Pictures!!!

If you missed yesterday's post, and you like to read Ann Voskamp, go check it out, because I'm giving away her newest book, The Broken Way, and the accompanying study guide and DVD {both of which release later this month}.

In other news, I thought we could all use something lighthearted and fun today, so GUESS WHAT!?!?!? We got our pictures back! :)

Because we got engaged in the fall, Ryan and I have a tradition of always having a photo shoot sometime in the fall. Annual family pictures, if you will. Ryan's mom has always taken them for us, and she always does a great job, but this has been a busy fall for her with all of Ryan's grandpa's health issues, so we decided to give her a break and hire a photographer.

Jessi MacNulty took them, and she was so much fun to work with. And in even faster time than promised, she had them edited and returned to us...and I thought you might like to see a sampling. I'll hang onto the ones that are in contention for the Christmas card, so you won't see those today. :)

Happy browsing! :)

Hope you enjoyed!!!!

The Broken Way {& A Giveaway!!}

First up today...we have a brand new Spill the Beans out. If you'd like to live vicariously through the date in which Ryan serenaded me through the mall's Christmas tree display, or you'd like to hear what it's like when yours truly tries to forage her way alone through Lowe's, do not miss this week's podcast.

Click here to listen.

And now...for the book lovers in the crowd!

A few years ago, in 2011 to be exact,  this writer named Ann Voskamp showed up in all our lives and taught us how she learned to live fully by counting One Thousand Gifts. Maybe you took the dare that year, or one of the years that followed.  Counting out One Thousand Gifts of your own and recognizing God in the tiniest of moments. My counting came in the year after my deep, dark desert, and my one thousandth gift transcribed in the notebook was one you know well: Ryan Shaffer.

In these years since, Ann's been writing away on her blog, teaching us from her well of wisdom in her recognizable, lyrical voice. And as you might have heard, just a few weeks ago, she released a new book: The Broken Way.

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I was eager to see this new book and discover what Ann had been learning in this meantime between books, and I wanted to read slowly so I could fully digest and savor. This wasn't a book to fly through, and I knew that going in. Ann's style is careful and thoughtful, and to read too quickly is to miss out. So I've been snacking on a chapter at a time, underlining, considering, contemplating, and learning.

The first words I underlined were from page 15: "Maybe this broken way is making something new. He is making all things new." And oh, how I learned that firsthand in my desert. That brokenness doesn't lead to the end, but it leads to something new. And if He could make all things new for me, I know He can do it for you. {And probably He will do it for me again after a desert I haven't yet walked.}

Here's the thing.

Most of us avoid brokenness. We don't want to look broken and needy in front of others. We don't want to look broken and needy to God. We don't even want to see broken and needy in the mirror. So we avoid our brokenness.

I did.

Before my desert, I avoided it. I wanted to be the strong one. The rock. The invincible one. But after the desert, I learned to own broken. I was incapable of hiding how broken I was, so instead of avoiding it, I embraced it. And the craziest thing happened: I learned that other people identified with my brokenness far more than they identified with my pretend wholeness. If I was brave enough to admit my broken places, they felt safe enough to join me there, and healing began. Broken people, gathered together to hurt over similar wounds began to heal together through seeking God's Face and receiving God's grace.

But it only happens when you are willing to let people see how and where you're broken.

And that's what Ann does in this book. She opens the doors to her heart and lets you see the things that have broken her. The pain of cutting. The disappointment of family dysfunction. The unrelenting sting of death. Watching her kids wrestle with hard things. Facing fears. Much more.

She says the things most people want to, but are either afraid to or don't know how to say. She gives permission to hurt. Permission to grieve. Permission to be broken.

A few other thoughts I underlined:

"Who knows why God allows heartbreak, but the answer must be important enough because God allows His heart to break too." - p. 55

"Don't waste a minute on anything less than what lasts for all eternity." - p. 95

"Love pries open your chest and pulls open the door of your heart so someone can walk right in and make this mess that remakes you into something more beautiful." - p. 131

"Be brave and do not pray for the hard thing to go away, but pray for a bravery that's bigger than the hard thing." - p. 167

"Don't we all have to unlearn fear before we can truly learn to love?" - p. 214

I had two main lines of thought as I read this book. The first was how I wished it had been written back when I was walking my own broken way. Seeing these words might have given me the courage to be braver sooner. At the very least, they would have given me comfort that I was not alone in my brokenness.

