LAST of the Christmas Decoration Photos for 2010!! About time!!!!!

Yes, for those brave souls out there who've managed to wade through all these photos, thoughts and random observances with me, this post has photos I've taken either recently that I forgot to include, or those photos taken in the past that I've thought were particularly special for one reason or another. So here they are:

These are 5 ceramic cocoa mugs that my aunt, Pat McCay, made when I was growing up. One each for my two brothers and me, as well as one for Mom and Dad. We thought it was so neat to have cups of our own, and especially since we knew no one else in the world had anything quite like them!

One of the most peaceful views I've ever taken (2009), I could look at this photo for hours on end. It's just so peaceful, you can almost hear the quiet hush in the room. Simply magical!!

This photo, from 2008, is a picture of a traditional English Christmas Cake, baked for me each year by my father-in-law, Maurice Sparks, using his mother's recipe which dates back to the early part of the 20th century (ca. 1920's?) It's like a dense fruitcake, covered in royal icing. The royal icing hardens and protects the cake inside for months on end. On the top of the cake are two miniature vintage bottle brush trees, two vintage chalk ware snowmen, two plastic reindeer, and plastic sprigs of Mistletoe. On this particular occasion, it also included a very sweet little red breasted robin, belonging to Valerie (Nigel's Mom). It's a lovely gift, which requires a LOT of hard work and great preparation, which I look forward to each Christmas!

The Return of the Natural Gingerbread House!!  I somehow managed to recreate this one before our 11th Annual Christmas party last night!  I'd have left it for later, but Nigel really wanted to show it to someone, so I put it together as fast as I could.  I still may go back and add some windows to the back of the house, and perhaps another small bird or two.  Oh well, you know me.  I LOVE to embellish - EVERYTHING!!!

The German Nutcrackers!!  Nigel loves these and it's a wonder we got out of Germany with only this many in tow!  Personally, I'm not that wild about them.  But . . .they're in his den so it's okay!  And if truth be known, I did buy a couple of them for Nigel, so I can't complain too much!!

Isn't this lovely?  It's St. Francis of Assisi, by Jim Shore.  It stands about two feet tall and was a Christmas present last year from a dear friend, Rita Bolduc.  I left it out all this past year; I can't imagine where she found it but it's one of my favorite Jim Shore pieces.

Okay, I admit it - I couldn't help but have fun with Precious the Lady Pirate last night at the Christmas party!  She's quite the looker, with a cleavage that's ........well, shall we say "substantial"?  While I was making one of the first of multiple trips outside to show our guests the two pirates and the studio Nigel made for me, I saw this apron (in the studio) and thought how appropriate it would be to cover her up.  After all, it was VERY COLD outside last night!!  So while Nigel was preoccupied, a friend's 11-year-old daughter, Aleia (sp?), helped me get her all warmed up!  Wasn't that sweet of us?

Well, this finally concludes the Christmas decoration photos.  Unfortunately, Nigel will soon start asking me when I'll be taking them all down!!  But that's not for another couple of days yet so I'll enjoy them while I can, and also make note of things I want to change or try new next year!!

I hope everyone is having a lovely Christmas and New Year Holiday Season.  Please continue to be safe and remember the reason for the season - the birth of our most precious Savior, Jesus Christ!!

May God Bless! Jan 

Mommy (Laura) and Isabel!!