The Date Inspired by The Letter D

Our alphabetical date quest continued this past weekend, and we did TWO in one weekend. And both were out of order. I need to sit down. Someone bring me a brown paper bag! (Kidding.) (Kind of.)

So we were originally supposed to do the "D" date two weeks ago on Friday night, but the theme for the night was the Double Date with Dinner Downtown, and the night we were scheduled to go, the other half of our double date had a family thing come up and they needed to reschedule. I was busy last Friday night, so that meant this "D" date ended up falling after the "E" date we did last Saturday morning.

Totally worth the wait, though!

First, let's talk about the "double date" part. We've not gone on a lot of those in our life, but we'd been intending to get together with our friends Mark and Kari ever since we moved to Kokomo, and it hadn't happened yet. Kari and I had gotten together to hang out, but never all four of us. So we made arrangements to hang out together for dinner, which took care of another "D."

There are a decent number of little restaurants in downtown Kokomo, and we had driven by Wings, Etc. several times, but had never been. Ryan loves wings, so I thought this would be the perfect time to give it a try.

And then he didn't order wings.

I guess that means he ordered etc.

Anyway. So this restaurant is way bigger than I thought it was. It's in a really cool old building with exposed brick walls and all, but the dining room goes allllllllll the way to the back of the whole building. And that would also be where they sat us! Right next to a very festive St. Patrick's Day bunch. (I'm talking green sequined berets, lighted flashing earrings and the whole bit.)

We have one of those discount cards for various businesses around town and at this place, you can get a free appetizer with the purchase of an entree. We got soft pretzels with cheese and I'd love to show you a picture but someone (ahem...who may be writing this post) was so hungry, she cared only about eating them!

I decided before we went that I wasn't going to worry about finding the healthiest thing on the menu, since that probably didn't even exist, and it could be treat night. I got something I never get anywhere, but really like: jumbo shrimp! For the record, I brought home over half the food in this picture and then split it with Ryan when I did eat leftovers!

Ryan, the lover of wings, got a wrap. LOL!!

It was also good that the restaurant had an assortment of TVs, because we accidentally scheduled this adventure smack in the middle of March Madness. (Shouldn't that be the M date???)

But we had a great time with Mark and Kari. (She's one of my extra sisters. Not related by blood, but I'd claim her as one!!)

Double dates are fun! We should do more of them!

(All the alphabetical dates so far are found here, if you need some ideas for your life too! 

The Shafferland Shuffle

Well, we made it through one whole week of DST. Woot woot for us!!!! Anyone else been on the staying-awake struggle bus? Anyone? ANYONE?

Here's how we spent week one of time change!

* Last Sunday, we had leftover pizza for lunch and someone, who shall remain nameless, dumped a huge piece all down the front of himself. I laughed so hard, not at him, but just because he seriously never does anything like that and it was funny to watch him react! Later in the day, he took me to Starbucks and I went venti because, well, DST. By that night, I just wanted to bake cookies, but our kitchen looked like this, so no cookies.

* Monday was Mom's first day to come to outpatient physical therapy. She was just assessed, so it was a pretty easy appointment as far as "working out" went, but I think she really enjoyed getting out of the house. As of that day, she was just a day short of being 3 weeks post-op, so I thought she looked great! After work, I watched my friends' kiddos, and the next-to-the-littlest wanted to hold the littlest. Always an adventure. :) We came home, and Ryan worked on the cabinet project. Again. Still. Whatever.

* Tuesday was our one year house-iversary! Not of moving in, but just of purchasing. We celebrated by moving all the stuff back into the cabinets. LOL!! It was also Pi day, which in my mind makes it pie day. It "just so happened" that my mom had shared some pie with us, so we got to actually celebrate! And I welcomed back my restocked kitchen by making a Texas Sheet Cake for Ryan's work.

* Wednesday was Mom's first TRUE day of therapy and she got to work with Ryan! It was fun to watch him in action for a whole session. He's so good at what he does! After work, I met up with my friend Amber for a coffee date, and then I worked on chores at home while Ryan worked on the cabinet doors. (Are you seeing a theme here??)

* Thursday was my first speaking day for the spring season. I have several speaking dates lined up, and this one was a luncheon for a small group of women. They were kind, warm, and welcoming and I completely enjoyed meeting with them! Ryan had to work really late and then I'm sure it will shock you to know he came home and worked on the cabinets. :)

*Friday, I went to visit Ryan at work and he was wearing something very different from what he'd been wearing when he left home. Crack me up!!! We went on our "D" date Friday night. (If you missed the earlier memo, we went out of order and did the "E" date last weekend.) I'm not sure that St. Patrick's Day might be the best choice of nights to go out. Good thing we went early! Anyway. Can't wait to tell you all about our date!

