A Night at the Flower Patch!

 

Finding a new church in a new town is tough. Ryan and I have done it a few times, and it is definitely not an easy task. When we came to the town where we live now, the church was actually the draw. We had some friends there, but oh my goodness - how fully and beautifully the church as a whole has welcomed us. It has been such a blessing.

One of the families in our church - a farming family - has a pumpkin patch and corn maze in the fall. Ryan and I actually went back when we were engaged! But they now also have a flower patch and in the summer, you can go pick fresh cut flowers and make bouquets! I've never done a flower patch adventure before, but the ladies of our Sunday School class had a party there last night, and you guys! It was so much fun!!! Want to see?

If you went back to the link of our visit here when we were engaged, you might recognize that little gate! 

Her gardens are beautiful!

There will be sunflowers, but they're not blooming yet. But oh goodness. All the other little flowers were just so very darling!

Marah taught us how to cut them and then helped us know a bit about arranging. Please note, when you see them at the end of the post, that I have no idea what I'm doing, but they were fun to work with!

She also has a darling little shed where you can purchase vases if you need one (or you can bring your own!) and pick up the supplies to cut them out in the patch! 

AND they have this super darling truck for photo opps!

We got a group picture with the bouquets. (Borrowed it from their Facebook page.) 

And here are the bouquets I made!

It was so much fun. I'm so glad I went! It's easier to get to know people in casual settings like this. (You know - since you're really not supposed to talk in church.) 

If you're local, go check out the flower patch! Here is all the information about pricing! 

Sunday Sentiments

 

Sometimes I don't understand what I study...

...and it's okay.

I've been doing this slow crawl through the book of Genesis for several months now. It has been rich and full in so many beautiful ways. Day after day, I uncover insights I don't remember ever noticing before. I've picked up nuggets about Creation, the Fall, the Flood, Noah, Abraham, Lot, and now I'm beginning the life of Isaac. 

But sometimes I run into something that hovers just over my realm of comprehension.

This week has been like that. I'm not sure if it's truly challenging information, or if I've just been distracted by trying to fit in so many things while adding in the extra hours I worked at Ryan's office. Maybe it's a little of both.

Yesterday afternoon I sat on the floor with my Bible, my books, my notes, and more all spread out around me, and I was determined to make sense of the questions. My crawl through the study felt like it had stalled even more, and still, I wasn't fully comprehending what I needed to learn.

I wondered if I should keep coming back to those same questions day after day after day until it made its way into my comprehension.

But this is Bible study. It's not cramming for a college final. I don't have to know it all. I don't have to understand it all. I want to learn everything I can, of course, but if there is something that isn't connecting today, it's okay. It doesn't mean the study is a total loss. It also doesn't mean that I might not eventually comprehend what I'm missing now. After all, I plan to keep studying for the rest of my days.

Why am I telling you all this?

Maybe you struggle with it too, and maybe you didn't even realize it.

If you're studying and struggling to understand, don't give up. Don't stop entirely, thinking you can't learn anything. You have much you can learn, and each piece of knowledge and wisdom is worth it.

But also...don't feel like you have to learn everything there is to learn about every single passage on every single study. Learn what you can and maybe on the next round, you'll be able to absorb what you're missing now!

Keep studying, friends. Keep learning. And if you don't understand, it's okay. Just keep going! God will give you the wisdom you need for this day! 

The Saturday Six

 

This week I saw an Instagram post that encouraged normalizing small homes. We see all these huge mansions, and to be fair, we see a lot of tiny homes, too. But what about just regular small-ish homes? They aren't officially crazy tiny, but they aren't mansions either! They're what most of us live in, and I agree with the Instagrammer. Let's make living on less normal! So today's Six is inspired by things that are on the smaller side. Things that support regular, daily life for those who are single, couples, or smaller families!

One.

As you know, I am on the lookout for backyard ideas, as we try to figure out how to style our someday-yard. But I feel like so many of the fire pit spaces I see are for a dozen or more people. And while we do sometimes have guests, most days it's just the two of us. Why not design a cute little space for a regular max of four? We can always pull up more lawn chairs if we need them, but for regular days, it'll be a cozy space for just us! I love this inspiration. It's adorable and not overdone. 

Two.

When I worked at the station, Lynne had just redone her dining area in her kitchen, and she had banquette seating. I'd never seen it before, and I loved it. I actually considered doing something similar when we moved here, because our dining room is set up perfectly for it. Alas, we went a different direction, but cute little banquette nooks make me so happy. They are adorable! I love this one!!!

Three.

