AfricanKelli

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My mom finished her wall quilt. Check out the deer and bear! She is always impressing me with her sewing skills. Her patience for crafting is infinite. It is now happily displayed in their home in San Antonio, but I think it would look perfect in a snow-covered cabin high in the rockies.

The sky is still my favorite part. Beautiful!

April has come and gone in a whirl of activity. My work has consumed me this month. When I haven’t been behind the computer at my desk, I’ve been editing my book on the home laptop. The good days had a bit of domesticity here and there. It’s been a stressful month and I’m ready to be more balanced.

I’m happily looking forward to May. I’ll be hearing this woman speak at a nutrition conference, traveling to San Francisco and checking in with one of my favorite friends and making my annual voyage to Nicaragua — preferably pronounced with a Barney** accent.

May will bring heat to Phoenix and fewer flowers to my garden. My skin will turn a darker olive, my hair will get lighter from long runs in the morning sun. It will bring ample time to celebrate, including birthdays, graduations and weddings. It is the unofficial start to summer.
And of course, one of my favorite days of the year: Cinco de mayo! Bienvenidos mayo. Vamos a tomar una margarita en celebracion a su venida!

~Kellita Guadalupe

* In no way is this a reference to my least favorite condiment.

** Have you read Barney’s blog? A girlfriend mentioned it to me the other day. My God it is hilarious.

So, I lied. I couldn’t take a break from baking, like I promised. I suppose grinding it out in my kitchen is just part of who I am these days. I truly take delight in going through my cookbooks and shelves and whipping up sweets that are different and pungent and spicy.
Plus, I love the way baking makes my little house smell like a home. There are times I catch a whiff of chocolate cake rising in the oven and I’m transported back to my childhood home, my mom pushing her children out of the small kitchen and back to the small yard.

Pumpkin Peanut Butter Cookies

(If you like either of these, you’ll love them together. The salty sweetness is perfect with a glass of milk. Or a shot of Jose. Your choice.)

Ingredients:
• 1 1/4 cups flour, sift or stir before measuring
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2 cup shortening
• 1/2 cup peanut butter
• 1/2 cup granulated sugar
• 1/2 cup light brown sugar, packed
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla
• 1 egg
• ½ cup canned pumpkin
• ½ teaspoon nutmeg
• ½ teaspoon cinnamon

Directions:
Sift together flour, salt, and baking powder; set aside. Cream shortening, peanut butter, and sugars; beat in vanilla and egg. Stir in flour mixture, blending well. Add pumpkin, nutmeg and cinnamon last. Shape mixture into 3/4-inch balls; place on greased baking sheets.
Flatten each cookie with the tines of a fork; dip fork in flour periodically to keep it from sticking to the peanut butter cookie dough.
Bake peanut butter cookies at 375° for about 10 to 12 minutes. These will be cake-like in consistency. Be patient while they are baking! They are worth the wait.

I made these violet capelets for April birthday gifts. The pattern is exceptionally easy and they knit up in no time. I like using the JoAnn’s brand wool because it is soft, stretchy and affordable.

Let’s Add it Up, shall we?

One cute shrug
Two skeins of chunky yarn
Three glasses of wine while knitting
Four stitch markers
Five-finger discount, when your friends try to steal this out of your closet.

~K

In the last six months my parents have moved to Texas and my brother has moved to Denver. I am suddenly the last member of our very close family living in the desert. I don’t like it. Not one bit.
I’d love to play tough and tell you that this mid-20 something gal doesn’t need her mommy nearby occasionally, but that would be bunk. My mom is one of my best friends, and while we definitely drive each other crazy at times, I really do miss her presence. Same goes for my Papi, who was my swimming buddy. Mostly, I miss our Sunday night family routine of bbq, eating on the patio and watching TV or playing a board game together. On a good week, my brother would be home from college and the Trivial Pursuit would take on a new competitive edge.

But as of yesterday, my lone sibling packed his mini-van to the gills and gleefully hit the highway headed toward the Rockies.

Perhaps a touch too gleeful for my liking.

And yet, I don’t think anyone had the heart to tell him that the Rocky Mountain High they sing about perhaps isn’t the one he was hoping for.

I’ll miss you Cody. Do great things in Denver and know I’m rooting for you.
~K