The Shafferland Shuffle

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

The Shafferland Shuffle

* I think we tried ALL the seasons this week, starting with our first real, beautiful frost last Sunday morning. Ryan took pictures of it all on his own! {A thousand husbandly points!} We got our first red cups of the season, and I replaced all the pictures in our living room wall collage, using the new ones we had taken this fall. Add about 29 pages of scrapping to that and it was a full Sunday!

* Monday was the same busy day Monday always is, but I had the added bonus of a whole new crop of Hallmark Christmas movies to watch, because I remembered there are TWO Hallmark channels! WOO HOO!!!!! In the afternoon, I had a fun treat: my friend Elisa came all the way from Fort Wayne to visit me and see our new house! Loved that! :) And that night, we saw the first of this week's spectacular moon viewing!

* Just as I was about to fix lunch on Tuesday, Ryan texted and asked if I was up for a lunch out at Wendy's. Don't have to twist my arm! I'll take a surprise, impromptu lunch date! :) We had Bible study that night and ran some errands while we were out, which included a trip to Lowe's...should we get this TWELVE HUNDRED DOLLAR lawn ornament?? And that night we contacted Fitbit about replacing mine...because I didn't think the taped together version would hold much longer. They were so great about replacing it!

* You already read about  my "interesting" Wednesday, when Starbucks was out of all the drinks I wanted, I almost put diesel in the car, and all kinds of crazy things happened. BUT! It was also the day all our Christmas cards arrived in the mail! YAY!! I am excited: ready to start addressing! Ryan found the latest update on Sonic when he was out and about, and he even pitched in to help work on the office wreath by being the official spray-painter! What a good work sport he is!

* After 2 days of working on website creation, I needed movies and naps! My brain was so tired by the end of Thursday, I couldn't think at all. Ryan came home from work and did what we hope is the final mowing for this year, and I went for a run/walk to clear my head. Gorgeous sunset and PERFECT running weather!

* Friday night, we had a first here in Shafferland: craft night hosted in the garage! It was sort of a random last-minute idea, but I invited a handful of girls over (most were Ryan's co-workers) to just have fun. Bring a snack, bring a craft, and come hang out for the evening! LITERALLY in the hour they arrived, the weather switched to winter, and we had a sudden temperature drop and horrible thunderstorms with tons of wind and rain, but we were cozy and warm little crafters in the garage!

* And yesterday, Ryan and I spent the entire day together - Christmas shopping! Yes, it's true! He had a day off work, so we headed to Indianapolis to shop and enjoy a whole day of fun {in the wind, rain and snow} together! We also had dinner at his cousins' house, which was a fun way to end the day! The only one unhappy was Braeya, who did not approve of our absence!

The Saturday Six

One.

I am SO STINKING EXCITED for my friend Allison Mills, whose home and decorating are featured in the November/December issue of Midwest Living. Allison was one of my youth pastors back in the day, and we've kept up our friendship lo these many years later. She is a treasure...the sweetest friend, and I am unbelievably thrilled for her that her work is featured! CHECK IT OUT!!!!

Two.

I am probably TOO excited that all the Christmas movies are back on Hallmark, around the clock. They have been for a few days now, so you probably already knew this, but in case you didn't, I wanted to be sure to tell you! I know it's too early for some of you to be on board with Christmas movies, but I welcome the lighthearted background noise for my days!

Three.

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Found this tutorial to make your own faux zinc letters/numbers. I have purchased these cardboard letters/numbers at Hobby Lobby before, but I have never seen this paint treatment done on them. Hmmm...thinking of some garage decorations...

Four.

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Last week, my friend Kari and I went to a craft show, and one of the women had several felt Christmas trees with ornaments for sale. She said that last year, she made one for her toddler age son, and it saved her by giving HIM something to play with while SHE was busy decorating the actual tree. I've seen them on Pinterest before, and I decided to add the idea (and a few similar ideas) to the board I blogged about a while ago: making gifts for kids. I think it's great to have play ideas for kids that actually require them to use their own imaginations instead of playing with electronic things, and these ideas help. Felt snowmen, Christmas trees, fall trees, even Mr. Potato Heads...all give kids something to do when you're otherwise occupied. And if you don't have a lot of room to store toys, felt folds up into a pretty compact box! This is also great for homes like ours, that don't have a lot of kid-friendly toys around. AND - you can make travel sizes, too, for the car or hotel room fun. Make them for your home, make them for gifts...whatever. I just like it that they don't require much skill! :)

Five.

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Oh. My. Word. This. All day long.

Six.

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Ryan and I finished reading a devotional book together this week, so I wanted to tell you about it! It was actually a housewarming gift from my parents, but when we received it, we were still working through another book, so we waited a little bit to start it!

