Introducing...

...our new room!!!

It's true! After two weeks, something to the tune of four gallons of paint, and a lot of inconvenience, the room is DONE. We love it and may not leave it for several days to come. Thought you might like to see the purple-paradise-turned-beach-retreat. Hope you love it too!

Here are the before pics. Yes, three shades of purple, painted nine years ago, pre-husband, when I decided if ever I was going to have a purple room, that was the time.

I did love it, but it was kind of dark {okay, VERY dark} - and I tried so hard NOT to think about all.the.hard.work. that went into those stripes. You know...as we painted over them.

So are you ready for the after?? I can't wait to show you!!!!!

Ta DAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!!!!!

Please tell me you love it! {And if you don't - it's okay! WE still love it!!}

We primed. We patched. We painted. We patched some more. And I am pretty proud of us. I think we did it on a great budget.

Here are some of the up close touches.

The frames were ones we already owned. Ryan found white spray paint in the garage, and painted them so they would fit the new beach theme. I haven't changed out the pictures yet...so that was also free. And the S? REALLY cool gift from my best friend. Fits perfectly!

RYAN actually picked out our curtains, and he did a great job. We have curtains at the window and also behind our bed, to serve as a headboard. He found them and they were perfect.

 My amazing new mirror that Ryan gave me for Easter. It reminds me of a bit of driftwood on the wall. Couldn't be more perfect.

We reused all the lamps we already had in there. Ryan spray painted the big picture frame so we could reuse that pics, one of my faves from our wedding. All the other frames were already in the room. I just regrouped them to be together.

The seaglass and starfish art was a gift from my best friend...and the art with the Adirondack chairs was a present from my sister. We had the other two and they all just seemed to fit together!

Ryan picked out the blue pillow, and the little one in front was a shower gift from my sister.

And that...completes our room.

If you don't see us for a couple months, we're taking a nap.

Small World, Big Impact: BreAnn

Know what I love about writing? All of it, really, but today what I love about writing is how it reminds me of the things I'd forgotten. Ryan tells me, every single time I finish a scrapbook, that he's so glad I kept a photo journal and written diary of all we do, because even just a couple of months down the road, he's forgotten things we did, and he's so glad I captured the memories forever.

Today's story is one I'd forgotten, but my heart got just a bit convicted when I read about it in my old writing project. I'm freshly aware today of how the small things can be the big things.

For the first 25 years {or so} of my life, I was part of the Marion Easter Pageant. It was a huge tradition in our community, where denominations came together to portray the events of Jesus' last week, crucifixion and resurrection. {If you want to see it, there's a video here.}

We had a dress rehearsal {in full makeup and costume} on the Wednesday before Easter, and two performances: one on Good Friday night and a sunrise service on Easter Sunday morning. For Easter Sunday, all the participants had to be at the venue at four in the morning for makeup before the performance at six. That's challenging for kids and adults alike!!

I'm not sure how old she was when she started participating in the Easter Pageant, but BreAnn wasn't very old at all when she came into our dressing room. The room was very small {whatever you're thinking of right now as "very small" - go ahead and cut that in half and possibly in half again} - and we had a proportionately large number of women and children vying for space in that little place. We never could decide if it was more beneficial to get the kids ready early and send them to the hall to wriggle and squirm on the cool cement floor or if we should keep them corralled in the hot little room with us.

BreANn was full of personality and full of wiggles. She never ceased to find a way to get makeup all over the walls...the table...the floor...her costume...other people's costumes...and all the while, off her actual face. We would end up patching her makeup and straightening her costume dozens of times before the pageant began. She would sneak candy off the table whenever she could. {Candy that had been brought in to keep the adults functioning, not add hyperactivity to the already energy-laden kids.}

Toward the end of the Pageant's run, though, BreAnn began to grow up. She was a teenager and still participated every single year. She came to every rehearsal...early. That was more than many of the adults managed to do. She never missed a performance. Ever. She learned to do her own makeup and learned how to keep it ON her face and OFF the walls. She learned to walk away from the candy and stay calm.

