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! :)

The Shafferland Shuffle

HAPPY MOTHER'S DAY (to you)!! HAPPY BIRTHDAY (to me)!! I fully anticipate today to be crazy busy here in Shafferland, but it'll be great to fill you in later!

Meanwhile, here's a peek at our last week.

* Last Sunday was Ryan's sister's bridal shower, and I took pictures at that while Ryan stayed home and enjoyed a MUCH deserved nap! Bre's shower was so nice, and she got tons of nice gifts. I think she was a little overwhelmed by it all, actually! But it was a good day.

* I actually had Monday off from my carpool duties, but I ended up helping another of our friends get his kiddo home from school, so it ended up balancing out. At least it was a pretty-ish day and I could enjoy my time in line! I spent the whole afternoon making props for one of my talks next week, and then I did my first "dress rehearsal" for it. Ryan felt it necessary to take my picture. I told him it looks like I'm directing a choir. LOL!

* Ryan had a carry-in at work on Tuesday, and I made these uh-mazing Samoa brownies to take to it. I was hoping everyone would hate them and I could bring them all home, but it didn't work out that way. That night, Mom and Dad took us out to eat for our birthdays, and we got free dessert! Made up for the Samoa brownies that didn't come home. HA!

* I spent Wednesday creating my 10 page color-coded itinerary to get us through the upcoming schedule madness, and that made me so tired by the end of the day, I just wanted to sit down and put my feet up! So I did! I did watch my friend's kiddos that evening for a little bit. This one cracks me up. Wants to play with the ball that's the same size she is!

* By Thursday, we were pooped, and Ryan took a nap at the end of lunch to get enough energy to get through the afternoon. I've been there!! We went out to buy all the rest of our flowers for this year so we could get those planted. It wasn't a super warm and sunny evening, but at least the rain held off!

* Friday, to celebrate the end of National Hospital Week, a food truck came to Ryan's work, and he was SO excited, because it was BBQ, and he loves BBQ! Friday was the nicest day of the whole week, and we were able to mow the yard and plant all our flowers. Looks like summer, now!

* Yesterday, Ryan had to work, and while he was gone, I got the garage set up to host Mommapalooza 4.0 and worked to prepare all the food I could ahead of time! When Ryan got home from work, we got all dressed up and went to wedding #2 for the month! Had a lovely time! Ryan makes one handsome date, doesn't he???

The Saturday Six

One.

 I was excited to stumble upon this article of places to eat around Indiana. (Places with spectacular patio dining!) We have actually been to the very last one on the list and loved the food AND the view. And now? We have more places to try!


Two.

 Love these words from Holley Gerth. If you're struggling to forgive yourself of your past, or if you wonder if Jesus meant that He loves you, read her words.

Three.

 Did anyone try the new Unicorn Frappe from Starbucks this week? I am not even REMOTELY tempted by this, and of my social media friends, I only saw one thumbs up. I will just go ahead and stick to my caramel delights, thankyouverymuch.

Four.

Since I'm not a parent, I do try to limit my parental advice on this blog. I know I am not a reliable source. But I happened upon this post through Twitter this week, and out of curiosity, I read it. AND I TOTALLY AGREE. I actually have a couple of friends (meaning one couple married to each other) who parent this way, and it actually works. Their kids are well-behaved, innovative, creative, and in my non-parental opinion, balanced and healthy. So I think there might just be something to this madness!  

Five.

This is kind of a throw-back to an old post, but I'll tell you why I'm reminding you of it! Last year, I shared this post of how I'd started making my own marinara sauce. (It was a by-product of the 21 Day Fix lifestyle and learning to eat less processed foods.) I've used this sauce many times in lasagna and other such dishes, but I made a new batch a few days ago and pulled some out for Ryan to use as dipping sauce for some bread he had. I clearly underestimated how much he would love it and had NOT reserved enough. He told me he was done with all pre-packaged sauces. This was it for him from now on. So in honor of that, here's a link to the recipe! 

Six.

THIS. IN EVERY WAY: THIS. (Pause: it is true that there is no book review this week. I read two books but neither has been released yet, so I can't review them. Believe me. It's killing my OCD as much as it's shocking you right now. I'll be back with a book next week. PROMISE.) Okay back to this point.

I have had so many conversations lately with friends, fellow-believers, fellow entrepreneurs and small business owners and my brain spins over this entire conundrum. As Beth says so much better than I can, we are living in a world where we are taught and encouraged to promote ourselves. If we have something to offer, we have to make graphics and videos and do blog tours and podcasts and push, push, push to get our name and offering out to every soul we've ever met. We beg for retweets and reposts and stalk our social media numbers to make sure they're growing.

