Farewell to Summer

I don't know what it was like in your neck of the woods Saturday, but here it was gorgeous. Almost summer-like!

Ryan and I slept until TEN IN THE MORNING, which if you don't know us very well...never happens. We were both exhausted, because, well, we lead an exhausting life. It was our first Saturday at home in six weeks and we cherished every moment.

My first order of business was to swap out the summer clothes for the winter clothes in our closet. Kind of a hard task to be excited about with the windows open and the warm sun shining in, but I knew if I didn't do it then....it wouldn't get done.

Ryan got busy in the backyard, blowing and raking and mulching the first layer of leaves that fell from our massive tree.

It was the last day for our dear outdoor living space...booooooo.

I helped rake leaves, with the most amazing rake EVER. If I'd had this thing when I was single, I might have actually NOT hated raking.

We ran some errands, and when we came home...time for the last lunch outside. Sob.

And then....sniff, sniff, sniff...it was time.

Time for the pirogi to come down. It's just so SAD!!!

Let the record show, I helped. This is as high on the ladder as I get.

I did finally have to give up unhooking the curtains though. ICK!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

You can know I did not get close enough to take that. Ryan did.

So our beloved pirogi is put away for another year, and fall is officially here. {We capped off the evening by going out for date night at Steak n Shake and then grocery shopping. We give dating a good name.}

And by the way. After all Ryan's hard work on the yard, by last night, you couldn't even tell he had BEEN THERE. Sigh. Leaves. 

In Which Bekah Builds a House

Sort of.

Earlier this year, the station took on a partnership with Habitat for Humanity to help build a house for a family in Fort Wayne. We spent a few months fundraising for the house, and now, we're helping to actually BUILD the house. Each staff member takes a turn at the Habitat site for a day, and this last Friday was my day.

Terrified best describes how I felt about this assignment. I can {and will!} paint all day long. I have vision for furniture placement and picture hanging and all sorts of detail-oriented things. But hammers? Saws? Nails? TERRIFIED. Not my gift. I had been assured about a thousand times {from different people} before heading out to the site that it was okay that I was clueless, because they could train a person.

Well, perhaps they could train a person, but they had never taken on a Bekah.

The day BEFORE my visit to the site, Lynne and I talked about it on air and she joked that I would be kind of like Steve Urkel out there - "Did I do thaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaat?" I bantered back that if only I had a pair of suspenders, I'd do it. Well, don't you just know that my dad is the king of suspenders. My mom lovingly dug through his supply and found me a pair of Crayola green suspenders with SNOWMEN on them and dropped them off at the house.

I was so intimidated by the whole thing that I was far too chicken to actually wear them to the work site, so I made Ryan take my Urkel-esque picture at home before I left.

I packed the suspenders and some snacks in the car and headed north for the day. I arrived on site and went to check in. I knew my day was full where volunteers were concerned. {I think 25 was the max they could have on one day.} What I did NOT know until I arrived and introduced myself to the coordinator was that NONE of them had volunteered through the station. It was a whole group from somewhere else. And Bekah.

OH MY WORD. How glad was I that I had not shown up in my Urkel get-up?? Can you imagine????????

I cried. I will not even lie about it. I cried. A normal person would have viewed this as a beautiful opportunity to make new friends, but all I could think was that now 25 strangers who had no idea who I was or what I was there...were about to find out just how bad at construction I actually am.

One thing I do love and appreciate about Habitat is that they're a faith-based organization, so they began the day with prayer and I gathered my wits about me during the prayer.

This particular house is being built as part of a subdivision made up entirely of Habitat homes. I think it's actually a pretty brilliant plan. They had nine houses underway - all in various stages of completion. One had its slab poured on Friday. A couple of others are almost done. Carpet and appliances are in, and only minor finishing touches remain. It's really great for them that they're able to have so many properties in one area, because it allows them to have all their equipment and tools in a central location!

Here I am in front of the WBCL house - the one our family will receive!

