In the midst of gingerbread snowflakes and trees and angels, Rebecca asked me how I'm doing with the Simple Christmas.  Little elves in my head began to turn the gingerbread wheels of thought. . .

Maybe, I'll start by saying that simple does not equal easy.  And I guess that's the whole thing about simple living is that it doesn't often mean easy.  It does mean deliberate living with clearer cut choices--sometimes making hard choices about what goes, what stays, and what gets piled on top. 

We've stepped out of shopping lines and into The Blackberry Bungalow workshop.  What gifts we didn't find over the annual round of festivals, yard sales (yup) and craft centers, we've put our heads together and assembled ourselves.  Some quirkier gifts include four pounds of polenta for Beth, homemade Lucky Charms cereal with Kashi Heart to Heart for Mandy, big bundles of firewood for Mike's dad, and a Christmas Eve meal for Craig and Granddad.

Looking at the list, the gifts seem really thoughtful to me, but then I worry about how they'll be received.  I guess we should have informed folks that we were taking a kitschy route this year, but it all developed over time.  Everyone we know lives abundant, overflowing lives.  No one is cold or hungry or needy in any way.  Everyone needs love, and so we tried to convey our love in these gifts.  It will be interesting--I've tried to give simple responses when people have asked me what I want.  I've listed practical items like a yogurt maker, yarn and flannel-lined pants.  I'd be fine with nothing.  God has given me an abundant life full of love for sharing.

Rhonda Jean's got a great post about handling gifts while in the simple living lifestyle.  She had this to say about the guilt some of us simple folks feel when it comes to gifts:

Overall, if you know the way you’re living is right for you and your family, and you’ve explain it to your extended family and friends, then they should respect your wishes and you should remain steadfast in your convictions. I know some of this may seem a bit harsh, but you can't say one thing but do another. If you take time and care with the gifts you give and let others know you don't want to be part of the commercial excesses of Christmas and birthdays, then show them you mean what you say, you will be on the right track. Don't feel guilt for something you believe to be right. You never know, you just might set a simple example that others will follow.

Just what I needed to hear. 

So what's the answer?  The Simple Christmas is going well.  I've got more time for doing stuff instead of buying stuff and Mike and I are learning about creative ways to show our love.

--as in Finished!!



Inspiration



Manifestation



Complete with the Invisible Hem.
Fancy.
Don was pleased in an understated, Don-like sort of way.
And he asked me to make one for his wife.



Martha's skirt--she's my secret pal at work.
She loved it.
And sent me a sweet e-mail. . . 

Thanks Brandy for my skirt!!!!!! I just opened it and about cried – you have to be one of the most thoughtful people I know. LOVE the color, LOVE it!!!!! I’m so glad you were my Secret Santa!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

THANKS SO MUCH!

Martha

Once the frigid cold of last week blew away, a dense cloud cover settled over our neck of the woods.  This is the sort of weather we're known for--dense fogs that make mountain passes seem impassable and valleys seem mysterious.  It made me think back to our trip to Roan Mountain earlier in the year.  It might have seemed disappointing that the rhododendrons were covered in fog, but really, the mist just adds to their beauty.  Saturday was a similarly misty day spent shopping and still managing to keep my personal handmade pledge for Christmas.  Mike's gifts, in their shroud of wrapping paper, were made by local artisans in the region.

Sunday was more mist and we worked outside practically all afternoon.  I did the gardening I should have done back in November--cutting off dead plants putting away the fences for the peonies.  Oh well, it's done now.  Mike finally planted our grape vines and continued to brag about how sincere our pumpkin patch is. 

We battled Christmas lights, extension cords and multiple ladders to get the porch all lit up for those dark December nights.  Staunch environmentalist that I am, I still feel compelled to put up Christmas lights.  It's only for two weeks and only about 4 hours a day, so there.  It's my compromise.  I will be air drying and cloth napkins and recycling all the rest of the year.

Today it's raining off and on and very warm--61 degrees.  The rain and mist and fog are very welcome these days, as the drought continues.  Even the warm weather is a refreshing change for me.  I'm looking forward to going out for my walk in a few minutes without having to pile on scarves and a coat.  Last week I was beginning to think it was time to start up the old Long Underwear Challenge again.

Part of the simple living approach to Christmas is to use gift-giving to unite the giver and receiver.  This can be done by sharing time together, choosing alternatives to the "usual" gifts or by making some or all of the gifts you give.  While making the gifts, you can think about and pray for the person whose gift you're working on.  This week my kitchen tip is about giving the gift of food and finding creative ways to do it.