 * Yesterday was full, full, full!! And I can't wait to tell you about it, too! Ryan had the day off, and we did a county tour AND an alphabetical date all in one day. We trekked north to St. Joseph County and had all kinds of fun despite the fact that it rained/sleeted most of the day. And at the end of the day, we enjoyed a very special surprise alphabetical date planned entirely by Ryan. Blew my socks off!

The Saturday Six

One.

I'm sure you saw the video that circulated of the guy doing the BBC interview when his kids busted in the room where he was Skyping. HILARIOUS! (If you haven't seen it, you need to!) Found this article this week that gave a bit of the back-story on his wife and kids. That part where the wife comes flying in with the look of utter mortification is my favorite. That would so be me!!

Two.

This is kind of fun to read! The worst decorating trend from the year you were born. It starts in 1950 and goes clear up to this year! I don't hate every trend listed here, but there were some definite blasts from the past to be found!

Three.

If you're feeling rather overwhelmed by life, this post is a great read on the reasons we need rest and how God designed us to not always live "a pressure cooker life."

Four.

This item falls under the category of things I don't need but want to tell you about in case you have the need! It's pretty nifty for parents! One of my friends posted about it on Facebook this week. They have a a full fireplace/hearth in their home and bought one of these HearthSoft covers to put over the cement hearth. Their one year old took a spill this week and because he hit the cover, he was fine. Might have been a different story with the bare cement hearth! My friend declared in her post that it was super comfy to sit on and lean against, great quality, and easy to order. So if you have a hearth and kiddos, it might be worth the investment!

Five.

I know Bible journaling/bullet journaling/drawing in Bibles is a BIG trendy thing right now, and honestly it's not a bandwagon I've jumped on. I've told you I've been writing out some Scriptures each day (podcast to come on this - it's a good one!), and that has helped me learn parts I'd missed before. But I found this post this week on Bible journaling, and I thought she had some good ideas hidden in there. I still wouldn't be able to do the drawing, but I like some of her other ideas! They are within the scope of my abilities. :) 
 

Six.

Last week, I finally read The Magnolia Story by Chip and Joanna Gaines. I know. All of you probably read it months ago, when it came out! What took me so long?? {My sister received it as a Christmas gift and kindly shared it with me so I could read it, too!}


In case you haven't read the book yet, here are my thoughts. I had heard great things about it, and of course I'm quite a fan of Fixer Upper, so I figured I would love the book. But even so, I was a little nervous. If there's one thing I learned in radio, it's that not all people are good authors. Being a good speaker doesn't mean you're a good writer (and vice versa!). Having a big life event befall you doesn't mean you're a good writer. Of course there are writers who come alongside to help with some of those things, and Chip and Joanna had a good one: Mark Dagostino.

If you watch Fixer Upper, I'm happy to tell you that one thing you'll notice if you read this book is the distinct voices of both Chip and Joanna shining through. Most of the book is written from Joanna's perspective, but several chunks are written from Chip's and just as you see on TV, some parts are written almost conversationally, with the two of them bantering back and forth with their thoughts. To help you keep track of who is speaking, each has a different font. (I didn't find this distracting at all. I actually mentally read each part in their respective voices.)

Another thing that makes me nervous when I pick up stories written by well-known people is the predictable back-story. They all go back and relive their childhood, and in some books, that part gets tedious. I almost thought that would be missing altogether from this book, but it did eventually surface, although much later than I'm used to. But in this book, it didn't bother me. It was interesting to see how their upbringing and their parents' stories impacted the people they became.

I also found it very interesting to read stories of their dating years, early marriage, and how they found this beautiful rhythm of working well together that we've come to love from watching them on TV. (And they tell how they "got discovered," part of which I hadn't heard before.)

There are several hilarious stories in there (which, as you might guess, mostly revolve around Chip's antics and misadventures). I stopped several times to read large sections out loud to Ryan and he loved them. There are also a lot of faith lessons sprinkled throughout and a clear explanation of how they've seen God at work in their marriage and business life.

Just as I hoped, I found it an endearing, enjoyable, and easy read. (OOH! And there are pictures in the middle. I love books with pictures in the middle!) I'm glad they shared the back story. Fun to know!

