Birthday Fun!

It's podcast Tuesday, and here is our offering to you. (Please excuse our occasional mental blocks. I think our brains had started to shut down!) But we did have some fun stories from the wedding (yesterday's blog) and my birthday and Mommapalooza! :)

Listen here.

For the second year in a row, my birthday fell on a weekend, so Ryan and I got to spend the day together, which was basically the perfect way to spend a birthday! :)

Ryan and I are in love with the breakfast pizzas you can get at Casey's. (That's a gas station if you're not from around here or don't purchase your food from gas stations. LOL!) These pizzas are so stinking good, but they're not really good FOR you, so we only get them on very special occasions. Like turning 39.

I also opened all my cards and gifts that had come in the mail and my gift from Ryan! (Had some help from the Pheebster.)

(Excuse my bedhead. And jammies. And everything else.)

 Phoebe reading cards.

 Shari! I LOVED THE MUG! And nope, I sure didn't have one! Thank you!!!!!

 My gift from Ryan, which as I said on the podcast, is basically the size of our house. Poor guy had to have it delivered to work and wrapped it at work. He has a hard time getting stuff like that done at home since I never leave!

 IT'S A NINJA!!!!!

 Ryan suggested maybe it was a recycled box. Phoebe did not approve of the joke.

 No but for real! It is a Ninja! With all the bells and whistles! Single serving cups, the big blender, the food processor. Sweet goodness. Watch out! The Shaffers are in business!!!

The next phase of celebration came in conjunction with Mommapalooza, so I'll save the actual mother-related parts for tomorrow, but it's fun to have a birthday that falls on a holiday when people can actually show up and celebrate with you! We had 13 people over for lunch, and I hope they had fun; I did!

My birthday flowers from Ryan. They wouldn't all fit in one vase. Terrible problem to have, isn't it? :)

Ice cream cake - from my mother!

Gifts with the fam:

 My sister, Julie! All beach themed gifts from her! YAY!

Terrible photo of me, but cracks me up because the first thing I do when I get a book is smell it. I LOVE the smell of new books! This is my new Bible!! :) Thanks, Mom and Dad!

 The gift from the Mini-Shaffers required assistance in opening. :) They got me one of those super cool travel mugs that looks like a camera lens. I have always wanted one! (Well, since I knew they existed, of course.)

 Birthday photo with the Pheebster.

 They sang to me! (I secretly love blowing out candles more than I should.)

After everyone left Mommapalooza and we got things cleaned up, we just enjoyed a nice evening at home together. Went for a walk...drank some coffee...watched a little TV...caught up on my Facebook well-wishes. It was a good day!

Thanks Ryan (and everyone!) for making it such a lovely day!

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

Well there certainly has not been a shortage of events this week!! Full, full week! Here we go!

* Last Sunday, Ryan had to work, which is a rare thing, but it does sometimes happen. (By Friday, he had worked 13 days in a row, and we were both exhausted.) When he got home, we went to an open house for a recently built house in our neighborhood. We love to see what's new! Ryan likes the light fixture and I photo-bombed. :) And that night, we began the first of allllllllll the visits to the hospital. That night? To see his mom.

* Monday I spent an hour and a half at the Goodwill, buying clothes for my spring capsule project (more on this later). I think that may be a record for the amount of time I've spent at the Goodwill in one day. That night, we went back to the hospital to see Ryan's mom again, and then out to my parents' house to drop off the 30 freezer meals I made for them. (They were surprised!)

* Tuesday was Mom's surgery day, so I hurried to get all my chores done in the morning and then we spent the whole afternoon and evening at the hospital with her. (And threw in some visits to Ryan's mom while we were at it.) We had Bible study that night and made minor pigs of ourselves on the snacks provided, because we'd never gotten around to having dinner!

* I'm sure it will surprise you that I spent part of Wednesday at the hospital, attending Mom's therapy sessions and delivering flowers. Ryan and I went back that night to see her again and to get our daily hospital selfie. We tried to get one every day this week, but this was the last day we actually remembered to do it.

* Thursday morning, we went on the first portion of our "C" date (more on this to come), and then while Ryan went to work, I went back to the hospital to be Mom's therapy coach. Even got to eat lunch with her! Ryan and I went back that afternoon to help with her release and to get her home and into the house safely. Quite a production!

* Friday morning, my dad had a previously scheduled appointment, so I went to sit with Mom while he was gone and to help when the home health nurse came. (Lots of questions and Mom was still pretty groggy from all the happenings of the week.) Came home, worked all afternoon and then that night, Ryan and I had part two of our "C" date. We were so tired, we ended up sleeping on Mo and I missed the entire end of the movie we watched!