• Make jams and jellies throughout the year and give with a batch of homemade biscuits or bread.  If you're worried about the cost of jars, simply request them back with the promise of a refill. ;-)
• Make items for people that they do not normally eat.  My grandmother, for instance, has a husband and mother who are both picky eaters.  I'll make her Shrimp Fra Diavlo because I know she never has it.
• Have cookies on hand in the freezer for unexpected guests.  Freezing cookies is simple and they thaw very quickly.
• Offer a meal to someone who lives alone and grows tired of cooking just for one.  You'll be giving the gift of time and food!
• Make a big batch of a favorite stew or a casserole for busy families who are sometimes pressed for time.  We'll be making a big batch of Swedish meatballs this weekend for gifts using Tammy's method for making and freezing them in bulk.

By request, and to help you get started, I've included a simple recipe for chocolate nonpareils.  Make them in advance and keep them in the fridge or do them the night before and leave out to set.

Chocolate Nonpareils

• 8 ounces bittersweet chocolate
• 1/2 teaspoon vegetable-based shortening
• 1/4 or so sugar beads (those little round balls for sprinkling)

Line a couple of baking sheets with parchment paper and set aside.  Melt chocolate and shortening over a double boiler (simply a glass or metal bowl over a pot of simmering water) until smooth.  Spoon chocolate onto baking sheets in nickel-sized circles.  Some of mine were bigger--I like variety!  The circles may be smoothed out a little with the spoon.  Let set 20 minutes and sprinkle all over with sugar beads.  Let harden for 4 hours and pack into bags or boxes.  Store in a cool place.

Makes between 50 and 100 (I got 105, though "Martha" got less).
Taken from Martha Stewart's Handmade Christmas, 1995.  Instructions slightly modified by me.

Awhile back, I mentioned the possibility of being moved from my spacious office with the fireplace and door (and sanity).  Surely, it happened and for nearly two months I've been in the "downstairs" environment of chatty ladies and cubicle-ness.  My new abode is sharing with Catrina (who is loads of fun) the great entry room of the old Victorian house that has, in its day, been a hospital, funeral home and boarding house.  I like to think that I can make any place homey, so I present to you the garland made out of paper clips and ornaments sifted from broken decorations found in the third floor attic. . .


Now!  On to my home work to do list (home work is the best kind):

• making panettone (wish me luck!)
• laundry (how thrilling!)
• Christmas decorating
• mailing a secret goody to Felicia
• going to the library for the Winter books on Soule Mama's list (really, check them out!)
• collecting more holly
• visiting my Grandy

Used to be, I wanted to rake them in, mass-quantity style, and revel in my accumulation.  Then came the year when I finally got tired of trying to keep my room clean, in all its "stuff"iness, and just got rid of lots of things.   It was the start of my journey to simplicity, one I'm still on today.  This year, I've felt a little funny about Christmas gifts.  Mike and I have been picking up things here and there at festivals and artisan centers and farmers' markets that we think the people we love will love.  The bottom line is that all of them have all they need and Christmas is like taking too many bites of pie after a Thanksgiving buffet.  It's just too much.

I love what No Impact Man says about giving gifts that bring people together.  Most people feel that Christmas is about being with the ones you love.  While I feel it's about the most divine love, I do agree that family time plays an important role in the Christmas Experience, be it good or bad, stressful or easy.  Gifts that make people laugh, soften their hearts and create pleasant memories are really the best.  Why didn't I think of that?

I've got most of our gifts squared away for Christmas already, most handmade (because I'm frugal) or made by people I got to meet when I bought them.  I wanted gifts that reflected both the giver and receiver, uniting them in the Christmas Spirit.  Mike's mother will get frozen Swedish meatballs that Mike and I will make that she can share with her family.  Mike's dad will get bundles of firewood to build fires that everyone can sit and watch and warm by.  Grandy will receive biscuits to share with Denny and Virgie.  Craig and Grandad will get a Christmas Eve meal from mom and me. 

Other gifts are quirky, meant to be reminders of good times shared with the receivers.  I have to wonder at what people will think when they open up some of them.  Some of my gifts bring people together and some don't, but it sure makes me ponder over what the Christmas Gift is all about--love, happiness and hope.  I had never thought of the gift of time as something people would want, like they would turn up their noses and demand shiny wrapping paper with pretty bows.  Now that I think about it, time might be just the "thing" to hand out next year.

Rain seems to come more often these days, about once a week or so.  The streams are still low, but the drought is improving and the fire bans have been lifted.  We're still in a severe drought, but I'm beginning to feel more hopeful.  The mountains and hillsides are grey now, the leaves almost completely gone as we returned home.  We'll find our merriment in evergreens and berries, in candles and sunsets.

