If You Have Hosting Phobias...

The first year I lived in this house, I hosted Thanksgiving. Nothing like being a brand new adult and taking on one of the biggest hosting holidays of the year! I did it because this house was Grandma and Grandpa's, and it had been too long since we had gathered in these walls as a family. I made the macaroni and cheese, using Grandma's recipe and the dish she always put it in, since I inherited it...and Mom did the rest of it. The thought of making more than one dish petrified me.

The following year, I hosted again. Not quite as many people came that time, and another year of adulthood made me calmer. Mom still did most of the cooking, but I've never forgotten the moment when my Uncle Jerry paused beside me and said, "You seem a little more relaxed this year. Are you enjoying this more?"

It was true! And I was so glad he noticed...and even more glad he said something. It boosted my confidence that maybe, just maybe, I had it in me to be a hostess after all.

I wouldn't have guessed back then, that one day in my future, I'd host a meal for thirteen people just a couple of hours after speaking in public. {Truth be told, back then I'd have passed out hearing about the public speaking part. Our little Bekah IS growing up!!} But this last Sunday, I did just that.

I know some of you who read this blog are new to adulthood and/or hosting and might not know you have this in you either! So I thought I'd show you some of the things I did to make the actual hosting day as stress free as possible. Then you can take and tweak to your heart's desire!

* Don't be afraid to ask for help. This would be the tip I have not actually learned yet. LOL!! Because this was Mother's Day, and our desire was to gift this day to the moms in our lives, we told everyone to just bring an appetite. We did all the cooking for this meal. But it is true that one of the best things you can do to relieve stress when hosting a group is to allow your guests to bring a dish. It will save you time and money, and it really is fun to build a little community of pitching in around the table!

* Choose dishes you can prepare as much as possible the day before. Our menu for this day was created largely around what would be easy to prepare in advance. {Some of these recipes are yet to come to the old blogaroo - so watch for them!!} Enchilada dip appetizer, grilled chicken and pork chops, cheesy potato casserole, grilled pineapple, broccoli salad, dinner rolls, strawberry trifle, and chocolate cake mix cookies.

The day before we hosted, I combined all the recipes for the enchilada dip appetizer in my tiny crock pot and refrigerated the crock until the next morning, when I plugged it in and let it slowly cook.

We put all the pork chops and chicken breasts in the refrigerator to begin thawing, and I put together the cheesy potato casseroles. {I made two JUST to make sure we'd have enough.} This particular recipe calls for potato chips on top, but you don't add them until right before you bake the potatoes. So I went ahead and crushed the chips and put them in baggies with the dishes, and wrote right on the baggies the baking time and temp, so I didn't have to hunt through my recipes while I was busy the next day.

For the grilled pineapple, Ryan cut up the pineapple and put it on skewers, and I mixed up the cinnamon/sugar marinade and put it in a separate bag. I wrote the instructions about when to combine them and how long to grill...and stuck them in the fridge.

Ryan {HERO OF MY LIFE} also chopped up all the broccoli for the salad, and he grilled the bacon. That was a HUGE lifesaver, because I hate chopping broccoli and it takes forever to cook the bacon 4 strips at a time in a pan on the stove. Plus it smells - and occasionally smokes - up the house. So it was great to have all that done outside while I did other things inside. We combined the broccoli and onion in one dish and portioned out the bacon and sunflower seeds to be added right before serving.

And then the desserts...I made those in full the day before.

* Make a list for the day of the dinner. Before I went to bed Saturday night, I made a timeline for Sunday. I wrote the exact times we needed to plug in the crock pot, put the chips in a dish, get out the drinks and fill the ice bucket, turn on the grill, start grilling the meat, make the dressing for the salad, bake the rolls, start the coffee pot and everything else. I went over each recipe {twice} to make sure I hadn't forgotten anything!

* No shame in paper plates!! Because we only have enough dishes for eight people, and because the original party plan was to have this event outside, we decided to get disposable tableware. We also purchased tablecloths at the dollar store. When the meal was over, the only things we had to wash were the serving dishes and coffee cups. It made cleanup go SO MUCH FASTER, which was so wonderful. I told Ryan that I thought this was the way to go for all future hosting endeavors!!

