Holiday Cookie Swap

 Well,I am home from Poughkeepsie,New York, where I attended a holiday cookie swap. If you have never been part of a swap, but love cookies, you should try to organize one with your friends next Christmas. It is a very cool idea. You bake a certain amount of one particular cookie, the amount depends on how many people participate. Then when you arrive, all the cookies are placed on a table. If the swap is done properly, you will enjoy a few glasses of wine before you start the swapping. That's how I think it should be done :)

 Everyone goes around the table and takes a few of each kind of cookie to take home. If after the first round cookies still remain, you go around again. Of course you are nibbling as you go, that's a given. So in the end you bring one kind of cookie and go home with lots of different kinds. Very cool!

 Of course I also used the gathering to hand out my business cards and to talk about Etsy and my etsy shop 'theemptynest.etsy.com' Hey...it's all about networking!

 While in New York I played Santa and left most of my gifts for my family. Beats postage on packages..I get to deliver gifts and visit family. The ol' two birds with one stone thing.

 I drove 6 1/2 hours by myself..well not really, I had Michael Buble and Regina Spektor to keep me company. Turn up the volume and sing along all the way to New York, yeah baby!!

 On the way home I took the opportunity to stop at all the cute antique shops my sweet husband never wants to stop at. Point of Rocks, Md. and Lucketts, Va have some great ones. I had fun browsing and found some very cute treasures. Check the photos above to see my finds. My oldest son does fabulous card tricks, so when I saw this great tie tack I had to buy it. The Carolina Wren that adorns the beautiful wooden cross is my favorite bird. I love finding treasures . Well until next time..take time to enjoy the holiday season, slow down and observe all the beauty around you.