A few years before the end of the Pageant, I was a student on campus at IWU, and our dorms had drinking fountains with an extra hot water spout, for hot water or Ramen noodles. Since the venue for the Pageant was not known for its abundance of hot water, I decided to get a thermos of hot water to take with me to each performance. Makeup was so much gentler when applied with the assistance of hot water, not frigid water.

The first year I moved out of the dorms, I mentioned at a practice that I wouldn't be able to bring the hot water anymore, because I didn't have the magic drinking fountain. {Why I didn't think to just HEAT SOME WATER is beyond me. Can't even blame the gallbladder this time.}

Without hesitation, BreAnn spoke up. "I'll bring it! I just live a block away."

I was both surprised and impressed with her initiative. While all the rest of the women {including yours truly} were trying to decide what to bring in for snacks and breakfast, she offered to bring what she could. She couldn't cook and probably didn't have money to buy food, but she could bring a thermos of hot water, and she wanted to contribute.

For the rest of the Pageant's run, BreAnn brought the hot water for our dressing room - for every performance.

I have no idea where she is now. The Pageant was forced to shut down many years ago, after the venue was deemed unsuitable for use. It's been remodeled now and they've brought back a version of the Pageant, but I'll always be fond of those early years on cold floors and crowded dressing rooms with a young girl learning to fit in where she could. I appreciated the way she focused on what she could do, rather than what she could not do. It's a lesson I'm still learning.

ItzaMonday

I love having Ryan home on the weekends. Doesn't happen all the time, but I love it when it does. This particular weekend, though, wasn't very restful. Fun, but not restful. I fear I may crash for my Sunday afternoon nap about two this afternoon. Gulp.

We like to plan our evenings when we're commuting in the morning. We're just nerds that way. So Friday morning, we enthusiastically planned our evening: pizza, pop and painting. We were going to knock out SO MUCH WORK.

Until we sat on Mo with the pizza and the pop. And then this was pretty much the view for the rest of the night:

So we tried again on Saturday. We got up early and went out for a breakfast date to Cracker Barrel. Ryan skipped the game provided on the table and made his own:

We did a little shopping - partly for us and partly for things we needed in the room overhaul. Found some great deals, and I was happy with that! Then we really really really did come home and get busy.

We had to do a lot of taping...and trim painting...and untaping {is that even a word? It is now!}..and touching up of mistakes. As always, our trusty helper....

Sometimes it can be confusing where the tape actually GOES.

I feel very tall.

A peek at our colors. Oh my word. How we truly love them. And that's good because we are NOT redoing this.

No amount of coaxing could get her to look at the camera. She's such an almost-nine-year-old. But she's cute, so I guess she can be stubborn like that.

So...after our weekend of NO rest, we're happy to report we do have all the painting DONE. The new bedding is purchased and washed and ready to be applied to the bed. The picture frames have been spray painted, which is a cheaper version of buying all new ones. We're ready to reassemble the thing and put the room back together so we can show you the after pics!!

I guarantee you that if I'd been doing this on my own, it would be taking at least a full month. As it is, we're looking at a couple of weeks. But it's been fun to do this thing together. And by together, of course, I mean with the help of Braeya Jo Jo!!

The Shafferland Shuffle

* Last Sunday was, of course, Easter, and Ryan and I really enjoyed our church service, followed by a fun breakfast out {something we've never done on Easter morning before} and then celebrations with both our families. So much food, such fun egg hunts, and time with people we never get to see made for a really joy-filled day. And I was SO thankful it was pretty.

* Monday was my co-worker Jeri's 40th birthday and they sure didn't let THAT fly under the radar. Balloons, confetti, and senior parking cones all around the building. And DELICIOUS treats. I do love birthdays. Monday night, Ryan worked on painting, but my head was so full that I really needed some time to do some writing, so he graciously did the work himself while I did some other things. I appreciated it!

* Tuesday, we had ANOTHER celebration at work for Jeri...this one complete with Coldstone cake. MY WORD was it good!! Our friends Troy and Cilicia came over for a bit in the evening so Troy could do some repair work with Ryan on our ceiling. While they played with their power tools, Cilicia and I stayed entertained by their kids! Ryan did a bit more painting that night, and I did some work with pictures. My happy place!!

