Mommapalooza 4.0

This was the fourth year in a row that we hosted Mother's Day at our house. We began the tradition in 2014 without really intending for it to become a tradition. (The best ones happen that way.) We just wanted to spoil our moms by letting them have the day off from cooking, and that turned into inviting siblings and other family members too, and Mommapalooza was born.

The first year, we hosted it outside at our Marion house, in our beloved pirogi, and we had practically perfect weather. We did burger/picnic food theme and had a great time! The second year, we intended to have it outside, but the weather was unbearably humid, and we feared everyone would be miserable outside, so at the last minute, we moved it inside (still at our Marion house). We grilled pork chops and chicken and had a fun crammed in the dining room of our little house. Last year, Mommapalooza 3.0 was our deadline for having round one of home renovations done, even though we still planned to have the party outside on our deck. Sadly, last May was still wintry, so we feared everyone would freeze to death during lunch, and we packed everyone into half our living room for a pot roast (and all the fixins) lunch.

So you can imagine how grateful we were that this year, we had our garage all finished, and we could plan to party out there from the very beginning, with no fear of what the weather might bring! And multiple people commented that it was a very relaxing and enjoyable space for such a party!

(Find Phoebe in the picture for an extra 10 invisible points!)

This year I went with a breakfast theme! Four kinds of fresh fruit (pineapple, watermelon, blueberries, strawberries), quick cinnamon rolls, ham/egg/cheese sliders, Amish breakfast casserole, the Dashing Dish Sausage/Egg/Cheese Bake, ham and pickle roll-ups, and  smoky links in BBQ sauce.

My sister also brought a breakfast casserole, so we had lots of food!

We enjoyed the food, and Phoebe was a BIG hit with the kids. I'm working on building a better collection of toys and books, and they did play with those too, but I've decided having the dog for the day is really the way to go.

 Also ottomans.

 Also balloons.

We got a group photo and the stinkin' thing was blurry. Sigh.

But we got some other good pictures.

We were so grateful for a beautiful day! Even though we ate in the garage, we were thankful for a chance to be outside after! :)

Ryan and the Bridal Store

If you missed yesterday's podcast, then you missed the stories of Ryan's inaugural visit to the bridal salon. (Yes, you read that correctly.)

Here's how it happened: Ryan's sister got engaged a few days ago and invited me to go with her on dress shopping day. When I told Ryan about it, he sort of figured he was included in the invitation, because in general, that's how Shafferland invitations go. We are a package deal. You invite one of us, you've invited both of us. We don't like to be apart. I told him I wasn't sure he was invited, because typically this is sort of a girl thing. He was okay with that, but in a long, convoluted story that you don't have time for, his mom and sister found out he was interested and he ended up going.

His mom was glad he went because she doesn't really enjoy driving, and he could be our chauffeur! I was glad he went because Sunday is our family day, and we had been apart all day Saturday. I didn't want to be apart for a second day in a row!

SO! That's how it came to be that this carload of friends and family joined the caravan to travel south to Indianapolis on Sunday afternoon for wedding dress shopping!

We went to David's Bridal, and Ryan jumped right in to assist with the dress hunt.

There were about 14 of us in this entourage, and the nice lady ushered us to the back to our "area" to wait, and that was when our niece asked if she could borrow my camera. Normally I don't let her take my good camera on her own, but I hadn't brought my old camera (the one she usually plays with) and frankly, I was tired and not up to arguing with a six-year-old. So I gave it to her, on the condition that she would wear the strap around her neck, and without further ado, I would like to present to you "dress shopping through the eyes of a child." Much more entertaining than any photojournalism I could have done on my own. I'll pop in now and then with commentary, but for the most part, the pictures speak for themselves.

(This was the lesson of learning how the camera works. Fun when there are so many mirrors, you can be in a bunch of the pictures you take! And also. Why does Ryan look so confused?)

At this point, the waiting was getting to Ryan, so he set off to explore the far reaches of the bridal salon. His camera-woman followed.

The photographer capturing the photographer.

It was right about here that Ryan's mom (pictured above as the main photographer) said to me, "I hope you're getting some pictures, too." I said, (as captured below), "Actually, no I'm not because my camera has been camera-napped."

And Ryan is either reading the Colts blog or taking a picture of my backside. It really could go either way.

So that was how I got my camera back, and sadly, I can't show you most of the pictures, because they involve THE DRESS, which she said yes to in very short order! But here are a couple.

 (That's my sister-in-law, Megan. We don't have very many pictures of just the two of us. The last one was taken at Christmas and was not our best representation. It is funny, though. Look!)

And the grand finale photos. We wanted a group picture, so Ryan took it for us. This first one was before any of us were ready. Clearly. But it cracks me up. The outtakes of group pictures are almost always better than the intended-outcome photos.

I especially love the diggin-for-gold in the front row.

Take 36!

Ahhhh memories! This was my entourage in October, 2012!

