Saturday Suggestions: Inspirations for Your Weekend

 

                Thank you so much for your kindness and texts yesterday as I took a day to collect my thoughts. Yesterday was a better day. Today is a BIG day, and I can’t wait to tell you more about it next week! Meanwhile…here are some links for your Saturday.

I love a good buffet setup. In our current home, we often serve food buffet-style to groups, because we like to maximize the space on the table for actual eating! While we typically keep that buffet presentation simple at our house (because we’re using our everyday countertops), here are some cute ways to have an adorable buffet presentation. So if you’re setting up a proper party somewhere, this might help you keep it amazing! Several of the ideas incorporate DIY, so if you don’t own a bunch of fancy serving pieces, that’s okay!

I love the original Little House on the Prairie, and one of my favorite characters was Albert. I know he is a controversial character for some, since he wasn’t in the books, but I loved him (and possibly had a crush on the actor back in the day). I ran across this tiny interview that tells how Albert’s character even came to be. I’d never heard this before!

I know that when it comes to house décor, we are pretty deep into fall already, but if you haven’t decorated yet, and/or you feel like you need to add a mid-season refresh, Heidi has some simple ideas for your kitchen!

I love a good hymn on the piano, and that phrase is not usually followed by “and this sure was a funny one!” But I happened upon this rendition of the hymn “He Keeps Me Singing,” played in the style of various composers. It made me smile – and jealous of his talent!

Brooke’s blog is based on petite fashion, and even though I’m not petite, I like her style and enjoy seeing her outfit ideas. In this post, she styles one (very cute!!) dress multiple ways. It’s a good fall inspiration, so if you’re looking for some ideas, here you go!

Have you heard of these Advent boxes? They are higher in price than I would normally spend for an Advent calendar, but I think it’s really cool to be able to sample treats from local places. They have them for most states, some regions, and even adventures like Route 66. It could be a really fun and different sort of Christmas adventure! I drooled over the Indiana box, by the way.

Friday Fun: Out of Office

 

It’s not often that I have to pull one of these days…but I am doing it today.

                Yesterday was a long one. I left home at 7:30 in the morning and didn’t get back until after 10 p.m. I was an unraveled, crying mess by the time I got home, and even though I’ve been sitting here staring at this page for a while, I don’t have a single thought worth blogging. Certainly no fun thoughts.

                So I’m hanging up my out-of-office sign today. I will be back tomorrow with regular programming, but I have nothing left to offer for this day.

                Here’s to a new day, friends.

Throwback Thursday: A Glow-Up for the Island

 

Back at the beginning of the month, I promised a whole, proper post about our recent kitchen island glow-up. Today is that day!

                I’ve told you about the island before, but it’s been a while, so let me refresh your memory.

                This island was a custom-made gift for Mom from Dad back in the early 2000s. Mom had this butcher block cutting board that she hefted in and out of a kitchen cabinet every time she wanted to bake a pie or make noodles. And as the resident candy maker, she also had to haul a heavy piece of marble in and out of the house every time she made her Christmas candy! Dad took both pieces to a friend of his, who set them in this island made specifically for Mom’s height, and it was a fixture in their kitchen for 20+ years.

                When Mom and Dad moved to the apartment in Swiss Village, she knew she wouldn’t have room for it, but she did not wish to sell it with the house. She asked me if we could take it, and I was quite happy to do so. Our island was a low-budget Amazon special, so having a memory-laden piece was definitely an upgrade.

                I’m sorry you missed the day Ryan and I lugged it up the steps and into the house. Have I mentioned lately my lack of upper body strength? Did I mention the marble and butcher block? It was quite the spectacle. But we got it inside, in one piece, without losing fingers or toes.

                And then we laughed. Because, as I said, this piece was made for Mom, and she and I are not the same height. The island was wayyyyyyyyyyy too short. Ryan came up with the cost-effective solution of purchasing some bed risers. Perhaps not the most aesthetically pleasing, but they worked for a couple of years!

                We are getting ready to make some cosmetic changes in our kitchen, so we decided to start with the island. The first step was to attach permanent feet to the piece. Ryan picked them out, and I love them.