* Wednesday we got some crazy forecasts, and I won't lie...I was relieved when the storms skirted all around us for the most part. After work, Braeya and Ryan curled up to rest and I made a delicious lemon chicken dinner {Thanks, Dashing Dish!!}. Ryan did some repair work on the ceiling in our room and a little more painting. Know my favorite part of the day? Hearing him sing worship songs while he painted. Heart = full!

* Thursday, Lynne and I had our song-themed BLT, which was much fun. And when I got home from work that night, Ryan and I launched back into painting. Are you ready for this? COLOR WENT ON THE WALLS, PEOPLE!!! I was beginning to think it would never be time for real color. We worked hard all night and got the bulk of the tan part done! The other exciting part of the day was seeing all the little buds leftover from the storm. HOPE OF SPRING!

* Friday was a long day at work for both of us. We were just ready for a weekend! We always know we're getting tired when we start texting silly pictures to each other during work! We had grand plans for a Pizza, Pop, and Painting party that night when we got home. Wellllll, we had the pizza and the pop, but it's possible we traded in painting for a MOVIE on MO. :) Whoopsie!!

* Yesterday we went out for breakfast for our date...little Cracker Barrel fun! Then we went shopping for our new bedding and such for our room. {Yeah, ALL of it was purple. Walls, bedding, curtains, ALL OF IT.} Then we came home and worked our little tails off to try to get the bulk of the painting DONE. And it worked, too! With the exception of un-taping and some touch ups of the blue and the trim, the painting is done. We are excited to put the room back together!

The Saturday Six

One.
Maybe you've already gotten to this organizing challenge, but it still looms ahead of me. Switching out the closets for the summer clothing...anyone? Anyone completed this yet? I wish I would have, but alas, it's been a chilly spring here, so my sweaters are still in place. BOO!!!! Hoping to do that this week, which of course, means it's always a good time to cycle OUT the things that don't fit/you no longer wear/went out of style in the 80's.

Two.

Source

Did you guys see this news story? Mr. Burger and Ms. King are getting married, and Burger King is paying the bill. I'm not kidding!!

Three.

Source

You probably saw this one already too - but being the devoted Duggar fan that I am I wanted to say congrats to Jill and Derick on the birth of their baby boy, Israel. {I'm positive they named him after Ryan's cousin...right???} Can't wait to hear/watch the rest of the story of his birth...but what a cutie!

Four.

You may have seen this one too, but I think half a dozen people posted it to my Facebook timeline, knowing how I do LOVE Chip and Joanna. Definitely worth a watch if you've not already seen it.

Five.

Source

I started out just drying my hair, and by the end of the Bekah-assembly morning, I'd gone into full-on panic mode, fearful about things that I know don't even really MATTER, because the truth is, God's got them. He's had them all along. But this fear thing is real. It looks different for every person as far as the details are concerned, but it's real. Loved it that when I got to work the day of the panic meltdown, THIS blog post was linked on Twitter. Perfection.

Six.

Source

MAGNIFICENT post on grief by Shelly Buck. Read this.

Welcome Sweet Springtime...We Greet Thee in Song

You watch Andy Griffith, right? You know the episode about Good Old 14A? The one where Barney believes he can sing...but..uh...

If not, you can catch the proof right here {that's not the whole episode...just the off key part}. Cracks me up EVERY TIME.

So that sort of inspired our BLT topic yesterday, and we had so much fun with it, I thought I'd extend it on to the blog today.

What song would you sing in karaoke? Answer for me?? NONE. But Ryan and I do love a good round of car karaoke, and we always sing 500 Miles. FOR THE RECORD, I had no idea this song even existed before I met Ryan. But on one of our first dates, he played it in the car, and taught me to sing the da-da-da-da-da part. I'm terrible at it, but this does not keep me from singing with gusto.

What song reminds you of your childhood? We heard all kinds of answers on the show yesterday ranging from things in the Lion King soundtrack, to Sweet Caroline, to My Country 'Tis of Thee. For me, it's songs like If You're Happy And You Know It...or Jesus Loves Me...or the pronoun song. {Thank you, third grade!!}

What song makes you cry EVERY TIME? For me? Most of them. :) At Winter Jam a couple of weeks ago, Newsong sang Arise, My Love. That one is a tear jerker for me. Another one right now that I can't sing in the car without crying is Matt Redman's Mercy. {And I think Matt Redman is such a class act, by the way.} There are about a thousand more, but you don't have time.

