The cast is gone but for how long???

After what seemed like forever, Jack finally got his cast off last week. He had a great Dr. and thought the tool he used to saw off the cast was cool. He is to take it easy for the next couple of weeks. What does that mean? No skate boarding, No diving off the board or going down the water slide, No wrestling, No horse play of any kind and No More Climbing Up Door Frames!! We'll see how this all goes down.

On this day Jack wore a very appropriate shirt. The front said, "I bust mine" and the back said, "So I can kick yours!" The nurse thought it was funny. Jack said, "I pretty much just stick to what the front of it says- I'm not the fighting type."

I hope this is the last time our boy breaks a body part. Wishful thinking!

Hope and Turning 70

No one knows how much time they have on this earth. We are not guaranteed tomorrow but I think it's very easy to take tomorrow for granted. Yesterday, we celebrated my father-in-law's 70th birthday. He didn't want to celebrate and has been in a mood most foul lately. His health has been questionable the last year or so. His father and one of his brothers didn't make it to the age of 70. His other brother died at the age of 76. He sees the end in site. This is frightening to him. Why?











































I think that he is missing out on HOPE. What I mean is this. He has not accepted Christ as his savior. He doesn't have the "guarantee" that he is going to heaven when this life is over. This hurts my heart!

You can go jumping through the hoops your whole life: I am a good neighbor, I go to church, I've been baptized, I've been confirmed, I am kind, I give to the needed, I've been a "good" person my whole life... this is not what gets you to heaven. Salvation is quite simple really- we just make it harder than it has to be. When Jesus was dying on the cross and one of the thieves who was up there on a cross with him said, "Surely you are the Son of God." Jesus said to him, "Today you will be with me in paradise." That thief accepted Jesus as his Savior and when he died he was with Jesus. That thief had never been baptized, attended church, been confirmed etc., and he went to heaven. Salvation is just an acceptance away. Accepting Christ as your Savior is the only way to Heaven.

My hope is that my father-in-law will see this and ask Jesus in his heart. I want to know that I will see him again one day in the most perfect of conditions. I want my children to know that we will be reunited with all our loved ones in heaven one day.

My daughter once asked my mom if she was going to Heaven and my mom replied, "Well, I don't know, I hope so." Mia said, "Grandma, if you don't know for sure than I'm afraid for you." My mom then started in on me, "You put her up to this, didn't you?" "No" I replied, "She asked me if you were going to Heaven and I told her to ask you- I don't know what your standing with Jesus is." My mom is under the impression that she has done too many bad things and that God won't want her. The thing is WE all fall short- Meaning we are all sinners. No one is better than anyone else. And yet we have a God who loved us enough that he sent his perfect, sinless Son to this world full of sin to take OUR sin to the cross in our place.

Wow!! How amazing is that . I am a flawed, yucky thing and HE still loves me. HE wants and loves ALL of us. The perfect gift.

So I guess what I am saying is this. Every day on earth is a gift. We have a greater gift waiting for us when we leave this earth.

"I have been young, and now am old; yet I have not seen the righteous forsaken. Ps 37:25

Happy 70th birthday, Larry. See the beauty and joy that each day brings and know that you are loved. Know that there is something grand waiting on the other side of this life and God wants you to be a part of it.

Women who Rock!

Hello people

Today, we took my brother and his children to 10 Minute (our favorite Chinese restaurant) for a lovely family meal. When it came time to open our fortune cookies we all took turns reading aloud what our fortunes said. Mine read, " you will always be surrounded by good friends." My daughter immediate replied, " Wow, mom, that is so true. You've got some of the best friends around." My brother than said, "You must be talking about the ladies I met at your house the other day."

I am so fortunate to have the network of friends that I do. These women are wonderful. The best part is that they are so uniquely different and each has a beauty that is all their own. We have been there for each other through times of trial and times of joy. We can be REAL with one another. We don't compete against each other. Our friendship isn't dependant on what we have to gain by having each other in our lives. Through thick or thin we are there for each other and when one's going through a bump in the road the others will carry her through.

Although we are all different there is one key thing that ties us together. That is our love for Jesus. When Christ is the center of anything it can't be anything but good. I am truly humbled by the people He has placed in my life. Each one of these ladies is such a blessing to me and everyday I thank God for them.

Blogs I dig!!

Here are some of the blogs I follow on a regular basis.

http://hereandnow06.blogspot.com/

http://www.princesslasertron.com/

http://lalalovelythings.blogspot.com/

http://hotdiggityldr.blogspot.com/

http://pleasesirblog.blogspot.com/

I hope you enjoy them as much as I do.

Kickin' it old school

Last night I had the pleasure of going to a concert with some of my favorite people. This was no ordinary concert either. This was old school talent- nothing computer generated and certainly not lip syncing.