I don't like any of it. It's not how I was raised, it wasn't what I saw modeled, and it's not how I want to live. I share what I have to offer, because I want you to know it's there. I want you to know if you need a laugh, you can listen to Spill the Beans and chances are good we'll make you giggle. I want you to know if you want to read about the randomness of our lives, you can come here every day and find something to munch on for a minute. I want you to know if you need a devo, I've written a couple, I believe in their message, and I hope they'd be an inspiration to you. So I let you know when something's here. I want you to know that I love to share the messages God has given me with groups of people, so if you need a speaker, holler, and we'll talk. But oh my word, I never want to be the girl that shoves any of it down your throat.

I don't want to be the girl who gets hidden from every Facebook feed because my every post, even if shrouded in some fun story about my life, is somehow going to turn into a desperate plea to hire me or buy something I've written. I agree with Beth 100% and I am in her camp. I don't want to be about the Bekah Shaffer brand. I want to be about Jesus and hope you see Him through these outlets I have the chance to offer.

Stepping off soapbox.

The Shafferland Easter Shuffle

Happy Easter! Hope you all have a wonderful day, even if the weather isn't very sunny! (At least that's what we're expecting here!)

* Last Sunday seems so long ago now, but that was the day we went to Indianapolis with Ryan's sister's entourage for wedding dress shopping. A successful day for her, for which we were thankful, and quite entertaining to watch Ryan take in the whole Say Yes to the Dress experience!

* I spent Monday busily working in the office, wrapping up all the paperwork from speaking over the weekend. Fun fact: at lunch, Ryan made me laugh so hard I cried off all the makeup one eye. I forgot to fix that before I went out in public. Whoopsie. That night, Ryan went to help a friend of ours who just bought a house and needed some work done on a light fixture. Not sure how the hammer was going to fix it, but who am I to question? While he did that, I made our dinner: skinny mini lasagnas from Dashing Dish. Fabulous!

* Tuesday night, we hosted another Tuesdays at the Table with my good friend Ronda. We miss living close to her! I tried my hand at making "breadsticks" with cauliflower crust, and even though Ryan didn't care for it, I thought it was fabulous!

* Wednesday was a day of much prayer, Bible study, and journaling, and even though my heart wrestled through many things, it was so nice to see the two plants we own (so far) blooming beautifully! And that night, we had an unexpected dinner invitation to a friend's house! (Ryan was doing some work there too...he's been quite the handyman this week!)

* Thursday I got together with my mother-in-law for coffee, and at the end of the day, I just did not have it in me to make dinner. It had been a d.a.y. for both Ryan and me, so we went to Culver's for a treat. (And I did the whole treat thing, too! Burger AND fries!) And when Ryan went shopping at Lowe's, I thoroughly enjoyed their Easter lily display. So pretty!

* I had Friday off from carpool duties, so I stayed in my jammies and read blogs and drank coffee extra long that morning! After work, we helped one of our friends by hauling a truckload of mulch to her house. (That load tested our truck tire limits.  EEK!) And Ryan felt he had earned a Meat Mountain sandwich at Arby's, so we stopped for him to try one. Sorry there are no photos of my salad. LOL!

* Yesterday was GORGEOUS here in Indiana, and of course Ryan had to work, so I scrapbooked. We went for a run and I happened to notice that the strong winds had done a bit of a number on the portapotties around the area. (Lots of construction = portapotties.) Hope no one was inside! We took a few minutes to rest on our porch and drink coffee after dinner, and then Ryan wanted to look for an Easter outfit. This wasn't QUITE what I envisioned...

A Shafferland Day in the Life, April 2017

Back in January, I did a "Day in the Life" post, to chronicle what our life is like in this season. I decided I wanted to do one of these posts each quarter this year, so I'm back with round two for 2017! (These posts are hosted by Julia over at Life in Transition, so you can also see what other people are doing with their days! Kind of fun!) 

Last time, I chronicled a Saturday, and this time I chose a Tuesday. This is a whole different kind of day for us, and we hope you enjoy a peek into our life in probably more detail than you wanted. Ha! (Also - I'm trying to dispel the myth that those who don't have a job outside the home don't work!) Without further ado, here is a kind of long post about our spring 2017!

Tuesday, April 4, 2017
Bekah is 38 years old
Ryan is 37 years old
Braeya (the cat) is 10 years old
Married 4 years (52 months)

5:05 a.m. || Awaken with a jolt when Braeya knocks my phone off the nightstand and it crashes onto the floor. It's her subtle way of letting me know she's ready to get up, though it's a trick she hasn't tried in several weeks. I'm not about to play the game and go back to sleep.

6:37 a.m. || Realize I've now officially overslept and so has Ryan. Also realize I've had some really weird dreams, including a trip to Magnolia Farms to meet Chip and JoJo. We get up, and I make the bed while Ryan gets ready for work.