* Woke up yesterday to SNOW. COME ON, INDIANA! Snow was so last month. Let's move on to spring! We went out for the third and final portion of our "C" date, and then I had to get back home for a podcast interview. It was Ryan's first day off in two weeks, so he enjoyed updating his phone and doing other fun at-home chores. Well-deserved. We paid a quick visit to my parents, and it's great to see Mom doing so well!

What I Learned in December

Tomorrow is the last day of 2016 {WHAT?!?!?!!?} and I'll be Saturday Sixing, so I thought I'd tell you today all the things I learned this fine month! So, without further ado, I present to you...

1. Christmas trees {at least around here} are much more affordable from a grocery store lot than a tree lot.

This is the first year of our marriage that Ryan and I did not go to a Christmas tree lot to cut down our own live tree. We had planned to, but weather changed our plans and we had to come up with an alternative at that point, because of time constraints. We went to the grocery store, where all the trees in the lot were the same price and ended up getting the biggest, nicest tree we've ever had...for the least amount of money we've ever spent!

2. You can buy cream cheese in big box bricks - like Velveeta cheese!

Did you know that?? Ryan and I were meandering through the Sam's Club samples earlier this month, and one of the ladies was in the middle of assembling this croissant/prosciutto/cream cheese thing, and I have no idea what sales pitch she gave, because all I could see was this GIANT brick of cream cheese. I spent the next five minutes hunting the refrigerated section for it. If you're making a bunch of frosted cookies, it is way more cost-effective than buying a bunch of little boxes at the regular store.  

3. I. Am. So. Over. The. Endless. Colds.

I got sick in September. Then, over six weeks later, I got well. Then I got sick again on Thanksgiving. Then I got well. Then Ryan got it. Then he gave it back to me. We're tired of being sick. {And yes, we're eating well, drinking lots of water, washing our hands, getting rest, taking vitamins, swimming in oils, and doing all the stuff. It's just a rough germ year.} I do think we are officially on the mend now. And fortunately, I don't think we managed to RE-get it at any of the Christmases where others had it!

4. Ryan wishes the yule log channel played year round.

Do you guys watch this channel at Christmas? The yule log and the music? Ryan LOVES it and if it played all year - even if it played CHRISTMAS music all year, I think - he would watch it! I fear for the day it goes away and he has to resume watching regular programming!

5. I am terrified of sledding.

Even if sledding is done on ice down a short driveway. This photo proves why. I'm sorry, Ryan, that the toboggan run is never happening.

6. The cookie scoop has revolutionized my baking experience.

I've developed a fond affinity for cookie baking, and I mentioned in passing that I would really love to have a cookie scoop to make it go faster. My award winning husband showed up later that same day with said scoop and gifted it to me. First of all: swoon. Second of all: cookie scoop FOR THE WIN!!!!! {He also got me that spatula that removes cookies from the pan four at a time. BONUS!}

7. When at a loss for a gift idea for your husband, check Twitter.

 I needed one good gift to kick Ryan's stocking gifts out of lame and into cool, and I was STUMPED. To take a break, I scrolled through Twitter and found that Beth Moore was having a similar issue finding a gift for her husband. She asked Twitter what she should get, so I popped right in and read every answer. And that's where I found the idea for a drone. I have seriously never seen Ryan so excited about a gift in his whole life. Thanks, Twitterverse!

8. Creatures with eyes should not be on buffets.

 No. Just no. 

9. I should just accept help on building websites.

Last month I reported that website building was not for the faint of heart or the technology challenged, and I'm both. Well, one of my friends happens to have gifts and skills in that area, and after she learned I was struggling, she reached out and offered to help me. I drove a couple of hours to her house and spent the entire day with her, accepting her help and trying to learn a bit of the trade. Made. All. The. Difference. In. The. World. Julie, you are a rock star!!!

That's it! I'm as smart as I"m going to get for 2016! We'll see what kinds of things I can learn next year! :) 

Freelan Family Festivities

I'll be honest with you: I have no idea what day it is! Sunday didn't feel like a Sunday, yesterday felt like a Saturday...so who knows!!?? I might end up at church today! But I hear it's really podcast Tuesday, so here's the last Spill the Beans of 2016! A little bit of Christmas story, a little bit of looking ahead, and hopefully some fun for you!

 Click here to listen.

I think most of you know by now that my family is a bit on the small side. And some don't live around here, so Christmas is usually a bit more of an intimate affair when it comes to that celebration. One thing we've really enjoyed in the last four years is having Ryan's mom, Allen, and his sister Bre join us on Christmas day. I love it that our two families enjoy spending time together and that they include each other in celebrations like this!