What is your all time favorite song? Sure don't have one, because it changes all the time. But here are some that have been on that list at different points in life: These Are They by the Gaither Vocal Band, and it has to be the version from the Red Rocks concert. Also this version of Alpha and Omega by the Vocal Band. The harmony slays me. And my all time favorite arrangement of A Mighty Fortress by the IWU Chorale. And {yes, one more} - my favorite rendition of the national anthem, for years, was held by Sandi Patty. And then the Vocal Band edged her out in my book. And THEN, you guessed it! David Phelps did a version. Still holds the title.

What song do you secretly jam to? I fear it's currently Shake by Mercy Me.

So..........care to play? Answer any of the questions above??

And just in case you missed it on Facebook, this was our official photo for Mid-Morning yesterday!

Why Happy Isn't Always Best

In our Sunday School class, we're working through a book called Faultlines. Our pastor wrote it, and there's an accompanying DVD series we've been watching. Last week, it featured some families from within our church {families I know in real life} who have gone through really gut-wrenching losses and hurts.

I knew their stories, but to hear them share aloud some of the underlying thoughts of their heart from that time was new for me. It was hard to see their tears and hear their hurts, but they said good and encouraging things I needed to hear. One said something like this: If we don't suffer, we're lesser for it.

It reminded me of the days when I was in the desert, and I'd call my mom in the evenings, after work, and I'd miserably pour out the confusion and hurt of my heart. I told her, not to hurt her, but because I needed to process out loud, and I was single then, with no one here at home to hear my words. So many times, she'd say to me, "I just want you to be happy again."

Even in the darkness of that time, I had enough light shining on my soul to know that happiness wasn't God's agenda for me right then. That season, as painful as it was, was necessary to grow me, and I knew it. I couldn't see how, but I could see that it was true. It was black and hot and solitary...that desert...but I knew I had an intimacy with the Lord that was worth far more than momentary happiness.

I knew what Mom meant. I wasn't a mother and didn't know what it was like to watch my child suffer, but I knew it was probably hard. Excruciating, even. I knew she just wanted to see her Bekah back. The one who smiled and laughed and cared about things like cooking and showering. That's what she meant by saying she wanted me to be happy.

As I remembered those conversations with her, I was hit with conviction about some other conversations I'd had recently. Conversations with one of my own friends who is going through a desert of her own. One that seems endless. One that seems hopeless. She's walking through things not of her own choosing and I hate it for her. Time and time again, I've wished I could yank her from her circumstances and plop her down in a happier place where she could be free to smile and live with joy.

Right in that moment of conviction, the Lord whispered to me, "What if it's the same for her? What if I have a reason for her in this time and your only comfort to her is I sure wish you didn't have to live in this?"

Gulp.

During our next conversation, I told her I owed her an apology. I told her all about Sunday School and the line from the video and my memories from my desert, and then I looked right at her and said, "I think I've been saying the wrong thing to you. Of course I want you to be happy. Of course I think this whole thing stinks and it makes me mad that you have to deal with it. But I think the real conversation I should be having with you is encouraging you to seek the heart of the Lord to see if there's something He wants to teach you in this time. To encourage you to hold tight to Him and wait as He works and moves. To know that this is hard, but you might be stronger for it on the other side."

She wasn't mad. She hadn't thought of it that way before, and she appreciated the idea, even if it seemed a bit daunting.

So I'm throwing it out there to you today. Sure, we want to be happy, and we want to see those we love happy, too. But sometimes happy isn't always best in the moment. Sometimes bending to God's Hand and letting Him work in us is what we need more than momentary happiness.

On the other side of that desert, I can tell you without wavering that I'm glad I spent my time focusing on learning my lessons instead of pursuing a fleeting smile. 

Waiting for Rewards...and Other Heart Challenges

Yesterday we had a really great guest on Mid-Morning. We've had her on before...Dr. Michelle Watson...but yesterday she joined us to talk about singleness. Michelle is in her mid-fifties and she's never been married.

