All the other things about the holidays

I'm still playing catch-up on Christmas, and I wanted to share some before and after Christmas things.

The week before Christmas, my younger sister flew up to visit. I pretty much dragged her to do everything I already had planned and then abandoned her while I worked. In my absence she baked and baked and baked some more. We had lots of goodies to take with us to my sister's for Christmas, and they were appreciated by everyone.

My one request was that she teach me how to make Pioneer Woman's cinnamon rolls. Yes, I know there is a step-by-step photo tutorial on PW's website, but I had tried and failed. Mine did not resemble cinnamon rolls in any way. Anyway, my sister had made the dough earlier in the day, and I got home and found this:

Our workstation

 They actually look like rolls!

 Baking

 Iced

If you've heard about these, I will tell you, they are everything you've heard and more. Really, these cinnamon rolls were amazing, and I think if my sister hadn't been here to witness it, I would have eaten the leftover icing with a spoon.

So on to after Christmas. For the first time since graduating from college, I had the week between Christmas and New Year's off (well, I worked one day). I got to enjoy some downtime at my parents' house. I went to the movies on a Tuesday afternoon, went shopping with my mom and had lunch with my dad. It was all the things I didn't get to do at Thanksgiving when I was at home but working.

I also got to spend an evening with high school friends for a baby shower. It was so fun catching up and almost felt like nothing changed, I had to keep reminding myself my friend is having a baby. 

Most of these girls were part of my Bible study in high school, our leader is on the far left, and the mom-to-be is left of me in purple.

While I was at home, I also had one of those small town moments. I basically grew up in a small town that is really just a suburb of a medium-size city. There is one grocery store on "our mountain" (the Wal-Mart is less than 15 minutes away but it is "off the mountain"), and it's hard to go in there and not see people you know even if I haven't lived there in 8 years. I made it all the way to check out without running into anyone. But as I was paying, my aunt and then one of my mom's closest friends walked in. It made me love my small town and miss it. But a few days later, I had gotten off the interstate in my current town and a friend called and told me she was driving in the lane next to me. And I realized I've managed to make this town I live in pretty small in the last year and a half, and I was glad to be back.