Fall Home Tour

Do you decorate your home differently for every season? I don't do it for every season, but I am trying to be more intentional about purchasing décor that is long-lasting and timeless so I can make each purchase an actual investment.

And of course, that means doing most of it on clearance, so I'm always working for the next season. Today is the fall home tour on this link-up, and I thought I'd show you some of my best fall finds from the years and why I love them so. (Fall is one season I decorate for rather thoroughly, mostly because I can make it last for almost three months, so it's worth the work!)

My apologies for photo quality today. The day I took the pictures was not a bright, sunny fall day, so I had a terrible time getting the lighting right. (aka I did NOT get the lighting right.) So these aren't all that they could be, but hopefully they're tolerable for you today.

I'm actually still working on our front porch décor. I have part of it done, and earlier this week we found some pumpkins at a great price. But I don't have the straw or the mums yet, so it's just a half-done corner right now. (It didn't want its picture taken, I'm quite sure.)

I do love our front door wreath, though. I got it a few years ago at the end of the season at a good price, and it has been serving us well ever since.

I also really like the foyer table, which is filled with fall pieces I've owned for several years. And I am still madly in love with my typewriter, which is an attic find from my parents' house. It used to be my dad's actual, working, every-day typewriter.

I also love this gigantic thing, because in one fell-swoop, it decorates an entire piece of furniture. Doesn't even need fluffing! I found it at Hobby Lobby (back in my single days, I think) after the season ended, for twenty dollars. I believe it was originally $100. (Which we all know it shouldn't have been, but doesn't it sound great for reporting a sale?)

I used to put it on the fireplace, but that now holds all our TV and internet stuff, so it's been relocated to the cedar chest.

I also love this little corner of assorted treasures, gathered throughout the years. The monogramed tray was a 40th birthday gift from my friend Amber (she did all that artwork on it herself!) and the little picture was a gift from my friend, Kari. It's Ryan holding his mom's hand while she was in ICU prior to her death.

I also love this little corner. That's a Lindsay Letters canvas that she gifted to me when we visited her storefront a few years ago. I adore it and think it will always be one of my best-loved art pieces in our home, because the portion of Scripture about being delivered from the wilderness into the Promised Land has such personal significance to me.

Mom gave me this vintage cake plate this past Christmas. It belonged to her, so bonus points for sentimentality, and when I'm not using it to serve food, I make it a decoration pedestal.

I didn't have a ton of things to put in the kitchen, but I do have a few fall mugs that I add to the area above the cabinets. I pretty much keep that area decorated with standard stuff throughout the year and just intersperse a few seasonal things. Makes it easier.

Since I'm still building my fall collection, I also don't have many fall things in the bedrooms, because then they can't be seen by the people who come over. But I do have this little pumpkin on my dresser in our bedroom.

And this free printable from Pinterest graces the guest room:

And I love this little area on our porch coffee table. The metal tray was a gift from Ryan's mom a few years ago. The metal vase (which you can't really see too well here) also belonged to her, and Allen gave it to me back at Mother's Day. He brought me a rose in it and told me if I'd like to keep it and use it to decorate, he'd like me to have it. So of course I said yes. I wasn't even thinking at the time how perfectly it would match the tray she'd given us. I got those flowers at the dollar store (shhhh) and the little plate was a gift from Lynne back when I worked at the station. It's the perfect fall collection for that table.

So there you have it! Our fall collection - the foundation edition. If you need me at the end of the season, check the Hobby Lobby clearance aisles. ;)

Treasuring and Pondering

Ryan and I are leading a small group through Erica Wiggenhorn's study Unexplainable Jesus. Last night we had Christmas in September, because we studied Luke 2 and 3, about Jesus' birth and boyhood.

If you study the Bible much, you might know Luke 2:19, which says, "But Mary treasured up all these things and pondered them in her heart."

Maybe, like me, you've always had an idea of what you thought that verse meant. I wrote about it when I wrote my Advent study years ago. To me, it's always meant that Jesus' birth was so sacred to Mary that to write about it or speak of it would in some way violate an intimate trust. Those moments were hers and hers alone, and she treasured them.

I still think that is probably true for many moments Mary lived alongside Jesus, but Erica had an additional angle of thought on this that I'd never considered. She said, "We have no reason to believe anyone accepted Mary's claim of an angelic appearance at this point...The term treasured up is the Greek word syntero. Mary attempted to perpetually keep these things in the forefront of her thoughts. She intensely guarded these memories."

Until I did this study (along with the Gospels study I'm doing all year long) I never really thought about it before. In the crowd of people who did daily life with Mary and Joseph, did anyone besides Zechariah and Elizabeth ever really believe their story? At least until after the resurrection...did anyone stop to consider they might actually be telling the truth about this Baby? I have a feeling that on most levels, no matter what Mary ever said or did, she was probably always the good-girl-turned pregnant-teenager who gave birth to a fascinatingly odd child.

