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A television station in Japan contacted me this week to see about an interview for how a typical American is changing her lifestyle since the great economic nonsense of 2008. Raised in a frugal, creative home — I’d say I’m lucky to have learned early not to buy what I cannot afford, to give back whenever possible and to save as much as you can as long as you can still go on vacation. We may have eaten generic cereal, but next to the box in the pantry was a giant glass jar where the family change was collected. Each year, we put those pennies to great use at the fish taco stands in San Diego. My parents did much with little and taught us both how to live a life of spiritual luxury.  Having a fancy swimming suit for the beach wasn’t my mother’s priority. Making sure the waffle maker was packed so she could afford to feed us breakfast in the hotel room before we hit the beach each morning was.

Reasons I’m loving this time of life, recession or not:

- I tore up a bunch of ugly bushes and turned the small plot into a happy, crazy garden. For less than $50, I’ve got more than 3 dozen pumpkins, squash, tomatillos, rosemary, basil and even a hearty watermelon going wild. I didn’t let a tiny space (or lack of funding for a house with a proper yard) deter the desire for a garden. I now firmly believe you can garden with just about any space available. If I can do this, so can a trained monkey. Shoebox on the kitchen counter? Just make sure it gets enough light.  Acre of church property? Find a friend with a tractor. With a little land, a few friends to provide seed and a good bit of patience — you can feed hungry folk in your community for very little.

- I learned to can. Again, for less than $50, I took a class at the Boyce Thompson Arboretum and purchased the necessary supplies. Now I know how to make jam from cactus. And yes, I know that sounds ridiculous, but you haven’t tasted the fuchsia deliciousness.  Soon enough, I’ll have that yard and the giant garden and I’ll be canning tomatoes and fruit like Finny to be put away for the winter. Eventually, both the gardening and the preserving will lead to a more sustainable life that allows a wide variety of eating without putting demand on the earth to bring fresh peaches to the desert in January. I’ll just open my own jar, thankyouverymuch.

- I got over a social fear of “real life” vs. “Internet” friends. This year I’ve met some pretty amazing women through blogging and the local interwebs community. It is fun to share ideas and encouragement from behind the computer screen. It is way more fun when you meet those friendly faces in person and the friendship blossoms into an entirely new bouquet.  Really, the quilt of sincere, kind and thoughtful folks I call friends is precious. I’m keeping myself wrapped tight.

- I learned to feed many with very little. The community dinners of 2007-2008 is turning into a cookbook — a guide for how to invite friends, neighbors and — gasp! — even strangers over to enjoy a good meal. Cooking basic meals that require no stress but much laughter is one of life’s sweetest joys. Recipes for chicken enchiwawas and turkey lasagna are done, and  this veggie pizza recipe has been blogged time and time again.

- And while I have so many things I am still trying to change about myself and learn, I’m just so incredibly happy with less. Where I once dreamed of flying to Paris, instead I drove to Wyoming. I spent two weeks on the road on a spiritual and healing journey that cost less than $400 for the whole darn thing. I’m shopping at thrift stores and finding gorgeous retro dresses I’m making my own with a few alterations. The librarians in town are some of my newest heroes. Plus, the roommate regularly does house repair, cooks meals and serves as the head trash/recycling King. (Yep, that’s a title around our castle)

My car has dents. My jeans have holes. My dishes are chipped. My hair hasn’t been cut in months. My soul is happier than it is has been in a very long time.

And so, Japan, this is my new American dream — living within my means and doing so joyfully.

~K

Quick poll:

1. Would you be interested in supporing an Africankelli online boutique carrying a few select handmade items?

2. Would you consider buying an Africankelli t-shirt to benefit a charity of my choice?

Please leave your comments below. To entice you to delurk, I’ll be picking 3 commenters randomly to receive one of those boxy bags filled with goodies. (And if you are a dude, I’ll make you a macho bag full of rocks and sticks and tiny bottles of booze. Deal?)

Thank you!

~K

My passport is up for renewal. In the last 10 years I’ve managed to travel to:

Israel, Palestine, Nicaragua, the Philippines, Mexico, Bolivia, Peru, Ecuador, Mozambique, South Africa, Cameroon, Malawi, Costa Rica, Ireland, England and the Bahamas. Most of these adventures have been through college scholarships, volunteering, work and good fortune. I’m exceptionally lucky when it comes to finding great international adventure with little to no budget.

