AfricanKelli

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I am an organization freak. I always have been. I can’t get out of a bed without making it (sometimes even at hotels). I wipe down the bathroom counter every single time. I have a google doc that tracks car repair and maintenance. (I once got two transmission flushes in a six month period because I didn’t have such a system.) My spices might be alphabetized.

Yeah. I’m nuts. For a long time I hid this, or attempted to, as to not have my OCD nature yet another point of critique. But recently I’ve come to the conclusion that we are all nuts. And life is just so much more interesting and fun when you let your freak flag fly. So, guess what? I love to clean. I love to organize. The Container Store? Better than a trip to Tiffany’s. Seriously. (No mining guilt!)

I have pipe dreams of having a side business organizing other’s spaces. There are some very specific tools and habits to keeping an organized home or workplace. And once these become routine, you are set. Plus, I look at these small daily changes in behavior as prevention.

• Put in two minutes today to sort through mail, recycling every single bit of paper you don’t need, canceling catalogs, paying bills — you don’t end up with a pile the size of Everest on a Saturday afternoon with late fees and precious, sunny weekend hours wasted inside sorting.
• Keep a “Goodwill” bag in your closet. Every time you add a new piece of clothing, you agree to donate. No one was infinite closet space. This limits shopping too; you only have so many hangers.
• Make those hangers the same brand and color. Face your clothing all the same direction. You’ll be shocked how many new combinations you are able to create with the same materials.
• Google docs and calendars are ideal for tracking birthdays and other important events. Make a plan on the 25th of each month to write out cards for the next month — with stamps and addresses handy. Then mail in two batches. Send thank you cards at this time too. I keep a running list. People don’t care when the card arrives; they want to know you thought of them. And a handwritten note might was well come licked by T-Rex, they are so rare.
• Burn your CDs. Buy a backup hard drive. Buy another one. Get rid of your CDs.
• Use the library. Clear your shelves of books you don’t plan on ever using again. Donate generously.
• Clean out your wallet at least once a week. Face bills. Sort receipts. Keep a supply of stamps.
• Minimize your cleaning supplies. Bleach, vinegar, coarse salt, lemon juice, a couple good rags and Magic Erasers. You don’t need much more.
• Keep a trash bag in your car; empty it regularly. Keep a towel in the trunk. Wipe down your dash when things get hairy. This towel is also particularly great for the occasional $2 car wash. I run through these quarter car washes about once a month.

When a friend recently asked me for some tips on how to be more organized, I started with an especially tricky space. Organizing a small space is even more of a fun challenge. A pantry under the stairs? One with deep shelves? Bring it.

I started by pulling everything out and grouping like items. I spent $15 on two shelves (one long, to hold baby food and formula) and the other for canned goods, and one basket — for granola bars. Because in Colorado, one cannot have too many granola bars.

Some 20 minutes later — voila. Because the shelves are long, I organized like items deep. In other words, they are stacked behind each other to the very back of the shelf. Use one, pull the next one forward. But here is the trick about organizing: this will only work if the behavior changes too. You have to learn to work with a new system to make it a system.

If this were my pantry — I’d paint the inside of the door with chalkboard paint and keep a running grocery list.

And yes, I know. It’s nuts I took so much pleasure from this project. And yet? Better. Much, much better. Organization, cleanliness and frugality are the trinity of a smart home.

(Freak flag at full mast. )

~K

Some aspects of cleaning up the pantry and using what I have are more fun than others. I put Finny’s Christmas gift — which included jam and this homemade pie filling — to good use this weekend.

~K

I think giving a loaf of bread as a CAOK gift might be the most appropriate. Breaking of bread. Sharing of loaves. Feeding friends.

Plus, homemade bread makes nearly everyone smile.

This loaf when to a friend who is interviewing today for a giant job in New York that would make him and his wife very happy. Send much love to the pair and all my fingers and toes are crossed!

Apricot nut bread — aka: “Good luck on the interview Matt!” bread.

What is your favorite bread recipe?

~K

P.S. I might have nibbled a little corner out of the loaf. I made the recipe up! I wanted to make sure I wasn’t poisoning anyone… Who can resist bread hot out of the oven?! Not me, even with the best of intentions.

