The Shafferland Shuffle

In case you missed it yesterday...SURPRISE! We went on vacation this past week! In fact, we sneaked out a couple days early at the end of last week, making my picture sharing tricky for last Friday and Saturday! While everything I told you was absolutely true, here are a couple of montages that show a little bit more fully the events of a week ago Friday and Saturday:

* Friday was really filled with an all day road trip that began at 7 a.m. {and the trip to Starbucks you saw} and ended when we arrived at my best friend Lynnette and her husband Mark's house in Virginia Beach, Virginia. {They own the cute dog you saw in last week's Shuffle.} We had THE most perfect day ever for driving. Not one single construction zone. Not one single wreck. Not one single slow down. Nothing. And stunning blue skies, sunshine, and changing leaves made for such a pretty drive. We had a blast in the car, but we were happy to arrive and stretch!

* Saturday, we really did sleep in and eat BBQ and cuddle up to watch TV at night, but there were a few more exciting things throughout the day. We lounged around Mark and Lynnette's house all morning and then we headed TO THE BEACH! Lynnette took us to two different beaches and we had a great time walking through sand, walking down the boardwalk, crashing a wedding, playing with photo props, and so much more. We ended the day eating at a darling little BBQ place and then watching TV.

* Sunday, we went to church with Mark and Lynnette, and then they took us to Colonial Williamsburg. We'd never been before, and again, we had such a pretty day and LOVED being able to run around, having fun, seeing history, and spending great time with my half of our wedding party. {And I won't lie - I kind of wanted to move into some of the houses in Williamsburg! They are adorable! But I would not have wanted to live back in those colonial days!}

* Monday was our last day in Virginia, and Mark and Lynnette took us to the lighthouse at Cape Henry. {Again, in case you have forgotten, I am petrified of heights and enclosed spaces, so climbing lighthouses is a feat for me. But I did it!!} We had another GORGEOUS day - much nicer than was predicted, actually. We had a seafood dinner on the water and ended our day at Mark and Lynnette's favorite coffee shop. A great end to our time in Virginia Beach!

* We left Mark and Lynnette's house early Tuesday morning and drove almost the entire day, headed to our NEXT adventure! The morning's drive was kind of maddening - rush hour and delays and wrong turns and such, but midday, we stopped and visited Furnace Hills coffee roasting company! We'd never seen roasting in action before, and it was exciting! More about this later. We drove all afternoon, up from Virginia, through Maryland, all the way through Pennsylvania, and into New York, and we got a hotel for the night - and it had complimentary coffee and cookies. YUM!!!

* Wednesday, we were THRILLED when the weather report was wrong and our day at Letchworth State Park in New York went splendidly! I can't wait to show you more of the pictures, but we hit a stunning leaf season to drive and hike through this beautiful park that is voted the number one state park in the nation for a very good reason. We spent the entire day in the park, ate dinner before 5:00 {LOL!!!!} and then spent the evening resting our aching feet. Hiking uphill is a change of pace for these flat-land midwesterners!!

* Thursday morning we had our shortest drive of the whole trip: an hour and a half to the great sight of Niagara Falls! It was Ryan's first ever trip to the Falls, and my third. {Second that I remember. I was two months old the first time.} Though the day had been slated for cold and rain, it was warm and sunny and STUNNING. There weren't a ton of people there, so we had plenty of room to move around, take pictures, see beautiful fall leaves, and take our first trek into CANADA! Though our legs almost fell off at the end of the day from all the walking, it was a lovely day in every way.

* Friday morning, we took our time getting ready and packed up, walked back down to the Falls one more time for a goodbye look, and left New York shortly before lunch. The drive home was every bit as annoying as our drive TO vacation had been NOT annoying. We had construction delays, rush hour, and didn't get home until 10 p.m. But we enjoyed our day on the road together and decided it was the best end to our vacation! {Plus I got to stop at Sonic, so I was VERY happy for that!!}  Thankful to be home with our girlie again! 

* And because we hadn't spent enough time in a car, yesterday morning we picked up my parents and drove a couple hours south of home to have lunch with my sister at the Mayberry Cafe in Danville, Indiana. The food was so good, and it was a fun day, even if it was a long drive. And it's never a bad day when you get to watch Andy Griffith the whole time you get to eat lunch!!

The Saturday Six

SURPRISE! Guess what? We just got home from a much-longed for {and much needed} week away, and I am so excited to tell you all about it. But this week's Saturday Six is inspired by our travels...hope you enjoy!

