Kitchen Inventory

Ryan and I have been working for about a month to weed through our home, sort through the piles and stacks, clean out the bulging drawers and closets and...simplify.

If we ever get to move in our natural lives, it will make that process much simpler, and if we don't, well...we'll be living in a much cleaner space, now, won't we?

It's been freeing, actually...this parting with excess stuff. This getting rid of the third 8x8 glass pan, because let's face it: how many households of two people actually NEED three 8x8 glass pans? And why am I keeping that one sweater I haven't worn in four years, and truthfully never wore much at all even back when I did wear it?

And so we clean. And we weed. And we're ruthless. And it feels good.

In the process of all this, I've begun learning that sometimes, it actually pays to invest more money to get one really nice, functional thing than to pay lots of little dollars on flimsy things that you get rid of in a yard sale after two years...and then you pay more little dollars to start over.

And sometimes it's not even about money. It's about being smart with hand-me-downs and thrifted items. Choosing what you will REALLY use, not just taking something because it's free or cheap.

So in the spirit of that, I thought I'd offer some thoughts on things from our kitchen that have proven to be really great investments. Some were purchased. Some were gifted. Some were free to me from the generosity of others. But if you're young and starting out...or not-so-young and starting over...here are some ideas for you.

{And I can see all these so much better now, because I CLEANED OUT OUR KITCHEN! Every single drawer and cabinet. I filled trash bags. I tagged for rummage. I did it all. And now our little kitchen feels brand new!}

One.

When we registered for wedding gifts, these topped my list: Oxo storage containers. {I tried to link to their actual site but it was giving me an error, so the link takes you to their Facebook page.} My admiration for these in the store had bordered right on coveting, and it was not a hard decision to register for them. If you're more of a recycled cottage cheese container storage kind of girl {as I tended to be}, I will warn you these containers are not the cheapest things on the planet. BUT. Because they are not the cheapest, they are also really well crafted. The lids are airtight, the shapes work so well for stacking, and you can get all shapes and sizes.

We received some boxed sets of these for our showers and wedding, but we also run down to TJ Maxx every now and then to buy some individually as needed. I store everything in here...this particular photo is my baking cabinet, but I also store pasta, oats, powdered sugar, granola, crackers, rice, and more in these - in another cabinet. I have not one single complaint about them. I love the clean look they give, I love being able to see right in and see how I'm doing on quantity, I love being able to switch the contents entirely with one quick date with the label maker {labels on bottom}...it's great. I highly recommend these. I consider them an investment and one I'll keep making, one piece at a time.

Two.

 When Ryan and I got married, he brought these little cabinet carousels with him from his house. I admit to originally balking at the idea of these in our cabinets, because I'm OCD and had never seen them before...and why put round things on rectangle shelves {wish I was kidding about that}...but I was so eager to please him and not sound as pathetic as resisting cabinet carousels would have made me...so I said yes.

Oh. My. Word. WHERE HAD THESE BEEN ALL MY LIFE?? In our kitchen, the spice shelf is actually eye level for me. And by that, I mean the BOTTOM of the carousel is eye level. I was accustomed to emptying the entire shelf looking for the one stinking spice I needed. This has revolutionized my cooking experience.

I couldn't find the actual carousel to link to, but this one is pretty similar and not that expensive. So I'm glad I overcame my OCD and tried these.

{And a dream for my kitchen future is to find a more uniform way to store spices. The OCD only stops for so long, you know. I've been Pinteresting different ideas. I'm all giddy just thinking about it.}

Three.

A few years ago, in an attempt to make my kitchen a little more grown up, I decided I wanted real canisters for my cabinets. I had been using a Rubbermaid set someone had given me for my high school graduation, and while they were utilitarian, they weren't all that pretty for cabinet display. I'd desperately wanted a Pfaltzgraff Tea Rose set to match my dishes, but I couldn't afford them and am glad now I didn't get them...because I no longer have that set of dishes!

I opted for a trip to my neighborhood Hobby Lobby and came home with these plain glass jars. I added adhesive chalkboard labels and used a chalk pen to write the contents on them. {I originally wrote in regular chalk, but grabbing the canisters to pull them out made the chalk smudge terribly. The pen works much better and I can still wash it off with a washcloth to rewrite or rename the canister.}

This particular set is on the smaller side - a whole bag of flour or sugar won't fit in it, so I do have to store the excess in a cabinet until enough space opens up to refill the canister. But I love that no matter my color scheme, this fits. And I can always tell at a glance if I need to purchase more!

