here's to looking back

A recap of our Christmas:

I woke up Christmas morning with an email from my Aunt's fiance, saying they had eloped to the Georgia mountains (or hills, some might argue!) on Christmas Eve but would be back in time for Christmas Dinner. This Aunt keeps us on our toes and we love her new husband! They've been dating for awhile and known each other even longer... it's a great story that maybe I'll share someday in blogland, with her permission, of course.

At my other family's house on the Alabama coast where Husband and I spent Christmas this year, edible masterpieces were being churned out at the rate of Khan's mad ball-fetching skills.

The table was set in simple splendor,

With mounds of oranges and Heavenly Hosts gracing the center.

At my parents' house, we have the world's best homemade sausage balls every Christmas morning. Husband's parents' have the world's best Kris Kringle Pastry Roll. A friend gives it to them as a gift every year and it is delightful. It's comforting to know that every Christmas morning, I will have the world's best something on my plate.

Frozen cranberries in the mimosas, an idea from Sandra Lee herself. And notice the jail cell in the background? That's where Khan had to spend a lot of his time for being too excited.

Ah, the light. It poured in from all the windows on the culinary creations,

And silhouetted the paper snowflakes on the walls. We looked up during Christmas gift-opening to see this chiaroscuro masterpiece on the wall (did I use that term right?) and had to stop everything to enjoy it for a few moments.

A few months back I posted about Husband's grandparents' art studio in their upstairs loft. I took some photos to share with you. The above space is Grandmommie's corner,

And this is Dandy's.

The room is piled with works-in-progress.

A room like this on only has a sofa in it for one reason:

to prop paintings for perusal.

And we visited my stylish friend who is managing a posh boutique in downtown Fairhope. It you're ever there, stop in and tell her Scattering Lupines sent you!

It looks like this from the road. You can't miss the Tiffany blue.

And you can buy outfits like these (or if you are on a budget like me, you can admire and appreciate outfits like these!)

And shoes like these, which I must admit I am thankful I am simply admiring and appreciating since they don't look like shoes you can exactly power-walk around in.

Isn't it a spiffy place?

I especially loved the chairs and sea grass rug.

Which Husband dubbed "the Husband waiting area."

And tossed around the pretty moss-covered balls saying, "Are these really moss-covered balls? Are people really decorating with moss-covered balls now?" Until I decided it was time for we simple folk to leave and go enjoy a hearty lunch with the loft artists of the world!