Easy

I love to cook, but on weeknights it has to be something EASY. Nothing's easier than relying on my crock pot. Today's recipe is for Slow Cooker BBQ Chicken and it has two ingredients. How's this for easy...

Slow Cooker BBQ Chicken

Ingredients:

• 4 Frozen Boneless Skinless Chicken Breasts
• 1 Bottle of BBQ Sauce

Directions:

Place frozen chicken in crock pot. Dump BBQ sauce in pot. Turn on low. Come back 8 hours later and serve.

My favorite EASY side dish is sweet potatoes. I put two of them in my little crock with a tablespoon of water at the bottom and turn it on low. Four hours later, they're cooked so their insides are so smoooooooth and creamy that no butter is necessary. TaStY! Serve the chicken and potatoes with something green, like steamed asparagus. This is a homecooked meal in 8 minutes or less (other than the crock time while I'm at the office). EASY!

Rings

Lately I've been a little obsessed with vintage buttons. A few weeknights ago, I dumped an entire jar of them on the countertop, dug through them one by one looking for fabulocity and coordinating colors, and came up with lots of delicious combinations. Then I put them on rings--awesomely kitsch vintage button rings. Oh, the novelty! This week I will start showing them off in my online shop and hope for potential buyers since I cannot possibly have these all to myself! Want one? I've got lots to share.

Grind

After a day back at the grind, how could I resist spending my evening adding new earrings to my online shop (look to the right, eh!) and taking the Etsy survey. (Would you like to participate in the survey and enter to win one of their five $100 shopping sprees? Click on...) As for the earrings, I had fun using some wonderful vintage German glass beads that I found while browsing Wimberley Market Days. They were in a basket outside of a little shop and they caught my eye immediately. They've been in my bead collection since summertime, but I brought them with me for our New Year's Eve in this beautiful Hill Country town and made lots of inspired glass earrings while my husband was fishing. I realized today while bathing in the glow of artificial lighting and a dirty computer monitor that a day of making earrings and watching deer in the yard is better than any day in the office...but don't tell my boss I said that.

Wildlife

My, how times have changed... How long has it been since I hoped I'd have a wild plan all lined up for New Year's Eve. This year's plan was less of a "plan" and more about the wildlife. My husband and I spent the extended holiday weekend in Wimberley, Texas. He tried to catch smallmouth bass in the clear waters of the Blanco River and I tried to catch deer in the camera lens as they pranced through the neighborhood. I also had the pleasure of seeing ducks cross the road to get to the river, turkeys hanging out in someone's front yard, goats gnawing on someone's grass, and lots of cows. When I wasn't lost on the winding roads and trying to find my way back to the delightful town square, I was making some new jewels to share with everyone and catching up on my magazine reading. We ended up spending NYE night playing Scrabble, drinking champagne left from our wedding, and eating the top of our wedding cake as first anniversary tradition dictated. [It was still surprisingly delicious, by the way!] This is my new idea of fun. Not exactly wild, but what can I say. Anyway, I won the game and victory made the evening even more fun. Teeehee! Best wishes for a safe and prosperous 2008.

Holidaze

This was my first holiday season with my jewelry posted for online purchases. I'm already anxious for next year. I am so thankful for my buyers and all of their great feedback, and I was tickled to be sending packages worldwide! Happy Holidays, All!