This passport is one of my favorite things. My parents don’t travel much and as a kid, when I read of foreign lands, I had no idea how I’d ever get there.  While I may not have a house full of nice furniture, or a car without dings, I’ve got this little book that reminds me of all the amazing people I’ve met, the cultures I’ve inhaled, the food, spirit, scent and joy of far away lands I’ve celebrated.

Next on the list: France, New Zealand, Australia, Fiji, Italy, Switzerland, Zimbabwe, Rwanda and Egypt.  I’d also very much like to go back to Stellenbosch.

My wanderlust is not entirely gone, but it is very nice now to be enjoying a garden and other things that require me to be in one place for more than a few months.

~K

The other day I mentioned I’d like to learn how to sew a dress.  In my mind, this is the Everest of craft — creating something that fits and that I’d like to wear. The two wrap skirts I’ve conquered are hills in comparison, and considering the wrap is so forgiving, even that is a generous analogy. Many of you responded that you too are interested in this project. And so, I thought I’d chronicle my adventure in great detail in case you want to play too.

This week: find a pattern. I found three I’m loving, in part because all Simplicity patterns are $1 (from the normal $16) at JoAnn’s this weekend. I bought two Cynthia Rowley designs and one vintage beauty. (This site is great for pattern reviews. )I couldn’t find a fabric that didn’t remind me of a quilt or frankly, JoAnn’s. While I don’t mind their prints for placemats, wearing it to dinner is an entirely different matter.

So, I think I’m going to try to make one of these dresses first in muslin as a rough draft. A little practice certainly never hurt my sewing. Also, I am skipping a bit because my mom recently bought me some oh-so-silly-fancy sewing machine. They have friends from Phoenix visiting them in Texas this weekend and I’ve got my fingers crossed this new baby is road tripping to Tempe soon. Woo!

~K

It dawned on me recently that as much as I talk about being healthy and loving to cook and garden, I certainly don’t practice all that I preach.

{Want to hear a secret? I’m a bit of a Diet Coke addict. The ingredients on the side of the can scare me to the point I can’t read them. I sip my soda and think, “la la la la la! This sweet brown nectar of the Gods loves me and is NOT going to make me sick one day. La la la la la!”}

I also know after slowly losing weight during the last few months that any drastic changes I make to my workout or eating routines don’t stick. If I back away bit by bit, I see success. And so, I’m cutting out the artificial sweeteners in my home. No more pink packets with the morning oatmeal or over the greek yogurt. Or in the ice tea. Or over popcorn. Instead I’m learning to taste food again. Oatmeal with a bit of cinnamon and milk tastes nutty and is remarkably good. Greek yogurt is sour enough to make me pucker a bit, but delightful in its own way.

I still haven’t cut out the Diet Coke, but I’m thinking about it. I know caffeine will be next and that makes me want to curl up for a nap with a giant bottle of Excedrin just mulling it over. I am not a pleasant person without caffeine (or at least for the first week.) Little by little, I’m cutting out the preservatives and junk. Enjoying spending time in the kitchen greatly helps; I can’t imagine trying to eat this way otherwise. We had meatloaf sandwiches on whole wheat bread last night with baked tofu chips. The only preservative was on the low-sugar BBQ sauce we used on the chips.

My diet is far from perfect and weekends, or gatherings with the girls, are often a complete wreck. But it is getting a bit better. I know I’ll feel better without all the crazy chemicals. Soon enough I’ll be buying all natural shampoo and saving the grey water for the garden. Oh, hippie life, how you encourage me to be better.

~k

When Sarah arrived Friday night, we were both secretly a bit worried about our bloggy-friend adventure. Have you ever gone to the airport to pick someone up and had to look for an avatar? Yes, well, Friday was a first for me. But I knew somehow that having a friend from the blogosphere come for a weekend of knitting, eating, laying the park, going to church and speaking of faith, talking about books, watching documentaries and maybe a sangria margarita or two would be nothing short of fabulous. Sarah was up for it all, including a Ya Ya dinner party where she fell right into the cackle of our gaggle of girls.  We’ve chatted over the years after finding each other’s blogs and knew many of our interests were mutual. She’s a knitting triathlete. How bad could this be?

