Planting Hope

Yesterday morning, bright and early, two very polite and well-organized young men showed up in front of our house and began pulling plants and equipment from a trailer. One started breaking up huge clods of dirt mixed with tree roots, while the other one sprayed paint on the ground to mark where the landscaping beds would go.

They called us out just before Ryan left for work, to get our approval on the placement of all the plastic pots temporarily housing our plants. We loved it, so everyone got to work: Ryan at Love Inc, me at the kitchen table, and the guys outside. 

They worked hard and diligently and were mostly done by lunch. They slid all the plants into the ground, including the weeping cherry tree I ordered for Ryan's birthday gift and a little perennial daisy Mom gave me on Mother's Day. I'd been keeping it in a planter until landscaping day. 

While they worked in the front, the earth movers appeared again in the back, leveling out the yard even more. Between the two, I had free pet sitting all day long!

It was quite the exciting day around here, for sure! But what surprised me (both of us, really) most of all, was this:

The arrival of that handful of plants brought a whole new level of hope to our hearts! It sounds crazy, I know. It feels crazy even typing it. But it's also true.

When we first got married and lived in Marion, we had the grandest little backyard. We talked about that yard just the other day, actually. Some of you who have been reading here a long time might remember that first backyard. If you could get past the fairly steady stream of sirens in the background, it really was a serene little spot. 

When we moved to Kokomo, our backyard was wiiiiiiiiiiiiiide open. No fence. No trees. No real landscaping. No shade. No privacy. Until we added the sun porch not long before we moved, we didn't have any little space of our own back there. Once we added that...ahhhhh, joy. 

Then we went to WillowBridge, and although it had a fenced in backyard, it was shared with all the tenants, so we haven't had ANY kind of space to ourselves for the past two years. I don't think either of us realized how dearly we missed it. I don't think we knnew how much we longed for a serene little spot to simply be.

We came here, we knew the outside spaces would have to be finished, and we even (truly!) knew it would probably be this fall before anything was really livable in an outdoor space. But as March turned into April and then May and now June and not one thing happened to show true life coming into being back there, it got harder than we expected.

The two Indiana extremes have been the stickiest of mud or clothes-hugging dust. One way or the other, our shoes are not the same. Lexi needs a bath, no matter what she walks in. We can't put chairs out there. It's wide open to all the neighbors. We've missed our little spots of joy. 

And then yesterday, these two young men showed up, and they stuck some plants in the ground, and suddenly, we didn't look like a house that had washed up in the middle of a field. We looked ever so slightly polished.

Sure, the rocks are hugging dirt. The yard isn't in yet. The driveway hasn't been replaced. I'm going to have to sit this entire season out for pretty flowers. But we have signs of life. And that has planted so much hope in our hearts. SO much hope. 

Isn't it crazy what even the tiniest bit of hope will do for a soul?

Currently...

Callie inspired me with her Currently post last week, so I thought I'd do one of my own! :) 

Currently we are...

...celebrating...the fact that we are getting closer and closer to having a YARD!!!! A gaggle (is that even the appropriate term here?) of earth moving machines descended upon our property last Friday and started moving dirt around, hauling some away, and prepping for the drainage we have asked the builders to put in. (Otherwise, we will have an occasional free - and mostly unwanted - pool.) The space is looking flatter and fuller! We know the landscaper was here, too, because we saw flags for trees shoved in a corner of the yard. We've heard that weather-permitting, the landscaper will be back today to actually DO the landscaping! (It's so strange to me that landscaping goes in before the yard, but whatever!)

All these happenings are part of the house being built. They were just unfinished when we moved in because the weather had not allowed for them to take place. Part of our purchase of the home included the builder appropriately leveling the yard, putting in grass, and a standard landscaping package. From there, we can do as we wish to complete it. 

...trying...to find our sweet spot in a new routine. Ryan has been at his job for three weeks now, which means we all have a pretty good idea of the ebb and flow of our days. We're all learning what works and what doesn't and how to maximize our time. We still have some tweaks to make along the way, but for now, what we've implemented seems to be working pretty well for us. 

I will also add that moving back to a planner-driven schedule is helping me immensely. I'm able to keep better track of what needs to be done, and that makes me so happy! 

...giving...ourselves permission to not do everything at once. We are both the kind of people who want to solve all the things immediately, but we are learning that just isn't possible, nor is it healthy. There are many lessons to be learned in the slowness and waiting. So as Ryan works at his new job and as I work to reclaim things about our home life, we are both learning to institute changes and solutions slowly and methodically. Some days this go more smoothly than others. :) 

...wearing...quite the array of clothes. Even though it's June, it's still really cool outside in the early mornings and late evenings, so our Lexi walks seem to be all about long pants and sweatshirts. The middle of all the days, though, is all about short sleeves and shorts! Oh, Indiana. You're adorable with your vast array of temperature control.