Spring Capsule Ensembles, Weeks 1 and 2

Yesterday I told you about my desire to build seasonal capsules, which will hopefully incorporate a little variety and color in my wardrobe year! My goal was to find clothes that worked well for my work-from-home life, where I don't have to dress up or be fancy, but would also work well for my speaking life, where I do need to look professional and put together.

Here are the first two weeks of my ensembles, based on the outfits from the inspiration capsule. Also...some thoughts on the adventure! {Click on the collage if you need to see it bigger.}

Week One:

* May Day One outfit was made up of a gray and white tank top, a chambray shirt, and jeans. I added my cute new gray lace-up shoes and brought in spring-like color with my jewelry: big pink hoop earrings, a multi-colored necklace, and a multi-colored bracelet. I spent the day working at home (plus running a few errands) and it was a cold, windy, rainy day, so this super casual look worked well and felt good.

* Day Two, I wore a coral button down shirt with 3/4 length sleeves. I put a white lace cami underneath since you can see right through the eyelets on the shirt. I wore white jeans and dark gold ballet flats. I contrasted turquoise jewelry with a necklace, hoop earrings, and a bracelet. Though I mostly worked from home this day, it was our monthiversary and we went to a Bible study, so it was nice to look a little more dressed up for the occasion. Plus, it was just a COLD day, so this offered the hope of spring.


*Day Three, I wore a plain navy v-neck shirt with a dark cami unerneath, since you can sort of see through it. I added a knee length denim skirt and a gray sweater. Because it was FREEZING, I added black leggings, and my new gray ballet flats. I accented with big pink hoop earrings, a pink necklace ,and a pink bracelet. I ran several errands throughout the day, and it was good to have a bit of a dressier look for some of them, but it was casual enough that I didn't feel overdressed for things like dog-sitting duty!

* Day Four, I wore this new dress! Because it was freezing again, I added white leggings and the gray ballet flats come back for a second day. I wore a necklace and bracelet that had a good mix of blues and greens and sparkly blue earrings. This dress feels like jammies, so this was PERFECT for a day of writing at home. I was probably overdressed, but I felt cute, and that was important because it was cold and nasty outside.


*Day Five, I wore a gray striped t-shirt. The inspiration capsule called for shorts, but NO WAY was it shorts weather, so I rotated in a second pair of jeans and the cute gray lace up shoes again. All silver jewelry this day - necklace, earrings, and bracelet. I went to a Bible study, so I felt cute there, and then it worked well for being home and writing the rest of the day!

Week Two:

 * Day One, I wore my gray patterned T-shirt coupled with the multi-colored shorter skirt. Again: freezing! Added white leggings and gold ballet flats. It was a badddddd hair day, so into a pony it went, and I wore glass teal earrings and matching necklace, along with a coordinating bracelet to pull out the color in the skirt. I wrote at home all day and only got out to visit Ryan at work, so this worked!

* Day Two, I wore jeans with my white button-down shirt. I put a white cami underneath for layering and so you couldn't see through, and also wore my gray ballet flats. Pink necklace, earrings, and bracelets brought in some spring and color. Though I was home all day, we had our Bible study that night, so I liked being casual yet dressy for the day.

* Day Three, I wore the second new dress and layered my green sweater on top. More leggings and gold flats. Sage green jewelry completed it! I went to a party that evening and wanted to look a little bit dressy but still be comfortable (two hours in the car), so this worked! (Note: I actually should have worn the chambray shirt so I didn't have the green sweater twice in one week, but I got it mixed up!)

* Day Four I started repeating! The coral shirt (with white cami underneath) came back, as did the denim skirt. I added white leggings, gold flats, and a chunky white necklace and coral earrings. I had a BUNCH of errands this day, including Mom's first physical therapy session, so dressy was good!

* Day Five, I wore the flowered tank top, covered by the green sweater and white jeans. Multi-shades of green jewelry rounded it out - and gray flats, too! I had Bible study on this day, and the room gets a little warm, so I liked having lighter layers.

 Ten of the thirty outfits I'll have from this capsule...featured right here! :) 

A Spring Capsule

If you've been reading here for a while, you know that almost two years ago now, I started establishing a capsule wardrobe. I've blogged about it several times and have to say I've really loved this change in lifestyle. I've enjoyed not having so much stuff to contend with and so many choices to plod through each day. I've also enjoyed the blessing of focusing on things that work well together in so many different combinations. (I have a Pinterest board about it here...with my inspirations and all my previous posts on the subject.)

