peppermint shards and a sea of swirly twirly gumdrops

ice cream + pieces of peppermint. a very happy post-holiday treat. dan surprised me with this tasty concoction tonight. start with a frosty bowl straight from the freezer. scoop your favorite flavor of fine chocolate ice cream into it. then speckle it with peppermints, broken into bits. magic shell may or may not be necessary. mmm. mm.

right now we are enjoying ice cream with the accompanying silence of a finally-tidied-up home, our bouncing boy sleeping soundly, new toys with beeps, sirens and animal sounds quieted and the television with all of its movie marathons clicked off. christmas was entirely wonderful, however poorly documented. i will refrain from posting the one photo of me and my matted crazy hair leaning over a grinning benji with his mega-legos. surprisingly, he was more delighted than i'd thought he would be on christmas morning. i imagined a 16 month-old to toss new toys aside for more exciting enticements like ribbon. or tupperware. however, he was giddy - playing with each new toy as it was unveiled. our best idea yet was saving the last few presents for another day, as he was already over the moon about his shiny new collection. we drank our orange juice, dug into stockings, went on a winter walk, played games, made pot roast and watched the christmas story together. we were all happy and healthy in our holiday-ing. pretty picturesque.

i must admit that this contented state has taken a bit of practice. after so many years of getting (unrealistic) hopes up for christmas, complete with decadent imagery of what the day could behold and dealing with following disappointments, i've finally learned to simply take it as it comes. any event built up entirely in the imagination is bound to let you down. (somewhere in my childhood dreams is a gourmet sugarplum path, candy-coated christmas trees lighting up a make-believe forest with a licorice roped fence leading to the giant gingerbread castle dripping with crystallized sugar icicles.) therefore i made a goal years ago to let the special day be human. if that makes sense. i used to make the mistake of overemphasizing my hopes for the day, dreaming up a conglomerate scheme of all the christmasness i'd ever experienced. i realize i have come to appreciate a more classic christmas; a few new gifts, pancake batter spills, a heap of dishes, nap times, happy faces, rolling trucks on linoleum, wrapping paper chaos and a bowl of ice cream to top off the celebrations. it may not be picture perfect or ideal, but in the end it is perfect because it's real. maybe this means i'm growing up.

am off to ring in the new year.
will see you again in twenty-ten.

there is much to celebrate

wishing all of you a very Merry Christmas. this holiday, i hope you get the chance to be surrounded by those you love, take part in favorite traditions, hang stockings with care and feel the joy in giving. my opinion is Christmas Eve is just about as much fun as the following morning. all that anticipation and excitement. after a festive supper and treats dan and i read The real Christmas Story every Christmas Eve to honor Christ's birth. it is good, among the hustle and bustle, to be still and to remember.

yesterday we experienced an event that very much put us in a quiet mood of reflection - on life, on family, on the bigger picture, on the Lord's infinite love and the reality that there is a plan for us that is much grander than we can truly comprehend. Christmastime is the best time to gain perspective and celebrate what really matters. i believe we are loved, life is eternal, God is good and families are forever.

we are thankful we have so much to celebrate this season.
may peace and happiness be in your homes this special eve.

final holiday prep

let it snow. let it snow. let it snow.

indeed it is snowing outside. snowing sideways in fact. slick sidewalks and icy windshields. a big thank you to dan. he gave me the best gift of all for idaho living. snowtires. still, am happy i have absolutely nowhere to go.

we're bundled up inside. am wrapping the last of my gifts. i admit, it's hard to stop shopping when the local mall has bargains falling from the sky. just another reason not to finish with christmas by halloween. you see how good i am at justifying procrastination!? everything is pretty much done and done for the big plans on christmas day. dan says he's waiting for christmas eve to finish up. as per usual. i love how he plans for wild franticness. yesterday we let benj pick out a dump truck in the toy aisle. he was in heaven, roaming the section of the store where all round plastic wheels reside. i even let him play with it for the afternoon, before wrapping it. you can do that kind of christmas-ing with a one year old in the house.

