Updates on Dreams and Goals for May 2023

 

ONE. Finish planning for our little birthday getaway. Plot twist! We were supposed to have taken that trip this past weekend, but we learned early in the month that Memorial Day weekend was the scheduled time for the annual garage sale in our community. Because we needed to have a sale to make room in our garage for our regular storage, we couldn’t afford to miss the community sale weekend. So we have postponed the vacation until sometime coming up this summer. As a result, I haven’t finished my planning. (Part of that is because we keep changing our destination.) The good news is I have about three partially planned trips on paper! 😊

TWO. Finish my writing project for my friend. Halfway done! As a reminder, I’m writing the story of my friend’s little baby boy who was stillborn earlier this year. I wrote the first half of the story at the beginning of the month, but several very unexpected and time-consuming things descended upon us this month, which made it difficult to get an uninterrupted chunk of time to complete the project. I don’t have an actual due date for this, but I do want to be timely about it, so I will try to fully complete it in June!

THREE. Plant flowers! Done! I did this early in the month and have loved watching them grow and blossom (literally) in the last few weeks. I’m excited to compare them at the one-month mark to the pictures I took the day of planting. It’s always fun to see how much they grow in that first month. We have thoroughly enjoyed the color and life they’ve brought to our house! And it’s been fun to hear friends walking by talk about how they enjoy them too!

FOUR. Work on a mini-garden plan. Done! My friend Julie came over with her resource book and personal knowledge and helped me make a plan, and then I did it! I planted the garden! I am sure I have much to learn over the long haul, but I am excited to see how it goes this year. The plants are taller and the seeds are sprouting, so it’s a fine start.

 

Other Updates:

·         As you know, we had TWO birthdays this month – Braeya’s and mine. We had a lot of fun celebrating both, and I appreciated the kindness of the Lord that we both had a chance to celebrate another year of life!

·         We had the opportunity to have some deep and vulnerable conversations with some friends of ours. The details of the story are not ours to share, but the conversations were so good. They also spurred on a lot of great conversation, prayer, and soul-searching in our home, too. We are NEVER done learning and growing in the Lord and NEVER done being available to Him for new seasons and adventures if He calls us to them. Even if the idea of something new might be uncomfortable, it’s so good to explore it in prayer and conversation, and we appreciated the chance to do that this month. SO many hours were spent devoted to this.

·         I enjoyed the chance to try something new this month and appreciated the door God opened for that. I’ll catch you up on more of it soon!

·         Ryan got a paddleboard for his birthday and has had the BEST time learning that skill. He says all the years of skiing, barefooting, and wakeboarding have helped him with the paddleboarding, and I love it that he can enjoy these little trips around the lake on the days the water cooperates!

·         I have my new planner all OFFICIALLY set up and ready to go for the month of June. I’m so excited!

Let Summer Begin!

 

Blogger is currently giving me issues that won’t allow me to comment on blogs. I can post, but not comment. But I did want to say that I am so glad you had fun reading about the cereal party yesterday. Alas, there were no grape nuts, shredded wheat, or any other such cereals on display. Everyone went for the childhood classics over the healthier staples. I’ve tried both those cereals in the past and did not care for them, but I know many people do like them! Since I’m staying away from them…more for you!

            It may not be summer on the calendar yet, but Memorial Day weekend always kicks off official summer habits for me, so I celebrated that transition to a new season this weekend.

            I noticed more boats on the lake – from pontoons to paddleboats to paddleboards to even a tiny sailboat! It was fun to watch people enjoying the water (as long as they stayed in the speed limit, which I’m pretty sure some did not).

            People around the lake were tidying up garages after a weekend of sales, and Ryan joined them in that. He’s been itching to organize our garage but didn’t have the space to do it until our sale. Lexi and I lounged on the patio, watching the water on the lake and enjoying an extra day of rest.

            We watered the flowers, the garden, and the little patch of grass we’re trying to grow. We took down the porch sign welcoming spring and replaced it with a summer-appropriate message.

            I worked on vacation and meal planning – switching the recipes over to lighter, summer-produce-loving lists.

            The trees are full, the grass is green, and the fish are flopping in the water. Summer is indeed here, and I welcome it. (I also continue to give great thanks to the inventor of the air conditioner. I’m no good without it.)

            A few of my friends have posted summer bucket lists on social media, and it’s been fun to see what they’re looking forward to in these days and weeks ahead with kids out of school and extra long evenings looming.

            Welcome, Summer. I’ve missed you and am glad to see you return!