{Since I got them at Hobby Lobby, I don't have a link to this exact set, but here's a similar one from Amazon.

Four.

Right around the time I went to work at WBCL, Lynne redecorated her kitchen in a new color scheme, and she asked if I'd like her old set of mixing bowls. Since my mixing bowls were cheap tan plastic ones from the dollar store, I said yes! She gave me these beautiful nesting stoneware bowls for absolutely free.

I. Adore. Them. And I couldn't beat the price! I use these for EVERYTHING and I love it that they look good on my counter, too! Obviously I can't help you with a link, but here's a similar set. And I believe that a good, solid set of pretty mixing bowls makes for a great cooking experience.

Five.

One of my biggest wishes for my wedding registry was a Kitchen Aid mixer. I was on my third hand mixer of my adult culinary career, and there was just something so GROWN UP about a Kitchen Aid. Like if I had that...I'd arrived.

If you have ever looked at these, you know they are NOT CHEAP, which is why I did not have one. But Lynne got us one for our wedding. She would not mind me telling you that she got it as a doorbuster sale on Black Friday, so I know she paid MUCH LESS than the standard price. She lamented that the sale only allowed for red mixers, because she'd wanted to get us a neutral color. But we think little Miss Mixy is quite the fashion statement as the pop of red in our blue and tan kitchen.

I adore her as much as I thought I would. From shredding chicken to making cookies to mixing batter...she's strong and holds up MUCH better than a hand mixer. Plus I can walk away and do other things while she mixes.

We don't have many attachments for her yet, but an ice cream maker is on my wish list!! Even though I didn't pay for this myself, I would still name this a worthy investment - especially if you love to cook and bake like I do.

Six.

 Rounding out my list today is a good set of cookware. Pre-marriage, I had a hodge-podge set of cheap little pots and pans - some with handles precariously hanging on. Ryan and I decided one of our marriage splurges would be a good, hearty set of cookware.

When Angela lived with me, she had a set of Calphalon pots and pans, because her dad sold it and he'd gifted it to her. I loved those pans and missed them sorely when she moved out. So we decided to go with that brand, and after Ryan carefully researched and combined wedding money, gift cards, Kohl's cash and coupons, and a nice sale on a set, we got this set.

It has been a very good choice. Nonstick interior, pour spouts on the pans, a rubber seal on the lids that actually has a strainer that you can line up to the pour spout and strain right from the pain. No washing a colander besides the cookware. It came in a great variety of sizes, and we use these pretty much every single day. So worth the investment. So sturdy. So handy. So recommend it.

So that's my list!! Some of my kitchen faves and why I love them so. Don't worry. I love much more than this out of my kitchen. This is just my suggestion list to anyone looking for changes!

Learning in Training

I'm one week in to training for the race of the Haiti Half. {If you missed my original post about this race, you can find it here.}

Four days of running came during that week, and with it, four days of learning.

* I learned that I am still no more a "real runner" than I ever was.

* I learned that even though I wish my time didn't matter to me, it does.

* I learned that any incline at all is considered akin to a mountain from the view point of my calves.

* I learned that the end of July is probably not the best time to start running. {One word: HUMIDITY!}

* I learned - or rather, was reaffirmed in knowing - discipline is good for me.

Before I started training, I read the "famous running verse" of 1 Corinthians 9:24. "Do you not know that in a race, all the runners run, but only one receives the prize? So run that you may obtain it."

Yeah. Well. We all know that I'm not going to win the race. Not in form of best-time-out-of-all-runners. It's not going to happen because running is not my gift. It's not a natural thing for me. So one will get the prize, yes, but it's not going to be me.

So I began to pray that God would show me my prize in all this. I prayed that He would show me what He wants me to strive for as I train, so that on race day, weeks from now, I can obtain that.

I'm not sure that He's fully uncovered it all, but He did give me a good focus for the first week. As I ran throughout the week, at different times of day, at varying levels of energy, in all kinds of temperatures, and even in different geographical locations, one thought kept surfacing.