But in order to make that work, I've sacrificed a lot of color variety from my wardrobe. Most of my clothes are black, white, and gray, with a handful of blue and teal accents. I started to sort of miss the chance to wear different colors. I didn't want to abandon the capsule project, since so many things about it are working well for me. But I started doing a little research to see if I had spice-it-up options, and decided to try a seasonal capsule wardrobe.

With a seasonal capsule, I'll take the year and divide it into four quarters (or seasons) and pick a color scheme for each season. Some of my pieces will come from the plain capsule I have now and might even rotate through multiple seasonal capsules too, and then I'll add accent pieces in each season's color schemes to complete it. For the sake of cost and convenience, I'll keep my black/white/gray base, and then I'll just add from there.

SO! For the spring capsule, I used this example as my template and decided to use a sage(ish) green and coral as my accent colors. I wanted to keep this as cost-effective as possible, so I relied heavily on the Goodwill to fill in the blanks for me. (And thankfully I hit the jackpot the day I went. Took me an hour and a half of scouring, but I found almost everything! And it took me f.o.r.e.v.e.r. to find the remaining few missing pieces after that day.) I also had to make just a few modifications from this exact template, but it was a good guide.

This was my inspiration collection.

2 Dresses.

These two stinkin' dresses proved to be my nemesis in capsule creation. I only own a small handful of dresses and none fit the bill for the spring capsule, because I wanted some with print/excitement. I'm still damaged from the floral prints of the 90s, so every dress I owned was plain. Since I had to shop, I wanted to find dresses that worked for dressing up when I am out speaking BUT weren't so overly dressy that I would feel weird wearing them at home when I'm just hanging out. That's a lot to ask out of a dress, and then to take that times two felt nearly impossible. The Goodwill failed me entirely, as did almost every single store in town. I finally found the Chevron dress at K-Mart  for $12.00 and the striped dress at JC Penney for $26.00. (That was way more than I wanted to pay, but I do love the dress, and I was desperate.) The Chevron dress is an extra large in the Joe Boxer brand. I really needed a large for it to be long enough, but they didn't have large in stock, and medium was WAY too short. So I swallowed my pride and got an extra large - comforted only by knowing it's a junior dress. The striped dress is a medium a.n.a. brand. Both are very comfortable and feel like jammies.

2 Button Down Shirts.

I had been looking for a good basic white button-down shirt anyway, so finding it as a piece of this capsule was a good nudge for me to actually GET the thing. Button-down shirts are hard for me to find because of how I'm built. It's hard to find one that's big enough in the bust/shoulders/back without being too flowy in the middle.I thought finding a coral button down to mimic the inspiration capsule was going to be hard, but I actually hit the jackpot and found both shirts at Goodwill for $4.00 each. The white button-down has TONS of buttons, which means I don't have to worry about it gapping at the chest, like button-downs tend to do one me. It's a Dress Barn shirt and looked brand new with a little angled striped pattern on it that makes it a bit slimming. The coral shirt is actually a Tractor Supply Company shirt that still had tags on it. Both shirts are 3/4 length sleeves, and the coral one has tabs to roll the sleeves up and hold them.


2 Sleeveless Shirts. 

In the example capsule, one of the sleeveless shirts was a bold print and one was gingham. I was pretty sure I wouldn't find a gingham one in coral, so my goal was just to do the best I could. I found one sleeveless shirt at the Goodwill that had a fun flowery print in green (Basic Editions brand, size medium and looked brand new) for $3.50, so I got that.  Though I wanted to buy another brighter option, I couldn't find one that fit (literally or figuratively) so I decided to use a gray and white striped sleeveless shirt I already owned. I got it at Kohl's last year (Sonoma brand, size small) when I was building my basic capsule. The good part about that was...it was free! I will probably keep my eyes open, and if I find a better option for a future year, I'll snatch it up.


1 Plain Shirt.

Although the inspiration capsule featured a lacy navy tee as a dressier shirt option, I really wanted to find a dressy shirt in coral or green to pull in more of the spring colors. Alas, I couldn't find one that flattered my figure, so I decided to pull a plain navy v-neck (Rock & Republic, size medium) from my existing capsule that I got last year at Kohl's while building the basic capsule. It's not perfect, and maybe along the way I'll end up replacing this one, but for now it works. And it was free! (And who knows? I might find that having the blue is a good mix-in even though it's not truly springy.)

