Returning to normalcy...

I'm sure anyone that has loved ones who live far away know the feeling.  You get back from a visit and you have to go back to normal life again.  It takes small steps at a time - unpacking the suitcase is first on the list for me.  The sooner you do that, the easier it is to get back into the swing of things.  Then you have to get used to not being with someone constantly.  Not eating with someone else sitting across from you at every meal, going to the store alone, driving without someone in the passenger seat, watching a movie without someone by your side.  Long distance is tough, obviously.  But knowing something more permanent is in the future makes everything worth it.

When I arrived back home on Sunday, I found a box on the counter addressed to me containing my winnings from the Baking Bites Holiday Cookie Contest!  I was so surprised and delighted, thank you so much, Nicole!  It made coming back home a bit more bearable to receive such a lovely package:

(Cupcake apron, Kuhn Rikon pie and cake serving knife, Guittard semisweet chocolate, Guittard green mint chips and The Baking Bites Cookbook)

I made several additions to my cookbook collection during my visit to North Carolina and I look forward to sharing the recipes.  I baked oatmeal molasses cookies yesterday and the batch is almost gone!  If the sunshine ever shows its face in Buffalo again, expect pictures :)