AfricanKelli

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A friend’s husband showed up unexpectedly at my doorstep yesterday afternoon. He’d been up canyon on his bike when it had begun to snow. By the time he reached my house, going some 40 miles an hour down Clear Creek, he was blue. His hands were frozen and the inner linings of his eyes were swollen to an alarming shade of red.

Could he sit down for a second and warm up?

I shooed him in the door, got the dogs off the couch and plugged in the electric blanket. Soon, the kettle was singing and his hands warmed around a mug of tea. Dinner was already on the stove — Spanish chorizo and lentils from this month’s Cooks Illustrated. I had pans of salted caramel upside down pineapple cakes on the oven waiting to go in next.

He warmed up slowly, and stayed for hours, telling how he realized he was in trouble when he couldn’t keep both hands on the bike. Navigating down the canyon with two hands is terrifying, doing so with one hand tucked under your other arm for warmth is suicide. Thankfully, he made it. I promised him he wouldn’t have to ride any farther today; we’d find a way for he and his bike to get home.

Soon, BJ joined us around the dinner table, swapping stories of our day and sipping soup. The snow began to fall in thick flakes. By the time dessert was served, inches of fluffy powder rested on the roofs of cars, the patio table, the greenhouse light fixtures, and everything in between. The mountains, so near, were out of sight for more than 14 hours as the snow continued to dance downward.

The soup was even better as leftovers today for lunch, enjoyed from the small kitchen table with a view of a golden sun, ringed by the brightest, clearest blue skies.

Time to walk the dogs,  plan the next meal and push forward. Visitors are always welcome.

~K

I like making things for the second time much more than the first. And the third more than the second. There is such a learning curve with most creative projects.

Also, I get a little obsessed. Once I want to do scrappy quilting, or bake the world’s best gingersnaps, that’s pretty much all I want to do.

Round 2:

I’ve eaten so many of these, I very well may have pre-diabetes this week. But hey! The sugar highs fueled another table runner. Similar fabric choices:

Loving the new quilting foot I received for my machine. It makes such a difference with the consistency of stitches and flattening all the layers during quilting. Of course, now I have three quilting books on my desk and I’m eyeing table runners that might as well involve climbing Everest. A logical leap in skill and ability, there, Donley.

Next up: two beard hats. I’m starting over because the original pattern I used created hats and beards for a man the size of Paul Bunyan. And the men I’m knitting these babies for? Well, I wouldn’t call them delicate, but I’m pretty sure I could piggy back them up a mountain. Like, say, Everest.

Carry on!

-K

Project: Table runner with cloth napkin set

Next up: Denyse Schmidt patterns. I want to be less Little House on the Prairie with these projects and more avant-gard.

~K

I’m working through my current stash of fabric in an attempt to use what I have.

I’ll be moving again sometime in the next few months — as it goes with renting — and I do not need to pack and haul all of these craft supplies. Yarn, fabric and books — they seem to multiply at my house. Some are even paired with patterns or sticky notes for the project I thought would be perfect.

How quaint, five years later.

This is the first pattern I’ve sewn out of Fresh Fabric Treats, and I like it. I skipped the gathering on some pieces and am glad. It is my first table runner and I wanted to keep the lines simple.

Perhaps I’ll graduate to one of the quilts featured; they are gorgeous.

Come to find out, step 1 of any new quilting endeavor should be: buy a new rotary blade. Makes a world of difference when your tools are sharp. New needle in the machine. Iron steaming. Piles of fabric and ideas ready.

Now, to stay focused.

-K

• Christmas tags stamped
• Christmas photo taken, cards ordered and stamps in hand. Envelopes to be addressed this week.
• Decorations out and ready to be swapped for Fall decor
• Shopping underway (I’m so not a Black Friday girl)
• Christmas spreadsheet updated
• Craft supplies purchased, patterns printed
• Holiday theme decided: year of the monogram

I love me some Christmas!

~K

Who needs a cute fix to get them through this painfully long short-work-week so we can all just go stuff ourselves with turkey already?

Wait. Did someone say turkey? WE LOVE TURKEY.

-k

Risotto, roasted chicken, steamed asparagus, pumpkin peanut butter cookies; heavy food and excellent company for colder weather.

-K

Christmas is less than two months away, and oh do I have my sights on another great handmade holiday. This year, the focus isn’t on quantity, as it has been in the past. Instead, I’m putting self-care as top priority. I will not run ragged to produce handmade gifts; I fully recognize my family and friends appreciate a good mood far more than they’ll ever love yet another wonky handknit.

To meet this, I have to get my stuff organized.

