A New Gadget and a New Hobby

My nickname at home is gadget girl. It’s kind of ironic because I was never very technology minded before. My latest gadget is a handheld GPS unit that I purchased so I could go geocaching. Geocaching is a high tech treasure hunt played around the world. You use a GPS device to locate a treasure by its coordinates. Once you find a cache, you document it on a website like geocaching.com. It’s a great way to enjoy the outdoors while discovering new places. It is also a great family activity.
Back to the gadget! I got a Garmin eTrex Venture HC. Here’s the best part! It was free with my husband’s Cabela points! It will be a lot more useful to me than the gun safe he got last year!
I plan to search for my first caches tomorrow. I had several selected in the nearby game lands, but had to make adjustments due to the snow. I figured I might have enough trouble the first time out! The last thing I need is to get lost in the woods!
The new caches I picked are all within five miles of my home and are in more populated areas. Wish me luck! I’ll keep you updated on my progress.

Finally getting my website under control...

To say that the holiday season was hectic would be an understatement. I've spent the better part of two days going through my inventory and loading items onto my Etsy Site I participated in several artisan marketplaces over the holidays and my items have just returned home. I hope you'll visit my site and take a look!

Ah the Irony......

It's hard to believe that we were sitting on this deck a few weeks ago during the mild weather. For all of those living in the mid-Atlantic and North East U.S., think back to summer. How many of you complained about the heat? (I know I may have once or twice).
All I can say is this. If it has to be winter, then we may as well have snow. It covers up the gray for a while and makes everything seem a little brighter. Enjoy a snow day!

Bought Myself a Present.....Again!

I have a bad habit of buying myself Christmas gifts. My family appreciates it because they know I will be happy with my present. They are not too pleased that I never wait until Christmas to use it. I may be slightly impatient.
Last year’s gift was a Keurig Coffee Machine. I still love it and recommend it highly. This year, I splurged on a Kindle. Just a point in my defense; I am a Christmas baby, so this gift also counts as my birthday gift. I lifted the ban on combination gifts for this year only.
I ordered my Kindle from Amazon.com on December 4th and received it on the 6th. I couldn’t believe how quickly it arrived. I am so pleased with my purchase. I find the Kindle to be easier on my eyes and very easy to navigate. I can download a book over the air and have it in less than a minute. This is perfect for impatient me! It has a good battery life and takes a few hours to charge. One of my favorite features is the dictionary. You can move the cursor to any word and the definition will appear as a footnote.
The one concern I had about the Kindle was the expense of the books. I don’t buy a lot of books. I usually get mine from the library. This concern was quickly addressed by the many free books available in the Kindle Store on Amazon. You can select the type of books you like to read (for me, it’s mysteries and thrillers) and sort by price. Every week I am able to download another free book. I have eight on my Kindle right now. Even at full price, the books are cheaper than you would find in the stores.
I know there are more choices in e-readers right now. The Sony has a new version out and the Nook should be available in the next few weeks. I decided to go with the Kindle because it had the best reviews. If you are looking for a special gift for someone, I highly recommend the Kindle. You really can’t go wrong.

Christmas in New York City

There's something special about New York City during the holidays. People are a little nicer, smiles a little brighter. The lights and decorations make the already bright city seem magical.
I spent the last two day in Englewood Cliffs, New Jersey on business and had the opportunity to stay in Manhattan. After a wonderful dinner in Little Italy, we had some free time to see some sights. We grabbed a cab and headed to Rockefeller Center to see the Tree. The picture doesn't do it justice. (I took it with my BlackBerry) It's the first time I've seen the tree in over 10 years. It was 10:00 at night and the place was packed. People were chatting and taking pictures, enjoying the holiday spirit.
After a cold start to the day with snow and rain, the weather was remarkably mild. We took advantage of the beautiful night and walked the five blocks back to the hotel. We may have stopped at a bar or two on the way.
All in all it was a great night of fun with friends. I may start a new family tradition and plan a trip to New York every December.

Easy Caramel Sticky Buns

I threw out all my recipes for sticky buns after I tried this one. Hopefully a certain Dough Boy won't sue me for writing this. These were absolutely delicious and very easy to make.

Ingredients:
2 cans crescent rolls
3/4 cup packed brown sugar
3 Tablespoons nuts (optional)
1 stick butter (do not substitute margarine!)
1 Tablespoon water

DIRECTIONS
1. Heat oven to 350°F. In 1-quart saucepan, melt butter. Coat bottom and sides of 12-cup fluted tube cake pan with 2 tablespoons of the melted butter; sprinkle pan with 3 tablespoons of the nuts. Add remaining nuts, brown sugar and water to remaining melted butter. Heat to boiling, stirring occasionally. Boil 1 minute, stirring constantly.
2. Remove dough from cans; do not unroll. Cut each long roll into 8 slices. Arrange 8 slices, cut side down, in nut-lined pan; separate layers of each pinwheel slightly. Spoon half of brown sugar mixture over dough. Place remaining 8 dough slices alternately over bottom layer. Spoon remaining brown sugar mixture over slices.
3. Bake 23 to 33 minutes or until deep golden brown. Cool 3 minutes. Turn upside down onto serving platter or waxed paper. Serve warm.

I'm not going to print the nutritional information. You don't want to know.

Artists, Make the Most of the Holiday Season!

I've been in the jewelry business for about four years now, selling on Etsy for almost two years. November and December are do or die time for me! Especially with the economy being what it is, people are buying less "luxury" items and are concentrating on necessities. The holidays is the one time where they may splurge on a special gift. To make sure I have a successful holiday season, I plan to do more than just craft fairs and Etsy this season:
*I approached our local business association and asked if I could set up a table of my work at some of their events. While I can't sell the jewelry there, I can showcase it and, hopefully, make some new contacts.
*I contacted several friends who have small to medium sized businesses and asked them to consider using Designs by Reese for their corporate holiday gifts. One business, a dentist office with a large staff, took me up on the offer and ordered 35 pairs of earrings to give out at their annual holiday party.
*At a recent craft fair, I displayed a sign announcing that I do home parties. I offered 30% of the party's retail sales as an incentive. It worked! I have a party booked for next week.
*I searched the internet in September and learned of a new Artisans Marketplace in a nearby town over the holidays. The marketplace opens next week and my work will be available for sale.
None of these opportunities cost me a lot of time or money. All I need to do is make the inventory. In the end, I hope the effort will bring me the holiday sales I need to make this a successful year!