Christmas in Shafferland 2021

 

The other day I took some pictures of our Christmas decorations for this year, so I thought I'd show you!

I took all these during the day so I could attempt to get a little natural light on them. Maybe I'll do another post later with evening photos in full glow. But in the meantime...enjoy!

Our bedroom is one of the smaller rooms in our apartment, so our bed, side tables and one tiny console table completely fill it. No room for a tree! We do have this little wooden barrel in a corner that normally holds a vase, so we swapped out the vase for a small tree. I went a little vintage on this one: multi-colored lights and a lighted topper, and just simple gold balls to decorate it. 

It makes a perfect little night light!!

I also added a couple of decorations to the console table - a box of vintage ornaments I inherited and a mistletoe sign that Nita gifted us a few years ago.

Then there is our tall skinny tree (that has served me so very well for over a decade now) that we put in our entry area, near our coffee bar. This year it's holding all our ornaments that tell different names of Jesus. I love this tree so much!

You might have caught a glimpse behind that tree...of our kitchen! This year we put our "tree farm" above the cabinets. (It was on our sun porch in Kokomo.) I filled my cloche jar and my cake plate with snowballs for added tree farm fun! And then the wreaths were also on our sun porch in Kokomo, but we think they look pretty striking against the white cabinets! We ordered a strand of fairy lights to string through the trees! 

We have a couple of things on our kitchen table, but I didn't photograph it, because it's also full of Thanksgiving ingredients and all my peroxide/rubbing alcohol/bandages/gauze/etc. Not so festive. But check out our coffee table! This was my take on decorating around the vintage-looking bells I mentioned in the Saturday Six a week or two ago.

And here is a pan of our living room setup. This was inspired by a Pinterest idea! Instead of one tall tree, I did two shorter flocked trees on either side of the TV. I adore flocked trees. These have our ornaments that represent our story together as a couple. We love this look!

We've had this tree for three years, now, I think. It's prelit, so it doesn't have as many lights as the one I did by hand. But we love how fast it goes up! :) 

This tree was gifted to us by our friends Wayne and Sharie, who decided to get a different tree...and we love it!!!

Some other living room decor! Our stockings, which we picked out together the year we got married, and Ryan's cousin embroidered for us:

I love this little tray...

Mom gave me this snow globe a few years ago and it is one of my most favorite Christmas decorations.

A family Bible and my favorite Christmas art - a print of my friend Brent Vernon's drawing. He still has this for sale in his shop if you want one! Here's the link!

Here's our fireplace corner. The lantern was a gift from my family in memory of Allen, and the little deer have belonged to us for a couple of years.

I love this little spot in our office:

My ceramic tree, which my mom painted back when they were trending in the 80s. :) 

I have that tree on the counter in our guest bath - and here's another area in the guest bath:

And our guest room tree! I love this little tree. Bought it back when I was single, and it's still holding up!

And a couple more areas in the guest room:

We love the way it has turned out. It's so cozy in the evenings with all the regular lights turned down and the cozy Christmas lights turned up! 

Thanks for touring Shafferland at Christmas this year! Hope you enjoyed your visit!

Every Part Matters

Happy Monday, friends! Happy Monday of a short week for you (I hope)!

Thanks for the kindness yesterday...and if you missed it, go back and check out the story. It will help today's post make a lot more sense!

I shared yesterday that I was bitten by a dog on Friday, and one of the things I am most thankful for is that he got my non-dominant hand. While the injury has slowed me down, it hasn't slowed me down nearly as much as it would have if it had been the other hand!

But I told Ryan this the day after it happened. I never realized how much I use that little part of my hand every day.

The worst part of the bite hit the palm side of my hand, just under the index finger. I don't know what muscles or tendons or whatever are located there, but hear me on this: they matter.

The day after the incident, I wore jeans, and with every bathroom break, I was reminded that the injured part of my hand is key in buttoning jeans. I had no idea. But it is.

It's also where I hold a medicine bottle to twist the cap with my other hand. (Medicine bottles are my friends these days.)

