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