End of the year mish-mash

Here are some fun photos from the end of the year.  First up we have . . . . . . 

MY TOES!!

'Cause what's more fun that a great pedicure?  My friend Gina has done my feet for years.  She and I went to massage school together and that's how we met.  But even before that she was an esthetician and a manicure/pedicurist.  Every month I get my toes done and every single month she outdoes herself in adding jewels and paint to my toesies to make them cuter.  I told her yesterday that I should have been taking pictures every single time to document all the fun things she has done.  We have really come up with some good ones.  So, here is the first one of this year.  A beautiful shade of blue with crystals and black, white and silver paint-y designs.  The shinyness is the cuticle oil she puts on afterwards.

It is more difficult to take a picture of your own toes than you might think.  But don't let that distract you from the fact that Gina does really good toe art.  : )

And here is my pot of black eyed peas soaking yesterday and getting ready to be cooked.  The spot in the pot is the glare from the overhead light.  As I got closer and closer it got smaller and smaller, but that was as small as it got.  Weird, right?

Regardless, there is a lot of good luck in that pot!

Below are the little Christmas trees that I set up in the corner of the family room.  I do them with the Mexican tissue paper flowers and the painted tin ormaments.  Each tree has its own color lights and pretty shiny sequins-y skirt.  Maybe I should have taken this picture at night with the other lights off to really show off the colors?

What follows is a close up of one of the three ornaments my mother gave me a few years ago. To give you some perspective, that colorful ball is bigger than a softball.  I opened up and unwrapped the first one and was like "Hmmm?"  Then as I opened the other two and found them to be the same I just had to ask "Why exactly did you get me not one, not two, but THREE Gay Pride Disco Balls for my Christmas tree?"

To which my mama said "I don't know what you are talking about." (with a bit of a huff in her voice) "I saw them and thought they looked like something from Mexico and that you would like them".

I said "Oh I do like them!  They are gorgeous!  But seriously, they are sooooo Gay Pride Disco Balls with their shiny little rainbow colored mirrors all over them".

And you might not believe this but my mother said this . . . . . . .

"I can't imagine why you think that.  I got them for you in  . . . . . . .


KEY WEST!"

Seriously.

That's what she said.  She was not joking.  She had no idea that  Key West has a reputation.

So every year I display my Gay Pride Disco Balls on my colorful Mexico-flavored trees.  Aren't they gorgeous?

This is a little Santa collection.  Each of them represents a different area and time period.  The little cloth is one my mama brought me from Germany.  It is all hand-stitched and just precious.

This is a Santa and reindeer that are surrounded by a ton of different Nativities.  I was gathering them into one spot to get ready to pack them away.

See the Mexican painted tin nativity?  very cute!

Below, the Nativity in front is a 3 piece set made in Chile of sheets of copper with brass accents. Each sheet is molded as if it were fabric starched and shaped to represent St. Joseph, the Virgin Mary and baby Jesus.  It's one of my favorites.

This next picture is worthless.  I did the lights all wrong.  It's a stained glass wreath that I stick up to a sliding glass door so the light shines through it.  In real life it is spectacular.  Here, meh.

Next to the stained glass wreath I have a corn husk wreath with a corn husk angel in the middle.  I got this in Mexico City, along with a (wait for it) corn husk NATIVITY!

Next we see the glittery dining room table top.  Lots of shiny stuff to look at!

In my living room on my big Christmas tree I have a wide variety of ornament styles.  The first one is a little needlepoint stuffed bear I made before the kids were born so it is more than 25 years old.

The next one is one of a set that I got at last year's showing of The Lion King, one of our Broadway across America shows.  They were selling ornaments made in Africa to benefit an African women's organization.  They are really pretty.

Look!  It's one of the birthday boys!!  There's little Lester Buster waiting for me to play doorman for him.  He and Stanley are celebrating their 10th birthday today.  Happy Birthday boys!!

Sadly, this may be one of the last photos I take of Maxwell Banks II.  He is not doing well and we are already watching for signs that he is ready to go.  He can't hear well anymore, he can't see well, his back legs seem to be stiff and giving out on him and if that weren't enough he acts like he has Alzheimer's. This little dog is not aging well at all.  He still seems happy and doesn't act like he hurts, he is just perpetually confused.  Our poor little Schnauzer boy.  : (

Here is Lester Buster having a celebratory drink of running water for his birthday.  Notice the hand-knit dishcloth he is trying not to stand on.

And there's Stanley, the other birthday boy standing on the laundry room counter waiting for a treat or three.  Now, that is one handsome cat!

Hope you are enjoying your first day of 2011.  I appreciate you coming by here and hope to see more of you in the coming year.