(this title reminds me of college. we always had mother daughter days/weekends with the sorority) This past weekend my grandmother and Aunt L. came up from Florida to stay at my Aunt D's house and see the family- meaning my mom drove up from Augusta to hang out too! (my Uncle S. and Dad had a boys weekend at the hunting club prepping for deer season in the fall.)
Because my parents normally visit Atlanta "with a purpose" (Thanksgiving, Christmas, birthdays etc.) we rarely get to just relax and hang out like we do when we visit them. (Both my sister and I live in Atlanta and my mom's sister and her family live in the 'burbs so normally when my parents are here there is always somewhere to go or someone to see.) This time though, my mom came up early on Friday and didn't have anything to do until 6pm that night so I decided an introduction to some of my favorite places was long overdue!
First, I took her to Sun in my Belly for a late breakfast. It is by far J. and I's favorite place and I think after the meal my mom was served she will have no arguments when I suggest it the next time she and my dad are in town! You know you are in for a great breakfast when the server says "everything is amazing, but since you've never eaten here before you have to order something with the bacon. It's the best bacon ever." (and he's not lying. I could eat pounds of it. Even my mom- the lover of turkey bacon and healthy eating- was having a tough time not polishing off every last bit!)
After that we hit up Kudzu antiques in Decatur. If you haven't checked it out yet, take a few hours and go browse. It's basically just a huge flea market done right. My mom kept pointing out things that reminded her of her childhood- from retro furniture to shift dresses- it was all there.
Once we'd gotten our fill of Kudzu, I drove her to the Dekalb Farmer's Market. She used to go "back in the day" but hadn't been back in forever. Given that I call her every time I go and it always makes her jealous, I figured it was time to "share." We both really didn't need anything right then, but seeing all of the fresh produce, the wall of spices (which are absurdly cheap,) the fresh breads and the rows of newly cut meats- we just couldn't help ourselves. 5 bags later, we were on our way out.
After some shopping (you can't not shop with your mom) and driving through some of the neighborhoods around our place, we came back to the apartment made a snack and just hung around and talked. I got some work done, she "napped" and next thing we knew it was time to meet the rest of the family (my other aunt and grandmother were in town!) for dinner at the Nail. (shameless plug, if you are looking for a bar/restaurant to try out in Atlanta, go to the Rusty Nail on Buford Hwy. My aunt and uncle own it and the food is amazing. Brisket sandwich anyone? Ribs? Best smoked turkey sandwich ever? Oh yum. I get hungry just writing about it...)
Anyhow, back to my mom. It was just so great getting to catch up face to face and just spend some quality time together. Not to mention I love seeing people feel "at home" in our place, so when she started making us a snack without feeling "strange" about opening our frig or pantry it just warmed my heart.
Love you Mom!