I finished designing our Christmas card last night, which means I
can do a post about our pictures from this fall! Our photographer from severalyears ago doesn’t live terribly far from us now, so she took our pictures this
year! It was her first time to meet Lexi, and they became fast friends!
We were super
grateful to get in on a warm night before the leaves were entirely gone, and I
think she got some great pictures! Take a look!
Last night I
had the chance to do one of my favorite things: share with a group…of women…about
Christmas! The trifecta. 😊
After I spoke
at the Chosen conference this summer, one of my new friends from that planning
committee invited me to speak at her church to her women’s group! Even though
it’s still November, I had the chance to share with them about preparing their
hearts to focus on Jesus during the Christmas season.
The bonus? It
was a local group, so after dinner (which we ate outside on the patio…in
November!) Ryan and I drove over to the church and got all set up for the evening.
It was so fun
to get to meet one of my blog reading friends – Carla! She told me she’s been
reading since right around the time Ryan and I got married, and it meant so
much to me that she hangs out here to read every day AND that she came to last
night’s event. Thanks for the great conversation, Carla!
The whole group
was so kind and welcoming. I thoroughly enjoyed my time with them.
When I first
wrote the Advent book, I did quite a bit of speaking around the Christmas
season. I don’t get asked for that season as often anymore, but it’s still one
of my favorite topics, and I loved getting to share about it this week.
Thank you,
friends, for your kindness. You were a joy to visit!
PS - I don't often do book plugs on the blog, and I know so many of you have been reading here during the past 13 years and have already gotten a copy of this along the way, but if you're new or are looking for an Advent book to read during this season, it's not too late to get a copy of His Advent: Still His Greatest Gift. I also have copies in stock at home if you are local and would prefer to get one through me instead. I am so grateful for this book that was my debut into publishing, and I'm always glad to introduce it to new readers each year!
Guess what? I finished TWO books last week! I was so excited! 😊 So I
thought I’d catch you up on some of my reading thoughts based on those two.
The first book
I finished was for work, and while it was a good book, as you’ll see in a
moment, I confess it is not the kind of book I would choose to read out of all
the books in the world. I am not typically a major “business book” fan, and
that’s what this is.
The book is
called Mission Drift by Peter Greer and Chris Horst. I read it together
with my team at work, and every week during our team meeting, we discussed a
chapter.
The book is
aimed at leaders of charities, churches, ministries, nonprofits, etc. Though it
comes with a distinct Christian perspective, it does offer principles that work
in business scenarios across the board.
It examines
real organizations from colleges to nonprofits and several businesses in
between, to see how their adherence to or drift from their original stated
mission affected their health over time. It was fascinating to see how some
truly evolved in what they had to offer without ever straying from their
original mission. Others became unrecognizable over time, because they left their original mission far behind.
If you own/run/lead
an organization – especially one based in ministry - this book has a ton of
helpful suggestions for how to stick to your mission and how to prioritize what
matters most to you. It offers some hard truths on how staying mission true can sometimes
mean losing people or funding that you feel you need. That is hard. But
if you want to stick to your mission, it might be necessary.
Since I don’t
run the organization, there were parts of this that didn’t apply to me in overseeing
how it’s done, but because I want to be a good team member within the
organization, it was really helpful to see the importance of holding true to the
mission. It was an interesting book with many real-life examples. It wasn't dry and textbook-y, which I appreciated!
The second book
I finished was a novel that I drank as quickly as I could. I found it at the
library and was so excited, because it was on my reading challenge list! It
completed the category of “An Author You Love.” Irene Hannon has been on my favorite
author list for many years, and one thing I love about her is how gifted she is
in writing suspense and, as Ryan calls it, “A Hallmark movie in a book.”
Several years ago, when I was reviewing books on a weekly basis,
Irene started writing a series called “Hope Harbor.” She originally intended it
to be a 3-4 book series, but it is one of her most loved series and I think it’s
10 books long now. I own the first 4 books, but around the time she wrote
the 5th book, life got crazy for me, and I got behind in reading.
So when I found book five in the library, I checked it out in a
hurry! (I’ll still have to end up buying it, so I have the complete series
eventually, but at least I got to read it now!)
