Scenes from the past two days....Merry Christmas!

I hate that it's been crazy busy so I've not posted. It's less than an hour until midnight - Christmas Day soon! Wanted to wish everyone a blessed, safe and memorable Christmas. Hoping all has been well, look forward to catching up very soon. The snowman was commissioned for a gift, picked up yesterday.

Celebrated my great nephew's 7th birthday last night before my side of the family's Christmas celebration. Yesterday was a poignant day - would have been my parent's 61st anniversary, would have been my mom's 81st birthday, Dudley came to our home 11 years ago on my parent's 50th anniversary. So blessed that Finn (Finnegan) was born on my mom's birthday....something to keep celebrating! He's into Mario Kart and I had never made a birthday cake for him cause it's so busy this time of year. I've always made his brother's cake in July and this year I was determined to make Finn's!

My niece had the little toy figures for the cake and Finn insisted they ALL were put on and luckily they fit! A joy to do!
We gave him the Mario cap and mustache!

A bit difficult to see but the cracklin' fire with Christmas music on Netflix is actually pretty awesome in our den! Occasionally when I am waiting for something in the oven I get to sit down for a minute and enjoy it!

One of my favorite traditions growing up - Russian tea, made with lemons, oranges, cloves, cinnamon, sugar and of course, tea! Wouldn't be Christmas without it.
Last thing I baked tonight....pecan pie, my favorite pie.

Found this chocolate macaroon recipe in a magazine last year!!!! If you love toasted coconut, you'll love this. Volleygirl has taken this task on....yes!
Been planning this cake to take to my in-laws since I first saw it on a friend's facebook post last summer. A Tuxedo Cake..........chocolate cake layers....very tall!
Icing is just heavy whipping cream with confectioner's sugar.
Just finished it!!!!!!!! Made the glaze after returning home tonight....was nervous it wouldn't turn out right.........love it! The glaze is yummy. Had to find Lyle's Golden Syrup....thankfully did...it's an English syrup. Hope the in-laws like it.

Now, for some more art - BigBoy drew this for his grandmother in color pencil. I had a great gold frame for it and he put it in before I got a photo. That's why you see the white reflections off the glass in the red suit.
Well, I am literally ho-hoed out...to bed, to bed said sleepy head. God bless you all!

Christmas Dogs on Thursday

View from above of the nosey Royal One.

Peeping at me in the kitchen last night.

May all of you enjoy your time with your two-legged pets, they are truly a gift! Merry Christmas Annie, Snuffles, Emma, Luna, Buddy, Dizzy, Penney, Tonka, Hope, Trixie, Bella, Zoe, Chief and Snickers!!!

Argh! Ho,ho, ho!!!

No time for art (booooooo!) decorating, giving Dudley pills, making coffee, washing, buying food, decorating, giving Dudley pills, feeding the Canine Messiah, washing, cooking, running errands, making coffee, resting aching bod, holding Dudley, washing, checking on the old golden retriever (Bubba), and so on, and so on........miss blogging!!!! Will post photos when finished decorating! Probably not making the open house was hoping to attend tomorrow (waaaaah!) But - I have a new cellphone!!!!!!!!!!!!! Photos one and two were taken with it. That is my four year old nephew in the first photo, came over while we were setting up outside decorations, he was so excited. Hope to catch up with everyone soon, maybe later in the evening, right now, gonna put on chicken for stew to take to in-laws, my MIL is having knee surgery today....Big Boy has been away on his first job trip to Oklahouma, he is enroute home now and the fat one (not me) will be sooooo happy!!!! Love and good health to all for now!

