Updates on Dreams and Goals from April

 

Hello, last day of April! It’s a surprise to see you here already, yet here you are! It has been a full, full month here in Shafferland, and it’s time for me to look back over the goals I made thirty days ago to see how many have been accomplished! Want to look with me?

Celebrate Ryan’s birthday.

                While I don’t think this year’s celebration can go down in history as my best planning ever, he said he had a fun and enjoyable day, and that’s what matters. I was able to have lunch with him at work, we enjoyed dinner out at the Chinese buffet, and he liked his presents! We’ll call it a win!

Prepare for Holy Week.

                I shared several posts about our Holy Week worship services and adventures, and I am so thankful for the time I put into preparing and for the time we spend participating in those services. All of it was well spent.

Prepare for speaking.

                I loved the evening I had with Loving Shepherd Ministries this month – and the morning I shared at our own church. I’m still in prep mode, as I have four events in May, so this is ongoing, but I feel I did well with my prep time, especially considering how many other things happened in April!

Find my new Easter dress.

                Well, I just about gave up on it, but at the last minute, Ryan remembered Maurice’s, and they came through for me! I had shopped at three different thrift stores and looked at several options online, but nothing felt perfect to me. One week before Easter, after a failed thrift store attempt, I found three dresses at Maurice’s, and one became my Easter dress!

Take the next licensing step.

                Or two! 😊 I spent a lot of time on this whole ministry licensing process this month, and I am so, so thankful for each part of the journey. I had a wonderful time writing answers to the licensing interview questions, I enjoyed the interview itself, and then I went on to complete the whole process. (More on this coming soon.)

Other notable things this month included…

Celebrating Mom and Dad’s first year at Swiss Village.

Hair overhaul!

Successful construction of an apple slab pie.

                Indeed, a full month, but also a very good month. I am so thankful for it. 

Favorite Recipes from April

 

                I promise today’s post really is about recipes! If you visited this space early yesterday, you saw a title and graphic that said “Favorite recipes” and then a post that showed all my fun finds from April. WHOOPSIE! I didn’t find that error until mid-morning, when I changed it. So if you missed the fun finds, those really are on yesterday’s post, and TODAY I will share with you my favorite recipes from this past month.

                I feel like this month has not been my best culinary month. We’ve had more than a few hodge-podge meals and have eaten at many events along the way. Such is a month on the go – and the month filled with special occasions! But I did try a few new-to-me things I thought I’d share with you today, in case you need some new options for your meal rotation.

Shrimp Tacos with Caesar Salad Slaw – Ever since Ryan won the little taco holders at our church’s Bible Bingo day, we’ve had this newfound obsession with taco-themed food. It’s just too much fun to eat cute food from cute holders. This spin on tacos – with shrimp and homemade Caesar salad dressing – was a fun discovery, and we enjoyed it.

Crustless Sausage and Spinach Quiche – I love quiche, but I really despise sinking calories into crust. I’d rather save those for something more meaningful to me. So crustless quiches are a total win for me, and this was one such find! Easy to make and tasty to eat.

Chocolate Éclair Cake – This was not one of the healthy finds this month (though I later found some healthier versions of it) but it was so good. I made it for our small group, and it was so tasty. It took me back to my Financial Aid days when one of the guys always brought this to carry in meals. It was one of his wife’s specialties, and I always loved it when she made it. It’s super easy and really yummy.

Apple Slab Pie – This is another treat from this month. Ryan loves pie, and I’ve been historically terrible at making them. But I decided to try this slab pie (made in a jellyroll pan, rather than a pie pan) and it was a home run. I think I finally found the crust recipe I can make successfully, and the apple filling with crumb topping was so good. I was so happy it turned out! (It was for small group/his birthday.)

Breakfast BLT – You can’t go wrong with a BLT, right? To have a breakfast BLT is a win! It’s basically a BLT with egg, and it’s quite yummy. We had these a few times this month, and it’s worth keeping in the rotation.

Big Mac Tacos – Remember our aforementioned taco obsession? The cute food? This was another taco spin we tried this month. Tastes just like a Big Mac, but served in taco form.