on another note, i got an awesome comment the other day from a woman who had just read my entire blog. wow. could this feat possibly be true?! talk about perseverance. and a new bff to boot. thank you for indulging me in my wealth of wordy posts. she inspired me to take a look back. i encourage you to do the same with your blog. it's good to see where we've been and what we've been through. i was happy to happen upon my tribute to george bailey. will be snuggling up to that perfect christmas movie this weekend.

happy christmas-ing today. i think this sweet christmas clip will make you smile. am off to curl up with some cocoa. this website is packed with perfect ideas, links and songs to spread cheer.

the photo of me is from christmases long ago,
in the countdown of december of 2007

the one with our christmas card

it's always a good thing when you still like your own christmas card after receiving a postbox full of fabulous cheery greetings which involve outfit-coordination, cute group shots and fancy photoshopped faces from your friends and family. next year i'll opt for a photoshopped resemblance of reese witherspoon.

so i finally made designing our own christmas card a priority this year. i was super happy with the outcome of the double-sided flat idea. (just when i thought i was being so original, i realize the flat christmas card is all the rage.) ours was a very basic and drama-free christmas card experience. our family portrait (ala easy breezy snapshot) was taken on a windy sunday afternoon in gorgeous swan valley, idaho on an autumn drive after church. i used my good ol' 5 mega pixel camera and it's high tech self timer. we perched it on a wooden fence post and hoped for the best. the epitome of idaho country life was my goal; simple, unhurried, with a beautiful backdrop and cows mooing in the foreground. the wind in my hair is an unstoppable never-ending problem glamourous look when you live here in idaho. be warned, the beloved lip gloss can become a problem. still, it's a small price to pay for enjoying wonderfully wide open spaces.

all this to say,
we wish you and yours a very merry christmas.

• as a side note since so many have inquired: i printed these cards where i print all my work, at the printshop i used to design for in irvine, california. i rounded the edges myself. if you're interested in custom designed cards next year for your family, give me a holler in autumn 2010.

family snapshot and a family recipe

as i wandered around my iphoto archives looking for something that resembled rice pudding, i discovered this classic shot (circa early 1980s) of my siblings and me (in stroller) strolling the same Temple Square plaza we took benji to this past weekend. i for one, love when things come full circle. landing in my lap at the perfect moment. notice how the three big kids, gabi, josh and micah all have polaroid cameras strung around their necks and seem to be snapping tangible shots for everyone to hold onto.

in the spirit of vintage classics and my happy childhood, i give you my mom's famous rice pudding recipe. once upon a time, she and her pot of pudding was featured in the newspaper! it's that good. since this pudding is baked in the oven, it comes out thick and custardy, like rice pudding ought to be. old fashioned and delisch. in fact, you'll wish jo march could be sitting down next to you while you devour it. i hope you treasure it like i do. please print it out on thin yellowed paper with dark creases down the middle from being folded up in a recipe box for a hundred years with fading cursive only recognizable to you. here's to my favorite traditional dish for christmas eve.

old-fashioned rice pudding
from the christmas kitchen of marty halverson

3 cups cooked White Rice
6 Eggs, beaten lightly
3/4 cup Sugar
1 tsp. Nutmeg
1 tsp. Cinnamon
1 tsp. Vanilla
1/4 cup Honey
1 cup Cream (Heavy or Whipping)
2 cups Milk

Cook the rice according to instructions, 1 1/2 cups of raw rice gives you approximately 3 cups cooked. Mix ingredients together in a large bowl, stirring with a wooden spoon until the rice is well combined and coated. Bake in a greased 2-quart casserole dish at 325° for 45 minutes. Scoop into ramekins and serve warm with cream. *Be sure to hide an almond in one of the individual servings to see who gets a prize. Enjoy.

it's the best time of the year

the weekend in utah was phenomenal.

the only downside is that we really only got to do and see the tip of the iceberg of things we wanted to do and see. home always leaves us wanting more. still, we loved every bit of it. here is a glimpse of our goings-on.

jeremy and dan enjoying the classic hot chocolate (with whipped cream from a can) at dee's. everyone thinks they are brothers. they only wish they were. i guess it's the year of the beard. i am happy jer has a cute wife to chat with while these two discuss life in law school and the snow reports for hours on end. there have been about a billion mugs of 'cho' drunken over the years by dan and company in those booths. it's nice to know some things are a constant.