I like most of the things about this house tour, but scroll down to the bathroom. It isn't big, it isn't extravagant in ANY way, but it is darling. I love looking at bathrooms that don't have huge soaker tubs - but look like rooms where you could soak and relax! 

Four.

This cute little patio space with a gazebo reminds me of our patio space back in Marion! We set it up on a slab behind the garage. (It used to be my Grandpa's greenhouse, but the structure was torn down and only the slab remained. It was a little spot, but we loved it. And this one is just as cute. I loved it that they thrifted so much of what they used! Budget friendly and cozy!

Five.

If you don't have a huge walk-in closet, it's okay! You can still have a cute one! Personally, I've loved seeing how owning a smaller wardrobe allows me to enjoy more space in whatever size closet I have. Here is an idea for a reach-in closet with lots of style, even for a smaller wardrobe!

Six.

And finally, since none of us can own the library from Beauty and the Beast, a sweet little reading nook would be amazing. I have the start of one in our bedroom, and I think it's pretty cute. The first picture down in this article is great inspiration for me. LOVE IT!!

In the Classroom

Ryan and I used to love watching Undercover Boss. I just saw that they apparently made some new episodes earlier this year, and we missed those; we'll have to hunt for them! 

If you haven't seen the show, the premise is that the CEO of a large company or franchise-based company gets a (usually pretty bad) undercover disguise and travels to different franchises or locations to see what daily operations look like there. They always have a cover story of being a struggling person looking for work and then they jump in to do some of the work their employees do. It never goes well. 

Of course, you have to allow for the creative license of reality TV, but I am sure there is a lot of truth to figuring out the logistics and pace of some of the jobs! (I remember sweating for the CEO of a coffee chain who tried to learn to run a drive-thru in the morning, while wearing a headset. It really didn't go well.)

This week has been my Undercover Boss moment. I'm not a boss, of course, but this week I've helped Ryan in the office at Love INC, and I have learned so much. Much of it has centered around things I've gotten rusty about in running an office space. 

I had to laugh at myself, because one of the first things that gave me a challenge was using a regular, landline cordless phone for the first time in forever. You know...remembering to turn it on before dialing the number, vs. dialing the number and then hitting send? Or dialing one before a number? (And then some of the markings on the phone...namely the on and off buttons...have been worn off, so for the first day, I would end conversations and then just stare at the phone like I'd never seen one before. 

It's also my first time to really be immersed in the day-to-day operations at the office, so I began to learn the names and stories of clients we serve, the ins and outs of the work we do, and the people and places we partner with in the community.

It is amazing to me how much faster I learn when I'm sitting in the classroom of our work. I can hear things a hundred times but being IN it teaches me so much faster. 

One of my favorite things about the week was the time Ryan and I were able to sit together, brainstorming and working on projects we hope will help in the future.

And my other favorite thing? Being with Ryan for the whole week! Working with him is my absolute favorite!

So I may not know how to work a cordless phone anymore, but I did learn a ton about the work we've been called to do, and for that, I'm grateful. It's been a good week! 

 

Cleaning House

Last week Paula asked me to talk sometime about our routine for cleaning our home and how we divide the tasks, etc. I always find it intriguing to hear how people manage their homes - and every single home is different! What works for us may not work for you at all. Your needs and free time may look completely different from ours!

Before I talk about what we do, let me back up and say that when I was growing up, both my parents worked outside the home, so my mom often reserved Saturdays for cleaning house. That's when she had time to do it, because that was the day she was home and typically free. Makes all kinds of sense to me, but I do remember NOT loving that we had to spend our free day each week cleaning the house. So I do things a little differently in our house - not because Mom's way was wrong at all. What we do just works better for us!

I should also say that I really don't like to clean. I love to organize. Cleaning? Not so much. That might be another reason why a whole day of cleaning sounds awful to me. It's much more manageable if I do it in small chunks. Ryan, on the other hand, LOVES to clean. He thoroughly enjoys it and is very good at it. So he does often help with parts of the household chores, and yes, I do realize what a blessing it is to have him willingly help! 

When we lived in Kokomo, I had a very specific cleaning schedule, and it all kind of went out the window when we were at WillowBridge. I think that was because we were so busy with work and because our days off were never the same. It made it hard to stay in ANY kind of routine, including cleaning. But I'm listing here the schedule I used in Kokomo, which was based off the routine recommended by Clean Mama and is the firm schedule I'm trying to return to here in our new home!

So...without further ado...here's how we do cleaning in Shafferland!

Daily

There are some chores we do each day, and they include:

* Making the bed within the first hour of getting up. (I normally do this.)