The second thought was that even though I'm not walking the most broken way right now, these words still break me. There are still things about my heart that are too calloused and need to be more tender.

So...if you are in a place of deep brokenness right now, and you need to know that it's okay to break, and you need to know that someone has walked a broken road and lived to tell about it, this book is for you. If you know someone who is broken in two right now, and you want to understand them, but their own words fail them, read this to get a glimpse of how they might be feeling.

And because we never live free from a future of brokenness, if you want to know how to break better next time, read this book.

I want to pause to say that I think there's a need to be careful with books like this...books that sail to the top of charts and are gobbled up by readers simply because the authors are best-sellers and are put on pedestals of faith. I've pulled back from reading some authors I previously read without question, because I've felt a conviction to be more careful about just automatically accepting teaching. I read this book with a guard up, hoping I wouldn't find anything untrustworthy from Ann, whose writing has taught me so much. I asked for discernment as I read, too, praying for the Lord to show me if there were patterns of thought taught within that I shouldn't adopt.

Personally, I did not find that to be the case with this book. I came away convicted about a handful of things that I need to work on, comforted in knowing I did some things well in my own previous brokenness, and I learned things about the Lord I'd never before considered. That was my experience with this book. But I urge you with this and all books you read, to read with discernment and not just accept ideas as truth because the person who wrote them has been given a platform. The Bible alone is the measuring stick for every word authors write.

I also want to pause and say that if you've never read Ann Voskamp before, her writing style is very distinctive. She crafts words in such a lovely and poetic way, but the style doesn't let you speed through the pages and grasp every word to its fullest. So, read slowly. Don't let the poetic nature push you away.

And as promised...it's giveaway time!

I have one copy of The Broken Way by Ann Voskamp and will have {after its release later this month} one copy of the study guide with DVD to give away to one of you! :) 

If you would like to enter to win, leave a comment with one thing {could be a verse, a quote, piece of advice...whatever} that was helpful to you in a time of your own brokenness. If you comment anonymously, please make sure to leave your name and a way to contact you so I can get in touch with you if I draw your name!

I will leave the drawing open through Saturday night at 11:00 p.m. ET and will announce the winner at the start of the Shafferland Shuffle on Sunday. I'll mail the entire gift pack your way after I receive the study guide and DVD following their release later this month.

* Zondervan and The Blythe Daniel Agency provided me with a complimentary copy of The Broken Way and will also provide me a complimentary copy of the study guide and DVD to accompany the book. The gift pack is also provided by them. All opinions in this post are my own and I was not required to provide a favorable review. *

In Case Company Seems Overwhelming...

When I hosted my third Thanksgiving, I was still a whippersnapper, fresh out of college, and excited to be trusted with a family holiday of that magnitude. In all fairness, when I say I "hosted," I should confess that my mom and aunt brought all the food except the stuffing and the ice cubes. I stood in my kitchen, dutifully stirring the stuffing {Dressing? Whatever.} and my Uncle Jerry stuck his head in the doorway and said, "Seems like you're enjoying this a little more this year!"

Apparently my previous attempts to mask my utter panic over hosting a major holiday the previous years had not entirely fooled him. He was right, though. Something about year three didn't scare me nearly as much as years one and two. {And rightfully so, since I was only in charge of two things!}

And just for funsies - some throwback pictures to that first year of enjoying my hosting:

But if you're not used to hosting, it can be that way, can't it? The panic about the house looking presentable enough. The mystery of how to make all the dishes magically conclude cooking at the same time. The dance of working and socializing simultaneously. Sometimes it can only be learned through experience. Trying over and over until you figure it out.

Sometimes the biggest problem is just deciding what to fix that will make everyone happy, meet all dietary restrictions, and coordinate well together. 

We just hosted our fourth "Tuesdays at the Table" and I wanted to share with you today our four menu plans {so far} in case you need some ideas. {And Ryan thinks the record should show I have learned to cook more food than the stuffing and the ice cubes. HA!}

Week One: 
The first Tuesday, we hosted Ryan's dad and step-mom, and yes, I was nervous to cook for my in-laws! We've had them over for a meal before, but I did feel the self-imposed pressure to prove Ryan had chosen a wife who could cook well. And even though it wasn't really fall-feeling outside, it was fall, so I wanted the food to reflect the season in some way.

