Bekah and the Blue Dress Shirts

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

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

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

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

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

One.

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

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

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

Sentimental value? Extra bonus.

Two.

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

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

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

Three.

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

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

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

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

So...the recap:

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

Bekah's Bookshelf: Fall Reads

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

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

One.

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


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

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

Two.

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


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

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

Three.

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


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

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

Four.

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


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

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

Five.

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


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

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

Texas Sheet Cake

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

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

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

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

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

Texas Sheet Cake

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


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

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

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

A Few Tips:

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

You Asked!!

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

Here you go!!!

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

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

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

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

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

Plugging up the geyser.

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

I took some selfies:

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

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

And Ryan finished his work.

He's nothing if not entertaining.

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

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

Linking up!

The Shafferland Shuffle

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

The Saturday Six

One.

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I cherish the friends I have made through blogging, and one of them is Karen. I don't even remember now how I stumbled upon her original blog, but what cemented my draw to her was that she grieved the loss of her little one {you know how tender my heart is toward infant loss}...whose name was Rebekah Joy - just like mine. Karen has a new blog now, and we've remained friends over these years....and this past week, she shared her heart about her loss of her Rebekah Joy. I wanted you to meet this little baby whose life is precious and who shares my name.

Two.

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Maybe not all of you are writers, but even if you're not, I have a feeling you can find something that makes sense in your heart from this post by Emily Freeman. Because sometimes the prospect of doing something that will dig up your heart is just plain scary.

Three.

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I stumbled upon this article this week by fiction writer Cynthia Ruchti. I realize probably most of you who read are not authors, but if you are - or if you ever have a chance to do a radio interview at all - READ THIS!!! She nailed every important thing I think anyone needs to know regarding giving a good interview. Former producer, standing to applaud.

Four.

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Since it appears God must want us to stay in our humble home for the time being, I'm always on the lookout for things to make it a little more streamlined. Recent dream? Have a real guest room. For the first two years of our marriage, there was only one bed in our whole home, and it was ours. Last year, as you might remember, we bought our couch we love so much...Mo...and it pops up into a queen size bed, giving us a place to put two more people. That's come in handy this year with visitors! But I still dream of making one of our bedrooms int a guest room. Problem: it's so small, even a double bed would take up WAY too much of the space, especially considering for the bulk of the time, we would not be using the bed. Enter THIS gem from IKEA...which I think would solve every problem. Extra seating when not needed for a bed, but provides a bed for one or two: YES PLEASE. I shall now start saving my pennies. 

Five.

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Maybe you saw this post already, but if not, and if you have an area of your life where Satan seems to have you locked up...read this. Beth is talking specifically to those praying to be released from food-related strongholds, but the prayers written within here can fly across the board to so many things. I have a feeling I'll need to refer to this one frequently. 

Six.

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I am hooked on small town life these days. I don't know why; I'm sure it's a phase that will pass. But since I don't live in the small town Mayberry atmosphere, I sure do love it when I have the chance to read about life in such a place, and my latest read, Murder at the Courthouse by A.H. Gabhart satisfied my thirst for another spin through small town USA.

A.H. Gabhart is Ann Gabhart, and her name was familiar to me from my days at the station, but I'd not read her books before. She sure pulled me in with this one! Here's what I liked about it: it had enough whodunnit in it to satisfy my inner Criminal Minds loving self, but the story wasn't presented in such a scary way that I jumped a mile every time the house creaked while I read. It had enough small town in it to make me diagnose the characters in the vein of the Andy Griffith show...clear down to a Barney and an Emma Brand...but the town wasn't so hokey that it annoyed me. And it had just the perfect touch of romance. Not heavy, but not missing.

The book is set in Hidden Springs, Kentucky, population 732...or it had been until the morning Miss Willadean Dearmon found a body murdered on the courthouse steps, smack in the middle of town.  How in the world a complete stranger ended up dead in the middle of town in broad daylight was befuddling at best, but that was the exact situation Deputy Sheriff Michael Keane found himself in after Miss Willadean marched into his office to file a complaint about the man on the courthouse steps.

Michael works his way through the town, from the trouble-making teen to the nosy newspaper reporter to the barber who knows everything about everyone, and even down the memory lane of his own past...or as much of it as he can remember, after an accident when he was a teenager left him with gaping holes in his mental history. The dots are there...he just has to figure out how to connect them and put this small town back in a peaceful state of mind again.

I learned at the end, that there will be a book two in this Hidden Springs Mystery Series, and I'm excited. I love this little town and think I would love living there, even if the only house for sale was next to the busybody Miss Willadean!

This is a fun read with an exciting amount of suspense and some awfully lovable townsfolk.

* Special thanks to Revell for sending a book my way in exchange for a review. Opinions are my own! * 

Birthday Dinner

So you know you're a grown up when....your kids give you faucets for your birthday.

And you like it!

My parents' birthdays are a month apart, and this year, my sisters and I went together and upgraded their whole kitchen faucet system. Main faucet/sprayer/soap dispenser/drinking water faucet. And of course, this came with free installation.

And by free, I mean Ryan.

I made breakfast for dinner and joined the party for the big birthday bash last night.

First, may I tempt you with dinner? Amish breakfast casserole and homemade chocolate glazed donuts.

With birthday candles, of course, because they were the "cake" of the party...

Dinner was DE-lish {not to toot my own horn} and then Ryan got busy with his toolboxes and started replacing all the plumbing.

Training session. In case it was the first time they'd seen faucets. :)

It went remarkably well - MUCH better than the last plumbing story at their house!

Annnnnd....done!!!

While Ryan worked, Mom and I got caught up on pictures and writing projects and Christmas list ideas...and I took a brief time out to be helper girl extraordinaire.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, MOM AND DAD!! Glad you liked your now-I'm-a-grownup gift. :)

PS - I can't remember...did I tell you guys the story of the last plumbing adventure at their house? Because if I did not, boyyyyyyyyyyyyyyy do I ever have a story for you. {Hint: it included a toilet.}