...taking...care of our godson for the weekend. Well, I guess we aren't currently doing it, because he went home yesterday. But RECENTLY currently, we were taking care of him. We picked him up Friday evening and took him home yesterday afternoon. It was the first time we'd seen him since the week of Easter when he ended up staying here for a full week while his mom had an unexpected surgery. He's two now and completely full of energy! 

...reading...commentaries on Genesis! I am studying the life of Abraham right now (who is actually still Abram where I'm reading) and I've been slowly combing through commentaries for a better, fuller understanding of the passages I've been studying. I always learn a ton from commentary reading, and this is no different. The pages of my journaling Bible are filling up, even though I'm writing as small as I possibly can!

...watching...game shows! This has become our evening routine. While we fix dinner, we turn on the Game Show Network and play along with the contestants. We often leave the TV on that channel throughout the evening, even if we're busy doing other things. Family Feud, Chain Reaction, People Puzzler, America Says...these are our favorites! We are actually really good at all of them, but I am confident (speaking for myself, of course) that I would totally freeze and fail if I played ON television.

Sunday Sentiments

Earlier this week, I was hunting for a photo in one of my old Facebook albums. I never did find it, but what I did find in my search was even better. It's a story I am pretty sure I never told here on the blog, but I'm going to tell it today.

This first little fact, I believe I have mentioned in passing, but it ties in with the story, so I'll mention it again. When Ryan and I were first married, he owned an acre of land in the country that he planned to build on someday. A couple of years into our marriage, we decided to get serious about building our home on that land, and we started looking at potential floor plans. 

Spoiler alert: that house never happened. Unfortunately, between the time Ryan bought the land and when we started considering a build, zoning laws changed in the county, and the land was no longer large enough to build on. We had to sell it, since we couldn't build on it.

But before we learned about that, we looked around at floor plans. We found one we especially loved and learned there was a model home about an hour from our house that we could tour! I remember that day quite vividly. We were in the middle of a season so busy that I literally couldn't catch my breath, so we took a day one weekend to just be. And at the end of that day, we decided we would go look at this model home and perhaps the dream of our someday-house would encourage our weary hearts. 

We went. We took a bunch of pictures. We ran around like silly kids on Christmas. And then apparently, I came home and made a private Facebook album to send to my sisters and a handful of friends so they could see our dreams in picture form. 

I stumbled across that album in my picture hunt this week, and my jaw flopped right down to the carpet. You see, when we had to sell that land, we gave up on the dream of ever having our own new home. And as I told you when I first told you about this house we're in now, God restored that lost dream. I knew that. I just hadn't remembered how closely this home of our resembled that house we toured back in 2014!

Granted, the homes were built 10 or more years apart, so the colors, materials, and decor don't exactly match. But I think you'll see what I mean.

The dining room of the model home: 

And our house:

The kitchen of the model home:

And our house:

The living room of the model home:

And our house:

The bedroom in the model home that would have been our guest room:

And our guest room:

The bedroom in the model home that would have been our home office:

And our home office:

The master in the model home:

And our master:

Is it an exact match? No. Is it enough to remind me that God doesn't ever forget the dreams He places in our hearts? Yes. 

He has given us the home we prayed for - almost down to the actual structure of the house itself. And He has seen and heard the other dreams of our hearts, too. Who knows but what a year (or five) down the road, He will bring another dream to fruition!?

It may be a silly - almost frivolous - example, but it was pivotal to me this week. My God sees my dreams. He cares about them. And He invites me to keep dreaming with Him and to keep trusting Him for His answers in HIS time! 

The Saturday Six

 

Yesterday was National Donut Day. Did you participate? We had some fun with it for Ryan's work, so that has inspired today's Saturday Six!

One.

I wanted to participate in National Donut Day, but I wanted to try a healthier version for myself, so I made this Dashing Dish Clean Eating Chocolate Cake Donut recipe at home. I purchased a donut pan a few years ago and had not used it in a very long time, so it was fun to make a donut recipe again! It was pretty easy and quite tasty, I must say. 

Two.

Who doesn't love a donut-themed party? Whether it's a wedding reception baby shower, or a birthday party for the young or young-at-heart, a donut is a perfect theme. And if you can't find inspiration here, I may not be able to help you. 

Three.

You've heard of charcuterie boards, right? How about a DONUT board?? This one is GORGEOUS. She added milk, bacon, and fruit to a smattering of donuts from some of her favorite places, and the end result was almost too pretty to eat. Almost. Oh! And a bonus in her post is found at the end, so don't stop reading too soon! Her social media followers told her their favorite donut shops, and she shared the list!! So if you have any travel coming up, maybe you can find some inspiration!

Four.

What started as a simple donut has grown into a whole list of donut varieties. Here's a cheat sheet for what the most popular kinds of donuts are called - and a few more suggestions of places to visit if you're out in California! By the way, this post asks if you're team cake or team raised (yeast) donut. How about you? Unless it's a Duck Donut, which I will choose EVERY SINGLE TIME, I am a yeast donut girl through and through.