6:42 a.m. || Break out the Halls Defense. Ryan woke up yesterday morning with a cold that came out of absolutely nowhere. He sounds horrible. I have to speak at an event this weekend, so I cannot catch this cold. I sit down with my laptop to do the morning internet rounds.

6:55 a.m. || Since it's Tuesday, I have a new Spill the Beans podcast to promote. Start sharing it on all the forms of social media.

7:13 a.m. || I am still full from yesterday, but Ryan needs breakfast, so I whip up some yogurt/berries/granola for him. I make a note to make more granola later, since the container is almost empty.

7:25 a.m. || I know that I'm going to be hard-pressed to get all my steps in today, so while Ryan gets ready, I take a few laps around the house to try to help myself so I'm not lapping the house for two hours at the end of the night.

7:30 a.m. || We are having company for dinner, so I start Rosie to vacuum the house and then sit down to have morning devos with Ryan. We're reading Beth Moore's David: 90 Days with a Heart Like His. Appropriately, today's reading is on the danger of anger, which is something we're both wrestling with just a bit. (Not toward each other.)

8:00 a.m. || Roll my sleeves up to work in the kitchen so I can put together the pot roast dinner that needs to hang out in the slow cooker all day. I intended to put it all together last night, but last night didn't go as planned, so I have to assemble it now! Decide on the fly to go ahead and take pictures while I prepare so I can make pot roast an official blog post.

8:28 a.m. || Notice (whoopsie!) that my friend Jamie has a birthday in two days. Probably should have mailed her card yesterday but didn't. Sit down to write a message on the card so I can get that out to the mailbox. Finally starting to feel hungry, so I think I'll make my own yogurt breakfast and eat that while I skim through some blogs.

8:55 a.m. || Head into the bathroom to get ready. It's a second-day-hair day (WOOT WOOT!) so it won't take long. It's also mud mask Tuesday! (That's not really a thing, and I know it, but it's how I remember how long it's been since my last mud mask.) Feeling wistful for the lake on this dreary spring day, so I choose white pants and a navy shirt so I can at least feel beachy.

9:33 a.m. || Slide into the car, leftover coffee in my travel mug, and all my Bible study supplies packed in my little bag. I've been part of a short term ladies Bible study on Tuesday mornings, and it's ending, which makes me sad. I've enjoyed my time with these girls. Decide to call my mom while I drive to the church, so I can see how she's feeling. (She has a cold too. I blame her for Ryan's.)

10:11 a.m. || Our group is a little small today and we've been very chatty, so Bible study starts a tiny bit late. Our leader is fantastic and does TONS of research ahead of time. I love learning from her and am prepared to take many notes. (And I do!)

11:10 a.m. || Back in the car to come home just in time to make lunch for Ryan. For the ride home, I decide to sing duets with David Phelps. I try to do these things when Ryan is not around to be offended. (Being in tune is not a requirement for my half of these duets.)

11:32 a.m. || While I was at Bible study, Ryan texted to see if I could get him a new bag of cough drops. Clearly the day is going well. I stop by the store on the way home to stock up again.

11:41 a.m. || Braeya greets me at the door, MOST displeased that she has had to go over an hour with no fresh water from the tap. (Never mind that she has a full bowl of water at all times. She is such a water snob that she insists on drinking from the sink.) I turn on the water and she gulps like she hasn't had water in a month.

11:50 a.m. || Thankfully we went to dinner at Texas Roadhouse last night and were so full after the appetizer that we didn't want our actual dinner. I move our food from take-out containers onto plates and wait for Ryan to come home from work so I can heat them up. Roadkill for him and chicken and veggies for me.

11:57 a.m. || Ryan texts that it will be a while before he can come home, so I grab the dustcloth and go over the house real fast. (This is why we have company: motivation to dust! KIDDING!)

12:09 p.m. || Ryan makes it home and we throw down our lunch before he has to move on to his next adventure. No savoring today! But it's good to see him, even for a few minutes!

12:36 p.m. || Sit down to answer a couple of emails and check Facebook before checking the tracking on my essential oils order. Seems like I got the notification that they shipped several days ago, but they've not arrived, and with Ryan's unexpected cold, I need a couple of them to hurry! Says it should be here between April 5th and 12th. Well, boo. That is not today, is it?

12:45 p.m. || I have fifteen minutes until my podcast interview with fiction writer Ann Gabhart. I need to pray for a bit (standard procedure of mine before any interview) and look over my questions one last time, and I'm really behind on steps because of such a sit-down morning. Grab my questions and take a few more laps around the house before I call her.

12:46 p.m. || As I take my first prep lap through the house, I smell the Razzleberry Pie (thanks, Marie Callender!!) baking in the oven and realize I put it in without one second of regard for when it will be done! And it will be done right in the middle of my interview with Ann. I begin formulating an apology for Ann about my lack for foresight and unprofessional behavior when I have to cut into the interview to rescue my pie from the oven. (Fun fact: our last Day in the Life post featured this same pie. I promise we do not eat it every day.)

