Friday, December 2, 2011

Taste of Home Card Swap!

Hi from chickluvs2cook!
(Not my cookies - but I loved the pic.)

I have so enjoyed getting all of your Christmas cards these past few days...the recipes are awesome, too! I can hardly wait to start trying out some of them.  This is my third year to participate in this card swap, and I have been waiting anxiously for it to start.

If you have found your way here you have probably received my Christmas postcard. I send postcards because I think they are fun and an easy way to mail Christmas wishes to a lot of people (they also can be saved and used as a recipe card.).  All I have to do then is direct the receiver to my blog and they can get all of my info here. So, here goes...

I live in Yorkville, IL, which is a suburb of Chicago and in what they consider the Fox Valley area. I am married to an incredible man named Mike and we have a 2.5 years old puppy named Kiki that we adopted from a shelter. We don't have kids of our own, but love spending time with our nieces and nephews. They range in age from 6 yrs. old to 24 yrs. old ~ 5 boys and 2 girls. We travel a lot to see them b/c they live in IL, IN and AR (at least the younger ones - the older ones actually come to us).

I am the General Manager of an environmental consulting firm located in Geneva, IL and enjoy my job (most of the time). But I really love my "part-time" jobs...selling lia sophia jewelry (www.liasophia.com/brigette) and Wildtree products (www.mywildtree/brigette)! I have so much fun meeting new people, while helping them accessorize their busy lives and feed their families the Wildtree way...simple.healthy.natural.

As for hobbies, the main one is cooking...everything and anything about cooking. I collect cookbooks, watch the FoodNetwork every chance I get, and love to try and develop new recipes. I have even won a couple of local contests and  aspire to winning a big one one day. I have been cooking since I was little and would help my grandmother in the kitchen. She taught me so much in our 16 years together.  (If you like great community cookbooks, you need to check out the one I helped compile and publish for a local women's club that I am the President of here in Yorkville - www.yorkvillejwc.com).    =)


Something that my husband and I like to do together is cake decorating...and if you knew my husband, you'd be even more surprised - he is 6'3" and football player big, but can decorate a cake like you wouldn't believe.  We have taken the 3 main Wilton classes together and had a blast.  We even have a little side business for that, too (www.frosted-sweets-treats.com).  He was recently laid-off from his corporate job of 14 years and is going to be working for a new bakery that is opening up in our area as a baker/decorator a few hours a week until he finds gainful employment again (which will be hopefully soon and he'll only be able to work at the bakery on the weekends).

My other hobby (like I need one more thing to do) is photography. I take pictures of everything...I'm kind of the family historian shall we say. I find it so amazing to capture a moment in time and have it to look back on whenever I want to remember or relive the memory. 

Well, that is about it for me. I wish you all a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!

Eat, pray, love,

Brigette (TOH BB - chickluvs2cook)

Thursday, December 1, 2011

Cookies Across America - Dec. 10th!

Cookies Across America

Making a difference through baking and sharing cookies.

Join Taste of Home on December 10 to "bake a difference."

Cookie lovers unite! Whether it's baking and sharing cookies with the needy or donating cookie ingredients to a food bank, you can make a difference in your community this Christmas.
Click here to find out more!



As a Field Editor for Taste of Home, I will be participating on the 10th by baking cookies for the volunteers of Operation Santa that will be sorting toys for the children in need in Kendall Co., IL...I'd love to hear how all of you are also planning to participate.

Eat, pray, love,

Brigette