Loving so many things...

It is raining right now in Tucson. Rumor has it that we are already over our yearly average rainfall and it's only March 8th! I have to admit, now that I'm not working at the outdoor cafe which is negatively effected by such gloomy days, I love the rain! I'm sitting inside Spill The Beans Coffee Shop, enjoying its coziness of the indoors and watching out the window as the sun peaks out and reflects on the puddles jumping with raindrops. One of my favorite parts about getting rain in Tucson, is that the rivers finally have water in them! I know, we're a little batty in calling dry riverbeds "rivers", but we do, there are even signs that call them rivers. Living on a different side of town has introduced me to my new favorite place to go for walks, the Rillito River! Here it is with water...


I woke up with a nasty cold on Saturday morning, and I've been trying to nurse myself back to health with all sorts of natural remedies. A few favorites have been...

Ginger Tea: (good for congestion)
1 liter of water
4 whole cloves
1 teaspoon of coriander seeds
and a bunch of fresh ginger cut into pieces

-put all ingredients in sauce pan
-let simmer for about 20-30 minutes
-add lemon and honey before sipping!

Honey Ginger Elixer: (good for sore throats/coughing)
1/2 C honey
1/2 C water
1/4 grated fresh ginger

-put all ingredients in sauce pan and let simmer about 10 minutes
-take 1-2 teaspoons at a time

And...the famous Neti Pot! I've heard about the Neti Pot for years, but have never really felt the desire to try it. But, I'm now a convert. It's a saline solution that you pour in one nostril and let it come out the other. Pleasant, huh? Do it once while congested though, and feel the difference...you'll become a believer too.
My CVS brand Neti Pot...


I don't know if I'm allowed to say this or not, but it's my blog, so I think I can say whatever I want...I love my profile! In fact, I think I'm going to miss the full-figure picture of myself.


It's hard to believe that I'm already 37 weeks pregnant, and therefor considered "full term"! I feel so thankful to have been able to carry our baby this far to where they now consider it safe and healthy for the baby to arrive. I really really really can't wait to meet this little person growing inside of me! Though, it is our prayer for an on-time delivery, so we are happy to wait another 3 weeks for this special meet-and-greet. :)

I'm also loving self-striping yarn! I found another pattern for wool diaper covers (well, to be honest, there are hundreds of patterns out there), but this one I felt called for self-striping yarn and baby green's lil' bum.
Here is what the cover should like in the end...

And, this is the self-striping yarn I'm using and the start of the cover...


And, I also loved the way I felt encouraged by SouleMama's blog today when I saw her photo of wool diaper covers drying in the sun.

(photo compliments of soulemama's blog)


I haven't done a whole lot of reading lately, but I have been loving the reading material I have on hand when I do pick it up...

(the book title is covered by the library bar code, but it's "Montessori From The Start".