The Shafferland Shuffle

* Last Sunday we served coffee at church. Most handsome coffee maker out there, don't you think?? The rest of the day was a beautiful, restful Sunday. Braeya napped, we napped, I scrapbooked, and we watched Olympic trials. {ANYONE ELSE loving the trials as much as we are???}

 * Monday was the 4th of July, and Ryan worked all day, but in the evening, we went to Red Robin for a dinner date, and then out to watch fireworks over the lake. Despite a cloudy day and some significant humidity {read: HUGE HAIR}, it was a great night and a lovely date!

* Tuesday night we got to attend our friend's 40th birthday party, which was a lot of fun! Her husband surprised her, and the party was a great success {and can we pause to talk about the ICE CREAM??!!? It was homemade and it's such a good thing I am not proficient in that!}

* Wednesday started out crazy stormy and rainy, and I thought it would stay that way all day, but it cleared up and actually became a really nice day! We continued our garage makeover that night - painting the chalkboard part of the wall. What? Do you not have chalkboards in your garage???

* Thursday, when I was busy making lunch, someone was very interested in what was cooking! She cracks me up sometimes! :) I worked on some craft projects that day, and then that night, Ryan and I installed the pavers I told you about earlier this week. I still can't get over how different that patio looks since we installed them!

* Friday was a busy writing day for me, and in the afternoon, I spent some time learning about rosemary: a new herb at our house. I don't know much about it! BUT - I used it to cook our dinner. Ryan grilled our chicken and Brussels sprouts: delicious!! And then I hunkered down to watch more Olympic trials, and Ryan worked on reorganizing the garage. His happy place!!

* Yesterday, I had a case of the grumpies. :( Never good. But I perked up as the day went along! I went to a baby shower for Ryan's cousin in the afternoon: it was a Pinterest delight! And Ryan worked more on his list of projects around the house. And even though this picture is really bad, I have to share it. We went for a walk in the evening, and we saw a DEER!!! You cannot possibly know how happy this makes me!!!

The Shafferland Shuffle

* Last Sunday was a busy day in Shafferland! I started out by speaking at my old church, Chapel Pike Wesleyan, for their Mother's Day breakfast, and then Ryan and I hosted Mommapalooza 2.0, for both of our families! We had a great time, our families had a great time, and we enjoyed the day so very much. And when everyone went home, we finally SAT DOWN.

* Monday was a busy day at work, including a confusing phone call with insurance. I know NOTHING about insurance, and we had some sort of mixup in billing with a bill from the great gallbladder eviction. I had to call, since the bill was in my name, and Ryan wasn't there to coach my questions. At the end of the call, I had no idea if I'd actually fixed the problem or ordered a large pizza, but at least the people on the phone were nice! :) Then we came home and crashed, exhausted from our long weekend. We took a long nap, Braeya cleaned up our dessert, and Ryan worked on my birthday blog post. {Swoon.}

* Tuesday is proof that Ryan and I really are just dorks at heart. It was some sort of appreciation week in the health care world, and Ryan got a new water bottle as a gift...and he sent me a ton of goofy pictures with it, so then I started taking goofy pictures to send back. One of my co-workers walked in my office RIGHT after I took this picture. How would I even have explained this???? That evening, I worked hard to FINALLY get out our summer clothes. You know. Since it's MID-MAY!?!?

* Wednesday I worked my tail off at work...so much so that sometimes I actually forgot to breathe! And what was Ryan doing? Advancing to the final four of a tournament at his work! LOL!! That evening, though, heaven in a living room: I got a massage! She came to our home and gave me the massage {and Braeya joined me on the table for her turn}...and she even brought me chocolates for my birthday! Ryan came home with pre-birthday flowers, and it was just the perfect way to start the celebration!!

* Thursday was...MY BIRTHDAY!!! {More on this coming soon.} Ryan spoiled me ROTTEN with breakfast in bed at 4:30 in the morning, and then all my work friends spoiled me with hugs and gifts. I felt very loved. That evening, Ryan took me out to dinner, which was, of course, followed by coffee. {Not a birthday without coffee!} Loved my day! 37 is shaping up to be a good one!

