A little earlier this morning I went out the back door to take out the trash. My neighbor was puttering around in his yard, because when you look up “Early Bird” in the dictionary you see his picture.

“Got some pretzels for you,” he called, and rushed inside to bring me the bag. He had gone to Philly very early this morning and picked up enough pretzels to share.

There’s nothing like a Philly pretzel. I’ve tried making them at home but I just can’t get it right. So I enjoy it when my neighbor makes a run into the city early on a Saturday morning and brings back pretzels for the neighborhood.

With my Giant Mug of Coffee, a Philly pretzel makes a great breakfast.

Later today we will be hosting about 60 people to celebrate my husband’s 40th birthday. At some point in the day I intend to see at least SOME of the Notre Dame-Penn State game. It’s going to be a busy day. But right now, I’m going to take a few minutes to enjoy my pretzel and coffee, and to hug Little Brother who just made his sleepy way down the stairs. Because Moms cannot live by pretzels alone. We need hugs too.