Sunday Sentiments

 

This weekend, we have our little godson with us. Because of his mom’s schedule and ours, it’s been a while since he came to stay, but it has been a joy to have him here.

            We took him with us to our small group last night, and our friends loved him so well. They pulled out toys, pushed him around in the empty tub (the best adventure), read books to him, gave him high fives and fist bumps, and didn’t get frustrated when he was loud.

            When we came home, I sat in the guest room, rocking him back to sleep, praying over his life, and thanking God for friends who love him well with us.

            Every time he comes to stay, I spend time praying out loud with him before he goes to bed. I know he probably doesn’t know what all the words mean, but I hope they somehow settle over his soul in ways that he can one day feel, even if he can’t put it into words.

            We never know who God puts into our lives for a reason. I believe God has put this sweet boy in our lives so we can pray for him and be an influence over him in the moments we get to spend with him. I want to do that well. Maybe there are other reasons he’s in our life, too, and down the road, perhaps I’ll see that, too. But for now, I am committed to praying for him and celebrating the things he’s learning to do.

            Who has God put into your path this week? Don’t miss out on the chance to be a blessing to those around you!

Saturday Suggestions

It is a rainy weekend here in Indiana...perfect for sitting and surfing the web, right? Here are some things for you to check out if you're huddled inside away from the rain!

ONE. 

I made these for Ryan’s birthday, and (once he was no longer full from dinner) he gobbled them up so quickly! I had never made them before, but he does love peanut butter, so I found the recipe and gave them a try. They’re not healthy in any way, but they are delicious, and my guess is you probably have the ingredients on hand. They come together quickly and are worth the treat! I’m confident we will be making these often when in need of a small dessert for home or to share.

TWO. 

This song popped up on my social media feed this week. My loyalty to this song will always lie with Mark Lowry’s version, but this was beautifully done as well. Aunt B, this one is for you.

THREE. 

I ran across this unique tour of the Holy Land and loved the different spin put on it. Since I’m currently studying about Moses on mt. Sinai, this is extra special to me. While I won’t be going on this trip personally, I think it sounds like an amazing experience!

FOUR.

If you’re looking for some good spring (and yes, I know spring is nearly over) wardrobe pieces, check out this post. I like this blogger’s style, and even though I might pick some different colors for myself, I like the pieces she suggested in this collection!

FIVE. 

My sister and I were talking about tiny houses this week, and I saw this one that was just oh so adorable! I love the little round table and the unique placement of the living room! I’m grateful to live a little larger than this, but it’s still REALLY cute. (And I think the colors are calming and lovely.)

SIX. 

Prince Edward Island is still on my bucket list for someday. I stumbled upon this itinerary this week and added it to my folder of ideas. It will be so fun to go – whenever it happens! Meanwhile, I will appreciate my Anne of Green Gables themed guest room!

Reflections on Dreams and Goals for April 2023

 

April is wrapping up, and I am excited to see how the dreams and goals came together throughout this month! Here's a recap for you...

ONE. Make plans for Ryan’s Easter basket and birthday celebration. Our Easter week ended up being much busier than I realized it was going to be. (Note to self for next year: start earlier on basket prep!) But I did get his Easter basket gift figured out prior to the actual day, so we will call that a win. And though Ryan’s birthday didn’t fall on a day we were able to spend together, we still celebrated in the ways we could, and I loved the chance to spoil him even more!

TWO. Update driver’s license and get library card. I have to say, this visit to the BMV was one of the most painless I’ve ever experienced! I was in and out in no time, and the photo was even fairly decent. I’m officially updated to my new address, which meant…I could go get a library card! I went to the library on one of the days I knew my friend would be working, and she took such good care of me. She signed me up, gave me a tour, and set me free to explore and make my wish list!

THREE. Figure out plans for outdoor plants. We had a few Saturdays at home this month, which was such a blessing. During one of them, I combed through the garage and pulled out the planters we own, so I could figure out where I want to place them. That also helped me know what kind of sun/shade each would get. I have them all placed in their new homes, and I love how it turned out! And though we had nothing to do with this part, it’s been fun to see what plants were in the landscaping already and popped up when spring came to stay!

