"brown paper packages tied up with string... these are a few of my favorite things!"

hot chocolate recipe
found in "apples for jam" by tessa kiros

2/3 cup chopped best-quality semisweet chocolate
2 cups milk
1/2 cup heavy whipping cream
1 teaspoon confectioners' sugar
unsweetened cocoa powder or ground cinnamon, to serve

heat the chocolate and milk in a heavy-bottomed saucepan over medium heat, stirring constantly with a wooden spoon so it doesn't catch. bring it to just below boiling point and whisk with a wire whisk to make sure it is completely smooth.

meanwhile, whisk together the cream and confectioners' sugar until quite thick but not stiff - just dense enough to sit on top of the hot chocolate.

pour the hot chocolate into cups and gently spoon the cream over the top, dropping it first onto the back of a spoon and letting it slide onto the top of the chocolate. sieve a tiny amount of coca powder or cinnamon (i highly recommend the cinnamon) over the top and serve at once. makes enough for two.

warm your little hearts with this tasty treat and have yourselves a merry little christmas. loves, lin

"the near and the dear ones... the old and the young" -john and yoko

so this is christmas...
we safely arrived at the SLC airport sunday night... and thank my lucky stars that the little mister slept the entire flight cuddled up in my arms. yes, thank my lucky stars.
i love to be home.although, i miss my a*love, dearly. will someone please make sure that he is being fed well and goes to work bundled up, warm?
we spent yesterday cozied in at ashlee's enjoying the warm company and the smell of all things delicious she had been cooking up. she sent us home with armloads of warm sugary bread and even warmer happy hearts.

luc and i then spent the evening bundled up, wandering through "the gateway" on our annual holiday shopping trek. i spent a good hour or so in anthropologie running my fingers through all the lovely threads and getting a brain-full of ideas for our house. we picked luc's ornament for the year and i was sure to have them gift wrap it for me in great anthropologie fashion. we shared hot chocolate and the boy slept through the insane utah traffic all the way home. perfect.

the package i had sent here from this little etsy shop of goodness arrived. had i known it was going to be the size of a small country i would have found a few folks out there to go in on it with me. needless to say i have a spool of red and white bakers twine that will last me and amy three lifetimes each. or more. let me know if you need some.
today is fabric shopping. don't tell my husband. the drought i've been on in the homeland has left a giant fabric craving that is screaming to be satisfied. i will hit up as many little shops as my little heart can stand. including ikea's textile section. this will make for one wild day and one happy lindsay-girl when the day is over. any requests while i have all this fabric goodness around me?
we'll spend the rest of our little holiday bundling up packages (tied with bakers twine of course), drinking warm drink, and visiting our loves. there are still babies to meet and good friends to cuddle. saturday will come quickly and i am looking forward to diving back into my sewing creations before christmas.
what is your favorite part of this holiday hustle and bustle? enjoy it. oh! enjoy it.
love, lindsay

"from now on your troubles will be miles away" - quiet company

goodness. where have i been??
buuuuuuuuuuuusy with these:

i've begun to cozy up this house of ours

1. teapot we got for a wedding gift
2. cookie jar that's waiting for these.
3. silhouette made after watching this lovely lady on her television debut.
4. izze bottle from a certain momma-o-mine's birthday celebration
5. the new most perfect shade of yellow/khaki/beige walls ever

and

1. schemeing up something fierce for winter card mailings
2. awaiting amy butler cotton
3. a handsome attempt at crocheting a winter hat for "little" and his yummy ears.
4. the perfect plaid pj's sewn for my soul-cousin
5. comment treats!! they will be on their way soon. maybe along with those fab winter cards i was talking about. i did not forget. i'm just trying to track down an elf that can cut metal. any tips?
6. happiness in a red recycled cup.
7. my beauty of a sewing gal that is nearing her first birthday.

i am having so much fun with the "handmade pledge" that i took. i am up to my chin in courderoy, modge podge, yarn, my favorite cotton prints, the prettiest papers and oh! my heart is full.
i love this season. besides the obvious reflection on christ, and life and all that i am blessed with and thankful for, i love the crisp air, the hustle and bustle, picking the right treasure for the right person. i love the gift wrap, the twinkling lights, the warm drinks. i love warm sockies, flickering peppermint candles and countdown calendars. i love the memories of people from seasons passed. a grandpa with bags of shiny boxes, catching a shuttle to kiss the cheek of a granny i miss dearly, and silly boys that have held my heart. i love this season.
lucas and i are hopping a jet plane back to the "heart-land" this weekend. to a place where mittens and scarves are necessity. where my momma has a menu of good-ness waiting to fill our bellies. where a little girl named pretzel has begun to grow into her smarty-pants and i hope she remembers my face.
take care, my loves. let your hearts be light,
lin