Cereal Parties

Every time our small group gets together, we pitch in for a meal. A few weeks ago, we joked that if we didn’t have time to put together a menu, we would just eat cereal.

            Then we decided that sounded like a great idea, so we made it happen for real. Everyone brought a favorite cereal, and we had breakfast casserole, yogurt parfaits, and energy bars in the mix too.

            I don’t even remember the last time we bought cereal, so we had so much fun picking out favorites from our childhood to share with our friends.

            It was such a fun night. We mixed and matched cereals, told stories, and drank coffee together. And I decided right on the spot that cereal parties are worth it. (Yes, I know cereals have too much sugar and no nutritional value. But one meal won’t ruin life!)

            Oh – and I forgot to mention we all came pajama-casual, which made it extra wonderful.

            I looked on Pinterest to see if I could find more ideas for a fun party like this, and I did find a few ideas!

            This post has a recipe for a cereal bowl cupcake that is pretty cute! There’s also a free game printable that could be fun for kiddos.

            This post has some cereal recipe-mix ideas and very cute label printables. It also suggests using white, chocolate, and strawberry milk to switch it up even more. Confession: I’ve never used anything but plain milk on my cereal. I feel like I might be missing out because I haven’t tried chocolate.

            And If store-bought cereal isn’t your thing, this post has ideas for a hot-cereal version.

            So if you need an idea for a party – whether you have time to plan or need a last-minute inspiration – we highly recommend cereal! 

Sunday Sentiments

 

            It’s been a while since I talked about my pilgrimage through the book of Exodus, but I’m still working on it! I’m knee deep in the instructions for building the Tabernacle and for the assembly of the priestly garments.

            It was the first time I really noticed how much of a specific emphasis God put on the Tabernacle being a place of beauty. I knew from previous studies that it was a beautiful place, but I hadn’t paid attention to how God specifically designed a place of glory and beauty.

            It reminded me of the weeks I studied Creation and how that was the first time I’d noticed how orderly God was about everything He did. He loves order, but He also loves beauty.

            I am grateful that He loves beauty so much. I am grateful that He encourages His people to enjoy the sort of beauty that honors His glory and presence.

            It’s one of the things I look forward to most about any trip we ever take: the opportunity to enjoy the beauty of Creation in a place we haven’t seen before. It’s one of the things I enjoy most about where we live: the display of beauty every day in the rippling water and the painted sunsets.

            It’s one of the things I love about the home we share. It isn’t extravagant, but it’s beautiful – at least to us. It’s a place of story and praise and beauty, and that is a good thing!

            I hope you are able to enjoy some beauty on this day. I hope you’re able to see the Hand of God in the scenes around you. Let that beauty draw you closer to Him!

Saturday Suggestions

My apologies to the daily early-bird readers. Our internet went out last night after dinner and never came back. It was a disappointing evening for this girl, who had crafted a sole plan of Pinteresting and watching TV after an intense week of work and garage sale prep, but it also meant I couldn't post the blog! It's back now, so here you go! 

ONE. 

I don’t remember where I read about it (guessing someone mentioned it on Instagram) or when, but I’d gotten a recommendation to read Charles Spurgeon’s morning and evening devotions. I marked the book on my Amazon wish list, but somewhere along the way, I discovered these readings are actually archived on the Crosswalk website! You can read them at your leisure here, or you can sign up to have them delivered to your inbox each day. In recent years, I’ve gotten away from reading traditional devotional readings to make more time for in-depth Bible study, but I have been enjoying these each day – just for some perspective. Note: Spurgeon lived a long time ago and uses a bit of a King James speak in his writing, so just be aware!

TWO. 

Yesterday was just about the PERFECT day here. It started a little on the cool side, but the sun was out, the breeze was sweet, and I thoroughly enjoyed the taste of the onset of summer. (My sympathies, though, to all the allergy-laden people. We were being pelted with pollen, so I can only imagine how miserable you all were!) Thinking about summer made me pause to look at this picnic board! Even if you don’t make the snack bar recipes listed, the ideas on the board are great – and perfect for all things summer in one little place. Now I’m ready for a picnic!

THREE. 

I’ve never eaten one of the “just crack an egg” meals you can buy, but I think the concept is fascinating. You purchase the cup of your choice, which might have a mix of veggies or meat or both – and then you add your own fresh egg and have a breakfast scramble without a bunch of extra prep. These recipes for DIY, healthier versions of that idea caught my eye. You can control the amount of processed foods and/or salt and sugar that goes into what you’re making – and you can still have something quick and filling in the morning!

