{ Crock Pot Candy & Bible Verse Ornament }

So, I'm sick.

Figures, right? Just a few days before Christmas, 68,123 things to do, and... I'm sick.

Ugh.

Generally speaking, I am not a napper. I nap when I'm sick and that's about it. 

Yesterday, I'd just laid down for a long winter's nap. 10 minutes later, I was quite rudely awakened by 2 little barking mutts.

What was it?? Is the UPS man here with a delivery? Does the mail lady have something too big for the box? Is it at least the meter reader? Were the Mayans off by 2 days and the end was nigh?

No.

Nothing.

They were barking at nothing.

I was not amused.

Miss Luna, after her barking spree, decided to climb up on the couch and lay with me.  You know, for a nap.

Being the mature person that I am, this ensued.

I wait until Luna falls asleep.

Then I yell, "BARK!  BARK!  BARK!  BARK!  BARK!  BARK!  BARK!  BARK! "

Luna wakes up and looks like this.

I'm sorry it's so blurry, but I was laughing so hard at the look she gave me, I couldn't hold the phone steady.

The laughing, of course, made me cough, so it made this almost not worth it.

Almost.

I'm hoping for a bark free nap today.

Anyway, in case you hadn't heard, it's dang near Christmas.

I want to share 2 things with you today, both easy! woo! That's the best kind of thing at Christmas.

1. Is an easy Christmas ornament

2. Is an easy Christmas candy

Yay easy!

The ornament starts off with the clear glass blubs.

The ideas for these things are limitless. The ideas for what I'm showing you today is pretty much limitless too!

I made a Luke 2 ornament. I simply printed the Bible verses, which I then cut into strips.

Wrap the strips around a pencil. That is the perfect size for inserting into the bulb.

Notice my clever use of a Halloween pencil for a Christmas craft. I'm classy like that.

Just roll them up and pop them, one at a time, into the blub. I put some in right side up and some upside down. After you add the slip, give the ornament a little shake.

You can add sparkly ribbon

or add some glitter

I then made a tie on with alphabet beads and hemp twine.

After adding your tie on, you are all done! Yay!

As I mentioned, this idea is pretty limitless, but here are some I came up with:

Lines from a favorite book (hello, Harry Potter!)

Wedding Vows with Wedding Date on tie on

Baby's Firsts with birth date tie on

Special Memories from this year with year tie on

Child's favorite things for the year, with age & date tie on

These are quick and easy & a lot of fun to make.

I'm planning to do the Harry Potter & Special Memories of 2012 for myself.

 *

So, how about some candy?

Ok.

I was watching Trisha Yearwood's show the other day when she was making Crock-pot Chocolate Candy. How easy did that sound? Pretty darn, that's how!

I, being myself though, had to tweak the recipe to my own liking. Here is what I came up with.

 

Put crock-pot on 'low'.

Pour peanuts in the bottom.

Then add chocolate chips, then Almond Bark

 Let cook for 1 hour.

Please note, Trisha said 3 hours for her's. Mine didn't take nearly that long.

My friend, Lori's crock-pot, set on low, BURNT Trisha's recipe in 30 minutes. Be sure to check your candy now and then, as crock-pot times can differ greatly.

After the hour, stir until all ingredients are combined.

Then add your mini mallows.

Stir again. These will get gooey and melted.

Is good.

Now, you are totally done. Just scoop into mini cupcake liners. You could also put into a greased baking dish and cut into squares.

So, there you have it. An easy craft. An easy candy. And two bad dogs.

Is it naptime yet?

No? No, because coming up for you tomorrow, I have a really exciting treat that I've always wanted to make! I've paired up with my friend Darla of Bakingdom for two times the fun!

Rocky Road Crock-pot Candy

Recipe by Tina @ Sugar Bean Bakers, adapted from this recipe

1 - 12 oz can of salted peanuts

1-  12 oz package of semi sweet chocolate

12 oz  (6 squares) of almond bark

3 cups mini marshmallows

Let cook for 1 hour.

Be sure to check once in a while, as crockpot times can differ greatly.

After the hour, stir until all ingredients are combined.

Then add your mini mallows.

Stir again. These will get gooey and melted.

Scoop into mini cupcake liner or put into a greased baking dish and cut into squares.