A few years ago, I found this crock on etsy.com. I love the blue color and the size of the crock. Actually, I pretty much like anything that's blue and stoneware! But the price was $75 + $15 shipping, so there was no way I was ever going to buy it. Every once in a while I would search on the internet to see if there were any similiar crocks for cheaper.

Here's a closeup picture. According to the description on etsy, this is a true periwinkle color. So every time I went to the thrift or antique stores, I was always hoping to find a similiar crock.

Then I went to the Apple Basket for Christmas shopping, and I found the above crock for $15!! It is probably the closest crock I will ever find. As you can see...I almost forgot to take a before picture. I found a Periwinkle spray paint...but it was more of a Williamsburg blue. I ended up using Krylon's Hyacinth Blue spraypaint.

And here it is! I am thrilled! The dried flowers are from my crepe myrtle bushes out front. I would like to experiment with spray painting those a mustard yellow...like the ones at Michaels. But that's a later experiment. First I have to use up all the shades of blue I bought to finish this experiment:-)

On Christmas Eve morning, I tried another new recipe from my Country Woman magazine called Maple and Bacon Glazed Brussel Sprouts. (Sorry ~ this is another recipe you have to sign in to read.) It was delicious. I followed the recipe exactly except I used frozen brussel sprouts instead of fresh. (I always find the fresh to be bitter.) Definitely a keeper recipe. The only thing I would do differently is double the brussel sprouts and halve the bacon. It sure disappeared quickly!

I stayed home from church with four of my children tonight. They were almost asleep when it was time to leave. I guess the entire holiday season is catching up to us.

Our pastor preached a great sermon this morning on integrity. He had us flipping through the pages of our Bible more than usual. The sermon was very convicting. It was an excellent start for the new year.

My hubby and I have resolved to feed our family healthier food...and to start by adhering to the Seven Foods That Should Never Cross Your Lips. This was an eye-opener for us. So we plan to finish the meat in our freezer, then restock with grass fed beef. Please read the article.

Hope you are recovered from your holiday season and ready to begin the new year. Many blessings ~ Kathie