FOUR. 

This little cottage is not only adorable to peruse, but it also has a lot of fantastic ideas for outfitting and decorating a home on a budget. If you’re looking to make some changes in your home, you might find some great ideas here. (We had some yard sale shoppers this weekend who were looking for fixtures to put in a home they’re renovating! It’s sale season, and that’s the place to find some real gems!)

FIVE. 

When we were at WillowBridge, there was a large, plain acrylic board in the office. We used it as a white board for scheduling – but it was a little classier looking – and just plain fun. I found this idea this week to use a Cricut to make schedule frames on just such a board. This takes it up a notch! We don’t have a Cricut, but I have a feeling if I’d owned one back in the WillowBridge days, I would have loved doing something like this just to make it extra cute!

SIX. 

I saw this home on a video and had to see if it was still for sale – and it is! Right here in Indiana, you can get this lake home with a 50s style diner/guesthouse. How unique is that!!?? The diner is cool, but I was partial to the round fireplace, myself! If you have a couple million in pocket change, this could be yours!

Hope you have an enjoyable day, my friends! 

Celebrating the Pursuit of Happiness

 

I had so much fun writing my last post from one of the prompts in my new guided journal that I decided to try another one today!

            The prompt was to write about happiness, and if you’ve read many devotional books or heard a handful of sermons, you probably know that that there seems to be a big debate about the use of the word happiness in conjunction or contrast with joy.

            Those of us who have a relationship with the Lord know that a deep joy can be found in life even if our circumstances don’t seem all that happy. I believe that to be true – but I also believe that maybe we’ve talked ourselves right out of the privilege of being happy. It’s okay to enjoy happiness, you know! It’s okay for a day to be a good one.

            So today I’m going to celebrate happiness. Is everything in my life perfect? Nope. Do I have worries and struggles? Yep. Do I have the joy of the Lord even in those areas of life? I do. Am I happy about those areas? Not entirely.

            But I still have pockets – deep pockets – of happiness. I celebrate them. I welcome them.

            For me, happiness looks like…Lexi’s face when I walk in the door after being gone for the evening. (Or two minutes.) Happiness looks like a surprise carton of ice cream in the grocery bag when Ryan runs out for an errand. Happiness looks like Ryan’s smile on FaceTime at lunch when we’ve both had busy mornings and haven’t had a chance to talk for even a moment. Happiness looks like an honest-to-goodness letter in the mailbox – tucked in the pile of junk and bills. Happiness looks like vibrant flowers peeking toward the sky in the morning. Happiness looks like all the colors of the sunset as they overlap throughout the evening.

            For me, happiness feels like…A brand new book in my hands for the first time. Happiness feels like cool sheets under my tired legs at the end of a long day. Happiness feels like the inaugural sip of hot coffee every morning of my life. Happiness feels like a scalp massage at the salon right after fresh color lands on my gray roots. Happiness feels like soft sand under my toes. Happiness feels like a hug after any kind of day – hard or wonderful. Happiness feels like a quick kiss. (It’s all lexi allows before breaking into barking. Let me know if you want to borrow her as a chaperone for your teens.) Happiness feels like a slow kiss. (When we aren’t home.)

            For me, happiness sounds like…My favorite David Phelps song (which is all of them). Happiness sounds like Ryan’s whisper in my ear. Happiness sounds like fish flopping in the lake and tiny waves pushing against the shoreline. Happiness sounds like lawn mowers for the first time in the spring. Happiness sounds like rain on the porch roof. Happiness sounds like the theme song to a TV show we love. Happiness sounds like Lexi’s teakettle whimper that makes us laugh. Happiness sounds like the sound of Ryan’s truck pulling in the driveway after work.

            For me, happiness smells like…chocolate. Happiness smells like fresh coffee dripping into the pot each morning. Happiness smells like essential oils wafting through the air. Happiness smells like laundry in the dryer. Happiness smells like coconut sunscreen. Happiness smells like all the dinners grilling in the neighborhood while we walk around the lake. Happiness smells like salty ocean air. Happiness smells like a new Bible. Happiness smells like freshly cut grass.

            Happiness is there, my friends. It’s all around you. Even if life is hard and unfair (because it is those things in some measure for everyone) there is still happiness to be found. There is also joy in Jesus, but that is a separate post.

            Pause long enough to look, feel, listen, and inhale the happiness around you today. What is it for you?