speaking of which. spending the better half of the day with dan's grandparents was a highlight. i am always enriched by the words they say, the advice they give, and the simple way they live their lives. every time we leave their cozy home, i want to write down everything they just said. their words are like gold. grandma bernice is still very much running her own home, baking her own from-scratch caramel brownies, and taking care of her husband. she never lets us leave without enjoying a meal on her dining room table, complete with quilted placemats. there is never a meal served without a bowl of sherbet offered. i love love love this about grandparents.


we spent saturday night and sunday morn hustling about on the plaza of Temple Square in downtown Salt Lake City. the displays are always spectacular. this year luminaries with holiday messages in varied languages were lined up by the hundreds.


a collection of nativities are featured downtown. i am especially taken with the origami camel. it is always a delight to view the many artistic ways to celebrate the birth of Jesus.


walking the downtown streets after church. i kept singing city sidewalks, even stoplights... without really finishing the rest of the songs. it still felt very merry. someday i am sure i will miss the over the shoulder photo ops with benji bear.


the Beehive House. all decked out. i love when architecture reminds me of a time when ladies wore hoops and a fancy christmas ball would've been held and top hats might've been worn. the beautiful wreaths and front garland have me swooning. the addition of the fruit on the gate, along with the pineapple - as a sign of welcome - made me smile.


speaking of which. i was all smiles to hold baby miles. my brother pete popped in just in time for me to get some itty bitty baby love in with my newest nephew. i point to benji, who looks gigantic comparatively, and tell pete, only one year. enjoy every minute. give them a year and they have a whole new bag of tricks. little do these baby cousins know, they'll be best of buds for the rest of their lives. too bad i couldn't catch a photo of them together, as they decided to have bff meltdowns simultaneously.


there's a tree in the grand hotel. this building, built in 1911, used to be known as The Hotel Utah in the heart of Salt Lake City, where grandma bernice used to sway the nights away on the rooftop dance floor. now it is known as the Joseph Smith Memorial Building. it is preserved beautifully, with fancy touches everywhere you look. it's a fun place to stop in and look around, watch a movie and a enjoy a meal at one of the restaurants inside.

how cute is this pair?! mom, here is your christmas card for next year. these two are always such a cheery sight to see, i might think them mr. and mrs. claus in disguise. the older i get the more sentimental i am about my family. my teenage self never thought i'd turn into a piping pot of mush when thinking about the important people in life.

the classic family photo. i was more than happy for benji to take a sunday snooze in the lobby, after the church choir performance while i sauntered around snapping photos. i think carrying (and remembering about) my camera helps me see my surroundings more intently, the world more curiously and people-watch a bit more excitedly. it is like going on a bear hunt for a great photo. p.s. a dear blog friend made benji's cowboy blanket for us when he was born. we seem unable to leave the house without it. thank you for continuing to be so rad. i have loved receiving your christmas cards and wish i could send ours to more of you. i'll be featuring the typical christmas card post later this week.

...........

home sweet home. the prettiest sight to see is the holly that will be on your own front door. we made it back in time to unpack the goodies and watch The Family Man, a favorite during the holiday season. mom you were right; benji is getting two new molars for christmas. hopefully santa has something more fun in mind. we are counting down the days, but it seems to be going so fast. christmas is almost here! am loving this season with darlings to wrap my arms around. enjoy the last minute wrap-ups and the running about and the lounging around and the trips to the busy supermarket. hope the reason for the season is still in the frontal lobe. i am shifting my focus this week to what this is all really about.

not pictured. dan's parents whipping up a pancake breakfast of champions for us. meeting the oldest nephew's fiancé who will be a perfect addition. touring new homes and meeting new babes. playing with wooden christmas trains. my mom's house looking like santa's workshop with her toys and puppets all set up for benji's arrival. his main goal was to rifle through her cookie sheets. whit and i squealing and exchanging gifts while our husbands tease us for our syrupy sappiness. and i completely forgot the camera when we went out on the town in the freezing cold for the twinkle lights, the anthro latte bowls, the on sale corduroys at jcrew and the best jeans ever at banana. not to mention our smushed selves on a midnight train ride. it was the beginnings of a very merry christmas.