The book is called Driftwood Bay. Even thought it had
been forever since I read in this series, I fell right back into the little
town of Hope Harbor and all its beloved residents. I recognized many of them
from the previous books and dove right into the story of the newest characters.
Jeannette Mason is somewhat new to town, and although she has
done a magnificent job of opening a successful tearoom and running a lavender
farm, she has been careful not to become too friendly with the people of the
town. She’s not unkind. She’s just protecting her heart, which has suffered entirely
too many losses in a short amount of time.
So she’s not thrilled when the new doctor moves into the house
next door. The previous occupant of the house had kept to himself and made it
easy for her to have all the privacy, but the new doctor’s puppy does not share
that sentiment. He likes to visit – often. (And by visit, I mean dig up
lavender plants.)
The puppy and the refugee family that has just moved into town
make it impossible for Jeannette to keep to herself in the way she prefers, but
they make it possible for her to consider healing after all.
I read this novel SO fast. It was so easy to get engrossed in
the story! I’m ready to find book six and jump into it, too!
So there you have it…my reading updates. I’m hoping to read a few
more books before the end of the year!
I know, I know. Thanksgiving and Christmas aren’t here yet. Why
in the world would I write with a nod to New Year’s resolutions?
Because sometimes
we need a minute to embrace change.
It’s no secret
that I love normalcy. Even though I handle the idea of change so much more
gracefully than I used to, I still crave sameness. My daily routines matter to
me. My traditions are dear to my soul. It comforts my
heart immensely when someone thinks to give me a heads-up about a change before
it smacks me in the face.
Despite my
affinity for sameness, I know that sometimes it’s okay to make a change.
Ryan and I have
worked intently this year to create changes in our life and home that will
hopefully lend themselves to a better future. We’ve made decisions that will
impact our tiny family world years down the road. We are praying for God to
open our eyes to things we’re doing that aren’t beneficial to us. We’re
committed to continuing to change in ways that matter.
Just because we’ve
always done something one way doesn’t mean it’s in our best interest to keep
doing it that way. Just because people expect us to do something one way doesn’t
mean we shouldn’t start doing it differently. Just because something has been widely
accepted by the world around us doesn’t mean it’s something we should do.
As we hurry
into these final two months of 2023, with all the busyness of the holidays and
our anniversary, I am asking myself if there are more areas of my life that
need to be changed. Maybe it’s a tiny shift. Maybe it’s an uprooting.
Either way, Ryan
and I both want to honor the Lord and the lives He entrusted to us by staying
consistent in the ways that are working well and being open to change the
things that need it.
I encourage you
to ask the questions! The answers might be uncomfortable, but the life on the
other side of the answers might just be more than you could dream!
Well, a few weeks ago I told our godson’s mom that we could keep
him this weekend. Know what I forgot? The time change. And that we had donut
duty at church. I nearly fell over in straight-up fear when I realized all
three things were happening at once. But God is good, and Ryan and I thrive on teamwork,
so we made it!
We picked him up Friday night, and on our way home, we had to make a quick stop at Lowe’s. I’m going to guess this was his first visit to Lowe’s, and he seemed to like it! But then again…a whole section of pretty Christmas trees and big old Santas and reindeer? What’s not to love?
He’s met Lexi
before, but they have to reacquaint every single time. They’re still about the
same size and energy level, so they both get really excited to see each other,
yet they are simultaneously wary. (Fair on both counts!) They did better as the
weekend went along, though Lexi stayed close whenever meals took place. She knows
fallen food is likely!
By the time we
got home Friday night, it was pretty
late, so I rocked him to sleep. Yes, he’s really too old for that, but I never
get the chance to do it, and I figure no kid can suffer from extra love and
prayer time, so we rock before bed. Ryan even moved our rocking chair into the
guest room so I could just transfer him right to bed when I was done rocking
him. (He always sleeps great at our house, and this time was no exception!)
Saturday morning I had to travel to the donut shop to pick up donuts for Sunday. It’s about a 45 minute drive each way, so Ryan got him up and dressed and fed! When I came home, we read books and played some more, and then we headed out on our adventure for the day!
We had some
errands to run, so we did that, but we also had some Chick-Fil-A for lunch and
a fun afternoon at the Children’s Museum. It was the first time (I think) he
had ever been to a place like that, so even though it was a small one and was not
very busy, it was still really overwhelming for him. He did a great job of
picking out a couple of spots he LOVED, and he played forever. One of them was
the water table, so he was mostly soaked by the end. Three cheers for
remembering to pack extra clothes!