Setting the Stage for a Good Book

 

One of my friends gave me a guided journal for my birthday. I love it! The pages are beautiful, and I’m enjoying reading through the prompts. I’m sure some of those prompts will find their way into this space as I think about pieces of life from a bit of a different perspective now and then.

            And today is just such a day.

            One of the questions said, “Sometimes setting the stage for curling up with a good book is just as enjoyable as the act of reading itself. What type of environment do you like to set up before you settle in with your latest read?”

            I didn’t realize until just that moment, that I rarely set a proper stage for a good book. I just dive in and read.

            My love of books goes back to my childhood, and back then, I’d collapse onto my white daybed or blue vinyl beanbag chair to get lost in a story. Any little corner of my room would work. I just needed a place of quiet privacy so I didn’t have any interruptions to my adventures. My room was almost always my reading place of choice. Sometimes, in the heat of the summer, I’d retreat to the basement, just because it was so much cooler there. But otherwise, I didn’t need candles or a fireplace or a certain pillow or blanket. I just needed to sprawl out and get lost.

            Not much has changed. I usually pick the couch now, and sometimes the TV plays in the background. I can tune it out. Once the pages start turning, I don’t always remember to even take breaths. I’m lost in story.

            Coffee helps – if I remember to drink it. After all, if I forget to breathe, I might also forget to drink!

            I’m not really one for reading outside. Sunlight glares off the pages, and bugs love me. I have to stay on high alert outside. I’m also not often one for reading in the car. I remember one time on our way home from Kansas, I was so so so lost in a suspense novel. Ryan hit the brakes, and I screamed so loud. I was completely unaware of what was happening around me and I was at a critical point in the book. Those brakes scared me to death! And this is why I don’t usually read in the car.

            I take books on vacation, but since I don’t read outside or in cars all that much, there doesn’t seem to be another good time to take in reading on trips.

            It’s my at-home escape, from the comfort of the couch. If I’m reading nonfiction, I always take along a pen and ruler so I can underline my favorite pieces. Otherwise, it’s just the book, the bookmark, and me, settling in for a bit of enjoyment.

            How about you? Do you set a proper stage to read? Or do you just dive into the story and let the book be your stage?

Transformation Tales: The Half Bath and Laundry Room

 I want to thank you for your kindness over the last few weeks as I’ve shared before and after pictures of our home. Today marks the tour of the very last room, and though it is tiny, it has come a long way from when we first saw it.

            This bathroom is just off the great room/living room area and was, I think, the only room that made us say, “Whoa. That needs a lot of help.” It’s a very small half bath and laundry, and when we first met it, it was filled with dark brown paneling, a very old vanity, and purple carpet. It was…interesting. (Even the previous owner was with us on that.) It didn’t scream clean, that’s for sure.

            

            We knew we wanted to change the flooring. Carpet in a bathroom/laundry is rough. I’ve lived with it before. Our Marion home had carpet in both bathrooms when I first moved in, and one of the bathrooms was also the laundry room. Eventually the bathroom carpet made its way out and tile came in.

            We also wanted to paint because the tiny room was just so dark. And while the toilet was new with the previous owner, the vanity was pretty rough, so we decided to switch it out.

            Not only was the room dark from the flooring and paneling, but it was literally just dark from poor lighting. We knew we needed to add something to make it more conducive to getting ready. (This is my primary bathroom.) We also removed a cabinet above the laundry area, because it felt heavy and boxy in such a small space.

            So…are you ready to see the changes?

            We carried the flooring from the main room right on into this room, and that made a huge change from the brittle purple carpet that had been there before. We also painted the walls Snowbound and the trim Repose Gray. (These colors are, you might remember, throughout the rest of the house as well.) The paint and flooring alone made all the difference in the world. We also painted the door snowbound, inside and out, to help with more light in the space.

            We kept the mirror that was over the sink, but we did find a new vanity on sale and I adore it. I think it’s my favorite from any we’ve ever had! Ryan added a light over the sink, and it has been perfect in making makeup application more pleasant!

            We sold the washer and dryer that came with the house and brought ours from our previous home. We used a shelf we already owned to replace the boxy cabinet that had been over the laundry area, and it is the perfect fit. It gives me a place to store laundry supplies – and our aloe plant lives there, too!

            We took down the curtain that had been a the window and decided not to put a curtain at this particular spot. The blind stays down almost all the time, so this works for us.

