Thank goodness for indoor playgrounds!

Yesterday our family had a short get together at an indoor playground. The Treehouse,Lake Zurich is truly just a video game free- playground, with climbing, running, sliding and more!  And, considering the weather (rain, rain and more rain), we were very thankful for this place!  Because of every ones very busy schedules, we planned to get there as soon as they opened, let the kids play for a couple of hours and then go to lunch together.  It is difficult to find activities that are good for a 2 year old as well as not so bad for an almost 13 year old.  Thankfully, Lia is happy to just be with our family, no matter what the activity is!  There was plenty for her to do at this place and all of the kids had a great time.  Grace ran for the entire time.  Doug and Susie had a difficult time getting her to stop to drink some water. This was a new place for all of us, and the kids all wanted to know when they could come back.

I managed to snap this photo of Doug and Gwen together!  We don't often think to take pictures like this, and I was grateful to catch a "sister/brother" shot.

After all the running, sliding and playing all of the kids were hungry.  Gwen, Susie and I were very thankful for a close by eating place that we always order from during our scrapbook weekends.
We took our "crew" (that's what it feels like when there are 11 of us) to Meat and Potato Eatery!

 When I snapped this picture, I missed Susie and me, so here is a bonus selfie of the two of us!

 Everyone chowed down on really delicious food and we all had a great time sharing stories and large amounts of various fries. Everyone went out the door with multiple carry out boxes.  So if you ever have a chance to visit this place, know that the portions are really big!

Gwen and Tim and the kids had to scoot out quickly since Zeke had a floor hockey game in the early afternoon.  Tim and Anna also had a late afternoon "Daddy and Me" event at her preschool (so Gwen also had the same event in her classroom).  Susie and Doug and Gracie were off to look for a new vehicle to tow their camper.  Ken and I were grateful to just be heading home!

I was thinking about the fact that this was just a couple of hours that we were together.  Yet, it was such a good time.  Sometimes we think that we must have big, long events to make memories.  The truth is just being together, even when it is just a short time, is so life giving.  Nothing makes this mom and grandma happier than seeing everyone having fun together.  The kids were certainly glad to see Ken feeling so much better.  After finally getting free from his PIC line and IV, and mostly able to stand and walk normally, all of the kids were glad to give Grandpa lots of hugs!

My advice today is to make those memories - even when you only have a couple of hours to spare.  Don't wait around for those big events.  Call up your friends or family and spend a couple of hours doing something fun.  Cap off the time together by sharing some snacks or a meal.  It doesn't have to be fancy or expensive.  Just be together.  Give those hugs, and share that love!

Jesus, thank you for the reminder that love is what matters.  Holy Spirit, nudge us to connect with the people around us who matter the most.  Help us to find time to share fun, laughter and love with others.   Give us hearts that are willing to find time in our schedules to make memories.  Thank you for wonderful indoor (year around) playgrounds.  Amen

When pictures on the walls makes you feel at home....

It has only been a few weeks since our painting project was completed, but it feels like it has been a long time since the house has felt like my home.  Isn't it funny how pictures on the walls make your home feel "right"?  I wanted to make good decisions about the placement of pictures and weed out things that really didn't need to be up any longer.  But, boy was this a difficult task.   I had piled everything off the walls from almost the entire house (except my scrap room and Ken's camera room) into my scrap room.  What a mess!  I couldn't really use my room at all for the totes and bags and boxes of wall stuff.  Once Ken was home from the hospital and I had a bit of time to just breathe, I started to sort and figure out what I wanted to put up right away. 

First up - the grandchildren frames. 

Susie actually created each of these frames for me and there is one for each of the grandchildren.  They are "Grandma and...." frames and I cherish each one.  It felt so good to hang those up! Nothing makes me smile more than seeing those frames every time I walk in that hallway.  

We got some new shelves that fit my scrapbook collection and allow for display of some other family photos!

I have wanted a way to have easy access to my scrapbooks and it was such a wonderful thing to find these shelf units that are big enough to hold the 12X12 albums.  I actually have lots of space left for all of the books that I still need to fill with pictures.  

Slowly, the home improvement work is getting done.  We still have a couple more big projects to complete (interior doors, carpet upstairs, and railings on our stairs) but it is actually starting to feel almost done.  It is interesting that I am blogging about these updates during this week.   It is actually the 41st anniversary of our moving into this house.  Ken and I closed on the house on February 17,  1978 and moved in on the 25th.  This was just before we closed on the house...

There had been a large snowstorm just a week before our closing and we had to wait for the builder to install some kind of driveway for access to the house.  The front yard was just a mud pit and there were piles of snow and dirt everywhere.  But we moved in!  

One thing is certain.  This has been a wonderful home for Ken and I and our children.  We brought both kids home from the hospital to this house.  The room that is now my scrapbook room (which is where I am currently sitting) was our nursery.  There were countless birthday parties, Christmas celebrations and everything in between.  So many memories, so much love.  While we have gotten rid of much of the interior that was here in 1978, the foundation is the same.  And it is a good, sturdy foundation.

I love the old children's Bible song The Wise Man Built His House On The Rock.  There have been many prayers going up from this house, and so many blessing have come down..  Yes, it was a good decision for us when we purchased our home so many years ago never thinking that we would still be in this house 41 years later.  Every time I open the front door, I am thankful for this house, for my family and for every one of those years.  

Pictures on the walls have helped me feel more at home in my house, but it is really the love and the memories that fill me inside these walls.  Yes I am thankful for the house and all of the stuff inside of it.  But mostly I am thankful for the blessing of my family.  And so thankful for the foundation of Jesus in my life, that has given me my own firm foundation.  