                Then he worked for a couple of weeks to paint the body of the island. (I know that painting furniture is not for everyone, so it’s okay if it’s not what you would have chosen. But this worked for us, and we like it!) We did not paint the top – so it matches our trash cabinet! White body, wood top. Even this change brightened the kitchen immensely!

                We ordered some new hardware to match the rest of the kitchen, and when Ryan finished it, it felt like it was always meant to look just like this.

                I’m excited to see the rest of the kitchen slowly transform, but that will be a winter project, so stay tuned!

Wednesday in the Word: Without Ceasing

 

I’m loving the Acts study I’m doing with the ladies from church each week. I’ve done this study before, but it’s been about a decade, and as is true with many studies of Scripture, seeing the same words in different seasons brings new understanding I wouldn’t have been ready to see before.

                This week we studied chapter five, and there were several sentences that snagged my attention and challenged me. One of them was the very last sentence in the chapter: they did not cease teaching and preaching that the Christ is Jesus.

                They were the apostles, who had recently been imprisoned, given a cease-and-desist order, and beaten. Those are some pretty significant and seemingly valid reasons to quiet down. I think most people would have understood if they changed tactics or stopped entirely.

                But they didn’t.

                They knew what God had called them to do, and they did it without ceasing.

                In our study, we’ve been talking about the boldness of the early church. Boldness is not an area where I excel, so this has been a real challenge for my heart. And this part made me pause, because I realized the actual sacrifice behind their decision to continue. A sacrifice of comfort and safety and so much more. And the continuation was not tentative or hesitant in any way. It was without ceasing.

                Wow!

Tuesday Tales: The Rains Came Down

 

When we first looked at this little house on the lake, we asked about flooding issues, because, well, the lake is up close and personal. We were told that while that may have been an issue years ago, the lake has good drainage and flooding isn’t a problem. (And that is true!) Our inspector told us he found no signs of water damage on the house. (Although he also told us we had a good roof and that didn’t turn out to be the truest statement in world, so…)

                Therefore, we were most surprised when, two years ago, we found our living room carpet wet when the lake waters weren’t even all that high. That’s when we learned the yard didn’t have proper drains, and a saturated ground led to water in the house. We cleaned it up, hired a fantastic crew to add drains to the yard, and we’ve stayed dry ever since.

                And then came last week.

                We went to bed Tuesday night to a fantastic lightning show that was still showing off when we fell asleep. We knew it rained in the night. We might have even been aware that it rained ALL night. But we don’t have a rain gauge and we didn’t know it rained something like six or seven INCHES that night.

                We went to bed Wednesday night to a fantastic lightning show that was still showing off when we fell asleep. We knew it rained in the night. We might have even been aware that it rained ALL night. But we hadn’t bought a rain gauge in that 24 hours either, and we didn’t know it rained something like ANOTHER six or seven inches that night.

                I took Ryan to work Thursday morning, since his truck was in the shop, and I made my way to church to teach Bible study. Imagine my utter surprise when I arrived at church to find half our parking lot under water.

                I worked for an hour or so and as the time to start Bible study neared, no one showed up. One lady texted to say she had tried to get there but gave up and turned back home because she couldn’t find enough clear roads. Finally, one lady showed up and said the church road was under water in in two places. WHAT!? It hadn’t been an hour before!

                We elected to pray and leave without formally meeting. I picked my way back to my car – which was closer to the flooded part of the lot than it had been when I parked – and carefully made my way home. I was able to get through until I got near home, and then I encountered deep water on the highway. I’ve never seen ANY water on that highway. And it was deeeeep.

                It rained on and off, and I took pictures of the water outside our house, which was admittedly higher than I’d ever seen it. In fact, it was spilling over the rocks and getting closer to the patio. I sent the pictures to Ryan who asked me to come get him so we could go get sandbags from the town and start building a barrier.

                I’d seen the text go out from the town, asking people to come fill sandbags, and I was so thankful, when we showed up, that they were there, working to prepare. What a gift! Ryan backed up the truck and a gentleman loaded 21 bags into the bed. We brought them home, began building, and Ryan went back for 50 more.