* Cleaning the shower with a squeegee. (We do this to reduce soap and water buildup on the walls, so it gets done every time either of us takes a shower, whenever that may happen throughout the day.)

* Cleaning up the bathroom from getting ready (We both do this. For me it means cleaning hair off the counter or floor after I dry/straighten my hair. For Ryan it means cleaning out the sink after he shaves. It also means putting away everything we used so the counters are clear and all items are back in their homes.)

* Cleaning up towels and clothes. (We never leave robes or dirty clothes or socks on the floor of the bedroom or bathroom, nor do we leave towels out after showers. Everything goes in the hamper or back on a hook.)

* Cleaning up the table and kitchen counters. (We do this after every meal. All dishes go in the dishwasher if possible or the sink for later washing if necessary. We clean crumbs and dishes off the table so it's fully free. Leftover food is packaged up and put in the refrigerator. We wipe off the counters. We both do this as we see it needs done.) 

* Running the dishwasher. (This may not get done EVERY single day, but most of the time it does. We run the dishwasher every time it gets full, and for the two of us cooking most of our meals at home, that equates to about once a day. Whoever sees that it is full starts it. Whoever sees it needs emptied empties it.) 

* Washing dishes by hand. (Our pots and pans, knives, and some other pieces need to be hand washed. Ryan always washes the dishes at the end of the day or after a big cooking fest if needed.)

* Emergency cleanups. (Anything that needs an emergency fix gets tended to immediately. If the cat throws up, we stop and clean the carpet or floor right then. If something spills and we need to do a load of laundry to wash towels or blankets used in cleanup, we do that. Ryan handles all animal puke, but we both pitch in with the rest.)

* Dog/child toys put back in their places. Lexi plays with her toys in spurts. Some days she drags every toy out of her toybox, and other days she ignores them all. But every night before we go to bed, we pick up all toys that are dragged out. And if it's a day when a kiddo comes to play, we pick up all toys (if the child is not old enough to do it or help with it) before bed. Fresh start every day!

Weekly

This is where the Clean Mama schedule comes in to help! Some of these routines are still finding their place again, but this is where we are headed.

* Laundry: Since there are just two of us, we don't do laundry every day, unless there is an emergency of some sort and we need to wash extra towels/blankets/clothes. I do all our laundry, and I wash clothes on Mondays and Thursdays, and towels/washcloths on Thursdays. I wash our bedding on Saturdays. Camper laundry is done as soon as we come home, so I can put everything back in the camper for the next time. 

* Bathrooms: We clean these on Mondays and spot clean them before company comes. We both help out with this. Ryan is better at cleaning bathrooms than I am, but we both pitch in.

* Dusting: I do this on Tuesdays and throw in an extra round if company comes on the weekend and something is starting to look a little questionable. 

* Vacuum: We have a robot vacuum, so we run her (her name is Rosie) on Wednesdays. We have baby gates up at all the bedroom doors, so we're able to contain her easily for the carpeted areas, and then we run her on the hard floor as well. Lexi is getting better about not barking at her!

* Mopping: We use a Norwex mop and do this on the hard floors on Thursdays - or after we've had people in the house wearing shoes - or if any of the pets get sick. Both of us do this chore as we have time. (Note: Ryan and I do not wear shoes in the house, but we also respect that some people struggle to walk without shoes or have other foot issues that make going without shoes difficult or embarrassing. We welcome our guests to remove their shoes, but we do not insist upon it, so if we have shoe-wearers come over, we make sure to clean the floors after.)

Randomly

There are some things that don't have a regularly scheduled slot, but we do them regularly - as we see that they need done!

* Litter clean-out. It's not done daily here, but it's definitely done more than weekly. It probably averages out to every other day. Both Braeya and Lexi use a litter box, so we keep them cleaned out for everyone's sake! Ryan does this chore. Sometimes he just cleans out the waste and sometimes he tosses everything, fully cleans out the box itself, and starts over with all new litter. We try to be as economical as we can to make litter last before tossing it all. 

* Refrigerator clean-out. We tend not to let a lot of things sit in our refrigerator, because we live on leftovers! But sometimes things do need to be tossed, so when we start to see the fridge filling up, we'll go through and toss anything that's old and wipe out the shelves. Ryan usually gets annoyed with it before I do, so he often takes this one - but we both do it.