Devotions from the Front Porch is part of a series of gift/devotional books published by Thomas Nelson. The chapters in this book were written by Stacy Edwards, and the greatest travesty, I think, is that her name is not on the cover! {WHAT!?!?!} But she wrote a BOOK, for Pete's sake, so I'm giving her some credit here. :)

Hands down, this is a stunning gift book. Every single page has full color photographs of life on (or as seen from) the front porch. (Hence the name...) The photos are well done and extremely pleasing to the eye, and it's not often you get a book with beautiful pictures to match, so that is definitely a bonus.

Each devotion begins with a Scripture verse, is followed by some of Stacy's thoughts, and ends with a little two-sentence prayer. {Those things are combined with the beautiful photograph to make a two page spread for each devotion.}

Is it the deepest devotional book we've ever read? Not by a long shot. In fact, we came into this book after having studied Beth Moore together, so it was a pretty big change of depth. But please don't misinterpret that as a criticism. I think there is a time and place for deep devotional reading that takes you through big chunks of Scripture and devotional thoughts designed to make you consider the message thoroughly within your heart. But I also think there is a time and place for lighter reading that sparks a topical thought within you and leaves you feeling hopeful and uplifted.

Some of us need a little bit of both of that in every day. Some are in a place where something light and short is all their hearts and attention spans can handle - and if that's you, that's okay!

This book may not dive deep, but it's full of scripturally sound thoughts that combine real-life experience, and sometimes even a little humor. Each reading is completely relatable and makes for a perfectly sized reading-on-the-go. The topics center around home, neighborhood, family, coziness, safety, hospitality, and all the things you would associate with a front porch devotional.

It really was a perfect housewarming gift, given the subject, and I love it that we were able to enjoy it together and can enjoy it together again later, when we come back to the book.

A hardback book with a ribbon bookmark, combined with the color photographs, makes this a great choice to give for a hostess or housewarming gift!

Thanks, Mom and Dad, for choosing this for us. We enjoyed reading out of it every morning before work, and we'll enjoy it again, too! :)

Red Carpet Movie Premiere

Ryan and I have been blessed to have the chance to do a lot of really fun things...but I have to say this past weekend is high on the list of fun experiences. {And Ryan earned roughly 4 billion points for being part of this for me.}

A couple of weeks ago, during Mid-Morning, I had the chance to meet two fiction writers you might know if you read Christian fiction: Colleen Coble and Denise Hunter. They came to the station to do an interview about an upcoming movie...and that was about all I knew prior to the actual interview.

As they shared, I learned that they were part of a sisterhood of authors...and one of their writing sisters, Diann Hunt, had died last fall after a courageous battle with ovarian cancer. Before she died, Diann learned that her novel, For Better or For Worse had been picked up by the Hallmark Channel to be made into a movie! She didn't live to see the movie in its finished state, but her friends celebrated her life and talent by throwing a Hollywood style movie premiere...in Fort Wayne!

When I found out that was happening, I SO wanted to go, and it so happened that we were going to be in Fort Wayne already that day, because we had to work an event for the station, so Ryan agreed to make a day of it. {Again. 4 billion points!}

So...we got two tickets {which were free to everyone who went...you just had to have one to get in!} and off we went!

After we worked Children's Fest, we scurried across town to the station to get all dressed up for the movie! I was so excited to have a chance to wear one of my dresses I've not had a reason to wear since the cruise!

We had two gift cards to Granite City {where we'd never eaten before} so we decided to make a free night of it and eat our dinner there! We were, far and away, THE most overdressed in the whole place.

 Fish tacos for Ryan and a chicken wrap for me. Have to say...the food was very tasty and we would absolutely go here again. {So many things I wanted to try, but I chose based on what would be the least likely to leave giant green stuff in my smile!}

On our way to the movie, we used another gift card to make our way through Starbucks....

The premiere was held at a church in Fort Wayne, and when we arrived, they had the red carpet all rolled out and waiting! We stood in the crowd and waited for Diann's friends and family to arrive via limo. When they did, everyone applauded for them as they made their way inside.

There were photographers and reporters there...and everyone was all dressed up and excited to celebrate. It was a wonderful atmosphere!

Once the guests of honor arrived, everyone else walked the red carpet to get inside...

Inside, they had a life size copy of the book cover...

There was even a "wedding reception" for all the guests - complete with cake and punch!

{The photo above is actually Denise Hunter's...I found it on Facebook and had to borrow it because I found us in it!}

The movie premiered on Hallmark at 9 p.m., so as the time drew close, we all made our way into the sanctuary to watch on the big screen{s}.