When I told her Saturday morning our plans for the day included driving to Superstition Farms to visit state “Ag” day, she didn’t wince. Perhaps its her Midwestern manners, as she was a trouper. As a food bank advocate, I wanted to attend the event to show support. The farm hosted anyone who wanted to come learn more about sustainable agriculture, have a cheap $1 lunch, see a petting zoo, ride a horse, etc.  It cost $2 a person to attend, or 3 cans of food. The food went to a local food bank and in turn, provided great exposure to hunger issues in the Valley. We were scooped up in the parking lot by a tractor-pull and I knew then the fun was just beginning. While this Missourian girl has way more experience than I do with country life, we were both squealing a bit at the fun of being driven around by a tractor. City girls, meet dairy farm.

After wandering around a bit, eating too much kettle corn, getting some good information on an upcoming Master Gardener’s course I’m going to take, and running into a group of Burundian refugees (no joke), we headed home. We watched the documentary, “Farmer John and the Real Dirt” which is exceptionally strange and entertaining. If you are interested in community supported agriculture, I’d highly recommend it. Sarah did indeed teach me to knit socks. I’d show you a photo, but my progress is so miniscule at this point you’d need a microscope to see what I’d accomplished. Regardless, she taught me the magic loop technique and I’m certain to have a pair done in the next five years or so. Tedious, tiny stitches, but they will be pretty.

We also raided my garden (for the first time!) to gather goodies to take to the aforementioned dinner party. Cilantro for some cilantro jalapeno hummus and greens for a salad. I am fully aware how silly it is that I’m this happy to be growing a few vegetables, but having a productive garden has been a life goal. So Saturday’s “harvest” was a  celebrated event.

It was a very content moment when I washed dirt off of these vegetables to prepare them for friends — organic small-scale gardening at its best.

I look forward to Sarah’s return!

~K

Phase I of the community garden at Asbury UMC is a citrus orchard. Last week I convinced 18 folk to adopt a tree for the grove. Our goal is another 7 sold this week so we have 25 to plant on Arbor Day– March 20th. Our congregation is excited about the project and the local refugee population is stepping up to help do a lot of the planting. I am thrilled to be a part of this work. I can see this otherwise unused slot of land bloom into a lovely garden where we’ll all come together to learn.

For example, did you know these date shoots can be transplanted? The things I’m learning this week are nothing short of nutty. (Or in this case, date-y.) We are hopefully going to  very gently harvest these and plant them along the front border of the church to provide a live fence. (Go, go gadget Peace Corps farming knowledge! I’ve used you so little. Welcome back!)

I am wrangling volunteers, begging friends with trucks to pick up loads of mulch and gathering shovels so the citrus grove can be planted. Within three years, we should have a bounty of fruit to keep hungry congregants, neighbors and refugees well fed. In the meantime, we’ll progress to Phase II — vegetable gardening plots and eventually Phase III. This is the one with which I’m most intrigued. I’ve long wanted chickens, much to my family and friend’s utter curiosity. I know they are filthy and noisey. I also know how incredible organic eggs are and the financial possibilities we can provide to a couple refugee families willing to take on animal husbandry. Did you know a chick will begin laying eggs after 14-15 weeks of development and the lay an egg every 27 hours for 52 weeks? With 10 chickens, we are going to make a boatload of money charging $4 a dozen for organic eggs at the Phoenix Farmer’s Market and to congregants. Money for refugee families who need work. Citrus, veggies and eggs for my belly. Really, what isn’ t there to celebrate?

If you live in Arizona and want to get involved, all are welcome. Shoot me an email for the details.  (Shoot! Shoot me an email about shoots! Oh, the puns.)

I’d love to meet you and have you join in the fun!

Cheers,

K

Remember those 2009 resolutions I set two months ago? In an accountability measure, I’m checking in to see how things are progressing.

• The novel published.   Nope. Haven’t done a darn thing. Not sure what my road block is with this. I want it more than anything and yet the rejection stings with a wicked vengeance.
• A new sew-along with Finny.   Check!
• More than a dozen meals cooked from those new cookbooks. Check!
• 60 books read.   Not so much. I’ve read 10 or so this year, most of which I haven’t finished. I get 100 pages in and if I’m not loving it, I move along.
• 1500 miles on the bike. Chris rides 500 a month. My friend JT rode 2400 last year. I can do this! Ha! Haven’t been on my bike in two months. Must pump up tires pronto!
• Less TV watching. (This is actually a pretty easy one since my TVs soon won’t work.) Yes! Haven’t watched TV in weeks, actually.
• More time being social. Indeed.
• Giving Ultimate another shot. Yes. On a team, having a great time so far.
• Giving dating another shot. Yep. Doing this too.
• Taking yoga and pilates regularly. No. There is a new studio near my house but the extra $30 a month isn’t happening at the moment.
  