* Chicken Pot Pie Soup
* Biscuits {From a can...I haven't advanced to biscuits from scratch yet}
* Zucchini Bake
* Apple Spice Cookies with Coffee
{I made the cookies the day before, I started the soup a couple of hours prior to dinner so it could simmer, and then shortly before dinner, I put together the zucchini bake and slaved over those canned biscuits.}

Week Two:
Our next guests were Ryan's grandma and her husband, and again, I felt the need to prove he had a wife who could cook well for him! I also wasn't sure what to fix for the woman whose tried-and-true cooking I have enjoyed immensely at holiday gatherings! So this time I went for breakfast with a fall-feeling twist.

* Pumpkin Pancakes with Syrup
* Breakfast Casserole {this version is a crock-pot recipe and is a bit cleaner-eating}
* Amish Friendship Bread with Coffee
{I had the friendship bread in the freezer, so I just got it out to thaw the day before. I put the breakfast casserole in the crock pot at lunchtime and let it cook itself all afternoon. I whipped up the pancake batter shortly before dinner and cooked the pancakes right before we ate.} 

Week Three: 
This time we had friends with kids come over for dinner! I wanted to make something that was fun for the kids and tasty for everyone. We also had to reschedule this dinner for a Friday {Ryan ended up with a last minute class to attend on Tuesday} so I wanted something that was fun for a weekend.

* Pizza stuffed crescents for an appetizer
* Pizza bar {Canned pizza dough, pizza sauce, pepperoni, turkey pepperoni, sausage, tomatoes, green pepper, green onion, white onion, mushrooms, black olives, cheese} - everyone could build their own pizza with whatever they wanted on it - and however much they wanted of each topping.
* Candy shop pizza with Coffee
{I made the candy shop pizza early in the day, though it easily could have been done the day before, I cut up all the pizza toppings earlier in the day, but that could have been done the day before, too. All I had to do right before dinner was put everything out, cut the canned dough into portions for everyone, and throw together the pizza stuffed crescents.}

Week Four:
Our fourth Tuesday brought some friends from out of town!! Dear Shari, that I met through blogging/working at the station and her husband came to visit, and we had the best time together. She wanted me to keep it as low-key as I could, and she even brought dessert to share!

* Shredded pork loin with BBQ sauce {The sauce is homemade and purchased from one of Ryan's patients' churches. DELICIOUS, but I have no idea what their secret is!}  
* Asparagus
* Roasted Sweet Potatoes
* Shari brought an apple pie with ice cream, and of course, we had coffee.
{The pork cooked itself all day in the crock pot, and the BBQ sauce came from a jar. I cut up the sweet potatoes about an hour before dinner and tossed them in the seasoning so they could cook. I made the asparagus right before we ate, and dessert was all a gift!}


A few other notes:
* I work hard to NOT stress about over-cleaning the house. Rosie runs every morning, so the floors are swept, and I run a dustcloth over the house before company arrives. And I clean the bathrooms. If we see cat hair on the couch, we lint-roller it, and that's the extent of our cleaning stresses. If something's out of place, it's out of place, and that's okay. {OH! And Ryan always cleans the front window because he sees dirt that is invisible to me, and it bugs him.}


* If we have kids over, I tell their parents to load up the car with whatever they love to play with, because we're boring. I want them to feel free to bring their own toys, books, movies, whatever they want.

* Sometimes things get messed up. {Shout out to pizza night when the oven was OFF for the first twenty minutes the pizzas "baked." Embarrassing? Yes. Anything I can do about it? No. Laugh it off and hand out more appetizers.}

* HAVE FUN. We do these nights because we want to open our home and spend time with friends. So we focus on that. We laugh, we tell stories, we catch up...and that's the whole point. It's not to impress them. It's not to win points. It's just to have fun. And you can only have fun if you allow yourself to do so.

The Shafferland Shuffle

HAPPY DAYLIGHT SAVINGS DAY!!! IF YOU'RE UP EARLY, GO BACK TO BED FOR ANOTHER HOUR!!! :)

* Last Sunday, Ryan and I started our Halloween happenings. I made his Charlie Brown costume while he watched football, and we decorated our pumpkin cookies together. It was so much fun! We even had little taco stuffed pepper jack-o-lanterns for dinner to complete our celebration!

* Monday was Halloween, and "Charlie" went to work! :) I didn't dress up, but I did find a little trick-or-treating shirt to wear. Our only trick-or treaters were our niece and nephews, but they were little cuties!! We went to my parents' house that night to work on projects for them, so I guess technically, we went trick-or-treating.