Treasuring was probably better than sharing, because it all mattered to her. And if no one around her was going to believe her - or worse, if they ridiculed her for her words - why would she share them?

Today marks 31 years since my little nephew - the one who made me an aunt in the first place - bypassed life on earth entirely and went straight to Heaven. He was stillborn in the early hours of a Sunday morning, and I have written about him many times on this blog and shared about him often in my speaking.

I do it because his life matters. I do it because his life marked me. I do it because his life shaped my faith journey.

I probably won't ever stop talking about him, just like I don't stop talking about his sister, who was born just over a year later. Her life matters. Her life has marked me. Her life radically shaped my faith journey. (And she has the cutest little girl of her own now, and they both live way too far away for my liking.)

But I will tell you something. Losing Ryan's mom earlier this year has also marked my life and shaped my faith - and my grief - in new ways. There is something about grieving a person whose life linked with yours through marriage that is far different than grieving a person whose life linked with yours by blood. The feelings of hurt and loss are no less intense, but the feelings of freedom to share those thoughts are far different, because she belonged to others more closely than she belonged to me. And I often feel that the open sharing needs to be reserved for them, and I shouldn't take over out loud.

So I don't. I write the thoughts down. I treasure and ponder them in my heart. (And my heart includes my journal.) They're captured and preserved, but not in the same way.

In her study on Luke, Erica also said, "The shepherds only witnessed the wonderful. Mary had become wounded while carrying the wonderful."

The legacies of my nephew and my mother-in-law are wonderful, each in their own unique way. I honor and remember them in unique ways. I treasure and ponder them in unique ways. And I have been wounded in unique ways while carrying the wonderful that their memories provide. If you've ever grieved, you know what I mean.

So today I treasure and ponder. I'm grateful for all the lives - those still moving around me and those who have been stilled here on this earth - who have shaped me. I'm grateful for all the lessons they've taught. And even though some of the wounds are still fresh, I'm grateful for the wounds and scars some have left (accidentally and on purpose) because they, too, have shaped me.

Church in the Barn

Before we tell you about our great time Sunday morning, it's podcast Tuesday, so we have a whole smattering of stories picked out for you!

Listen here!

One of the churches where I get to speak a couple of times a year invited us to attend their annual "church in the barn" service. They had invited us last year, but we couldn't go, and I wonder now if it fell on the same Sunday as our nephew's baby dedication. But they asked again this year, and we said YES!

It "just so happened" that this event fell the day after our football game, so it was kind of an extra little blessing for us. It didn't start until 11:00, so we got to sleep in a little and have a leisurely morning, instead of rushing to get to church while still guzzling coffee.

It started raining just as we left home, but it was a nice gentle rain, not a nasty storm, so it was a nearly perfect morning! The barn is at the home of one of the couples in the church, and they have such a gift of hospitality. They welcomed us (and everyone) so warmly!

The barn is old and back in the long-ago day, it was actually a hog barn! (It's a small building...not the kind of hog barn you might be thinking of today. I think it only held a dozen hogs, max.) A few years ago, they reached the point where the barn either needed to be updated or demolished, so they fixed it up and used it as one of the buildings for their daughter's wedding! It is still quite beautiful. (I told Ryan if we lived there, it would be my writing studio. He reminded me it didn't have insulation, heat, or air. I so easily overlook these details on a perfect-temperature day.

They had all kinds of fall touches in there, and it was just wonderful. I took a few pictures, but I tried not to be over-the-top about it, since we were mid-service.

They opened with some Scripture and hymns, and then people had the opportunity to share some stories from their own lives before the pastor gave a really thought-provoking message.

 I really enjoyed hearing him speak. He's a great speaker, for one thing, but I never get to hear him, because anytime we go to their church, it's because he's gone and I'm filling in for him! So this was a special treat for us.

After church, I had to get a picture of the pond that sat beyond the front doors:

(I think that cement area was where they had the tent for the wedding, if I remember right. And the other building in the distance was the pond house, where we all had a potluck meal together after church.

Isn't it so pretty?

Ryan and I sat in our lawn chairs at the table. We felt like part of Munchkinville from the Wizard of Oz. The good news was we could shovel the food right off our plates into our mouths! Ha!

We both thoroughly enjoyed ourselves and were so thankful to be included in the morning!

Football!

Welllll, she did it again. Your Bekah-girl had a whole football-laden evening and still doesn't understand a thing about the game. But it sure was a fun night.

I've told you before about my friend Pat. I featured him in one of my Walk A Mile in My Shoes Wednesday posts, because he's had two kidney transplants in his life. And some of you might remember that we participated in a kidney walk with him last summer. Well he's a Purdue fan, through and through, and he loves going to their football games. He also loves taking friends along to enjoy the evening with him, so this past Saturday, we were those friends! (He also invited his sister's in-laws; we met them at the kidney walk and really loved talking with them then.) Wanna see our night?