christmas crafts and diy gifts

create a christmas box
print holiday party printables
stencil something sweet with freezer paper
talk about custom stationery!
shake it up with diy snowglobes
delight her with some homemade sugar scrub
wish them good fortune with paper fortune cookies
knead an activity? gabi's glitter playdough to the rescue
glue up a calorie-free alternative to the gingerbread house
print out your list and check it twice
stitch a pet pouch for your puppy-loving pal
gift wrap the details with a terrific twistie tie
sew together a post office tote bag
treat her with a 2010 tea towel
whip up some christmas granola
build a teeny tiny real gingerbread house
craft up this pretty paper snowflake and this one too
make a little travel journal
knot together a sweet headband
hand out christmas crackers for party favors
stitch together an iphone leather case
hang this quaint silhouettes garland
print and string snowflake gift tags
write favorite quotes for an envelope
glue together a rad ribbon tree
shout hooray for homemade peppermint bark

i'll be home for christmas

by the time you read this, the car has been packed and the gifts toppling. we're off on a 3-day jaunt home for the weekend to the big city; to visit favorite shops, give gifts to grandparents and catch the awesome temple square twinkle lights. dan successfully surprised me last year. it was super fun to make the trip home before christmas, to get into the spirit of things. however we'll be nestled back in our cozy idaho home for christmas weekend, just the three of us. the holidays tend to pull us in all directions, but the past few years, dan and i have decided to kick it at home for the festivities. we'll be celebrating with our benji who turns 16 months old christmas day; opening gifts and making swedish crepes (thinnies) together and rejoicing in our homespun fun. maybe a movie and a christmas walk in the fresh air and a lot of downtime to read new books and play with new gadgets. (and try on lots of cute new clothes. hee hee.)

i've had a few friends react with complete disbelief about our seemingly absurd decision to stay here for the holiday. one remarked that i was brave for doing thanksgiving and christmas alone. i'm not so sure about brave, number one. and number two, i've got my boys with me. we are lucky to have had so many quick weekend roadtrips home this year, although it never seems like enough time, it is always fun to be together. i must say, no matter how hard it is to live miles away from family, no matter how much i love a big extravaganza of a christmas (which i really do) with tons of little cousins running about and toys and wrapping paper strewn all over the place - a charming quiet christmas with the two boys i love most is equally as wonderful in my eyes. it's not the same, but it is still just as sweet. i'll be home for christmas because wherever my boys are, is exactly where i want to be. i am super glad that the classic which-family-goes-with-which-holiday debate is long gone in our life. it's such a relief to have folks who respect and support us in our newfangled ways. (i don't think i tell my parents or dan's how cool they are as much as i ought to. they are completely admirable and genuine and fun and amazing and loving.) i'm looking forward to this season as a special small christmas with our new sprout of a family.

plus, we'll be ringing in the new year with everyone back in our hometown. a big hurrah for 2010. there will be no shortage of family bonding. in holiday terms, it's the best of both worlds.

happy weekend to you and best wishes with your final christmas preparations. no matter where you'll be next friday, am wishing you and yours a magical celebration with whomever you are with. tune in next week for some thoughtful (if not last-minute) homemade gift ideas.



dan making first tracks | christmas morning | 2007 | salt lake city, utah
this happens to be the day after discovering i was with child with our benjamin
pretty much the best gift of all

the pretzel project

our annual pretzel project was a fun family activity for a snowy sunday afternoon. it's an easy treat to whip up since you can purchase everything well in advance. each year we add a little something new to the mix, making the experience more of an experiment for us amateurs. i was super happy with the chunky oversized, larger-than-life knots that accompanied the usual pretzel rods. we dipped and coated and sprinkled while triumphing over chocolate hurdles. christmas candy-making, as you may know, can be a bonding experience. it takes team effort. at one point, i appointed myself to the sprinkle station while dan donned chocolate patrol. we should make tee-shirts next year. yep, our teenagers are gonna love us.

