This week has been full!  I think my mom has been trying to keep me busy while Ed is gone, I have been trying to keep the girls busy while Ed is gone, and the girls are keeping us busy, whether intentional or not.  Seriously, some days it feels like a zoo!  I am glad to be a part of this zoo – even if the noise level, activity level, and messes seem to multiply!

Here is an update about our week:

Ed and I celebrated our 8 year anniversary.  Can’t believe its been that long but so excited to have spent all these years with him.  I hated being apart, but I was able to talk to him through Skype the day before and he made sure I was “loved on” even while he wasn’t there.  He arranged for these flowers to be ready for me when I woke up via my mom (even calling from the airport before he left to remind her).  So pretty!

This week, we have spent time at the beach, at my mom’s pool, going to swim lessons, going to yard sales, visiting with my cousin and her children who came into town, and visiting Brookgreen gardens.  I am sure I am forgetting something because it seems we were a lot busier than that!

Brookgreen gardens is a public garden museum that has gardens, sculptures, picnic areas, a zoo, a butterfly house exhibit, and a new thing they have added for a short time – Enchanted Storybook Forest.  We decided to take the girls because of Kinsley’s intense interest lately in all things princess and castle.  The zoo was an extra plus too!

The Enchanted Storybook Forest is a collection of storybook playhouses created by local builders, architects and organizations. Each house is based on a classic children’s story or nursery rhyme and encourages reading and interaction with the natural world.  They have houses for Cinderella, Snow White, Treasure Island, Hansel and Gretel, Rapunzel, Dr. Suess, and the Crooked Man (never heard of this one – guess I need to read up on my kids’ stories).  They were all really neat but Kinsley’s favorite was Snow White’s house (probably because it had food, bowls, plates, etc. for the kids to play with as well as tree stumps for them to sit on – all just her size since they were made for the dwarves.

Anyway, if you are in the area and your kid loves these characters or fairy tales, it is totally worth checking out.  Because our admission is good for 6 more days, Kinsley is already raving about taking Ed there when he returns.  The zoo was fun!  All of the animals are ones you would find around the coast of SC – we even saw a 10-12 foot alligator.  The butterfly house was really neat, too.  Their colors were so pretty and Emerson loved seeing them fly all around!

The other fun thing I wanted to share this week are the new recipes I was able to try. One is Chick-fil-a tasting lemonade.  The verdict:  it was a little time-consuming squeezing all the lemons and while it didn’t taste exactly like Chick-fiil-a, it was good!  Not sure its worth trying it again though.  Especially since I can buy a whole lot more of the pre-made lemonade at the store for the same price.

The second thing I tried was Japanese mayo sauce.  We love Japanese food and the thing that makes it for us is the mayo sauce they serve.  We have tried making it before but have never been able to nail it, and the restaurants keep it a huge secret. Needless to say, when I saw a recipe for it a friend has posted online, I had to try it. The verdict:  while it was really close to the real thing, it wasn’t quite there.  Maybe a little too much vinegar or not enough paprika – but I am hopeful I can tweak it and even if I can’t, it is still close enough to the real thing to do.  And the best part – it isn’t super expensive to make.

Ed returns Monday so I look forward to updating you on how the Lord worked in Africa!!