FOUR. Figure out our birthday getaway plan. Early in the month, we decided where we are going for this year’s birthday trip, and we chose our dates. Then I was able to move on to picking out what we should do while we’re gone! I think it’s going to be a fun little trip.

FIVE. Begin freelance writing project. I was able to interview my friend who lost her son to stillbirth, and I made careful notes about his story. She sent me her pictures and extra things she wants me to include, so I was ready to begin writing. I will begin the actual writing part soon. I need to have a stretch of time, and I haven’t had one yet.

Other notes from the month:

·         Ryan and I participated in several things at our church during Holy Week, and all of them were rich in meaning for us. Our small group did a seder meal, and we went to four different events at church relating to Easter.

·         Ryan sang in the church choir for the Good Friday service and also for Easter morning, and he really enjoyed that. I was the narrator for the Good Friday service. It’s been a while since I wore my narrator’s hat, and it was good to do that again.

·         We hosted our first local friends at our home this month. We had dinner with one of our couple-friends one night and then hosted our small group the very next night!

·         Ryan has been making great progress on organizing the garage. It was such a mess after our move, but he’s getting it slowly figured out. I helped with some of it, but this is more in his wheelhouse than mine, so I’ve left it mostly to him!

·         I attended a planning meeting for a women’s conference I’m speaking at this summer. I helped with this conference last year, so it felt good to have some familiarity with it!

·         We were able to put some final touches on our bedroom and guest room, which means we can check that box off the list and take the “after” pictures!

·         I set up my new day planner, which will begin in June. I’ve already filled in some days of commitments and am excited to see the story it will tell as it goes.

·         This weekend, our little buddy is staying with us, and we are excited to have him. It’s been a while since our schedules (and his) made that possible, so this is a blessing!

Transformation Tales: The Guest Room

 

            This move marks the first time we have lived in a house that doesn’t have three bedrooms. I confess that I would have thought this would be a dealbreaker for me for sure, and probably for Ryan, too. So it was a great surprise that neither of us batted an eye to learn the house only had two bedrooms.

            I mentioned earlier that one of my driving motivations for this house was to make sure it functions well for its full-time inhabitants on a daily basis. Well, we don’t run an Airbnb, so we didn’t need a dedicated room for guests. While I imagine our number of guests might increase now that we have lake views to offer, the truth is, we don’t have visitors all the time. And since I have that amazing desk in the kitchen, my need for a dedicated office was not as strong. We decided we could make this work. Lots of people combine an office space and guest room space. Why couldn’t we?

            But before we bother with any level of appreciation for this functional combination effort, can we pause to appreciate the beautification of this space?

            Here was what it looked like when we first saw it.

            We got to work, starting with the removal of the curtains. We took out the closet doors and then painted the paneling. This was much more cost effective than replacing the walls, and honestly, the texture of the paneling feels fitting for a lake home. We chose a proper beachy blue called Hinting Blue. I absolutely LOVE how this color turned out! We painted the trim Snowbound – the same color as the dining nook walls – and installed the same flooring that we used in the dining nook here too. We brought the curtains and rods from our previous house to finish the look. The sheer white curtains work so well with the beachy feel in here. We also switched out the overhead light for something more modern. (Fun fact: the previous light was the same one I had in my bedroom starting in junior high!) We also painted the door Snowbound – on both sides – to add to the brightness of all the spaces. 

            This room provided the biggest puzzle for me in furniture layout. We brought my beloved bookshelves over. This is the fifth house they’ve lived in, and once again, they fit perfectly. They were already white, so that saved us some time! If you’re new here, my dad made these shelves for me long before I was married, and they were custom designed to fit the room I used as my office back when I lived in Marion. When we moved to Kokomo, Ryan took the shelves apart so I could continue to use them. They have fit in every home we have lived in, and I am so happy this special piece my dad made can continue to be part of our story.

            We kept our IKEA guest bed that we bought back in our Kokomo days. It stores as a twin but pulls out to a king size, which makes it perfect whether we have one person over or a couple comes to stay. I also decided to keep the same bedding we’ve used since Kokomo. It works here, too! The guest bed has drawer storage beneath, so we have room to store guest bedding and towels, as well as supplies for the kids in our lives. (We keep on hand things like a booster chair, extra toothbrushes, some kid-friendly dishes, a baby monitor, etc.) And speaking of kids, this room also has space in the middle of the floor for a pack n play if needed.  