Ryan and I got
coffee on the way home, and he got pretzels and water. 😊 No
need for extra caffeination. He squeezed in a nap on the way home, and then we
all went for a walk. I was so thankful the weather was extra warm and good this
weekend.
Saturday night
after dinner we played with Legos, and he had fun for almost two hours…organizing
them, telling me the colors, and offering Legos to Lexi. (She declined.)
Thankfully he
was so worn out that he slept clear until we got him up for church Sunday
morning! We did have to be there early, and he was a champ about getting up and
ready on time! He played with balls in the gym while we set up donuts on the
other side of the room, and then he ate his choice of “anana” and an orange for
his breakfast. He had a great time playing in the kids’ area throughout
Sunday School and church. I’m so grateful we have an extra- amazing children’s
pastor and crew who have come to learn about him during his visits with us and
treat him like he’s there every single Sunday.
After lunch, we
took him back to his mama, and we were all sad about it! We sure love him and
are always glad for our weekends with him!
A couple of weeks ago, when I spoke at our church, I talked
about the importance of memorizing Scripture. I’ve blogged about this a handful
of times recently, so I know I’ve shared with you that this is not something
that comes easily or naturally to me. (Memorizing in general, that is.) But even
though I don’t have a photographic memory, I remain convinced that hiding God’s
word in our hearts is so important.
We never know
when we might need to call it to mind – and if we haven’t put it in our
mind, how will we call it?
At my cousin’s
funeral earlier this year, all the students who were in attendance stood and
recited the Law from Exodus 20 – something he had his classes learn year after
year. That inspired me to learn it myself, and I did that a few months ago.
Leading up to
what I shared at church, I prayed about what to memorize next, and God kept bringing
me back to Psalm 119.
Yes. The longest
Psalm. 178 verses long.
I made that commitment
in front of the church, which is the ultimate accountability. And then I
started trying to memorize it and learned that it’s hard! So many of the
verses resemble the ones around them, and I struggled to keep the words
straight.
Then I found that
there are song versions of this Psalm. A couple of groups of set the verses to
music, and I decided I would learn it that way. I know I can memorize songs,
and after all, Psalms are songs. What an appropriate way to learn!
I’ve started
learning the first section, and when I made my way to the donut shop yesterday
to pick up donuts for church today, I found myself singing parts of the song as
I drove. It’s working! The words are settling in my mind and heart and emerging
naturally as I go about my day.
Maybe you don’t
feel led to memorize Psalm 119, but maybe you feel led to work on memorizing some
section of Scripture so it’s settled on your mind and heart! Join me, will you?
Happy Saturday, my friends! We have had a good little week here
in Shafferland. The weather has turned chilly on us, but we’ve enjoyed cozy
evenings at home, we’ve been watching God do some sweet things in our lives,
and we are doing our best to prep for the busy weeks to come. Along the way I
found some treasures to share with you today. Enjoy!
ONE.
It is my duty to remind you that the time changes tomorrow. The
good news is that we get an extra hour of sleep! The bad news is that you have
to reset all the clocks that don’t reset themselves! 😊
TWO.
I loved this
post, based on a journal entry, that includes some really good questions to
regularly ponder in your own heart. We’re still at the start of a new month,
and I think that makes this a great time to ask these very questions and see
what God presses on you!
THREE.
I stumbled upon this
blanket this week, and MY GOODNESS. This is like the ultimate in thick,
plush blankets. If you’re thinking this winter might be a cold one, and you
need to stay extra extra warm, I don’t think you can go wrong with this
one. You might even sweat!
FOUR.
With the multi-month holiday season upon us, you might need some
ideas for hostess gifts. These are some
cute ideas to build on if you need to take something with you for a meal or
party!
FIVE.
As I told you, I just bought some fuzzy slippers that have been
a game-changer for walking on our chilly floors. I’ve also pulled out a throw
blanket to have over my lap while I work. (My desk is right next to a window,
so sometimes it’s not the warmest spot, even if the house is warm enough.) I am
all about the subtle lamplight, the comfortable fall scents, the hoodies, the
slippers, the blankets…so I love these
ideas for all the cozy in the house!