Blurring Traditions

Color pencil on 8 1/2x 11 printing paper, hurriedly sketched out this morning

There it was, the first commercial, the moment occurred last weekend, totally Christmas commercial, filled with Christmas trees, gifts, the hawking of a product. Ugh, here it comes, the bombardment, the beginning of the non-stop parade attempting to tell me I need to shop now, decorate now, decide what delectible treats to bake now. What I really should be plotting is the best prices on bags of candy for Halloween trick or treaters, what our favorites are so that we can fully delight in the eating of the leftovers. Oh c'mon!!!! Santa, GET OUT OF MY PAINTED LEAVES AND PUMPKIN PATCH!!! Give the ghosts and goblins a chance to lurch, stay away while I give thanks for all my blessings while enjoying a massive meal over the river and through the woods without having it invaded with candy canes. The shopping channels ripped open their snowy and holiday backgrounds with sets of perfected Christmas trees. Why start now? Why not have back to school sales and let the kids sit on Santa's lap telling what type of backpack you want, describe the designs desired for spiral notebooks and which lunchbox is their favorite. How come Santa and Mrs. Claus, Rudolph, groups of reindeer, elves, the Grinch, Scrooge, Frosty, gulp - baby Jesus - why aren't those costumes among the selection in the Party City sale paper? ("Ho, ho, ho!!! Trick or treat and Merry Christmas!" Toss some candy bars in the sleigh...) Thanksgiving....what? You know, that little holiday lost somewhere between the jack o' latterns, twinkling green lights and Christmas trees? Sure, the occasional pilgram appears at the grocery store, additional commercials and newspapers flashing the price per pound of a frozen turkey. The big event overshadows any decent observation of this tradition - Black Friday. Ack!!!! Fine, call me an old fuddy-duddy, I liked it when Christmas still seemed a long time away when you were watching the Wizard of Oz and eating popcorn balls, looking forward to the Halloween carnival at school and planning your costume. I liked it when we looked forward to seeing all my cousins, aunts, uncles and seeing what desserts were brought to the Thanksgiving dinner. I liked it when listening to the grown ups talk about Christmas briefly, made me a little excited that it was coming up next in the future. I liked it when we put our Christmas tree up two weeks before Christmas and took it down the day after new year's. Not now, nope, not these days. If you don't have the tree up and gazillions of lights strung outdoors the day after Thanksgiving, well, then, you're late! Please....I love the season, but I hate that decorations show up in the stores in July. I understand that businesses make the majority of their profits for the entire year during this time of year but it does make me sick that it is all encompassing, glitzy and over the top, then BAM! nothing the day after....why, cause it's all about the selling and once that day has come, the gifts are ripped open (yes, I like to open them too!) well then, the hoopla is over, commercially speaking of course. Somehow the decorations are annoying (to many) and they can't get past it quick enough. I say, if you can celebrate so big weeks and days before, why no celebration Dec. 26th? It is a time to celebrate the real reason for the season - the celebration of His birth. I know, I get it, we aren't all Christians, but, sorry, that IS the reason, no matter what type of spin is put on it. They may blur my Halloween and Thanksgiving but the essence of Christmas should remain. Whew. Huh, don't really feel any better, my opinion won't change anything, heck, even my own family isn't on the same page....oh well, gotta go carve my candy cane, er, uh, I mean pumpkin.

'Tis the Season To Prepare for the Season

Preparing Christmas pieces for the street festival in color pencil. The snowman is roughly 8x6. I plan to do a couple of more with our most popular college team attire on and also offer customized snow families.

I like doing the ornaments, will probably do a couple of more, simpler though and some of the old fashion Christmas string lights as well. This one is 8x10. Also hope to get a scarecrow or two and maybe a pumpkin or two, neither very large. No, it hasn't put me in the Christmas mood!

MERRY CHRISTMAS EVERYONE!!!

Wishing each of you and your families a very merry and blessed Christmas! Hoping all have a safe, happy day, with wonderful memories made. I have missed checking in with you this week, it has been a busy one but I have completed my art and baked. Thank you for all your wonderful comments you leave and especially your support! Love to you, your family and your cherished four-legged friends too!

Always has been and will continue to be a Special Day

All my life, today has been a special day. Not just because it is the eve of Christmas Eve. It was the first family Christmas party, at my paternal grandparents' house, it was my mom and dad's wedding anniversary, but most importantly, it was my mama's birthday! Today, things are quite a bit different, of course, I will not be going to my grandparents house like we did my entire childhood, nor will I sing happy birthday to my mom and present her with a gift that I tried to wrap in order for her not to guess it first. She would have been 78 years old today. In 2000 we celebrated my parents 50th anniversary but in less than two years my mom would be gone and my dad was too, just over a year later. We refer to it as his "bonus year", since the doctor didn't expect it at all. He went into the hospital for the final time on the 23rd. The great thing is their oldest granddaughter's first son was born on the 23rd four years ago today. He was due on the 19th, as soon as we heard that, she and I both wondered if it would be possible. As Christmas drew nearer, her doctor wanted to schedule the delivery, naturally, she chose the 23rd. She prepared to check in the hospital the night before....and did, but she was never induced. She went into labor naturally that evening. So, little Finn came just when he was supposed to, on his great grandmother's birthday, just according to plan! It will always be a special day for sure.

The photo is mom with my daughter just after VolleyGirl's tearful pre-school Christmas program, at least 13 years ago. To be half the mother, I would be greatful.

Visions of Something........

I am enjoying the sketching this Christmas season. I am having visions of things I could sketch, still have several I would like to do. Cake...of course, like to bake (and eat) them. Like visions of sugarplums dancing in my head....except - it's not. I don't even know what a sugarplum looks like. Believe me, I need no more confusion going on inside my head! Yeah, what of it, I'm blonde, but it isn't all natural these days. This was created with colored pencils.

Christmas Sketching

I did the header photo last week. It is in colored pencils. I have completed a couple of them now. Many of you have inspired me to sketch, I have really enjoyed it. See Christmas Kitty layout below!

Working on the "Christmas Extravaganza"

I have only had time for a little color pencil sketch..this was just before Thanksgiving. I will have a difficult time in the next few weeks to paint. Decorating, shopping, cooking, cleaning, washing...recovering from decorating, shopping, cooking, cleaning, washing!!!! Wish I had taken photos of the two cakes I made, "Lipsmackin' Chocolate Peanut Butter Cake" and a carrot cake. I have increased pain and problems in my leg from my back but treading easily to avoid a major problem as I had last year on Thanksgiving weekend. (Holding breath, fingers crossed, saying prayer!)

That's BigBoy and VolleyGirl the day after Thanksgiving. We were all out working in the front, trying to get as much done as possible since BigBoy was leaving that day to return for school. He and his dad LOVE to put out LOTS of decorations in the front. I have yet to get any up inside but will have them complete before BB comes home for the holidays a week from TODAY!