Broccoli Salad – Years ago I became known for my broccoli salad, and I still love it. But this healthier spin on broccoli salad was so tasty. I made it for lunch this past Sunday when we had my parents over for lunch, and Mom declared it so good. (Dad declined to eat it, but he did give the apple slab pie two thumbs up!)

Fun Finds from April

 

NOTE: Apparently when I was writing the blog last night, I was paying too much attention to the show we were watching simultaneously and not enough attention to what I was writing. I titled it favorite recipes and then proceeded to write about fun finds. Oh, Bekah. Bless your heart. I really will tell you my favorite recipes tomorrow, but I have retitled this post to match the content: fun finds from April! 

Good morning! I have some Monday fun for you today. I’ve stumbled upon a handful of fun things throughout the month of April, and I thought I’d share them with you, in case you need some fun finds in your life, too!

·         Insulated Bag: Ryan proposed to me on a Thursday, and I am pretty sure it was Saturday of that same week that I went to a Thirty-One party. (Are those parties still a thing? Oh! I just looked and it appears the company closed last fall.) Anyway, I purchased an insulated cooler that was big enough to hold two large pizza boxes. I had it embroidered with “Shaffer”, and it became the first thing I ever bought with my future last name on it. (Sentimental there, Bekah?) That bag has served us VERY WELL for twelve and a half years, carrying thousands of loads of groceries and vacation food and even some pizza boxes along the way. But I guess it wasn’t a lifetime adventure, because the whole bag had started to break down and no longer provided full insulation. I feel like we got our money’s worth, but it was time for a new bag, and this month we purchased this non-monogrammed, but much cheaper version from Walmart. I am excited to know my food will stay cold (or hot, as needed) again!

·         Faux Plant: Speaking of Walmart, on the same shopping trip, I found an adorable little faux plant for just under $5.00. I bought it to put inside my bird nest planter, which is sitting on a ledge away from a good light source. When spring is over, I plan to relocate this little plant to my office at the church, which also doesn’t have natural light, so…artificial plants for the win in there. They had a whole endcap of various plants for this price, so you could pick your favorite. (I bought a faux boxwood at Walmart when Ryan and I lived at WillowBridge, and I’m impressed with how it doesn’t collect dust or look super fake. We still have it on display in our home.)

·         Cheerios: Ryan and I used to eat cereal every night, and over time, we’ve given up that habit. (Cereal is EXPENSIVE – and most kinds aren’t that great for you, anyway.) But this month we discovered this spin on Cheerios, and I hate admitting how yummy this is. We don’t have it every day, nor in great quantities, but it does make a tasty little snack.

·         Maurice’s Dresses: When shopping for my Easter dress this year, every thrift shop failed me. I have regular good luck at three different stores, but I started a couple of months before Easter and came up quite empty. The week before Easter, when I had my last round of womp-womp shopping, I was about to go home and look at the ones I’d marked on Amazon, but Ryan remembered Maurice’s. Why did I forget that store?? I found three dresses I liked and all three fit well…so I bought all three! (They were all on sale, too, so that was a win!) I purchased this one in the outer space blue combo. I like some of the others in this cut, but they didn’t have them in the store where I shopped.) I got this one – also in the outer space blue combo, though the fabric is not the same as the first one with that name. That’s strange! And this was the third one!

·         Front Pages site/app: I follow a lot of photo managers on social media, and one of them shared a link for the Front Pages app (also a website). She said she uses it when making photo books for her kids – if she wants to save the headlines from a significant day in history or in their lives. The app/site shows the front pages of major newspapers around the country, and you can save the image. I’d never heard of it!

·         Old Man Slippers: A couple of years ago, I purchased some fuzzy slippers, and I love them. I plan to wear them until they develop holes in the bottom, and then I’m going to buy the same ones again. The only problem with my beloved fuzzy slippers? They make my feet SO HOT when the weather warms up! I’d found these “old man slippers” as I call them online and put them on my wish list about a year ago. Ryan bought them for me (in eggplant) for Easter, and I am so happy!! They are much cooler (in temperature) than my pretty fuzzies. If we had more carpet in the house, I’d probably just walk around in socks, but I don’t love walking on hard floors barefoot or in socks. I love my new old-man-slippers!