I use it to lift dishes from the oven.

I use it to brace my makeup while I pop the lid open.

You get the idea.

And then I happened to think...what if this had happened the weekend before, when we were watching our little buddy? All that picking  him up? Changing his diaper? Working the buckles and clips on his seat belt? Dressing him? Chasing him? 

Oh yes. That little corner of my hand is much busier than I ever knew.

It immediately reminded me of the verses in the Bible that talk about how the Body of Christ is made up of many different parts, and each one is important for the job it has to do. One part can't tell another part that it doesn't matter because it's different. 1 Corinthians 12:12-27.

This week, with this injury, I became acutely aware of a very important body part that I didn't even recognize as important for the first 43 years of my life. But let me tell you: it matters, and it works hard every single day. I recognize that now. It took a dog bite for me to realize it, but I see it now!

It also reminded me to pay attention to the people around me who might feel like they matter about as much as a little corner of a non-dominant palm. Ever feel like that? I have. 

But even corners of palms matter. So very much. And you matter. So very much. I hope you hear it today. I want you to know it. 

You matter. And I'm thankful you're here. 

Sunday Sentiments

This week is Thanksgiving, and even though my halls are decked out like crazy for Christmas, I'm not skipping over Thanksgiving in my heart.

So today I'm pausing to share some things I'm specifically thankful for on this day.

As some of you might have seen, I had a little accident this week. Though this has never happened to me before, I was bitten by a dog on Friday. It all happened so fast and took me completely by surprise.

I was walking to the post office and passed by a woman out walking her dog. (There are TONS of dogs in this town, so encountering one out for a walk is not unusual.) I always say hi to the people I pass on the street, and this was no different. 

I was an appropriate distance from her (meaning I wasn't all up in her space or business) and I did not reach for her or the dog. I didn't crouch or step their way or do anything other than say hi to her and then to the dog, because he looked up at me when she returned my greeting.

And before I knew it, that dog jumped up and bit my hand. Scared me to death. Scared her to death, too, I think!

She was so kind, honestly. She tended to me and then I went to call Ryan. He had been out running errands but had just driven back into town, so he found me and took me to the clinic to be checked out for infection.

All the people at the clinic were so kind. The woman at the registration counter asked if I needed ice for my pain or a fresh bandage. The nurses were kind and gentle. Ryan was able to come back in the exam room with me, which was great, because I'm super squeamish and all the blood was making me a little loopy. 

They cleaned it out (which did NOT tickle) and told me they would try steri strips on it because they don't like to stitch dog bites because it apparently increases the risk of infection. They said it was a decent bite, but they were encouraged by how it handled being cleaned. They bandaged me up, gave me a tetanus shot, handed me an antibiotic prescription, and sent me on my way.

I hesitated to share this in this space, because I'm sure something like this can be a bit of a hot button topic for some. Please know that I'm simply sharing it to offer my gratitude, and there are some details I'm leaving out on purpose because over-sharing isn't necessary. I don't want to try to think through everything that might upset someone and figure out how to offer an explanation. It's okay. I'm going to be okay. Everything's been thought of, tended to, and covered. I'm just thankful and wanted to share.

Specifically, I am thankful for:

* The kindness of the woman who cooperated completely with everything we needed. 

* The dog being up to date on his shots.

* Ryan's very timely arrival back in town in the moment I needed him.

* One of our tenants was with him and I had just met a former tenant for coffee, and both were super kind to me and helped in the moment. 

* We were supposed to be heading into a full evening of activities at WillowBridge right after the bite happened, but earlier in the day, all those things were canceled for other reasons, so we had a completely free calendar and were able to go to the clinic without leaving everything a mess at the building.

* The dog got my left hand and not my right, so even though I've had to slow down significantly on some things, I still have full use of my dominant hand. 

* He didn't hit any major blood vessels or arteries.

* The medical staff was all so very kind. You hear a lot of stories about stressed medical workers (and I believe it!), but I showed up at the end of their shift on a Friday night and every single one was entirely pleasant and patient.