* Tuesday was November 1, and it was THE most beautiful day! Sunny, blue skies, and warm enough to wear a sleeveless dress. WHAT?!?!? We hosted Tuesdays at the Table that night with our friends Wayne and Shari, and we had the best time. Pulled pork and veggies, Shari's homemade apple pie for dessert, and even Braeya made an appearance for a while. It was great!

* Wednesday was our 47th monthiversary, and Ryan had to go to Indianapolis for a meeting that day. I took brunch to his co-workers, and that night, we went on a little date! Voting, coffee, Lowe's, and a Christmas tree tour at the mall. It was a great monthiversary!

* Thursday was a writing day for me. I accomplished a lot, but I got behind on steps, so after work, I went for a walk and found myself rewarded with the most beautiful sunset! Ryan and I enjoyed an evening at home, which made Braeya SO HAPPY.

* Friday, I got a fun surprise of FUN MAIL! There is not nearly enough fun mail going around in this world, is there? After work, Ryan and I went back to my parents' to do some more work, and that resulted in yours truly taking a trip to Lowe's for more supplies that WILL have to be a podcast story, because oh. my. word. It was classic Bekah, through and through.

* Yesterday morning, I went to a Christmas bazaar at a church and an open house at a bakery with my friend, Kari. I have decided I love bakery open houses. Samples are a pretty wonderful thing! That afternoon, Ryan worked to winterize the house...cutting back the bushes and all those chores. And last night, we went to our nephew's birthday party. He's such a cutie and the party was so well themed {as it always is...my sister-in-law rocks the party themes}!

The Saturday Six

One.

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I don't know how many of you are immersed in the adult coloring world {ahem, Shari}, but if you are, here are a couple of pages you can print for Thanksgiving. I know every family does Thanksgiving differently, but if your gathering is the hang-out-all-day-together kind, this might be a fun thing to have on hand for people to do while they wait...for the meal to digest so they can snack again. :)


Two.

I probably should have said this FIRST, but I didn't. I feel it is part of my Shafferland blog duty to remind you that tomorrow is time change day. I still hate everything about changing clocks as a general principle, but at least this is the half of the change when I get more sleep and magically transform into a nicer person!! Three cheers for extra sleep!!!


Three.

Our anniversary is coming up in less than a month, and while I think I know what I'm getting Ryan, I confess that this anniversary has stumped me. I have always gotten a gift that matches the traditional/modern gifts for anniversaries. {First anniversary is paper, and I got a piece of subway art that recounted our first year's adventures. Second anniversary is cotton, and I made a canvas print using a photo from one of our trips and a quote Ryan loves. Third anniversary is leather, and I got him a leather desk caddy which turned into our remote boat. LOL!} The fourth anniversary gift is fruit or flowers, and that is proving quite challenging for a December anniversary. But meanwhile, I stumbled upon this article, which offers some really great suggestions for anniversary ideas in general!

Four.

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Hey book lovers!! If you haven't already seen this...check it out!!! A Christian Fiction blog scavenger hunt! It runs through Sunday, so you still have one more day to participate. You start at the first stop {HERE!} and follow the posts...each one will give you the link for the next one. At the end, you enter the message you pick up along the way and you'll have a chance to win great books. And many of the stops along the way have their own extra giveaways. You'll have a chance to meet authors you've maybe never heard of, and learn new fun things about authors you know and love!  

Five.

Isn't this a cute DIY project? The fabric part would be beyond the scope of my skills, but maybe you're smarter than I am!! :)  

Six.

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Earlier this year, I read the first book in a new series called Prince Edward Island Dreams. I know. It's obviously a winner already, says this Anne of Green Gables junkie. The book, The Red Door Inn, combined the swoon-worthy island with another swoon-worthy element: a bed and breakfast. I loved the book and literally chomped at the bit for book two to release...which it just did. 

Where Two Hearts Meet picks up shortly after book one ended, and I have a confession to make. I actually fell in love with the cinnamon rolls in the first book. {This is new. I have never before fallen in love with fictional food. When you can make your non-existent FOOD memorable, you're a good author.} And much to my utter delight, they were the first thing featured in book two, chapter one. My mouth is actually watering right now as I write about them.

They were featured because Caden Holt, cinnamon-roll-baker-extraordinaire from book one is the leading lady of book two. Caden had helped her father run his bakery on Prince Edward Island, but now she's the executive chef of the Red Door Inn, treating guests to cinnamon rolls and other culinary delights...though she has no formal culinary training.