(borrowed photo)

                We unloaded and stacked as fast as we could, which I’ve been told, was a last for me. I ended up straining my back/neck and was a MESS a couple of days later. Maybe I really am more of a writer than a bag-barrier-builder.

                We were so gross when this adventure was over.

                There were so many people from our church and neighboring towns that had it SO MUCH WORSE than we did. This was worse than we had ever seen, but it stayed very much at bay for us. We did get nervous that evening, because we discovered that in order to clear the water off the highway, they were pumping the flood waters into the lake. So even though it had stopped raining, we were still taking on water!

                By evening, there was a little water pooled inside our bags, but everything else stayed out. And Ryan got up to check it during the night, but it was no worse. By the next day, the waters receded.

                We are still very waterlogged for sure, but we are quite thankful for drains that work (we’d be sharing a VERY different outcome without them) and flexible jobs that allowed us to come home and tend to the mess and the kindness of strangers who filled sandbags and gave them away. Blessings upon blessings!

Menu Monday: Nourishing Body and Soul

 

                This week is our last week in a gift of a month of meal plans. And with the busyness of this month, it has been a real gift, let me tell you! Everything is so much simpler when you don’t have to spend all your time figuring out your meals!

Monday:  Meatballs with Salad

What We Loved: I had made these meatballs (in crushed tomatoes with Italian seasoning) the week before and froze half the recipe for this week. It was great to pull them out of the freezer to eat! Threw together a garden salad on the side!

Tuesday: Leftovers

What We Had: We combined the last of the roast and the last of the meatballs with fresh veggies on the side. Might not be aesthetically appealing, but it worked!

Wednesday: I Don’t Remember!

What We Had: It’s a complete mystery to me. I forgot to take a picture, and it’s gone now. Ha! Wow. Way to fail, Bekah. I remember eating it at church, but I don’t have a clue what it was.

Thursday: Pizza

What We Had: When you have a day of water messes and sandbags, you don’t have any time or desire to cook, so you call up Casey’s and order a pizza. And then you eat it with gratitude.

Friday: Ground Turkey and Veggies

What We Loved: This has become a favorite for us this month! It’s just ground turkey with frozen green beans, diced tomatoes, and anything else we may have on hand to throw in. Add some Italian herbs and call it a meal!

Saturday: Leftover Ground Turkey and Veggies

What We Loved: What’s better than the meal listed above? Leftovers that are ready in a jiffy!

Sunday: Air Fried Chicken Thighs on Salad

What We Loved: This is a great meal on a Sunday night when I don’t really want to spend a ton of time cooking. Ryan loves chicken thighs, so I used those to top our salad, which was made up of all kinds of garden veggies we had on hand.

Sunday Scrapbook: Moments from the Week

 

I feel like most of our weeks this year could be summed up with “I did not have that on my bingo card!” And this week was no exception. Lots of plot twists, but also lots of good moments.

                It all started out so calm and predictable…with a lovely Sunday. Lunch on the patio. Naps. Meals in the slow cooker. Stunning sunset. We shouldn’t have gotten comfortable – ha!

                Sometimes days are so good, it’s hard to choose the favorite moment from the day! Monday was one of those days. I completed ONE YEAR of reading through the Bible with my friend, Jenn, and we had the privilege of welcoming these three ladies over for a sunset cruise! They were so excited to join us, and we were all glad the weather held!

                We hosted Swiss Village for boat rides on Tuesday, and while Ryan drove the pontoon, Lexi and I stayed back on the patio working! It was a hot one that day, but it was still good to be outside!

                Wednesday was full of meetings and work, and I had a great time with my Growth Group that night as we went over some of the early chapters in Acts. So much good stuff in there.

                And then the plot twists began! Thursday started out feeling like a normal day but quickly took a turn with flooding! For the first time in our lives, we were laying sandbags outside to try to protect our house if the lake overflowed!

                The water did begin to recede on Friday, for which we were grateful. Less fun? FINDING A MASSIVE SNAKE OUTSIDE that afternoon. I will spare you the picture, because it is not welcome on this page. But ugh. It was so gross.

                So apparently I sustained an injury from hefting sandbags, so yesterday was all about Advil, heat on my back and neck, and Ryan trying to work out the knots. Sigh. I’m a mess, friends. A MESS.