Comments (7)

By bethany (dreadlock girl), December 24, 2009 14:10

There are so many things about Christmas that are fabulous, with spending time with the family, and eating good food at the top. However Christmas can be a very wasteful holiday- if we aren’t keeping an eye out that is. What to do about that? I’ve got a book for you! I’m Dreaming of A Green Christmas has some very practical solutions to go and green up your Christmas. I’m Dreaming of A Green Christmas includes solutions for green holiday home decor, how to save energy, delightful new recipes, homemade craft ideas (to keep or to gift), pretty green wrapping options, and all the info you need to enable your own family to celebrate  a green Christmas in style not giving up any of the glam (unless you really do still like tinsel).

Green looks better, local/organic tastes better so it is all around the best choice. If you are a green fanatic already, or just need the ideas and tips to get you there,  I’m Dreaming of a Green Christmas is your book! There are so many ideas  that would work perfect year-round as well.

I love the VS. sections in this book, one of them being The Party Line On Cloth vs. Paper Napkins, you shouldn’t have to think to hard to know that it would be greener to launder your napkins rather than throw them away. I really don’t like cloth napkins, or I haven’t in the past. I just didn’t feel like they got my hands really wiped off at all. However it was because the napkin fabric used was more for decoration rather than to clean your hands. A stout cotton fabric would do the trick for sure. I am on a mission now to make myself some good napkins that we could use, maybe even with personalised embroidery for each family member (Lets see how ambitious I am feeling when I actually get to making them though!). I’ll get back to you on that.

There is a recipe in I’m Dreaming of A Green Christmas that I just HAVE to share. I’ll leave you with it:

Chai Hot Cocoa With Whipped Cream

For the Chai Hot Cocoa:
3 Cups Milk
1 Cup water
3 Tablespoons Cocoa Powder
2 Tablespoons Sugar (optional, sugar to taste)
2 Cinnamon Sticks
5 Cardamom Pods
1/2 teaspoon Ground Ginger
Pinch Cayenne Pepper
Pinch Ground Cloves
2 teaspoons Pure Vanilla Extract
4 Ounces of Bittersweet Chocolate

For The Whipped Cream:
2 Cups Heavy Cream
2 Tablespoons Sugar
1+1/2 teaspoons Pure Vanilla Extract

To Make The Chai Hot Cocoa:
1. Combine the milk, water, cocoa powder, sugar (if using), cinnamon sticks, cardamom pods, ginger, cayenne, cloves, and vanilla in a large saucepan. Heat over medium heat until scalding. Remove from heat and let steep for 10 minutes, then strain into a bowl or pitcher.

2. Transfer the milk back to the sauce-pan and heat over medium-high heat to scalding. Add the chocolate and stir for 5 minutes, just until chocolate is melted.

3. Strain again and pour into 4 mugs. Top with a dollop of whipped cream.

To Make the Whipped Cream:
1. Place a mixing bowl and the beaters of an electric mixer in the refrigerator or freezer for at least 15 minutes.

2. Pour the cream, sugar, vanilla and salt into the chilled bowl and whip on high speed until soft peaks form.

I’m Dreaming of a Green Christmas Book Deets:
Title: I’m Dreaming of a Green Christmas
ISBN:9780811867672
Subtitle:Gifts, Decorations, and Recipes That Use Less and Mean More
Author: Anna Getty
Photographer: Ron Hamad
Publisher:Chronicle Books
Subjects: Seasonal
Entertaining – General
Holiday – Christmas/Hanukkah
Handicraft
Pages: 180
Publication Date: September 2009

I am an affiliate of  TOMS SHOES and Powell’s Books and I do receive a percentage of the sales of any item you buy using my links. Thank you!

Comments (5)

By bethany (dreadlock girl), December 7, 2009 16:59

As Christians, Christmas should be a huge celebration.  Not in the commercial way of buying as many presents as we can for as many as we can…but in meaningful celebrations with our families, in our hearts and really it should be infectious. I love this season, I start listening to Christmas music in early November- and most of the time I can’t quit until late January. It is a time meant for families to gather around and share of the most amazing miracle of all time: when God come to earth in the form of a baby- a human. God stripped Himself of all his power to be like us, thus tipping the scale in our favour. Without this amazing birth, we would still be lost, still offering the sacrifices of animals that could never cover our sins.

