Happy Mother's Day - A Day Late

I am back from a fantastic weekend visiting my family in Wisconsin. Not only did I get to spend Mother's Day with my mom, I also got to celebrate my Grandma Ruby's 80th birthday! It was a fantastic brunch - my mom truly is a great host. I can't stop thinking about the food - pulled pork sandwiches, breakfast casserole, fruit...I could go on and on. It was great to see family, especially since I don't get home very often. I got to meet my cousin's new baby, who is just adorable, even when she's projectile vomiting. Okay...that wasn't exactly my reaction at the time, which was to run away to the other side of the room. Babies kind of freak me out. I also got to introduce the extended family to my boyfriend, who gets some major brownie points for making the trek, and dressing up in the assigned party color (red, duh!). And of course, Grandma looked fantastic on her birthday. Here's wishing her many more birthdays to come!

Side story: Even though we knew that we'd be having a delicious brunch meal, my sister and I had to go on a little morning adventure to get morning buns from Simma's Bakery. If you've never had a morning bun, the best way to describe it is a crusty, "cinnamon roll meets croissant" pastry, that is covered with cinnamon and sugar on the outside (no icing), and soft and buttery on the inside. For a better description, click here.

Our morning bun adventure started at 7:30, as the bakery was only open from 8-noon on Sunday. And we were fortunate that we got there when we did. At 8:15 (ish), they bin that is usually stocked with morning buns was empty. When Rachel inquired, she was told there was a pan just coming out of the oven that still needed to be sugared. While we sipped the complimentary coffee and waited, the man ahead of us took six. A few minutes later, we got the other six from the batch, and were told there wouldn't be more for an hour. Sad news for the line that was practically out the door. Great news for us. Does that not look amazing?!

The best part was that we had one leftover, which meant a delicious pre-drive treat!

I really need to get home more often. I love being able to see my family, and enjoy my mom's wonderful hospitality (she treats me like a guest and puts the good shampoo in the shower, just for me!). I like going to all of the places you can only visit at home (like Simma's) and passing the familiar landmarks. And I love just sitting on the couch, watching trashy reality tv that was DVRed. It's nice not having other things to do.

Perhaps someday I will be closer. But for now, I have to make the most of my visits. I can't wait until I'm back in July!