Jesus, thank you for pouring out your blessings on my family.  Help each one of us to see the importance of building our life on your strong foundation.  Holy Spirit remind us of every time we have been secure in times of trouble so that we will not fear the approach of any flood.  Give us courage and boldness to share your love Jesus.  Amen

Longing for a return to my "normal" life....

You just never know how much you will miss your "normal" routine, until you suddenly are so far out of the routine, you wonder where you are!  These past four weeks have been a whirlwind of events that included our return from Florida to a "polar Vortex", Anna's 5th birthday, Grace's 2nd birthday, Ken tearing three major muscles trying to clean up our house, getting our upstairs totally painted, Ken spending 8 days in the hospital, followed by home IV therapy that requires frequent trips to the hospital, plus multiple snow events, freezing rain, ice storms, and all around really lousy weather.  Yeah, this is a four week time period I would not want to relive!

This was my view from Ken's hospital room.  I spent quite a bit of time looking out that window.  Several times there were giant snowflakes that were floating UP due to the strong winds.  That's right!  I forgot to mention that we also had 60 mile an hour winds after an ice storm!  The very painful tear of three major muscles left Ken pretty much not able to move around and wondering when his next pain medicine was due.  Because of the serious muscle damage in his hip/buttock region, his leg swelled to a really alarming size, which compounded his walking ability.  A urinary tract infection (caused by one of his medications) had the doctors searching for the site of a blood infection (which turned into a real wild goose chase).  Needless to say, we now know that his heart is in pretty good shape, he doesn't have an infection in the area of the muscle tear, he doesn't have any lung problems and most likely the whole thing is a urinary issue!  It was a stressful, long 8 days dealing with way to many doctors.  This was the view from the waiting area on his floor, when I could manage to take a walk for a quick breather....

This was quite a learning experience for me and Ken.  We learned it is true that the medical world doesn't really care if you can afford treatment or not, and they don't take that into account when ordering tests and scans and more tests!  We found out that often times, when there are multiple doctors treating the same patient, they will not agree on

 A. what is actually wrong with the patient or 

B. how to treat the patient!  

Several times we had heard one specialty doctor say "don't do that" only to have a different specialty doctor order that exact test!   At this point we are just extremely thankful that Ken is home from the hospital, the end of the IV medication is in sight (in two days he will be done), and he is walking fine and getting around well.  The orthopedic doctor who saw Ken on the first day said "In three weeks, you will be amazed with how well you are doing and in three months you will be totally healed".  That doctor really knew what he was talking about.

For me personally, there were many lessons learned.  I learned that I really miss seeing the grandkids every week.  With our two week vacation just prior to all of this, it has been a LONG time since I got to spend the day with the kids.  

We did make it to Anna's 5th birthday and Grace's 2nd birthday, but it is not the same as being with the kids while watching them.  

Anna and Grace are almost exactly three years apart- Anna's birthday is January 30 and Grace is February 1.  Seeing them play together at Anna's party just reminded me of the special cousin connection that they will have in the coming years. 

Additionally I was reminded, again, how thankful I am for Gwen and Tim and Doug and Susie.  Because we live close by, there were many hospital visits, lots of phone calls and text messages, and so much care and concern for both Ken and I.  It was such a blessing to have them around to be a sounding board as decisions needed to be made. 

My praying small group kept me held up in prayer, when I was just exhausted and unable to even know what to pray.  They were checking in with me, sending me encouraging words, and letting me know that I was not alone during this stressful time.  They kept Ken covered in prayer when I didn't even know what he needed!  I truly learned that this group of ladies are not just my friends, they are also my support and helpmates. If you don't have a close, small group I encourage you to find one soon.   Like right now!  Because you never know what tomorrow will bring. 

Which is, in fact, the biggest and most important lesson that Ken and I learned from this last month.  While it is good to make plans and look ahead into the future, it is also important to stay in the present day and appreciate all that it has for you.  Things can change on a dime and you just don't know when a sickness or injury or job loss or some other event might just change your normal routine. 

Last week, very near to our home, a senseless tragedy happened.  A lone gunman walked into his long time place of employment and opened fire on his coworkers and on the law enforcement  who responded to the event.  There were deaths and many were injured.  For so many families in this community, their normal was shattered that day.  The nation has rallied to this community and prayers and support have come from all over the country.  It was a wake up call for many who live their lives feeling as if nothing can touch them.  It is a false sense of security. 

I am so thankful that my security comes from Jesus and knowing who I am in Him.  No matter what happens to shake my normal, to rattle those in the community around me, I know that Jesus is on the throne and He is in control.  Whatever the storm, whatever the event, God has got this. Jesus warned us in Matthew 6:34, to not look ahead at tomorrow, but to stay focused on today.  And I can assure you, in the last four weeks, every day has had enough to worry about!  And knowing that God is in control, has given us great comfort.

Today I actually returned to my old "normal", meeting with my small group. It was a wonderful thing to actually get hugs from my dear friends.  My heart and spirit were filled to overflowing with thanksgiving.  Not only for these warrior women and their prayers, but mostly for the God that can not be shaken, who helps us walk through whatever comes our way.    Thankful for today.

Jesus, thank you for being so near to us when we most need you.  Holy Spirit, remind us to stand with those who have experienced a day that has changed their normal forever.  Keep us mindful of those closest to us and give us sensitive hearts to bring your comfort and peace in times of trouble.  Thank you Jesus for loving us.  Amen