SIX.
This
house, which appears to have already sold, was the most popular listing on
realtor.com this week. I’m not sure it is the most practical house I’ve ever
seen, but it sure has some wonderful and unique features. I sorta love it! All
the arches and stone and natural light (and books!) had me swooning. And in
other news, the
5th most popular house this week was right here in Indiana – not
far from us – and I already knew about it because I know the agent who listed
it! (It’s her very first listing ever…and it made the most popular list. Not
too shabby!)
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Yesterday marked 131 months of marriage for us, and it blows my
mind that in one month, we will hit another year marker!
This month’s
celebration was on the low-key side, but it was no less special in my soul. It
was a work day, of course, so we spent the bulk of it apart, but we checked in
throughout the day to celebrate wins here and there and just to say I love
you. (Can’t say it too often!)
I actually did receive
a nod at work for winning a monthly competition on my team. While attention
makes me squirm, I was excited that I’d done so well this month!
When Ryan came
home, we had a Zoom meeting to attend together, so we did that, and then he
took Lexi for a walk while I cooked dinner. Divide and conquer for the win!
Dinner was
YUMMY, and we settled in to watch our current binge-session of a
behind-the-scenes-of-cruise-ships documentary.
Like I said, it
was a simple day, with nothing extraordinary in terms of special meals or extravagant
dates. But we were together as much as possible, and when we weren’t together,
we still checked in.
It has been
very much on my mind lately that I love this comfortable place we have found in
our relationship. It’s the kind of comfort that only comes with time and shared
experiences, and I am thrilled that we are far enough into our life together to
be at this place.
Every day with Ryan
– whether routine or extraordinary – brings my heart much comfort and joy. I’m
glad for every one of these 131 months, and I’m excited to look ahead to the
next 131…and then some!
I love you,
Ryan! Happy monthiversary!
For the last several years, I’ve had fun putting together a list
of some of our favorite finds throughout the year. I pass them along to you in
case you’re looking for gift ideas or want to try something new for your own
home! At the bottom, I’ll include the links to previous years’ lists, but here
is our list for 2023. Maybe you’ll find a gem on here!
1.
Toothbrush
Sanitizer – Ryan found this, and we bought it right around the time we
moved to the lake earlier this year. It mounts to the wall and has space for five
toothbrushes. They can hang inside, with the brush safely covered and protected
from weird bathroom debris. We run ours at night, after we brush our teeth, and
the UV light inside cleans the toothbrushes. We hope it helps keep us a little
healthier, and it also gives our toothbrushes a safe place to live without
being seen! We mounted ours on the wall behind the freestanding towel rack, so
it isn’t even very noticeable! (It’s battery-powered, so we charge it now and
then.)
2.
Vornado
Desk Fan – This was a love gift to me from Ryan earlier this year. Even
though we have great air conditioning in the house, sometimes I get warm
sitting at my desk. (This is just during the warm months when the sun is
shining on me.) This little fan is cute, first of all, but it provides the
perfect amount of extra air when I’m feeling warm. And it’s so small! It folds
down into a bullet shape when not in use, so it doesn’t take up a ton of space.
That is important for me, because I don’t have a lot of spare real estate on
the desk.
3.
Compost
Bucket – We wanted to try our hand at composting when we started a garden
this year. To be fair, we still have much to learn about it, and I’m sure we
did many things wrong, but this little bucket allows us to store our compost in
our kitchen until it moves to the next spot outside the house. It doesn’t allow
odors to escape, which is really important! It’s a heavy-duty little bucket
that we slide in the cabinet on the lower part of the island and pull out when
we have egg shells or banana peel or other compost items.
4.
Slippers
– I had these on my wish list for two years before I gave up and bought them
for myself. Ha! I learned about them from an Instagram influencer. I rarely
listen to what they say and watch instead what they DO. She was wearing these
slippers all the time in her posts, and she said they were great, so I believed
her. She wasn’t wrong! Our house has all laminate/stone flooring, so in the
colder months, the floor is CHILLY. I love wearing these all day and night
while I’m at home!
5.
Digital
Food Scale – We actually ended up getting this for free with some points,
but it’s been super helpful. I’ve never owned a digital food scale before, but
we needed it for our bread baking adventures. Some of the recipes call for
specific weights of bread dough (pre-baked) per serving, so it’s helpful to
have this. It’s tiny, easy to use, and wasn’t that expensive!