This race raises money for medical expenses. The website for the race declares that in Haiti, many people walk over four hours to receive medical care from Paredo Community Hospital. Actually, it didn't say people. It said patients. Patients...people in need of medical assistance...are walking four hours to arrive at a hospital that can help them.

I remember that day in January, when my gallbladder attack hit in full force while I was at work. I remember inching, doubled over, to my car, where I slumped over the steering wheel and drove an hour home, fingers and lips numb from the unrelenting pain, barely able to focus enough to steer my car. It was miserable. And I was driving. I can't imagine walking that way for four hours. I can't imagine trying to keep my bearings while stumbling across ground, while knife-like pain struck my belly over and over again.

But people do it. They walk farther and hurt worse than I did.

So for that first week, as I ran, and as my calves declared their hatred for me and my knees protested and my skin sweat and my breath caught hard, I thought about those people walking...trying to run, even...toward help. I was just running toward an air conditioned home and a shower. They're running for a chance at healing. 

I thought about what it would be like to be the wife of such a person. I thought about what I would do if I heard Ryan was sick in a hospital and the only way to get to him was to run. It wouldn't make me faster...my body would see to that. But it would certainly motivate me to move. I thought of that each time I slid to a walk to catch my breath. I'd tell myself it would be okay to walk for a minute...but then I'd remind myself that if this run meant seeing my love in the hour he needed me most, I'd be getting right back in there and running harder, no matter how tired and sore I might be.

So for last week, anyway, that was my prize. The prize of doing this thing to raise money and awareness for a people who need medical attention. Who don't have the luxury I had earlier this year, to drive to hospitals and doctors offices, to have tests and pain medications and surgeries. I run for them. I pray for them while I run, knowing that while I plod along in padded, laced up shoes with a cute little outfit and a bottle of water in my hand, checking my time against a free app on my smart phone, someone in a country hundreds of miles from me is plodding along in far less comfortable shoes, with probably less cute clothing and possibly no water, trying to beat the clock not for a medal, but for their health.

And that's why I'm doing this.

PS. 

Since my last post, I've learned a couple new things about the race to pass along:

The race is sponsored by Haitian Christian Outreach. They strive to educate people about Haiti - beyond the scope of natural disasters, which tends to be the only time they get a focus. It's also sponsored by Outreach on the Run, a non-profit that partners with races such as this one.

If you're just NOT a runner, but you feel your heart tugged toward this ministry, there will be a way to donate to the cause even without running. {And then come cheer us on during race day - or volunteer at the race if you'd like!} I'll give you that info when I have it!

The Dating Manifesto

** Update: drawing is complete. Candy S, you are the winner! Please see comments for info on contacting me so I can send your prize!**



Want to hear something ironic? For 34 years, I was single and read books about marriage. Now I'm married and just finished reading a book on singleness.

What!?

When I was single, I was desperate to understand marriage. I was a faithful student, both of observation and book-study, deeply and truly desiring to understand everything I could about how to be a God-centered wife and how to cultivate an equally God-centered marriage. I'm grateful, now, that I pushed through the stings that came with reading about a season I didn't know if I'd ever get to experience. I'm grateful I studied hard then so I can apply the principles now.

But as you know, my heart is so very tender toward those who still wait for marriage. I have not forgotten the hurt, even in my season of answered prayer, and I want to make sure I don't lose touch with the realities of the single life - especially for those who, like me, deeply desire marriage.

So...I was intrigued by the title of a new book {it actually releases THIS Saturday, August 1} called The Dating Manifesto, by Lisa Anderson. Lisa writes from her own experiences, since she's single and in her early forties, but she also writes from her observations of the twenties and thirties crowd, which she works with at Focus on the Family.

I also think there is a distinct possibility that Lisa and I are secret sisters, because her mom was 42 when she was born {mine was 41 when I was born}...she has a secret affinity for Gaither music {mine is not so secret, but it's an undeniable affinity!!}...and we both graduated with English-y liberal arts degrees and no clue of what we wanted to do when we grew up.

I thought, when I started reading, that Lisa probably wouldn't tell me anything I didn't already know, because, hello!!!!, I was single for most of my life. Well...I was wrong. It turns out that my careful study of marriage during all those single years puts me squarely in the category of "marriage nerd." Lisa's experience with the 20's and 30's crew has taught her that they live in an entirely different mindset than I did, and it absolutely flabbergasted me. I sat back, pen and church bulletin {for OCD straight lines under words} in hand and began to learn what's really happening in the hearts and minds of those coming behind me.