One.

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In all my capsule-wardrobe-reading, I'd also been fascinated by the traveling capsules. As a girl who tends to pack 13 suitcases to be gone for a weekend, I was eager to see if I could apply some of what I'd learned to packing for a trip. Tricky, since we were traveling through several states, and through several potential temperature zones. But as I read along on different sites, I found this one, which is just a fun traveling site in and of itself, but it also gives good tips on knowing what to pack for different destinations, and even in different seasons!

Two. 

If, in your travels, you return to a place you have been before, it's fun to remake a picture from a previous trip. This was mine from this trip. I came to Virginia Beach five years ago, before I was married, to visit Mark and Lynnette. Lynnette took me to the oceanfront and I wanted my picture taken with this shell. AFTER we took it, we realized a guy sat down right before our picture and it looked like I smashed him with the shell. So we remade it this time with Ryan playing the part of the guy. Loved it. {SURPRISE sneak peek! Virginia Beach was on our travel route!}

Three.

This began as an accident, but it works so well, I think we may start making it purposeful. Our first hotel of our trip didn't have rooms available that contained just a single king bed, so we got two queens instead. We ended up using the second bed to place ALLLLL our bags {yes, we are packrats}, and it worked out well for pawing through them. They were up at easy-to-see height. We loved it so much that at the next hotel, when they gave us a choice between one king and two queens, we took two queens on purpose so we had a place for all the bags.

Four.

My biggest stress factor in packing used to be the toiletries bag. What if I forgot THE one thing I needed? {Well, Bekah, go to the store!!!} But a couple of years ago, when my toiletry bag broke on vacation, Ryan and I stopped and got this one, and when I got home, I filled it with one of everything I'd need {makeup excluded} and I just leave it packed. That way when I know I'm going on vacation, all I have to do is make sure everything in it is full {shampoo bottles, hairspray, etc} and I'm all set. I don't have to worry if I've forgotten bobby pins or a claw clip or hand sanitizer. It's all ready to go. Takes away stress and saves time. {And I have a nice backup of everything if my everyday supply fails at any point in time!}

Five.

This was another unplanned thing that has become a tradition. When we got engaged, I bought these chalkboards to use in our engagement pictures. And as you know, if you read this blog often, they show up everywhere. We've definitely gotten our money's worth. We've started using them on our vacations to mark the spots where we visit. {On our cruise, the chalkboard pic with the date and location was the first picture taken every morning so we could easily know which pictures went with which day.} One time this week, after a family saw us using our chalkboards for our picture, they asked if they could borrow them for THEIR family picture. I won't lie: that made my day more than it should have. So it's just fun to use these not only for cool pictures, but also for keeping track of what was when. 

Six.

We went old school this time: atlas usage!! I used to have unlimited data on my phone, when I had a work phone, so I could keep track of our progress on that. But now that I have to  limit my data usage, I went the old school route: an atlas! It was actually fun to find roads on a paper map and remind myself of how to follow a map and all its little signs. Skills we've lost, right? If you haven't kept track of a trip on a paper map lately, give it a try!! :) 

Thank You Lord, It's Calmer This Year

You know how Facebook likes to remind you of your memories from a year ago on this day? Or two? Or three?

My feed has been flooded lately with pictures from three years ago. Three years ago when things looked a little bit like this:

Okay, so some things never change. We're still picture freaks with coffee in our hands. But this was day one of our engagement photo shoot. Day one of worrying about whether or not the weather would hold...if all the pictures would get taken before the sun slid down...if the hair would sit still on a breezy autumn evening...day one of marking things off endless to-do lists.

Days like this one:

 Days when my hair was bad but I couldn't do anything about it because I was growing it out for a wedding. Days when we took the ONLY free day we had for miles to come and spent it road-tripping to bigger cities to knock out important stuff like finding a wedding ring for Ryan, a wedding outfit for Ryan, outfits for our groomsmen, bouquets for our bridesmaids...and this stop at Build-a-Bear to make the honorary bridesmaid and groomsman bears for our posthumous duo.

Days like this one:

...when God was gracious enough to let me find "the one" on the second try. When something I liked online actually worked ON ME. Days when my family and friends and co-workers sacrificed their time and came to be part of one of the most memorable days.

Days like this one:

...when I had a bridal shower and a bachelorette party in the same day because it fit for the one weekend my best friend could fly into town for pre-wedding festivities. Days when I met people in Ryan's family I'd never met before and tried to keep all their names straight. Days when I opened present after present and tried to balance between lingering in joy and moving along for the sake of those watching. Days when I ate delicious food {but with the dress in mind}.