pretzel pointers
add a touch of whipping cream to the semi-sweet chocolate chips while melting, but be careful it doesn't turn into a ganache texture (we almost started making truffles instead). keep at it and it will give them a nice glossy look. use waxed paper. this is an absolute essential to get sprinkles and chocolate to behave themselves. also, do not attempt to drizzle store-bought caramel sauce over them, they never dry and therefore will make you very frustrated and sticky (on the other hand, you'll have more for the throw-out pile which means more to eat). speaking of the throw-out pile, dan was a resourceful genius with the half broken knotted pretzels. he sawed off the broken bends and dipped the little triangles (the base of the pretzel) in chocolate, which looked like tiny trees. completely cute. one more thing; be sure to buy a lot of white chocolate chips for melting. this is an ongoing debate in our house, but i think they make for the yummiest and prettiest pretzels. amber over at giver's log has posted some great melting chocolate tips.

pretzel embellishments
christmas tree and holiday sprinkles, sweetened flaked coconut, chopped nuts, cinnamon & sugar (deliciously divine), mini marshmallows, edible silver dragee balls (check the label, i accidentally bought the kind that you cannot ingest!! should they really be selling those in the baking aisle?!), mini m&m's, chopped candy bars and crushed candy canes too. mmm. mm.

enjoy.

giveaway: ceramic santa plate

can it be? the last m.writes giveaway of two thousand nine?! oh my.


last (but certainly not least) on the m.writes giveaway circuit..
a special handmade hand painted plate by rae dunn.
oh how her ceramics make me swoon!
giving :: one santa's cookies plate :: hand painted
please comment today to enter to win.
tell me what santa prefers at your house.
(it may be mountain dew and cookie dough around these parts.)

thank you, rae
{don't miss her savory salt cellars}

congratulations to our winner, andria! please email me your shipping address and enjoy your darling handmade plate. she says, We make homemade cinnamon rolls at our place.

i appreciate your willingness to comment, give and get during this holiday giveaway series. it has been a joy to feature these fabulous creators & craftsmen while reading your inspiring comments. it's made the giving a lot more fun on my end. thank you. if you are interested in a little free advertising and wish to sponsor a giveaway right here in 2010, please email me your shop url, photos and details. handcrafted, high quality and pretty products are always suitable for m.writes. once i review it, i'll schedule a date for your feature. happy handmade holiday.

holiday home :: part III

if you stepped inside our apartment, this is what you'd hear,
a mix of old + new christmas songs, my very merry mix cd.


Merry Mix '09
1. God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen / Barenaked Ladies & Sarah McLachlan
2. Here Comes Santa Claus (Down Santa Claus Lane) / Doris Day
3. Hark! the Herald Angels Sing / Carrie Underwood
4. It's Beginning To Look A Lot Like Christmas / Harry Connick, Jr.
5. Santa Baby / Taylor Swift
6. All I Want For Christmas Is You / Olivia Olson
7. Rockin' Around the Christmas Tree / Miley Cyrus
8. Come On Ring Those Bells / Kristin Chenoweth
9. Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer / Jack Johnson
10. Christmas for Cowboys / John Denver
11. Joy To The World / Faith Hill
12. Christmas Is Paintin' The Town / Oak Ridge Boys*
13. Baby, It's Cold Outside / James Taylor featuring Natalie Cole
14. Mele Kalikimaka / Bette Midler
15. Children, Go Where I Send Thee (Live) / Johnny Cash
16. Little Saint Nick / The Beach Boys
17. Angels We Have Heard On High / Sixpence None The Richer
18. Joy to the World / Sufjan Stevens
19. Christmas Song / Dave Matthews & Tim Reynolds
20. Winter Song / Sara Bareilles & Ingrid Michaelson
21. Auld Lang Syne / Mairi Campbell and Dave Francis
22. Silent Night / Priscilla Ahn

Bonus Tracks
Christmas / Death Cab for Cutie
Away In a Manger / Sufjan Stevens
Frosty the Snowman / Fiona Apple
Let it Snow / Michael Bublé
Sleigh Ride / Spice Girls
Christmas Duets / Elvis Presley
The Chanukah Song / Neil Diamond

*this is the song of my childhood christmases. i vividly remember being six years old, in my nightgown and rewinding the oak ridge boys cassette tape again and again and again, dancing around the red checked love seat in our family room. our (seemingly) ginormous flocked tree stood in the corner and my mom bustled about in the kitchen. with me singing on the top of my lungs. some things never change.