* Friday, I had a day off work {trying to use random vacation days before I lose them,}, so I was busy catching up on housework, with the help of Miss Braeya. AND - I tried another new homemade recipe: DIY bug repellent with essential oils. I'll let you know how it works when I get to try it! Ryan went to work, but they had a fun day there, because he and his co-workers threw a baby shower for his their fellow therapist, Amanda. It looked like fun! I should have gone! :)

* Yesterday, we both had the day off, so we slept in and went out for a delicious breakfast. We took it easy all day...did a little shopping...did a little napping...ate a little ice cream...{absolutely meant to take that picture BEFORE I gobbled it up}. We needed a day like that so much. Thankful for it! And of course - thankful for Starbucks to cap it off!

The Shafferland Shuffle

* GREAT church service last Sunday. Loved the sermon and the time with our Sunday School class. After church,we realized we hadn't filled the provide-Thanksiving-dinner-for-a-needy-family box that we committed to do, so we hurried and did that so we could drop it off at the church. Then we went home and watched as the first snow of the season {at our house} began. And so begins measuring the snow in the bird bath! That night, while Ryan watched the Colts game, I signed a new round of books some people have ordered for the Advent season!

* The snow that fell on Sunday meant that Monday morning kicked off a new season of crazy early commute times. It was a white-knuckle drive, but I was thankful I made it safely! Work was good - and then that evening, we enjoyed quesadillas and naps by the fire. {Is it bad when you have to take a nap on MONDAY???} And Braeya helped me with the second half of my workout...I encouraged HER to work out as well, but she walked off at that suggestion. Can't say as I blame her.

* Tuesday was not as bad as Monday, weather-wise, but people got a little overconfident on the roads on the commute home, and I was a whisper away from being hit by a fishtailing truck. {Tip: don't cut off drivers on icy bridges when you're hauling a trailer. It doesn't end well. Sincerely, the cut-off driver.} Ryan and I had a blast that night at Starbucks, meeting up with my friend, Olivia and her little girl. She kept us so entertained!! We hardly ever get to see them, since they live out of state, so this was a treat!

 * Wednesday was my second turn working at Habitat for Humanity for the station. BEYOND thankful that the weather held {snowstorms and bad wind were the forecast} and thankful for some tasks I was actually capable of doing! I got to help with some office work and cleaning! It was a c.o.l.d. day, though, so I was equally glad to come home and snuggle under the covers!!!

* Thursday, after work, all the WBCL ladies gathered to celebrate one of our own, the lovely Dana. {If you ever call in to Mid-Morning, you've talked to her, because she answers our phones for us! She and her husband are expecting a baby, so we had a shower for her! It was a lot of fun - and then I scurried home to make it to a Mary Kay Christmas open house before I finally got home! Ryan took time to help out some friends at their house - and to deliver books for me. He's a good author-husband!

* Friday, Lynne worked at the Habitat site, so I had the office to myself and knocked out a WHOLE BUNCH of work that day. That night, Ryan and I had grand plans of getting all kinds of responsible-adult chores done - like grocery shopping and list making. OR...make tacos and curl up on the couch to watch movies!!! There's something about a Friday night at home with candles burning, the fireplace on, and movies playing. Can't beat it!

* Yesterday was SO FUN! we were looking forward to it! We spent the whole day together and did 90% of our Christmas shopping! We were shopping MACHINES!! We had a blast - and we even squeezed in a movie in the afternoon, which is something we rarely do, but it was fun. The weather was pretty decent, and we enjoyed having fun together!

Shafferland Shuffle

* Last Sunday, Ryan and I became OFFICIAL greeters at church. We have our own real name tags and everything! How fun is that? We had his Mom and Allen over for lunch and then his mom spent the rest of the day with us, taking our annual pictures. It wasn't the sunniest day of the year, but I was thankful it was warm outside and NOT raining so we could get our whole photo shoot in...and have comfort in the process!

* Monday morning was when I arrived at work to find I'd been pranked with a Bert Convy picture hanging in my office. {Why you should keep crazy childhood crush information to yourself!!} I spent my lunch hour praying....and this is my view while I pray. When I started a week ago, all the trees were green and this ONE has turned completely golden in one week. Love it. We had a low-key evening at home, and our entertainment was Braeya, who sat on the couch staring at what we can only assume was a bug flying around.

