New Mexico Gingerbread at the Pueblo Cultural Center

The Indian Pueblo Cultural Center

is in its tenth anniversary of its annual gingerbread house contest.

Last year, Amaya visited the gingerbread houses.

The year before, Ella visited this contest.

It was time to walk around in their lobby

and see what people have made for this year!

 One building had nativity animals in a structure

that looked like an old mission church.

The rectangular cubes on top represent New Mexico luminaries.

The people in the building reminded me of Navajo people

in a church building. Maybe they were singing.

 I love the buildings with the red chile ristras on them!

This building is another church with a cross on it.

I believe the below pueblo building was one of the winners

in the contest.

It represented a beautiful, historic place to live.

There were a variety of buildings for churches

and for different types of homes.

Ella enjoyed seeing the houses and buildings.

There were buildings with different skill levels of the many

artists. I would not make structures from gingerbread, so

I admire all of them for their effort and meaningful result.

The below structure was a Navajo hogan.

The structure near it, winning 2nd place, is a church.

This is the second year I have seen the creativity of a small

pueblo in a bowl form.

One odd thing for the year was seeing a few gingerbread

houses that were more traditional. I don't believe that has been

in their rules for their contest. I have much enjoyed the display

without traditional gingerbread houses in the display.

I would love to live in the neighborhood below in a small adobe house

surrounded by more adobe houses.

One gingerbread had a location in our local history.

I love seeing the variety of the most historic homes

in New Mexico.

Ella agreed...they looked tasty!!!

No, we are not eating the gingerbread houses!

They have been here all month!

But, we can enjoy them as we start our Christmas vacation.

Merry Christmas!

My American Girl Family

Josefina arrived to live with me in the fall of 1997,

when she was released.  I spent the next few years acquiring 

her collection, but she also collected dust as I did not handle her.
Then, my "Sage" arrived this year. I took Sage out, and decided that

it was okay to take my AG dolls out to certain locations.

Josefina's first and big outing was to El Rancho de Las Golondrinas

this summer. This location was one location used in her history. 

A Josefina is displayed in the gift shop, 

and they sell the mini Josefina dolls and books.  She is a part

of their history and how they connect people to the location.

Josefina's favorite place to visit was the 1820's kitchen

that was a part of the illustrations in the books about her!

http://nmlittlefeeante.blogspot.com/2016/07/josefinas-world.html

Josefina had a second outing in the fall.

She wore her fall dress which was shown in a story

as she climbed trees for pinon nuts. She saw the green leaves

turning yellow. It matched her skirt!

As December arrived, she changed into her Christmas dress.

She still spends most of her time on display,

but I now change her clothes with the season.

I am happy to have her!

My American Girl #28 arrived last winter. I changed her wig

to have longer, darker hair that better fit into this community.

By the summer, she was my first AG to go out to an event.

http://nmlittlefeeante.blogspot.com/2016/07/sages-visit-to-casa-san-ysidro.html

I started collecting more AG items, including a few of the

Albuquerque Saige outfits and the food items.

She was thrilled to recently receive Molly's aviator outfit!

Since she arrived, I have learned a few things about American Girl. 

I am more comfortable handing the newer dolls. Josefina is a part

of my AG interest. Her clothes are being changed more often and

she is  handled sometimes, but I also really like collecting AG clothes

beyond the Josefina collection and having a doll to hold.

I then discovered that my local Toys R Us store sold AG dolls! 

I purchased #53.

I then changed her short, blond haired wig into a wig

for American Girl Marie Grace.

She became the girl I wish I had seen in the earlier doll

of Julie. Her hair was a bit darker and she has multi-line eyebrows.

I fell into an odd love with her when she also worked well

in Kirsten's clothes and Kit's clothes! She can go from

modern clothes to Julie, Kirsten, Kit, and beyond!

She had her first moment yesterday of going to the small

forest in her new outfit from the late 1990's. I enjoy collecting

what I once owned and later sold as well as new items that I have not purchased.

I also love hugging and holding my AG dolls!
They will not be going out often as I prefer my smaller

Fairyland dolls, but my three AG dolls now have a place

in my life and what I do with dolls.