What I Learned in March

Last day of March, people! While I have not hated this month at all, I'm kind of happy to see it come to a close, because I'm looking forward to April and May! Lots of fun things planned in those two months, so I'm ready to get started! Meanwhile, March was not lost. I learned much, and so did Ryan! (He makes an appearance on this list this time!) Check out what the Shaffers learned over the last month! :)


1. Trying to navigate the waters of simple health care is not for the faint of heart.

It's not a problem for me to (try to) help my parents with all the steps and decisions that have come along after Mom's hip replacement. So please don't take point number one as a complaint that I "have to help." It's not that at all. It's that the whole world of health care is like a foreign language, and apparently you can only learn it by jumping in and starting to speak. Simple things (like trying to get a walker through insurance) take far too much time, effort, hoop jumping, and rejection. I mean, for real. It is just. a. walker. It. should. not. be. this. hard. What do people do when they don't have family to help? I am very sure I have no idea, but I have had a sad and heavy heart more than once this month witnessing the confused faces of older people trying to go it alone.

2. "Dressing up" to work each day helps!

Perhaps a more accurate way to state that would be "getting dressed" to work each day helps! In the last year, I got into quite a routine of working in shorts/yoga pants/t-shirts (according to the weather). I loved it because it was the first time in my life I could dress down every day, because I'm my own boss and I have no dress code. But in March, I worked my way through the creation of my spring capsule wardrobe, which required actually getting dressed in real outfits each day. (And since I was taking pictures to chronicle the adventure, it also required doing my hear, and wearing makeup and jewelry.) It was interesting to me to see how those efforts actually increased my productivity. I will still have dress-down days in my future, but this has been an interesting discovery!


3. Open shelving is not a good fit for me.

Before Ryan and I bought this house, one of the properties we fell in love with was a downtown loft-style condo with not one single upper cabinet to be found in the entire kitchen. I wasn't sure how I felt about that whole open-shelving style of cabinets, but the exposed brick wall trumped the missing cabinets (for me). Well, this month, as we refinished our kitchen cabinets, we took down the cabinet doors for a while, and it didn't take me long to realize I am not an open shelving kind of girl. Some looked okay, but most just looked cluttered and the whole thing made me nervous. It's pretty if you have the right pieces for the shelves. But we don't. Back to cabinets we go.

4. Inductive Bible study fascinates me.

The short-term ladies Bible study I joined this month is using the inductive study method (probably most well-known in Kay Arthur studies, which is what we're doing. There are some other similar inductive methods that are a bit different from hers, too. Saw them on Pinterest. (Of course.) But I enjoy the color coding and the way this method pushes me to look for themes in Scripture that I'd otherwise gloss over. I've decided I need to do some more studying on this form of study (did you follow that??) and implement it more in my personal devo time!

5. The IWU Chorale singing A Mighty Fortress still makes me cry.

They went on their spring break tour to Florida earlier this month, and a bunch of concert snippets were posted to Facebook. I watched A Mighty Fortress and cried all the way through it. It's been doing that to me for 20 years now.

6. Joanna Gaines and I are almost exactly the same age.

I've been helping a friend this month by watching her five kids a couple of hours each week. The two oldest (7 and 5) love watching Fixer Upper, so we always watch the most recent episode when they come over. The other day they asked me when Joanna's birthday was, and I had no idea, so I looked it up. Turns out she was born about three weeks before I was! 

7. (This one is Ryan's.) Sometimes people speak at bridal showers.

Next month, I'm speaking at a bridal shower for a friend, and when the invitation to the shower arrived in the mail, Ryan looked at it and then asked me whose idea it was to have me speak at this shower, because he'd never heard of such a thing. I told him when I was a kid, there were devo speakers at all the baby and bridal showers our church had. His response? "Huh! Never heard of it. What I learned in March!" So I figured I better document that. I actually haven't heard anyone speak at a shower for many years, but I'm looking forward to trying my hand at it!  

The Spring Capsule at the Halfway Point

A couple of weeks ago, I told you about my spring capsule (you can read all about it here, if you missed it) and even recapped my first two weeks of wearing ensembles from this particular capsule. I'm now halfway through the eight weeks of outfits and wanted to check back in to tell you what I'm loving and what I'm not loving!

Here are weeks three and four, recapped in a little less detail than I did the first time around.

Week Three:

(You can click on that to make it bigger if you want.)

Day One: I think this was my least favorite outfit so far. I just didn't love that shirt and skirt together. I felt like an overgrown junior high student.