6.
Flour
Mill/Wheat Berries – Speaking of the breadmaking, one of our
save-and-splurge purchases this year was the flour mill we purchased through
Unsifted. I had researched this for about a year before we finally purchased
the starter kit, and we have loved it. Unsifted has a helpful website
with great recipes, lots of tips, and yummy products! We have enjoyed making
sandwich bread, baguettes, pizza crusts, breadsticks, biscuits, cinnamon rolls,
and more. So glad we decided to go for it!
7.
Waterlogue
App – I am not really an app girl, so it makes me laugh that I even have one
one here. Not only am I not an app girl – I’m really not into paying for them. But I read about
this one on Pinterest and found it to be worth the roughly $5.00 it cost. If
you purchase and download this app, you can take any picture you have on your
phone and turn it into a watercolor painting. We used it to make temporary art
for our gallery wall of house pictures, but I also love playing around with it
to see how other pictures look. You can make great personal gifts using this!
8.
Weather
Radio – This was in Ryan’s Easter basket from me (we give the coolest
Easter gifts) and I’m so glad we have it. We had some rough storms this spring,
where we weren’t sure we would keep our power on. Without power or internet, we
knew we wouldn’t be able to keep up with weather reports, so now we have this
to keep us safe and informed in the event of a tornado (or some other bad
weather event). Thankfully we haven’t had to use it often, but the peace of
mind in knowing it’s there is worth it!
9.
Fireplace
Coffee Table – This is our Christmas gift to each other this year. Every
year at Christmas, we try to think of something we can use together throughout
the year and that becomes our gift. Though we do have a rock fire pit for
wood-burning on the lake shore, we wanted something to keep us warm up on the
patio – and something that didn’t require the commitment of a long-term fire.
Ryan found this coffee table on a great sale back in the fall and we went ahead
and got it so we could enjoy it during the warmer days. It’s powered by a
propane tank, so you can turn it on and off on demand – and it’s both pretty
and warm!
10 Zojirushi
Bread Machine – Along with our journey into milling our own flour, we also
got a bread machine! It’s such a time saver for kneading, as many of the bread
recipes call for over 20 minutes of kneading. We bake loaves in the machine,
but even if we’re hand shaping or rolling out dough, we use the machine for the
kneading portion of the adventure. Worth it!! (Also fun? Listening to Ryan try
to remember the brand name. It’s something different every time!)
Hope you find something fun along the way! And here are the links to previous years’ finds!
A new month is upon us and the dreams and goals for this one are lofty! Much to do in a short month, but I remain hopeful that it’s doable! Here are the things on the docket this month:
ONE. Enjoy a weekend with our godson. It’s
been a few weeks since he came to stay with us, and as we head
into the busy holiday season, I know it will be even more challenging to
coordinate schedules, so we’re having him come to stay before the busyness sets
in. We have some fun ideas of things to do while he’s here, so we’re looking
forward to it!
TWO. Prepare for speaking events. I was
invited to speak to a local church group for a pre-Christmas event this month,
and I’m really looking forward to it. I love going back to my Advent writing/speaking
roots! I have a little finishing prep to accomplish for this, but it’s
underway. I also have a speaking event at a church in December, so while I work
on the one for November, I think I’ll prepare for December as well!
THREE. Finish planning for our anniversary. Since
our anniversary comes right at the beginning of December, I need to use
November to get ready! I have some finishing touches to put on things, so I
need to buckle down and do that! One uninterrupted afternoon or evening should take care of it!
FOUR. Film training videos for work. Several
weeks ago, I filmed some training videos for work – using an online filming
software and my bathroom door as the backdrop. I’ve been invited to travel to
the main office to do some additional filming in a studio with a videographer,
so I need to prep for that!
FIVE. Decorate for Christmas. I like to decorate in
November before all the holiday/anniversary/more holiday busyness descends. I’m
not sure exactly when I’ll do it, but it’s on the list.
SIX. Design and order our Christmas cards. Hoping
to accomplish this early in the month! I’m still waiting for the rest of our
photos to be edited so I can know what I want to use. Thankfully the letter is almost entirely written!