* Clutter clean-up. We both HATE clutter, so it's actually very rare that we have to make this a thing. But sometimes, especially in the office, things pile up and need tended to. As soon as it starts to look ugly, we usually intervene. If it's mostly his stuff, he'll clean it out. If it's mine, I'll clean it out. (And as a side note, when we come home from a trip, we IMMEDIATELY unpack, put everything away, and put away suitcases. Unless we don't get home until 9 or 10 p.m., it's usually done before we go to bed on our first night home from vacation.)

* Car clean-out. We both have a super strict rule about ZERO trash in the car. You carry it in? You carry it back out when you get out. Nothing gets left behind. So our cars usually stay pretty clean. But they do get mud tracked in and that kind of thing. Ryan LOVES cleaning out cars with the shop vac, so he is normally the one who does this. It gets done more often in the winter, it seems, with salt and snow being tracked in and out. Ryan also enjoys the car wash, so he's usually the one to zip through those.

* Appliances. We clean out the microwave anytime anything splatters. (You splatter = you clean it up.) We probably do a clean-out on the oven once a year unless something spills in the bottom, and then we run a clean cycle right away. We run a clean cycle on the dishwasher and clothes washer every so often. 

* Closets and shelves, garage and storage. Much like the clutter clean-up mentioned above, we actually don't let stuff get very out of order. We 100% live by "a place for everything and everything in its place" - but if we start to notice an area slipping, we address it as quickly as possible. 

Counting Blessings

I caught myself counting a lot of blessings yesterday. It wasn't a particularly monumental day, by any means, but little things added up and left me grateful. We could ALL stand to count our blessings, especially when life feels more on the overwhelming side. So how about we count together today!

In no particular order, here are some of the blessings I have counted this week. 

* After our insanely busy day Saturday, we received an unexpected invitation to join some friends at their house for a cookout on Sunday. They told us not to worry about pitching in...just come and enjoy. I absolutely could have cried when I read that text. I was exhausted from the yard work and heat, and I didn't have to make a lunch plan for Sunday. I didn't have to cook. I just showed up and enjoyed a delicious meal. (And they sent us home with leftovers that fed us for about two more meals after that, so it was a blessing that begat more blessings!) 

* IT RAINED!!!!! To be fair, in typical Indiana fashion, it went from drought to flood in one rain, but IT RAINED!!! We received some rain the night of the 4th and then a whole big storm during the night and even more rain on Tuesday morning. While we don't really want to drown the yard we just reseeded, we are so thankful to have a reprieve from watering the yard. And all we're doing is growing a yard. We are surrounded by farmers growing important things, like crops, and they are celebrating the rain, too!

* Lexi is currently a fireworks and thunder champion. Weirdly, she's in a phase where she's petrified of the sight of a storm grate, but fireworks and thunder are no big deal to her. (We don't know why she's scared of the grates. She's never fallen in one or had any other encounter with one. But she doesn't like them at this time.) She slept through the storm that scared me to death the other night, and fireworks seem to thoroughly intrigue her. We hope that stays forever!

* Our neighbor blessed us with a painting of Lexi. She hobbies in painting and is sometimes commissioned to paint pets for their people. Her kids rang the doorbell over the weekend and handed us a beautiful little painting of Lexi. It was such a sweet gesture, and I treasure it! She has been a GREAT neighbor to us since the first day we moved in. 

* Our friends in Colorado sent us Hollyhock seeds for our friendship garden! (You may or may not remember that a few weeks ago, I wrote about how I wanted to fill our yard with plants that tell stories of friendship.) The seeds arrived accompanied by pictures of what they'll look like when they bloom - and they're SO pretty! I can't wait to plant them!

* I've been learning so much from my Genesis study this week. I've been studying Lot and then the birth of Isaac. So many little nuggets tucked in there that I somehow never noticed. I am grateful and soaking it up now!

* Our peace lily is perking up! I am still learning how to be a plant lady, and sometimes it goes better than others. We have a peace lily that we received from our church in Kokomo back when Ryan's mom died. I've managed to not only keep it alive, but grow it, over the past three (plus) years, but I noticed the other day that it seemed to be pretty sunburned. I moved it to a new corner, and it's looking so much better. I need to find a new permanent home for it IN our home, but I'm happy to see it looking better!

* Ryan is so smart. He knows so many things that I just don't know at all. His parents and step-parents instilled in him a wide array of knowledge that he puts into practice, and I know it serves us well. He has figured out a very strategic watering schedule (there's a spreadsheet) for our yard, he can find a bargain hiding under a rock, and he knows all the best questions to ask about everything, it seems. I have my areas of knowledge, but I am completely lost with everything he knows so well. I am so grateful for his knowledge!

There are so many more, I'm sure, but I will stop there for today. What are YOU grateful for today? 