* Tuesday morning, I had the opportunity to give one of my friends a ride to the Fort Wayne airport. {Drive right past there on my way to work, so it was a perfect chance to play taxi!} She bought me Starbucks in return...thank you, Kathy!! And later in the day, one of the work girls broke out a DeBrand caramel apple; those are SO GOOD! That evening, we went to the funeral home to see my brother-in-law. His grandma passed away, so he made the trip from Kansas, and we wanted to go spend a little bit of time with him before he went back. Braeya seemed unamused with the amount of time we spent away from home.

* Wednesday was our big book giveaway on Mid-Morning, which is always fun! Lynne and I had a blast giving away books! Had to take a detour on the way home and ended up driving through some GORGEOUS tree lined road areas! Ryan and I were scheduled to help with a service project at church - helping a lady move. But I came home feeling achy and gross, and Ryan thought I should rest instead of going out in the rain for a while, so I slept the entire time he was working to help with the move! Whoopsie!!! But I must have needed it. I felt much better after that.

* Thursday morning, I got a fun surprise in the mail: my very own Barnwood Tray!! I now own a piece of Midwestern history turned into a tray. I love it. Had lunch with my friend Elisa. I love talking with her! Thanks, Elisa, for trekking my way to meet me for my grilled cheese! :) Ryan was really tired, so he rested that evening while I went shopping for baby shower supplies. Got a bit lost in the baby department. This is how rumors get started. Someone asked if I was expecting. Nope! Just Trying to find the little cloth diapers. That's all!

* Friday morning, when I started to eat breakfast at work, I discovered Ryan hid a whole cinnamon roll breakfast delight treat in my lunchbox - with a note! Great way to start a day! When we arrived home from work, we found the materials had been delivered for the next big Shafferland project: new roof! Ryan was deliriously happy! We spent our evening at a Sunday School class party, complete with bonfire! Ryan was mostly excited to sit on his friend Nate's motorcycle. I abhor motorcycles, so getting one of his own is not in his future, unfortunately.

 * And then yesterday, I made another pilgrimage to Fort Wayne to attend a baby shower for our neighbor. {Funny, huh? Driving to Fort Wayne for a shower for someone who lives on my street?} It was a lovely shower and the cake was both beautiful AND tasty. Ryan went to work and his co-worker surprised him with his favorite coffee! So it was a good day for him! Last night, we went to see Ryan's sister's new house. Ryan did some work for her - not gonna lie. It was funny to watch him hang things using the pink flowered hammer!

The Saturday Six

One.

Source

If you're in a season of life where you're planning a lot of baby showers for your friends, this is a pretty cool deal! I'm all for free printables, but this is a pack of a ton of shower themed printables that you can buy {through Wednesday} for $20.00. Not a bad price - and you can have them to use more than once!

Two.

My Dad lost one of his best friends last week. The two of them taught school together forever and were also wood cutting buddies. They worked together to take down the neighbors' tree that fell into my yard 3 years ago (story: here) and I love this picture of the two of them. Totally in their element - and if you look closely, TOTALLY UNSAFE. Dad is standing on a kitchen step stool with a chain saw, and Mr. Frakes is holding a limb with a bungee cord. Those two....but yet what a neat friendship.

Three.

 Source

I found this blog post enlightening - even though I don't have kids, and that's mostly the focus of it. Y'all know I'm the Bekahrazzi, and even for as long as I've been doing that, I still get flustered sometimes when I'm taking pictures and I know people are staring. This has some great tips on taking pictures in public and doing it well.  

Four.

 Source

I always love KariAnne Wood's stories. I really do. But being the occasional victim of Pinterest fails myself...this story was one of my favorites from recently. KariAnne wins this week's invisible award for the best recovery of a disaster. {Standing. Clapping.} 

Five.

A couple of weeks ago, my sister posted this photo from 1986...and this week were all together again and we did a Pinterest-inspired recreation. Like it??

Six.

And whilst we were together - we got a new family photo. A few, actually, but here is a sneak peek!

The Shafferland Shuffle

One year ago today {if you go by day of the week} - we were standing on the beach in Florida, saying I DO!! Can you believe it's been a whole year?? We feel blessed.  Here's a recap of what we did in our last week of our first year of marriage!