            But we did add another type of curtain. Our multi-tank water softener system sat here at one end, and while we are grateful for the service it provides, it is kind of a sight to behold. We decided to use curtain rods we owned and we added a curtain to this area to cover the tanks. After it was all installed, I decided it really just looks like a shower in the corner, so it fits right in. The curtain matches the ones on our bedroom closets, and I think it brings in a nice little bit of color to this room.

            We owned that metal shelf already, and I use the cubes to house all my hair, makeup, and manicure/pedicure supplies. That shelf seriously was meant to fit right in that little spot.

            I have added a few pieces of wall art we already owned – and I may add more later. But I love the simplicity of how it looks right now!

            This concludes our tour…I hope you’ve enjoyed peeking into Shafferland! 

Five Things I Need to Remind Myself About Travel Dreams

 

I’ve been playing around with some vacation plans recently, and I paused mid-plan to give myself a pep talk of things I need to remember when crafting my designs. Maybe you need to hear one or two of these things yourself, so I’ll let you eavesdrop on what I said to myself.

ONE. 

You don’t have to do it all. When I’m planning for a destination and look up ideas of what previous travelers suggest for must-see and must-do activities, I suddenly find myself writing down everything they said. Before I know it, I find myself in need of two solid weeks to see two square miles of attractions. It’s not practical for us since we aren’t full time travelers.

Vacations are meant to be a joy, not a burden. If you try to see everything, eat in every restaurant, and take every tour, you’re likely going to miss out on some joy. Relieve yourself of the burden of needing to participate in every single option. The trip can still be highly meaningful, even if you don’t do it all (Gasp!)

TWO. 

Having said that, plan your trip on whether or not you might be likely to return to this place. I’ve learned there are two kinds of travelers: those who always go to the same place every year, because they know what they love and it’s their tradition…and those who only go places one time so they can have more time to see more places. When it comes to these options, do what you love and what fits you best, and don’t apologize for it! BUT…if you’re likely to only visit a spot once, I recommend making sure you take enough time to see all you can while you’re there.

One of my someday bucket-list trips includes Prince Edward Island in Canada. Because of the distance and cost, I’m pretty sure this will be a one-and-done trip for us when we take it. I will want to make sure that if I need seven days instead of five to do all I want to do and see all I want to see…that I take seven days. It’s a lot easier to tack on two days to an existing trip than to wish I had and end up spending another week and a lot more money to take a separate trip later – or live with the regrets of things missed.

But if I’m visiting a spot in Ohio that I’m very likely to be within driving distance of again someday on my way to somewhere else, I don’t mind doing what I can this time, knowing there might be a chance to come back at a later time to pick up something I missed.

If the trip you’re planning is the trip of a lifetime that you won’t be likely to repeat, take the time and use the resources to encompass as much as you can. You’ll be so glad you did. If your destination gives you the opportunity to go back later, don’t try to pack in too much.

THREE. 

Make it yours. Again, as I look over suggestion posts from other travelers’ experiences, I find myself feeling a little guilty if I gloss over something that multiple people said was the best thing ever. But what if I’m not interested in the topic of that spot? Is it really worth my time and money to visit?

Ryan and I love visiting spots that are free…or outside…or personally meaningful to us. Here’s an example for you…when dreaming of a trip to Washington D.C., I absolutely want to stop in Shanksville, Pennsylvania (which would be on the way for us) to see the 9/11 memorial. If you’ve been reading here very long, you know that 9/11 was the first “big event” in history from my adult life. The stories of the people who lost their lives that day are deeply meaningful to me, and I want to eventually visit all the memorials. Stopping on our way to Washington D.C. is a natural fit in our vacation planning – as is seeing the memorial at the Pentagon. Those mean more to me/us than some of the museums we might spend our time seeing while in the city.

We aren’t professional travel bloggers or guides. The trips are for us. We can make them what we want them to be – and you can too! It’s okay if your itinerary doesn’t match every guide on Pinterest. Make it yours. Do what you love.

FOUR. 

Make time for rest. We are better at this sometimes than others. But I do try to make sure I don’t pack every single day SO FULL that we never have time to sleep in one morning or stay in one night to watch movies. Vacation is certainly about what you can experience, but it’s also about respite and rejuvenation. I never want to cheat us out of that. (I also try to make sure we have a full day at home before returning for work, and if that isn’t possible – at least a half day. We need time to restock the groceries and do the laundry before jumping back into reality.)

FIVE. 

Memories are king. When it’s all over, the main thing that matters is that you have fun and have made lasting memories that you can enjoy for the rest of your life. Even if you didn’t see everything. Even if plans were changed by weather or other extenuating circumstances. Even if you get a sunburn.

