Merry Christmas andcongratulations to Amber and Mike and baby Mason....

Where has the time flown? I have been in Charlotte, NC to honor and celebrate the graduation from Law school with honors and the birth of their first baby last March. It was a warm visit with the blooming yellow and purple pansies blooming in Charlotte. The pace was chaotic at times and I have had a rough adjustment to the changing air pressures in flight and the headaches returned with a vengeance ...I rested when i could and would not have missed this special visit with the family and my sister. My sister is just madly in love with this tiny little man who is quite a charmer to all who meet him. The time went way too fast but I am grateful for every single second I was able to be with Amber. I am so proud of her and this was the first time I got to visit with little Mason.

When I arrived home in Columbus... Ken and I had dinner and then rushed over to visit Cole, Morgan and Erin...little Lyndon was already asleep. It did my heart good to just see their delightful smiles as they count each day closer to Christmas. Ken and I worked on selections of special gifts for two very special children who have had a rough year. Their mother 's car completely died...the divorce has been an adjustment for all involved but Ken and I both wanted them to have a blessed Christmas. It is sooooo much fun playing Santa to someone who will never know....it does a heart...any heart good! Thank you dear Anne for helping out with brand new pajamas that were wrapped in glorious papers and each had a silver jingle bell of belief in Hope for a better tomorrow. The wrapping is complete and the delivery has been made and now I am busy completing the last of my commission ...special pet portraits of beloved dogs who have been rescued. Tomorrow I will photograph them in their double matte frames and make a final delivery. The last gift is a fabric house to celebrate a young couple's first Christmas in their very first home with their baby son.

My daughter Tina has been performing packaging for The Limited and lifting boxes way too heavy for her tiny body frame...so she ended up with a pulled muscles or worse yet a hernia. I went over to be with the three girls while she was at the Urgent care facility and Ken brought over Chicken dinner from our dear friend Bob Evans...complete with green beans, mashed potatoes and gravy and delicious banana and pumpkin breads. For dessert we all enjoyed Klondike bars to round out the whole evening. Yes I was exhausted when I came home but family comes first. Today She is struggling with an ear infection now and total exhaustion and frustration. The Holidays can really put many into a feeling of overwhelmed expectations. Hopefully tomorrow will show some improvement for all involved. The three girls are coming on Monday for an overnight stay where we will take in a movie...prepare a dinner together...and have banana blueberry pancakes for breakfast. Making a plan is always a better way to see past a rough day...plus I love my three girls and look forward to our after Christmas time.

I wish you all a dear time of peace and quiet with those you love and enjoy the quiet in your studios...we are so blessed to be able to make our lives better by pure play and creation. Imagine and Live in Peace, Mary Helen Fernandez Stewart