Happy Mother's Day

Dear Mom,

Thank you.

Love,

Kim

Dreams and Prayers

Dear Mom,

All night long last night, I dreamed about parallel parking. I tossed and turned, woke up, and thought about parallel parking until I fell asleep and dreamed about it more! We had practiced that afternoon on at least 10 cars in town. Practice makes perfect...he passed the driving skills test today and scored a perfect parallel park, even using the big, clunky mini-van!

I was told by another mom that one of the hardest things she ever did was watch her child drive away for the first time unattended in the vehicle. Without a doubt, I will be doing a lot of extra praying in the days and months to come.

Right now, I'm exhausted from parallel parking all night, and in shock that my child can now legally drive! I think I'll go outside and spend some quiet time with my chickens...

Love, Bonnie Jo

Another Use for Ribbons

Dear Mom,

A worn out watch band + an abundance of ribbon=

I've been having fun swapping out ribbons to coordinate with what I am wearing. Way more fun than that brown leather I was buckling to my wrist everyday.

Plus there is the bonus of having a new excuse to buy more ribbons!

I find myself wearing more jewelry around my wrists in the summer. I guess because they are not bundled under warm sweaters. Last summer the Young Lady and I made these:

We tore bandannas into 1-inch strips, soaked them in water and them twisted them tightly. We tied them around our wrists and ankles and let them dry. The longer we wore them and the more frayed they became, the better they looked.

Carefree summer "jewelry" for easy summer days.

Love,

Kim

In My Ears

Dear Mom,

I have a little Ipod shuffle that I keep loaded with audio books that I borrow from the library. With so little on television ( I only watch 3 programs, and those will be winding down for the season in the next week or two) , I listen to books when there isn't anything on worth watching in the evening, while doing housework, and while knitting.

I just finished listening to Paths of Glory, by Jeffrey Archer. Paths of Glory is the

story of George Mallory, who led the British expeditions to Mount Everest and may have been the first man to reach the summit. We will never know. After listening to the story, I want to believe he was. The book is written as fiction, but is based on the factual events of George Mallory's life. Adventure, love story and history all combine to make this an entertaining book to listen to and I'll bet just as good to read. It is hard to explain how I could be moved to tears by a story I already know the ending to (the prologue takes care of that), but I was. Am. I loved it.

Love,

Kim

Cinco De Mayo ii

Dear Mom,

Wow! Kim is impressive!! If she ever gets to Mexico, she can order beer, find a bathroom and perhaps know when she should have gone to bed. The only thing I remember from Spanish class was how much fun it was being naughty with Mike Mitchell!! Hey, I'm 42 years old now and I have capitalized on that naughty fun and can order a beer in my native tongue wherever I am!

Too bad I've lost track of Mike!! It would be great to order a beer (or two!), celebrate Cinco De Mayo and talk old Spanish days with him (I have never laughed so hard in my life as I always did with Mike Mitchell!! Yep, we were some kind of naughty!!)!!

I am terrible with uploading/downloading, especially from YouTube, but click on the link and you can enjoy some great Cinco De Mayo music!! Arriba!!!!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u0nQMgaJibc

Love, Wendy

Cinco De Mayo

Dear Mom,

After all those years of high school Spanish and then a tiny bit more in college, I can't remember how to greet you en espanol other than to say Hola. Those classes were a long time ago, but I've recently had a refresher while helping the Young Man review vocabulary words for his freshman Spanish class. I should remember how to do more than ask where a bathroom is (which for some reason, in high school, seemed like something very important that I should know), or what the time is. My Hero, it won't surprise you to know, could order 2 beers. (I could say Coca-Cola in my best Spanish accent, but you can smile and say that anywhere and get what you are asking for.) So between us, should we find ourselves lost in Mexico without a translator, we will know what time it is wherever we are, have a couple of beers (that I don't drink) and find a bathroom.