* Don't feel like you have to make everything from scratch. My mom is the queen of homemade yeast rolls. They're soft, fluffy, and divine. And I know what she's saying right now as she reads this: I WOULD HAVE BROUGHT SOME!!! But it was her vacation day, and I've not mastered the art of homemade rolls. So I did not even feel badly at all about buying a bag of frozen dinner rolls to serve.

* Don't stress over mistakes. Of course, not everything goes smoothly, and for us, the rolls were the hiccup. I followed the instructions PRECISELY, and yet they turned out doughy and dense and...well...I didn't even eat one. I decided if that was the worst thing that happened to the food that day, it wasn't so bad of a day after all.

So there are my tips for hosting well and having fun in the process. We had a great time with our family, and I was so glad that I could spend the morning focusing on the speaking engagement and not on worrying about food.

ON THIS DAY....

OYEZ OYEZ OYEZ  

Today on the 14^th of May in the year 2015, we observe Bekah’s 37^th birthday.  And in honor of her, I deem it necessary to CELEBRATE by sharing with you my 10 favorite things about her (seems only fair since she did for me, right?) 

These are in no particular order by the way:

10.  She’s a FANTASTIC writer.  Of course this isn’t news to you.  I’m always blown away by the things she writes.  She has this gift where words flow out of her at an incredible rate (I guess that includes talking as well :) and she types as fast as a court stenographer.  When she gets in her writing zone, we could fall into a sink hole and she would be unlikely to notice.  It reminds me much of how I sleep...you know the sleeping stories. Must I remind you? Just a complete coma.  I hope that one day you get to read some of her other writings.  They are unbelievable.  I may be slightly biased, but I think you would agree.     

09.  This GIRL can cook!  Seriously, I should be huge; you see many of the things she cooks.  I’m fortunate that many are low fat and that I have the body type I do, or its possible I could be well on my way to a power chair in a few years.  I’m learning the art of self-control (slowly) with each meal.  I’ll be back...she’s ringing the dinner bell.    

08.  She is HILARIOUS!  If you think she is funny on here, just spend a little time with her in real life.  Not a day goes by that I don’t laugh when I’m around her.  She always knows how to bring a smile to someone’s face.  Whether it’s her quirky dance moves or something crazy that would only happen to her, she will keep you laughing.

07.  She has a HUGE heart for others.  Whether you need a meal, a pick-me-up, or a listening ear Bekah is always willing to be there.  She is completely transparent when it comes to her faith and her own life.  She is great at using her own life lessons to encourage others with whatever they may be facing.  This includes myself, too, as I have been to many of Bekah’s counseling sessions.  Give her coffee and she will talk for hours!

06.  She is SOOOO creative.  I don’t know about you, but I’m just blown away by some of the things she comes up with.  Now I know that many are Pinterest inspired, but even with that, they always come out great.  I’m so thankful for the way she decorates our home and makes it so inviting.  Honestly, I never want to leave.

05.  She LOVES the Lord.  She has such a childlike love for the Lord and I love it.  When she prays, she speaks straight from her heart and is brutally honest.  She can remember  just about every single Bible story there is and relate to a life lesson.  She exemplifies His love with her writing and actions.  It’s truly amazing.

04.  She has GREAT hair.  She will disagree with this, but her hair looks good all the time.  It looks great from the time we get up until we go to bed each night.  She has different styles that she uses depending on her outfit and they are all so cute.  Of course this hits very close to home with me especially, as my do is extremely limited.  Hashbrown Jealous! 

03.  She loves ME more than I deserve.   I’m sure part of this is due to the fact that she desired to get married for so long.  And you know what?  She hasn’t forgotten that.   She shows me love in so many ways every single day; from writing me encouraging notes each day, sending random pictures and lovey dovey texts throughout the day, to cuddling up next to me on Mo.  The list goes on and on.  Some men may not like it, but fortunately she’s married to me and I love it.  She desires to be the best wife possible and strives for that daily.  She puts up with all my OCD quirks, embraces our differences, and loves me though it all.