The Inn, still new and finding its place in a tourist-laden island, is in financial trouble. It needs a new roof, and of course the recurring bills keep doing what they do best: recurring. The owners, Seth and Marie, are desperate to keep the Inn afloat, and when they get word that a travel writer will be visiting and might feature the Inn in a magazine, they hope against hope that this will fix everything.

Adam Jacobs checks into the Inn for a couple of months and mentions in passing that he's a writer, so Marie and Caden are certain he is the writer. Marie assigns Caden the task of making Adam fall in love with the Inn and the island, but before she can get busy on that, Caden finds herself unexpectedly falling into some feelings of love herself: for Adam.

But no one ever loves Caden. With the big 3-0 looming not too far away, she's aware that she's the awkward and invisible misfit. She hides in the kitchen and impresses with her baking, but no one ever sees her. And someone like Adam would certainly never go for a girl like her. Even if he's forced to spend large quantities of time with her.

But Adam has a few secrets of his own - ones he'd rather not confront, but something about the Island and the girl named Caden makes him begin to do just that.

SO many other things I could tell you about this book and its captivating story, but I won't because then you wouldn't need to read the book. And you do need to read the book.

Maybe it's because I saw so much of myself in Caden...maybe it's because I love bed and breakfasts...maybe it's because I really love cinnamon rolls...maybe it's the lure of the Island...I don't know, but I do know book two was as captivating as book one, and hold me back come summer of 2017: book three is on its way!

* Revell sent me a complimentary copy of this book. All opinions are my own! *

47th Monthiversary

Two days ago, we crossed the line of 47 months of marriage. You know what that means, right? NEXT MONTH is four years. What in the world!?!? How has this happened?

I posted a picture of the two of us on Instagram and said I still can't get over the idea that this marriage thing is my real life. True story. I also said I don't take it for granted. Also a true story. I know some of you are waiting and praying and struggling with discouragement {especially heading into a fresh round of major holidays}, so I want to pause to say I still remember.

This week, I was wrestling with another desire of my heart that hasn't quite looked how I maybe hoped or dreamed it would, and as I unloaded that frustration on Ryan during lunch, I was freshly aware that the feelings are not new. They're the same ones I had as a single girl longing for love. The details of the longing are different, but the feelings are the same. And that realization did two things for me. First, it made me stop and pray for you who are waiting for love, because it was a fresh reminder of how much those days hurt when I lived there. Secondly, it reminded me that just as God handled those details in His timing, He will handle these details in His timing too. He's proven that to me through our history of journeying together, so this is a great time for me to, you know...be still. {Gulp.}

So if you're single and waiting, I'm sending a hug your way today. I'm happy to pray for you if you want to shoot me a message and let me know you need a boost! And regardless of where you are in the single/dating/engaged/married spectrum, I want to also encourage you that reaching almost four years does not mean boredom has set in. Not by a long shot. :)

We did something we NEVER do, and started off the day with apple pie for breakfast. WHAT!?!!?!? We'd hosted Tuesdays at the Table the night before, and our guests/friends Wayne and Shari brought us apple pie. Ryan joked about us having it for breakfast Wednesday morning and then said something about having yogurt. I stopped him and said, "You can't joke about food like that. My heart is already set on rebelling and having apple pie for breakfast." HA!!!! Anyone else take their food that seriously? So apple pie for breakfast it was. {Two scoops = Ryan's piece.}

Ryan actually had a long work meeting in Indianapolis that day, so he had asked if I would be willing to make a brunch for him and the co-workers traveling with him. So after my carpool run, I scurried home and finished making brunch for about a dozen people, and I drove it over to the hospital so they could eat before they left for the meeting. Ham, egg, and cheese sliders, a fruit bowl, and homemade pumpkin bread...and they cleaned it up!

Before he left, we did our monthly photo:

And then he was gone. :(

I worked at home while he was gone for the day, and although he had planned to mow the yard when he got home, it was raining, so we went to plan B.

Voting.

I wanted to be sure we got that done early, because I'm not great with being trapped in long lines. Anxiety sets in over that. So we were in and out in no time, and on to the place we almost always go on our monthiversary: Lowe's. HA!

And...Starbucks. Because of course.