The Shafferland Shuffle

Last week of March!! Is it spring break week where you live? If so, I hope you're getting to enjoy warmth! :)

* Last Sunday was the height of rest around here - for everyone! Naps, reading, scrapbooking, just enjoying the day. The only thing that would have made it better was a nice, long walk!

* Monday we woke up to crazy rain/storms, which is, I suppose, appropriate for the first official day of spring. Also exciting markers of the first official day of spring? Buds on trees (I'd so feared our pretty white flowering tree started too early and would die off when the freeze returned) and free ice cream cones from Dairy Queen! We got the new guy when we went, which I knew would either result in extra small cones or extra big ones. We lucked out! :)

* Tuesday was another therapy day for Mom, and she's doing really well! I attended, like always and helped by drinking coffee and watching. (Don't you wish I could assist in all your endeavors?) I go because I have SUCH A CRUSH on the guy who does her therapy. I did some child-care that night, and then enjoyed the most amazing sunset. I was so happy to see it! I miss pretty sunsets.

* Wednesday was a long, hard day here in Shafferland. Hard conversations and lots of prayer. I should clarify that we had hard days independently, which is awkward, because then we were both too tired to really pick each other up very well! That evening, Ryan went to the garage to keep working on the cabinets and pray and I spent some time reading Scripture and praying. (And crying in the bathroom. Full disclosure. LOL.) We weren't so sorry to see Wednesday go.

* Thursday morning I had to get our tires rotated, and I totally forgot to take my book to read while I waited! So I had a stare-down with the tires. They won. I got a beautiful surprise in the mail when a friend sent me a subscription to the Magnolia Journal! :) That was such fun. And at the end of the day? Got to hang out with the kiddos I've been watching some. It was fun!

* Friday I spent most of the day in the kitchen, baking meals for our friends and family who had surgery lately. It was so much fun to put together a little blessing basket for them, and then when Ryan got off work, we went on a delivery tour! We ate our own dinner so early and so fast that we were kind of hungry, so Ryan made a bowl of popcorn. It turned out to be a REALLY BIG BOWL. we ate every last bit. Don't tell.

* When we woke up yesterday morning, neither of us felt really great. Not full-on sick, but just worn out. So Ryan went to work, and I got busy around the house, and then GUESS WHO CAME TO HANG OUT FOR THE WHOLE DAY???? If you guessed our Phoebe-girl, you'd be right! I felt more justified resting on the couch with her in my lap! :) Always a treat to have her!

The Shafferland Shuffle

First of all, it's stinkin' DST day. If you forgot, HURRY!!!!! You're late!!!!! Or just go back to bed and reclaim the hour you lost.

Not that I'm bitter about it. :)

Meanwhile, a peek into our week!

* Lately we've been enjoying brunch on Sundays, and this past week, Ryan made the whole thing. Food tastes better when someone else does all the work! :) Speaking of "all the work," have I mentioned how much work Braeya creates each day by unmaking the bed we meticulously make each morning? That child. One super fun thing from Sunday? New patio furniture!! I had been busy on Pinterest figuring out how to make patio furniture out of pallets, and here Ryan was planning to surprise me with furniture the whole time! Excited to have it; now if it could WARM UP so we can use it!!

* Monday began my week of hard core writing, where I was determined to knock out a BUNCH of projects and not be sidetracked with a bunch of errands. So I hunkered down at the computer for most of the day. I did watch my friend's 5 kiddos for a little bit in the evening, and they decided to have an Easter egg hunt using my home decor. One of them used ME for a hiding place. No, I don't lay eggs! LOL! Ryan got busy diagramming the kitchen cabinets so he could begin the refinishing project this week!

* Tuesday, I went to a Bible study that uses the inductive study method. I've not done that before, but was so excited to get to use colored pencils in my study! It was a GORGEOUS day out that day. Blue skies, clouds, and the hope that spring will one day come! (Since it showed up for January and February and now we're waiting for it to return.) That night, we had our final Bible study with our small group, and when we got home, Ryan started the cleaning process for the cabinet adventure!

* On Wednesday, Ryan's boss made lunch for everyone, and I even got invited to enjoy some of it. He's a GOOD cook. I came home to resume my writing projects, and had an assistant sleeping in my lap for the majority of the time. And here's a peek at all our kitchen drawers in their new, temporary location on top of the table. Sigh.

* Thursday was a "must drink lots of coffee" kind of day. I was so tired! I love weeks that require much creativity, but they do make me tired! Got some baby snuggles in that evening, and then we had one more Bible study. (How many studies can I participate in at one time???)

* Friday night, I went to a celebration party to catch up with the ladies from one of the retreats I spoke at last fall. So good to see them and hear the stories of God at work in them! Ryan stayed home and started painting the cabinets! Can't wait to tell you more about all those things.

* Yesterday was our "E" date - and if you're keeping track, you are correct in remembering that we have not yet had the "D" date. WHOA. The Shaffers go out of order? It's true! But it was a fun date, and then we came home so Ryan could dive back into cabinet painting - and I helped! This is a lot of hard work, but it's going to be so worth it! :)