Day Two: I had a speaking engagement on this day, so it was nice that it landed on a dress day!

Day Three: This was St. Patrick's day, and the ombre in the skirt wasn't quite green enough, so I added a scarf I already owned. That helped.

Day Four: FREEZING! Come on, spring! Catch up!!!

Day Five: I confess I needed a jeans day by this point!

Week Four:

Day One: I needed some sunshine in my life and the shirt delivered!

Day Two: I discovered there is one lavender stripe in that dress, so my new lavender leggings fit with it! YAY!

Day Three: This was supposed to be a shorts day, but it was too cold. I'd already worn this shirt with the other pair of jeans, so to try to mix it up, I wore different shoes and rolled up the pant legs.

Day Four: I really am loving the white pants.

Day Five: Had to wear a jacket because it was too cold for sleeveless. Again. Still.

So just for fun, here are all four weeks together:

No repeats yet! Not exactly. Some are close!

I'm learning that I really do love some of these pieces a lot and others are not my favorite. Maybe they will become my favorite, and maybe they won't! I'm not sure! I'm continuing to learn more about what I feel good in, what I need to have as part of my capsule, and what things maybe aren't the best fit. Here are a few specifics.

* I LOVE that striped dress. I love how it fits. The chevron one is okay, but it doesn't feel as good on as the striped one. (Probably because it's really a juniors dress and is an extra large and still feels too short.)

* I don't love button down shirts on me. At all. Even though the three in my capsule fit me well, I'm learning that style is just not great for me. My body wasn't made for it. Too bad, since they're so versatile.

* I don't love my denim skirt. I think I've always known that about this skirt, but it's what was in stock years ago the day I needed a denim skirt on the double. It needs to be just a hair longer and more tapered. It's like a big box on me and I hate that. I'll be on the lookout for a new one.

* I love the ombre skirt more than I thought I would, and I am not sure I love the maxi skirt even though I love the fit of it. The ombre skirt is just unique, and I think that's why I like it. I have a hard time finding maxi skirts that fit me right, and this one does, which is why I was so excited to get it. But I'm not sure I love the pattern.

* The floral tank is turning out awkwardly because of its smell! It was practically brand new in look and feel when I found it at the Goodwill. I thought it had maybe never even been worn. And honestly that might be true. But whoever had it before me liked her some STRONG perfume and no matter how many times I wash it, I cannot get the smell out. One day I had to switch the outfit to another one because I had a headache from it. If I can't get the smell out, I"ll have to get rid of it. Not worth it. Sigh.

* I'm missing my other clothes. In a regular world, I wouldn't maybe be such a stickler about following this every single day, but I'm doing an experiment here, so I need to stick to it. But I miss my other clothes - like my shiplap shirt! I enjoy wearing those things on the weekends. Learning that maybe I don't want four distinct seasonal wardrobes, but maybe find a way to dovetail all four seasons so they're a little unique and yet very interchangeable? Still working that one out in my head.

Thanks for listening to my ramblings! :) 

The Kitchen Cabinet Overhaul

Last year, when Ryan and I moved into our new house, the first order of business on our make-over-the-move-in-ready-house list was to demo a wall between the kitchen and living room and open up that space a bit. If you missed it, you can read all about that fun here. Ryan had one more project he wanted to do, but we were so weary of all our renovations (all the house projects combined took up four months of our 2016) that we tabled his idea until winter. He said it would be a good winter project.

But apparently a better winter project was having a gallbladder removed and overseeing the goings-on of a hip replacement. So it wasn't until March that we actually tackled this last project: the cabinet overhaul.

The cabinets in our kitchen are actually really nice. Good quality, nice and strong, well-cared-for by the previous owners. We'd thrown new hardware on them when we moved in and that was good enough for a while. But Ryan really wanted them to be darker. Espresso, actually. Allow me to say at the beginning of this post that we know darker cabinets aren't for everyone. Most people want them lighter to make the room feel brighter. But for our coffee-shop-feel kitchen, espresso was the way to go.

Allow me to ALSO say at the beginning of this post that Ryan did 99.9% of the work on this project. It wasn't that I was unwilling, but he had a particular way he wanted it done, and it was just better for everyone if he did that himself. (I get it. I feel the same way about my own projects. I'll do them myself.) So please direct all kudos to Ryan, because he earned every bit of it!

