Author Archives: Kim Baumgaertel

Woke up Wednesday morning in full-fledged teacher mode; this was good as Mrs. M and I had to setup our classrooms at the ranch.  Done.  Teacher Mode blew into Thursday morning, whereupon a 7 a.m., five-minute-long Pinterest search translated into … Continue reading →

Me, Sunday afternoon: Without carrying my analogy too far, please, notice the closed eyes…the contented smile…the nose pressed solidly into the bedding.  Yes?  Me and the couch, people.  Me and the couch. But, I shall start at the beginning, which … Continue reading →

Whether the water goes into the dirt, or the dirt goes into the water, the result is the same. Yesterday we girls made blueberry tarts while Opa and Moses checked on the llamas.  While they cooked, we all did a … Continue reading →

Our first “little people project” was a hit yesterday, judging by the intensity of participation and the volume of supplies still littering the floor this morning: If I were to do a “cost-benefit analysis”, clearly I spent more time prepping … Continue reading →

Dear Mom and Dad, Thank you for letting me spend the night with OmaOpa. When I realized, Mom, that you were actually putting my car seat into Oma’s car so that I could go with her to see Opa, I … Continue reading →

  Sleepover #2 involved fetching Emiline on Wednesday morning and whisking her off to Point Defiance Zoo.  Per our usual routine, we shyly greeted Ivan the gorilla’s statue at the entrance. This shyness did not last long, however. Not knowing … Continue reading →

It’s sleepover week here at OmaOpa’s house. First, Naomi, and an inaugural movie theater experience. Toy Story 4 is worth the trip, people, even if you don’t have a 3-year-old granddaughter to impress. For our 9 a.m. pickup time, I … Continue reading →

Hi there, self — Just me here at home, with a brief note since you’re still on holiday. I’ll start with those breakfast pastries, followed by the credit card bill, and then wrap this up with a few miscellaneous items. … Continue reading →

We’ve been gone a while.  As a summary, I present a brief review, by-the-numbers: Days in the UK:  28, as of Friday. Nights spent sleeping in Jessica’s flat: 18 Touristy places we visited: 3 castles, 2 cathedrals, 4 abbeys, 2 … Continue reading →

We left off, dear readers, with a question: Should we train to Winchester? Into London one more time? Eh? This question was much debated before retiring. One more cute town with an old cathedral? Training into the very big city … Continue reading →