Before we head into a brand new year tomorrow, I wanted to wrap up 2013 with a few scenes from Christmas:

I’m really glad I got to be home to spend time with family and friends–cooking, eating, shopping, visiting, laughing, playing games, opening gifts, and surprising my dad with a retirement party–even if it was just a few short days and although I was sick in bed with a cough/cold/stomach bug the majority of the trip.

Now I’m back in New Orleans wishing those Christmas days could have been longer.

Hope you all had a lovely and merry Christmas! Now for a Happy New Year as well!

P.S. The abstract paintings pictured above are ones I painted for several of the ladies in my life. They are abstract color portraits, each painted with colors I associate with the person the painting was made for. All are painted on stretched, patterned fabric. They are part of a new series that I’m working on. More about that later. 🙂