2 Patterned Shirts.

In the inspiration capsule, one patterned shirt was gray and white striped and one was brighter in color. I actually had a gray and white striped shirt at home, but it didn't fit in the most flattering way, so I kept my eye out for a new striped shirt option as well as something brighter. Again, I rocked it on the new striped find when I shopped at the Goodwill (Rough Hewn brand, size medium), so I snatched that up for $4. It's a true t-shirt, but it's comfy! Sadly, I couldn't find another pattered shirt that fit right, but I did find a gray patterned tee at Goodwill for $4 (Mossimo Brand size medium), so I got that one.


3 Sweaters.

Confession: I am actually not much of a sweater lover. I feel like an old lady in them even though I know they are no longer "old lady clothes." I went shopping with an open mind, looking for a white, coral, and navy sweater. The coral search was a bust, but I did find a green one at the Goodwill for $4 (Maurices, size medium) that was lightweight and had short sleeves, so I got that. Unable to find any others that looked right, I decided to use a gray sweater I already owned (and love and wear a lot!) and instead of a sweater for the third one, I decided to throw in the chambray shirt I already owned. The gray sweater was a gift from my Mom for Christmas a year ago and came from Gordman's (B Design, size medium), and the Chambray shirt was one I bought as an early-on capsule piece. Got it at Cato (size large)!


3 Skirts.

The inspiration capsule featured a shorter denim skirt, a mid-length white skirt, and a pencil coral skirt, but I made some modifications. I owned a denim skirt already (Cato, size 10), so I threw that in. (It looks awfully boxy on me though, so whenever I find one that is a better fit, I'm getting it.) I couldn't find a white skirt I loved, but I did find a cute one at the Goodwill for $4 that had white, green, and tan in it (Daisy Fuentes, size 8), so I went with that. It was quirky and unusual and kind of a long tennis feeling style. Since both of those skirts hit above the knee, I decided to go with a maxi skirt for the third one. I found one at the Goodwill for between $3.50 (Tryst brand, size small) that was white and gray and fit well, so I added it to the cart.


2 Pairs of Pants.

Before I put this capsule together, Ryan bought me two new pairs of jeans because some of mine were rather (ahem) baggy in the back end. So I pulled out a pair from that purchase from Kohl's (although confession: I own more than just that pair and can fill in with one of the others if this pair happens to be dirty). The ones I pulled out were Lauren Conrad Brand, skinny size 8. Then I went on the hunt for white jeans. I'd been wanting some anyway, and Goodwill to the rescue! Found a practically new pair for $2.00 (Bandolino Brand, size 8)!


1 Pair of Shorts. 

Shorts are rough in the spring in Indiana. It's hard to have days that are warm enough for them, but we're having such an unseasonably warm spring that I thought it just might work! I pulled a pair of dark denim shorts (Kohl's last year size 8) from my capsule and threw them in. If the days are too cold, I'll supplement with extra jeans.


Shoes

The capsule called for three pairs of tan/nude shoes. Two flats and wedges. But I went a totally different direction. I actually found 2 new super cute pairs of shoes at Cato! Both are gray. Lace up casual shoes for $15.99 and dressy slip-ons for $9.99. I owned a pair of goldish ballet flats already (ironically also from Cato), so I put those in as my third pair! 

NOTE:
Because we have had such a cold start to spring, I also added a white and black pair of leggings to help on the skirt days (already owned both, so no additional spending) and I threw in a white and black cami I already owned to wear under a couple of the shirts that are a bit on the thin side. I skipped getting new purses, and I also use a variety of my existing jewelry to spice it all up. 

So...this is my spring capsule! For six weeks (five days a week), I'm rotating different combinations of what you see above, and I'll report in with those combos every couple of weeks so you can see how it works! I have to say that so far, I'm loving it (really loving some outfits more than others but haven't HATED any outfits yet) and I'm enjoying some new pieces!

Linking up with Tamar

Cheeseburger Soup

Because Indiana is being...well...Indiana, my menu plan this week contains both soup and grilling plans. Sigh. It's hard to have winter and spring in the same week. And truthfully, at this point, I'm about to give up on spring.

Anyway. Several of you asked me about the cheeseburger soup a few weeks ago when I made it and blogged something about it, so I made it again this week and am ready to present it today!!