We THOROGHLY enjoyed the movie. It was a cute story, it was funny...and it was exciting to be able to share in the joy of people who knew and loved Diann.

During commercial breaks, they gave away door prizes, and Ryan and I each won a book. I guess he couldn't wait to get started!

So that was our fun night at the movie premiere!! A completely free date - and a once-in-a-lifetime experience!

The Shafferland Shuffle

* Last Sunday we had such a beautiful time at church {you already heard about that} - and then on our way home, Ryan stopped at the blood bank bus to donate. I stopped with him for moral support! That evening we went over to his Mom and step-dad's house to celebrate Allen's birthday. It was SUCH FUN...good talking with all the siblings and all their kids are just hysterical. We had a great night!

* Monday was an anxiety-filled day for me, so when I got home, I just wanted to be with Ryan for a while. We rested and then made dinner - which included our first sampling of home grown {though not at our home!} sweet corn. By the end of the night, the rain let up enough to go for some exercise...though part of it was still IN rain. It was gentle though - and pretty in puddles!!!

* Tuesday I went to work for the first half of the day and ended my time at work with a lunch meeting - love me some Friendly Fox food! I had to work from home that afternoon, and then that evening, while I had the Beth Moore study with the girls, Ryan said his final goodbyes to Old Blue and hello to our new {to us} wheels, the Red Bandit. A very full day!!

 * Wednesday morning was foggy, and halfway to work, I just drove straight out of it into the most glorious sunrise. The picture doesn't do it justice. While at work, I participated in the filming of our Christmas video...like the turtleneck? {I remember now why I don't wear them. Far too constricting and hot!} That night, I played undercover watchdog while Ryan met for some Craigslist sale attempts. I felt very Sandra Bullock-esque.

* Thursday was a bit of a rough day, so I spent my lunch hour doing a good cleansing cry in my car. That, along with the stellar summer sky fixed so much! :) After work, Ryan and I had some great talks together - and he took me for my first ride in the Red Bandit! We rented a movie and curled up for some much-needed rest: Braeya included! She's such a daddy's girl. {Traitor.}

 * Friday morning, while he was making the bed, Ryan actually got Braeya to pose WITH a toy for a picture. Amazing. Friday night, my sister Julie drove up from Indianapolis and the three of us went to see Michael English in concert. I'd never seen him solo before, and though he wasn't feeling well, it was a great concert! And it was fun to hang out with Julie, because we never get to do that!

* Yesterday was another full day! Ryan and I worked Children's Fest in Fort Wayne. The station has a tent there where kids can come through and record something {like a song or reading part of a DJ script} and take it home with them. They love it! When we were done with that, we scurried over TO the station to change clothes and head to...a movie premiere! I cannot WAIT to tell you more about this! We went to the red carpet movie premiere of the Hallmark movie For Better or for Worse. SUCH FUN!!!!

The Saturday Six

One.

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There's a brand new movie premiering on Hallmark tonight - and I'm really excited about it! It's called For Better or for Worse, and it's based on a novel by DiAnn Hunt. The author passed away this past fall, after a battle with cancer, but her writer friends were on Mid-Morning last week to share about the movie. I'm SO EXCITED about it!!! If you're home - WATCH!!!! If not - DVR!!!!!

Two.

Lynne shared with me a bag of this popcorn...which you can see is all kinds of good for you. I expected it to be boring and tasteless, but I was pleasantly surprised to see it had tons of flavor - and even {gasp} a hint of salt! It was a good snack!

Three.

This article BLEW my mind. Let the record show that while I am guilty of taking all manner of pictures of my food and my experience eating it, I do NOT create this kind of delay in the process. Ummmmm girl's gotta eat. And the faster, the better!!!

Four.

I gave in. I am now on the Instagram boat. It is TRULY pathetic why I did this...I was obsessively blog-following Julia's pregnancy and she SAID on her blog she would announce the birth via Instagram before it hit the blog. That's it. That is the reason I signed up. But for coming to the party several years late, I'm thoroughly enjoying the world of photos captioned by stories not limited to 140 characters. Thankyouverymuch. {It seemed appropriate for my first Instagram photo to be the one above. For many reasons.}

Five.

This is Ryan's first contribution to the Saturday Six, and I wanted to be sure to give him full credit. Some of you may have seen this swirling around Facebook or Twitter, but if you've NOT seen it, WATCH. It's a video full of grammar truth. A hearty amen, Weird Al.

Six.

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One of my friends left me this link on my Facebook page...given that I'm not really a WORLD traveler, I'll likely never see most of these, but man it was fun to read. I love coffee shops!!!