If you are single...and you are in your 20's and 30's especially...I have a feeling the advice Lisa gives will be really helpful. If you are married and/or a marriage nerd like I am, I have a feeling the information Lisa unfolds within the pages will be very eye-opening and equally helpful for you.

Here is a sample of truths I learned within the pages:

* A surprising number of single people want to get married, but it's not something they envision as happening in their immediate future. {This rocked my thoughts, because I wanted to get married starting at age four, and my ideal marriage age was five. Good thing I didn't know I had almost 30 years to go.}

* An equally surprising number of single people do not know how to go about dating. The combination of book and movie scripts that portray unrealistic scenes and timelines, along with a severe lack of example thanks to the haphazard examples offered by parents and peers has wreaked a havoc I did not know existed. Guys and girls alike, Lisa says, do not know how to go about finding, asking for, accepting, or behaving on a date. Because of this, pages of this book are devoted to explaining the basic steps of dating...things I learned from people within my life, but things too many today have never been taught.

* Single people in this decade and century are overwhelmed and overstimulated by the sheer volume of options. Whether they're part of a massive college campus, an oversized church with a mega-sized singles group, or enrollment in every single online dating service, they've got so many options in front of them...they end up with no options. Lisa hints that in this respect, our parents and grandparents before us actually had it easier. A smaller pool of options forced them to focus and pick someone.

* I should have recognized this, after eleven years of working on a college campus, but I had not realized the diagnosis of eternal adolescence plaguing those in their 20's and 30's. Too many of them are choosing to pursue degree after degree after degree because they don't know what they want to do, they don't want to worry about finding a job, and they don't {in short} know how to grow up. They end up deeply in debt, living back at home with their parents, and prolonging adolescence, because they're scared of adulthood, they don't know how to plunge into it, and no one is making them try. That, in turn, keeps them from finding marriages and lives of their own.

Fascinating information that I truly did not know...and I'm grateful to have learned it. I'm grateful to better understand how to serve those in this season of life, especially when many handle it differently than I did.

I will tell you, truthfully, I did not agree with every single point she made. And to be fair, the points I didn't agree with probably had more to do with a difference in our personalities {she's far bolder and more outspoken than I ever will be} or our lifestyle based on where we live {she lives in Colorado Springs, so she has a much more big-city mindset than my middle-of-nowhere-in-the-Midwest thoughts.} The areas where I disagreed were not areas of theology, biblical truth, or anything that made me want to throw the book down in disgust or scribble enraged rebuttals in the margin {sadly, I have done both of those with other books}. They were just differences in opinion that I noted as I read.

Having said that, she did have some beautiful thoughts that I underlined in a hurry:

Don't let what you never experienced taint your understanding of what could be.

One-sided relationships aren't relationships; they're fantasies.

You need to be smart while simultaneously trusting God.

Being choosy gets you nowhere if you never actually choose. 

I'm not less because I'm single. I'm not incomplete. I'm not forgotten, judged, or living under a death sentence.

No season is better than another. God doesn't love married people more.

So many more good lines bear black ink under them in my copy of this book. I'm grateful Lisa  realized, as she said in the acknowledgements, "This book finally became the monkey on my back that I had to either shake off or put in print." She speaks important truths here that those desiring marriage and those of us praying for them should read and know.

Exciting news about this book: the folks at David C. Cook and the Blythe Daniel Agency sent a complimentary copy to me to read, which is how I was able to tell you my thoughts on the book, but they also sent along an extra copy for me to give away! So it's a rare giveaway sort of day here on the old blogaroonie! If you're single and interested in learning more of Lisa's thoughts on pursuing marriage with a purpose, or if you're married but work with single people at church, in mentoring, in parenting...in whatever, just leave a comment letting me know you'd like to be entered in the drawing and I will draw on FRIDAY, July 31, right before I go to bed. {That gives you the whole day!}

One More Lake Day

I guess I forgot to tell you yesterday WHICH lake we visited. WHOOPSIE!! Ryan's grandparents own a cottage on Lake Webster, in northern Indiana, so that's where we stayed. Can I tell you about one more day at the lake?