1:10 p.m. || Mercifully, Ann wasn't at her phone when I called for the interview. I leave a message for her to call me back when she is available and then I wait for that blessed little pie to finish baking. Decide to do a little more praying and squeeze in a few extra steps while I wait for her call.

1:45 p.m. || No word from Ann yet. I'm beginning to be a little concerned, so I've prayed that all is well for her. On the flip-side, I now have 6000 steps conquered, so I come back to the office, diffuse Thieves (to try to ward off Ryan's germs from settling over me) and begin assembling the visual aids for my speaking engagement on Saturday.

1:55 p.m. || Ann is okay! Grateful to hear from her and find out it was just a mixup and not an emergency. I warm up my coffee and sit back down to call her for our interview.

2:45 p.m. || Wrap up my interview with Ann (delightful conversation) and clean up all my podcast equipment. Feeling a little hungry, so I find an apple and some peanut butter and slide back into my chair to have a quick afternoon snack while catching up on email.

3:15 p.m. || Just as I wrap up the last of my work emails, I  notice one that appears to be from the company that hosts my domain name (they have been a complete nightmare from the beginning) stating I have a past due balance with them. I know I shouldn't owe anything, but I also don't want my site shut down, so I call, where I am promptly put on hold. After about five minutes, I realize this could take a while, so I get up to clean the bathrooms and unload the dishwasher while the obnoxious hold music plays on speakerphone.

3:43 p.m. || Still on hold. (FYI, one of the "perks" of this company was prompt service. I have yet to experience this.) Decide to make the biscuits for dinner so everything will be officially ready to go.

4:06 p.m. || Still on hold. (It's been 48 minutes now, if you're keeping track.) Biscuits are in the oven, and I think I'll take this time to set the table. And yes, those are fall napkins I'm still using. Hashtag too cheap to buy current-season ones.

4:34 p.m. || Still on hold. (One hour and sixteen minutes, thankyouverymuch.) I hang up and go eat the tiny biscuit I made to taste-test. Then one last sweep through the house to look for clutter/dirt/things that need spruced up so we can be officially ready when our Tuesdays at the Table guests arrive! (And I decide to squeeze in making the batch of homemade granola. I have just enough time to bake it before dinner time.)

5:15 p.m. || Ryan comes home, feeling pretty miserable with his little cold, but rallies to make coffee!

5:33 p.m. || Our guests (Ryan's Mom and his Aunt Ruthie) arrive for dinner. The menu for tonight is pot roast, veggies, cheddar biscuits, and pie for dessert. We gather around the table and have a great time laughing and telling stories!

7:24 p.m. || Dinner wraps up and Ryan takes cleanup duty while we girls keep telling stories.

8:00 p.m. || Our brother-in-law-to-be, Andrew, comes over, because he and Bre are doing some wedding planning here with Ryan's mom. Bre is running late, though, so Andrew hangs out and eats while we all keep talking.

8:32 p.m. || Bre still hasn't arrived (working late), so we're all sitting around on our computers, tablets, and phones while we wait. I put the finishing touches on tomorrow's blog (wrote the content of it last week in a rare moment of inspiration) and also answer a few emails. 

8:40 p.m. || Bre arrives and wedding planning commences! I try to stay on the sidelines because no one needs too many opinions, but I toss in a thought now and then when asked. Ryan's resting on the couch watching Criminal Minds. Guess he's not planning with us!

9:38 p.m. || Wedding planning comes to an end for the evening, and I curl up with my journal and Bible to do some devos while Ryan keeps watching Criminal Minds. (Interesting combo, isn't it?)

10:06 p.m. || Time to change clothes so I can work out. Normally we work out together, but Ryan's taking tonight off in favor of a day when he can breathe a little better.

10:15 p.m. || Ryan grinds coffee and puts away dishes while I do the Dirty 30 workout. (I secretly love this workout because it's really only 28 minutes. Those two minutes count for a lot, mentally! I feel like I'm well into the workout when I first start!)

10:44 p.m. || All chores are done for the day. Ryan and Braeya are already curled up on Mo, and I join them with my novel for the week (which I still haven't started by a Tuesday evening. EEK!) Listening to Ryan sniff makes me go for another dose of Thieves and a Halls Defense. Must. Not. Get. Sick.

11:19 p.m. || Time to call it a day. We load up the diffuser with more Thieves and head to bed. I knockout the last of my daily goal of 10,000 steps just before I go to bed. I hate cutting it that close, but it wasn't bad for how much sitting the day involved!

(Ryan falls asleep immediately. I'm still staring at the clock until almost 12:30. I'll pay for that in the morning!) 

And that's a random Tuesday in the life of the Shaffers!