Our Greener Christmas

My dreams of a green Christmas came true!

So I had to share some of the delightful gifts I received from the Betty Lou's in my life (my mom and mother-in-law) this morning.

Above, you can see my mom (aka Betty Lou) made a corkboard out of wine bottle corks she saved throughout the year. This corkboard can be used for posting notes, pictures, artwork, or even used a giant hotpad. The funny part: I made her the same thing! Us Bettys think alike.

You also see that my mother-in-law sewed crazy-cool crayon packs for my two boys and the 30+ other grandkids! The crayons may not be soy-based, but aren't they beautiful?! They'll be perfect for taking on trips and to restaurants. Mom friends, beware. Craft project.

My mom also gave our family a set of reusable organic cotton napkins and ironed on all our names! So cute. Second-hand shoppers, step off. I'm going to be collecting napkins all year long for this great idea next year.

Most of you know this Christmas was especially challenging for me with my no-new-purchase buying pledge. So here's the scoop. I caved slightly, but managed with less than a handful of purchases which included a microphone for my musical son and Star Wars lego pack for hours and hours of fun building space ships.

Overall, I feel this Christmas was a grand success on many levels.

1. No electronics or batteries were given or received!
2. The kids made their gifts
3. We used things from around the house for wrapping and for giving (old picture frames from the attic for example)
4. I saved tons of paper by foregoing Christmas cards this year (Sorry everyone!)
5. It was a measured, mindful Christmas, rather than consumptive and overdone.
6. We recycled nearly all the packaging/paper wrapping for a virtual zero-waste affair!

I'm ready to turn our VA farm tree into mulch and get on with a brand new year!! Are you?

Best,
BWB

[Personal note on wine: I don't have it in me to eliminate this yummy, beautiful, nuanced, art in a bottle called wine, so make mine Virginia wine or I buy organic, "eco-frinedly" varieties, though I am skeptical as to how they get that classification. And as for the cork, the staff at Marketstreet Wineshop espoused the use of cork as opposed to rubber and twist caps, siting cork as a renewable resource.]

p.s. (Betty had to leave the kitchen temporarily as she attended to family duties that required immediate attention so blogs have and will be sporadic :-))

On the Fourth Day... an easy, earthy craft for the birds

Instead of a plateful of refined sugar cookies this year, think beyond the belly (do we really need another sweet temptation this season?) in favor of a plateful of decorative and tastey bird treats.

Easy Ornament for your outside tree (prep time: 15-25 minutes):

1. Take a piece of Mission Home sandwhich bread (or other local variety) and using cookie cutters, cut it in the shape of a tree or a snowflake or snowman.

2. Paint one side with egg white (or a thin layer of peanut butter).

3. Sprinkle bird seed, sunflower seeds, cloves (even tri-colored corn - found in the Whole Foods bulk bin) in a random or symmetrical design.

4. Let dry overnight

5. Poke a small hole through the center and string a ribbon to hang.

6. Hang on your favorite backyard tree for the whole family to bird-watch!

Easy Hanging bird feeder (prep time: 30-40 minutes)

1. Cut one side of a medium or large cardboard milk carton 2/3 of the way down.

2. Decorate the outside by gluing comic strip newspaperlippings cor colorful paper scraps or old wrapping paper.

3. Paint hodge-podge on it to give it that shiny, finished look.

4. Fill the bottom with one rock (for a weight) and sunflower seeds from the local shop Wildbirds Unlimited. Poke a stick through the sides for easy perching.

Voila! Fun for the fowl as well as family.

Best,
BWB