Back to A “New” Normal…

What a crazy six months it has been around here.

When I look at everything we were going through around Christmas time, and then again through the months of January – June, I just have to shake my head and be very very thankful that we are on the upswing of such a long year of trials and tribulations.

I wanted to take today and catch you up a little bit on how things are going around here, and of course, just chat like we used to do over a cup of coffee months ago. I have Folgers caffinated in my cup…boring but enough of a java shot that I can get going and focus through the rest of my day.

So many of you have asked how Anna, my oldest, is doing.

I am so happy to report she is doing very very well, that the surgical sites are nicely healing and that she is right back to being the totally awesome and amazing teenager that she was before all the downslide of her shunt malfunction happened. It has been somewhat of a curve for her, as she had to get used to a “new Normal”—this time it being one where she can do absolutely anything her heart desires, be it sports or dancing, and not worry about falling, or dealing with dizziness or bloody noses.

Such a blessing.

She runs upstairs and downstairs, has found a new love for trilogies like Lord of the Rings and Marvel Avengers…and never fails to come up to us at least ten times a day and hug us. I think we all appreciate each other even a little more after what we have been through. We have always been close, but you dont need to tell me how unusual it is to have a 14 year old daughter who doesnt think twice about hugging you in public or telling you how much she loves me. Its a precious thing and I hope it lasts for the next 80 years. 😀

Our Littles are not so little anymore, celebrating their 4th birthday only a few days after their big sister had her surgery.

I know you all love pictures so much, so I wanted to share one with you that I think captures this precious and sweet time in their lives. They can sing their ABC’s and count to 20 without thinking about it, love to hear story books, and spend a good part of each day pretending to be animals in the zoo. Which is, of course, fine until zoo time happens to coincide with dinner time, and then we have to politely remind them that little girls use utensils, and do not plant their faces straight into the plate. I am quite sure you can almost hear my eyes rolling at this point. They are full of laughter, and love, and we are thankful for every day that they grace our home and our family.

The Handy Hubby and I are still doing all the same things we were doing before the downslide….we just finished placing antique flooring upstairs with the help of some friends, and refinishing the entryway with materials we have had waiting for almost a year.

This old house is getting more and more lovely as the months pass, and we fall more in love with it every day. I often think about the folks who have lived here over the years and wonder what they would think of it if they could see us slowly restoring it with so much love… Then there are the gardens to take care of, and food to can, rabbits to raise and wood to cut.

So many of those things have ramped down as I find myself unable to keep all the plates spinning that I did before my stroke. While so much has come back, so much is still lost out there somewhere looking for its home…and that is tough for me to adjust to. I am used to doing so many different things to keep the home fires burning, and just learning that you do what you can, rest when you need to, adjust where you need to..its a hard lesson but I am at peace with it. I still soak up every moment in my garden I can, even if it means slowly picking weeds and not getting over tired. We continue to heat with wood, and will do so for a while, but are looking for other, less time intensive options for our family due to all the changes.

So it is with an excitement for what the future holds, and a submission to the changes that will stay in place that I look forward to the next six months and wonder what the good Lord will bring us. A “new normal” was not in my plans…but it was in His, and since He has brought us this far through so much, I am certainly not going to second guess Him now. 😀

I hope that this post finds you also happy, and healthy and soaking up what is left of your summer. Enjoy the warm days while they are still here, and let me know how you are doing.

Many blessings to you and yours, 

`Heather <3