* Last Sunday, I went to a baby shower for Ryan's sister, Lori, who is having a baby boy in just a few weeks! {Yes, this does make us the only married couple in his family not having a baby.} It was such a nice shower...beautifully decorated and she got so many nice gifts!

* Monday was a VERY exciting day - as WE FINISHED MY BATHROOM!!!!! I was so blessed excited! Ryan got it all finished up and I got to move everything in. Looks so great compared to what it was before. Best of all - we met our goal of finishing our renovations before our first anniversary!

* Tuesday, I was honored that Now I Lay Me Down to Sleep shared my blog post from last week on their Facebook page! I appreciated that! And in OTHER exciting Shafferland news from Tuesday...I GOT MY CAR BACK!!!! After a week and a half in the shop, it's back in my possession. It sounds and runs like a new car...so let's hope it thinks it IS a new car.

* Wednesday I only worked a half day, but Ryan had to work the whole day. So while he was busy, I took some time to put the finishing touches on my anniversary gift for him. I went to the store for a card - and was crying in the card aisle as I purchased my first ever anniversary card. {For a whole-year anniversary. I have bought several for our month-to-month anniversaries.} What an answer to prayer!

* Thursday was our Thanksgiving celebration - first with my family and then with one of Ryan's families. SO MUCH FOOD!!! It really was a truly lovely day - to just get to sit and enjoy, to laugh, to make memories. I appreciated it! When we came home, we watched a movie and some football. A great first, official, married Thanksgiving together!

* Friday night we headed to Indianapolis to watch the lighting of the Christmas tree on Monument Circle. I haven't gone to a lighting of the tree since I was probably a third grader, and Ryan had never been. We thought it might be a fun thing to see! We went early to get a good seat and ended up being outside for about 3 hours! Crazy cold, but a fun night anyway - and I've got good pictures to show you!!

* Last night, Ryan offered me the ultimate sacrifice of love {smile}: he took me to a Gaither concert!! It was my first time to go to a Christmas homecoming concert - and it was his first EVER Gaither anything. He is indeed a man in love. And I melt. The concert was four hours long and was SO GOOD! Can't wait to show you more pictures. But of course....

The Shafferland Shuffle

* Last Sunday, Ryan and I went to Sunday School at our new church for the first time. We've been attending Sunday morning services since April, but hadn't yet taken the leap of looking for a class that we fit into...so we took our first step toward that! And then...it was football Sunday, which meant naps for this girl and football for that guy. :) And the return of the official dinner of Sunday evenings:

* Since Monday hit the 90's for pretty much the first time all year, we thought THAT would be a good time to take up running again. Ryan rocked it but I limped along, half-walking, half-running. I'm such a wimp. We may or may not have taken the liberty of recording an answering machine message for my parents for the new phone system all the kids got Mom for her birthday {hee hee hee} and we tried grilled okra for the first time. I was scared...but if you promise not to tell anyone I said so, I'll admit it wasn't bad.

* Tuesday evening...I got to go to Miss Ellie's baby shower! Ellie's mom, Jeri, is one of my co-workers, and we just now had the work shower for her. Food...cupcakes...baby presents...and I got to take all manner of pictures. Now THAT'S a good little evening. Came home and watched the first round of finals on America's Got Talent. Picked out my six that need to advance and called it a NIGHT.

* Wednesday evening, Ryan and I headed to my parents' house for a belated birthday party for my mom...and that is a whole blog post in and of itself...my parents CRACK ME UP! But until I can get to that, here's the birthday girl with her dessert. And in case you were wondering, only four of my chosen six made it through on AGT. I was not amused.

* Thursday was my first day to pull out jeans...after a summer of capris...I'd forgotten how confining skinny jeans are!! I guess it signifies the official beginning of fall. Wait. Didn't I just say that Monday was when summer finally arrived??? HELLO, INDIANA. Thursday evening, Ryan went to the gym, and I went out for Mexican food. HA! I had the chance to meet up with my friend Sheryl...loved catching up with her! {Sheryl, how did we not get a picture???}

 * Friday was absolutely GORGEOUS outside. It was chilly but amazing. Perfect sky!!! After being gone so many nights in a row, we decided that Friday night, we would stay home, eat pizza and spend the evening working on some dreaming for our future. I adore making lists - and dreaming for the future, so it was pretty near the perfect night!!!