We carpooled togther to West Lafayette and then joined up with the rest of the crew and drove on over to Purdue. Please excuse my face here. I was so worried about getting everyone IN the picture that I failed to think about the angle.

Ross-Ade Stadium!

This was a little Christmas-miracle-in-September. We heard there were 55,000 people at the game. And in all of that, we found someone we knew! This is Kristen, who actually graduated from high school with us. She lives out of state now, but she is as much a die-hard Purdue fan as Pat is, so whenever she's home, she's at the games too! What are the chances that we would find her?

It was marching band day at Purdue, so before we went into the game, we went to hear some of the musical festivities with just a few bazillion of our closest friends.

And then it was time go to see the game! It was the most perfect night weather-wise for being outside. The temperature was perfect, the game was a night game, so we didn't have to contend with sunburns, there was a slight breeze, absolutely no clouds in the sky, a huge moon...ahhhhhh.

It may not look too full in that picture, but the stadium filled up in a FAT hurry, which isn't 100% ideal for a claustrophobic girl. I had a few moments of panic, but I got through it.

Here are a few pictures from the beginning, including the flyover!

And then a few randoms from the game itself. You'll notice the guys in the white and yellow baseball caps. There was not a perch near my seat that could get me tall enough to photograph OVER them. they were in everything.

 It did start to empty out toward the end. When you're losing by kind of a lot, you tend to lose fans.

The only touchdown Purdue got the entire game came at the end. I didn't expect it by that point, so I missed the actual moment, but here's the body-slam celebration:

And a few more fun pictures:

And as we headed to the car? A little post-game...well...I'm not sure it was a celebration, since they lost, but something!

We didn't get home until about 1 in the morning, but we sure had fun! Thanks, Pat, for sharing with us!

The Shafferland Shuffle

Good morning! Happy Sunday to you! Hope you've all had a good week. Here in Shafferland, it's been a beautiful blend of mundane and fun, made up of this:

* We had lunch with my parents last Sunday, to celebrate my mom's birthday! She had birthday pie instead of birthday cake, and we thank Marie Calender for making it for us. And in honor of the official start of the Colts' season, I donned my newly gifted (and bedazzled!) shirt and scrapbooked whilst Braeya napped behind me. Ryan ate his football nacho dinner, and I celebrated Jacobi Brissett's officialness with the Colts.

* Monday was a busy day at home for me, cleaning and assembling the office I told you about on Friday. I think Ryan may have been a bit concerned when I texted him at work to ask where I might find a wrench. I'm not sure of the official name of this thing I found, and it was way too big, but it accomplished the task at hand, so that's all that matters. Ryan met up with a friend of his that night while I had a meeting with my women's ministry team at church. One of them brought homemade scones. Women's ministry team meetings are the best. ;)

* I spent a lot of Tuesday writing in my newly-cleaned office, and I believe the cleanliness led to extra creativity. Ryan and Phoebe's dad took a quick trip to visit a friend of theirs that night (he's battling illness) so Phoebe's mom invited me over to have dinner with her and hang out for the evening. I was rewarded with much joy (from Pheebs) upon arrival, though she seemed to have forgotten that I don't share food. She tried her best to beg!! We all went for a walk in the park...and look at this! A TREE THAT IS ALREADY TURNING!!!

* Most of my Wednesday was fully devoted to watching 9/11 documentaries, but I did take a break in the morning to drive over to the church and pray with the moms' group that started a new semester of meetings. (They had coffee. I felt I should also taste-test while I was there.) And that night, Ryan and I were apart for the third night in a row (this NEVER happens) while I went to a women's Bible study. I'm really excited about this study!

* Ryan and I finally got an evening together on Thursday, so we celebrated by grocery shopping. We are the coolest. We also saw a spectacular sunset that made me so happy. I took seven pictures, but I only put one in the collage...you're welcome. And when we got home, I once again found Braeya sleeping NEXT to her bed. Ever since I washed it, she'll have nothing to do with it. That girl.

* I'll have to tell you the full story of this sometime, because it was too funny (maybe it's a good podcast story!) but I spent part of Friday morning serving as a jewelry model for Ryan's cousin. She's starting up a new website to promote her jewelry making, and I'm working with her on some writing work. And now modeling work! When I was done, I did some writing, and then Ryan and I stayed home to get some chores done around the house. (A power washer was involved.)

* Ryan had yesterday off work, so he spent the morning working on more projects around the house. He was absolutely thrilled to have time at home to do that! And then we met up with one of our game night friends and headed off to a Purdue football game! I haven't been to one in about a decade (back in my single days I went with him to one) and Ryan hadn't been to one since high school! Purdue lost (pretty solidly) but we had a GREAT time having fun, and the weather was just about as absolutely perfect as it could have been! (Charity, we waved at you! Generally speaking, of course.)