Getting There...

Take one little house-on-a-slab.  Tear it up for two weeks by dragging things out of a bedroom and closet to redecorate it...then try to put it all back together and clean the rest of the house before four welcome family members plus cat (also welcome) come to spend eight days.  Make the days cold and snowy so no one can play outside.  Make things as comfortable as possible for everyone...and hope that they can't see the dust and cobwebs. 

How to make things comfortable?  Clean sheets all around.  Clean towels (of which there are only six and need to be laundered every couple of days).  Bring out the coffee maker and put the water distiller outside because it normally sits where the coffee maker goes.  Bring the litter box in and put the distiller where the litter box is stored.  Find a place to hide the blender because it takes up counter space where the additional snacks and cereals must go.  Put a leaf in the table.  Decorate for Easter.  Swish out the toilets.  Vacuum the floors.  Make a feeding station for the feline.  Hide the house plant because the cat likes to eat it.  Try to plan and shop for meals that you know they like.  Hurry, hurry, rush, rush... 

Was everything done in time?  No.  Not even a little.  Robin's room wasn't done.  I still had some furniture painting to finish, and the ordered desk was delayed in getting in.  The garage bedroom bed wasn't made and the room wasn't properly dusted.  The house was NOT as clean as I would have liked, but I knew it wouldn't get any cleaner after they got here, so I just did what I could and begged forgiveness. 

I'm not sure how my family would have rated their experience here last week, but **I** considered it a success.  Robin really seemed to like her "new" bedroom.  Grandson Ryan got to play with his buddy, Jack (although only once).  Robin went shopping with Grandma Judy for a couple of hours.  Both children went swimming twice--once with Grandma Judy and once for the Underwater Easter Egg Hunt at the Rec Center.  We watched two movies at home as a family, and Grandma Judy and I took the grandkids to the theater to see "Oz, the Great and Powerful" in 3D at The Rave (now called Carmike).  Megan and Denis got treated to Beef and Boards for a dinner theater in celebration of Meg's 34th birthday and M and D's third anniversary, complete with balloons, champagne, and cake.  Denis and Megan took the children to the park to play a couple of times.  We played Pictionary quite a few times as a family.  Robin made a birthday cake for her mother.  We had home made lemon bars.  Made egg nests out of butterscotch chips, chow mein noodles, and little egg candies.  Colored Easter eggs.  Tested the frozen yogurt sundaes at Orange Leaf in Avon.  Both children got their very own laptop computers from their mother/stepfather (no small expense).  And we all went to church together--twice!!! 

About church...  Most of my life, I have attended services alone.  I never forced it on my spouse or my daughter (although now I think I should have done more to draw her in).  In any case, since they were all here, I specifically requested that they attend the Maundy Thursday service with me on that Thursday evening...and Easter was a given.  Maundy Thursday is a somber service, in commemoration of the night that Christ had his last supper with his disciples and was betrayed to one of them to be arrrested.  We were invited to leave the sanctuary in silence.  Fitting.  Megan said is was depressing.  (It was.)  BUT...Resurrection Day is a different mood.  We had a brass quintet and a wonderful message/presence.  Glorious! 

Before the benediction, the choir and brass (with organ) were to sing "The Hallelujah Chorus", and members of the congregation were invited to come forward and join them.  I knew it was coming.  Had talked to Megan about it.  She was reluctant.  When the time came, I was going up without her (or so I thought) but Robin asked if she could go up with me.  Wow!  This 10-year-old child had never sung the song before.  Probably had no idea how difficult it is..but was willing to put herself in front of the whole congregation to sing it, along with her Heffelman grandparents and me, to sing to the glory of God.  Proud grandmother?  You betcha!  And I only realized an hour later that Megan has also come forward, but she was standing with the sopranos (where I should have been, although I can't sing soprano anymore).  Hallelujah!

The real Easter Hero was Grandma Judy who volunteered to host Easter dinner at her house.  I could have.  I intended to.  But as the week wore on, my house became more and more a victim of "livedness".  We contributed food, but Judy and Phil supplied most of the vittles and the venue for an egg hunt and nice presents for the kiddos.  The sun had come out and the temps warmed enough for a wonderful Easter day!

The family departed on Monday, later than intended.  I'm just now getting around to getting things back to "normal".  The coffee maker is put away so the distiller can come back and the litter box go back out.  The leaf has been removed from the table.  The towels have been washed.  The Easter decorations have been put away.  The kitchen floor has been swept.  (Don't even ask about how much stuff showed up under the broom!!)  Lots more still to do to get back to "normal"...but I have to say that I would rather have the chaos than the normal.  Having my grandbabies here is the light of my life.  It was a great week with them all here!