Five.

Father's Day is coming, and this DIY donut bouquet would make a cute gift for donut-loving dads, but it has also left me with a question: WHY ARE DONUT BOUQUETS NOT MORE OF A THING?? I mean, I know I would love receiving a donut bouquet for any occasion! Birthday, anniversary, Tuesday, you name it. Donut shops, I have a suggestion! 

Six.

When I was little, I loved to pretend. I played house, church, dress-up, parenting, school - you name it. Of course, I didn't know back then just how much learning and creativity was naturally wrapped up in this kind of play. So if you have littles at home, or if you're teaching in a group environment, check out this SUPER CUTE donut shop! I wouldn't mind having it here, to be honest. With real donuts, of course. :) 

And Then There Were Stories

 I promised you some only-in-Shafferland camping stories, so I'm here to deliver! 

The stories are my fault, really. I had the audacity to write (both in my journal and on social media) at the end of Saturday that if ever there was such a thing as a perfect day, Saturday had been it. WHY would I say that?? It's like when parents comment on how well-behaved the children have been. No, no, no! That's an invitation for chaos!!!

Sunday started out beautifully. Sunshine and imaginary roses. Breakfast in the camper. Morning walks. It was so grand.

For lunch, we had leftovers at the picnic table.

And then we had the most lovely afternoon. We sat around, we talked, we dreamed, we napped, we ate/drank some snacks. Grand.

We were going to build a fire again in the evening to have more hot dogs and s'mores, but alas: WIND!!! So when it's windy, you get Wendy's!

(Fun fact: A Wendy's 4 for 4 is just about one of my most favorite things ever. I really am the best date. Four bucks and I'm as happy as I can possibly be.)

We were rewarded with a beautiful sunset and more rest. And at this point, you might be thinking, Hey! This doesn't sound like a story!

That's because it was a beautiful day...until it wasn't. And right about now is when...it wasn't.

It was close to bedtime when Ryan noticed some water on the floor. It was in the kitchen area, so at first, we just assumed we spilled something when refilling a water bottle or something. Except...that wasn't it. Ryan's immediate speculation was that we had a leaking pipe somewhere. 

LOVELY.

But it really wasn't that. And for that, we are grateful. In the long-term, the issue was much less severe than a leaking pipe. But in a we're-about-to-go-to-bed kind of way, it was a disaster. 

You see, in my eager quest to be a helpful wife, I had emptied and refilled our Berkey water filter in the afternoon. Except I accidentally over-filled it, and it was leaking out of the filter, all over the bottom of our closet, running down the wall, soaking all our bedding, and landing on the floor.

Y'all ever read the Amelia Bedelia books? I AM AMELIA BEDELIA!! Every well-intentioned attempt to be helpful has a really good chance of creating bigger issues than if I had just stayed out of it.

And so it was that right at bedtime, we had to strip the bed and clean up water puddles.

Then we had to figure out what to do about sleeping arrangements.

Ryan put down the jackknife couch and we tried sleeping on there together, each of us wrapped in one of the two throw blankets we had left (unsoaked) and Lexi was supposed to sleep in her bed beside us.

But why sleep beside us if you can sleep WITH us?

In case you're wondering, two adults and a dog do not fit well on a jackknife couch. Ryan and Lexi were out. Curtains. I was awake and tossing and turning. I finally moved to the chair and tried to curl up in that.

That's when I heard a thud outside.

I sat up fast, heart racing. Ryan and Lexi were still out, so I curled back up and tried to pray myself to sleep. 

I was just dozing off when I was awakened by Lexi barking her fool head off.

Here's something you should know.

Lexi isn't a crazy barking guard dog. I've actually NEVER seen or heard her do that. But she was up, staring through a crack in a curtain, on high alert, barking insanely and refusing to be quiet or comforted.

I have to say I was willing to go with her gut on that one. If she thought something was out there, it probably was.

Ryan went out and looked around (against my wishes) and found nothing. I ended up crawling in the unmade bed to TRY to sleep. And about 2 minutes later - another huge thud. 

That was when all three of us got into an unmade bed to sleep for the rest of the night. 

I think it was about 2:30 when I finally got to sleep. Lexi and Ryan slept great. And the next morning, they let me keep sleeping while they went out to make breakfast on the grill.

Ryan made a fabulous breakfast for us, using eggs from the chickens outside our camper! So yummy!

It was Memorial Day, so we were both off that day, but we decided to go ahead and pack up the camper and come home before lunch, since we had mounds of laundry to do and much to organize before Ryan had to go back to work on Tuesday.

We counted the first camping trip a success. Lexi did really well, and we have high hopes for her as a camping dog. :) 

As for me? I'm going to steer clear of that water filter.