a fun time just us girls.  I was throwing a baby shower for one of my best friends in New Orleans on Thursday night, so we decided to enjoy ourselves for two nights in the city.  Madelyn was a champ.  We took her to lunch at our favorite spot uptown, Clancy's, and we dragged her to several cute stores on Magazine St.  

The shower itself was gorgeous.  It was a cocktail party celebrating the beautiful Mama to be and I'm not sure that I've ever seen a baby that is so loved!  There were 20 hosts if that tells you anything at all :)  

Mama of Honor...

all the hosts!

DVF Shift Polka Dot Dress

We got back Friday evening just in time to enjoy the weekend home with Matt and Brody.  I was so exhausted that night and was so excited to sleep in my own bed.  Matt picked up Carrabba's and we called it an early night.  

We got a babysitter Saturday night (the first time with someone beside's family since having two kids) and we went to dinner and the Pensacola Symphony with family that night.  It was actually very enjoyable.  I hadn't been to the Symphony since I was pregnant with Brody.  

Sunday we had a pretty lazy day, but had the family over for football and dinner that night.  I'm looking forward to the week, but then gearing up for another action-packed weekend next week!  

Hope you have a great week! 

Linking up with Biana for weekending.

 

Scenes from Our Weekend | New Orleans

Finally here to recap our weekend in New Orleans.  This was a special trip to Nola for us because it's the last time we will visit my Mom's house in New Orleans.  She's owned this house for 10 years now and she just sold it last month.  She closes in May and it will certainly be bittersweet.  We will be sad to see it go, but happy because it means more time for my Mom in Pensacola to spend with us and the grandkids!!!  

Brody and I drove over on Thursday afternoon and got ready to have friends over for dinner that evening.  One of my best friends (the one in the middle) lives in New Orleans, so I always love an opportunity to get to visit with her.  Her MIL happens to be my Mom's best friend too, so we had them all over for dinner for the evening.  

Friday was spent letting Brody play outside as much as possible.  The weather was absolutely amazing all weekend long.  It was the perfect Spring temperatures.  We walked around the park, let him play at the play ground and them took him to eat outside for lunch.

We ended up at this cute neighborhood place called, DatDog.  I'd never been, but they are known for their gourmet hotdogs and sausage dogs!

Mom and I indulged in this crawfish sausage dog that had all kinds of crazy stuff on it.  Sour Cream, Crawfish etoufee, creole mustard and I forget what else.  It was pretty darn delicious though.

Brody had his second ever hotdog and was in heaven.  This is a huge accomplishment for a child that doesn't eat any meat, but now can take down hot dogs and bacon ("ba ba") like a champion. 

Friday evening Matt arrived and we met up with our friends for drinks and dinner in the French Quarter.  This preggo mama was out until midnight which was a pretty good accomplishment.  Sadly, I didn't get one photo of the four of us :(

I hit 20 weeks while we were in Nola which felt pretty good.  Matt and I woke up Saturday to take Brody to the Aquarium for the first time.  

He loved pointing and seeing all the "fishies."  He ran around like a wild man and probably didn't spend longer than 30 seconds at any one exhibit, but still had a ball. 

The stingrays were scary!!!

They had lots of cute things for the kids to climb on like boats and shark mouths, etc. 

Saturday while he was napping we watched the Kentucky Derby at my Mom's house and then Matt and I got ready for a little dinner just the two of us.  We went up to our favorite neighborhood restaurant, Clancy's, and sat up at the bar to dine.  We love sitting at the bar here and ordering lots of apps to share.  I had a festive mock cosmo and Matt had lots of yummy Mojitos.  #wasntjealousatall

Sunday we took Brody for a walk and headed to the Street Car.  Everyday when we would walk him, he would point and scream at the street car every time it went by.  It was so cute to let him have a ride.  He just sat there and let the wind blow in his face and point and say "street car" overtime one would pass by. 

We were sad to say goodbye, but so happy that we got to fit in one last weekend at the house.  Brody loves his time in New Orleans, but mostly his time with his Lee Lee.  We still have family in New Orleans and will be back for plenty more visits.  New Orleans will always be a magical place for us as it is where I was born, where lots of my family lives, and where Matt and I got married!!!

Scenes from our Weekend | New Orleans

I apologize for being a few days late on this post; but we didn't head back from New Orleans until Monday, so I'm a tad bit behind.  I did manage to get my Halloween post up yesterday for the holiday link-up party though.  I had so much fun reading everyone's creative ideas for Halloween decor, food, and costumes.  If you missed it, you can read them here.  

Onto the weekend...

We headed to New Orleans for a weekend of fun to visit my Mom and some friends.  Brody and I drove in on Thursday and had a quiet evening with my Mom.  We had some friends stop by for cocktail hour and then called it an early night.  

I got to wear my cute new Rails Maddox plaid shirt for the drive over.  

