What I Learned in November

 ACK!!!! It is almost December, people!!! When I look back at the picture I took on November 1 {see below}, it seems more like a year ago, not a month ago. So much has happened since I last shared what I learned, and I have much more that I crammed into my little noggin this month! I present to you...what I learned in November!

1. I appreciate a warm fall.

The Midwest was not entirely void of cold/rainy days this fall, but I have to say, we were quite {pleasantly} overrun with above average warm fall days, and I loved them. Took this picture on November 1st, where I declared we had the best of all the worlds. Stunning fall color on trees, sunshine, blue skies, and sleeveless dresses. Oh yes, please.


2. I am grateful I could vote.

I'm not an overly political person. I don't talk politics in real life or on the blog. And I know this year has been extra rough for everyone on this scene. And my little votes {for all offices} may not have even mattered in the grand scheme. But when I stood at the polls and voted, I felt a sense of thankfulness that I had the opportunity to stand there and cast a vote. Whether or not those I voted for were ultimately elected, I know there are people all over this world who wish they had the opportunity to do what I did, and that was not lost to me in that moment. So I was grateful.

3. I do not miss raking. At all.

This month, my Facebook feed was overrun with pictures of raking parties from years gone by. We only had one tree at our old house, but it was big and leafy. We would rake and bag, rake and burn, rake and mulch...ohhhhhhhhhhhhhhh the raking. This year? No raking. Thank. The. Lord. {Also - I took a walk one day that led me to a cul-de-sac in our neighborhood, and about half the neighborhood was out dragging HUGE piles of leaves into the street. It's such a pretty little section of the neighborhood, but I immediately texted Ryan and told him I found the one downfall of that street: they have all the mature trees and they were paying the price.} 

 4. I need to learn how to curl my hair like a grownup.

Source

I have been growing my hair out for a year. It is THE slowest process ever for me. As it's growing, though, I'm learning I have exactly two hairstyles: straight and crunchy curly. So basically, if you see me with crunchy hair, you know I was either lazy or in a hurry and didn't want to take time to straighten it. But you know what I cannot do? Soft curls. I don't own the right curling iron and my hair is SO THICK, I'm not sure it would work if I tried it. But I think it's time I learned to do my hair like a grownup.

5. Setting up a website is not for the faint of heart. Or the technologically challenged. I am both.

I decided earlier this year that it would be a good idea to create a website that is more of a business site, so I can use it as a resource page for writing and speaking. But my creativity does not bend this way, so the days I spent bent over my laptop trying to create this thing were very nearly my undoing. I needed naps and lattes and extra grace. And possibly an additional brain. Kudos to you who revel in website creation. You are my heroes. {For the record, this is still in process and still taxing my brain.}

6. Diesel nozzles don't fit in non-diesel cars. 

Did you know this? I did not, until the day I accidentally grabbed the diesel nozzle at the pump. GOD BLESS THE PERSON(S) who came up with this idea and saved the Shaffer team from maddening car repairs this month!

7. Brussels sprouts grow on stalks.

Did you know this? I always thought they grew in the little netting bag I buy them in at the grocery store. {HA!} Ryan and I were walking through Sam's Club one day and there was this big old stalk of Brussels sprouts, and I just stopped right there on the spot and said SHUT UP. I had no idea they grew on a stalk!  
 

8. A year can make a big difference. 

Today is my one year "fixaversary." It was a year ago today that Ryan and I began the journey to clean eating, working out, and trying to be healthier in general. I remember that day so well, how daunting it felt, how frustrating it was to survive from morning to night without 18 cookies, and how much I HURT from the workouts. It's still a struggle. I still want the cookies, and some of the workouts still make me hurt. But I've learned MANY good habits in the last year, and when I look at the difference from last year to this year, I'm really encouraged. It will be a forever focus for me. This will probably never come naturally. But it can be done! The pictures above are from last year's Thanksgiving and this November. The one from last year was the picture that was my final straw. I hated it so much, I decided to make a change. I'm not done changing, but I've sure come a long way.

Savory Sweet Potatoes

First up...it's podcast Tuesday! Hope we can keep you company while you decorate or wrap or address cards or whatever you've got going on this week! Lots of fun this week: stories from Thanksgiving, decorating our new home, and some highlights from our anniversary trips in the past few years!

Click here to listen. 

And now...it's time for a new recipe!

As you know, I didn't know until this past year that I even liked sweet potatoes. I had been tainted by the Thanksgiving presentation of them buried in marshmallows and pecans, and I didn't have a clue there were other options of ways to prepare them.

In the process of learning that I actually do like them, I also learned I prefer them to lean a bit more to the savory side. I started out making the sweet potato chip/fries, and I still like them that way, but not every meal is a chip/fry meal, so I've been on the hunt for additional recipes.

So I found this recipe on Pinterest and did some tweaking to make it my own. I have served it twice now at Tuesdays at the Table, and both times, it got rave reviews - and one time the thumbs up came from a couple who doesn't even really like sweet potatoes. Ryan also really likes it, so I've decided to make it a permanent fixture in the Shafferland recipe box. 