The band of which I speak is Heart. And let me tell you they did not disappoint. I've been listening to their music for decades and they sound as good if not better than they did when they started out in the 70's. No rust on the singing pipes here. And Nancy was rockin' the guitar like no other. Their live performance ranks right up there with U2- and that coming from me says a lot.

I've always thought they were so cool. I was just a little kid the first time I heard them. I can still remember my mom playing their albums and me thinking, "Those ladies are rockin' out like the boys- COOL!"

Last night was great. And I learned a few things during the show.

1) People who drink excessively do really stupid things.

2) Eddie Money needs to retire.

3) I have really good friends.

4) You don't need botox to age gracefully- Ann and Nancy are proof of that.

5) Never, ever take a kid to an outdoor concert where alcohol runs freely- We saw a boy get a full frontal flash from an intoxicated 40-50 year old woman who thought she was hot business. Do you think the kid is going to remember the music when he looks back on this memory?

6) Don't hop the fence if you don't have a pass- you're just asking for trouble and you look like a fool.

7) There are nice people everywhere.

8) You are only as old as you feel.

9) It pays to be responsible.

10) My friends offer the best entertainment around.

Last night was great and I will be going to see Heart again this fall. But until then, I'm headed down to the basement to play a little guitar hero- I don't think I'll be able to rock to Barracuda quite like Nancy does though.

Happy Father's Day X 2

I am married to a great guy. For Mother's day and Father's day we generally gather our little family together for a movie and dinner in the city. And we did just that- this past weekend!

For whatever reason I had it in my head that F-Day was Sunday the 14Th. I had my kids make their cards and notes to their dad and I had written my sentiments on my card. We hid them away so he wouldn't see them before Sunday.

So, Sunday the 14Th arrives. Happy Father's Day, Tim!! He enjoyed opening his cards and then it was off to church. During greeting time I was sharing the F-Day wish with our male friends at church but thought it odd that these fabulous father's didn't really know how to reply- they just gave me a really confused look. "Off day", I thought.

On the way to Omaha we were discussing our dining options and I said, " we should probably go to the movie and have a late lunch/ early supper to avoid the long wait." However, the restaurants didn't appear to be busy -" it's the economy" I thought to myself.

We had a wonderful "Father's day. Until my dear friend Sandy called and informed me that it wasn't Father's day yesterday. Do you know how many people I talked to about father's day? Now I know why my dialect was met with a blank stare- Idiot! I actually had other people thinking yesterday was the big day as well.

I had to quick call my husband to stop him from giving his dad his F-day gift today. I thought we were late which is often the case. Who knew I'd be way ahead of schedule for once.

The best part is we will get to celebrate Tim again next Sunday. If anybody deserves a second Father's day it's this guy- he's married to a real airhead.

Things to do when it's rainy or too cold to go to the pool.

Hello. Well summer is coming up fast unfortunately it doesn't feel like it in my neck of the woods. So in order to keep a swing in my step and not hibernate until the warm weather hits I have a list of freaking fantastic things to do to keep me and the peeps busy.

1. clean and organize. NO it's not fun but once it's done it's so refreshing. My kids found some great treasures while cleaning up. My daughter had forgotten about the sewing machine she got for Christmas until she rediscovered it in a pile- SWEET!!

2. Organize photos and work on albums. My kids love to see old pictures of me and their dad. Do you remember all those bad fashions of the 80's? These little bits of humiliation create hours of enjoyment for the peeps.

3. Read a good book. I make my kids read a chapter a day. It's the law. They may read more if they wish and sometimes they do. It keeps their nogs busy and the house quite.

4. Sew something. Now that we've found Mia's machine we are going to try to sew up some aprons and other fun things.

5. Movie marathon. The Lord of the Rings Trilogy makes for one long marathon. If that's not your thing change it up.

6. Adventures in baking. I love to bake but I tend to get into a rut and make the same things over and over. I think I'm going to try making some sort of recipe for cupcakes- from scratch of coarse.

7. Plan a party. I think I may have a Rock Band party for my friends. Nothing better than watching a bunch of middle aged chicks trying to perfect tunes by Blue Oyster Cult- Cow bell optional.

8. Game night. We are gamers in this house. Once my mom and I got into a fierce scrabble-off and played for about 15 hours straight. That will pass the time.

9. Write a letter. This is becoming a lost art. I love to get a written letter or note. Even better, create a card to send.

10. Make indoor s'mores. Take your graham crackers and place them on a cookie sheet. Put a marshmallow on top and pop them under the broiler for a few. When the mallows are toasted pop a mini peanut butter cup on top and finish it off with a graham cracker topper. Voila!!

So there you go- a few indoor activities to keep you busy. Have a great summer.