The Third Fourth

The first year we were married, Ryan and I started a tradition of going to see fireworks on the 4th, and we have loved that tradition. Most years we went to see them over a lake, which is our most favorite of all the favorites. I never would have guessed we would miss three years IN A ROW of going to see them, but last night put a bow on that little streak. It marked the third fourth when we haven't been to see fireworks.

It started in 2020. There actually were public fireworks displays around us that year, despite all the pandemic madness, but Ryan and I were JUST about to begin our new job at WillowBridge, and we couldn't risk quarantine. If that happened, we would miss our training, and everything would have been behind from the start. So we watched fireworks on TV in our living room and vowed go back in person next year.

So that brings us to 2021. Last year. Ryan and I were on duty that day and we actually had a tenant who wanted to go see fireworks. We asked where we should go to see them well without getting stuck in crowds. I'd seen Fort Wayne fireworks before and knew they were good. We went exactly where we were advised to go, and a whole bunch of other people were there too, so we know we weren't in the wrong spot. Never. Saw. A. Single. Firework. It was maddening!

We declared on the spot that we would NOT work the Fourth of July in 2022. We would have that day off work, and we would go see fireworks, and that was that. So now we're to yesterday. And now we have a puppy who is new to fireworks. We weren't sure if it was a great idea to leave her home alone if things got loud and scary, so we decided to just stay home. If we were lucky, we might see some from our driveway. 

And now we say...next year.

Despite the abysmal fireworks three-peat, we did have a really fun day.

We got up early to go to breakfast, since we had to cancel our monthiversary breakfast date on Saturday. 

And the restaurant was closed. So were the next five we either drove to or called. Mercy.

So we came home, grabbed our coupons, and went through the Hardee's drive-thru for breakfast. Took it home and ate it there. 

Lexi was hopeful one of the boxes was for her. (She was mistaken. Cute! But mistaken.)

Ryan had to work on yard/sprinkler stuff for the day, and my main goal was to knock out some scrapbooking. I started by sorting and organizing the books from our marriage. There are SEVENTY BOOKS from the beginning of our relationship. (And I ordered three more yesterday.) They make me so happy. I sat down and looked at several, actually!

I got them all organized, I finished up the three books I needed to order (coupon!!!) and placed my order. Three cheers for birthday money. It almost always goes to scrapbooks! 

Ryan washed off the patio, which has been buried in mud with all the yard adventures. It looks so much better now!

Lexi was pretty cuddly - when she wasn't burning off energy. (The real estate agent who helped us purchase our home came over to see it now that it's all put together. Lexi thought she came JUST for her and was beside herself with joy.) She's stinkin' cute when she's cuddly.

I had some people ask me how she handled fireworks. She did great! We were outside on a walk when some went off (way before dark) and she didn't freak out. She was intrigued by them and wanted to know where they were and if she should go see, but she didn't seem scared. I had read on a dog training Instagram page that one thing to possibly try is anytime you hear a boom, give the dog a treat to make it a fun thing. Since Lexi is highly motivated by food (as am I), I thought we should try that. She loved it. I don't know if it helped, but she didn't complain about the food!

It was an unusual fourth...for the third time. But it was a good day! 

115 Months!

THANK YOU all so much for your grace yesterday. I try really hard to keep this an uplifting space, but I had n-o-t-h-i-n-g left in my spirit Saturday night after the heat and the yard sapped it all out of me. Thank you for sitting through a much bigger whine-fest than I like to put in print and for sharing kind words. That was a blessing!

So now...howsabout we talk about Saturday? 

Saturday was our 115th monthiversary, and it went pretty much NOTHING like we planned. ;) Nevertheless, here is the story of the day!

We had originally planned to go out for breakfast in the morning, since our special day fell on a weekend. But then the need to work on the yard came up, and we would have had to go out at 5 or 6 in the morning to have that breakfast and allow Ryan to get working before the heat of the day. So we postponed that idea for a later date, and instead we went on a walk with Lexi!

We came back home and were busy working on things around the house, when I caught some movement out of the corner of my eye. I glanced out in the back yard, and LOOK!!!!!!!!!

I. Lost. My. Mind. I was going on and on about my love for this deer and snapping a million pictures. Ryan was kind enough to keep Lexi occupied so she didn't bark and scare away the deer. It didn't stay long, but ahhhhhhhhhhh!!!! Day made!

My friend Amber was coming to visit, so I spent part of the morning making lunch and our dessert! 