I also want to say, before I launch into the recipe, that seriously, the hardest part of this recipe is cutting up the sweet potatoes. It is so easy to make. I love a recipe that is simple and delicious, so here you go! 

Savory Sweet Potatoes

* 3 average sized sweet potatoes

* 1 1/2 Tablesoons olive oil

* 1/2 teaspoon thyme

* 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder

* 1/2 teaspoon chili powder

* 1/2 teaspoon cumin

* 1 teaspoon sugar

* 1/2 teaspoon seasoned salt

Wash sweet potatoes and cut into small cubes. Dump cubes into an oven safe baking dish and drizzle with olive oil. Use a spatula to toss potato cubes in oil until well coated. In a small bowl, combine all the seasonings and sprinkle over the potatoes in oil. Stir until well-coated. Bake, uncovered, at 400 degrees for an hour, stirring two or three times throughout the hour. Check potatoes to make sure they are soft when speared with a fork.

* A Few Tips

* The smaller you cut the potato cubes, the faster they will cook. It will take longer to prep, but you'll be glad you did it when the house starts to smell delicious!

* The original recipe said to bake on a large cookie sheet for 40 minutes. The potatoes will definitely bake faster if spread out like that, but since I'm usually making this recipe for a nicer dinner, so I prefer to go ahead and put it in a nice baking dish, even though that means it has to bake longer.

* Make sure you don't skip stirring the potatoes; this helps bring the uncooked ones to a new spot in the dish to speed along the process.

* If the potatoes are still hard after an hour, keep baking them and check the dish every five or ten minutes until they are soft. 

* If you like your veggies extra seasoned, you could always double the seasoning, and likewise, if you prefer them a little more bland, you could cut the seasoning in half. I think this amount is just right for our tastes. 

* This pairs really nicely with any meat and makes for a colorful vegetable option. It's also a good thing to serve if you have company with babies, because if they've started on solid foods, sweet potatoes are often a big win!

* This also reheats nicely if you have leftovers.

Christmas in Shafferland 2016

Know what I wish? I wish we could have you ALL over for a big blog bash this Christmas. Wouldn't that be fun? Sitting around in the living room, watching Hallmark movies {because of course} and drinking coffee {I did make some stellar hot chocolate for you coffee haters} and soaking up all the Christmas decor. It would be such fun.

But since we're spread far and wide across this country {and world}, I'll just invite you to a virtual tour of our Christmas! In full disclosure, the house isn't quite done. The living room tree, which will be our live tree, has yet to be purchased. We'll take care of that in a few days, but meanwhile, I wanted to show you the rest of the house in all its cozy beauty.

I also noted as I decorated that all our decorations fit so perfectly in here. More perfectly than our old house, actually. I've told Ryan more than once that it's so odd to me how two houses that can be so similar in square footage can handle furniture and decorations so differently. Layout matters, I guess!

As I show you the pictures, I'm going to share a few reasons why my decorations are special to me. Our home will never be in a magazine, and I don't have a marked style across the house, but every single thing I put up has a memory attached, and that matters to me.

We'll start with some outside decor. A little tree Lynne gave me for Christmas one year, when I was still working at the station:

 The red lantern is the one we talked about on Spill the Beans last week: the one we got at a discount because it was missing most of its glass!

 Gifts from Ryan's mom. Ryan's step-dad made the little tree. Isn't it so cool?

 The door that used to belong on my grandparents' garage. I painted a chalkboard on it and got my Christmas art inspiration from Pinterest {of course}.

 My old little red wagon. One of the most complimented parts of our landscaping.

And now...inside!

After 16 years of having a galley kitchen, it was so much fun to have a bigger kitchen to decorate this year. And yes, I put a full sized tree in our kitchen. I did that because that window is the only window that looks out over the street, and I wanted passers-by to have a pretty view! I made this my s'more/gingerbread ornament tree. I've been collecting those for years and love how they make a perfect kitchen tree!

I also have these little shelves, which conveniently LOOK like a tree. :)

 Our coffee cup advent countdown is ready to go! Well. Almost. They're actually currently empty. So maybe not so much on the "ready to go." But they will be by December 1!

 Up close. I am so excited to have this little {okay, big} addition this year. This will be something new for us, and I'm just really excited!

Even though the tree is not up, we do have a few things up in the living room to make it festive. Two things here: the "Joy" canvas we painted at my mom's 80th birthday party this summer {love having that memory to get out every time I decorate} and our cards from each year framed. {I actually have this year's card already framed and displayed, but I took it down for the picture so I wouldn't give it away before I mail them out!}

 My friend Amy {from WBCL} gave us a dated Christmas frame as a gift one year, and we loved it so much that we get one every year. Last year we waited too long and almost couldn't find one! EEK! Not making that mistake again. Our 2016 frame is purchased and in hiding behind the 2015 frame. We do a photo together each Christmas day that we put inside these frames. And yes, I am aware that in 30 years, we are going to have a lot of frames in this house!