* Ryan was able to go in with me. I know some places don't allow visitors still, but this clinic did, and I was so thankful. It helped calm me down to have him there. (They did have to retake my blood pressure because it was too high when I went in.)

* Ryan has taken such good care of me. He's insisting that I rest so it can heal. He's taken over my home chores and even baked dessert last night for the WillowBridge Thanksgiving today. 

So these are the things I'm thankful for today! Here's to healing!

The Saturday Six

 

One.

I'm in a Christmas decorating mood this week...you've been informed! ;) I really loved this collection of ideas about what all you can do with ornaments BESIDES put them on your tree! 

Two.

These aren't in our budget, but I think these prelit curtains (yes, you read that right) are ADORABLE!!! Can you even imagine how festive they could make your house at Christmas? Extra twinkling!! And who am I kidding? I'd want to leave them up year-round.

Three.

Okay, so this one has nothing to do with Christmas, but I still found it fascinating. I've never heard of frost flowers. Have you? Check out this post with explanations and PICTURES!

Four.

How ADORABLE are these reindeer rice krispie treats?? I am always a lover of Scotcharoos vs. rice krispie treats, but these are cute enough to get me to try one!

Five.

Maybe fall leaves are too far gone where you are to still make this happen...but if not, this is a cute idea for encouraging art and storytelling with kids during the fall!

Six.

I remember when I was little...I always made name cards for the place settings at Thanksgiving. I loved making them! These slightly more sophisticated (yet still simple) versions are pretty cute! If you're hosting this year - check them out!

One More Fun Post

I realize this week has been full of random posts, but I had so much fun reading Natasha's Monthly Musing post yesterday that I wanted to borrow it for today!

1. Share your favorite holiday traditions:

I love having traditions! I longed for them so deeply back when I was single, and I love it that Ryan is on board with participating in traditions! One of my favorites is our collection of ornaments we've gathered throughout our years together and reading the stories of them as we hang them on the tree. Another of my favorite traditions is picking out a gift together that we can share throughout the year, rather than getting a bunch of little trinket things for each other. I love watching some of our favorite Christmas movies together, picking out a tree at the tree farm, and sending Christmas cards!

2. Do you see holiday lights? Driving tour on your own? Attend a park or festival?

When we lived in Marion, we always went through Matter Park and the Walkway of Lights, which is still my favorite lights display. One year we walked through it when the weather was good, and that was my favorite year! We've also driven through a few fun light displays on some of our anniversary trips. One of my favorites was Lights Under Louisville, which was a drive-thru tour in a cave! Last year we drove around Fort Wayne and looked at some of the most-recommended houses! (Someone posted a list of residences with great displays.) I love Christmas lights, so I'll go see them anywhere I can!

3. Favorite Holiday Recipe?

I don't necessarily have a specific recipe, but one of my favorite things that makes it the holidays for me? Frosted sugar cookies. I LOVE THEM!!! I have a brand new tree-shaped cookie cutter this year and I'm excited to make some cookies! (The problem is...I want to eat them all.) 

4. Must-have fashion holiday staple?

Well it's true...I'm not super fashionable. I don't know that I have a particular staple for the holidays. I mostly just try to make sure I'm wearing something semi-festive that I didn't wear the year before! But a few years ago my mom gifted me some Christmas jammies, and I do enjoy wearing those around the holidays! Last year I wore them to the WillowBridge Christmas decorating day!

5. Any special or extra festive plans this year?

Nope! We are actually working on Christmas this year. We've never done that before. I'm not dreading it, really, but it will be weird, for sure. So I guess our special plans will be to try to make the day a good one for any tenants who might be in the building!

6. Best holiday planning tip?

If you send Christmas cards, keep a running template list of names and addresses so you can easily know how many cards you need and where to send them. A month or so before you mail them, double check addresses (people seem to move a lot) and names (births and deaths from the year) so your cards are accurate!

