AfricanKelli

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A knit cap for a certain Steelers fan I am friends with. My recent knitting binge has been fueled by my discovery of Damages. Have you heard of this show? Glenn Close has never been better. I absolutely loved season one and two. It is so smart, sneaky and well done. It is also great background noise when you are busting through a spreadsheet of handmade gifts you intend to create.

Blessing for day 8: Netflix. I’ve learned so much this year from the variety of shows I’ve been able to see. I truly love this service.

~K

I’m not a huge fan of decorating. I like tiny white lights, a simple tree, my African nativity scene and little else. However, with the new garden gate Matty made and painted earlier this year, I couldn’t help but hang a stocking to celebrate the season too.

Blessing for day 7: winter weather in Arizona that means wearing a jean jacket is more than enough.

~K

I made this knit stripped beanie as a birthday gift for my friend Mike.

Tuck and I have been friends for years; I truly adore him and his wife. English has so many gaps. There should be a word to describe the type of friendship that requires no maintenance other than the ocassional check up when possible. A guilt-free friendship that thrives on its own accord, unconditional love understood.

Considering there isn’t a word for this, I’ll call it an aloe vera friendship. Aloe grows in the desert with little fuss. Thankfully our actually friendship is far less prickly.

Blessing for day 6: friendships that span decades, nations, marriages and so many other hurdles to show their strength.

~K

Taggie blankets are so simple and appreciated. At lunch this weekend with some friends, I noticed a table of doting grandparents hosting their infant grandchildren. They each had a minky-backed tag blanket.

These were sewn for expecting mothers I work with. I love the burst of color and the softness of the minky. Here is a simple tutorial.

~K

One of the easiest ways I cut through the holiday hype is by using what I have to celebrate. I love Target. In almost every way possible, I adore that store. And while I’ve wandered the aisles of glitter bird ornaments, the trimmed trees, the polar bears on ice skates decals, I don’t want any part of it. It’s my inner prairie woman — my Laura Ingalls Wilder — that instead screams, “NOT THE POINT. KEEP IT SIMPLE!”

So, today’s Advent celebration is one cheering simplicity, frugality and environmental consciousness. Gifts wrapped in paper bags with a big of ribbon is one of the ways I’m keeping things minimal this year. I’ve got a few other wrapping ideas using left-over string and fabric that will posted later too.

What are your creative, low-key wrapping ideas?

~K

A scarf inspired by one of my favorite artists, Mark Rothko.

Yarns include angora, Noro from Japan and a wool blend. It is soft and incredibly warm.

~K

Edward Hays, A Pilgrim’s Almanac, p. 196:

“Take time to be aware that in the very midst of our busy preparations for the celebration of Christ’s birth in ancient Bethlehem, Christ is reborn in the Bethlehems of our homes and daily lives. Take time, slow down, be still, be awake to the Divine Mystery that looks so common and so ordinary yet is wondrously present.

“An old abbot was fond of saying, ‘The devil is always the most active on the highest feast days.’

“The supreme trick of Old Scratch is to have us so busy decorating, preparing food, practicing music and cleaning in preparation for the feast of Christmas that we actually miss the coming of Christ. Hurt feelings, anger, impatience, injured egos—the list of clouds that busyness creates to blind us to the birth can be long, but it is familiar to us all.”

I am so very guilty of this. I spent far too much time racing around, trying to make sure everything is “perfect” and not enjoying the moment at hand. Instead, this advent season, I hope to spend more time in the garden, staring at the flowers, feeling my heart beat and the wind whistle in the pine trees above.

This morning we lit the first candle in the advent wreath. The first project for #adventafrica is a crayon roll. I saw this tutorial and counted the number of little ones on my Christmas list who love to color. (Or who have mommies who could easily place this in a purse as a portable battery-free distraction for waiting rooms, restaurants, airplanes.)

These were very simple to sew and fun to fill. They will be handed out by the dozen come Christmas.

On the first day of advent my auntie Kelli gave to me… a crayon roll for creativity.

~K

Advent begins Sunday; I’m honoring the holy time before Christmas by sharing a project each day. Some will be crafty, for others you’ll need a spatula, notepad or just a sense of humor. I’ll also be sharing holiday family traditions and wise words that lift my spirits this time of year.

Unfortunately, the holidays often make me blue. My expectations don’t come near reality. Instead of falling into the season depression trap yet again, this project is geared toward reminding me of all that I have to be thankful for — including my faith, the Christmas season and friends and family to spoil in celebration.

(Plus! My goodness. I’m spending Christmas in Santa Fe with my family and the New Year in Malawi with Matty! Giddy, oh sweet giddy, up.)

This baby hat, for example, was completed on Sarah’s recent visit. It was given to a new baby boy expected to arrive in January. Liam will be the first child of my dear friends Mike and Sam. I cannot wait to meet him and to squish his baby toes and smell his little baby noggin. A quick cotton knit cap is one of the simplest knitting projects for a baby and yet the practicality and tenderness of this gift always produces plenty of “ooooohs.”  Look for the pattern later during African Advent.*

I would love to hear your traditions, recipes, handicrafts and way of celebrating advent, Christmas, another faith or simply the season.

Mingi karama,

~K

*If you are on twitter, look for the label #africanadvent.

Like a bird.

The cinnamon rolls, pre-icing. I didn’t have a chance to eat one, but the reviews were good and they made my home smell like Christmas.

And pumpkin pie! I don’t like pie. So I didn’t eat any of this either. But hot damn, I was so impressed with my pie making skills. It was so pretty and my family loved it. Never mind my friend Andrew came over to help bake and we had to go back to the store twice for ingredients I missed. Oy to the vey.

What I did eat: all the turkey, sweet potatoes, mashed potatoes, green chile corn casserole and cranberry relish in southern Arizona. Yum.

And then I ate the Scottdale region’s portion this morning at my desk for leftovers. (Yes, you can use your best Nancy Drew skills to deduce that I am not doing so great on that 30 pound weight loss.  Although I did hire a trainer who I’m pretty sure learned her techniques from the gestapo. And now that I’m through Carbfest 2010, I’ve got a company Christmas party and a trip to Africa to think of, I imagine I’ll refocus. )*

Now, on to Christmas decorating and planning/plotting/scheming! Yahoooo!

~K

*If you can’t find me, I’m on the elliptical. Dreaming of bagels.