Great Weekend!

I know you have better uses for your time than reading about the details of my life. But I just want you to know, great days happen for me! Heavenly Father gives me clarity and drive some days to do what would otherwise be impossible, or detrimental. 

But guys, this was a great weekend! He blessed me so much to accomplish things that would make home a more healing place for me before I'm kind of laid up in the coming months. Thank Thee, Father!

On Saturday, I took my time getting up, but once I was up, I was moving and grooving (mostly in a chair) until midnight. It felt awful, but the satisfying rush of accomplishment trumped the faint, sickening feelings as we ruthlessly purged our closet and put through a few loads of laundry. More than anything, I needed results, and together, we achieved them. Meanwhile, our children played and played and played. Nothing wrong with that!

We had Paleo chicken pot pie for dinner; my mom made it for us after reading my Pi Day rant earlier that day. (*meeep*) Thanks Mom! 

My extended family is appreciating the merit and tastiness of Paleo cooking--yay!

My husband worked a little, but spent most of the day being my reacher and lifter and honey-doer. We got so much done together. SO MICH!!! With our vision and his efficiency, we made our home more pleasant to live in! That's going to make a big difference for me in the coming weeks since I'll continue to be home a lot. 

We went to bed laughing over something silly my taller half had said. Sometimes we go to bed laughing, and last night was one of those nights. Going to bed laughing is a good thing, and too rare for me the last several months! This was a great end to our day. I'm so GRATEFUL we got to spend it together. 

Today I felt like we were all well-dressed for church, and it made a difference. Mentally, I was put together. It felt good to be in our Sunday best instead of just throwing stuff together. Since our closet was pared down, it was easy to see what we had! 

My husband has owned one suit for all our eight years of marriage, and it gave up the ghost last fall. He has been improvising ever since with slacks and sweaters. But a few weeks ago, we got him two snazzy suits. Today he wore his delicious new "shark suit" with an orange tie. He looks positively fierce to me--whew! I wore a pleated, polka dot skirt I found at the thrift store. It's 100% polyester and looks like it belonged to an old lady before it was mine, but I LOVE the polka dots and the way it swishes. The polyester keeps it colorfast and a dreamy texture. 

My children looked cuter than Jane and Michael Banks, with my daughter in her frilly, bright pink dress and my son in his snazzy, navy suit. I love those guys. Give your mother a kiss--mmmuah!

Church itself was so spiritually saturated for me. I could hardly take it all in! I took so many notes to ponder on this week. I. Loved. It. I love church. I NEED it. We can endure to the end seven days at a time, people. Just make it to the next Sacrament Meeting, and you'll be a new person, born again, clean as a whistle! Don't think of enduring decades--just make it to Sunday! (Like that? Read Brad Wilcox's The Continuous Atonement.)

After church I played my guitar for few minutes and tweaked the lyrics to a song I've been working on. Then I finally rested my body in the recliner and enjoyed watching my husband make Paleo chocolate chip cookies--and also our whole family snitch some while they were still warm. :) Seeing my sweetheart in the kitchen, wearing an orange tie and apron--woooo-ee! That makes my heart go pitter-patter if you know what I mean! I had to take a picture so I could keep cherishing this memory. 

We went to our extended family dinner. I had my husband show his new shark suit to everyone because he just looked so nice. We ate abundantly and well. It was my first big meal since my pain attack last Tuesday, and it felt AMAZING to get full and not have a problem afterwards. We topped off the meal with dessert--cookies! The Paleo cookies were a hit! (Want the recipe? Looks for "Real Deal Chocolate Chip Cookies" on the Against All Grain website. We use Enjoy Life semisweet Megachunks--because chocolate should come in chunks, wouldn't you agree?)

My sweetheart had me play the song for everyone on my guitar, and I botched it BADLY with all the new changes I'd made and not being warmed up at all. But once things were quiet, I sang it again and had my husband and father-in-law sing some harmonizing parts to the chorus. It was wonderful. 

I loved sharing this song that was given to me by heaven in the night, and having other people internalize it and feel it with me. What joy! Every other song I've helped bring into this world was from heaven too. I'd suddenly remember it from a forgotten time before earth, pen it, and play it. It's all Heavenly Father. My husband appreciates these songs because he loves me, but it was nice to have more than my solitary voice participate in this heavenly gift of this particular song tonight.  

Our kids played with aunts, uncles, and cousins; they get tons of attention and feel like a million bucks around our big family. We adults connected through visiting. It was beautiful and awesome. 

When we got home, my children asked me to sing them Ricky Gervais's "Celebrity Lullaby," and I said I would if they were ready for bed in five minutes. They each prayed, then got "serenaded" by me and my guitar. There were giggles all around. I like sending my children to bed laughing too when I can. (Don't know what lullaby I'm talking about? Look the video up on YouTube. It's worth the watch! The guitar chords are Am, F, C, G.)

This was about the most perfect weekend I could have right now. No, it was better! Heavenly Father gives me boosts just at the right times, like the water stations along a marathon route. I'm about to ascend a challenging climb, and I don't know when the next rest stop will be, so I cherish days like these!!! Tomorrow I will get a PICC line placed and start my new antibiotic regimen. It'll be a challenge. But I have the Messiah Series to watch, my friend is letting me borrow seasons of the Cosby Show, and my coloring books will arrive soon. I have a beautiful bunch of fluorescent daisies to look at from my visiting teacher (her little girl chose them:). People keep leaving love notes on my door and in the mail, and I collect and read over each one when I need a lift. Things are really grand and okay. I am grateful!

Thank Thee Heavenly Father for giving me positivity and a happy weekend. Thank Thee for knowing what I need. I am so, so grateful!