02.  She is CONFIDENT.  She is much more confident that she gives herself credit for.  Even since we have been married I have seen this part of her grow.  When I was watching and listening to her speak last Sunday, the whole time I was thinking, who is this girl?  She is not the one I once knew.  But she is able to speak in a way that is so engaging and confident, she just draws you in.  When she talks, she relates to the audience with real life stories and talks like there is only one person in the room.  I love to listen to her over and over again.  Just amazing. 

01.  Smokin' HOT!!  Actually the rest of these were in no particular order, but this really is number one!  She is unbelievably beautiful in every way.  I’m attracted to her more and more every day, because of the reasons on this list and so many more.  Her love is not something I take for granted and I’m so grateful for the life and love we share.   

Happy Birthday my Love!  I love you and am so excited to celebrate the year of your birth today.  You are an amazing woman (as I have done my best to describe here today...please still love me) and I’m so incredibly thankful for you.  Enjoy your day!  Let's get YOUR party started!!          

                                                                                                                      Love You, Ryan

Mommapalooza 2.0

Since Ryan and I got married in our thirties, family traditions were pretty much set on both sides of the family. Holidays were spoken for, and we just sort of merged our way in to all the parties. But last year, we tried something new: inviting both our families to our house for the one unclaimed holiday: Mother's Day. We called it Mommapalooza, and I thoroughly enjoyed having both our families here under one pirogi...and watching them interact with each other.

So this year...we did Mommapalooza 2.0. And....this year the weather wasn't quite as cooperative, so we had to move the extravaganza inside. Right after I finished speaking at the church, we rushed home and began madly moving furniture in our house to open up a space big enough to put up a table and some chairs so we could squeeze 13 people inside our little home!

 We opted for paper plates and such...and OH MY GOODNESS. What a breeze cleanup became!! I think I have officially gotten over the need for good dishes for company.

Little area for drinks and appetizers:

We gathered around and enjoyed lunch together...Ryan's family blended with mine...and I cared far less about eating and far more about watching everyone talking together. This blending of families is lovely.

We especially enjoyed celebrating these two ladies. I'm thankful for all my mom invested in me for these last 36 years. I'm thankful she continues to invest in me...in us...and for the example she is through her integrity and commitment. And I'm thankful for Ryan's mom, who raised a FINE son. {And I mean that FINE both in looks and in character.} He is a one in a million find and so much of that is because of her investment in him.

Speaking of Mr. One in a Million...he was manning the grill:

...with some help from Allen, who saved the day with the stinkin' rolls that gave me FITS. {This is why I don't make rolls. Even from the freezer section, apparently.} Thanks for bailing me out, Allen!

One thing I did do right was this dessert, thankyouverymuch:

Why yes, it IS as delicious as it looks.

We took some photos after lunch...

I loved it that people sat around and just rested for a couple of hours after lunch. I loved it that Ryan was the perfect hosting teammate. I loved it that the day was perfect, even though we had some imperfections {I'm looking at you, weather and stinkin' rolls!!}.

Mommapalooza 2.0 in the books!!

Speaking and Such

My friend Jen called a few weeks ago and asked if I'd be the speaker for the Mother's Day breakfast at her church...which used to also be my church! I spent eleven years of my life worshiping in the walls of this church, and they were formative for me, full of healing and discovery of who I am as a daughter of the Lord.

I left the church when I felt God urging me to move...and I didn't want to go at all, but I did want to be obedient, so I left. But it was good to be back Sunday morning, seeing all the ladies and their kids - who are now half grown up!

The decorations were beautiful...borrowed from a wedding on Saturday!

We arrived early and got to meet up with some of my friends from days gone by:

The men from the church served breakfast to all the ladies:

My friend Cheri introduced me, and she told a story I'd forgotten about entirely. She said when I was their kids' Financial Aid Counselor, I noticed they'd forgotten to submit their paperwork, and the deadline was fast approaching. So I called them...and they were on a cruise!! So funny!!

I was excited about the talk God put on my heart to share...hope they learned as much from it as I did when I was writing it!

Also. I cannot talk without my hands.

At the end of the breakfast, Lauren {whose mom was my mentor for a time a few years ago...and I love both these ladies very much!!} sang a solo, accompanied by her grandfather. Beautiful tribute to mothers!

So it was a lovely  morning...and I am grateful for their invitation to join them. Thanks, ladies of Chapel Pike! Love you much!