The meaning of Jesse Tree is from the verses in the bible in 1 Samuel 16:1-13 and then Isaiah 11:1-10. The following section of the verse speaks of the Christ coming to the world by way of Jesse, and his descendants- thus the “Tree of Jesse”.

¹ There shall come forth a Rod from the stem of Jesse,
And a Branch shall grow out of his roots.
² The Spirit of the LORD shall rest upon Him,
The Spirit of wisdom and understanding,
The Spirit of counsel and might,
The Spirit of knowledge and of the fear of the LORD.
³ His delight is in the fear of the LORD,
And He shall not judge by the sight of His eyes,
Nor decide by the hearing of His ears;
⁴ But with righteousness He shall judge the poor,
And decide with equity for the meek of the earth;
He shall strike the earth with the rod of His mouth,
And with the breath of His lips He shall slay the wicked.
⁵ Righteousness shall be the belt of His loins,
And faithfulness the belt of His waist.

¹⁰ “ And in that day there shall be a Root of Jesse,
Who shall stand as a banner to the people;
For the Gentiles shall seek Him,
And His resting place shall be glorious.” -Isaiah 11:1-5 +10

The Jesse Tree is intended to guide you through the 29 days that lead up to Christmas as a journey  towards a deeper understanding of all that took place leading up to the birth of Christ through the Old Testament and then into the beginning of the New Testament. Each evening before bed we do the scripture reading for that day and then the boys take turns getting to hang the specified ornament on the tree. They beg for it to be “time for the Jesse Tree” and love it when it is their turn to hang the ornament. We did it last year for the first time and I learned so much. It deepens my faith in Christ each time.  Going through the scripture of all the ancestors that lead up to Christ and seeing all the prophesies fulfilled to the letter really build our faith. We look forward to doing it every year as a tradition of the true meaning of Christmas with our family.

Table of Scripture Readings and Ornaments for The Jesse Tree

As I finish up the ornaments, I will make each ornament ‘clickable’ and linked to my picture of it. That way, you can get an idea of what to make for your Jesse Tree Advent Celebration.

(I grabbed this table from  The Voice )

What Christmas traditions are you doing with your family? Did your family do any with you when you were young that you are continuing?

Comments (20)

By bethany (dreadlock girl), November 24, 2009 22:20

I just finished making my first Reading Pillow from a Sew Liberated pattern. It is actually my first time to be faithful to a pattern completely, yes I am just not ‘that kind of girl’. However, this first try at actually knowing what it would look like before making it, and sewing it easily not having to take it out and rip seams a million times made me a believer in patterns.

I made this out of some Amy Butler fabric that my sister-in-law bought for the centerpiece tablecloths at her wedding. When I thought of what fabric I could buy this fabric kept coming to my mind and since I am giving them to her mom, my mom and her for Christmas I decided this material would be perfect. I hope that you can be sure and not tell them!! SHHHHH!

I think it turned out pretty good for my first time following a pattern. I wish that I could give you all the deets in this post, but that just wouldn’t be right since Sew Liberated is selling the patterns, I bought mine off of her website, it was $11.95 but well worth the accuracy of following someones measurements who had done it before! Can I hear an ‘Amen, Sista!’? If only you knew.

At first I thought about doing a solid on the back, but then I thought, ‘well, but then it could serve a double purpose when not in use!’ and I am so glad that thought crossed my mind. Now when it isn’t being used to read, it can be used to adorn a couch or a bed- but never fear it will be fully stocked with glasses and pencils on the other side! Nifty yeah?

What is the first pattern you ever followed when sewing? Did it turn out?

Enjoy a Homemade Christmas with your family too! Get started now.

This is a gift idea that I have shared for my  Christmas a la Homemade (a handmade Christmas). I will be posting these up until Christmas to give you ideas for gifts you can make for your friends and family.

