AfricanKelli

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I’m off to Bolivia for a couple weeks. I hope to check in when possible. I promise to return with a memory card full of photos, a journal full of stories and a suitcase full of alpaca yarn. (And maybe a bag of coffee and a few cigars too.)

Be well,
K

~I bought a new pair of bike shorts Friday. Come to find out I’ve been using men’s bike shorts. I’m not sure where I got the pair I had been using, but needless to say, the girl ones? Wow. They fit so much better. And not to get too specific, but I wasn’t walking like a cowboy after my ride Saturday morning.

~Taking naps is great until you get to the day when you can’t have one. Resorting to crankiness isn’t cute once you are past, oh age 5. And apparently the “I’m sorry. I didn’t get my nap.” excuse make adults look at you like maybe you’ve escaped the short bus group home.

~This heat? It is killing me. I promise this will be my one and only heat-related rant for the summer but it was 93 degrees out when I went to run this morning at 5 am. The sun wasn’t up. It was dark and 93 degrees out. I think it is safe to say I live in hell. The YMCA pool was 86 degrees yesterday. I think I saw a rubber ducky floating by faster than my exhausted arms could muster.

~K

Dear Finny,
Hey doll! Step away from that amazing garden of yours for a moment and those pies, gnocchi and all other fabulous things you’ve been creating and guess what? I finished up my In Stitches August project. I know! Can you believe it? Early bird gets the worm/assignment off her back. And the reason that seems a bit snippy is because mother of all things holy — I don’t like making bias binding. Or those corners. I can’t tell you how difficult these things were for me to figure out on my own. And I’ve made a couple quilts and done binding before! But I have a feeling I cut the fabric the wrong direction — in fact making it not bias binding — and the corners just weren’t having it yesterday.

So, my project is far from perfect but it is completed and I love the summery fabrics. To complete the assigned theme of using the potholder to showcase some fun summer activity, I fell back to one of my favorite activities any time of the year: baking! With potholders! Who knew?

Did you have Strawberry Shortcake dolls when you were growing up? I think part of the reason I loved them was that they smelled so good. And they were the perfect size to fit on My Little Ponies, versus those long legged freak Barbies that would topple over after the first “giddyup.” Anyway, Strawberry Shortcake and her sweet-smelling friends were some of my favorite dolls. She inspired my fabric selection and my choice of baking shortbread.

For the first batch, I used this recipe. For the second batch, I spiced things up by adding a 1/2 teaspoon of cinnamon and a 1/2 teaspoon of vanilla. Those two flavors work well with shortbread and wowza, did these come out nicely. I wrapped them up with a few Martha Stewart baking goodies and delivered them yesterday to a handful of happy recipients — wearing my potholder the whole time, naturally.

There you have it! Now, off to pack. And swim. Hope you are having a wonderful week!

Love,
Donk

P.S. If you are interested in the Sweet Sedona Bundt Cake recipe from earlier this week it is super simple!

Ingredients:
One standard yellow cake mix
Two boxes of butterscotch pudding mix (I like the sugar free)
Two eggs
1 stick of softened unsalted butter (feel free to cut that in half and substitute apple sauce for an even better/healthier dessert)
1/2 teaspoon of cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon of cardamom
1/2 cup of dark chocolate chips

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350
Grease your bundt pan (I like to use the wrapper from the butter and a dash of Pam.
In a large bowl combine all your ingredients, minus the chocolate chips. Stir until it is creamy and you’ve added a fair amount of air to the batter. Transfer to bundt pan and shake the pan so the cake distributes evenly.
Cook for 20-30 minutes, checking every 10 minutes or so to see if it is cooking evenly. (You can tell I need a new oven.)
Let it cool in the pan for 5-10 minutes. Transfer to a pretty plate. Dust with additional cinnamon and cardamom to taste and add your chocolate chips. Best served warm with a steaming cup of coffee. If you can eat this on a patio in Sedona, where the colors of the cake will match the incredible beauty of the red rocks, even better!
Enjoy!

I love to shop. Browsing is a sport, and finding exactly what I want on sale? Silver medal. On clearance? Gold. Coupon/gift certificate to use toward purchase? Record setting performance.

There is something particularly lovely about Fall fashion in Arizona because by the time it cools off for tweed and boots, we are ready to dance in the streets to celebrate Mother Nature and her 80 degree weather. A rather amusing site is the number of black leather jackets there are sported by “mortgage brokers” and the sort at Scottsdale bars come mid-September; 80 degree weather never requires leather. And if that is your fashion judgment, I’ll find my own 30-year investment, thankyouverymuch.

When Fall does roll around, I’m planning on drooling at the mall and making a few select purchases at that fine French establishment you may have heard of. I am seriously focused on consuming less and using what I have. That said, I will happily be rocking a new bag, courtesy of Erin. And a new Speedo for the race. Oh, and a new helmet. Those are purchases that I can’t exactly avoid. {The new bike shorts and cute little matching top? Not buying. Wanting, but not buying.}

My one caveat to purchasing is my 10 year high school reunion, which is quickly approaching. I’m thinking new jeans and a fabulous top. Maybe even a new clutch — handmade, of course. What did you wear to your reunion? Do any of the Fall fashion trends have you looking forward to cooler temps?

~K

The heat, the kitchen, by the pool: I’ve been baking a bit this week. I’m busily preparing yet another trip away for work; I leave for Bolivia in a week and wouldn’t you guess just this weekend I looked at my planner and realized how quickly the date was approaching. I am definitely looking forward to a couple weeks away in cold weather and a couple weeks of rest after a month of considerable tri-training. In the meantime, back to the kitchen. My sewing machine, cupcake tins and a big cup of coffee are waiting for me.

Sweet Sedona bundt cake.