AfricanKelli

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Book bag for a swimmer friend. This has me thinking. A. I need a new tote for my summer travels that must hold lots of books. B. I need to start putting aside trusty used paperbacks I can leave behind as I go.

My goal of reading 40 books this year is going pretty well. January was a banner month. February was brief and a great time to be outside riding my bike, not on the couch lazing about. March I got hung up reading a book I really didn’t enjoy, only to then spend $7 on the movie that I didn’t like either. Go figure.
There have been some great reads this year; I am a little in love with William Powers and wish Anne Lamott was my friend. There have been some silly ones too. I’ve been tutoring a friend who is in high school and reading a fair number of books I wouldn’t have otherwise enjoyed — like those Traveling Pants.

2008:
1. Whispering in the Giant’s Ear
2. A Thousand Splendid Suns
3. Lipstick Jihad
4. The Island
5. A Year of Pleasures
6. Blue Clay People
7. Traveling Mercies
8. Grace Eventually
9. Bird by Bird
10. The Other Boleyn Girl
11. Glass Castle
12-14: The Traveling Pants series, 1-3 (tutoring)
15. Wuthering Heights (repeat, tutoring)
16. Animal Dreams (repeat, tutoring)
17. Atonement

Next up: What is the What, Three Cups of Tea, Plan B. I know I’m a goof ball for being so excited by the growing stack of books on my nightstand, but someday I’m going to be a busy parent and am going to look back at my twenties and think, “I am so glad I read those then!”

What are you reading? Is there a book you’ve read in 2008 that you can’t wait to share with others? I’d love to hear about it. In 2007 that book for me was The Miracle Life of Edgar Mint. In 2006 it was Winterdance.

~K

Tiffany and I went to grad school together; she is one of those girlfriends who I can go months without connecting with and yet pick right back up where we left off. She is the proud mother of a precious nearly-two year old girl who I just love. Rory is a sweet little thing and it breaks my heart I don’t get to see them more often — they now live in Michigan.

Anyway, Tiffany thinks my sewing abilities are up there with Martha’s and will occasionally send me patterns and suggestions. (Ha! I’m about as close to Martha’s sewing as I am Julia’s cooking, but the thought is kind.) Wouldn’t this shift be cute in plaid? Wouldn’t this skirt be nice in a summer cotton? Did I mention I have a cute little daughter who is perfectly sized for a game of dress up?

Okay, she doesn’t really say that kind of stuff, but it is a conversation we occasionally have in my head. I’ve been wanting to make them matching skirts for months and finally got around to it a couple weeks ago. Rory also received one of those pillowcase dresses.
I used this wrap skirt tutorial and sent along several long pieces of ribbon with the skirt too. I didn’t care for the thickness of the tie I originally created, but it was out of the same fabric as Rory’s sweet little elastic skirt, so it needed to stay. The package arrived and the girls love their new wardrobe. This was simple enough I really should make them another set. Perhaps in plaid.

~K

Querida Finny,
I just love your birdie apron. I wish I had bought five yards of that fabric and could at least toy with the idea of sewing the beautiful dress we saw in the window of Josephine’s. Oh, my love of expensive fabric knows no bounds.

Good thing I’ve got a couple side jobs. Remember that customized apron idea I had for Mother’s Day? Well, I’ve completed two orders. The first was for Jessica and it turns out she is really pleased with the results. Woo hoo! The second I just completed last night, so fingers crossed it also gets a good review. A friend of a friend emailed me to see if I could make her mom and apron and include her nickname (Meesh) and tacos. Come to find out, Meesh is a taco-making machine. I think I captured the espiritu with this April apron project.

So, who is our grand prize winner for April? Your chance to pick. I’m thinking up a fun project for May-June. Do you mind if we double up? I won’t be around a sewing machine (or electricity, really) for most of the later.

~Donk

Black bean hummus + cut veggies: I swapped garbanzos in this recipe for black beans, added a dash of flax to thicken this a bit more and a lot of cayenne. Now that I’ve got the hang of making my own hummus, no more store bought nonsense. This takes all of 10 minutes to throw together at 1/4 of the price.

~K

Cheap red wine + two liters of Sprite Zero + sliced citrus + lots of ice = Sangria!

Community dinner has been on a hiatus for the last couple of weeks and will more than likely go into hibernation again soon; summer is arriving and everyone is getting busy — including this wanderer. I thought last night’s dinner would be canceled, but last minute I received several RSVPs. As a hungry reader of Andy’s Diner, I shot Andy an email and asked if he had any quick go-to Cuban recipes he thought would work.

Ay caray! He was the man to ask. I made Cuban black beans (substituting turkey bacon for pancetta) and stewed chicken with white rice. We had sangria and coconut-pineapple sugar cookies too. It was a feast and everyone went home with perrito-bags. And I may have wolfed down black beans with my eggs this morning.

Thanks Andy! Great suggestion.

I hope you are having a happy week. I am very much looking forward to this weekend; one of my best friends is coming into town and we plan on painting it red. Or rojo, as one with another round of sangria up her sleeve might say.

Hasta luego,
Kellita