But First, the Random

WHAT a full weekend we just had! So very full. But I wanted to start by filling in with the random from the weekend.

First of all...you know how I love taking pictures! And this weekend I had a new request. My friend Brittany wanted to surprise her mom and grandma with a Mother's Day photo shoot...so with Brittany's aunt {and my friend} Kari working as the co-conspirator...I agreed to take the pictures for them!

I met them at the fairgrounds after work on Friday, and Ryan met up with us too, and I had a blast taking pics of these four lovely ladies. They are all my friends and really feel more like a second family than anything else, so it was an honor to capture their love and camaraderie .

Here's a sample of our fun together:

After we did that, we went to Ryan's niece's birthday party. One of Ryan's photo opps:

He pointed out that {shoot...I don't know which one is Anna and which one is Elsa!!} is checking him out. Fabulous. Now I'm competing with a cardboard cutout.

Saturday, we worked SO HARD. We had so much to do to get ready for hosting Mommapalooza 2.0 on Sunday.

We started by heading to the store for ferns. You wouldn't think it would be very hard, would you? Yeah. Think again. We tried three stores before giving up and heading to the grocery store. And there....

Found the ferns! And for the first time in our marriage, we became a two cart family. WHEW. It was a madhouse in there, but we escaped and went home to cook...and cook...and cook. And clean. And mow. And put up the pirogi!!

Ryan mowed and trimmed the yard and I got to work on this pile...

So much cooking to do!! We planned to serve cheesy potatoes, broccoli salad, grilled pork chops and chicken, grilled pineapple, rolls, strawberry trifle and cookies...and an enchilada dip for an appetizer.

We learned that bacon {for the broccoli salad} on the grill doesn't take very long. Whoopsie!

We worked as fast as we could to put up the pirogi before the rain came:

And then....

Maybe we would have fully beat the rain, had it not been for this little trip to frappe hour...

But it's okay. Totally worth it.

So that was our weekend leading up to Sunday!!

The Shafferland Shuffle

Happy Mother's Day!! Thankful for the moms in my life...my own, my in-law moms, the ladies who have chosen to treat me like their daughter...all of them!! Thanks for loving and investing in me!

* Last Sunday, I got to watch one of my favorite kinds of moments. Ryan took some time out to talk to a visitor at church. I love his heart for others and how he reaches out to welcome people! After church, we went for a walk,and we ran into some friends of ours. We took a walk with them, and I made friends with one of their kiddos. She was so precious. When we got home, I discovered our lilacs had actually started to bloom for real!

* Monday was, as you read already Braeya Jo's 9th birthday. We threw her a little party of sorts, and she had fun with it. I was off work that afternoon {just using up some vacation time} so I had a little extra time with her! And that night, I started the Dashing Dish workout challenge for the month of May. All was well until I started seeing spots. Apparently a tiny bit more protein before the gym would have been in order.

* Tuesday was Cinco de Mayo, and Ryan's work had a big carry-in, which I got to be jealous of through the pictures he sent me. It looked delicious! Meanwhile, I was at work getting the COOLEST going away gift from one of our listeners! That night, I went for a run, and I thoroughly enjoyed the beautiful flowering trees on my path. I did not enjoy running in 80 degrees and full sun. That was challenging.

* Wednesday evening, my parents took the two of us out to eat for our birthdays. We went to this little local ice cream place called The Big Dipper, and we had a great time eating, talking to Mom and Dad, and running into people from our old church that we'd not seen in a long time! Working out after dinner was an interesting situation, BUT I DID IT!!

* Thursday afternoon, I hunkered down at my desk to work on some encore shows for later this month. That meant caffeine was in order, so one of the work guys and I split a buy-one-get-one-free coupon for a frappe. YUM. Ryan sent me a picture from his work...don't think I've mentioned how much I adore his new glasses. So handsome!! We went to the gym after work, where I proceeded to have a horrible run. When you want to quit on the first lap...it's just bad. But I persevered!!

* Friday was a FULL day!! Originally I'd scheduled the day off work so I could get ready for our big Mother's Day Palooza, but I ended up needing to be at work. I did get to leave a little early, and I scurried to Greentown to do a Mother's Day photo shoot for some friends of mine. Ryan came too, and we had a great time! After we left that, we went to his niece's birthday party, and had fun catching up with all his family.