• and yes, the christmas season brings out the country music lover in me. or was that moving to idaho? either way, benji loves to bop and clap to the country station. i see no better reason for a country style jam session, than in the country fields with my country mouse.

• more jammin' in your jammies christmas carols over at your heart out.

giveaway: handmade book

today's giveaway is a treasure from mrs. eliot book shop.
creative, bright and whimsical artwork all the way from london.
giving :: one little wooden book :: the red balloon
a unique gift for the young or young at heart
please comment today to enter to win
tell me a favorite book of all time

thank you, francesca
{don't miss her fabulous flickr}

oooh, i love all the book options. i saw a few of them at the library today. thank you for the suggestions. i cannot believe this is the second to last holiday giveaway. time flies when you're having fun giving prizes, i suppose. congratulations to Alisha Stamper who commented, favorite of all time, the little prince. enjoy your new little wooden book!

for the love of sidekicks

it's a wrap.

your mini diaries are officially out and about, on their merry way to your holiday houses. i have my fingers crossed they will arrive in the nick of time. i am learning more and more about running a small business each go-around. this time, i utilized the paypal multi-order shipping labels. hooray. and i finally bought a little scale for mailing purposes and i adore it. not only does it feel official but it has been my trusty sidekick. that and the scotch tape have been working over time this season. not to mention a willing husband who braved the post office for me. i was not about to tackle my load of packages, an inevitable long line and my little one all at once. if you've got a package weighing over 13 ounces, be warned. thank you for your orders, especially with my last-minute batch of diaries.

today me and my littlest sidekick are making bread, to give dan a proper thank you. the mixer is whirring, the washer is rolling and benj is at my feet, clanking cheap pie tins together. i suppose these are the sounds of the season.

giveaway: wooden teether

today's giveaway is a beautiful wooden toy from little alouette
they offer high quality craftsmanship to sink your teeth into
giving :: one eco-friendly teether toy
please comment today to enter to win
tell me your most memorable christmas gift as a child

thank you, amy & little alouette
{don't miss these alphabet rattles}

congratulations to katie. you're the big winner tonight. hooray. she comments, My most memorable gift as a child was magical. I went to bed completely broken-hearted because there was absolutely zero snow on the ground and no chance of it snowing overnight. When I woke up there was over 6 inches of fluffy white magical goodness covering everything! I couldn't have asked for a better Christmas wish come true than a beautiful white Christmas that year.

grocery store stocking stuffer ideas

i like stocking up on stocking stuffers at the grocery store for three big reasons.

01. splurging at the grocery store feels wonderfully rebellious since weekly grocery budgets are something we try to stick to throughout the year; cutting costs, cutting coupons and cutting out superfluous items we really don't need. this time of year, i get to go wild and buy random goodies like fig newtons, big league chew bubblegum, cute cupcake papers, and People magazine.

02. there are so many options when it comes to stocking stuffers. i believe they don't have to be fancy to be appreciated. i love giving something completely unpredictable and fun. it seems classic childhood items are welcome at any age. as are novelty items that one never goes out of their way to discover during the rest of the year; tiny transparent post-it notes, twistable crayons, specialty shape paperclips or perhaps a package of crazy cores skittles.

03. and obviously, shopping at your grocery store means more bang for your buck. of course, stores like wal-mart and target offer even more options; itunes gift cards, cool flashlights, matchbox cars, paperdolls, dvds, mittens, coloring books and boxes of animal cookies galore.

without further ado, here is my official list for 2009.


last year's list is still very much my go-to.


now, it's beginning to feel a lot like christmas...