Take the pictures. Eat the fun food. Get the ice cream. Watch the sunset. Try something impulsive. Make the memories. Enjoying what you do matters more than doing it all.

The Lake: A Place to Meet with God

 

Back in 2010, right around this very time of year, I traveled into that desert of the soul after losing the relationship I thought was going to be the forever kind. Those of you who have been reading here many years probably well remember the ache and sadness of my heart in those days.

            The Lord sent many kindnesses my way in that time, some of which I was able to see more clearly in the moment than others. One such kindness was a new-to-me family that adopted me right in to be one of their own. They owned a lake cottage and gave me a standing invitation to be there as often as I wanted. And so it was that nearly every Friday night, I haphazardly threw clothes in a bag and drove to the lake to hide from my own reality for a weekend.

            Of course, reality followed me there, and my heart still burned with the loss of it all, but the sweetest part of those days was sensing the nearness of the Lord on the waters of that lake. I did chapters of Bible studies from the deck of their home, looking out toward the channel ahead. When they promised a day on the water, they packed snacks and I packed my journal. I sat under the shade of the boat canopy and poured my heart out on paper while they splashed in the lake.

            During sunset cruises, I’d wrap up in a blanket and let the wind whip my hair as I watched the sun go down – trusting God’s promises that He would be there with me when it came up again the next morning.

            The lake became a special place for me to meet with God, and though the season of the soul mercifully ended, the season of feeling near to the Lord on the water never did.

            And so here we are, thirteen years later, on a different lake with the same gentle draw of the Lord.

            What a joy it is to pause for a break in the evenings and sit quietly, watching the water ripple. The forced rest of body and soul leads me to heart-prayers more often than not.

            Yesterday, Lexi and I sat out there for about a half hour, just enjoying a Sabbath rest. Our flowers fluttered in the breeze, a hummingbird zoomed in and out, the ferns rustled behind me, and every now and then, a fish flopped into the air and back into the water below. I could hear laughter from down the way, and my baby garden waved from its perch on the side.

            It was quiet and sweet, and I was so profoundly grateful. Thankful that God has always met me in a sweet way on the water and thankful that the very sight of it pulls my heart in to rest.

Sunday Sentiments

 

My parents always planted a huge garden – back when I was a kiddo. Dad would fire up the red tiller and stir the dirt in the side yard. I loved walking barefoot through the freshly turned rows after he went on to the next one.

            I never knew how they planned what they would plant, but I seem to remember them ordering seeds from a catalog. Eventually it would be time to plant, and I’d follow whatever directions they gave about helping. The main memory I have was Dad walking ahead of me, carving line, and I followed behind to drop seeds.

            The plants began to grow, and the corn was always my favorite. When it grew tall, I loved to disappear into the rows to hide in their coolness. The leaves would fan my face and the sun couldn’t find me there.

            Then the work began, and I wasn’t overly fond of it back then. Dad would bring wheelbarrows full of corn to be shucked. He dug potatoes and picked beans and strawberries. (Clearly, these are not listed in harvest order.) Mom would spend days canning, and the house filled with heat and some interesting aromas. (I still hate pickled beets…sorry, Mom!)

            The garden began to shrink over the years. Slowly, Dad filled in one end with grass seed, and that grassy area spread farther into the garden as I got older.

            Some kids help their parents garden and want to carry on the tradition, but it didn’t work that way with me…until now.

            We have a small area in the yard that reminded me of a raised garden bed, so a few days ago, my friend Julie came over and helped me craft a plan. We pored over her book and picked out some things for me to plant. We drew a template, and I gathered the plants and seeds.

            And yesterday afternoon, I crouched next to the bed and attempted planting for the first time since I was just a little girl, following along behind my dad.

            I enjoyed every minute out there. The fish flopped in the lake while I worked, and it was a surprisingly wonderful afternoon. I have no idea if it will be a successful endeavor, but it was a good feeling to try something new.

Saturday Suggestions

 

            Toward the end of the week, I talked about some home decorating styles, and I thought it would be fun to spend today looking at some home tours of houses that follow some of the same style trends we like. (Of course, as you learned, we smashed six of them together in one house. The home tours ahead of you today are more polished and defined in style, I’m sure.)

            I think it’s important to remember that home tours are not out there to create envy or discontent with the space you have or items you own. They’re just great sources of inspiration and pure yumminess to enjoy. (I use home tours like this to think of new ways to display things we already own!)

ONE. 