Yes. That is me in a hard hat and safety glasses, holding a hammer and wearing an apron full of nails. Let the record show that the hammer and nails never got used by this girl, and the only injury I sustained the entire day was when I poked my eye out with my safety glasses. Only me. {Can we say together...did I do thaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaat?}

Here was the WBCL house in the morning:

They partnered me with a guy and girl from the other group, and together, our job was to wrap the lower level of the house in Tyvek. {For those of you who, like me, are construction-challenged, Tyvek is a waterproofing material.} It was in a roll somewhere between 8 and 10 feet tall, and my job was to hold the roll and guide it in a straight line around the house and hold it still while the other two used the staple guns. It was easy and it was hard. Easy because...duh...it's ROLLING. Hard because it was awkward and heavy!

We worked on the WBCL house all morning and then ate lunch together as a group. {Subway: yummy!} We got back to work in the afternoon and started doing this same thing to another house in the area, but about an hour into it, the other group had to leave FOR THE DAY.

So that left me as the only volunteer! I asked if they had anything a non-non-NON-skilled laborer could do, and they gave me a nifty little magnet on a pole and had me pick up staples, nails, screws and other metal, tire-impaling objects around the site. That was actually my most fun part of the day!

Before I left, I took another picture of the WBCL house, which had gotten not only wrapped, but also had some interior walls added on the second floor!

On my way home, I stopped at Starbucks, and ended up waiting in line so long, my frappe was FREE!! That was a nice bonus!


So that's the story of Bekah building a house. If you need some Tyvek installed, give me a call. I have mad skills.{Ryan said maybe maddening skills is a better description.} My only request is that you put my safety glasses on me.

The Shafferland Shuffle

* REALLY good sermon at church last Sunday. I probably looked like a bobble head in my seat with all my nodding. It was the end of a tremendous series that I really appreciated. Ryan and I were blissful bums the rest of the day, watching TV, dreaming up vacations, going for a walk on a GORGEOUS fall afternoon, and finishing up with a Polar Pop treat!

 * Monday was Ryan's co-worker's birthday, so we began the day by baking a breakfast casserole for her. House smelled so good! We were excited to come home and find our new roof COMPLETE! One day is all it took to put up the whole thing. So thankful! And the evening did have its hard parts, as you already saw, when we got more delays on the house. We took some time in the prayer chapel to try to continue to get our hearts in line with whatever God is doing here!

* Tuesday night, Ryan had to attend a continuing education class, so I used the evening to get things done that I didn't get done on Monday, thanks to the bad news on the house. I came home and tried a new Pinterest recipe for dinner - which was very good, by the way. I decorated the fireplace for fall, finally {it still had apple stuff up} and did some work on the computer with Braeya in my lap. I missed Ryan, but it was a good night!

* Wednesday, for some weird reason, it was SO COLD at work, I'm never cold, but the minute Lynne left for the day, I snagged her heater and used it until I went home. WHAT?!?!?!?!? Ryan had a long talk with our Greentown realtor when he got home, and I sat inside the house watching intently out the window while he talked on the phone. More waiting. Much. More. Waiting. So we kicked off the next season of waiting by curling up on the couch and watching TV together. A much needed evening of bonding.

 * Thursday, we got treats at work when someone brought us some cupcakes! I decided mine was healthier if I drank water while I ate it! HA!!! After work, I took stock of our backyard, which had become overrun with the start of the fallen leaves...and then Ryan and I went to the gym for a good workout. I don't know where everyone was, but the room was almost empty, which was GREAT with me! :)

* Friday was my day to work at the Habitat for Humanity house build for WBCL. I will have to tell you more about this next week; definitely an interesting day! I helped wrap two houses with Tyvek {a sentence I never imagined writing in my lifetime} and learned a lot about the process they go through at Habitat to make the houses possible for the people! Scored a free frappe on my way home, which made me very happy. Ryan and I had a low key night at home...pizza  and movie night for two tired Shaffers!

* Ryan and I woke up at 10 a.m. yesterday! We fell asleep on the couch at 10 p.m. Friday night, woke up at 3 in the morning, went to bed, and kept sleeping. We were TIRED! We had our first Saturday at home in 6 weeks and used it for our Habitat for Shaffers day...winterizing the house. BOO. I worked on swapping the closets from summer clothes to winter clothes. Ryan mulched and raked leaves and together, we took down the pirogi...after having one last meal in there. So sad to see summer going away!

The Saturday Six

One.

Source

I have a heart that loves old churches and schoolhouses remade into homes. SO. MUCH. CHARACTER. Like this one. 