A coworker gave me a garment that she wanted recycled. She’d had the gown custom made with Heather Bailey fabrics and was so sad the end result didn’t work. She didn’t want the fabric to go to waste. Could I make something of it?

The Betty Draper apron. Pearls and angst not included.

To be delivered this week!

~K

This is the sewing project I thought I’d never complete. Not because it was exceptionally difficult, but because I was nervous I wasn’t going to do it well. My mom, thankfully, finally talked me through finishing Matt + Mariah’s wedding quilt.

Remember their amazing wedding in Seattle last summer? Oh, I do. When I wed one day, those two will be in charge of the details. Exquisite party!

My mama created the embroidered tag for the back. The quilt is made of squares signed after the ceremony — a folk art wedding guest book of sorts. The back fabric is a capulana from Kenya, where the groom has done a lot of work.

I so love this couple and am thankful to give them something meaningful to celebrate their union.

~K

I promised a friend recently that I would do a month-long “cleanse.” This included eliminating caffeine, alcohol, dairy and wheat from my diet for a month. Why I even bother to say I will try to do these sorts of things is beyond me. Is it that am so delusional, I think I’m going to wake up with Superwoman discipline and will power?

I made it a day. And then “one splurge” turned into “one bad day” turned into “aw, hell. Forget it. ” One day. As in 27 days short of the challenge. (She even picked a short month.)

I’m a creature of habit and as much as I’d like to have the body of an Athleta model, it isn’t happening this week. Although I continue to kill myself at the gym and with my running group, and make small changes here and there.  Typically, when craving Mexican food — I round up a few willing bodies and head to Gallo Blanco or Macayo’s for a $40 sodium feast. Guacamole, margaritas, chips, salsa, huevos rancheros. Zero guilt. I had a hard day. I earned that meal. I deserved it.

Never mind I’d wake up the next morning sick to my stomach, bloated and grumpy for my run. Like clockwork. If this were food math: night of splurging on Mexican food + margaritas = discomfort/bloating/misery. If this were my reasoning math: just because it happened the last 50 times  ≠ tomorrow I’ll feel gross.

Not surprisingly, math was never my strong subject. But fueled by a broken promise and a bit of shame,  I’m making compromises. Such as veggie tostadas on toasted flatbread with a glass of wine. Portion control, fresh veggies in lieu of chips, no salted rims. Still zero guilt. I still deserved it. And no stomach ache or regret the next day. (Who knew?)

This recipe is so yummy, simple and easy — you just need to the photos to follow along:

Ole!

~K

I made this knit stripped beanie as a birthday gift for my friend Mike.

Tuck and I have been friends for years; I truly adore him and his wife. English has so many gaps. There should be a word to describe the type of friendship that requires no maintenance other than the ocassional check up when possible. A guilt-free friendship that thrives on its own accord, unconditional love understood.

Considering there isn’t a word for this, I’ll call it an aloe vera friendship. Aloe grows in the desert with little fuss. Thankfully our actually friendship is far less prickly.

Blessing for day 6: friendships that span decades, nations, marriages and so many other hurdles to show their strength.

~K

Taggie blankets are so simple and appreciated. At lunch this weekend with some friends, I noticed a table of doting grandparents hosting their infant grandchildren. They each had a minky-backed tag blanket.

These were sewn for expecting mothers I work with. I love the burst of color and the softness of the minky. Here is a simple tutorial.

~K

A scarf inspired by one of my favorite artists, Mark Rothko.

Yarns include angora, Noro from Japan and a wool blend. It is soft and incredibly warm.

~K

This morning we lit the first candle in the advent wreath. The first project for #adventafrica is a crayon roll. I saw this tutorial and counted the number of little ones on my Christmas list who love to color. (Or who have mommies who could easily place this in a purse as a portable battery-free distraction for waiting rooms, restaurants, airplanes.)

These were very simple to sew and fun to fill. They will be handed out by the dozen come Christmas.

On the first day of advent my auntie Kelli gave to me… a crayon roll for creativity.

~K