Kokomo has this longstanding tradition called We Care, which is an annual fundraiser to help the underprivileged at Christmastime. {You can read the history of how it started here.} Anyway, back in the 90's, they added the Trim-a-Tree festival to the fundraiser. People/businesses donate fully decorated trees {and gifts, in some cases}, and they are on display in the mall for a couple of weeks before they're auctioned off.

The trees are up for another few days, so we went by the mall to peruse them.

You guys. I laughed until I cried. Not at the trees. The trees were lovely.

AT RYAN!!!!!!

Every tree is named, and most of the names are a play-on-words of a Christmas song. He sang every song when we got to that tree. Serenaded me the entire way through the mall. I was cracking up. {Well. Until we got to the Joy to the World tree and he stood at full height and belted from the bottom of his feet, JOY TO THE WORLD!!!! Then I elbowed him to bring it down a few decibels.} It was so funny! You've not looked at a tree display until you've looked with Ryan.

After the tree fun, we came home had dinner, and watched as much of the final game of the World Series as my stress and his tiredness could take. At midnight, I hid in bed with the covers over my head , because I just could not take it anymore! {PRETTY EXCITED to wake up to the news that the Cubs won!!!}

So that was monthiversary 47. Unique, fun, and thankfulness-inducing!

Halloween 2016

I know everyone has an opinion on Halloween...to celebrate or not to celebrate...to dress up or not to dress up...on and on it goes.

I've never been super-into Halloween. Yes, I was allowed to dress up when I was a kid, and I did for all my elementary school years. Our church always had a party {before Trunk or Treat was a thing}, and I'd trick or treat at trusted people's houses. I wasn't ever allowed to be a witch or ghost or anything evil or controversial. I am actually quite a scaredy cat, so I also don't do scary movies or haunted houses. But I mean, for real: it's a candy-centered holiday, so I cannot ignore it entirely, you know?

The first couple of years we were married, I don't think we did a thing for Halloween. In 2014, it fell on a Friday, which was our date night, and we went to Indianapolis to eat. That was when we learned Halloween is THE BEST NIGHT OF THE YEAR to go to a sit-down restaurant. They're empty! Everyone is either taking kids out to trick-or-treat OR they're home passing out candy/protecting their property. So there's just a little PSA for you on the merits of eating out on Halloween. You're welcome. Anyway. That night, it SNOWED, so we named it snow-loween.

Last year, I found out Ryan was allowed to dress up for work, so of course, I was ALL OVER THAT. We transformed him into Mr. Clean, and we also carved pumpkins and ate a festive Papa Murphy's pumpkin shaped pizza and totally-not-clean-eating orange chocolate chip cookies. {This was also before we started eating clean.}

This year's Halloween was hodge-podged over a couple of days, starting with the making of the costume:

 Because of course....

 ISN'T HE THE CUTEST CHARLIE BROWN???

{I was also floored at the number of people who didn't know who he was!}

I sent him off to work with his costume and his eyeliner-pencil hair, which I had to go over and reapply by 10 a.m. because he kept forgetting he was wearing it and rubbed it off. Whoopsie!!!

Our niece and nephews came to trick-or-treat during the day, so we all met at the hospital so Ryan could see them too. {My sister-in-law is the one with Ryan. One of the kiddos refused a picture unless she could be in it too.}

And yes. The littlest one is happily munching on the candy WRAPPER. Never asked for it to be opened. Just content to mash it to death through the wrapper. And also, yes, their mom is holding the key pieces of each of their costumes. I never said it was a well crafted photo. It's just a photo. LOL!

Lest I be left out, I tried to get a little festive. {Wanted to be Lucy to match Charlie, but I couldn't find the right blue dress.}

 Forgot my lips. Sorry about that.

Anyway.

We went to work at my parents' house that evening, so we didn't receive any trick-or-treaters, other than the kiddos at work. Maybe next year!

BUT!! We did have a little more fun. We had planned to carve pumpkins, but the truth is, we were just too tired to deal with a mess of that magnitude {plus Ryan couldn't find anything he wanted to carve}, so we went to plan B instead.

COOKIES!!!!!

I made regular sugar cookies and also clean eating cookies from the Dashing Dish website, and we had so much fun decorating them with the limited collection of supplies we had on hand for this last-minute adventure.

 {What...do you not stretch before baking adventures?}

AND!!!

Made taco stuffed jack-o-lantern peppers for dinner.

So that was our Halloween! Ryan already dropped a suggestion of what he wants to be next year, so I am ON IT!!! I will make it happen!