* Yesterday was C.R.A.Z.Y. busy. We spent the entire day shopping for food, cooking the food, cleaning the house, and putting up the pirogi. {That was done in two parts since we got a downpour in the middle.} We were pretty proud of ourselves for getting everything done! And I was extra grateful that Ryan had the day off, because I never could have gotten all this done on my own.

The Saturday Six

One.

Source

LOVED this one. If you're a brought-up-in-church-child of the 80's and 90's, you will remember most of these, I'd bet! Don't even tell me you don't remember the WWJD bracelets, the True Love Waits pledge cards, and reading {or if you're Bekah, collecting} Brio magazines. {Bonus points if you ended up in college with the Brio cover girl!!!} {I did!!!}

Two.

COMPLETELY switching gears...last week at work, we got a review copy of a new book called Ask the Past: Pertinent and Impertinent Advice from Yesteryear. From how to kill bedbugs circa 1777 to how to cure pimples circa 1665...there's much to learn. I found out there is also a BLOG for this...and you should check it out. Hilarious advice and remedies from days of yore. Kinda makes me glad I was born...circa now.

Three.

Source

Do you guys watch Flip or Flop? We like watching it when we can...but I just read this article about Tarek, the host, and how a fan of the show encouraged him to get a lump on his neck checked out, and it ended up being thyroid cancer. Incredible story - and a good reminder of the importance of second opinions!

Four.

Source

 My friend Ronda's niece has started a new site called Lend the Love. She got married last year, I believe, and she and her family worked hard to make beautiful wedding decorations...and then weren't sure what to do with them! So this site allows former brides to register their decorations and new brides can rent them. Win-win for both!!

Five.

Source

Wanted to share this with you in honor of Mother's Day...whether we're grieving or celebrating this weekend, let's do it well.
Six.

I've turned into a reading fool again. It's such a delight. I have missed reading for the last, oh, four years or so. I wanted to squeeze this book in before I left WBCL. We got a copy there to review, and I wanted to peek at it before Lynne did! It's Colleen Coble's latest, The Inn at Ocean's Edge.

I actually got to meet Colleen last year, when she came to the studio to be a guest on Mid-Morning about her friend Diann Hunt's book For Better or For Worse that was made into a Hallmark movie. Ryan and I went to the red carpet premiere for that movie up in Fort Wayne, and through all of that, I came to know that Colleen is a sweet, genuine woman with a love for people and writing. So...I knew I had to read the new book as soon as it came out!

The Inn at Ocean's Edge is set in Maine, and while I've never been there in person, I've always wanted to visit, so one delight of this book was feeling like I actually made a trip to Maine! Colleen's descriptions drew me into every sight, sound, and smell of life on the ocean. {And since you all know how much I love the water, you might know how very happy this made me.}

She weaves suspense with romance, and blends them in a beautiful way. The book tells the story of Claire Dellamare, a successful young woman working alongside her father to grow their family business. They've arrived at the Hotel Tourmaline on the coast of Maine in hopes of closing a significant business merger, but just after arriving, Claire begins to learn details about her childhood she'd never known before. She begins to hunt for answers to clear her own mind, but it's not long before the hunt takes a series of urgent turns, with lives and reputations at stake.

The rest of the book is a wild ride of surprise twists, unexpected characters, and the never-ceasing internal rush to connect the dots before the characters do. Colleen weaves in splashes of faith, romance, marine life, mystery, and courage alongside the complexity of family relationships that we all experience on some level, even if the details look a bit different for each of us. 

I read the book - all 318 pages of it - in one day, and a good chunk of that took place at the salon during a cut and color. I had no clue, until she tapped me on the shoulder to inform me I was done, what length OR color my hair was...that's how deeply I was engrossed in the book. Thankfully, she's trustworthy, and it was only slightly darker and shorter than I'd imagined. But at the conclusion of the haircut, I was only halfway through the book and didn't care if my hair had been green and an inch long. I had to get home to finish the book!

Thanks, Colleen, for the affordable vacation to Maine, the new book-friends I made within the pages, and the gift of your captivating story-telling!