 Stocking time!!!

Our bedroom has a newly themed tree this year. Last year, right before Christmas, I had the chance to review a set of Adorenaments from Family Life Today. I loved them so much that I bought two more sets {there are a total of five sets available} and I used the three sets I have to decorate our bedroom tree. I love it that this whole tree is focused on Jesus and His names and attributes. This might be my favorite tree this year!

 The whole tree is in metallic tones and I love that, too. And I just love falling asleep to a beautiful tree every night. Christmas is the most lovely season.

In our bedroom, I also have my grandparents' Bible {the one in the photo on the front of my Advent book!} and a little cloche jar filled with figurines my Grandma used to have in her house. I also have a white ceramic nativity scene not pictured here, because Ryan was repairing a broken arm on Baby Jesus when the photo shoot occurred. But the nativity used to belong to my great grandma, and my mom painted it. So it's sort of a whole family history thing going on.

Our bathroom is probably one of the least-decorated rooms. {Things to work on for next year. There is a wooden Christmas tree in there and these little Isabel Bloom figurines I inherited from my former roommate, Angela, right before she died. She knew how much I loved Christmas, and she wanted me to have them. This year {actually two days from now} marks five years since she's gone to Heaven, and I still am so thankful for the impact she had on my life. I'm grateful to have these small reminders of her to display in her honor each year.

Our guest room has some Christmas cheer, and of course I have a million ideas swirling in my head for future years, too

More Isabel Bloom figurines, some vintage ornaments my mom gave me a few years ago, and one of my "joy" decorations. {Since that's my middle name, I like to get decorations that say that.}

 The little box in front came from a centerpiece at my niece's wedding this summer. I love it!

 My favorite little nativity. I found it in a tiny shop out in Greensburg five years ago when I went out there for Thanksgiving. It is just darling and I've never seen another one just like it. I debated on whether or not to buy it, and I'm so glad I did.

 The shelf in the guest room. :)

 This tree has no sentimental value. It's just red and silver to match the room. But it's so cute and cozy.

Our guest bathroom doesn't have a lot of decor {yet}. But I turned it into a Colts themed room!

My office is probably the least decorated room. I have a little ceramic tree in there {one of the great vintage ones that everyone used to have. Mom painted mine!}

Next year I'll put more in there. :)

But I will say that it's a pretty great start to Christmas in Shafferland. Looking forward to getting our live tree and setting it up together. Ryan and I enjoy doing that each year, and when we do, I'll let you see the results! :)

Thanks for touring our little humble home. Hope you enjoyed it!

The Shafferland Shuffle

* After our busy weekend last weekend {hosting a craft night on Friday and all day shopping extravaganza on Saturday}, we literally had the restiest of all the resty Sundays. Church, leftovers, naps, football, scrapbooking, and of course, Ryan's traditional Sunday evening fare of chips and salsa/queso. Boring blog fodder but one sweet day.

* Monday, I decided to bake some cookies for Ryan, and they turned out to be pretty delicious, I must say! Maple cookies with frosting. Know what was NOT delicious? Tripping over my computer cord and whamming my foot into the ottoman. Ryan and his co-workers diagnosed me with at least one broken toe, and he taped me right up. I hobbled around for the rest of the night before giving up and reading. That seemed safe.

* Tuesday, I did my first podcast interview! {If you missed it, Ryan and I are continuing Spill the Beans every week, but I'm adding an occasional interview podcast to it, and I recorded the first one that day!} That night, we hosted Tuesdays at the Table with some of the very first friends we ever made as a couple! It was a fun night!

* Wednesday was a cold, rainy, miserable day on the outside, but I had a warm and cozy day on the inside while I traveled all around our old hometown of Marion, seeing friends and delivering copies of the Be Still book to people who were doing a little Christmas shopping! It was so much fun to see them. I came home to find the Christmas ornaments I ordered to commemorate our house sale/purchase had arrived, AND Ryan was kind to let the TV stay on Hallmark movies all evening - even if he did mock them. ;) That's just a banner day all the way around.

* Thursday, of course, was Thanksgiving, and this year we spent the holiday with my family. It was a comical day, for sure, as family gatherings always tend to be! When we were done celebrating with them, we went to Ryan's family party for a bit, but it was mostly done by the time we arrived. We had a couple little snacks and came on home to fall into our food comas!

* And when I woke up from my food coma on Friday, hoping to spend the day decking the new halls, I woke up with a crazy sore throat and aching all over. WHAT!?!? Where did THAT come from!? I was MOST unamused. So instead of decorating, I was stuck on the couch, sad that I was too sick to care about anything. By evening, I did feel well enough to at least take down all the fall decor, and Ryan and I spent a quiet evening at home.

* Fortunately, I felt much better yesterday, so while Ryan worked, I began putting up the Christmas trees, and I made a surprising amount of progress, considering I'd lost a whole day of work! When Ryan got home from work, he helped take down the outside fall decorations, and then we went to dinner with some friends - and laughed so hard my face hurt! Definitely a much better day!