Please pardon my lack of posting lately! I was quite under the weather in early April. God graciously healed me just in time for Edmund and me to fly to Arizona to spend some time here:


My longtime friend, Jessica, and her daughter M. (three weeks younger than Edmund) joined us there, as well as Jessica's older sister. This trip was courtesy of said sister as a birthday gift to Jessica. It wasn't my birthday but I sure felt like it was! We stayed in a beautiful rental home, decorated in a luxurious "Old European" style.


Not exactly kid-friendly, but with a few strategic rearrangements we managed. Edmund and M. are so close in age and they were often interested in getting into the same things, but we could definitely see differences in their personalities already. So fun!


One of my favorite experiences of the trip was making homemade lemonade from lemons we picked ourselves, right off the tree! That was such a novel experience for a Midwesterner. :) Not to mention the result was delicious.

I really enjoyed having a "feminine" vacation -- a.k.a. a lot of relaxing, resting, a little shopping, enjoying the good company and good food, etc. My husband was chiding me for not getting out and seeing the scenery but I told him we could do that next time when he's with me. ;) Edmund saw so many new things and we did some fun activities for the toddlers, like going to the park and a children's museum.


Flying is not my favorite thing to do and I was nervous about traveling by myself, with a toddler, but God gave me so many traveling mercies, not to mention the wonderful opportunity in the first place. Thank you, Lord!

Uncle Tom's cabin happens to be just a hop, skip, and a jump from where Cheri lives, so one afternoon while the guys recuperated from their mountain hiking, Edmund and I drove down to meet up with her! Cheri kindly gave me a tour of her sewing room so now I can envision where she sews all of her beautiful projects, including the aprons she sells through her Etsy store, Peasant Cottage. Then she introduced me to a few of her favorite antique stores. (The antique shopping near where I live isn't much to write home about, so this was a lot of fun for me.)


I found an inexpensive copy of "St. Elmo" by Augusta J. Evans -- not a book I know much about, but I remembered that Lanier had given it a nod on her lovely website, Lanier's Books. Since I tend to share her tastes, I figured I'd enjoy reading it. And the cover cracks me up -- rather tame compared to today's romance covers, eh? ;)

I also found two silver candlestick holders so it was a fruitful shopping excursion for me. It was delightful to spend a few hours in the company of a kindred spirit -- thanks again, Cheri! (I forgot to bring my camera along, but Cheri posted a few photos from our visit.)

This is one of my favorite summer drinks, courtesy of my good friend, Keturah. The club soda makes it a great substitute for pop when one is feeling slightly icky (such as might be useful to ladies in the early stages of pregnancy). Enjoy!

• 4 or 5 Bigelow Plantation Mint teabags
• 1 c. freshly squeezed lime juice
• zest of 1 lime
• 1 c. sugar syrup (directions follow) or honey

For the sugar syrup: Combine 1 cup raw or white sugar and 1 cup water in a medium saucepan. Place over medium heat and bring to boil, swirling pan occasionally. Boil until all sugar crystals are dissolved, about a minute. Take off heat and let cool.

For the tea: Pour one quart of boiling water over teabags and lime zest; cover and steep 7-10 minutes. Remove teabags and zest. Stir in sugar syrup or honey. Let cool. When cool, add lime juice and one quart cold water. Refrigerate until well chilled.

To serve: Pour tea in glass over ice and add club soda (or more chilled water) until tea is desired strength – 1 part tea to 1 part club soda. You can play with the strengths and balances to find what you like best!

On my birthday, I received a phone call from a friend for whom I used to babysit. She had had a garage sale that day, clearing out her childrens' clothing, and wondered if I would like to go through the remaining boys clothes and find some things for Edmund? My mom and I went over yesterday and she showed us into the garage. There were so many adorable things, it was like walking into a children's boutique! (A very hot, muggy children's boutique with bikes and cars all around us, but nonetheless...) :-P I came away with two large bags full of high-quality 12 month to 2T sizes, which will go a long way toward clothing Edmund through the rest of the summer, fall, and (hopefully) winter. Not only that, but her tastes in children's clothing are similar to mine (classic and traditional). God is good!


[Doesn't this look like the perfect outfit for a boy named Edmund?]
"And my God will meet all your needs according to his glorious riches in Christ Jesus."
Philippians 4:19