And there was so much more. Evenings spent designing invitations, writing our program, writing our ceremony, making favors, going over the detail list AGAIN...

That was then.

And I loved everything about that season. It was so short and I made myself focus enough to savor every little bit of it. I wanted to remember it forever, and I still remember.

But ohhhhhhhhhhhhhh how glad I am it's this year and not three years ago. Not because it was bad then, but because breathing now is such a joy. SUCH a joy.

Ever have a season like that? You loved it and cherish it...but you are thanking the Lord it's calmer now?

Bekah and the Blue Dress Shirts

Thank you guys for being my capsule wardrobe therapists. It is helping me make sense of what I want and need to talk this process over with you. :)

So I told you already about why I decided to try this capsule thing {here, here, and here} and about the graphic t-shirts I fell in love with and about the plain t-shirts I'm using to make capsule staples. And so far, everything I've showed you has been basic. Many neutrals. And I'm really not a neutral sort of girl.

Over the past few years, I've received the most compliments when wearing some shade of blue. Apparently it really goes well with my skin tone, hair color, and eyes. BONUS: I like blue. BONUS AGAIN: It's Ryan's favorite color. So I decided, as I began this wardrobe building experience, that I would try to make blue a staple color. I did that partly because I already owned a fair amount of it, partly because I owned jewelry to match, and partly because who doesn't like to build up a color she's been told looks good on her? :)

Even though I am not part of the working-away-from-home crowd anymore, I did want to make sure this capsule adventure contained enough options for Sundays, dressy-ish dates, and other such occasions when I need to look a little bit better than yoga pants and graphic tees. And this category of shirts {also in thirds, as has become my accidental rule} is where the blue entered the wardrobe. All these shirts are basic in that they do not have a print to them. I like prints and think they have their place, but I wanted to make sure some of what I have in this wardrobe is plain, because I think that makes it more timeless.

So here are the three blue dressy shirts that made the capsule cut.

One.

This shirt has been in my wardrobe the longest, and not shockingly, it came from Cato...but it's been long enough ago now that I don't know how much I paid for it, and I know I can't find you a link, because you know how Cato has quick turnover in their clothing. But that's the beauty of this piece. Already owned it, so the entry fee was ZERO DOLLARS.

 As the teal part of the blue collection, this shirt reminds me of the beach and that makes me happy. I love the neck on this...kind of turtle-ish without being tight and causing me to suffocate. It has presence and character and I like that. The shirt itself is a medium and is more form fitting, so I like how it makes me feel {except on really fat days, when I just don't wear it.} It goes well with jeans AND dress clothes - and I can wear it in winter or summer because it has short sleeves and can stand alone or be layered with longer sleeves.

OH! And look! it made an appearance in our engagement photos three years ago!

Sentimental value? Extra bonus.

Two.

I bought this navy blue shirt last year, from Cato {gasp!!} and it was featured in our Christmas card photo shoot. So...two good things about it already? ZERO DOLLAR entry fee into the capsule AND...sentimental value!

It's has this beautiful flowy-ness about it that makes it good on the fluffy-feeling days, but it's not SO billowy that it doesn't fit against me a little bit. That's a lot to ask out of one shirt and it delivers. It's a medium, and again, it's got short sleeves, so I can wear it in warm weather, or I can add to it without overheating in colder weather. AND - it can easily dress up or down as well. Bonus!

Ryan LOVES this shirt, and I do too. I knew when I was sorting through shirts that this one was loved enough and worn enough to make the cut.

Three.

The newest blue-shirt entry into the capsule was this one that I bought at Cato earlier this summer when my sister came to visit. Technically I had already begun the mental process of knowing I was making a capsule...so this was a purposeful entry, but I no longer have the receipt, and since the process hadn't officially started yet, I'm marking this one as a ZERO DOLLAR entry fee.

This shirt is a small {WOO HOO!!} and royal blue, which was one of our wedding colors, so I really love that! It's definitely a fat day shirt, meaning it's quite billowy and needs to be worn with skinny pants to keep me from looking TOO pudgy. But I always need a handful of fat shirts in my collection, because for me, some days just demand it.

Ryan really likes the color of this one and how it looks on me, so that's a bonus.

