AfricanKelli

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One of my childhood girlfriends celebrated her wedding this weekend. She and her husband eloped in Hawaii and then had a reception here. They’ll have another reception in a couple months in Chicago, where they now live.
They asked if I’d help bake for the event. Amanda and I took the project by the horns and produced 150 homemade mini-cakes for the event. She went so far as to find Hawaiian-themed chocolate molds and make her own candy. (I’d be lying if I said I didn’t swoop in and steal a couple of those, leaving the cupcakes behind with a swipe of frosting missing. Classy gal, I know. Blame the open bar.)

Mine were either lemon or coconut and of the dozens provided, there were few left at the end of the afternoon. Mission accomplished. Even better was having the entire gang in town for the weekend. It has been so nice to have everyone together. Last night over pizza (and water — I do have some self-restraint), we pulled out a box of photos from junior high and high school. We laughed so hard my stomach hurts this morning. I learned a few things:
1. I cannot believe I ever wore that much makeup. White eye shadow should be banned. (1994-1997)
2. My Monica Lewinski Halloween costume is still my favorite of all time. (1998)
3. We dated a lot of boys with bad haircuts.
4. I am so blessed to have these girlfriends. We’ve stuck with each other through thick and thin (literally).

May we all be blessed with such genuine friendship.
~K

I made a couple more loaves of no-knead bread this weekend to take to Easter dinners. There is something about the smell of bread baking (especially these loaves; I added rosemary and parmesan cheese) that makes me ravenous. I wanted to pull them out of the oven, pour myself a big glass of milk, and eat the whole thing. Thankfully, I did not.

Instead, I sewed. I have a bunch of CAOK gifts I’m behind schedule in sending. Two African fabric jewelry wraps are being mailed out today. Thankfully Stephanie is helping me sort out the tunic mess. Fingers crossed that project will be back on track by the end of the week.

Also, I hope to be back on track soon too. I’m going through a rough patch professionally that has me uncharacteristically blue, cranky and anxious. Ultimately, I need to find a new job and I may not be able to go back to Africa this summer as I’d planned. I am not just bummed out, I’m heartbroken. I can’t discuss the details, but I am so thankful for my faith. I know that from challenge comes greatness. I’m just not sure what that is quite yet and in the in between uncertainty is eating my happiness for breakfast.

Thanks for your well wishes.

~K

Happy Easter friends!

~K

Dear Fin,
Oy vey, oy vey, oy! What a ridiculous week of disasters it has been. First off, remember that nudu hat? The gray one that the minister in Chicago ordered and I finished lickity split? Well, I didn’t sent it with delivery confirmation because I’ve never had anything get lost in the mail. Before. Yep, I had to start over after the hat never arrived. I’m sure whomever received the hat found themselves tickled pink by their new gray dreaded accessory. Alas, this left me scrambling to fill the order again and I’ve thankfully just dropped this baby off in the mail. I kinda like it better in black anyway. Hopefully so does the customer. Fingers crossed this baby arrives in no time and the remaining fee comes my way pronto.

And the tunic. Thankfully my love for Amy Butler is well known around here because you’d never know by hearing the obscenities I’ve screamed her direction in the last week. Pattern sewing is just not my strong suit. I am not dramatizing this scene: me last weekend, sewing four hours on the tunic, trying desperately to finish it in time to meet a you’ll-be-able-to-wear-this-for-Easter promise I made Rebekah when I realized I’d sewn the yoke on incorrectly for the third time.

I didn’t even attempt to rip it out. I am just thankful I didn’t pull out my shears and make confetti of the entire project. I’m going to attempt to decipher the pattern and sew this top again this weekend. Poor Rebekkah had to find something else to wear to services tomorrow. {And if you have any gentle tips on what you think I may be doing wrong with the yoke, I’d be happy to hear them. That said, if you are going to forward me blogs where the seamstresses write, “Anna Tunic? So easy! One afternoon of skipping through the sewing and I wore it to dinner!” you might as well send me a barf bag too.}

As for that table runner? Haven’t even thought about it. I am guessing I’ll jump on that baby this weekend. I have to say, you paved your own way quite successfully on this project, didn’t you? Bravo!

Hope the Easter bunny brings you gobs of Reese’s eggs, my friend. Miss you, and oh how I could use your pattern-sewing and margarita-making skills right. about. now.

~K

Potato bar, anyone?

Community dinner last night wasn’t so much community as it was two people. I blame it on my friends not speaking French — RSVP. However my patience for this lack of bilingualism is running thin. Ahem. I don’t expect participation, but I do appreciate good manners. March madness doesn’t help either.The boys are in Vegas, the girls are either dreaming of Easter baskets or also feverishly hovering over their brackets. Guess which category I’m in?

Steamed with lemon juice and so good I ate 1/2 a pound alone. The other 1/2 is packed for lunch today. Eating seasonally has its perks.

I’m digging this cast iron skillet; caramelizing onions, mushrooms and garlic is a snap.

Green chili corn bread.

Gratuitous sweet potato shot before we get to all the desserts. Oh, you know there were desserts.

Thankfully, one of those who attended is a good eater and lives in a house full of hungry college kids who I’m imagining greatly appreciated the feast he came home with. Including an entire chocolate cake. So, we got the feast part down to the Maunday Thursday tradition, but we skipped the foot washing. We instead opted for belly-filling.

One of my favorite Easter/Spring desserts are bird’s nests. So easy, they are included in the “children cook!” section of Nigela’s Domestic Goddess book.

Seriously, how cute are they? I love these little nests. Plus, that giant bag of malt balls was kinda nice to have around all day yesterday when I was doing the domestic dance.

As for those Easter baskets, I didn’t get around to buying anything special. In fact, I made a dash through the Target $1 section and decided against buying junk just to buy junk. Instead, I decided to clog the arteries of my friends with lush, dark, fabulous chocolate mini cakes.

Recycled bags +

Easy-peasy stamped tags +

chocolate cakes =

a happy little collection of non-conventional Easter baskets.

A Good Friday to all,
K