I can't entirely blame the years for my poor conversational Spanish. Less than a year or two after my Last Spanish Class, I found myself on the Oral Surgery rotation while I was in the Dental Hygiene program. We did rotations to different clinics in the dental school as part of our education. We mostly did more observing than any hands on work, but we weren't there to get in the way and had to help out if called into action. Anyway, there I was in the Oral Surgery Clinic. And let me digress once more to say that "they" spent quite a good bit of time lecturing us on how NOT TO FAINT before they actually let us in, which in my mind does nothing but make me feel like I might faint. Okay, back to oral surgery which at this point you are wondering how this could possibly tie in to Spanish class. It does. I am watching many teeth being extracted. I am trying to not think about fainting, which I totally wouldn't have had to think about AT ALL had I not been given the lecture. And then a woman is seated in the chair. Her turn. NO speak English. Very frightened. Can I think of ONE WORD en espanol to reassure the poor woman? NO. I just tried to communicate with my eyes and facial expressions, which were probably not so reassuring since

1. I really didn't know what was going to happen to her

2. I felt bad for her not being able to understand any English and

3. I was thinking about not fainting.

In honor of Cinco de Mayo, I offer this recipe for a Mexican Potato Frittata. I admit to being a better knitter than I am a cook. Not that I am a bad cook, I just can't manage too much at once while I cook. With that said, this is a tasty, healthy, simple recipe and a nice change of pace from tacos and enchiladas.

Mexican Potato Frittata

1 t olive oil

12 oz. red skinned potatoes, cut in 1/2 inch cubes

6 large eggs

1 (11 oz.) jar salsa ( you can choose the strength you prefer- I usually get mild or medium because I can't take the heat- My Hero adds Tabasco sauce. Because he can.)

1/2 t salt

1/4 t pepper

1/4 c sharp Cheddar cheese, shredded

1 medium tomato

Preheat oven to 425.

In a non-stick skillet with an oven safe handle ( I use my cast iron skillet), heat olive oil over med-hi heat. Add potatoes and cook, covered, until potatoes are tender and golden brown, about 10 min, stirring occasionally.

In medium bowl, beat eggs with 1/4 c salsa, salt and pepper. Stir in cheese, set aside.

Dice tomato and stir into remaining salsa.

Stir egg mixture into potatoes in the skillet and cook over med-hi heat, covered, for 3 minutes or until egg mixture begins to set around edges.

Remove cover and place skillet in oven; bake 4-6 minutes, until frittata is set.

To serve, transfer frittata from skillet to serving platter or cutting board (I never do that part- I just serve straight out of the skillet- real fancy that way) and cut into wedges. Top with salsa/tomato mixture.

Makes 4 main dish servings. Each serving has about 235 calories, 14g protein, 20g carbohydrates, 11g fat (4g sat fat) 327mg cholesterol and 795 mg sodium.

Note: I imagine that it is easy to cut the sodium by not adding the salt. And using 2% cheese would cut back on the fat content, but I did make a note to myself on the recipe NOT to use egg-beaters. I must have tried that and it didn't work.

Happy Cinco De Mayo!

Love,

Kim

Breaking news

Dear Mom,
I interrupt my regularly scheduled vacuuming to bring you this Breaking News.
News so exciting that my head hurts from the adrenaline rush. News that when I received it, caused my heart to pound like it does when I am Sweatin' to the Oldies. Lightening bolts out of my fingers kind of news......

A major yarn company has chosen one of my designs to publish!!

Details to follow as they come available.
That is all.
Returning to my vacuum cleaner now.
Love,
Kim

The Weekend

Dear Mom,

I did finish this sweater ( my design ) over the weekend. A good intermediate weather type sweater. I am happy with it, but there are a couple of details I will tweek when I make it again.

I also took these pictures over the weekend. I brought this columbine with me from our first house, and I am sure it came from your yard before that.

And check out the bumblebee. I just love this zooming in on a zoomed in picture. These are those great big Hindenberg bees. I think they are fun, but Bumper wants to protect the yard from them. He will launch himself at impressive heights and speed (especially for a thick, 10 year old dog) to try to get these bees. Once he has had a successful catch, he spits them out quickly and guards the wounded prey until he gets bored with it. I warn anyone to approach at risk when he is protecting his catch. The thing could be dead and pulverized by his paws, but he won't let anyone near. You would think it was a t-bone steak or something.