I've had a few people ask how this process works, so here's the outline for you! First of all, the before pictures:

The kit (plus supplies) he used cost somewhere in the neighborhood of $100, which is MUCH cheaper than purchasing new cabinets! It's a Rustoleum kit (same brand we used to overhaul our garage floors last year!) that you can purchase in a variety of colors.

One of the big keys to this project (which you already know if you heard the podcast where Ryan talked about it) is organization. So we started with this "totally-to-scale" drawing of our kitchen. (HA!!!) We numbered each cabinet and drawer so when it came time to put the room back together, we weren't guessing about the locations of drawers and doors!

We took the doors down and the drawer-faces off, and we labeled each one with a masking tape number to correspond with the map Ryan drew. (You know. The map where the fridge is sitting on top of the trash can and said fridge is also 1/4 the size of our lazy Susan cabinet.)

We also put the hardware from each cabinet (handles, hinges, all of it) in baggies labeled in Sharpie with the appropriate number.

The result was an unsightly looking kitchen, but for the most part, it was functional. Not efficient in any way, you understand, but functional.

Ryan started by working on the cabinet frames. This was a pretty tedious part. He had to tape off all the areas (on the walls, on the inside of the cabinets, etc) that did NOT need the product applied, just like if he planned to paint with regular paint.

Then he cleaned the frames with an all-purpose cleaner and used a product called a de-glosser that came in the kit. That product basically stripped off the finish so the color would adhere to the cabinets. He did the de-glossing step twice, just to make sure he got everything.  This was also when he filled any holes he found (from old hardware, etc) and sanded down the excess filler. THEN he could start applying the "bond coat," which was the color coat. It's hard to describe that part, because it doesn't quite act like paint, but it also doesn't act like a stain. It's somewhere in between. He applied it with a brush, though, like he would have applied paint. He had to be careful to make sure it applied evenly and didn't drip or get pooled in corners. He applied two, sometimes three coats to the frames and of course he had to allow for drying time between coats. After that, two (sometimes three, if he felt it necessary) coats of polyurethane went on top to give it some sheen and to  protect it.

Here are some photos of the frames in process.

A couple of things to note: first of all, he found the headlamp to be very helpful in this part, especially since he did a lot of the work at night and so there wasn't any natural light coming in to help him. We did have to unload a lot of the content of the cabinets during this part, because we didn't want to get any chemicals on our food or dishes. That was kind of a nightmare, but that's why he worked so hard to get the frames completely done first. That way at least I could have my kitchen back to cook! Another note: this really was a low-odor kit. I didn't notice overpowering smells from any steps in the process!

He did all the work for the drawers and doors out in the garage. The steps were the same as outlined above, and I did help with the cleaning/de-glossing steps for the doors and drawers. Please make note of his very creative makeshift work space!

Another note: there is also an optional middle step between the bond and the poly called a decorative glaze. We tried it and because our cabinets were so dark, we couldn't even see it. So we skipped that step. He observed in the instructional videos that if you go with a white or very light color cabinet, that middle step does give it some more personality. I think he was relieved he did not have to do it, because this was a long-enough project as it was!

One last note about the kit: many of the online reviews mentioned that the protective topcoat in the kit wasn't that great. Ryan did a test area behind the stove and didn't like how it went on, so we bought a can of Polycrylic Protective Finish by Minwax (clear satin) and were pleased with how it went on and looked once it dried. 

So....wanna see the after??

Yes, they are darker, but with our vaulted ceiling and lots of natural light (after pictures were taken at night so there's not as much natural light flowing in), it doesn't feel dark and confining.

And yes, now he has his sights set on new appliances. LOL!!! (To be fair, everything but the microwave was original to the house being built and we fear we're living on borrowed time with a couple of them. We'd like to replace them when the sales are good, rather than necessity dictating!)

So to just wrap up this overhaul experience, Ryan did say he feels the process was worth it. Obviously the DIY project saved us several thousand dollars compared to buying new cabinets. We wouldn't have even done that. This just lets us put our stamp on the house in an affordable way. But even Ryan, with his unending patience, was tired of this when he was done. LOL! He knew going in that it wouldn't be a weekend project, and he had mentally prepared for that. But it still took a lot longer than he planned. Only being able to work on it at night and on the weekends probably didn't help.

But we love the look, and here are the befores and afters side by side if you want to compare!

(Click on photos to enlarge if you like.)

Thanks, Ryan, for working SO HARD to make our kitchen reflect us even more! You're amazing!

Tuesday Giggles

We may have had a low-key week last week, but NEVER FEAR!!! We found stories for you!! Podcast Tuesday is here!!