While I showed Amber around the house and we caught up on life, Ryan started working outside. The first chore was filling with dirt the areas that were not graded very well. We had huge puddles where any hope of grass had just drowned, so he tried to level them out. 

He paused to have lunch with us, and then he got back to work with seeding!

Amber and I did a little documenting of the seeding work, but we left to check out the river walk! Ended up walking four miles! 

When we came back, Ryan and our neighbor were out scattering straw, so we jumped in to help. I knew it was late enough in the day that if all hands didn't go on deck, we would never get it done before nightfall. 

We took a break to go for ice cream, which became our official monthiversary date. Amber went with us, and then she went home from there.

Ryan and I picked up more supplies and went back to seeding and straw-scattering. Again, our neighbor came to help, and seriously the ONLY reason we were able to finish before dark was because of her help. She was SUCH a blessing!

We were both utterly exhausted from working so hard and fast (and in the heat) but God gave us a BEAUTIFUL sunset!!

I joked with Ryan that 115 months ago, on that Florida beach, I sure hoped we could reseed a yard in 115 months. :) Despite the day not going as we planned, I have to say that I am grateful for Ryan, his hard work, his vision for our home, and his determination to make everything arrive at its fullest potential. It's been a while since we did a manual labor job together, and it was good for us, I know. And now I can check off seeding a yard from my bucket list! :) 

Sunday Sentiments

 

It's been just over three weeks since our yard went in, and this week the gentleman who came to fertilize advised us to begin again. 

We knew it was the word that would be coming, but it was still hard news to hear.

We've worked hard to keep up with the watering. We've prayed over that silly yard. We've prayed for rain, and we've prayed for provision in supplementing when rain didn't fall. 

Some grass poked up through the dirt, but the oppressive heat and lack of rain just pushed open wide cracks in the hard dirt. We watched as birds came along and snacked on the baby yard. 

And with no other recourse, we went to the store to buy up the supplies to start over at our own expense.

Yesterday was our monthiversary, and we spent the day reseeding and putting down straw, second-guessing every decision we've made over the last three weeks, and rushing to beat dusk with our straw-scattering. It was super romantic.

I say these things not to complain (truly!) but just to share what I'm learning from our reality. 

As I sat crying from exhaustion late last night, I had to face the truth that the bottom line was I was just disappointed in a first-world problem.

I was disappointed that a series of poor decisions made by the builder pretty much set us up to fail in growing a yard. 

I was disappointed that we were backed into a corner where we had to pour personal resources into something that was supposed to be a provision with the house when we bought it. 

I was disappointed that our monthiversary - one that fell on a weekend when we could actually spend time together - turned into a day of hard work and dividing to conquer.

I was disappointed that we had to keep canceling and modifying our plans to get this project done.

I was disappointed that I was a terrible hostess to our visitor who ended up IN THE YARD WITH US helping us seed.

And in the grand scheme of life, it doesn't matter. It's disappointing today. It's an inconvenience today. It's not what I planned for today. But in fifty years, it will be a story we look back on and shake our heads. It will be something we look back on and see how God taught us lessons. (I'm confident He will. I haven't learned them yet.) 

My heart and mind are weary, so I fear I may not have a neat and tidy bow to put on this post. But I will say that I'm grateful for a hardworking and smart husband who knows how to do things like seed yards. This was a first for me! 

And I'm grateful for a friend and a neighbor who both popped in to help throughout the day or we'd have been out there scrambling long after darkness fell.

Thanks, friends, for reading along with our yard adventures. I'm sure it's not that exciting, but it's our reality right now. I hope we learn something worth sharing so I can pass it your way! 

The Saturday Six

 

I started a new workout plan this week, and I am so sorrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrre! The other night, I flopped into bed (like a belly flopping fish) and Ryan asked if I was okay. I said, "No! No, I am not okay. I am not Mary Tyler Moore. I am not going to make it after all." Crickets. Crickets. And then he said, "I don't know what that means." WHAT?! It turns out he has never watched the Mary Tyler Moore show. Moreover, He didn't even know it existed! Ahhhhhh!!!! So I had to pull up the theme song on YouTube and play it for him right then. 

That launched into storytime with Bekah about how I used to watch the Mary Tyler Moore show on Nick at Night with my grandma when I would stay with her on the weekends. Then that launched us into an entire conversation about the 'good ole shows" that used to be on Nick at Night. And that has inspired today's Saturday Six. Shows of yore!

One.

So let's just start with Mary Tyler Moore herself. I was trying to explain the cast of the show to Ryan by telling him actors he would know from other shows. Like Ed Asner, who he knows as Santa in Elf, or Georgia Engel, who he knows as Amy's mom in Everybody Loves Raymond. I tried to explain the premise of the show, and I'm trying to stop just short of making him watch all the seasons to experience it for himself.