Two.

Source

Ryan and I just had a discussion a few days ago about the whole concept that we {the greater "we" - not just the two of us} feel like we have to have some huge platform to have effective ministry. This is a well-written post on why that is absolutely NOT true.

Three.

Source

I love it when God plants a dream and brings it to pass. LOVE IT. I am also a HUGE fan of the HGTV show Fixer Upper and Chip and Joanna Gaines, who host it. Joanna's most recent blog post about her dream of these silos is a goose-bump inducing reminder of how God specializes in impossible dreams!

Four.

Source

Earlier this week, I confirmed an interview for Lynne with Heather Zempel, author of Amazed and Confused. I went to Heather's website to copy the web link into our materials and this post was at the top of her page. Timely for us in our current season...perhaps timely for you, too? What do you pray in the land of "if not"?

Five.

Source

And speaking of our current season...another great piece of writing... this one by Laurie Wallin - on standing. Waiting.   So hard to do. But such a necessary part of the journey.

Six.

Source

 Christmas is coming, you know. I am SO not ready for it. SO not ready. {From the gift-buying perspective. I am actually ready for everything else!!} I've told you about these books before, but it's been a long time, and in case you have kids in your life, I wanted to tell you again. My friend Brent Vernon has written and illustrated 3 children's books about Audrey Amaka, the neckless giraffe. These books are SO GOOD. Brent is so talented and I'm proud of him for publishing these. {I only wish I lived closer to him so I could go to the live parties at Christmas!} So anyway. Here's the website for the books - and I promise they would be worth the purchase!

Dreams and Such

Back in the days before blogging, I "blogged" via a weekly email. It was something I began as a discipline to write something besides journal entries each week. My mom {who has always been a champion of my writing} told all her friends to sign up to receive it, and that was my start at blogging.

One of my work friends {in the 5% of those signed up to receive the email outside of my mother's influence} said I really needed to put those emails into a blog so I could reach more people.

Truth?

Reaching more people terrified me. Each week, when I wrote the email, I would craft it with the entire email list in mind. I deleted and edited sentences based on specific reactions I was afraid to receive. But blogging? That would mean I might have no idea who was reading. How would I edit then? So I ignored my work buddy.

Then one day, he called me into his office, told me he'd set up a blog for me. He handed me a paper containing the blog address and my password.

And that's how I started blogging.

For a while, I did both. The weekly email and the blog. And during one of those years, I offered my email readers a little bonus at Christmas: daily emails containing an advent devotion. They could sign up if they wanted, but they didn't have to. Much to my shock, several did. And every day I'd send out an email with this writing project I'd worked on a couple years before that.

And they said what a lot of people say when they read the writing of someone they know and love:  You should write a book.

You thought being bold and brave enough to blog was a big deal. BOOK WRITING? Oh hives.

Finally, with a couple of writing conferences under my belt and a rare surge of courage springing from within, I pursued publishing that book. And every door I tried...closed. So I put it aside.

And then...along came WestBow Press. Thomas Nelson {major Christian publishing house} began a self-publishing arm. Pursuing publication with them meant digging into my own money to finance the project. It was scary, but I wanted to try, so I did it.

As always, God's timing was so perfect. The year I published the book was the same year I had my heart broken in love...and I needed something good to happen.

The first day I saw the first copy of my first book...was about a million dreams come true:

The first copy came in July, and throughout that fall season, I had a few book signings, mailed many copies, and even had a radio interview on a little show we like to call Mid-Morning.

 I have loved this little book - and the journey it gave me that year.

I began to read, after I wrote and published the book, more about the world of self-publishing. There were pros and cons and it seemed writers were very divided on how to do it. And even more than that - it seemed that those who had ever had a chance to publish a book traditionally had no desire to step away from that forum.

Until now.

This week, I read a post and watched a video {by two different people} who have both had good success with multiple books published traditionally, but published their most recent book on their own. Their reasons were different, but their choice was the same.

I've had some ideas swirling in my head for a while now - for more books. And as they swirl, I think about how I might go about writing and publishing them. {Time to write is the first huge hurdle!} But I'm realizing my dreams are becoming far less about the number of copies I might sell and more about the impact in the lives of the people who read however many copies sell.