To get started, I create a Google doc spreadsheet. (The template, if you’re interested in playing along.) This document will help follow both a financial and time budget. I can give one hour per day for the next 7 weeks toward projects. That’s a chunk of time, most of which will be spent late at night in my little upstairs office, listening to tunes and working at my sewing machine. Or watching British television shows on Netflix, knitting like mad.

Additionally, I create a timeline. I love sending holiday cards, creating my own package tags, decorating the house, baking for neighbors, etc. If I place these into a calendar, I know what the next 8 weeks look like by task. Everything doesn’t hit me at once and I can actually enjoy the holidays rather than feeling overwhelmed.

To see this handmade holiday vision come to life, the tentative schedule:

Week 1:

• Complete gift list spreadsheet, including budget
• Buy necessary crafting/art supplies
• Start any extensive knitting projects
• Schedule photo for Christmas card

Week 2:

• Update Christmas spreadsheet
• Knit
• Take Christmas photo, order cards
• Print holiday address labels
• Review gifts to be sent to friends abroad, and schedule early post dates

Week 3:

• Update Christmas spreadsheet
• Knit
• Address Christmas cards
• Purchase Christmas stamps
• Mail after Thanksgiving
• Coordinate holiday travel with family

Week 4:

• Update Christmas spreadsheet
• Knit
• Decorate house
• Create baking list for neighbors
• Buy baking supplies

Week 5:

• Update Christmas spreadsheet
• Knit
• Begin sewing projects
• Stamp gift tags
• Wrap gifts as completed
• Mail international gifts

Week 6:

• Update Christmas spreadsheet
• Knit
• Find holiday dress(es)
• Coordinate holiday party list with date
• Prepare party hostess gifts, tags
• Mail gifts that can’t be hand delivered

Week 7:

• Update Christmas spreadsheet
• Deliver gifts to neighbors
• Complete any remaining projects

Week 8:

• Create list to send thank you cards after the New Year
• Rock a great holiday dress
• Drink egg nog with friends; immediately remember you don’t like egg nog
• Drink Christmas margaritas with friends
• Go to church. Thank your lucky stars. Hug your friends and family.

My friend BJ and his dog Chaco are living at the homestead for a bit. In turn, my kitchen has become the grounds for a highly competitive cooking show. One night, BJ cooks. The next, I do. Dog-eared cooking magazines, pages graffiti-ed with greasy thumbprints and splatters of spice, sit in a pile on the counter top. Coupons for staple ingredients are clipped to the side of the fridge. The Dutch oven is either on the stove, bubbling — or full of delicious leftovers.

These are delightful problems to have.

We’ve gone at this back and forth pace for a few weeks, each impressing the other with our culinary prowess. So far, BJ’s greek yogurt dip is the winner. Paired with his curry chicken and spiced couscous, I thought about climbing into the bowl for a swim.

Last night, I threw down saffron almond chicken from the October issue of Bon Appetit. Saffron is stupidly expensive. Apparently I’ve never cooked with it before and I was not forking over $10 for two tiny packets. As such, we actually ate smoked paprika almond chicken. (Note to self: do saffron research. Determine why it is so pricey. Consider hitting spice markets next time you travel internationally.)

This was tasty. The sauce is thickened with chunks of bread added to the almond/spice mixture in the food processor. As such, this is not a fat-free, paleo-loving or any other specific diet happy meal. Unless you just really like good hearty food. Then it is — wait for it — a winner, winner chicken dinner.

I also served roasted pasilla peppers stuffed with cheese as a side dish. If I had unlimited funds, I would have a massive greenhouse where these peppers, tomatoes, cucumbers, squash and peas would grow all year long. Oh, and saffron.

Your turn, BJ. Game on.

-k

Big Mama was in town last week. And because I am the spoiled only daughter, she brought me a beautiful new quilt:

One of the many talents I wish my mother had passed along is her patience. She has patience for her patience. Her quilts take so much precision and time, and yet she’s like a machine. You wouldn’t believe how many of these she makes each year.

Spring colors and I don’t care — it’s on my bed. And it looks gorgeous with the other shabby chic elements of my bedroom. Look at that quilting! Those swirlies are just so perfect!

Pretty, right? I am so lucky.

Of course it came with a Nelson tag. Thanks Big Mama!*

~K

*Yeah. I’m not terribly fond of that nickname either, but she’s certain she’ll never be called “grandma.” So she’s trying this one out, hoping we’ll get used to it by the time little ones show up. I think my brother and I are playing along for the time being because it is simply so ridiculous. It’s also pretty funny to be at the market and call out, “Hey Big Mama, you want some coffee?”