Previous Ideas from my Christmas a la Homemade (A Handmade Christmas):
Rosemary Sea Salt Recipe
Bath Salts Soak Recipe
Knit Granny Washcloth (or Dishcloth) Pattern
Make a Reading Pillow for the Bookaholic(s) in Your Life

Comments (6)

By bethany (dreadlock girl), November 18, 2009 00:01

My grandma, taught me to make these several times when I was growing up. She is gone now, and I forgot how to make them. But now that I have re-taught myself to knit I really wanted to figure these out again. I did!  It is exactly the pattern she taught me, at least it turns out the same. There are probably several ways to do this.

I use Cotton Ease Lion Brand yarn, a medium 4 which is 50% Cotton, 50% Acrylic. I don’t think it matters what you use as long as it is cotton. I think I have busted out 5 of these so far, they feel so nice on the skin as a washcloth. And I knit different ones for the dishes as well, that way I can just throw them in the wash.

Granny Dishcloth/Washcloth Knitting Pattern:

*CO 4

*K2, YO1, K remainder of stitches (the YO will add one stitch each row)
repeat for every row until you have 44 stitches on your needle.

*K1, Ktog, YO1, Ktog, knit remainder of row
repeat until you are down to 4 stitches on your needle, then cast off.

enjoy your bath! (or washing your dishes in style)

Knitting Terms:
CO: Cast On
K: Knit (along with number of stitches)
YO: Yarn Over
Ktog: Knit Together

This pattern was first posted on my blog on January 10th 2009. Since last year I have made so many of these, and I love making them because they are brainless, which I can do while I listen to an audiobook or watch a movie.  I personally love the one that I kept more than any of my store bought ones. It is really good at getting all the grime off and I love how it exfoliates my skin without being abrasive. I have promised to knit myself some more and put them in MY stocking this year!! I highly recommend knitting some of these and if none of your family wants then, really then you will have lucked out!

Enjoy a Homemade Christmas with your family too! Get started now.

This is a gift idea that I have shared for my  Christmas a la Homemade (a handmade Christmas). I will be posting these up until Christmas to give you ideas for gifts you can make for your friends and family.

Previous Ideas from my Christmas a la Homemade (A Handmade Christmas):
Rosemary Sea Salt Recipe
Bath Salts Soak Recipe
Knit Granny Washcloth (or Dishcloth) Pattern
Make a Reading Pillow for the Bookaholic(s) in Your Life

I am a Powell’s affiliate and I do receive a percentage of the sales of any book you buy using my links. Thank you!

Comments (8)

By bethany (dreadlock girl), November 9, 2009 12:43

Spring Scents Bath Salts
3 Cup Epsom Salt
1 Cup Course Sea Salt
1/2 Cup Baking Soda
2 Tbs. Liquid Glycerin
12 drops lavender essential oil
6 drops Ylang Ylang essential oil
Food Colouring Red and Blue (optional)

Use more or less essential oil depending on how strong you want your bath to be scented. Combine ingredients. I never use a particular order, just be sure to combine them completely so that you have a uniform mixture of relaxation and calm. I poured the salts into pint sized jars and added a lavender flower to the front of each just for pretties sake. The lavender and Ylang Ylang really settle a body down, bringing calm and peace. For an extra charged bath grab your Bible and some worship music to blast you into perfection.

Citrus Blooms Bath Salts
4 Cups Epsom Salts
2 Cups Sea Salt
3 Cups Baking Soda
2 Tbs. Liquid Glycerin
10 drops Lemon essential oil
10 drops Sweet Orange oil
10 drops Ylang Ylang oil
Food Colouring (optional)

Combine ingredients in a big bowl. I realized when I was dumping some of this into the bath, that yellow is not a great choice for bath salts, so I would recommend making this a different colour, or leaving it white. It is up to you. This is perfect for that soothing bath after a long day, read the Bible, listen to some tunes and restore all that faith goodness back into you. Great for relaxation and refreshing of the body too! Just as above I poured the salts into pint size Ball jars for gifts this Christmas. I also left half of the mix without colour and alternated to make a striped pattern.

This is the second recipe I have shared out of our Christmas a la Homemade (a handmade Christmas). I will be posting these up until Christmas to give you ideas for gifts you can make for your friends and family.

Enjoy a Homemade Christmas with your family too! Get started now.