We're taught to dream big, but what if we dreamed small? I would rather have God accomplish lasting things in the lives of a few people through my words than have my words reach millions but make no difference in them.

So that's where I am in dreamland. Praying for the right words and the right doors to transport them to those who need to hear them, regardless of how many it might be.

Feeling at Home

Yesterday I read this post by Emily A. Clark - in which she referenced this post about costly decisions homeowners make that later affect the resale value of the home.

Emily's question in her post became...do you make decisions in your house based on now or later? Do you choose everything based on the fact that you might put your home on the market at some point?

I love this question! So right off the bat, of course, I'm curious about what you think. Are you making design and decorating choices right now with resale in the back {or front} of your mind?

This may shock you, coming from the girl who has TWO homes on the market, but my answer to this is a resounding no. {Please refrain from saying that this is WHY we still have two homes on the market. HA!!}

When I moved into this home back in 2000, I had just spent four years in university housing, where the number one rule was DO NOT DO ANYTHING TO THE WALLS. NO paint. No nails. No personality. So my main objective was to paint every wall and hang up every picture. Thankfully, my style has improved since those days.

But once I got over binge painting and obsessive picture-hanging, I have tried so hard to make our home...our home. I choose colors that I hope are pleasing and inviting, not only for the two of us, but also for anyone else who might come to visit. The art and photos on our walls reflect who we are and what we love, and I'm unapologetic about those things.

I'm sure home stagers would wildly disagree with me {and they have the expertise to do so, certainly!}, but my feeling is that my home is my home until it sells, and I want to feel at home here. I want to look around and feel cozy and comfortable and welcome. And hopefully others see and feel the same when they come through.

Therefore, we haven't de-personalized the house, even though it's on the market. We were curious to see what people would say when they came through. We were pleased to hear that people find it just as we hoped: inviting. One lady called it Pinterest-perfect {which made my DAY, even though I don't think it's necessarily true}. Several told us that they can feel love from the pictures they see. So far, no one seems unable to envision themselves within our walls...just no one has made our walls their walls. :)

So my answer is...I prefer a home that feels like home. And I make my choices based on what feels warm and comfortable. And I trust that when it's time to sell, the right buyer will feel so at home, he or she will want to MAKE it home.

So that's me. How about you?

{And some pics of this place we call Shafferland. This place we call home.}

Seven Years

Ryan attended a class after work last night, which left me with a free evening to accomplish the chores I did not get done the night before that {on account of my meltdown over the house debacle}. I cooked a big dinner, so we could have leftovers for a few days, decorated the fireplace for October {you know, a few days late}, did some cleaning, and fought with Braeya, who insisted upon sitting on my lap while I tried to type. Normally she does this to Ryan, so I'm not used to it. I guess I was her consolation prize last night.

Just for kicks and giggles, I decided to peruse through the blog archives to see what was going on seven years ago. I figure seven is the perfect number, so I was curious to see how life had changed in seven {im}perfect years.Thought I'd give you a peek into the Bekah transformation.

* I was still working at IWU back then, and I had just joined the wellness program. I'd wanted to do it before, but they required a physical to join and I didn't want to go to the doctor. {Okay, some things never change.}

* I was "hitting the floor" in prayer, according to one blog post. {Okay, maybe NOTHING has changed in the last seven years.} But I did find it interesting that my prayers then were about asking God if I was making the best use of the territory He had given me at that time - before I prayed to be given more. Not that there was anything wrong or insignificant about the territory I had then, but to look back and see how God allowed me more territory through writing a book and through transitioning to work at the station makes me so thankful I spent time hitting the floor. And maybe I'll be able {in seven years} to look back and be thankful for these floor-hitting days of prayer.

* I got myself into THE craziest scrapes. {I'm convinced. Nothing changes.} But I cracked UP reliving this night. Check it out! {In which Bekah is hit on by a potentially drunk and/or high old man.}

* According to the blog, our town had just received word that we would be welcoming a Meijer into  our midst, bringing great hope to those of us who couldn't take it at Wal-Mart anymore. I'm happy to report that we DO have our Meijer now and it has revolutionized my shopping experiences.