In truth, I'm still learning how to style all three of these shirts in different ways. That's part of the learning curve of this capsule. But I think they have a lot of potential, even though they have really different construction. I love that all three are lightweight and therefore I can layer them without overheating {hopefully} since that's a pretty big issue for me. And I love all three of their blue hues. I love that I can use some of the same jewelry on each of them - because that's a savings of money and space as well!

So...the recap:

Three dressy shirts for the capsule wardrobe: CHECK!
Total cost for said shirts at this point in time: ZERO DOLLARS.
Size breakdown: medium, medium, and small. 
Color base for capsule: navy, teal, and royal blue.
Bekah: very happy with this trio. No need to look further at this time. 

Bekah's Bookshelf: Fall Reads

A few months ago, one of my Facebook friends asked if I would do a post of book recommendations. So I did this one at the end of May to offer suggestions for summer reading, and it JUST occurred to me that I should offer you an updated list for the fall. You know. Since fall is half over and there's something like a single digit number of Fridays left until Christmas. Free time, I'm sure, abounds for you.

Nevertheless...here is my suggested fall reading list.

One.

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A Place Called Home is my pick for vintage fiction. I chose this because last time I told you I cut my fiction reading teeth on Janette Oke's books, but my co-favorite author was Lori Wick. Lori doesn't write for publication anymore {that I'm aware of anyway} but I still think her works from years ago are worth the read, and this is the very first one I ever picked up.


Published back in 1990, this first of four books in the Place Called Home series, this book is set in the late 1800s in Wisconsin. Christine Bennett escapes to the small community of Baxter, Wisconsin to begin a new life after the death of her only living relative: her grandfather. She meets the Cameron family, who all seem to be drawn to her, and she hovers between fitting in with a new community and friends...and the mystery of her old life that seems to follow her everywhere.

I think you'll like the book so much, you'll have to read the second, the third, and probably also the fourth books in the series. And you'll probably want to marry one of the Cameron boys. Not that I ever wanted to...

Two.

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Last Chance Hero is my pick for brand new fiction, and if it sounds familiar to you...it's because I just reviewed it here. Maybe I like it so much because it, too, is in a series titled A Place to Call Home! Written by Cathleen Armstrong, and released just this fall, this is actually the FOURTH book in this series, but even if you haven't read the first three, you'll enjoy this tale. {Confession: after reading it, I wanted to immediately go out and buy the first three, though.}


I picked this book because it is set in the fall, which makes it a great fall read. It tells the story of Dr. Jessica McLeod, a young physician who sets up a private practice in the small town of Last Chance, New Mexico. She finds the community a bit more difficult to fit into, mostly because they're leery of strangers, and she has no interest in football, which is all the folks in Last Chance live for - at least during the fall season.

Filled with small town love, a good taste of romance, and a lace of faith, I found this book to be a delightful read, and whether or not you understand football, you'll enjoy this town and its people.

Three.

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For my memoir pick this round, I present to you {again} The Road to Becoming by Jenny Simmons. {My review of it can be found here.} Jenny Simmons was the lead singer of the band Addison Road, which you may have heard on the radio a few years ago, though they have since disbanded. Jenny still travels as a solo artist, but she is also a gifted writer, and this book was birthed through hard labor pains that gave way to incredible success.


I first learned about the book months ago, when Jenny initially published it through a Kickstarter campaign. It was so profoundly backed that she wildly exceeded her goals and was able to use the excess to do further ministry surrounding the book and her music. Baker Books picked up the book and republished it traditionally, and that's how I ended up with a copy of it.

Jenny tells stories of life on and off the road that you simply wouldn't believe until you read them. And even though the details of your life may not match hers, the lessons she learned and the truths she gleaned will be remarkably familiar, and she tells them with such refreshing vulnerability and honesty. I am so proud of Jenny for this book {look at me talking like I know her} and I think it's a worthy, worthy read.

Four.

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My inspirational read this round is another one I've reviewed before, but it's been a few weeks, so I wanted to put it in front of you again. Your Sacred Yes by Susie Larson is a must-read guide if you are guilty of taking on obligations out of sheer obligation and not out of God's prompting on your soul.


I thought since we were fixin' to head into the holidays again, it might be worth revisiting. How many of us take on wayyyyyyyyyyyyy to much around the holidays? If that's you {and I'll meet you halfway by telling you it also tends to be me} - you need this book. Let Susie teach you how to say no without being undone by guilt and shame, seek the Lord for what He wants you to say yes to, and discern His invitations vs. man's obligations.

