What I Learned in May

PODCAST TUESDAY!!!

I know this is the most random conglomeration of stories ever, but I promise it's worth it!!

Listen here

 Yes, I know it is not the last day of the month, but two things caused me to post my "What I learned" a day early. First, I don't plan on learning anything today, so I should be safe. (TOTALLY KIDDING!) Secondly, yesterday was a super busy day, and I didn't get a chance to write  a post just for this day. So without further ado, here are the things I learned in May!

1. My body rebels against a detox/cleanse.

And don't we all, I'm sure, in some way? Isn't that kind of the point of a cleanse or detox? To shock your system back to health and life? But seriously, I learned that my body freaks out in unhealthy ways. Not sleeping at all and feeling like I'm hallucinating? Not worth it to me. I think I'll just be more conscious in my eating choices. It works better for me.

2. Ryan and I still hate being apart.

We were told the longer we were married, the more we would "get over" the need to be together all the time. Hasn't. Happened. Yet. Ryan was gone all day for the Saturday and Sunday of one weekend, and the following weekend, we were apart all evening Friday and most of Sunday afternoon. We decided that's too much. We love being together, and we don't apologize for it!

3. In busy seasons, we rely on color-coded itineraries.

We had a couple of stretches this month that were too busy. TOO busy. The kind of busy where you have to schedule in bathroom breaks if you really want them. So I resorted to creating color coded documents that outlined our every waking hour and told us what we needed to accomplish and who was in charge of it. We couldn't live like that every day, but when we have to, we must have organization.  

4. I love, love, love, having our garage finished for entertaining.

Truly one of the best decisions we made (even though it nearly cost us our sanity when it was in process) was to finish off the garage so it could be used as an additional living space. Hosting Mommapalooza 4.0 out there was so freeing!  Everyone felt a lot more comfortable with the extra space!

5. The Ninja has revolutionized our coffee grinding experience.

Ryan gave me a Ninja system for my birthday, which was THE most perfect gift. I haven't had a lot of time to play with it yet (hello, busy May!) but we used it to grind our coffee right after we opened the box, and my GOODNESS. What used to take 15 minutes to complete took about a minute and a half. No. Way.

6. Ryan and I make a great team at events.

I love being in a partnership with Ryan, and I love having him accompany me to events. It makes me so happy! But my visit to IWU was the first time he stood up front and helped me with a presentation. It went seamlessly. We had rehearsed several times, but I was so excited to see how well it went in real time. I am thankful beyond words for a husband who doesn't just support the work I'm called to do, but he crawls into it with me and takes an active role.

7. I love writing curriculum.

Back in the day, I wanted to be a teacher, but I elected not to pursue it once I saw how the education field was changing (even 20 years ago). This month I wrote some curriculum for a workshop I'm leading this summer, and I adored every moment of that work. Ryan would come home to find me in the same spot I'd been in when he left for work, and I was a TERRIBLE wife on those days, but it fed my soul in amazing ways to write for teaching purposes!

And that's been May in a nutshell! Here's to learning even more in June! 

The Shafferland Shuffle

I feel like you don't need a shuffle this week, because you've been shuffling through my week ALL week! But watch that stop me from subjecting you to a shuffle anyway! HA!

* So about a million years ago was one week ago today: Mother's Day and my birthday! It really does feel like forever ago! We hosted Mommapalooza 4.0, we celebrated my birthday, AND we had Phoebe all day. It was one delightful and busy day!

* I kept right on celebrating my birthday on Monday, because I still had my free Starbucks drink coming to me. I got the S'mores drink for a treat, and it was delish. Monday was also the start of the speak-four-places-in-four-days tour! Ryan went with me to Fairfield Christian Church, and we had a great time with the ladies there. (And my Mom showed up to surprise me!)

* Tuesday morning, I went to a women's Bible study at Lakeview Wesleyan church to speak with them. They were so warm and kind! Know what else was warm and kind? My coffee and trip to Cato that followed it! I do miss Cato. Ryan and I needed some down time that night, so we went on a nice sunset walk. It was so lovely!

* Wednesday was our big day! Ryan took a vacation day to accompany me to Indiana Wesleyan, where I spoke at the first ever Staff Council retreat! So thankful that went well (at least I think it did, anyway!) and also so thankful that Ryan went with me! It helped so much to have him there! After we were done with that, we did our date inspired by the letter I. Still haven't had a chance to tell you about that! Next week. :)

* Ryan also took Thursday off work, just to get a much-deserved break, and he elected to come with me to my final speaking engagement of the week - at Point Isabel United Methodist Church. Great way to end the week! (Also, please THOROUGHLY enjoy how the stained glass behind me looks like bunny ears on me. I crack up every time I see these pictures!) We got to spend the rest of the day together and it was so nice!

* Because our week had not been eventful enough, we took a little road trip on Friday! We had been looking forward to our little getaway to southern Michigan, but apparently our luck with Michigan returned again, and on May 19th, it was in the low 40's and we were in hats and sweatshirts, trying to enjoy the beach! But you know the Shaffers...we'll make the best of it, even if it's not ideal weather! :)

 * Yesterday was another cold and rainy day, but we didn't let that stop us from having some fun together! Many adventures to tell you about next week, but let's just say the day included (but was not limited to) the following: much coffee, a pie tasting, naps, and SHOPPING!!!

