Our daughter and I worked on a wreath to hang on the chandelier above the dining room table. We had a great time working on this, and we think it turned out beautifully! If it hadn't been almost midnight when we finished, I think we would have made another one! This was really fun!!

My daughter even made a beautiful bouquet with the leftover decorations! She's so creative!

Hope everyone had a wonderful Christmas! Ours was exceptionally great since we were able to have our daughter and son-in-law with us, as well as their adorable Chihuahua! We got our White Christmas, the kids were able to build a snowman, and we even took them sledding! Had such fun! Wish we could keep them here! ... :-)

Today my hubby braved the cold and put the farolitos up on the roof - always so pretty! The first time we put them up several years ago, his dad was so pleased - said he'd always wanted to do that! :-)

The work continues ... :-)

We dug out our tree a week ago, thinking we would start decorating a little at a time; however, the tree stood neglected all week! ha! This weekend, we got out the boxes of lights and decorations and set to work. A work in progress, I must say...

These are the "before" pictures :-)

While hubby was putting Christmas lights up in the the entry way windows, I was reminded of a time when his dad was putting up lights in those same windows with toddler Nicholle "helping" - one of my favorite pictures :-)

The extent of our office Christmas decorating - ha! Thanks to my coworker for sharing her adorable snowman Christmas lights! Love them! Might have to see if I can find some for our decorations at home! :-)

We hadn't been to El Campanario Restaurant in awhile - went last weekend, YUMMY food as always and these pretty plants outside. Had to take a picture :-)

Today I'm thinking about my daddy who passed away December 5, 2005 after several years' struggle with Alzheimers. I miss him so much!

This first picture is Daddy's Navy photo, then a picture of him when he and Mom were on their honeymoon trip.

The third photo is Daddy and Mom - daddy's holding our baby daughter.

I love you, Daddy!! :'}

Yep! Tis the season :-) Several years ago we opted for an artificial tree (I was a die-hard "no fake tree" person for many years, but my hubby and our daughter suffered from terrible allergies every Christmas when we'd bring home a real tree. Since we purchased our artificial tree - no more allergies!) Anyway, hubby and I dug the tree outa the basement and set it up tonight. Gonna take our time decorating, since last year was too frenetic trying to decorate it in a few days. Of course, the house looks like a tornado blew through with all the ornament boxes sitting out, but the end result will be worth it!

And it's also the season when I eat several cans of flavored popcorn - I get addicted to that stuff! ha! Bought our first two cans today (my hubby wisely knew it was smart to buy two because one wouldn't last that long! ha!)

Merry Christmas to one and all! ;-D

We woke up this morning to a bit of snow on the ground! Very pretty and also very cold today! But later in the afternoon, the sun came out, so most of the snow is gone. Supposed to be more on the way :-)

It's been so chilly lately that I needed to reminisce about summer! Found these photos that I took last summer - can't wait for warm weather to come back!

Hope everyone had a nice Thanksgiving! We enjoyed dinner with my hubby's brother and sister-in-law. Here's a photo of my mom making pies for Thanksgiving dinner at my sister and brother-in-law's. Sis said mom's pies were a hit, and I believe it - mom's pies are yummy!

My second tea cup arrived today - yay! More pansies :-)

My hubby and I both took photos of this beautiful flower - guess who took the best shot (here's a hint - my husband is a professional photographer!!) :-) Even so, my shot isn't too shabby :-)

This almost-life-size Santa was sitting outside a fun shop. Isn't he cool? Just had to take his picture. Wanted my hubby in the photo, but he wasn't sold on the idea - ha!

I love Victorian style things - this lamp was in a wonderful shop in Old Town. Sadly it was marked "not for sale" - how disappointing! I woulda bought this in a heartbeat! Isn't it gorgeous???

This beaded display was in the entryway to a gallery in Old Town. Couldn't resist getting a couple close-up pictures...

We drove to Albuquerque today and went to Old Town for lunch. Down the street from the restaurant, a work crew was putting up this Christmas tree. It looked strange, so my hubby asked about it. Turns out, it's a tree made of trees! 135 cut trees are stuck into a huge center pole and decorated. Interesting concept, huh? It was starting to really look nice - they were getting bows and lights on by the time we were ready to head back to Santa Fe.

My Christmas cactus is blooming - that's always exciting to me since the blooms are so beautiful!

Not the best pictures cuz I was in low light with my phone, but there's the birthday boy with his new guitar! Now to learn to play a 12-string! :-)

Today is my hubby's birthday. He isn't as excited about celebrating as we are, but nonetheless, it's a special day! Hopefully he'll like the gift our daughter, son-in-law and I got him. But for right now, we're going to enjoy his favorite birthday dinner - meatloaf! :-)

Here's another creation by the lady at the Art Festival. See why I want to continue collecting all her pieces? She's so talented!

Last weekend we attended the Weems Art Festival in Albuquerque. It's always fun to see all the creative ideas, beautiful pieces, getting to chat with the artists. One lady that I love buying pieces from made this adorable snowman! He's about 4 feet tall, and I love his "demeanor" (if an inanimate object can have a demeanor - ha!) There's another art fest coming up in a couple more weeks, and I hope this same lady will be there because I want to buy more of her pieces. Her prices are incredibly reasonable! Last year I bought a couple other pieces and can't wait til it's time to decorate for Christmas because those little guys will occupy a prominent place! :-)

Beautiful wedding photos by Kiel Rucker, Kiel Rucker Photography :-)

I'm sure every parent feels this way, but we think our kids' wedding was the most beautiful one we've ever been to!