merry christmas.

i hope you and your family have a joyous christmas.

wishing you all the happiness and peace.

JILL

hot chocolate and marshmallow... men.

i just made these cookies and wanted to share in case you're sitting around wandering what cookies you could be making on this christmas eve....

my mom and i made these hot chocolate cookies with marshmallow filling.

they're a big hit.

mix all your stuff together.

#messycook

and... here's the stuff to mix together.

(we just bought whole almonds and pulsed them in the processor until they were ground. i'm sure you can buy ground almonds at whole foods or something. and i bet a magic bullet would do the trick if you don't have a food processor.)

roll out thin. recipe said 1/16".

they're going to be sandwich cookies!

cut.

we used an old teeny tiny lil copper gingerbread man.

he felt festive.

they're awesome because they hardly spread when baked.

i'm always looking for recipes that don't spread.

here's a chocolate one in case you are, too.

make little sandwiches with your men, or any other shape you picked,

with marshmallow frosting.

MARSHMALLOW FROSTING:

1 cup room temp butter

1 cup powdered sugar

1 7oz. jar of marshmallow fluff

cream butter in mixer until fluffy.

add sugar, mix.

then add fluff.

mix.

pipe it out.

we tried using just the fluff for the middle as the recipe suggests, but it spreads and is really sticky-messy.

we googled and found the marshmallow buttercream above, and it was perfect.

on your cookie, or your finger.

they are 'hot chocolate' cookies but it's really just a glorified name for a chocolate cookie. there's no hot chocolate involved. but i'm not mad.

they taste delicious and were/are a big hit.

merry christmas eve!!

JILL

flowers for friday #125

happy friday weekend!

i thought it'd be better late than never, right?

i hope you're doing all sorts of festive activities today.

i have 2 gifts left to buy and i'm sorta dreading going out there. i'm sure it's going to be one big hot mess of people who procrastinate.... like me :)

have a very merry weekend.

JILL

love.

i've had a tough time with what happened last friday.

i know it wasn't the first time, but i pray to God it's the last.

i've had multiple nightmares since.

the last of which was last night.

they're awful.

and i wake up and am filled with the same empty sadness i felt on friday.

i don't know if its the age and innocence of the children, or the upcoming holiday.

i definitely know it has alot to do with the senselessness of the whole thing.

i don't want to come on here and be a debbie-downer

but all week, i've had a hard time coming on here and being my usual sugary-sweet, life-is-good-self.

i'm taking stock of my life,

hugging everyone a little tighter,

smiling a little bit more at people walking by,

and making sure those whom i love, know it.

no one can make any sense of what happened or why,

i'm just praying for everyone involved.

time on earth is far too short.

live it up.

and love.

love alot.

show evil and violence who's boss.

{and vote for tighter gun restrictions.

because these things don't need to happen.}

JILL

2 turtledoves...

and a

partridge in a pear tree

holiday party need a holiday drink?

i found this recipe for a

'partridge in a pear tree'

from a fab house wife.

lots of holiday drinks, including my white russian with cinnamon, seem a little too heavy and creamy to have more than one. or even one. sometimes a weighty cocktail just won't do.

this one seems like it would be light and refreshing yet still get you feeling festive.

1.5 oz pear vodka

.5 oz lemon juice

.5 oz simple syrup

champagne to top it off

rosemary for garnish

i'm tempted to throw some rosemary into my simple syrup to get a little of that flavor into the drink, i love herbs in cocktails. and i love rosemary.

and i love you.

there you have it.

JILL

gilded little guy.

with tassles.

i finished my pom pom garland this weekend!! i just have to wait for some daylight to shoot it, and then i can share. it's the only diy i had for decor this christmas and i'm pretty pumped about it.

i wouldn't mind, however adding these to the mix.

there are tutorials all over pinterest with clever and awesome things you can make with plastic little animals. i wanted to make these cut in half, gold magnets you see everywhere, so i bought some online. a whole package for 2 bucks.

should have known because when they got here, they were the little ones. too small for magnets but they are still going to be used, because now i'm going to make them into birthday candle holders.

these ornaments (you can find the whole tutorial here)

are looking really fun.

i might just do it, but time's running out so we'll see if it happens.

does anyone know the best place to get some good animals?

happy monday.

JILL

flowers for friday #124

with mistletoe, amaryllis and poinsettias.

merry friday.

JILL

{via coco + kelley}