My last post of the day. On a more serious note, the REAL meaning of Christmas is about practicing goodwill towards our fellow man, all year, and not just on one designated day a year. This picture is of Fatima, the Iraqi baby whose mother, as well as much of her family, were murdered a few months back. The baby was buried under trash and dead bodies, which probably saved her life. Anyway, the man holding her is a U.S. Army nurse. Fatima became the symbol of hope for those who deal with the wounded and dead on a daily basis: the doctors and nurses of the Iraqi war. The baby was so malnourished and underweight that those at the Army hospital took turns caring for her. Fatima became their "baby", as witnessed by this tender moment. When I first read this article and saw the pictures, it made me so sad and angry. A pointless war, like all wars are, and unfortunately, the "collateral damages" are usually the children. In a world that sometimes can be so full of violence and hatred, this is a reminder of all the good that still exists out there and that no matter how small our actions may be, we really have the power to make a difference.



And so my hope for the new year is that the world will become a more loving, forgiving, and peaceful place for everyone. This last picture is of a little Palestinian boy, living in the Palestinian territories, in the Middle East. May we all be more tolerant of those who we view as "different" from our comfort zone. Once again, Merry Christmas, happy holidays, Chanukkah, and Kwanzaa. Shalom.

I tried to post this picture with my other holiday pictures, but for some reason, my blog froze! Must be all that holiday cheer... My computer is saying, "Bah humbug, Roseann!" For the last few years, I usually put up two trees, this small iron tree and a larger tree. This year, I tried something different: I set up the larger tree in the t.v. (aka family) room. This little guy is in the living room. One of the ornaments on it was made by my oldest (and fellow artist) friend, Kim. Kim and I have been friends since we were 8. Everyone should be that lucky to have one friend who has been a part of pretty much your entire life. And although we don't see and talk to each other as much as we did when we were children and teenagers, we are always there for each other. We are sisters. Anyway, Kim's ornament is the off-white, puzzle-shaped one with the angel in the center. What a beauty!

Merry Christmas, everyone! This is a shot of the tree before all hell breaks loose at our home! Each year, we host Christmas dinner for our family. Each year, it seems our family grows a little bigger! It is always a lot of work getting ready for the big day, but at the end of the day when we get a chance to put our feet up on the ottoman and the house gets back to normal and it is just the two of us again, it gives us an opportunity to reflect on the wonderful celebration of family, friends, neighbors, and blessings that we have all-year long.

What have I been up to for the last few weeks?! I have been on an incredible, whirlwind of a ride the entire months of November and December. It has been ridiculously crazy on a personal, professional, and artistic level. November started with a HUGE bang in the form of Lynne Perrella. I have waited for almost 10 years to take one of her workshops. I finally got the opportunity to do just that during the long,Veteran's Day weekend. I took a 3-day workshop at my dear friend, Carol Parks' home/studio. At the end of the first day, Lynne asked me to lead the group of artists in creating a Frida altar. This is a shot of the altar I took the next morning, before our class resumed. At the end of day 2, Lynne asked me once again to lead the group in creating a new altar. Well, instead of it being the entire group creating the new altar, it became only me. Everyone just watched as I kept moving and adding things to create a completely different altar from the day before. To say I was honored, does not really capture how I truly felt. Afterall, this is Lynne Perrella, artiste extraordinaire! It was pretty fucking amazing! I was both honored and humbled.

This is one of the 2 pieces I created during Lynne's workshop. It took me most of the 3 days to finish. I have 2 ways of working - either it is very fast, where I will begin and work until that piece is completed or I will work painstaking slow to get it to look 'just right'. This was one of those pieces that came together in my head very quickly. And I wanted it to be done quickly, while all those ideas were meshing in my head.

The next photo is from our school's Winter Formal. The guy on my left is a colleague and good friend. His name is Matt. My husband took this photo of us. I can't believe my husband actually agreed to go with me to this event. He is such a sweetheart! This is my first Winter Formal, as an assistant principal. When I was still in the classroom on a full-time basis, I sponsored the Student Council/Leadership class for 3 years, so I attended many dances and a few Winter Formals. Anyway, we looked pretty damn good - my husband looked stunning, as usual, in his suit. After all these years, I can still look at him and see exactly WHY I fell in love with him.

Speaking of my husband, here he is on the left, with 2 of our nephews. Josh is in the center and Frankie is on the right. They are my older brother, Frank's boys. My nephews are such good boys - they are a REAL source of pride for me. Frankie was my first 'baby' - when he was a baby, everyone thought he was my child since it seemed like we were always together. He was born my junior year of high school. I took this shot of the guys after our annual family golf tournament, which is held the day after Thanksgiving. The golf tournament is more than just shooting the breeze and a ball ... the tournament is done in conjunction with my family's foundation, the Kathryn Elizabeth Millan Memorial Fund, named after my niece, Katie, who died of pulmonary hypertension, at the age of 14. Each year, the tournament raises BIG bucks that fund Katie's favorite charities, including "Make A Wish". The foundation not only honors Katie's memory, but it also carries on the charity work she so tirelessly supported during her short life.

Well, you might be tired from reading all of this. It was a very, very busy month! These are the highlights from November. Tomorrow, I will move into December. I am SO excited about Christmas! I feel like I did when I was a kid. I could hardly wait for it to be December 25th each year. It has always been my 2nd favorite holiday; my favorite is Valentine's Day. But this is where I will end for today.

I posted these pictures last week! I guess they got de-posted! I spent part of last Sunday at the Huntington Museum, one of my favorite places to visit. Every time I stroll through the gardens, I find something that catches my eye. Depending on what time of the year it is, the gardens' palettes can drastically change. Each visit is a surprise and something new is discovered, as evidenced in some of these shots. I try to visit the Huntington several times a year so that I can catch each show that nature puts on. Fall is now becoming my favorite time of year to be outside, in a garden.

I have been in such a deep funk for the last 2 weeks. I don't know what it is exactly, but I have not been feeling like myself. I feel there is a lot of chaos in my life and quite honestly, I feel as though I am being pulled from all directions, both on a personal and professional level. I decided to post 2 of my favorite pieces that deal with the topic better than I can express in words. I haven't been able to work on any of my books in the last month. I have hit a major roadblock, or I am experiencing artist's block, so I have been working in other directions, such as cartooning and collaging, because I can't get beyond a blank page. I am hoping to change that once I get into the studio on Friday, with Lynne Perrella. I feel that if I just start writing in one of my books, all these emotions and words that I have kept bottled up for so long, will just spill out all over the pages. And the words will get my artistic juices going again, so that I can create some new art. Well, Friday will be here soon enough, I suppose. If you can't create in a 3-day Frida workshop, then, you are fucked!

Recently, I bought a terrific little book by Taschen, called

"Mexico Style". I paid under $15 for it. It is a bargain and something I will constantly refer back to. And the best part of it, it fits right into my purse. For many years, I have heard from many people, particularly artists, that I have a great eye for color. I don't know how true that is, but I think that my Latin roots have something to do with that "gift". I am drawn to bright colors and use an abundance of them in my artwork. At home, there are splashes of color throughout the house, but because I am ever mindful of the other half who lives with me, our home is, by my standards, very restrained. However, there is no doubt that Latins live here! So, I decided to post some pictures that celebrate the colors of one of my cultures, my father's Mexican roots. One of my latest pieces is the Frida box. I completed the box last week. The other pictures, the blue staircase and the Day of the Dead niche, come from "Mexico Style".