Dinner at the Edland's

Anna and David Edland by one of their Christmas trees

Kato, one of their three cats (also Red Beard's sister), sleeps soundly in the company of warm and cozy teddy bears

The Edlands have many family heirlooms.  Among one of them, is a beautiful dining room set, which Anna cross-stitched the seats of.  A project that took her almost 5 years!

Last night, we had dinner with our good friends and neighbors, the Edlands.  Anna and David Edland are the parents of Mateo's friend, Malachi.  They have a lovely, warm and cozy home up the street.  Anna made a wonderful chicken dish which is their version of Chicken Cordon Blue.  They served it with baked baby potatoes and steamed veggies.  The meal was delicious and the company and conversation was, as always, delightful.  I made a lemon pudding cake with candied lemons and lemon simple syrup with some beautiful Meyer lemons I got from my dear Aunt Felipa.  We feel so blessed to have the Edlands in our lives.  Anna has the rare and coveted blessing of working from home.  So on most days, she is able to take Mateo to and from school and is happy to include him on their weekly stops to one of our local eateries (Pollo Loco, The Habit, Panda Express, etc.) on the way home from school.  Mateo spends a lot of time at their home and he is treated like a son by David and Anna.  As a mother, there is nothing that touches your heart more than knowing that your child is truly loved and cared for by others.

When we were looking for a home in this neighborhood, we looked at and fell in love with several other homes before we found ours.  We had our hearts broken a few times on escrows that fell through or sellers that changed their minds.  Each time that happened, I felt our dream slip away farther and farther.  I felt discouraged.  Finally, we stumbled upon the house that we now call home and although it was in less than desirable conditions, it was in the right neighborhood.  So we embarked on a construction project that took almost 3 years but we made it home. Our home.  And even though our home is the embodiment of what our humble dreams call our dream home, it is made even more special by the fact that we have such wonderful and caring neighbors as Anna and David.  I guess the moral to the story is never lose hope and trust in God's plan for your life.  Sometimes, the things we cling on to are not meant for us and there is something better in store for us.

Happy New Year, Everybody!!!  May God bless you all and bring you happiness, health, love and friendship in 2013!
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