We got up early Saturday and went out by the water for just a little bit to enjoy the sunrise {read: listen to the guy continue building his house}...but we couldn't linger long, because we had to get busy on our race training!

Let me just tell you about THAT real quick-like. It was actually a pretty perfect morning to run, because it was overcast and not that warm. We decided to run together and had to go four miles. My goal was to stay as close to the shoreline as possible, because if you have to run four miles on vacation, you should at least get to enjoy a view.

We weren't far into the run before we realized there was an actual 5K going on in the town that day, so we were hurrying to miss THAT route so as not to mess up the runners. We also quickly learned that there aren't consistent roads that follow the shore line. In an attempt to get back over to it, we ended up running on a state highway, and there I was in my Olympic USA shirt. I sputtered to Ryan, "I wanted to be the girl training by the lake, not the girl hefting it down a state highway in an OLYMPIC SHIRT!!! In the end, we got our four miles in, not in a great time AT ALL - but it was done.

And on the way home, I got my picture with the finish line of that 5K in case I don't get to the real one in my race. {Something I fear might ACTUALLY happen since last night I crashed into bleachers and now have a bleeding, swollen knee. Don't ask.}

After we recovered from our lousy run, we headed out for some fun! Ryan and I used to attend church camp not far from this lake, and the gentleman who was the camp chef now runs his own pie shop. And his pies are uh-maze-ing. So we went to visit the pie shop and possibly purchased a homemade black raspberry pie. {SERVING OF FRUIT!!!!}

In case you're wondering, it's delicious.

We borrowed Allen's Gator and rode into town to check out the festival happenings. {Tiny festival happening that day.} Nothing we couldn't live without, but we thought it would be rude to leave without getting SOME kind of treat. So we visited the slushie truck!!

Then it seemed only right to go for another quick boat ride...just the two of us.

We got a makeover from our niece. Who wore it better??

Thanks for your votes!

We had a scrumptious dinner that night - ribs and cheesy potatoes to celebrate Ryan's brother's birthday!

After dinner, the family went on a sunset boat ride, but Ryan and I wanted one more little date, so we walked to a coffee shop I'd noticed earlier that day...and it was DARLING. We relaxed and enjoyed iced coffee together.

When we went home, we hung out on the deck for a while, with bug spray of course!

The next morning, we had to pack up, clean up and come home. :(

Thanks for a great weekend, lake. We love you!!!!

Hello, Lake!

Ryan and I added an extra day to our weekend...and enjoyed the LAKE! Hope you don't mind if I share some of our adventures with you!

We headed out Thursday night after Ryan got home from work and stopped on the way up to visit with one of Ryan's friends that I'd actually never met in real life. By the time we were done visiting with him, it was pretty late, and we arrived literally in time to run to the pier and get a picture with the end of the sunset.

We slept {admittedly not much} and got up early so we could head to the swing at the water's edge and enjoy a good old fashioned lake sunrise with coffee.

And by that, of course, I mean we listened to whatever obnoxious wakeup calls were being shouted from the camp across the lake and the pounding hammer of the guy building a house right behind that little grove of trees above. I confess both made me slightly grumpy. I like my water sounds to just be...lapping water. At least before 7 am.

 We weren't the only ones at the lake...Ryan's mom and Allen were there, his brother's whole family, and his sister came later that day. We had fun playing with the kids, who have boundless amounts of energy.

Partway through the morning, Ryan took me out on a boat ride, which I LOVED.

After all the rain we've had this summer, I thoroughly enjoyed the BEAUTIFUL day. The blue skies, the sun, the warm temps - THANK YOU, GOD!!!!!

We took our time on our boat ride and really enjoyed it.

And then we took a three hour nap. Not on the boat. But back in our room. We were just so exhausted.

That night, his parents took us all out to eat...and our niece was keeping herself thoroughly entertained watching videos on our phones after she was done eating.

 And when we got back to the cottage, it was time to think about a family boat ride!! On the way to that, we had a little photography session... {She's using my spare camera to take pictures.}

 ...and a little measuring of the porch...

 Any guesses as to what this is all about??

...if you guessed "the family searching for the toy thrown into the water by the little man," you'd be right!!

And...success!!!!

After the boat ride, we walked into town for ice cream...and then Ryan and I stayed behind to enjoy some time in the park on the swing before we went back for the night.

