Christmas

I'll admit it, I am wiped out. But I got the cards out, the decorations up, the gifts wrapped and 8 varieties of cookies baked. I got the house cleaned and 2 casseroles and pies and a ham made for Christmas dinner. My sister and her family came over for dinner, as did my mother, and we had a wonderful time.

I am soooo wiped out. I would love to vegetate today, but the laundry was piling up and jars of cream were taking up too much space in the fridge, so I had to wash a couple of loads and make butter.

Here are a few photos to share with you:

These are the gingerbread hands that I made for the children's stockings.

The kids, all cleaned up for Mass.
The tree, looking pretty good, even after Dominic knocked it over.
And here are a few of my favorite ornaments (I have so many favorites, most of them hand-sculpted and painted by my sister, but I could spend hours trying to photograph them and get them uploaded):

Here is Puss In Boots, made by my sister,

Here is one from my childhood in Germany, the Holy Family in a nutshell,

A very old, tiny nutcracker, with a functional jaw,

And a fairy-baby I made, complete with real butterfly wings. Click on it for a larger image.

I hope everyone had as pleasant a Christmas Day as we had. Now that the Big Day is done, I'm going to try to enjoy the other 11 days of Christmas in a slightly more relaxed manner!