AfricanKelli

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Emily, a friend I love dearly, is getting married in January. She’s asked me to be her maid of honor. I couldn’t have been more honored, and of course celebrated my new title (Africankelli, MOH) by sewing up 18 wristlets for her bachelorette party.
Em is a smarty who attends MIT and lives in Boston. Her beau lives in Seattle. They are of course getting married in Mexico. And did I mention she is from Arizona? This left me geographically strapped on how to plan the MOH related festivities. I probably dropped the ball. Thankfully, one of her school friends stepped in.
I cannot attend her bachelorette party, tentatively scheduled for this weekend, so instead I did what Martha would do. I sewed. I made cards. I embroidered white undies with her new initials for her “something blue.”
The care package ended up with these included:

For the other women in the bridal party. Her colors are brown and gold. I thought I’d throw a little pink in there too.

For those “bacheloretting” this weekend.

For Em, in case she forgets the day she’ll be casada en Mexico con Senor Juan.

These were fun to put together. I’m bummed I won’t be there to celebrate her fleeting singlehood, but I know she’ll forgive me. Or better yet, won’t remember that I wasn’t in attendance.

Hasta Lunes,
Kellita

Want to hear the best news ever? Rex started round 4 of chemo today only to have his oncologist tell him the tumor has disappeared! The cancer is gone! WOO HOOO! No word on if he’ll have to continue chemo or radiation. We are simply celebrating this great news.
Thank you to everyone who prayed for him. It’s working!
As for the race, the Tempe Y is behind “Team Rex.” The race is Saturday, November 18th. I’ll post more info as they decide on the details. If you are in the Phoenix area, please attend. You’ll get to meet this wonderful, cancer-free man in person.

Cheers,
Kelli

I’ve kicked up my triathalon training a bit in the last two weeks and guess what? Today I cannot walk without limping. Yesterday I biked 25 miles and then went for a swim. When I got back on my bike after the swim I had shooting pains in that little muscle on the inside of your knee. You know, the one you’ve never noticed until it felt like a hot poker on your skin? Yeah, that one.
Like the true genius that I am, how did I treat such a woe? I rode home, had some breakfast, took a shower and sewed for about 6 hours. Once my leg was swollen and really pissed off, I decided to take an Aleve. And then some ice. This morning I seemed fine and even managed to get in a cool 4 mile run before my leg started threatening to detach itself from my body and hit me over the head.
Something (namely that stupid muscle) is telling me to take a break. Guess what? I am! I’m off to Mexico for vacation later this week and am going to aleve these woes with my friend Jose and the magical world of quesadillas and sopapillas. I even found me some darn cute new jeans this weekend (before said injury) at the Gap of all places.

Gap, I officially apologize. You do, in fact, have some cute, non-skinny leg choices. And you let me use a $10 coupon. So these wide-leg babies cost just $25. Love that. And I love that they are wider-legged than I’ve ever worn. I couldn’t be fighting these 80 trends with any more force if I were trying.

What else did I do this weekend? Why bake, dahling. Of course. It is my new past time. Any correlation to the bigger sized jeans purchased this weekend? Of course not. It must be from all that training and the muscle I’m gaining. Right?

More pumpkin polenta loaves. These are just so good. I’ve got everyone (grandparents, coworkers, guys at the gym, guys at the bagel shop) hooked. One catch — if you add extra pumpkin, the edges will burn and the centers will be a bit mushy. Just stick to the normal recipe.

Good news — there is a solution for burned edges and mushy centers. Leave the cupcakes in the pan until they are totally cool to the touch. This lets them cook a bit longer while in the heat of the pan without burning any more. Then, pull out your magic grater and get rid of that black.

Scratch, scratch scratch and voila — less burnt cupcakes. These were inhaled at my staff meeting today.

Off to ice my leg,
K

I needed some Fall. I needed Flagstaff. Located three hours north of Phoenix, Flagstaff sits at nearly 8,000 feet and is home to a community of earthy, happy people who I wish I still lived among. The weather is remarkably cooler. The food is fresh. The people are friendly. The air smells of pine and aspen. One day I hope to have a home in northern Arizona. For now, photos of a day of celebrating the changing seasons.

~K

Am I the only one out there that think YSL, Louis Vuitton, Donna Karan, Calvin Klein, Ana Sui — and Anna Wintour for that matter — have all lost their minds?
Since when did the skinny jean, the bubble skirt, the dreaded legging, the slouch boot and the shift dress become current fashion? Perhaps I’m a touch too conservative, but the fashion of today’s runway makes me want to:
A. Feed the models. The skinniness is out of control. Pretty soon they’ll be crawling down the aisle with IV tubes, and
B. Cover them! I don’t want to see nipple, rib cage or belly button. What do they do with those clothes once the fashion shows are complete? Do they sew them all together and have one solid outfit any normal woman could wear? And with that, I realize that yes, I am a wee bit conservative.
My fashion icon remains Jackie O — a woman who could wear pearls with a bathing suit (one piece, of course) and make beachgoers rush off for their Mikimotos. I think some of today’s most beautiful women are Salma Hayek, Sheryl Crow, Reese Witherspoon and my mom. If I were to pick a current day fashion model, it would certainly be Reese. She’s conservative, but you know she has fun. She’s never photographed with her skirt tucked into her stockings or without both diamond studs firmly fastened, for that matter. (And occasionally a handbag from Target, which just makes me love her. She’s down to earth and a priss. My kind of lady.) She has certainly never been photographed coming out of the Ivy at 2 am with her nail polish chipped. Perhaps other starlets should pay attention to her good behavior. Be a serious actress, dress well, get Oscar. Be a tart, dress like a fool, lose roles. Simple math, non?
If I were going on a shopping spree today for some new duds I’d more than likely be at Ann Taylor and Nordies, or even more likely yet — the craft store. I’m going to be sewing my own skirts this season. I’m determined.
Gap has become home of the over-priced T-shirt that is way too short. (Funny, once you are out of college, that whole show your mid-drift thing doesn’t fly.) Old Navy is home of the well-priced crap T-shirt that falls apart in the first wash. Banana remains, of course, the snotty older sister, who’s a bit too pleat-y and serious for me this season. Arizona isn’t a fashion forward kind of place and we rarely need tweed, fur or wool anything. I need something practical, affordable and cute. Too much to ask?
I think the only Fall fashion trend I may briefly consider is a new handbag (dreaming a bit here), some fancy new boots (must replace those which were thrown out last year) and dark nail polish.
Otherwise, I’ll happily feel like an Ugly Betty this season and opt for my skirts, wrap dresses and kitten heels. We’ll laugh about leggings over tea. Are there any fashion trends you are following? What are you wearing this season?

~K