Saturday, November 26, 2011

thanksgiving highlights

well, our house is awfully quiet today except for the roar of the Georgia v. Georgia Tech game on the TV. the dog is worn out from all of the excitement, and i'm already missing the family.

Thanksgiving has long been a big to-do in my family. growing up, we'd have up to 75 cousins crowding my grandparents house. it was one of my favorite times of the year because i got to spend time running around with my cousins in arkansas. that gathering has since moved to Texas and we get to join the fun there from time to time. but we also decided it was time for new traditions as families keep growing larger + more spread out. we were thrilled to have my family, cricket's family, and our extended families into our home this year. a blessing indeed. 

we started with prep day on wednesday. my mom brought us festive aprons for the occasion, while the guys headed to the golf course to get out of our hair. my sister arrived from ohio much earlier than expected, so that was a nice surprise!

we woke up early on thursday to get started. of course, we couldn't do anything until we each had our fill of the famous spudnuts from el dorado. for those who don't know, these are the best donuts ever. 10x better than krispy kreme, and they're made from potato flour (hence the name) with a flaky sugary glaze. there's a debate as to whether they're best hot, cold, fresh, or a few days old. in our opinion, they're good anytime at all.

the kitchen was abuzz...

[my mother-in-law and my mom cookin' up a storm]
[charcuterie plate featuring hyatt's homemade camembert cheese]
the table was set...


[still can't get over that peony!]
[place cards held displayed in pecan pods]

the turkey was smokin' on the big green egg...

[a 13 pounder after smoking for about 5 hours]
[mark + cricket about to carve]
[dad, cricket, + hyatt carving the ham + turkey]


the house was filling with family & friends...

[dad + his brunette daughters]
[olivia + her new mom-in-law]
[hometown friends who now live nearby]
[cricket's parents]

a serious game of soccer was starting in the backyard...

[mabel put lula to shame]
while one dog was ready for any nibbles to hit the floor...

[lula looking for her plate]

it was a wonderful weekend in atlanta. unfortunately, we missed a few folks + hope they'll make the trip next year! how was your thanksgiving??

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