 Whew! What a day!!! It was great, though. Good balance of time with family, and time alone with this handsome guy!!

The Shafferland Shuffle

* Last Sunday, you guys, was the most blissful day. We took TWO naps, which was pretty amazing, actually, and when we went to Starbucks, we ended up getting FREE FRAPPES!!! Also amazing. Ryan had received some jalapenos from someone's garden, so we tried our hand at grilled jalapeno poppers. They were delicious! Grilled in the rain and all!

* Monday, Ryan got free pork rinds at work, and he tried to send me this excited picture of himself eating one - but I think he forgot the excited part! LOL!!! I did all sorts of chores at home - AND I committed to running the Haiti Half. I was wavering between the half and the 5K and decided to spring for the half- provided my body doesn't utterly rebel against the first couple weeks of training. I wrote out my whole training schedule and went for my first training run - 3 miles. Whew!

* Tuesday, I squeezed in an early run, which very nearly killed me, but had a gorgeous view! I kept busy all day, but missed my guy, who sent me a darling photo of himself just to make me smile - and it worked! {Back at home, Braeya NEEDED me to sit and watch her eat. It's a for real thing with her. She will cry and cry until we sit and watch her eat. Seriously, girl?} After work, we scooted to Starbucks for a quick date before resuming our evening of work. {Can you tell we're trying to complete the Star Dash? Which, by the way, is more my style of running!}

* Wednesday was another run day for me, and I was grateful for more good weather - especially in this summer which seems to only have two extremes: rainy or humid! I spent the day doing a variety of chores, which at one point included reading at the stove while I made macaroni and cheese. LOL!!! That was a new one, even for me! I'll tell you more about this later, but that night, we invited our favorite barista and her husband over for dinner and we. had. a. blast. 

 *Thursday, my mom invited me to join the ladies of their church for a lunch, and I shared a little speechlet with them. It was fun and the food was really good! That evening, Ryan and I headed to one of our favorite places: THE LAKE!!! We didn't get there until the sun was almost gone, but we scurried right down to the lake to see it...as I'm sure it had missed us both!!

* Friday we spent the whole day at the lake with most of Ryan's family, and it was such fun! We watched the sunrise and took boat rides and ate Mexican food and played with the kiddos. AND we took a 3 hour nap! It was a pretty perfect vacation day, even if we were 100% exhausted!

 * Yesterday we rounded out our lake mini-vacation with more boat rides, more playing with the kiddos, and even some fun adventures driving the Gator downtown to walk through some festival booths. We also ran four miles by the lake, which nearly killed me, but it did not. There was a 5K happening in town, so I got my picture by THEIR finish line in case I don't get to mine! HA!!

The Saturday Six

One.

Source

Fascinating reminder {and much-needed for many of us, I believe} about how God equips us to do what WE need to do. We won't be equipped to carry out someone else's calling...though it seems many of us grumble about lacking what we need to do just that. Timely read.

Two.

Source

Obviously since we don't have kids, it's kind of odd to read an article about organizing their clothes for storage.  But since WE are in the middle of a huge sorting and reorganizing party here at our house, I wanted to read what this post had to say. And I REALLY loved the free printable attached. I think this would work great for any kind of storage tub - kids' clothes or not. We haven't yet tackled our attic...but when we do...I have a feeling...

Three.

Source

I think most of you know my first love in music has always been southern gospel, and I've missed it these last few years of being in the CCM world. One family I do enjoy a great deal is the Collingsworth family. You cannot beat family harmony, and these folks have a double portion, I think. This week I stumbled upon the news that the daughters of the family have their own blog! It's new, but it looks like a lot of fun, so I thought I'd pass it on to you. Very pretty pictures and very pretty sisters!

Four.

Speaking of pictures. Ohhhhhhhhhhh some vintage Bekah for you!! My friend Kelly posted this to Facebook this week. It was her birthday party some THIRTY YEARS AGO. I decided she must have been holding food, because that's the same "GIMME FOOD" look my face sports these days.

Five.

Source

Sometimes people ask me how and why I can share so much of my heart with people I don't even know. I think this post sums it up pretty well. 

Six.

Source

And rounding out today's fun...who wouldn't want to live HERE?????? {Provided, of course, that you don't have to CLEAN it.}