making home for the holidays

We are just now recovering from a whirlwind of holiday travel. My dear brother came in on Dec 19th and we drove together to Arkadelphia. There we had Christmas with my parents and Ted--including venison tamales, fondue night, and 9 inches of rain in 48 hours.

We went to see my grandmother, who I don't think I see enough. I'm one of 13 grandchildren and she still takes the time to be supportive of me as an individual. This creek runs behind her house and is absolutely fundamental to my upbringing. My brother took these beautiful photos. Salt Creek is a slate creek with big slabs of moss covered slate banked in the summer with mimosa trees. We spent summers catching crawfish and finding fool's gold out on these rocks. In the winter, we could chill bottled sodas in the water (or sometimes ice). When I think of going to Mama B and Pa's house, I think of this creek.

Clark and I made three HUGE sausage rolls, a holiday tradition upheld from the other side of the family. It's basically a layer of biscuits and a layer of sausage rolled up and sliced before baking. We made buttermilk biscuits and the sausage came from the Memphis Farmers' Market as well as a little butcher in Alabama my mom found on their last trip. I prefer hot sausage with homemade jam on top but these were delicious all the same. I hope we made Grandma proud.

I love my grown-up Christmas with Mom and Dad and have to say, it was the best it's been in years. Smiles all around!

Ted and I came back on Christmas day, sent Clark off back to NYC, and did some serious work in the office before the kids and grandparents came the next day. Grandma and Grandpa, Aunt Alee, and Uncle Phil and Aunt Pril all came to Memphis to have late Christmas at our house. It was so much fun but I rely on Alee for the photos of that! We had such a warm and happy time squeezed into our house and around our table. The boys had a grand time and hated to see everyone go.

Ted and I wished everyone a happy new year and boarded up for a New Year's Eve in Portland! It was a complete whirlwind--terribly exhausting and at the same time, relaxing. We got the show out of the way on the first day--a 26 hour day to be exact. Then we were able to spend the next few rainy days on sofas catching up with dear friends. Ted and I actually squeezed in a night alone too. We went to Andina--a fantastic Peruvian place in the Pearl. We walked around a lot that night, talking and holding hands. It was the right way to start off a new year.

Now we're back in Memphis--working on case stuff and trying to round out our business year of 2009. We're in a cold snap and snuggling in with the boys tonight for spaghetti and meatballs and game night. I'm glad to be back home for now but had one of the best holidays yet.