·         Sandwich Holders: When Ryan and I first got married, we had a couple of Tupperware sandwich holders, and I used to make a peanut butter and honey sandwich to eat every morning on my way to the radio station. I’d pack it in my little, plastic sandwich holder, and off I’d drive! Well, over time I’ve lightened up on my sandwich eating, and we’ve tried to scale back on plastics in the kitchen, so those little holders no longer live here. But Ryan has been taking PB&J to work lately, and we didn’t have a good sandwich-sized holder for him. I found these stainless steel sandwich holders and put them in his Easter basket. I purchased the two-pack so we always have a clean one, but you can buy them in one, two, or three packs!

Sunday Snapshots: Memorable Moments from the Week

 

Good morning! I am excited for this day and look forward to sharing more about it with you soon. Ryan and I have had a good week…though full…and today I want to share with you some of the moments that stand out most.

We started the week celebrating Easter, and though I already told you all about the day, I'll share this picture again, because it was my favorite from the day. Dressing up for Easter Sunday is one of my very favorite things. 

A quick trip to Fort Wayne for a dentist appointment turned into an all-day comedy of errors and delays. By the end of it, I was searching for coffee, and quickly! I am grateful for coffee shops that stay open past 2 p.m. and write happy messages on the cups!

This week brought our first true taste of spring. I actually wanted to cry with joy because we were able to go for a walk…without a coat, or even long sleeves! I feel like this winter was so, so long and I’d started to give up hope spring was ever coming. Not taking this for granted.

Ryan sang at a funeral this week, and I forgot to take his picture before he left for work. He looked so handsome all dressed up for the funeral! He was a sweetie and went to the workout room to get a picture for me. Love him!

And speaking of Ryan and how much I love him…I also loved celebrating him on his birthday! He was such a sweetheart and chose to stay close to home to celebrate so we could take Lexi for a walk, and he could work on our broken thermostat.

Sweet Lexi Grae had a checkup this week. When we arrived at the vet’s office, there was a giant, vocal German Shepherd in the waiting room, so Lexi sat right down on the end table! LOL!

I signed up to take dessert to small group this week, and in honor of Ryan’s birthday, I took a stab at making a slab pie. It was apple and it turned out pretty tasty! Ryan loves pie, and I’ve always been a failure at making them, but this exercise gave me some hope.

                Thanks for reading along…hope your Sunday is great!

Saturday Suggestions: Inspirations for Your Weekend

 

Good morning! I had hoped to fully catch up this week, but it didn’t happen. Too many unexpected things hopped in the schedule, but it’s okay! We made it through anyway. And it was a good week, despite the plot twists.

                Here are a few finds for your weekend…enjoy!

Yvonne at StoneGable has a great post about how to transition the décor in your home from Easter to just plain spring…and the post also has good advice for how to transition decorations in your home in any season. She presents a “beginning, middle, end” seasonal concept that makes a lot of sense to me. Maybe you’ll find it helpful, too! (BONUS: Lory has an ADORABLE Patio layout if you want to check out her thoughts. So inspirational! We have not yet put out much of our outdoor furniture and décor, because it’s been so windy here that they would all just blow right away. Looking forward to arranging the patios soon.)

If you are waiting for answers to prayer, read these words by Hannah Crews. We so easily celebrate answers to prayer that match the answers we hoped to receive, but the waiting and the answers that don’t match what we asked are harder to celebrate. Hannah’s words might provide some comfort for you, if that’s where you’re living right now. (BONUS: Hannah also wrote these words, so if you’re plagued by insecurities about your abilities, you absolutely should read what she had to say!)

I love a good book recommendation, and Flourish Writers offered their top twenty books for Christian communicators. Whether you’re a writer or speaker, you might find some real gems in this list. I think I put all but two on my wish list!