Love,

Kim

Random

Dear Mom,

With my rain gauge showing we've had about 3 inches since Monday, the yard looks like this:

The grass. is. high. I would measure its depth like we do with the snow, but I might lose the ruler. I am hoping we get a break in all this rain long enough for the yard to dry out so I can climb aboard John, Dear and MOW!!!! At this point it may take mowing twice just to get through it all.

The good thing is that with all the rain keeping me inside, I've knit almost an entire sweater in about a week. I think I started this one last Thursday. I may finish it this weekend. It will be a tunic for me, my design.

Last Sunday when it was sunny, warm and windy, The Young Lady and My Hero took the dog to the Indianapolis Motor Speedway (aka, the track) for the Annual Mutt Strutt. This dog walk around the track benefits the Indianapolis Humane Society. Between the stress of the car ride and walking around the 2 1/2 mile oval, Bumper was exhausted. I think it took him until mid week to recover. The plan next year is to take him on the short walk, which I think is just in the pit lanes. Here they are, on the "yard of bricks" at the finish line.

Today was ANOTHER half day of school. Add all these half days together and I swear the summer could be 2 weeks longer. You might think that coming home after only a half day would be a happy thing. It was for some.

But not for everyone.

15 year old, stalked by mamarazzi

Have a happy weekend!

Love,

Kim

A Sweatin' To the Oldies Report

Dear Mom,

I have sweat to the Oldies 1, 2 and 3. Today I will visit #4. So far, Sweatin' to the Oldies 2 is my favorite. Don't ask me why. Maybe it is the music, maybe I can follow the moves better. Who knows. I am starting to know those people behind Richard. Some of them are starting to irritate me.

Actually, I may skip #4 and Boogie Down the Pounds, or Disco instead. Just to shake things up.

Sweatin' to the Oldies is a total 80's flashback. Thick slouchy socks, big hair and white Reeboks.

Short shorts.

And mullets.

And I am pretty confident when I say that nobody but Richard Simmons would have an exercise move called "Sizzle". ( To "Sizzle", all that is required is shaking your hands in a flashy way as you bring them from over your head down past your shoulders to your waist- as you march in place, of course.)

All in all, it is an entertaining way to get an hours worth of exercising in. And flashing back to all the aerobics classes I took in my 20's is not a bad thing. I just hope nobody is peeking in the windows as I sizzle.

Love,

Kim

Spring Knitting

Dear Mom,

I am a slow knitter. Where Kim can knit an adult sweater in days, it takes me days just to find the proper needles for my project. Another few to work on gauge and correct my needles, if necessary. And still another few to start knitting! My knitting mojo needs to be "just right"; Kim's knitting mojo is never wrong!! I am super excited though!! I started a spring sweater in March (like, actually in the spring)! And FINISHED IT! In time for Spring!

This pattern is the Knitting Pure & Simple Neckdown Shaped T-Shirt #233. I loved everything about this sweater: the simplicity of the neckdown knitting.

The shaping.

The yarn. Fleece Artist Sea Wool. The slight variations of the hand dyed yarn. The beauty of a simple stitch.
Best of all, I'll get to wear it this year!!! Woo hoo!!!!
Love, Wendy

Lilacs

Dear Mom,

If only I could include the fragrance with the pictures.

I filled the soup tureen on the dining room table,

Put a bouquet on my nightstand for sweet dreams,

and put a small vase in the Young Lady's room.

Heavenly.

Love,

Kim

Cats and Clean Tablecloths

Dear Mom,
Why are cats instantly attracted to clean tablecloths? I spread my new tablecloth over the patio table, and 30 minutes later, this is what I found!!

Sweet dreams, Benny!

Love, Bonnie Jo

29 Hours

Dear Mom,
I was beginning to worry that we would have another restless night, that we had been outwitted by a guinea pig. I was imagining a ferocious guinea pig grown to the size of an opossum with thick matted hair emerging from under the hot tub months from now, snarling and wild.

At approximately 8:45 this evening just before darkness settled and after 29 hours on her own in the wilds under the hot tub, Oreo was trapped in Bonnie Jo's squirrel trap. And she is not one bit sorry for all the trouble she caused.