• don't forget, today is the last day to buy christmas goodies at the mini mart! merci.

giveaway: photography prints

today's giveaway is a print by another favorite photographer, jeffrey allen.
in fact, this black and white beauty hangs in my hallway.
giving :: one pretty print :: up to 11x14 size, lustre or glossy finish
please comment today to enter to win.
tell me your dream place for christmas vacation.

thank you, jeffrey
{don't miss his 10% off discount; enter "holidaypromo" at checkout}

for the record i'd like a cozy christmas in new york city, complete with the rockettes, frozen hot chocolate with whit, ice skating with tina fey and katie couric, a carriage ride in the park with dan, fifth avenue window shopping with my sisters, a cup of cocoa at dean and deluca with felicity and ben, a lazy look around kate's paperie with mom, and an H&M dressing room full of clothes that fit perfectly... a girl can dream can't she?!

congratulations to whitdro! she comments, my Christmas dream place is somewhere with snow, family, a warm fireplace and lots of laughter. i don't know any other way i'd have it.

random sampler.

i love that when you fall in love, get hitched and get carried over the threshold of your first residence together, you think you know the man you just married. you think you know that you love him, you think you know his quirks, you think you know his face and his smile and his hair and his habits. you even think you have an idea of how much he loves you too.

i love that all that time you were courting, you thought you were researching what a great guy you had. and you probably were. but you didn't really know yet. because there was so much more to come. you had no idea what the future was to behold. it's not that your love was blind necessarily, but it was just a tiny bud of a thing. you had no idea the large luscious gorgeous peony packed into that blooming bud. yes that is the essence of true love. ever blooming.

of course the same is not always true for everyone, in life there are disappointments, i realize this. not everyone gets a happy ending. but for me and for right now, i must acknowledge, dan has continued to be an even more amazing guy than the one i fell for working behind the counter of that bakery. i still love being around him, chatting with him, joking with him, traveling with him, running errands with him, raising kid with him, and sprinkling imaginative toppings over chocolate-covered pretzels with him. he makes this bitter cold rigid winter in idaho more than bearable; fun and adventurous even.

he makes all the difference in my life. a few weeks ago, i found myself thinking (once again) how very un-glamorous my life is. (i had big plans for myself when i was young; all of the plans included glamourousness.) however after serious thinking, i realize i really wouldn't trade my life with anyone else's. and i'm not saying this in a cliché way, but in a matter of fact way. i am happy with my life. i am thankful for it. and all of it's non-glamourousness. i love that i tuck my little angel in at the end of the day and then go out into the living room to stack up books, replace puzzle pieces, and put blocks and trucks on the shelf. i love lumping myself in front of the tv on our old couch once all of the work is done for the day. or at least most of it. i love the simplicity of it all. i could go on and on about the little things that make me happy here in this life. like listening to dan and benji having a conversation. i am lucky in love. which is a very good state of being. i hope i can always maintain a love for the life i am leading, for the rest of my life. whatever state of glamourousness it may or may not be in.

......

now onto the actual post i was about to write. does that happen to you? a post that completely ran away with the spoon? it's thrilling, actually. you should try it sometime. really, this post was supposed to be about socks. mighty good socks too. a pair that will give you a foot fetish. you might think this is silly, but to those of us with constant cold feet (in the literal sense) these babies are the answer.



enter darn tough socks. my two new bffs. along with everything else cool in my life, dan introduced me to them. i consider myself blessed to have a guy know me and my cold feet so well that he surprised me with the best pair of socks my feet have ever known. i have been wearing them for two weeks solid and am coming to you with rave reviews. yes, they are thick. no, they are not very flattering. yes, they are warm. no, not very stylish. completely unglamourous. (unless you are the cute granola type. which means you already own a pair and wear them with your birkenstocks. more power to you.) most importantly, when it comes to gear - it's more about function than fashion anyway. these socks are built for skiing and hiking and general awesome wilderness adventuring. which is how dan has come to know them.

for me, they are built for motherhood. they may see a ski slope in the future. maybe a hike or two. for the most part, they are my small luxury, having warm feet throughout the ins and outs of my every day normal life. my kind of adventure survival trip involves taking a 15 month old into a department store without any seatbelt restraints. or attempting to have a lovely dinner out just the three of us. or bundling benji up adequately for the winter walk to the mailbox. or teaching him how not to scale our bookcase. or toss cooked carrots onto the linoleum floor. or change his diaper without a wrestle. or teach him not to eat poisons and/or lint. yes, i look danger in the face everyday by keeping benji at bay. i love that dan knows (and respects the fact) that my life at the moment, my kind of adventuring, is tough in it's own right and completely worthy of socks that rock.