The first style I talked about in our Shafferland-mash-up was traditional. Because it often features items with a long history, I think there’s a tendency to feel like a traditional home has to be dark or heavy or dusty/musty, and that simply isn’t true! This home is beautiful (and apparently HUGE) and just so cozy and bright, I think. My favorite parts of this house are: the double-sided fireplace (I think those are just stunning), the contrasted ceiling in the living room, the kitchen stove (color, size, pot-filler, the whole bit), and the beautiful soaker tubs. Yes, plural!!! I think my favorite thing about the house that I would be likely to duplicate in the space we own is the pop of plants throughout. I am not quite a crazy plant lady (yet) but I have started putting potted plants in different spaces in our home. I don’t want them to take over, but I love how, in this tour, there’s just a little bit of fresh green life peppered throughout the entire house. I have room to grow (ha! See what I did there?) in this way in our home.

TWO. 

The second style I talked about was eclectic, and you can find a couple hundred home tours of eclectic homes on this site alone! Since eclectic can go many directions, I had to just pick one, so this house was my choice. It had a DIY component to it, and if you’ve read here very long, you know Ryan and I love a good DIY and have done many of them in our decade together. My favorite parts of this house were: the front door (rounded doors are my favorite in life…I will never tire of them), the use of Airstone to give a unique finish to the fireplace and a wall (we used Airstone in our living room and kitchen in our Kokomo house…anyone remember that?), the beautiful kitchen sink, the board and batten (we’ve done that too! Twice!), the clothesline in the nursery (would totally do that if we were making a nursery), and the window boxes outside the house. I think, actually, the window boxes would be my potential real-life inspiration to take away from this tour. Not this year, but maybe in a future year, I’d love to add some to our home. There are a couple of houses around the lake that have them, and I think they are just so very pretty.

THREE. 

The next style was modern farmhouse. I actually had a hard time finding a tour of this style that I wanted to share – for two reasons. One, most modern farmhouses are HUGE, and that just isn’t reflective of our style, and most are also completely white throughout. We like a little pop of color here and there. But I found this colorful farmhouse style tour, and I loved it, so I’ll share it with you today. My favorite things about this house are: The “hello” on the front door (we had that in Kokomo and may add it here someday, too!), the mantel on the hood vent in the kitchen (I’ve never seen that before, and I LOVE it), the industrial shelving in the kitchen (which we also have), the soaker tub (of course), and the bits of color throughout the house. What would I be most likely to duplicate from this tour? Ironically, the gingham. She has a little bit of it in her kitchen/dining area. It has fascinated me for a long time, but I have not been sure of how to introduce it without going overboard.

FOUR. 

The next style was country, and I mentioned that this was probably the least representative of our style, but it shows up now and then. I struggled to find an example of this that I felt really worked with what I think of when I think of country, and then I remembered Sara Jo’s house over at Bryarton Farm. I may have shared her home renovations before, but they are worth seeing again. I love it that she and her husband are restoring this house to its original glory – as they can, when they can afford to make changes. Everything is carefully and purposefully thought-out, and her work is beautiful. To be fair, this does also swing toward farmhouse, but she has a lot of country touches and the vintage part of it is always what makes me think of country. My favorite things are: everything about her kitchen, which is such a huge change from how it looked when they bought it…the kids’ furniture (which she and her husband salvaged and updated themselves)…her hand-painted walls (she’s an artist)…the tub (of course)…and the sweet little nursery that now holds TWO cribs. What would I duplicate? I wish I had the artistic talent to replicate her walls, but what I love most of all is her year-round commitment to using the flowers and greenery she has on hand to brighten the home. She obviously has a lot more access to wildflowers than I do, but they are so pretty, always.

FIVE. 

The next style was industrial, and our love of industrial touches in our home has been 100% influenced by coffee shops we’ve loved. So many have had exposed brick walls and ductwork – as well as open shelving and lots of other metal touches. I like soft and pretty too much to go ALL industrial in our home, so I feel like this house captures our sort of inspiration well. (Although it’s a WAY bigger house than ours.) Things I love about this house include: the open floor plan with the beams (swoon!!!), the coffee bar with its open shelving and metal lighting, the barn doors throughout, the tub (obviously), and the clean openness of it all. Ironically, the thing I think I would duplicate from this house (since we already have several similarities) would be the black and white photo gallery wall. We have a spot in our bedroom that I haven’t figured out yet, but black and white photos could work very well there.

SIX. 

