my x-mas picks

This is a list of things I would love to make, do, buy or eat during the 2010 Holiday season...but since my priority is getting in sync with my new son and his needs, I figured I'd show them here and possibly take them on next year when the timing might be a bit better. Check them out!

Cinnamon Buns Recipe care of 101 Recipes, my absolute favourite food blog! This image is also copyrighted by Heidi Swanson, who adapted and made this scrumptious treat!

Candy Cane Bath Salts Recipe from Momadvice.com! This would make a GREAT homemade X-mas gift, not to mention something I'd like to use myself!

Candy Cane Bath Salts

• 12 tall jelly (12-ounce) canning jars with lid and rings
• 2 bags of Epsom Salts, 4 pounds each (approximately 16 cups)
• 4 lb kosher salt (approximately 6 cups is needed, buy two boxes and cook with the rest)
• 1⁄2 teaspoon glycerin, divided
• 16 drops eucalyptus peppermint essential oil
• 15 drops red colorant

Empty one bag of Epsom Salts into large mixing bowl. Add 3 cups kosher salt, stir well. Stir in 1/4 teaspoon glycerin and eight drops of eucalyptus essential oil. Mix well. In second large mixing bowl, empty one bag of Epsom Salts, and add 3 cups kosher salt. Stir well. Add 1/4 teaspoon glycerin, eight drops of eucalyptus essential oil, and red colorant. Stir until completely blended. Color should be even. Using a 1/2 cup measuring cup and fill canning jars at an angle, layer salts in jars, alternating white and colored mixtures.

Jade Beaded Necklace from Martha Stewart (of course). This super simple design would ALSO make a delovely gifty for a friend or loved one. Just sayin'.


Nordik Adventures Dog Sledding! This is something I've ALWAYS wanted to do, and to be honest I don't think I'll be able to this winter. How Canadian! How Quebec! Next year, it's on.

body massaaaaage....BODY MASSAGE. GO!

Never thought I'd be making my own cosmetics...but here I was this morning, mixing up a few batches of these delicious and delightful Organic Cane Sugar Body Scrubs and marveling at how much fun they were to make. With only four ingredients they were quite possibly the easiest bit of homemade Holiday prezzies I've ever made! The recipe, adapted from Martha Stewart, is as follows:

• 1 cup Organic Cane Sugar
• 1/2 cup carrier oil (I used olive oil because I had some on hand)
• 4-6 drops of essential oils
• 1-6 drops of organic food colouring, depending on your preference

My fiance Shaun was my test subject for this product, and his response was, "oooh! It smells so nice!". He tried the pink grapefruit body scrub. I made multiple small batches to try out different essential oils. Now you can make your own and have a:

corgi worship

Let's face it: any time of year is perfect to worship corgis - but this time of year is particularly well suited to show your love and devotion in sculptural form. As you can see here all the forces of the Season conspire to show corgis in their best light. Sigh...

i am the LOG LADY

Wanna know how to make your own edible log for the Holidays? I thought so! First of all, you bake the batter on a jellyroll pan (I've never heard of a jellyroll pan before either...), otherwise known as a cookie sheet with edges.

Then you roll it up with some almond and chocolate-infused whipped-cream inside.

Finally you cut a piece off, attach it to the side and ice it with dark chocolate frosting to make it look like an actual log! Here in Quebec it's called a Bûche de Noël, or as Anglos say Yule Log. When I was taking it over to my friends' place for their Reveillon (francais pour Stay Up Late) on X-mas Eve, my cab driver said only old Quebecois folks make this recipe these days. I felt proud and ashamed at the same time...which pretty much sums up being a non-French speaker in Quebec!
I wanted to say, "The owls are not what they seem...", but didn't. Merry X-mas David Lynch!

plant a bulb and let it grow

We planted 4 narcissus bulbs Dec 1st and watched them grow until Christmas - here's the Bulbs' Progress. It's my pleasure to give full copyright and props to Sufjan Stevens for his soundtrack Jingle Bells, from the album Songs for Christmas Vol. V - Peace, recorded in 2006.

it's that time of year again....

...when I'm mildly underemployed and I'm mildly ambivalent about that fact. The (obvious) reason being: I get to MAKE MORE STUFF! This week I busted up 26 Christmas/Hannukah cards for (most) of my beloved peeps. If any of you who receive one of these cards would like to take picture of it and e-mail that pic to me, I'll gladly post it here for all to see!