This is a gift idea that I have shared for my  Christmas a la Homemade (a handmade Christmas). I will be posting these up until Christmas to give you ideas for gifts you can make for your friends and family.

Previous Ideas from my Christmas a la Homemade (A Handmade Christmas):
Rosemary Sea Salt Recipe
Bath Salts Soak Recipe
Knit Granny Washcloth (or Dishcloth) Pattern
Make a Reading Pillow for the Bookaholic(s) in Your Life

Comments (14)

By bethany (dreadlock girl), November 5, 2009 00:17

I checked for recipes for Rosemary Sea Salt all over since I wanted to make some of my own. I really couldn’t find much, I did find one by Martha Stewart, and another one that had ground up the rosemary in the sea salt, but that wasn’t what I was looking for. So, I did like I usually do, I just read the stuff and do it on my own. I hope you’ll do the same!

Rosemary Sea Salt Recipe:

*48 oz. of Sea Salt
*6 decent branches of fresh Rosemary (depending on your love or Rosemary)

That’s it for ingredients. Yeah, you did read that right…nada mas, nothing more.

Squeeze the Rosemary and pull your fingers down the branch, in order to pull off all the rosemary leaves. Repeat on all but 2 branches (those are for the rosemary garnish at the end). Dump all the sea salt into a pan or pot and then add the rosemary. Turn heat on to medium heat and keep watch, stirring for 8-10 minutes. Remove from heat, dump contents into a large bowl. Let sit to cool, without a cover for 10 minutes.

After 10 minutes, then pour into an air tight container (I used a large Ball Jar)  and let sit with the lid sealed for 24 hours. Then the Rosemary Sea Salt is ready for its pretty little containers. Use a colander with a large bowl underneath, dump the contents into the colander and shake so as to sift the salt out the bottom and keep the rosemary to discard (it is completely used up and dried at this point, however you can keep it in if you would like). Put sifted Rosemary Sea Salt into containers and slide sprigs of fresh rosemary down the sides, 2 or 4 would be great. Screw on an air tight lid and you are done.

Rosemary Sea Salt is great anywhere you’d use regular salt, meats, soups, stews, whatever.  My personal favourite is to sprinkle it on top of a sunny side up egg. Oh, my tummy grumbles.

Give yourself a good pat on the back, your peeps will love getting these gifts from you for Christmas! They look completely wintery anyway, it looks like snow and pine. Doesn’t it? A great gift for anyone who likes to cook or likes to eat….I don’t think that leaves anyone out, at least not in my family.

Enjoy a Homemade Christmas with your family too! Get started now.

This is the third gift idea that I have shared for my  Christmas a la Homemade (a handmade Christmas). I will be posting these up until Christmas to give you ideas for gifts you can make for your friends and family.

Previous Ideas from my Christmas a la Homemade (A Handmade Christmas):
Rosemary Sea Salt Recipe
Bath Salts Soak Recipe
Knit Granny Washcloth (or Dishcloth) Pattern
Make a Reading Pillow for the Bookaholic(s) in Your Life

Comments (20)

By bethany (dreadlock girl), November 2, 2009 23:51

Over the next couple of months I am going to highlight some homemade gifts that I am putting together for people this Christmas season. We have decided to go for an exclusively homemade Christmas this year and I am thrilled to show you what I have come up with. I will be making these items below over the next couple of months, and will share the process with you so you can make it too! It is fun to be able to be crafty together, isn’t it?? Also, I would love some more ideas, things that you have made for people, or things you wished you could have made for them because it was such a great idea.

Here is what I have come up with so far:

*Granny Stitch Dish/Washcloths
*Sweater Hats (from Handmade Home)
*Rosemary Sea Salt
*Natural Goat’s Milk Soap
*Fiber Garland (from Handmade Home)
*Dried Spices from our Garden (Rosemary, Lavender and Sage)
*Lavender Rice Hot/Cold Compress
*Pocket Tissue Case (from Patchwork Style)
*Linen Embroidered Handkerchief (from Linen, Wool, Cotton)
*Quilted Pot Holders or “Millie’s Hot Pad (from Handmade Home)
*Silky Eye Pillow (from Handmade Home)

Did I miss something? I am sure I did, if you have something to share that you love that either you made or was made for you, go for it.