Mom and I took the baby shopping at Saks on Friday to take advantage of the Friends and Family sale.  Our day was pretty wide open and I told her that I never get to actually go shopping in a store anymore now that I live in Pensacola.  Our shopping is extremely limited here and it's a lot easier to just order clothes online!  So while we shopped, the baby watched Mickey on the iPad and ate snacks until his little heart was content :)  

I wore this cute Giraffe Sadie top by Annie Griffin for our shopping trip.  They had their friends and family sale this weekend too.  Did anyone take advantage of it??

We had friends over for dinner on Friday night and my Mom cooked this delicious chicken piccata from Giada.  

Saturday we took Brody to the Audubon Zoo.  Please excuse my nasty hair and no make-up.  My friend, Meredith, and I went to one of my favorite workout classes that morning before heading to the zoo.  It's called Hour Blast and they only have studios in New Orleans right now.  I think it is similar to an Orange Theory workout for those of you that have those studios.  I've never been to Orange Theory, but I have just heard of it.  

Saturday night Matt and I met friends out for dinner at Marcello's.  It is fairly new and was my first time there and I loved it!! The food was awesome and they had a great wine selection.  I wish I had a cute full length picture of this outfit from the night.  I wore this cute Mara Hoffman shift dress that might be one of my new favorites! 

After dinner we headed to Tommy's Wine bar.  It's a comfortable bar with nice seating and had some good music! It was the perfect spot for a little night cap :)

On Sunday, Matt and I hit up one of our favorite restaurants, Arnaud's, for brunch.  We had our Rehearsal Dinner here so it brings back great memories and we did a little reminiscing.  

We closed out the weekend watching the Saints game and hanging at my Mom's house.  It was such a fun weekend and the weather was perfection.  

Hope everyone is having a great week! Now that I'm back on track, don't forget to link-up with Natalie and I for Thoughts for Thursday tomorrow.  You can write about anything and just grab the button below.  

<center> <a href="http://homeofmalones.blogspot.com/search/label/thoughts%20for%20thursday" target="_blank"><img alt="Thoughts for Thursday" src="http://i637.photobucket.com/albums/uu98/lauraleigh925/home-of-malones/thoughts-for-thursday_zps5b440953.png"/></a></center>

Linking up with Morgan today for Mid Week Muse.

 

Taste of Tuesday : Restaurant R'evolution | New Orleans

As I mentioned yesterday, we had an absolutely incredible dining experience in New Orleans this past weekend at Restaurant R'evolution.  The atmosphere is elegant with the perfect quaintness for a romancing couple or the energy and excitement from the French Quarter for a group ready to party.  

We were a party of 3 (me, Mom and Brother) and were prepared to drink and dine in the bar area that is first come, first serve.  Unfortunately, we were not able to get a reservation when we called ahead.  The bar is swanky and still provides a fun dining experience with a full menu, so we were happy with that.  However, we thought we would just ask if there were any cancellations once we got there and if there were any chance they could seat us in the main dining room.  Guess what??? They could!  We were IN! 

This was Brandon and I's first time dining at the restaurant and my Mom had been several times before.  The fun part for us about coming to the restaurant was that John Folse, one of the award-winning head chef's and owners, is actually related to my family.  My great Grandmother and his Grandfather were brother and sister!  

I wanted to share my experience with all of you because I actually get quite a few emails with questions about New Orleans regarding places to stay, eat, and do when you all are visiting.  I hope this gives you a glimpse into one of the top restaurants in New Orleans and shows you some of the amazing cajun cuisine this city has to offer.  

I will let the photos do most of the talking...

The restaurant is actually in the Royal Sonesta Hotel.

Martinis and wine to start the evening.

The service was top-notch and this decanter was too beautiful not to photograph. 

Our Wine

First Course:

Fire Roasted Oysters & Fois Gras with Biscuit and Quail Egg

Second Course:

Death By Gumbo -- Very nice presentation

Third Course:

Lobster Gnocchi

A small glimpse into the restaurant...I didn't take any other decor pictures! 

Fourth Course (the Main entrees):

Hoisin Glazed Hake

Paneed Veal Chop

Seared Sea Scallops and Foie Gras -- This dish was probably my favorite! It was so delicious.  We all tried bites of each others and I really loved the flavors of this one.  

Fifth Course:

Dessert

We were so stuffed we couldn't even look at a dessert menu, but they brought out the cutest little jewelry chest of little chocolates to our table that we were able to take a bite of.  It was the perfect ending to our dinner.  

We took one final picture outside after dinner and you can see Bourbon Street behind us with the people standing on the balcony.  This nice photo-bomber probably came from there :)

It was a dining experience to remember and such a nice visit with my Mom and Brother.  I can't wait to go back to NOLA and take Matt to eat there.  He will absolutely fall in LOVE!! 

++ I was not compensated for this post in any way and truly just had such a wonderful experience that I had to share it with all of you.++

Do you have a trip to New Orleans on the books any time soon?  Have you been before?  Where was your favorite place to eat? 

You can follow Restaurant R'evolution on Facebook and Twitter too!