And finally, our last style was coastal, though I’m not sure a lake shoreline can be considered a coast. I found it hard to find a coastal tour that didn’t scream vacation rental, but I liked this one, so here you go! I love her use of blue in this house. Blue is Ryan’s favorite color and I’ve noticed in my adult years, it’s mine as well. (Used to be purple.) Other things I love about this house are: the kitchen backsplash and the weathered wood they used on the cabinets. What a great combo! I love the cozy quilt on the bed, the tub, the painted floors, and all the natural light. It really is beachy and cozy! What would I duplicate? Actually the lantern sconce in the kitchen has me thinking about the spot next to our coffee bar…

 

Hope you enjoyed peeking into some homes today. Have a great weekend, friends!

The Story of Us...In Our Home

  

Yesterday I started to answer a couple of questions about our home and decorating style, but my first answer ended up being so long, I saved the second one for today. The second question was…how do we choose our decorations for our home?

We actually have two rules regarding this. The first is that anything in our home should reflect our family story, and the second is that anything in our home should work for us and the life we live.

What does that mean? Well, before I explain it, allow me the disclaimer that this is our preference for our home. It doesn’t mean we think everyone around us is terrible if they choose to decorate in a different way. We don’t all have to match!

We love for the decorations around us to tell a story and hold a memory. It’s rare…so rare that I can’t even think of an example…that we choose to put something in our home because we think it is a decoration we need. All our belongings tell a story.

…Like the wreath our WillowBridge coworkers made for us as a going away gift when we left.

…Like the USA photo map I gave Ryan for our tenth anniversary that holds pictures from the states we’ve visited – and has room for those we have yet to see.

…Like the “Be still, and know” wall art a women’s group gifted to me for speaking at their retreat.

…Like the pottery we used to wash each other’s feet on our wedding day.

…Like the pictures of newspaper clippings about our grandmothers who both loved baking cakes.

…Like the watercolor paintings of our homes.

…Like my dad’s vintage typewriter that he gave to me because I’m a writer.

…Like the reclaimed wood bookshelf we picked out together on a date when we first moved to Kokomo.

You could point to anything in our house, and we could tell you the story of when we chose it or who gave it to us or what season of life it represents for us. Just from my perch on the couch, I see a hand-painted tray gifted to me from my friend for my 40^th birthday, a flower arrangement from Ryan, a wedding gift from our church, a picture taken on our honeymoon, a framed Scripture passage from our Realtor, a memorial lantern from Allen’s funeral, a picture from when Ryan proposed, pictures of our families, a plant from Nita’s funeral, and all the stones signed by guests at our wedding reception.

We also try to make sure everything in our home serves us for this season of our lives.

Our guest bed works for us because it stores in a small twin-bed state and doesn’t take up the whole room, but it pulls out to a king size to make room for couples when they visit.

Our bed has storage in the headboard and footboard, which is really helpful since we need dresser storage in our room.

Our island has a drop down counter, which gives us plenty of extra counter space when we are cooking, but it doesn’t hog the whole kitchen when we’re not.

Our coffee table stores blankets, so we don’t have to have yet another piece of furniture in the room to hold them.

Our dining room table has a leaf so we can make it bigger if needed, but we don’t have to make it so large every day.

We didn’t keep a few of our pieces when we moved because they didn’t fit our space and there was no need to hang onto them.

I happen to really love things that serve multiple purposes.

A couch that is also a recliner? Space saver!

A bench that holds shoes? Two for one!

A cabinet that holds my trash cans and gives me a top for the coffee bar? Perfect.

            For things we want to own for many years, we try to invest well in quality while still being good stewards of our money. We hunt sales always, and if we can find something we need at a thrift store or garage sale, even better!

And of course, free is the best! When we moved in here my and my parents were willing to let us take the Hoosier cabinet from their house, it was such a blessing! It actually helped them, because they’re in a downsizing time of life, so it removed something from their home. It gave me a pantry, since this house doesn’t have one, and it also gifted us a little extra heritage, since this used to belong to my grandmother.

We are in a stage where we probably will exercise the something-in-something-out plan. If we find something that we like and feel would be a good fit for our home, we won’t be afraid to add it, but probably something else will need to go out to make room for it. I don’t like feeling cramped or cluttered, so I don’t want to max out every corner of our home.

I hope that answered your questions, Paula, and maybe some of the rest of you could find an idea or two that works for you! Remember! It’s your home, so choose the pieces and decorations that work best for you. And you don’t have to have it all figured out in a day. We’ve been working on our home(s) for a decade. Always a work in progress!