She's dated...she's prayed for a husband...she's longed for someone to share her life with...and for reasons only the Lord knows, this prayer hasn't been granted in the way she would have planned or hoped.

Michelle is beautiful, vibrant, leads a full life, and has found a way to leave her longings in the care of the Lord, which is REALLY hard to do. I remember. I lived in that place for many years, though granted, not as long as she has.

Her thoughts were so interesting, and she shared some of the typical comments she's received as a single girl. {If you're single, maybe you'll recognize some of these.} You seem so normal!! But you're so pretty! God must be finding the right one. On and on the comments have gone, and for a while, she was left to think she must be broken in some way because the Lord hadn't given her this desire of her heart.

As she shared, and as I sat listening...remembering my own single season...I realized it's been a while since I shouted out to my single sisters. I haven't forgotten you. Even in my love-struck life, I haven't forgotten the ache of the time that came before. So I hoped it would be okay if I just encouraged you today. {Some of these points are drawn from yesterday's show and some are just my own thoughts.}

* Last night, we had some music on while we worked, and John Waller's song While I'm Waiting played. I used to listen to that over and over when I was single. I wrote the words in my journal. And last night, in a whole DIFFERENT kind of season of waiting, I heard the words in a new way, and I found them just as pivotal as I did in days of yore. But the line I love most is...While I'm waiting...I will serve You. SO. IMPORTANT. Sweet sister, if you're waiting, don't give up serving. Serve your heart out, because it is true that when you are married, your time is prioritized differently and it can be hard to serve in the ways you're used to serving.

* Serving {or saving sex for marriage or choosing to court instead of date or any one of a host of options} isn't reward-worthy. By that, I mean that in this season, don't tell yourself that if you just serve genuinely enough, God will reward you with a husband. Or if you make all the right purity choices, you can collect your reward and move to the next part of life...etc. God honors service,  integrity, obedience, etc, but the motive for doing those things shouldn't be receiving a husband as a reward.

* It's okay to hurt. I cannot even tell you the depth of the ocean of tears I cried waiting for Ryan {before I even knew it was Ryan}. I hurt at night when I went to bed alone. I hurt on Sunday afternoons when I knew families were spending the day together and I was at home with my Polar Pop and my Lifetime movies. I hurt when I baked Christmas cookies alone. I hurt when my ex-boyfriend's birthday rolled around every year, and I was reminded that I didn't have anyone to spoil on a birthday. I hurt when I planned vacations on my own. I pushed forward in doing all those things anyway, because I wanted to live life to the fullest, but I didn't squelch the hurt. God gets the hurt, and He sure heard earfuls of mine!!

* When it gets overwhelming, think about the unknown beauty to come! Sometimes when it felt really hard to hear about another engagement or another wedding, I would remind myself that I still had all that joy ahead of me {or so I hoped!!}. I still had dreams unfulfilled I could look forward to - like my proposal, my bridal showers, my wedding planning, my honeymoon. Sometimes our dreams propel us in hope.

* Let God grow you. I wish I could just sit and tell you all the things that have served me well IN marriage because I had been through a hard time in singleness. Things I can understand or relate to in Ryan's life because of something similar I had in my own. Times when I can trust or try because of a foundation built for me in those years. God wastes nothing. Let Him build a foundation in you!

I love you girls so much...I appreciate all the emails you send to share your heart and your story. Keep being faithful. I have no idea what God has planned in the love story of your life, but I do know He honors and blesses the faithful souls!!

Much love!!

{PS - you single guys too!! I don't hear from as many of you, but I say the same things to you and you're just as welcome here!!}

Macaroni and Cheese

We really do try to be healthy people. But sometimes - and you know it as well as I do - you just need some comfort food. The lovely Katie Farrell has some really scrumptious comfort-food-turned-healthy recipes over on her website, Dashing Dish, and she even has a couple options for macaroni and cheese. I've made one and really like it, but Ryan still likes a more original version than the healthy kind I make for me. So we compromise...sometimes I make Katie's version, and sometimes I make a more traditional recipe, changing out some of the more original ingredients to make it as healthy as I can.

