ever go to a potluck that is full of families...little kids running around, foaming at the mouth like rabid beasts, hangry, lord of the flies style, because every one has brought dishes that are dressed to impress but not so kid friendly? i have.

i was making such a dish.  my little guy running around my house, already a bit rabid, because i was so busy preparing this dish that i hadn't prolly so much as looked at him in half an hour.  i stopped and had an "aha moment".  grabbed a bag of grapes(washed), some kitchen twine (you could use embroidery thread, dental floss or double up some bakers twine) and a very large embroidery needle.  i sat Loji down and started beading grapes on necklaces to give the kids at the potluck we were going to.  he was so stoked!  

just knot one end, string a few on and they will be begging to take over.  it's a win win.  he sat down, had a pre-game snack (i dared him not to eat one...he ate half of the entire bag), got a bit artsy, stopped bugging me to please, oh please sword fight him, i got to continue with my pintrest fail in the kitchen, and the kids at the soiree whom he gave them to....wowzers.  i believe Loji was engaged to at least 4 of the little girls there by the end of the evening.  just make sure they are long enough to fit over their heads easily.

the only downfall, is that they will love them so very much that they will not leave you alone once they are through with theirs, because they will want another.  and another.  warn them that everyone gets one or make more.  

pears. they are culinary jewels; the humble variety.  i'm not going to get all Tom Robbins'y on you or anything, but his love for beets, which i share, could be compared to my love of pears. mmm. the granular, but smooth and buttery sweetness of a perfectly ripe bartlett...week in the knees baby.  i love their velvety texture and love cooking with them because of it.  

savoury.  sweet.  boom.  lets do this!  i make these lil babies all the time.  serve them with dinner on our Thanksgiving plates, bring them to potlucks, and chop up any that are leftover and top homemade waffles, pancakes or crepes with a dollop of greek yogurt and pure maple syrup the next day!!! oh geez.  my mouth is watering.

• preheat oven to 400 degrees
• slice your pears in half lengthwise. bosc is best but you can use pretty much any variety (except asian) for this.  they do not even need to fully ripe.  the slow roasting will bring out the pear flave ever so perfectly.
• using a mellon baller or a small spoon, scoop out the seed core in the middle.  you can leave the stems on.  i think they are pretty.
• squeeze a half of a lemon over them.  this will prevent them from oxidizing and turning brown.
• drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper.  i go hard on the pepper.  love the earthy spice with the pears.  
• i put them in a cast iron, personally, but if you do not have one, a baking dish is fine.
• pop them in the oven and roast until they get all delish, soft, and roasty looking.  about 35 mins....sometimes i let them go forever....sometimes i want them to be firmer. sometimes i forget to serve them on the dinner plate and act like i toooootally meant to do it and blend up some whip cream with maple, a vanilla bean (or extract) and a tini sprinkle of black pepper. oh. my. gawd. sooooo divine.
• enjoy. rinse. repeat.

okay, so i lied...i couldn't just shelf every little fun thing i did this month and save it for next year.  but, this one kinda doesn't count because you can make this anytime of  year and use it for so many things!  plus, it gets extra points because you can make it with almost anything you have lying around the house. 

what you'll need:

• some sort of twine, string, strip of fabric, or ribbon.
• some sort of paper. such as: paint swatches, book pages, your kids drawings, photos, phone books, chinese take out menus...you get my drift? i double dawg dare you to make one out of a menu all stained up by kung pow!!!
• paper punch....this is one thing you do kinda need. i am obsessed with them. good ol' martha stewart has an epic line of them...but there are sooo many to choose from at michaels and other craft stores. get some. you will use them for nine thousand projects.
• glue gun, glue stick or just about any glue you have. i've tried many. i like the glue gun cause it dries so fast. second runner up, a glue stick.

so, here's a picture tutorial...a lil snap shot DIY. but, basically, punch out stars (or what ever shape you have) and start gluing them to your ribbon (or twine or whatever fabulousness you have decided to go with).  make sure you put the shapes sandwiched together, whithe your twine in the middle, somewhat in line for a clean look.  you can make them as long as you'd like.  i used them on our xmas tree and also wound them up on cute cards and gave them as winter solstice presents to my ladies.  oh, they also look great wound around a beautifully wrapped gift as a super bonus.

do it up my homies! lemme know how it goes!

we live in a forest by the sea.  i'm so far way from where i grew up, in sunny southern california where the holidays are much, much different.  up here, you'd think that it was christmas all year round, because deer, holly and pines are everywhere.  but it isn't. i mean, duh, obvz....but wow. when winter comes and the days get short with starry skies hanging low....every time you walk outside it literally smells like christmas trees and cocoa.  it is magic.

i was so inspired, creatively, this season. i was crafting and cooking and shnuggling with my fam non stop. kept myself so busy that i hardly blogged anything i did. the shnugz were that good! 

so, i will save all of it to post and help inspire you next year but will leave you with this. this old board, paint chipped and cast off. the thing somehow made it into my living room and stayed there for about 2 months before i finally threw the thing outside. my man wasn't doing it. so i did. 

the next day, however, i had the idea to do this whole scene on the wall by our tree, "oh, what fun!".  so, i went and grabbed the old sad board and gave him a wash. if he had a tail, it'd be wagging. went at it with a thick tipped sharpie and viola! such an easy wall piece. 

happy holidays er'buddy and here's to loving you all right up in the new year!!