 * Saturday, one of my former student workers and good friends, Jessica, stopped by the house to see me. We spent a few hours catching up on our lives - loved the chance to see her! Ryan and I had an at-home fire pit date with hot dogs and s'mores and then while we were grocery shopping, we got a call from his mom, inviting us to meet her at the IHOP. We went over there and enjoyed coffee and a sampling of pumpkin pancakes!

About Those Baby Shower Gifts...

I'm not a DIY blog...but every now and then I like to share with you how I made something - just in case you want to copy!

I seem to know a lot of people having babies right now, so I wanted to come up with a good stash of baby shower gift ideas so I could have some fun with these gifts! I made these two for Olivia's showers that I went to a few weeks back, and I thought I'd share with you how I did them, so you can make your own versions! They really don't take very long AT ALL.

Onesie Milkshakes

These look like milkshakes {or frappes} and best of all - require absolutely no gift wrap. These ARE the gift wrap!

Here's what you need:

* 4 onesies {color up to you - Olivia was having a girl, so I got pink ones and went with kind of a strawberry milkshake sort of look}
* 4 white cloth diapers
* 8 white washcloths
* 2 pair red socks {I couldn't find any, so I found 2 pairs of pink skid proof slippers that I improvised with}
* 4 clear plastic disposable cups
* 1 drink holder {I just kept one after a trip through the McDonald's drive thru}
* Scrapbook paper/scrapbooking flowers for the cozie looking holder

And here's how you do it:

For one cup, you'll need 1 onesie, 1 cloth diaper, 2 washcloths, 1 sock...and then one cup, obviously.

 I rolled up the diaper to make the middle of the shake and then wrapped the 2 washcloths around it.

 I put the word/picture side of the onesie inside, and folded in the sleeves and then wrapped it around the diaper/washcloth roll, being careful to let the washcloth/diaper part stick out the top to achieve the whipped cream look.

 Like this:

 Then I folded up my little slipper sock into the closest thing to a ball I could get and tucked it in the middle to look like a cherry.

 I bought one 12x12 zebra scrapbook paper - but you could use any design you like, and then a pack of four blingy scrapbooking flowers. I cut the scrapbook paper to wrap around the cup and sealed it up with a flower.

{Side note. When I gave the gift, one of the other shower guests asked if the cozies were headbands. NO!! But why didn't I think of that? For a girl, that would be SO PERFECT! I may do that next time. For a boy....you could skip the flower and put some sort of scrapbooking baby saying or something.}

Diaper Devotions

My other gift for Olivia was a bag of diaper devos. This gives her a short devotional to read around the time she changes a diaper. I loved the way it turned out.

Here's what you need:

* A package of disposable diapers. {I didn't get newborn ones because sometimes babies are born bigger than that size of diapers! I went a little bigger hoping it would extend the amount of time she'd need them.}
* A box of wipes {not really necessary, but a nice added touch}
* A bottle of hand sanitizer {also not really necessary, but still a nice touch}
* A devo Bible for moms to get some ideas {I used the Mom's Devotional Bible published by Zondervan}

And here's how you do it:

Count the diapers so you know how many devos you'll need. The package I bought had 31 diapers in it, so that's how many devos I prepared. 

 Go through the Bible you're using and pick out 31 verses and thoughts and type them out. I divided my Word document into 2 landscape columns so I could print two thoughts per page. Since Olivia is having a girl, I printed the verses in pink and the devo part in gray - just to spice up the color. I tried to keep the thoughts short and the font large {in case she's reading it from a bit of a distance while she tends to the baby.

 {Side note - I improvised the devos and just used the thoughts from the devo Bible to guide me. I turned each one into something she could pray about for her daughter for her future. For example, one of the prayers might have been praying that down the road, her daughter would have the courage to handle a difficult time as a learning experience.}

I cut each sheet in half and tucked one devo inside each diaper.

 Then I put them all in a gift bag! {Next time = bigger gift bag. They were PACKED in there.}

Next time I make these, they'll go even faster because I have the devos already typed out!

So there you go - an idea for your next baby gift!!