But I think my favorite thing about the show was Mary's apartment! Maybe I loved tiny house/loft living before I even knew it was a thing! And the little shutters that separated her kitchen from the rest of the place...so cute. My other favorite thing was the platform at the one end of the apartment. Rooms with steps utterly fascinated me. It's like having your very own little stage in your own home!

I found this floor plan of her TV apartment, and I have to say...I think this is a fabulous floor plan. You would have to enjoy sleeping in your living room, of course. (Didn't she sleep on a hide-a-bed?) But it's awfully cute!!! What do you think? Could you live in Mary's apartment?

Two.

I also loved Mary Tyler Moore in her role on The Dick Van Dyke Show. I am so sad that it doesn't play in regular syndication with the regularity that I Love Lucy and The Andy Griffith Show play. I think it was every bit as good. Dick Van Dyke's physical comedy is excellent. (You remember the ottoman, right?) And Laura (Mary's character) breaking out into her hiccupping/sobbing and "Robbbbbbbbbb" - such a Bekah move!

I used to watch this one with my grandma too, and I just loved it. I don't think I've seen it in years and years, and maybe it's time to figure out where to watch it, so I can relive some of those great memories!

I found this list of fun facts about the show - and I did not know most of these!! (I definitely didn't know Mary Tyler Moore was a heavy smoker for a while!) 

Three.

Grandma and I also used to watch Three's Company together. I loved that show so much and was a HUGE John Ritter fan. Here's a Bekah-fact you may not know. When I first graduated from college, I had a roommate that lived with me for the first nine months. She ended up moving out, and my friend Angela (you might remember her) moved in to take her place. But there was a three-month span in between the roommates when I had to live alone, and I was absolutely terrified. I had never lived in a house by myself before, and I was scared to death. 

Three's Company played for several hours around my bedtime, so I would go to bed and leave all the lights and the TV on - and that was the only way I could sleep. It felt to me like if someone saw lights on and heard a TV playing, they would think people were still awake and they wouldn't break in. So I consumed a LOT of Three's Company in that stretch of time. Another Bekah-fact? I was so gut punched by John Ritter's untimely death that I couldn't ever watch the show after he died. I have not watched an episode since!

Anyway - here are some fun facts about the show - and I did not know a handful of them until just now! :) 

 

Four.

I Love Lucy was probably one of Grandma's favorites, and we loved watching that one together, too. It still stands for me (along with The Andy Griffith show) as one of the best sitcoms ever made. I know there was tension behind the scenes between Lucille ball and Desi Arnaz when their marriage began to strain, and I've read that the actors weren't the same real-life friends as they were in their characters of Lucy, Ricky, Fred, and Ethel. But on-screen, they were fantastic, and I still love watching it. 

This article gives the top ten rated episodes in the show's history. I love all of them, but I think Vitameatavegmin may be my favorite. (Ryan and I actually talked about that episode just the other day. He's never seen it! I have failed.)

Five.

One of the spinoffs from The Andy Griffith Show was Gomer Pyle, U.S.M.C. Did you ever watch that one? Gomer was one of my favorite Mayberry characters, so I actually did watch this series. (After Grandma and Grandpa died, I got their little black and white TV that always sat on top of the refrigerator. I put it in my bedroom (first TV I ever had in my room!) and would watch Gomer after school! 

Here is a little montage of the best of Gomer in his spinoff role. That singing voice is no match for his speaking voice! :) 

Six.

And finally, since I've talked about 402 times in this post, I should mention The Andy Griffith Show, which plays regularly in the evenings around our home. Ryan and I visited Mt. Airy, North Carolina, five years ago and would love to go back when we have more time to spend there. (We didn't allot enough time to see it all.) This article shows pictures of some of the cast members from their younger years and older years. Some might surprise you! (Hello, young Aunt Bee!) If I knew it, I did NOT remember that Opie's friend, Johnny Paul Jason, was played by the same actor who played Little Ricky in I Love Lucy!

And as a part B to this point, another Andy show we love around here is Matlock. LOVE Matlock. (Not surprisingly, Grandma loved it too! Here are a few fun facts about Matlock, if you want to take a look. Ryan and I watched an old Andy Griffith interview a while back, and in it, he talked about the courtroom monologues and his desire to get them right the first time. Memorization is not my gift, so when people can deliver lengthy pieces like that, I'm amazed! 