7. Favorite holiday movie?

Well of course, I spend most of my time on Hallmark movies, but every year we also watch Elf and Four Christmases...and Christmas Vacation. I think those are the staples!

8. Die Hard...Christmas movie or not?

Never seen it. So I asked Ryan. He said he hasn't seen it all the way through, but he'd say...not.

9. Tree decorations up before or after Thanksgiving?

Historically I waited until after Thanksgiving...until we got married in December. Now everything from Thanksgiving through the first week of December is so busy with family gatherings and anniversary celebrations that I find it works better to put them up mid-November. It allows us to enjoy them longer (which is nice, since it's a lot of work!) and it makes our December so much more enjoyable. (All photos on this post, by the way, are from previous years. This year's Christmas tour is coming next week!)

10. Do you celebrate other holidays in December? 

We don't...unless you count our anniversary! I guess that's only a holiday for us, huh? :) But it is one of my favorites!

The Things We Remember

This week would have been Allen and Nita's 37th wedding anniversary. Ryan's sister took a bouquet of flowers to their grave, which I thought was very sweet of her. Allen always gave Nita pink roses (for every occasion) and if you look in the picture, you'll see some dried roses among the fresh ones. They were from the last roses he ever bought before he died.

Seeing this picture and thinking about their anniversary reminded me of their anniversary back in 2018 when Nita was recovering from surgery and living with us. Her biggest wish was to buy Allen a gift and card, so she asked Ryan if he thought she was strong enough to go to the store. I'm not sure if Ryan really thought she was, but he knew the chances of her living to see the next anniversary were slim, so he said he'd take her shopping.

He found a mask for her (back before they were everywhere) and told me to stay home to enjoy some quiet time. (I was working from home full time back then and cared for her during the day while Ryan went to work. I was terrible at it, but I sure tried!) So he took her shopping and throughout the evening, they sent me selfies from the store. I remember she bought socks and cologne, and she was so happy that she'd been able to go do that herself.

She had a doctor's appointment the day of their anniversary, so Allen came to get her and then he took her out to eat after that. And somewhere in there, I'm sure, there were pink roses.

That season was so hard for everyone. It was hard for Nita, a heart fighting to live and a body fighting to die. It was hard for Allen, who could only believe that she would be healed on this earth. It was hard for her kids, who all knew what they were facing, and they all processed it so differently. It was hard for her grandkids, who were young and didn't understand things like brain tumors and death.

What I learned in that season was that Ryan is remarkable. His sheer grit, coupled with his compassion, were really something to behold. I have no idea how he did it. I have no idea how he got up at 5 in the morning and went to the gym, spent a full day at work treating patients, and then two nights a week, we drove 30 minutes each way to care for his mom, arriving back home at 1 a.m. Oh - in the icy, snowy, Indiana winters. I have no idea how he stayed so calm and patient during those long caregiving hours, when she couldn't get comfortable, and her moods were sometimes unpredictable. But he did. He did it with grace.

The thing he wanted most of all was to be with her when she died, and he was. He never left her side - not once - even after she passed away. Until the funeral  home arrived, he sat and fulfilled a promise his heart had made to hers. 

So on this anniversary week for Allen and Nita, I remember that last anniversary they shared together on this earth. I remember her joy in being able to get one last gift for him - herself. I remember Ryan's tenacity in caring for her with the same tenderness she showed to so many others during her career as a nurse. And I am grateful for how much more my heart learned to trust him as I watched him in that role.

I like to wrap up my thoughts with a nice, neat bow, but today I'm not sure I can find the bow. All I can offer are the things I remember as I remember Allen and Nita. Thanks for reading along today. 

What's Up Wednesday

 Look at this! I'm actually doing a What's Up Wednesday post...ON A WEDNESDAY! Who is this sudden blogging rule follower????

So...what's up on this Wednesday?

1. What we're eating this week:

My health coach has gotten us onto sourdough bread, and Ryan couldn't be happier about it. So we've been having that with lots of things, it feels like! Ryan was gone last evening, which is rare, so I made myself a grilled sandwich with sourdough bread and had some veggies on the side. It was delicious! Today I made spaghetti (edamame spaghetti for me, regular for Ryan) with homemade sauce, and we had a slice of sourdough garlic toast. It's pretty yummy!