Something I'm having a little trouble feeling is the Christmas Spirit.  I'd been in the mood for weeks, but now I've stopped short.  Our tiny handmade gifts are being laid away at regular intervals, but I feel it's still too early to hang the greens.  I blame it on the trip to Atlanta--so much consumerism, people going and working as hard as they can to get the next this or that.  Maybe it was all the TV we had to watch.

I think of Christmas time as a very contemplative, spiritual time of year.  I love to wonder at the mystery of the Christmas Gift and think of its humble beginnings.  I suppose these are the things on which I should focus most of my effort, making the gifts we give symbols of the love that God has shared with us and bids us to share with others.

Maybe it's time I set to my Advent readings and refocus my thoughts on who's really important and the lessons taken from simple beginnings.

After some serious sitting around, I've made some serious progress on my massive pile of knitting.  I've also learned that using cloth napkins on the nose is no less unkind than using kleenex (with none of that lotion residue).  Don't worry, I'll have them well washed when you show up to dinner. . . :-P



In Progress: The lace scarf.  I'm getting quite proficient at this pattern--I actually caught myself knitting quickly.
Complete: The Candy Cane Scarf--I love it!



Complete: One Blazin' Orange hat for Anna.
In Progress: Her other Cinnamitten.



Complete: One Peanuts snow-themed scarf.  I had a eight inch by 2.5 yard strip left over, so I scarfed it.  Does anyone love Peanuts and/or snow?  I'd love to wash it and send it off to you.



In Progress: One itty bitty knitting project done on the bamboo markers I got from mittenswap.  I'm thinking of a very woolly Christmas ornament. . .



Found: The Holiday Knitting stamps from the USPS.  I love them!!




In My Company: My Fluffy Flowers menagerie and my electric fireplace.  Some of the critters have been wrapped up for Christmas.  All sorts of meowing coming from the gift pile now. ;-)

Oh, and I've made a little progress on the cold.  I should be much better tomorrow.

Or, "Brandy Shows Off the Sheen of a Clean Floor."

Yesterday, made giddy by the cold, I thought it would be really neat to see how many knitting projects I could cast on and have going at one time.  Let's see. . .



The Candy Cane Scarf. 
For me, because I love these yarns
and Christmas
and snow
and the rice stitch.



Orange! Hat.
For a friend who works in the woods and needs to be seen.



Cinnamittens.
From the organic cotton yarn helenkosings sent me with my mitten goodies.
For the Name-that-Plant winner, wetkneefarm.



Herringbone Lace Scarf.
My first lace knitting.
I'm having to actually pay attention.
For my mother at Christmas.
Dad, please don't tell. ;-)



Those socks.
Are they still in progress?
Yes.
Have I made any progress since the last WIP's?
No.



Finally!  Not knitting!
A blurry top-secret Work in Progress.
Details forthcoming.

Something about Fall makes me pile on every possible bit of work I can.  I'm knitting socks--what's a few extra hats and a scarf?  Napkins--sure, I'll make 46 in two weeks! 

      



These are our new Autumn hats.  Mike's is Cascade Peruvian wool and mine is a locally grown, dyed and spun candy color.  I love both of these.  I did Mike's in a k3 p1 rib and mine in crochet.  I love my new hat.  I'm usually not this girly and pink, but I loved the yarn from the moment I saw it.

      

I'm sorry the Nature Frames are blurry, but it was dark outside and I was shivering from the no campfire ordinance.  Mike and I made these with some hosts and campers at Hurricane Campground during last week's non-campfire.  We glued bits of Fall to them--seeds, leaves, acorns, oak galls, pine nuts, hemlock cones, bark and fallen lichen.  It was all stuff I found on the ground.  I loved this craft!



The napkins are for wetkneefarm.  Twenty-six, mainly red for all the tomato sauce she and Mark consume on the farm.  She's getting them on Sunday at the Clinch Coalition Naturalists' Rally.

      

Since Mike's parents are coming this weekend and I've been crafty in lots of secret Christmas ways (which I cannot share here since my dad reads my blog), I had quite a few goodies to wrap.  I've found lots of handmade and locally produced goodies to supplement my usual homemade gifts.  I will reveal that the purple wake-robin pin will be a gift for a certain mother-in-law.  :-)

The owl is the most persnickety craft--to make and photograph.  He would not come out clearly regardless of the number of photos I took!  I've been experimenting with making softies lately and the owl fabric I got at Sew What really got me inspired.  I'll just say this--he's cute, he's colorful and his name is Hedwig.  Oh yeah, and he was a real test of my patience to design. 

Whew!  I've put away the sewing machine for the first time in weeks in an effort to tidy the craft room before the in-laws come.