Susie has a beautiful heart for the Lord and for people, I trust her words, and I appreciate her challenges.

Five.

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I promise promise promise I didn't do this post with the underlying intention of putting this book in front of your face. Truly. But when I saw it sitting there on the shelf with my other books, I wanted to remind you about it because the season is almost here! December is a little over a month away, and I still sit in awe of this little book that started out as an impression on my heart and then found its way into binding behind a cover. Such good memories of the year this book was a blessing on my broken little heart.


If you're new to the blogaroo and don't know, back in 2010, I published this book called His Advent: Still His Greatest Gift, which is a 25 day devotional reading for the month of December. It was born out of a Christmas season when I'd lost my zeal for the holiday and God used these lessons to bring my heart back to where it needed to be. Each reading takes you into the life of someone from Jesus' life who encountered Him in the flesh and left forever changed because of His presence.

It's been such a joy to hear people say what this book means to them each Christmas as they read it on their own or with their family. I know many of you who come here day after day already have a copy - and I hope if you do, you'll dig it out for another Christmas season. But if you're new and haven't seen it yet, I wanted to tell you about it. I'm not one to be ridiculous with self-promotion, but on the flip side, I am appropriately proud of this work and want to give it a little pre-holiday bump!

Texas Sheet Cake

Everything's bigger in Texas, they say. I don't know who "they" are - and I've only been to Texas once. I sat in the airport for two hours during a layover and had my picture taken in front of a sign that proved I had breathed the air of the state.

But if "they" are correct, {and Beth Moore's hair height would lead me to believe "they" indeed are...} then the Texas Sheet cake is proof. What it lacks in height, it more than makes up for in length and width. This cake goes on for days, and I love that most of all because I believe all cakes should go on for days. And be chocolate. Check and check with this cake.

This has it all. It's the perfect consistency, the perfect richness, the perfect antioxidant level {I'm not a scientist and have NO idea if that is true, but I have read that chocolate is rich in antioxidants, so I choose to believe it is true.} It feeds an army and that's actually why I made it the first time. I was contributing to a dessert buffet, and they needed desserts that provided many servings. I found this one and haven't looked back since.

Also.  I could eat the bowl of frosting as-is. This is frosting perfection. It can be such a war...frosting. Is it too creamy? Is it too sugary? Is it too whipped? No need to question this. It's just happiness in a bowl. With a spoon. Being shoveled in without even bothering with things like cake.

So what I'm saying is - make this. And then invite us over because we'll help you eat it. We are givers that way.

Texas Sheet Cake

* 2 cups flour
* 2 cups sugar
* 1 teaspoon baking soda
* 1/2 teaspoon salt
* 1/2 cup Greek yogurt
* 2 eggs
* 1 cup butter
* 1 cup water
* 5 Tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder


{Frosting}
* 6 Tablespoons milk
* 5 Tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder
* 1/2 cup butter
* 4 cups powdered sugar
* 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Grease and flour a 10x15 inch baking pan. Combine flour, sugar, baking soda and salt. Beat in the Greek yogurt and eggs. Set aside. In a small pan on the stove, melt the butter on low, add the water, and the 5 tablespoons of cocoa. Bring mixture to a boil and remove from heat. Cool for just a moment and then pour into the egg/yogurt mixture until blended. Pour batter into pan, bake at 350 for 20 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the middle of the cake comes out clean .

For the icing - in a large saucepan on the stove, combine the milk and cocoa with the butter and bring to a boil. Remove from the heat and stir in the powdered sugar and vanilla. Stir until blended and spread over warm cake.

A Few Tips:

* I don't normally make anything with that long an ingredient list, but TRUST me. So worth the effort.

* Disclaimer: I realize that when a recipe calls for THREE STICKS OF BUTTER, you can just pretty much kiss any other health-it-up attempts goodbye. But that doesn't stop me from trying anyway. we use whole wheat flour, and it doesn't make the cake taste any differently.

* We also use organic eggs and milk, not because we're all organic, but because those are two things we choose to splurge on to try to be a smidge healthier.

* The original recipe called for sour cream where I've listed the Greek yogurt, but I choose yogurt because it gives me extra protein and is something I have on hand anyway.

* The batter is SUPER runny. You know how cake mixes are usually thick? Not this one. This one is very soupy. So if you think you messed up - you didn't.

* DO NOT mistake the pan size for a cookie sheet sized pan. I mean, not that I did that once or anything. I thought a regular cookie sheet was a Texas sheet cake pan and it is NOT. I had a running-over-in-the-oven mess and extra batter I didn't know what to do with. Nightmare. If you aren't sure, get out a ruler and measure. I mean, not that I did that either.

