Summer Time...

and the livin' ain't easy. How do people live here? Insane winters, soggy, muggy summers. I can only guess they grow gills (and fur for those winter months) and do what I did:

I decided that our Minnesota household would just be better with an ice cream maker. And since it attaches to my KitchenAid mixer, it technically isn't a new appliance. (Andy seemed unconvinced, but doubtless will eat and enjoy homemade ice cream.) I had the opportunity to babysit an ice cream maker last year for my friend who was living abroad for the year. It was awesome. Until she came back. As the days had heated up these last few weeks, I decided that I deserved my very own. Hooray! I currently am freezing up Caramel Pecan ice cream as we speak. This wonderful device makes 2 quarts at a time, so that should definitely get us through tomorrow. Next up: Chocolate Chip Apricot Cherry. Stay tuned...

Other things are changing around here, too. Andy is going back to school in 10 days to finish his degree in Economics. This merited some school shopping, I thought, so we headed to the mall to find some fun new clothes, and of course, new shoes, so Andy can make friends at school. He's excited to be going back, and I'm very proud of him.

Also, the garden is recovering pretty handily from Rabbit Invasion 2010. Here are some pictures of day one, three weeks ago and yesterday. It's really taken off the last few days. I think we'll be enjoying our first peppers any day now. Also, to my great satisfaction, the spraying of hot sauce on both the plants and the fence seems to keep the critters away. Too bad for my neighbors. Their gardens have now fallen prey to rabbits and deer since mine is fiery hot!

I neglected to mention that I had the delight of hosting my parents and brother last weekend, as well as Andy's dad for a nice Father's Day brunch. To make you wish you were here, I'll share the menu: Sausage, Mushroom and Asparagus Fritatta; Lemony Smashed Potatoes; Apricot and Cherry Fruit salad; and Mimosas. It was really great to spend the time together as my family passed through on their return from Canada. I got to take them down to see my school, the Minneapolis Sculpture Garden and Joe's Garage, a great open air restaurant where we had burgers and took in the evening. A fine day had by all.

All in all, things are good as long as I have my ice cream and my law books.

Lots of love,

Kelli

I got in!

Many of you may remember my whining about the grueling week I spent editing a 10-page article and writing my own 10-page paper after two weeks of finals! Well, I got a letter in the mail yesterday informing me that I was accepted to the Law Journal! I will be part of the editing staff for my last two years of law school. This is great news! Not to toot my own horn, but you know I will, this is quite prestigious and only 20 students are excepted each year (out of 174.) This will give me great experience and look fantastic on my resume. In a word, I'm thrilled.
In fact, I was so excited, I threw up. Ok, I actually think these things are unrelated. I had a yucky tummy all day yesterday, then the adrenaline sort of wore off from the excitement of getting the good news. I wanted to celebrate so badly, that I decided to be brave and have a few sips of champagne with Andy. I can't say that's what did me in, but about 10 minutes later, I got to revisit my lunch. There is nothing worse than having something worth celebrating and being sick! I'm feeling better today, so it's back to school. I would really rather stay in bed all day reading (isn't that what you are supposed to do when you are sick?) but I have an exam in a week, so I can't miss class. This is just further proof of the heroic, dare I say, insane lengths I will go to in law school. I figure if I'm vertical, I should at least go to class, even if I'm a bit of a zombie.
Had to share my latest ups and downs. Hope this finds you all well.
Lots of love,
Kelli

WANTED: Evil Garden-Munching Peter Cottontail

Culprit:

Sure, he looks cute, with his fluffy little white tail, and adorable pocket-size packaging, but this MONSTER assassinated a large portion of my garden! Oh yes, he actually eliminated the entire cilantro plant, even the roots! And he chewed every leaf off of all my bean plants. And nabbed the carrot tops. Fortunately, he left the cucumbers and other herbs alone. They seem to be thriving.

Prosecution Exhibits A & B:

I know what you are thinking, "There's nothing in the second picture." You are right. That darn rabbit wiped the cilantro off the face of the planet! The wascally wabbit chewed through our fence and reeked havoc. Astonishingly, he chose to go through our fence instead of go right into the 9 other completely unfenced gardens. Hmpf.
The only redeeming factor of this whole infiltration:

That, my dear friends, is part of a jalapeno pepper. Take that, darn rabbit! A nice little kick in the mouth, was it? Good.

Funny garden-related story about Andy: I bring home a jar of pickles the other day and say, "Hey, we can make our own pickles pretty soon!" Andy: "How would we do that?" Me: "Let me guess, you were one of those kids that didn't know that beef came from cows." (At this point, feel free to note that I am growing cucumbers in the garden. I was watching Andy think through each of the items in our garden trying to guess which one might be able to be turned into a pickle.) It was a pretty good belly laugh for me. Andy finally asked, "Do pickles come from cucumbers?" Yes, honey, yes. Oh, boy.

Life is good otherwise. Summer classes are going good. I am taking Negotiations and Criminal Procedure, both of which I'm really enjoying.

I'm getting a little bored only going to school part-time. The inner domestic diva has emerged again:

No, I wasn't expecting company. I just got really giddy with the new place mats and napkins I bought (because I was bored) and decided to set the full table, centerpiece, wine and all. Silly, I know. This is why I need either 1) a job or 2) a more useful hobby. Do note, though, that the place mats are gorgeous with my dishes! Andy wasn't impressed, but I know you are.

Lots of love,

Kelli