This idea popped up in my Pinterest feed recently, and while I know it’s intended for fall (Thanksgiving, specifically), there is no reason in this world why hosting a gratitude party has to be saved for fall alone. Maybe don’t decorate the table with pumpkins if you do this in the summer, but the concept of showing your gratitude for those you love is a solid year-round idea! (BONUS: Likewise, I don’t think it has to be Father’s Day to take advantage of this ice cream taste test party!)

I’ve done several Bible studies through Precept Ministries and find them well-crafted and deep. I saw this week that they are offering a free seven-day study on The Lord’s Prayer. I’ve never seen them do a free study before, so that’s exciting! I downloaded it, but I wanted to share the link with you in case you want to try it, too! (Note…I did skim through it and think it’s a great study on its own, but if you want to dig in even further, Precept has some studies that do dive much deeper.)

Ryan and I hope to pull out all the patio furniture this weekend. (Weather will have the final say on that.) We’ve kept it in storage, because not only has this spring been cold, it has been so windy. We haven’t wished to retrieve any of our belongings from the lake. 😊 Anyway, Sarah’s covered patio tour has inspired me to make it extra homey out there this summer. I’ve gleaned a couple of ideas from her inspiration, and I’m excited for our summer nights on the patio!

Easter is behind us, so it’s time to take down the Easter décor, and probably most of the spring-related decorations, too. Summer tends to be the time I don’t use a lot of seasonal décor, and it’s just about time!

This is also a good time to go through the kitchen cabinets and drawers to pull out the things you haven’t used in a long time. Garage sale season looms!

Ryan's Birthday Celebrations!

 

Thank you all for helping me celebrate Ryan yesterday! He spent the day enjoying all the greetings on social media, here on the blog, texts, and through phone calls. It was a fun day for him! I confess I spent most of the day second-guessing my celebration plans and wishing we’d had time and space in our day to do so much more than we did, but when birthdays fall on a work day, it’s hard to add celebrations that take much time or travel. I had to remind myself that what mattered was that he had fun, and he said he did. And here’s a little peek into how he spent the day.

                Lexi gave him lots of extra love in the morning before he left for work. So many hugsies and kisses!

                Remember a few weeks ago, I told you about the trail mix bar Ryan did for one of his coworkers on her birthday? Well, yesterday was his turn to receive the party! The coworker who had his name made a trifle, scotcharoos, and party mix! She made a cute little sign for him, and it was so sweet!

                He invited me to come in and have lunch with him so I could sample the treats too, so I did! (I appreciate the flexibility I have in my schedule to do things like this!) I had a salad from the Swiss Village café, and he had some leftovers from an appreciation lunch yesterday, and then we took our birthday treats out on the patio to enjoy a GORGEOUS warm, sunny day.

                I asked if he had enough time to take a quick walk around the building, since it was so nice out, and he did, so we enjoyed our walking date.

                We both worked all afternoon, and then I met him at work again to get a picture of him with Mom and Dad. They had fun celebrating him yesterday, too. (All the residents were so sweet to him. A whole group of ladies sang to him at lunch!)

                We scurried to the consignment shop to pick up a fun piece that had been on hold…and I can’t wait to show you that little DIY project when it’s finished.

                Then? Dinner time!! I gave him four dinner/dessert/coffee scenario options and he picked the Chinese buffet. It really was quite yummy.

                After dinner, we made a quick stop at Lowe’s to get a new thermostat, as ours chose the warmest day of the year (so far) to die.

                When we arrived back home, we took Miss Lexi for a walk, and it was the perfect night for such an adventure.

                The minute we got home, he dove into replacing the thermostat, and I kept an eye on the NFL draft to make sure he was notified when his numbers were up. Alas, despite spending a couple of hours on the thermostat, he wasn’t able to get the new one working, so he abandoned it in favor of installing a portable air conditioner in our bedroom to help keep us cool at night. (Weirdly, the only room in our whole house that never stays cool enough is our room.)

                I was sad that by 10:00 he still hadn’t had time to open his presents! ☹ When he did get to do it, he had fun, and so did Lexi! Ever the helper.

                Happy birthday (again), Ryan. You are so loved!