The equipment involved during the escape included 4 beach towels, an army blanket, 16 feet of wire fencing, 4 hockey sticks, a garden hose with spray nozzle, 2 flashlights, a chipmunk cage, a guinea pig igloo, carrots, lettuce, yogurt chips, broccoli slaw, timothy hay, a water bottle, and finally, the squirrel cage.

In desperation and frustration, "creative" suggestions were starting to emerge. The Young Man was taking the SWAT team approach to pig capture, suggesting we "smoke her out" with stink bombs. I told him this would probably not work as the prison riot treatment (blasting her with jet stream water from the garden hose) had failed. My Hero wanted to trap her in a miniature bear trap, but when we figured she would probably chew her own leg off and escape, he said, "Well, at least that would slow her down."

Feeling a bit panicky, at 6:00 pm we called Bonnie Jo and borrowed her squirrel trap. At 7:00 the trap was set. We waited. IF this didn't work......

Thankfully, a happy ending. Well, maybe not for Oreo. I think she liked living on the run.

Love,

Kim

The Fugitive

Dear Mom,
Yesterday afternoon, during a field trip into the backyard, Oreo escaped. She is hiding out under the hot tub deck.
The elusive pig has managed to evade all our attempts at capture which include bribes of lettuce, carrots, yogurt chips and broccoli slaw. We tried enticing her out with the sound of a shaking plastic produce bag. The hose nozzle set on "Jet" didn't force the speedy pig out. Even with each of us manning one side of the deck, using flashlights and a loose system of communication to shout which section the fugitive had escaped to, and armed with hockey sticks, the pig thwarted us. Heaven help me, I even had my good salad tongs out there trying to grab her if she got close enough to the edge. It was getting dark, the Young Lady now crying and prematurely mourning the death of her favorite pig. Covered in mud from all the jet stream spray, at 10pm we gave up and went to bed hoping Oreo survived her night in the wild.
After a restless night (for us), Oreo has been spotted a few times this morning, coming out from her hideout for a bite to eat and scurrying back before she could be captured. The current plan involves the chipmunk trap and some carrots.
I'll let you know how it all turns out.
Love,
Kim

Monster Sunflowers

Dear Mom,

I was inspired by The Great Sunflower Project, a program to help with bee conservation. Participants are asked to watch and record the bees at sunflowers in their gardens. The sunflower chosen for this year's bee study is "Lemon Queen". As I was scanning the large variety of sunflower seeds, a came across "Sunzilla".

These giant sunflowers will reach up to 16 feet tall! I intend to plant them in a row on the outside of the fence (out of reach of the chickens) where they will make a living hedge.

They are off to a good start, and they are growing fast! I feel like I'm in first grade again, excitedly watching the seeds sprout and then magically bend toward the sunlight!

Love, Bonnie Jo

Yesterday

Dear Mom,

After too many cold, wet days, we were treated to a beautiful, sunny, warm day yesterday. A good day to spend working in the yard, tending to the lawn and gardens, and remembering.

I always think about Daddy when I am mowing with his John Deere. Now my John, Dear. I remember the time he came out trying to help me figure out what was wrong with my old John Deere, which always worked just fine when he got on, started it up and whipped around my yard at lightening speed, giving me that look that was pretending to be irritated with me for the interruption but the sparkle in his eye, the tilt of his head and the barely concealed smile told me that he was really tickled with the situation and his dumbstruck daughter.

I moved some perennials and planted some new ones. I planted hollyhocks, foxglove, delphinium, shasta daisy, as well as a few that I was not familiar with but looked pretty: silene, soapwort and viola labrador. Now I just need to keep them watered and hope the bunnies don't eat them.

I weeded a bit and cleared up some of the dead stuff from around the perennials. I could spend the entire day today doing the same, but the inside is looking neglected. I need to find some balance. The weather is predicted to be nice through the weekend, so I should be able to manage keeping up with both, and still find time to sit on the porch with my knitting and enjoy it all.

Love,

Kim

1 Corinthians 13:7

Dear Mom,

Love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things.

Love,

Kim

Missed

Dear Daddy,

I miss you.

Love, Wendy

A Frog Pyramid

Dear Mom,

I think we have acrobatic frogs in our pond.

Look...there is another one in the water coming up to complete the pyramid!

Love, Bonnie Jo