 Listen to Spill the Beans here.

Tamar inspired me with her post yesterday, where she shared a stellar autocorrect moment her phone offered this week.

Ohhhh autocorrect. It's a love/hate thing, isn't it?? So funny and yet so maddening all at the same time. I thought it would be funny to scroll back through my phone and see what I've saved on there, not just from the world of autocorrect, but also random photos and memes that I keep just to make me laugh on a bad day. Who doesn't need a good Tuesday laugh, right?

Before I launch into my finds, I have to tell you about one of my most embarrassing texts that I wish I could blame on autocorrect, but it was really just a Bekah fail. This was back when I worked at the station. Jamie Grace had recently released her song "Hold Me," and if you've never heard it, it's just a fun, peppy tune. My friend Amy and I really liked it and joked that it was "our song."

One day I heard it playing during lunch, and Amy was at her desk, so I knew she could hear it, too. I texted her "Hey, it's our song!!!" She never responded, which I thought was odd, and when I saw her a few minutes later, I commented about that, and she just gave me the most puzzled look. "I didn't get a text from you," she said. I zoomed to my phone to see who I'd sent that to, and it just so happened I texted an author Lynne recently had on Mid-Morning. I'd had to text him regarding the show and somehow ended up replying to his text instead one from Amy. I was MORTIFIED, but so glad I didn't text him with the lyrics: "Oh, I love the way you hold me!" Ummmmm would have had some 'splainin' to do on that one!

(I did text him an apology, however, and he was gracious.)

Okay. Back to autocorrects and more. This one was from my early days of being a housewife...a little text from Ryan and a reply from me:

This one requires a bit of explanation. This is a screen shot from Facebook back in 2015. Wayne Seybold was the mayor of Marion (and also an Olympic figure skating competitor back in the 80's!) and someone apparently missed a letter in this message. It made me giggle, though.

I call this piece "Ryan learns to use the selfie stick."

I think I may have used this picture before, but it bears repeating. Last year's Mother's Day cake when Mom was determined to celebrate everything happening in everyone's lives in the month of May. It was a big cake.

A sign on the door of a restaurant in town. I made Ryan drive around the block so I could get a picture.

My billboard model days:

I am not going to post the screenshot of this because there are some not-Shafferland-friendly-words written by other people that are captured IN said screenshot, but this line was my favorite. It was on a scanner page on Facebook, on a post about a gas station robbery. A girl wrote, "He is a regular at the gas station I work at but I haven't seen him since I came back from maturity leave." LOL!!!!!!

First of all, this is TRUTH.

Texts between Ryan and me while I was gone at a retreat.

And finally, the last one came from last weekend, while Ryan and I were on our county tour. This came from when I was holding the table at the coffee shop and Ryan was trying to order our coffee:

Hope you enjoyed!! :) 

Pheebs and Rain and Rest

Saturday morning, when I woke up, I had "that feeling" in my throat. You know the one I mean, right? It's scratchy but not sore, and your voice sounds funny but not bad, and you're mildly achy but not sick? That one.

Ugh.

I refuse to get sick. I'm still mentally recovering from being sick from October-December last year. No more. I said no.

But I think one of the best pieces of medicine is this little cutie patootie right here, and it just so happened that she came over for the whole day!

Ryan had to work, so Pheebs and I alternated resting on the couch with going for long walks. The weather app kept saying rain would be coming, and I hated for her to be all cooped up inside all day, so I took her out for walks often, each time thinking it would probably be the last, and then the rain kept holding off, so we kept enjoying more walks!

Here's a peek into our lazy day:

She's just a gem (unless you ask Braeya) and we love having her. It was a treat! And it was so lovely to just be able to rest with her.

Right about the time Miss Pheebs left, the rain settled in, and it was Ryan's favorite kind of rain: gentle and calming. He was excited to be out in the garage (still) working on the cabinets in the perfect weather.

When I woke up yesterday, I felt some better, but I knew I wasn't out of the woods yet, so after church, we just pulled out Mo and rested the entire day. I took multiple naps and drank a lot of water and coffee, diffused my oils, and took extra vitamins. The rain came in full fury in the afternoon, so I snuggled up under the blanket, with Cupcake Wars on TV and just took it easy.

(And I asked Ryan why the 70ish degrees we enjoyed couldn't have made an appearance the PREVIOUS Saturday when we were running in the freezing rain all over the Notre Dame campus!)

Hope your weekend was filled with much rest as well - despite the weather and the potential germs. :)

Linking up with Tamar!