This week's 7.

1. I really love going home to South Dakota. I love that my family lives in the middle of nowhere (literally, our house was built in one of my dad's fields). And the 7-hour drive from KC is infinitely better compared to the 12-hour Chicago route.

2. While home, I got to see mini-me graduate.

3. Then mini-me and the little bro decided to hitch a ride back to KC with me for some quality sibling time. Mainly, mini-me is visiting a hair school out here.

4. Their visit has enlightened me on what I will be like as a mother:  an overprotective, always texting "What are you guys up to?" worry wart. Pray for my future children.

5. I really like my new camera, but we're still in the getting-to-know-each-other stage. Crossing my fingers that this is something real.

6. Need an excuse for a Target run? Live in an apartment complex with an amazing pool and realize you completely forgot to register for beach towels. Excuse achieved.

Target's $5.50 version of 'his & her' towels. 

7. You would think that baking bread from frozen dough is too easy to mess up. But it can (and did) happen.

...Ye-ah, it's not supposed to droop over the side like that.

There is a robot living in my kitchen.

And it's name is KitchenAid mixer.

When I was perusing the aisles of Bed Bath & Beyond while selecting items for our wedding registry, one of the first things I scanned was the staple KitchenAid mixer. Even though I'd never used one of these babies, the thrill of conquering dozens of recipes and having my own mini Food Network filled me.

After one trial run with my pistachio-colored appliance, I understand why people like these things. This bad boy isn't a simple kitchen appliance; it's a 26-lb. machine. It gave me a batch of delicious homemade bread and a book of delicious-sounding recipes (from where I got the bread recipe), plus a thorough manual (in three languages) on how to use my new robot. Just wait until you meet my blender.

Pistachio, and the bread.