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! :)

Fun Night with Friends

To start off your Tuesday, I have a new episode of Spill the Beans for you! A virtual birthday party for Ryan! Hope you enjoy! :)

 Listen here!

While we have moved most of our entertaining to Tuesday nights (for Tuesdays at the Table), we do still have other occasional company on other nights of the week. We're not exclusive to Tuesdays. ;)

We have some dear friends that we made probably six months or so before we moved. We met them through church, and they just became fast good friends, and they were hard to leave! We've kept in contact with them all these many months since we've been gone, but their busy schedules and our busy schedules were such that we haven't been able to meet up like we used to!

They have four kids, so a weekend was a better fit for them to come see us, and this last Friday night, they did just that!

Our menu plan was a huge hit with the kids. It's one we have done before, but it was fun and I absolutely recommend it for having kids over for dinner: make your own pizza bar! (The only downside of this is getting everything cooked in a quick fashion. Trying to cook pizzas for 8 people in a single oven is a little tricky.)

For appetizers, I made pizza stuffed crescents (with extra marinara sauce to dip them in) - and for those trying to watch their carb intake, I made some of these Dashing Dish cauliflower breadsticks. (I LOVE THESE SO MUCH!!)

Then for the pizza, I set up this little buffet in a corner of the garage. 

I bought cans of pizza crust and cut most of them into quarters. (Halves for the guys.) I put them on parchment paper so we could write the pizza creator's names next to each square. I put out a bowl of sauce and then sausage, pepperoni, mushrooms, green peppers, spinach, onions, cheese, and black olives. Everyone could put whatever toppings they liked (and the amount they liked) on their square and then we baked them.

Food is more fun when you get to put your personal touch on it, right?

Sorry those pictures are dark and just all-around bad-quality. I was sort of doing a million things in that moment.

For those of you who might be new here and are not sure why we're fixing food in the garage, let me catch you up! Last summer, Ryan and I finished off our garage and we use it as a spare entertaining space now. We figured 8 people wouldn't fit neatly in our kitchen, so we set up tables and chairs in the garage where everyone could eat comfortably and spills didn't matter.

We kept it very casual - disposable plates, cups, and silverware. :)

AND we kept the pizza theme going with dessert: candy shop pizza!

After dinner, we broke out the Jenga game and played. I had never played that before, and I was truly terrible!

The kids were great and seemed to have a good time - and some even asked if I would give my recipes to their mom, a compliment I considered to be the ultimate win!

And just for fun, thought you might like this video. (It's slow-mo in the middle, so wait for it!)

The Shafferland Shuffle

* Happy Sunday to you!!! We are so looking forward to a day of rest today. Much needed after a busy week. Hope you can catch some rest today, too! :)

* Last Sunday was Easter, so we weren't home resting that day! Church, exchanging baskets, lunch with my family, stopping in to catch the end of Ryan's family's celebration...a busy day indeed! But we were thankful for a pretty day, which was more than the forecast promised for Easter!

* Monday I went for a run, and I was pretty nervous about it after the first run of the season (on Saturday) went so ridiculously awful! But even though it was warm and sunny, attempt #2 was much better! Ryan spent the evening working at a friend's house, installing some lights for her, so while he was gone, I started planting the first of our flowers for this year!

* Tuesday was the day of all the crazy stories I didn't feel I could tell on the blog. Here's my pretending-to-be-nicer-than-I-feel-inside face that stayed plastered on much of the morning. And of course, a view from my book that I read at the doctor's office to try to stay calm while awaiting my appointment. Ryan had more work to do that evening at our friend's house, but he did come home in time to take a sunset walk with me. Beautiful view and enjoyable company!

* Wednesday I officially christened my new "open and closed" signs for my office. I like them!! :) This was also the day my brain had reached its fullness point, so I spent some time on the porch just being still (and perhaps napping for a brief time). At the end of the day, I watched our friends' five kiddos, but before I did, I tried out traction for the first time! Hoping it would help some of my sore neck issues. (Hello, computer for 18 hours a day!) Oh! And Ryan did work at other people's houses that night. You know. Something new and different. :)

* Ryan was so busy all week that he didn't have time to mow our yard, and the forecast called for rain, so Thursday morning, I put aside work for a bit to push-mow the yard. What a job! (Our mower is not self-propelled and the "tiny" hill in our yard becomes a mountain when push-mowing! GOt it done just before the rain POURED! That night, Ryan went to work at our friend's house again, and we'd been apart so much of the week that he missed me! So he called and asked if I'd come keep him company, which I was quite happy to do. (And I helped work, too.) When he got home, he found a razzleberry pie waiting for him. I thought he'd earned it after all his hard work!

* Friday night we had some friends over for dinner. They were new friends we made not long before we moved to Kokomo, and we hated leaving them! Because everyone has such a busy schedule, they hadn't been to our house since we moved, so we were glad to finally find a date that worked to have them over. We had a make-your-own-pizza bar and played Jenga together. (Ryan won.) It was just so nice to have them over and catch up with them!

* Saturday morning, at SEVEN IN THE MORNING, we went to help our friend move. (The one whose house Ryan worked at all week.) It was cold and cloudy, but no rain! We'll take it! (By the way, the seven a.m. time was chosen by Ryan.) It really was a pretty quick move. Last night we went out for the first of Ryan's birthday celebrations! Our annual pilgrimage to Tucano's for the bottomless meat festival, and this time we went with our friends Mike and Angie!

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!