I won't lie. I LOVE mac and cheese. Especially the cheese. And in my adulthood, I've tried several recipes, trying to find the perfect blend of creamy and dry. We don't like it on the soupy side, but we also don't like it TOO dry. This recipe, which I originally found on Pinterest and tweaked to fit us, has been our favorite.

We've loved it in the summer as a side with a burger and hot dogs grilling fest...we've loved it in the winter with BBQ pork in the crock pot or sloppy joes after work. It's warm, it's filling, it's cheesy, and it's our favorite.

Since the forecast for the week is filled with gray skies and rain, I thought maybe you could use a comfort food fix. Hope you enjoy it!!

Macaroni and Cheese

* 2 1/2 cups dry macaroni
* 1 Tablespoon flour
* 1 1/2 teaspoon seasoned salt
* 2 Tablespoons butter
* 2-3 cups shredded cheese of your choice
* 1 cup milk

Bring 5-6 cups of water to a boil in a pan and cook macaroni until tender. Drain and return pasta to pan. Add flour, seasoned salt, butter and cheese and stir until well mixed. Pour in greased baking dish, pour milk over mixture, and bake covered at 350 for 35 minutes. Uncover and bake an additional 10 minutes. Serve warm and enjoy!

A Few Tips

* I use whole wheat macaroni. It tastes the same to me, but it makes me feel a little better about eating pasta. Ryan was worried the first time that the macaroni was overdone, because it was so dark, but the wheat pasta just is darker. So it might look different from what you're used to, but it'll taste the same!

* I also use whole wheat flour. It just thickens up the recipe a little bit. The original called for twice as much as I use, but I didn't like that much in it, so I lightened it up.

* You can use any old kind of seasoned salt you like. We like to use it in place of just salt and pepper in almost every recipe.

* I try to use lowfat cheese, and I use less or more, depending on HOW healthy I'm trying to be that day. I've used just about every kind of cheese. Mozzarella, cheddar, colby-jack, Mexican blend...all of it. We usually buy a couple bags of cheese to use in recipes and on our food throughout the week, so when I get to a recipe like this, I just use what I have on hand. It works for us.

* We buy either fat free or 1% milk, depending on what the store has that week. Either will work fine in this recipe. You can also use a creamier milk. Can't go wrong with that in a dish like this!! :)

* This does warm over well, but it gets a bit dry after a few days, just FYI.

Happy Easter!!

My goodness. What a BEAUTIFUL day we enjoyed yesterday! I'm always so grateful when Easter is beautiful, because it's just a bonus in celebrating the resurrection of Jesus...and I always love it when families who get together can enjoy a pretty day outside!

Ryan and I went to church yesterday morning and enjoyed a little pre-church coffee date, followed by a beautiful and affirming service. I appreciated our sermon so much. Perfectly timed for us.

After church, we came home and exchanged our Easter baskets:

 Mine didn't really fit in a  basket. REALLY cool new mirror for our bedroom after we get done repainting it! :)

And someone felt left out, so we gave her some eggs to play with:

We braved the cold and wind for our official Easter photo:

We headed out to our first celebration of the day, which was with my family. This year our celebration included my parents, Ryan and me, my sister Julie, and my Aunt B. We took a picture halfway through lunch so we could send it to my sister, Lori, out in Kansas. The bad part about being the selfie-master is that your head is always the biggest. LOL!!

Mom made the entire lunch herself, and it was delicious, even if Ryan and I were not as hungry as we should have been, thanks to a really big breakfast. LOL!!

We need a Flat Lori for family pictures!!

 I think we clean up pretty well...when we try!

 After lunch, we headed to one of Ryan's family celebrations. It was in full swing when we arrived, but we DID make it in time for the egg hunts. The kids went first:

I can't stand the cuteness of little ones with ponytail sprouts!!!

WAIT. I thought this was the kids' turn???

 

He's a kid at heart, and I love that!!

She thought the lawn ornament was a really big egg! What's the prize for finding THAT one???

Doesn't this just kill you?? So cute.

After the kids' hunt...there was a grown-ups hunt. It was fun!

I found one egg!! {I spent the rest of my time aerating Ryan's uncle's lawn with my heels!}

After we left this party, we went to see Ryan's mom for a while, and then we came home to collapse on Mo!!

 A wonderful day, and I'm thankful for all our families who love us well.