• Resisting buying new and instead rocking what I already have. Yes. I am trying. Although this dress is calling my name.
• Learning to sew a dress. This is my dream dress to sew. Thankfully Colleen found me a great pattern to work from. I may just try this.
• Learning to hand quilt. Not yet, but I have a planned project for this and it involves a wedding and a quilt.
• Learning to knit a pair of socks. With Zarah coming to town this weekend, I think I’ll get this checked off sooner than later. My own personal lessons!
• Scheduling and running a couple more 1/2 marathons. Hmmm… haven’t scheduled anything, but would like to run the YMCA 1/2 in November and the Tucson 1/2 in December.
• Giving my trainer and his new eating plan a fair shot. Doing it. And it is absolutely incredible. Loving my new-found physical strength and my clothing fitting much nicer.
• Having my blog redesigned and expanded. To be announced soon!

How are your resolutions progressing?

~K

I’ve taken on a new community project that I am really excited about. It was mentioned at church a few months ago that our conference is pushing for facilities to become more “green.” Considering our church was built nearly 100 years ago, the windows leak, the roof could certainly use solar panels and we could probably do a better job of recycling. One thing we do have going for us is a lot of land and grandfathered water rights via regular irrigation.

When the community garden idea was mentioned, I jumped. I formed a committee of local folks I thought would be interested in having a stake — including a refugee organization nearby that is looking for land for their clients to use, a hunger organization trying to find new methods of helping those in need and a local Green Guru who I’ve admired from afar for many years. We are quickly making progress. This weekend we decided after surveying the land to start with a citrus orchard, and transplant several date palms shooting from the mama, which came from a seed brought back by a congregant who’d visited Israel. This week I’m making tree cut-outs to sell after service Sunday. For $25, anyone interested can buy a citrus tree for the orchard. They can come to help plant them in the next couple of weeks and eventually help pick the fruit — if they are interested. Or, they can just give a bit of  “seed money” to help support the project.

Eventually, the garden will also include a dozen 3′x4′ plots that we’ll divy among refugee families, community members and anyone from the church who wants to garden too. The fruit from the orchard, which will eventually include peach and fig trees too, and the vegetables from the church plots will, in theory, be given to hungry families in the congregation and the area. This church sits in a not-so-ideal section of town, so hunger is an issue — especially for produce.

I’ve been talking/planning/dreaming of a large space to garden for years. While the opportunity to buy a larger home for just such a reason hasn’t yet presented itself, this incredible stroke of luck has. In the process, we’ll get to know those who live near the church, introduce refugees and congregants and hopefully get some good, organic and nutritious food to those who need it most. If you live in the Phoenix area and are interested in getting involved, the more the merrier! We’d love to have your support and your elbow grease to see this grassy lot turn into something much more beautiful.

Happily, I’ll be posting the progress as we plant these seeds!

~K

So, I made lemonade out of lemons and managed to accomplish a ridiculous amount of tasks without my sewing machine to keep me company. Also, after several generous offers for loaned machines (thanks, friends!), I’m picking up a loaner tonight. In the meantime…

Remember this little plot I cleared and bordered last weekend?

I stopped by Starbucks to pick up some warm grounds,

Pulled out my basic tools,

Swung through the local nursery,

And voila! Five tomato plants, three pepper plants and a dash of marigolds to keep away the bugs.

Can you see the cute little copper signs in front of the plants? They were a birthday gift from my friend Elaina. With a bit of grease pencil calligraphy, they are currently labeling this sweet little plot.

It rained this morning as though Mother Nature was welcoming these new babies with open arms. If they are smart, they’ll soak up as much of the moisture and pleasant weather as they can. This plot is such a small accomplishment, and yet I’ve been talking, wishing and hoping for a vegetable garden for so long. I am certainly happy I finally got off my booty and made it happen.

Grow little plants, grow!

~K