Mom is famous for taking the let-me-get-your-picture-as-you-walk-in-the-door photos, which is also something her mom did when I was a kid. And much like her own mother, the photos often have to be redone to actually give someone a head on their shoulders or something. :)

This was about the fourth try. HA!

We had a low-key lunch, which I loved, actually. BBQ sammiches, baked beans, potato salad, broccoli salad (THANK YOU, JULIE!!!), and cookies and cheesecake for dessert. Delicious!

Julie and I have issues with our food touching, so Mom bought us school lunch trays for occasions such as this. LOL!!!!

You'll notice the photo booth background was up, but we spent so much time eating, opening gifts, and FaceTiming with my sister in Kansas, that we never got around to taking photo booth pictures.

After lunch (and coffee...Ryan brought his newly acquired Christmas vacation mug), we gathered around in a big circle to exchange gifts.

I realize that looking at endless photos of people you don't actually know in real life unwrapping gifts you may not care about could border on boring, so I'll pick some of my favorites that have good stories with them and share that with you today!

My sister Lori always comes up with the coolest themes for her gifts, and this year, the girl-gifts {Mom, Julie, yours truly} theme was "quiet time." So we each got our gifts in a bag we could keep, and all the bags had to do with quietness. Mine was Be still, and know that I am God, which was the theme of the retreats I did this fall. I love that!!! Inside, she'd given me a book, a Wood Wick candle (if you've never had one of those, you are missing out. They are so cool!!) and a mug that holds coffee AND a cookie on the bottom. My. Love. Language.

Because everyone knows bird feeders are THE most riveting gifts. LOL!!! This cracked me up!! How many people does it take to pay attention to Dad's new bird feeder?

The straw hat was the gift. I just thought the black wig added a little something extra that we all needed to see.

This picture cracks me up {many of these photos are the result of what happens when Ryan takes over being the main photographer so I can be IN pictures} because I feel like it's story hour for Mom and she's loving the picture on this page. LOL!!!! In reality, I'd given her some art from Lindsay Letters, and I was explaining to her about the artist and why I love her work so much.

My brother-in-law and I were a little overheated. So we took a break to fan. LOL!!!

Not a flattering photo, but a funny story. Mom heard me say {I think on the podcast recently} that I'd never read The Secret Garden. She happened to have a copy from HER childhood, so she gifted it to me. I was excited to open it and said again that I'd never read it. She said, "Me either. I got it in 1947 and quit about 20 pages in. So it may be an old book, but it's practically brand new. I looked in the front, and sure enough, someone had given it to her and written 1947 in the front cover. And page 23 was dog eared, so I'm guessing that's where she quit! Guess what I'll be reading to open 2017?

Next to the photo of Mom holding a Victoria's Secret bag a few years, ago, this may be my favorite.

Because I feel like this post has not featured NEARLY enough of my handsome husband.

We ALMOST forgot to take a group photo, but we remembered. Now to be fair, my dad does not normally wear a winter coat inside the house, but my mom had asked him to show it to my sister, and he thought it could best be shown by being WORN. And I'm not real sure why he's holding a Clark bar. My mom has my sister Lori on FaceTime.

And here are a couple more.

We were the last two to leave, and when my Mom went to the back of the house to get a curtain for Ryan to hang up before we left, we heard her shout "WE FORGOT TO GIVE RYAN AND BEKAH THEIR PRESENTS!!!"

What???

We had such a stack of spoils that we hadn't noticed we didn't get as much stuff as my sister. Apparently we actually had gotten very little from my parents, because our BIG GIFT was hiding in the back of the house.

Now, before I tell you what it was, I should tell you THIS part of the story too. Early in gift opening, Ryan and my brother-in-law Tom opened these gifts from Lori:

It's a trunk organizer and even comes with a little cooler that fits in one of those compartments. When I was busy taking this picture of Ryan, Mom hollered "It can go on the boat!!" I stopped taking the picture and said, "WE'RE GETTING A BOAT?!?!!?!?"

Apparently she was actually talking to my brother-in-law, Tom, who HAS a boat. But it became a joke that we were getting a boat for Christmas. So when she found this mysterious big gift that she'd forgotten to give us, I said, "IT'S OUR BOAT!!!!!!"

Turns out...not so much.

But we loved the gift very much! Two folding tables and six folding chairs so we can entertain in our new garage without having to borrow/haul tables and chairs every single time we have company! Such a blessing!

And just for funsies, we turned them into a boat.

So that was the Freelan Family Christmas! Maybe a little on the different side from some, but much fun, nonetheless!