* In that season, I was remaking my own baby book. {Did that in an attempt to have something in scrapbooking-common with all my friends who were having babies. I did a throwback page to my first bath. Big fan of cleanliness. 

* My sweet baby boy was still alive. I miss him.

Seems like a lifetime ago. Really was if you go back to that bath picture! A whole different life. A good life, to be sure. A comical life, at times. But so different. And even on my quiet evening last night, I was thankful that the silence was temporary. That in just a matter of time, the door would open, and Ryan would walk in. A life I prayed for back then...but had no idea when it would come. And the changes I pray for now - even though I'm not sure what to pray for - will come in time! Thankful for that.

God Speaks Tears

A little good and a little bad in everything, right?

Before I think about the bad, I feel compelled to give thanks for the good, which is that we left home yesterday morning, with our tired, wind-damaged roof hovering over our home, and by the time we came home, a handful of men were hauling ladders to a van and a gorgeous new roof sparkled above us. We had some wind damage last fall when the tornado came through Marion. We weren't hit, but the superfluous winds that came over our property took a number of shingles away, leaving us all bedraggled looking.

The roof is lovely in EVERY way. It looks perfect atop our house, and I feel better going into the winter knowing we have a fresh roof above us. And for that, I'm thankful. And for their ability to complete it in ONE DAY, I'm thankful. And for our neighbors who endured all the nail guns on their ONE DAY of fall break, I'm ever EVER so sorry.

So that's the good.

The bad is that we heard from the Greentown realtor again and my goodness, things just do not look good for the sale of that house. We are brokenhearted for ourselves and for the buyers. It's a whole long story that you really shouldn't have to care about and I don't want to spill in too much detail because it's not just our story, and they didn't ask to be blogged about.

Bottom line...we could be looking square one straight in the eye here in a few days. We weren't fond of square one when we saw it last time - or the time before that. Wonder if it's gotten any prettier since then?

We went for a run and then Ryan took my hand and led me to the prayer chapel so we could pray together.

I had nothing in me. Nothing.

So while Ryan knelt at the altar and prayed for our strength and for wisdom and for all manner of things that a good, leading husband should pray for, I propped myself against the wooden rail and sobbed.

I looked around that room...that grand room with its deep, dark wood and masterful stained glass windows...that cathedral provided for moments such as this. I looked at the seats where I spent hours over the years. The seats where I scrawled and whispered long, wordy prayer. Specific requests.

Last night? No words. None at all. Nothing came. I just leaned my head against the hard corner of its edge and stared at the beauty around me. I was in my running clothes still, so I looked {and probably smelled} all disheveled. Such a misfit. There I was, all slumped against this grand altar, with my wrinkled workout clothes and windblown hair, snotting on my sleeve {since there were no tissues to be found in the whole place}, and yet, it was home. I felt free to slump against the altar, because this place and I had a history. I'd spent time praying the words. The time had come to just simply be. Disheveled amid beauty.

I scooted to the side and saw Him.

Fresh tears.

The reminder that HE knows what it feels like to slump in prayer with no words. To hurt in ways that no one understands. To pray for sustaining faith.

I forced myself to get up and sit in a pew beside Ryan and I found words, finally. I prayed for him...for both of us.

Do I understand these delays and this testing. Oh my goodness, no. But I am comforted to know HE knows and He speaks tears.

Wanna See More?

Last week I gave you a sneak peek at the pictures my mother-in-law took of us. She gave us the full set of photos this week, and I thought she did such a lovely job, both photographing and editing. Wanna see her handiwork?

This picture was our funny "test the lighting" pose. But it cracks me up.I'm thinking THIS is the Christmas card winner. Hands down.

 We took this first round of pictures at the sunken gardens in Huntington. {It will probably show up again whenever we get around to touring Huntington County.}

 Loved these stairs!!

 Then we moved over to the little park area at the Forks of the Wabash. They had some really pretty flowers there.

 And some little old cabins, which made for great photo locations.

 And one half of the Wabash forks. :)

 Such a trial to have to stand and kiss for a while. JUST KIDDING!

 Pretending to talk. That's a challenge for us, as we never actually STOP talking.

 Isn't he a handsome fellow? I married up.

How in THE WORLD I am ever going to pick a photo and craft a card is beyond me and mine. But hope you had fun looking at the pictures!