            So that’s what we have for when guests come, but for daily life, this room is also Lexi’s room. She has her own little corner with her bed and picture hanging above it. (Whenever we have guests come to stay, we move Lexi to another room to sleep. But for daily use, this fits our needs best.) She absolutely loves and owns this room and knows it is hers!

            All of the wall art in here was something we already owned. The teal shelf was something we got when we lived in Kokomo, and it holds all our toys for when our friends’ kids come to play. And we are using the closet area as storage, since we don’t need it for hanging clothes in daily life. It holds our office storage: additional supplies, printer, etc. We got a curtain to hang over the opening rather than bringing the doors back in. It feels bigger and more accessible this way, and it brings some extra color with it.  

            So here is how it looks now!

            Future plans for this room are minimal, but they include the following:

·         *  I think I may want to add a round rug just for extra coziness. It will have to be a small one, but I think it will be pretty in here. I’ll take my time finding it.

·         *  I still have some wall art that doesn’t have a place to live, and I might add one or two more pieces to these walls. I wanted to put up the bare minimum in the world of art and see what else I wanted to add. Always easier to add than to take away.

I love all the purposes this room can serve in one small space. I’m grateful for extra room for office supplies, a home for my books, a space for toys when kids come to play, and a bed for guests! I love the soft, beachy feel and how much lighter and brighter this room feels with the changes we made!

Celebrating the Birthday Boy

 

Thank you so much for celebrating Ryan with me on Monday! He loved reading his messages – those on the blog and those texted and emailed to us. Thanks for reminding him he’s so loved!

            I thought I’d give you a glimpse into his birthday, which was a pretty fun day, I think. I was going to make him biscuits and gravy for breakfast, but he was still really full from Sunday, so we scrapped those plans. (I told him it made me sad that he had oatmeal on his birthday!)

            He went to work, but he had a good day, and I was glad for him that it was such fun.

            After work, we went out to eat at his favorite Chinese place. It wasn’t super busy in there, so that was nice. I offered to drive home, in case he wanted to go into a food coma, but he said he wasn’t in any danger. (I still remember the year we went to the bottomless meat pit for his birthday, and I fell asleep on the way home and COULD NOT wake up the rest of the night. So embarrassing.) We took the scenic route home so we could enjoy the countryside. I realize that makes us sound very old, and I’m okay with that.

            When we came home, he “opened” his gift. I realize that regionally, this is called many different things, so maybe you call it cornhole or maybe you call it a beanbag toss, but whatever you call it, he’s wanted one for a long time. Some of you might remember that back when he worked in therapy, his hospital had tournaments a couple of times every year, and he loved those! So that’s what I got him this year, but I did not think through what it would be like to wrap a gift of this size. It’s not possible. (At least it’s not possible when you’re trying to wrap on your own with a puppy for an assistant.) So I taped copy paper to the front of it and wrote my own message. He loved it.

            Lexi was very interested in the game and wanted to try practicing right then. This will be a perfect backyard game for us this summer, I think. I also enjoy playing, but I am terrible at it, so he should win easily and often!

            I’d made a chocolate/peanut butter dessert for him, but he was too full to eat it that night, so he just posed with it and had some for breakfast the next day instead.

            We headed to the couch to watch a movie (On a Wing and a Prayer, which you can find on Amazon) and called it a good birthday. 

To Pray Specifically

 

            I’ve written about this before, and today won’t be the last time in the grand scheme of my writing career that I visit this topic. I write it today more for my own story-preservation than for any other reason, but I invite you to read along, because perhaps you need to hear the words as much as I do.

            If you’ve read here for any length of time, you know that I love to pray and make it a regular practice in my daily life. I love to pray for people, but I also just love conversing with God. I love sharing my soul and waiting quietly to listen. (In full disclosure, that “waiting quietly” part doesn’t come as easily or naturally to me as the “sharing my soul” part, but I do give it my best effort.)