2. What I'm reminiscing about:

Yesterday I finished...finished!!!!!!!!!!...our vacation scrapbook from this summer. It ended up being 185 pages long and we sat and looked at the preview of it on my computer. We loved that trip so very much, and it was so much fun to look back over it in its entirety. And also...I officially met my goal of finishing this book before our anniversary. Barely. But I made it!

3. What I'm loving:

OUR HALLS ARE (mostly) DECKED!!!!! Sitting here looking at our beautiful trees makes my heart so happy. We have a few finishing touches to put on things - including finishing the last tree. (Some of my light strands were no good and apparently we don't have a surplus of lights in stores near us.) But I'm so happy that it's MOSTLY done and I can just enjoy it to no end. I'm still not ready to show final pictures yet, but in the meantime, you can enjoy Braeya hanging out under the tree, refusing to make eye contact with the camera. LOL!

4. What we've been up to:

Well, decorating. See above. We were off the last two days and spent most of it pulling tubs out of storage, putting up decorations, putting tubs BACK in storage...you see how this goes, right? That's what we've been up to at home, anyway. At work, we're prepping to bring in some new tenants, and we've been cleaning apartments from a couple who moved out. Resetting apartments takes wayyyyyyyyyyyyyy more time than you'd think.

5. What I'm dreading:

The idea of any of those bottom strands of lights going out on any of the trees. LOL!! It's happened before, for sure! Ryan did finally find a small stash of lights, so I am prepared, but it's always such a hassle to try to weave around ornaments! And in the absence of a good "lights" picture, I'll just show you Braeya sitting in a pile of decorations. I couldn't find her...and then there she was!

6. What I'm working on:

My talk for the WillowBridge fundraiser in January. I have the main part laid out, but I have some tweaking to do. I am a bit nervous about it, which is probably good. When I'm not nervous, that means I'm too confident! (Photo above courtesy of Rob - from wen we spoke at our church for Orphan Sunday.)

7. What I'm excited about:

Ryan and I are headed to my parents' house next week so he can see how my mom makes her homemade candies. I grew up with this every year, but he's never seen it being made, and I'm excited for him to get to experience it! I'm also excited to see him try it. It's a lot harder than it looks. I wish (oh how I wish!!!) I had the gift to do it, but mine look like a Lucy Ricardo special. I have promised to try again, however. Maybe it will just happen, right? (Hmm...seems like something went missing before the picture above from a previous year's candy adventure!)

8. What I'm Watching/Reading

Hallmark movies! That is the fastest summary of what I'm watching. Christmas movies while I decorate, scrapbook, cook, write...you get the idea!

9. What I'm Listening To...

Christmas music! (Anyone surprised by that?) I really only listen to music in the car, and I do actually listen to Christmas music year round, but now it's acceptable to do so with Ryan in the car! Gaither Vocal Band, David Phelps, you name it!

10. What I'm Wearing:

All the layers! Not only can Indiana not make up its mind on temperature, but the WillowBridge team doesn't all have the same core temperature. So sometimes I'm hot and sometimes I'm cold. Sweaters for the win! I can adjust throughout the day as needed! (Also: Braeya is quite the photo-bomber today!)

11. What I'm Doing This Weekend:

Working! We have a new tenant moving in this weekend, so I have quite the list of things that need to be accomplished as part of the onboarding/orientation process. In addition, we will celebrate Thanksgiving with our tenants this Sunday...so lots of BAKING! 

12. What I'm Looking Forward to Next Month:

Our 9th wedding anniversary! I canNOT believe we have been married almost nine years. I can't! I always love our anniversary so much. I love our traditions. I love celebrating our love and our life. And next month will be no exception!

13. What Else is New:

Did I mention the decked halls? And the Christmas cards arrived? And my scrapbook is done? I guess I already told you the new stuff! :)