* Let me help you with this part. when you're frosting the cake, "accidentally" leave some frosting in the bowl. And then eat it with a spatula. Just do it.

You Asked!!

Okay....so you said I never told you the toilet story.

Here you go!!!

Back in the summer, my parents asked Ryan if he could do a project at their house. They have a half bath {a tiny half bath} off one of the bedrooms, and Mom wanted to put in new flooring and a new toilet. So Ryan decided to do the project while my parents were on vacation - to cause minimum inconvenience. {Because, you know, having an entire bathroom torn up messes with the whole house.}

He started one Monday evening and the next day, work was so slow that he was forced to take a vacation day. He chose to take his unexpected day off to knock out the project. This was right after I left work at the station, and I was trying to get into a routine at home. We decided it would be most advantageous for me to stay home and work while Ryan went to my parents' house and worked.

In the early afternoon, he called and said that he had shut off the water entirely, but about a half hour after he did that, a geyser of water started shooting up from the exposed toilet pipe. The only thing that would keep it under control was if he sat with his thumb over the hole. Could I run to Lowe's and buy {insert plumbing part name here that I don't remember}?

So I ran to Lowe's and found what I thought he wanted, took pictures and texted it to him...but no, that wasn't it. {Any day when you find a woman taking pictures of plumbing parts in Lowe's...be afraid. Be very afraid.}

So I gave up and drove to my parents' house. And I found Ryan:

Plugging up the geyser.

So we switched places. I plugged the hole so he could go to the store and look for parts. He set me up in the hot little bathroom with a fan to keep me cool and a book to keep me entertained. Because there's not a lot to do in an empty bathroom.

I took some selfies:

And about an hour later, he came back with a cap to cap it off. I was relieved of my duties and permitted to go home.

The setback meant he had to spend another day there, so the next night, he stopped on his way home from work, and I decided I'd had enough time apart. I showed up with treats:

And Ryan finished his work.

He's nothing if not entertaining.

Don't you guys wish you got to live with us all the time???

PS - Here is the before and after of all his hard work.

Linking up!

The Shafferland Shuffle

* Last Sunday I snapped this picture of Ryan holding my hand during Sunday School. No particular reason. Just love it that he does that. :) We spent the afternoon learning to use our new tripod and having a fun photo shoot, part B in the backyard! It was a lovely day of rest, all the way around.

* Monday evening, we had our friends over to take their family pictures, and then we had hot dogs and s'mores. I was excited that the photos turned out well, and I just so enjoyed getting to know our new friends and their kids! {We are still working on getting Braeya to put on her hostessing hat. It's not going well.}

* Tuesday morning, my hair dryer died smack in the middle of drying my hair. I was 3/4 dry and 1/4 wet. No good. I had to finish by air drying and then messing with the flat iron. There really is never a good time for a hair dryer to bite the dust, is there? I tore down our photo booth and used all the props to decorate the porch! And that night, Ryan made me his guinea pig for learning to use the stuff in his new home health care bag. {He's taking on a side job doing home health care some evenings, and he's in training right now.}

* Wednesday night we went to my parents' house so Ryan could install their birthday present! My sisters and I pitched in to get them a new fancy pants faucet system for their kitchen, and Ryan was on installation duty. I made breakfast for dinner and took that over - and we really had a fun night! And for once, no major mishaps!!

* Thursday I spent the day at the Salvation Army, helping as a volunteer for their Christmas assistance application program. I'd never done that kind of volunteer work before, and I really enjoyed it. It was like playing secretary for a day and I always enjoy that. :) I did some work at home later that day and went to move this stack of bags that I was relocating from one room to another. Someone beat me to it. And I made my own face moisturizer. I feel so domesticated.

* Friday I got a rare treat - a long enough moment of attention from Braeya that I got a picture! She is such a daddy's girl that she really has no use for me anymore, but this was fun! My favorite part of the day? Getting to enjoy a Starbucks date with my love, AND we stopped by to see some friends and I got some love from THEIR pet{since mine has become a traitor}.

* Yesterday, you guys, was lovely. We both had the whole day off work and actually slept in until we woke up...rather than to the alarm. I do not even remember the last time we did that. We lounged around, drank coffee all morning, and rested. Later, we went out for BBQ, and then we snuggled up and watched HGTV. Heaven in a day, I tell you.