            But as I’ve said before, I am guilty of praying broad prayers. My own fears keep me from being specific. I like to keep my thoughts and requests general enough that any answer – any answer at all – is easily recognizable as an answer.

            This past weekend, I prayed a very specific prayer, and I put my words in writing. I cringed even as I tapped out the words on the keyboard because I feared (see?) an answer of no.

            But the very next morning, God sent an affirmative answer. I am not even sure twelve whole hours had passed since I asked. I stood shaking my head, shocked to see such a specific answer to such a specific request.

            It reminded me why I should pray specifically more often. The boost to my faith in that moment was worth everything. It didn’t even have anything to do with the actual answer. It was all about recognizing an answer had been given in response to my need.

            I wonder how many of those moments I miss because I fail to ask specifically. I don’t want to miss any.

            May I be courageous enough to pray specifically and trusting enough to wait.

Happy Birthday, Dear Ryan!

 

Today is a special day in Shafferland, because today we celebrate Ryan’s life and all the many good things that fill our days because he is here in our lives.

            So much has happened in our tiny little Shafferland world in the last year, and this post isn’t meant to be a recap of all he has done in a year’s time. I’ve written posts like that before and probably will again, but today I want to look at life a bit differently.

            When Ryan and I were dating and engaged, Lynne Ford told me that one of the grandest things about being married was that every single day was a little bit better because you were able to go home to your person. On the good days, you could celebrate the wins, and on the hard days, you could lean in for support. Either way, the days were better because you had each other.

            And that is the perfect synopsis of our year.

            This year, we’ve both tried new things. We’ve taken risks and leaps together. Sometimes (and honestly – in this year – more often than not) those risks and leaps have not succeeded. We’ve heard the word no quite often. Both of us have experienced the heartache of dashed dreams and wild disappointment in things we hoped would be wildly successful. For the times Ryan has tried, I am so proud of him. He has given his all to so many things in this last year, and he has persevered far beyond the times when others would have walked away. I am grateful for his tenacity and commitment. For the times I have tried something new and it didn’t go well, I am grateful for his listening ear and caring hugs. He has wiped away many of my tears this year and has told me over and over he is proud of the person I am, regardless of the outcome of what is in front of me.

            I’ve watched Ryan grow in his faith this year – in trusting the Lord when circumstances stacked up against him and in studying, praying, and learning. I am so thankful for the way he prioritizes his time with God. He’s gotten up in the night many times to pray when he knew God wanted that time alone with him. He could have slept. But he got up to wrestle in prayer. He has been reading through Scripture and learning new things. I love it when he shares the lessons the Lord has been teaching him. He has trusted. He has been bold. He has been faithful. I love him for it.

            He has worked hard at home, and I love living in the fruit of his talents. He and I have opposite skills, which actually works out well, because we can team up and accomplish twice as much. But when I look at what he does that I cannot…I am so grateful for his desire to do quality work and to make a beautiful home space for us. It has been fun to dream and create together this year, blending our gifts to make something beautiful.

            He’s invested in our “kids” – the pets and the godson. I love watching him with all of them. His determination to instill good qualities, his patience, his love, his compassion – all of them are sweet to behold. I appreciate how much he takes those roles seriously. Some probably would wave them aside as unimportant, but he realizes how much each matters and he dives in with his entire heart and soul. I love that. I also love how he’s invested in kids at church – encouraging them when he sees them doing well with something.

            He’s been a fun travel companion and fun at-home companion, too. We have laughed until we cried. We’ve binge-watched tv shows from forever ago (that we never caught the first time around). We’ve gone on coffee dates. We’ve been on so many walks. He’s chased away mean dogs that come after us. We’ve watched sunsets over the lake. We’ve hosted guests in our home. We’ve volunteered together at church. Everyday life is just so much richer when he’s part of it.

            Ryan, I love you so much. Celebrating you for the last decade has been an absolute joy, and I hope on this day of celebrating your life, you feel completely loved – because you are completely loved. I am so thankful for your character, your determination, and your total joy. You make life grand for all of us who live in your household, everyone you work with, and everyone who knows you. We all celebrate you today!

            With all our love,

                        Bekah, Braeya, and Lexi

PS...I thought I'd include a few pictures of Ryan from this past year!