AfricanKelli

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My friend Madison recently decided she wanted to compete in a triathlon. Within a few hours, she’d decided to compete in the Ironkids tri, which was just three weeks away. Maddy is naturally talented in about 1,000 ways, one of which is swimming. The girl is a fish. She is also pretty awesome at running and basketball.

We talked transition details, what to expect, what to eat. I called her the night before and gave her my best Vince Lombardi speech, although I’m pretty sure it came out more like Donna Martin’s version. Regardless, the girl competed and it so fun to watch.

Some 200 kids filled Kiwanis Park in Tempe last weekend to compete. It gave me goosebumps to see so many kids dedicated to the sport and out there having a blast. The youngest kids were tea-cup tiny and I am pretty sure I spotted a few bikes with streamers. (Note to self: get Ruby streamers. And a bell.)

There were also a ridiculous number of children who are in tri clubs and competed with thousand dollar bikes and specialized gear. Maddy and I are old school. Her pink two-piece bathing suit? So much better than any fancy tri shorts. Her multicolored helmet? She not only rocked the biking, but she did so with style. The run? The girl had the cutest braids and the biggest smile.

Watch out world. Maddy is an Irongirl and I have a feeling she’s going to be conquering many more races soon!

I love my new oven.

~K

I know — another Cinderella reference, but you have to hear about my weekend. Remember that scene where the mice appear to make her glamorous just in time for the ball? I had a similar experience this weekend; I emailed a bunch of friends early last week with an offer — happy hour at my house in return for pizza, beer and a paint brush. You wouldn’t believe how many incredible worker bees showed up to pitch in.

Kitchen before:

Bibbidi Boppidi Boo! …

Adios Mexican kitchen. Howdy, Country Chic. It is a bit sterile, as Rebecca put it, but it is also clean. And with such a small space, the lighter color does make it seem larger.

Those worker bees in action:

Rebecca and Min, working the paint brushes.

Amanda, smiling at her husband on the ladder.

Ryan, the husband, who single-handedly repaired and painted my ceiling. I love that my friends share their handy hubbies. When they aren’t out keeping me company on my bike, they are spackling my house. Pretty sure I have the best friends in the world.

This photo, in particular, cracks me up. Amanda had been pressing me to get a new stove for a while. My old stove was off by several hundred degrees depending on the day. This made all of my baking difficult. She lovingly says goodbye to the old stove.

Bedroom before:

New bed from Ikea.

Two weeks and four cans of spray paint later…

Salty Senor puts together the pieces in my new soft yellow bedroom.

After three days of painting, cleaning and all things home-related, last night this new bedroom was way better than any fairy godmother magic. Plus, I think Cinderella had it all wrong. She can keep the glass slippers and the burning desire to be rescued. With Chacos on my feet, friends in my home and wine in my (new!) fridge — I’m set.

~K

It is well known in these neck of the bloggy woods that I am rather head-over-heels for all things domestic. Balancing my desires to do as much handmade as possible is often challenging both time and money-wise. While I can’t turn back the clock, I can share the few budgetary secrets I’ve discovered. Heading into another wonderful time of parties, occasions to bake, and to send baskets full of correspondence, I’m singing the praises of my favorite sources.

Sewing:

Need zippers? Check eBay. I buy lots from non-smoking homes and can typically get them for $.20 or less each — gobs better than the commercial sewing stores. Thrift stores are great for zips and other sewing notions too, if you’ve got the time to spare.

For fabric, I don’t think you can beat SewMamaSew. She’s my favorite fabric source online. I’ve been tickled pink by her customer service and I think her prices are fair for the designer stuff. How great is this?

For embroidery, same goes for Sublime Stitching. Jess set the bar high and her customer service and prices are fabulous. Let me be totally honest and say I know little to nothing about embroidery and even I can figure out Sublime’s stuff. So, if you are at all interested, they are cheap and how cute would this look on a Christmas apron?

For sewing labels, I love this Australian company. They are a bit pricey, but wowza — they are worth it for the craftsmanship. They’ll send you a 100 woven labels within a month, just in time for those stockings you’ll hang. {I admit that I love to take credit and sew an africankelli label into my goodies.}

Correspondence:

For ribbon? Big Lots. You can typically find a bin of grosgrain ribbon for $1 a spool. For holiday paper? This is my favorite, although I’m also wild about reusing whatever you’ve got handy. For paper to make cards, place mats, thank you correspondence — Paper Source is by far my favorite. They have a beautiful collection of 2008 journals too.

Baking:

Shh… don’t tell anyone, but I love the $.99 Store for baking mixes, saran wrap, Ziplock bags and a few other supplies. The canned goods are usually pretty great and their dried fruit is also much less expensive than the market. Plus, when you’ve cut your grocery budget by a third, you can afford to wrap your gift on a pretty ceramic plate for a buck too and ditch the plastic baggies all together.

Believe it or not, I am trying to buy considerably less this season and use what I have. Obviously from the list above, I’m a consumer. This year I’m making everyone gifts and baking for my staff. I’m also taking a vow of anti-consumerism and using what I’ve got on hand first. Gulp.

What are your tricks for staying on budget during the holidays?
~K

The patio clean up of 2007, BEFORE:

Several hours of elbow grease, a good broom, a dozen plants and a couple bags of mulch later, AFTER:

It may not appear that big a change, but let me tell you — I went from a dust bowl to a livable space. I am so tickled to finally be entertaining outside. I’ve had this home and hand-me-down patio set for years — but just started having friends over to enjoy this cooler weather and cleaned up environment last week. Since, I’ve served butternut squash lasagna, banana flax pancakes, chicken enchiladas and margaritas from this table with half a dozen friends leaving happy and mildly annoyed with the mosquito population. (If we had Fall and not 90-degree post-summer, there would be no mosquitoes, see.)

My dream for this patio is to install a small retention wall around the mulchy-garden area and grow veggies, all with an efficient drainage and drip system. These are December’s projects; I’m pacing myself both in budget and effort. In the meantime, the painting inside continues. I’m hoping my fairy godmother is going to show up at anytime and help. Or at least bring presents.

~K