Goals for July 2022

 

Yesterday I shared with you the updates of how I did on my June goals. Today I want to tell you my plans for the month of July! I can't help but think of the Proverb that says, "Many are the plans in a man's heart, but it is the Lord's purpose that prevails." This is something my plan-loving mind needs to remember. I am placing these goals before myself this month, because I work better with accountability. But I'm also placing them before the Lord, recognizing that He might have other plans and goals for me instead!

1. Try out some regular office hours at Love INC.

Ryan's office manager has a week off this month, and he has asked me to fill in for her while she's gone. I'm really looking forward to this, because it will help me learn much more (and probably much faster!) about the work he's doing and the work I will need to do as I settle into my role there. I also have some plans to spend some additional days with him at the office (aside from her vacation) so we can see the pros and cons of working onsite vs. at home. 

2. Return to a regular workout schedule.

Back when we were still at WillowBridge, I spent several weeks meeting with a health coach. I learned so many valuable things from her, and one thing she told me regularly was this: If nothing changes, nothing changes. Since we left WillowBridge, I have been working very slowly to make changes to my life in keeping with the things I learned from her. She felt strongly that work stresses were preventing me from making any kind of healthy changes in my life, so my first stop post-WillowBridge was to simply rest. Sleep. Sit. Breathe. Enjoy. I did that for about six weeks, and I didn't really worry about anything else in that time. Then I increased my water intake and started walking regularly again just to get movement into my day. It wasn't power walking. It was just moving. Then this last month, I started stretching. Now it's time to work out again. I considered starting super small - with just a day or two each week. But then I reminded myself that several years ago, I jumped into daily workouts, and I managed it. There's no reason I can't do that again. So to start, I'm following this plan, which I can do at home at whatever time works for me! (Fun fact: I actually picked this out a couple of weeks ago and decided to start it this week, even though it's not July yet. So I'm ahead of schedule already! I'm also reminded how painful it is to begin a workout after you haven't worked out for a long time. Everything hurts.)

3. Continue making plans for our tenth anniversary.

I've already started this, but I would really like to lay out as many of the plans as possible during this month. If there are things we want to do that we need to save for, I want to know what they are and how much we'll need to budget. If there are things we need to make reservations for, I want to make sure to get that done before slots fill up. Because it is so far out on the calendar, there are probably some things that haven't yet been advertised. I'll have to keep checking as time gets closer. But I want to do as much as I can to have the planning done. I've learned that when I take time to plan ahead, I am often quite grateful later when things get busy without warning and I no longer have the time! 

4. Try one fun hair thing each week.

This one may sound silly to you, but I'm putting it on the list. I think I mentioned in a Saturday Six not long ago that I've been watching some of Josie Balka's hair tutorials. I have gotten so lazy (compared to high school, if that tells you how long I've been lazy) about DOING things with my hair. It's clearly been so long that I actually don't even know HOW to do things with my hair anymore. I am confident there will be some clear disasters that are worth nothing more than laughing at and perhaps preserving with a picture, but I still want to try. I won't have the time or patience to do this every day. I'm probably better off starting with days when I don't have to go anywhere, just in case the results are disastrous. But I do want to start somewhere. So...once a week it is! 

5. Do a couple more of my top ten house project items.

Perhaps I'll surprise myself by what I choose to do, but if I had to guess, I would say that this might be a good month to figure out the lamp situation in the guest room and hang the pictures in the foyer. I mean, really, how long could either of those take? Maybe it would be a good month to do the accent wall in the foyer, if I get to feeling really adventurous. Come to think of it, it might actually be a GREAT month to do that, because we're stuck at home watering for at least another month, if not longer. 

6. Work on decorating Ryan's office at Love INC.

Speaking of decorating...Ryan's office needs some! He inherited Claudia's office after she left, and it's basically just a bedroom in a house that has been turned into an office. It has all the practical pieces (desk, chairs, table, bookshelf, etc.) but nothing at all that has any pieces of his personality in it. Since we're going to have several days together at the office this month, it might be the perfect time to make it look a little more like home. Happily, we have many decorations left that we didn't have room for in our house, so I have lots of things to "shop" to spruce up the room. I am really excited to do this. Ryan is really excited that he doesn't have to do it! Ha! 

7. Start my Love INC training.

In the coming months, I have some specific online and in-person training to attend for my new role with Love INC. But before I do those training sessions, there are some prerequisite trainings I need to do at my own pace. I would love to start going through those so I can learn the nuts and bolts better and hopefully support Ryan better in his role! I should have time to do those this month, so I'm making it a goal to knock out at least one set of them!