giveaway: baby darling

today's giveaway is perfect for little hands & little heads, from babydarling
where materials are modern, colors are cute & designs are darling.
giving :: one handmade giraffe and a set of party hats
i've searched for tiny tot party hats and theirs are the best.
please comment today to enter to win.
tell me a favorite christmas song.

thank you, brooke + babydarling
{don't miss their sweet baby dresses}

my favorites are angels we have heard on high, i wanna hot cup of cocoa and it's beginning to look a lot like christmas / pinecones and hollyberries ala duet! congratulations to dk Buckmaster who says Sufjan Stevens' Christmas album series is my all time favorite! agreed, i love sufjan too. enjoy your darling prizes.

letterpress holiday cards

am mooning over moontree press
via oh so beautiful paper

st. lucia tradition

today is st. lucia day. in my family, all this celebration requires is a pair of jammies, a warm quilt, a pot of cocoa, and cinnamon rolls (cinnamon & sugar sprinkled toast works too). enjoy.

holiday home :: part II

wishing you a productive exciting relaxing fun-filled weekend.

just a few more things...

• seize your opportunity to win a mini diary of your very own. visit the giveaway over on SHOPtalk, wherein i'm offering up one of my new beauties. thank you, suzanne! hers is an ever-inspiring blog, always full of fabulous finds.

• if you've already pre-ordered your mini diaries, they will be shipping out on monday. i very much appreciate your holiday purchases. i cannot tell you enough how awesome it is to come up with an idea, create it from scratch, market it and send it abroad. a complete dream come true for me. i am thrilled to have sold 700+ mini diaries since their first debut in 2008. thank you, thank you.

• tomorrow we have big plans for whipping up holiday goodies, which means various vats of melted chocolate surrounding me. yesss. will also be attempting to rent j&j and wrapping up your orders along with other christmasy odds and ends. i painted my nails a holly red and am admiring them while i wrap, every day they are not chipped is a christmas miracle.

• for those of you celebrating Hanukkah, am hoping tonight's first candle is a special one.

• i'll be taking holiday orders up until tuesday the 15th. of course you can always purchase items from the mini mart, but after tuesday, i cannot guarantee christmas timing. thank you for understanding (and for helping me save my sanity). i appreciate your business.

• wishing you a happy weekend. for those of you counting down the hours 'til the princess and the frog opens in theaters, enjoy. i remember seeing disney's beauty & the beast around this time of year, when it first opened, in the theater with my family. what happy memories.

giveaway: seesaw calendar

today's calendar is a letterpress beauty from seesaw designs.
bright bold colors and fantastic shapes. this one had me at hello.
giving :: one letterpress wall calendar :: 7.25" x 11.5"
please comment today to enter to win.
tell me your favorite holiday treat.

thank you angela + seesaw designs
{don't miss this beautiful print}

congratulations to lisa for winning our final calendar. she says, I could eat pounds and pounds of my mom's english toffee. Yum. enjoy your prize! next week is the final week for our giveaway series. thanks for obliging me with your cute comments.

catherine williams photography

cate, the niece who travels the world taking cool photographs, is hosting a giveaway on her blog. although a bit biased, i am a huge fan of hers. honestly, i know no one else who captures the essence of a person within the lens like she does. if i were to win, i'd choose a print of dan's grandfather in his quintessential cap. grandpa dick recently turned ninety-five! i am lucky to have adopted such a fantastic group of people when i fell in love with dan.

not everything is made up of pixels

yes, me too, sewing is a-top my resolution list. i enjoyed meribah knight's article about stitching, featured in this month's oprah magazine.

other favorites from the holiday magazine rack this month are the classics:
real simple. InStyle. martha stewart. the j crew catalogue. guns & ammo.

a little shout out to you, babe.

giveaway: SeptemberHouse calendar

today's calendar is a charming creation from SeptemberHouse.
i love that you can customize it with your own do-it-yourself stitching.
giving :: one 2010 diy calendar :: 14" x 20" fabric panel
please comment today to enter to win.
tell me your resolution for the new year.

thank you, corinne + co.
{don't miss this mini version}

loved hearing your resolutions. congratulations to e.louise, you've won this calendar! she commented, I would like to work on more sewing projects (I have several that need wrapping up) and I would like to start a quilt.

please email me your shipping details. enjoy..