First of all, allow me to say that cheeseburger soup was something I first had years ago at a church carry-in, and though I was wary at first Seriously? Cheeseburger in a soup????), I loved it and asked for the recipe. Fun fact: I made this dish one night when a guy friend was coming over for dinner and he never showed up. I didn't say anything about it, because I feared he thought it was a date and freaked out/bailed, but WEEKS later, he confessed he forgot. Let's just say I ate soup for d.a.y.s.

Anyway. Despite that little awkward memory, I made this soup often and even featured it here on the old blogaroo.

But between the potatoes and the processed cheese, I felt bad continuing to make it - UNTIL!!!!! - a few weeks ago, my friend Allison said something on Facebook about a cheeseburger soup recipe made with cauliflower in place of potatoes. Stop it. Just stop it. It sounded terrifying, actually, but after she FULLY reassured me it was not even noticeable, I decided to give it a whirl.

Shut. The.  Front. Door.

You guys, it really was so good. And I didn't even tell Ryan I'd swapped out the potatoes in favor of the cauliflower, and he didn't even pick up on it. Truth.

So without further ado, I present my healthfully-improved cheeseburger soup recipe. Ryan tested and approved.

Healthier Cheeseburger Soup

* 1 pound ground turkey
* 3/4 cup chopped onion
* 3/4 cup shredded carrots
* 3/4 cup diced celery
* 1 teaspoon dried basil
* 1 teaspoon dried parsley flakes
* 3 cups low sodium chicken broth
* 1 head cauliflower, cut into smaller pieces
* 2 cups shredded cheddar cheese (lowfat)
* 1 1/2 cup milk
* 1 teaspoon seasoned salt
* 1/4 cup plain Greek yogurt

In a large pot, brown and drain the ground turkey. Add chopped onion, shredded carrots, and diced celery, along with basil and parsley and allow to cook a bit until vegetables grow tender. Add chicken broth, cauliflower, and cheese, along with milk, seasoned salt and Greek yogurt and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer until all vegetables are tender. Smash at cauliflower if you need it to be a bit more unrecognizable. Serve warm.

A Few Tips.

* We use ground turkey, but if you just hate ground turkey, you could, of course, use ground beef instead. Or ground whatever you like.

* For the love of Pete, Jane, and Sally, buy carrots that are already shredded. I nearly cried in the grocery last weekend when that little slot in the refrigerator sat bare. Shredding carrots on the little shredder can be awfully dangerous for klutzes like me.

* I don't think the low sodium chicken broth sacrifices flavor, but if you feel it does, you can buy regular OR add extra seasoning to compensate.

* I try to cut the cauliflower fairly small before I dump it in the pot, but if you find the pieces are still too big, just mash them up a bit as they start to soften in the soup. I actually don't mind them a little bigger, but if you're trying to trick someone...

* I use low fat/fat free milk and find it to add plenty enough creaminess.  Same for the yogurt.

* I let this simmer for about an hour before serving, but the longer it sits, the more the flavors marry. So I guess it depends on how picky you are about that stuff and how hungry you are when you cook it!

This pairs well with crackers/salads/cornbread/whatever you like, and it does reheat well! 

Happy House-iversary!

Podcast Tuesday!!

Ryan's inside scoop on the ripping apart of our kitchen (AGAIN) and a bonus this week: hands down, the BEST labor narrative I've ever read in my life. Ryan's cousin's wife had a lonnnnnnnnnng labor last week and her husband's Facebook updates were simply hysterical.

 Listen right here!

One full year ago today, we were here:

We were a bit taken aback that were there, because even two months before that, we hadn't even set foot inside the house. We didn't know we would be moving. It's probably a good thing it all happened so fast, because we didn't have time to freak out about it.

One of the biggest faith journeys of our married life hit a major milestone on this day. Though we didn't take possession of the house that day, we walked out owning it and dreaming of a future to come within those very walls.

We've been so purposeful in the past year, molding and shaping this house into our home. We've lived intentionally, trying our best to use the blessing we've been given to, in turn, bless others.

I. am. so. grateful. God saw fit to move us here when He did. He knew what was coming that we didn't know. He knew the friendships we needed to form and deepen that we couldn't form and deepen from 40 minutes away. He knew the new computer system Ryan's work would get that require much more time at work, and He knew that would be more manageable if we lived closer to work. He knew the gallbladder debacle and the hip replacement that loomed before us and how much easier it would be if we could just be closer to the hospitals we needed to frequent.

We had no clue, but He knew all that.

So today we celebrate one year of owning this home, and we're thankful that even though there have been so many surprises in this past year, we're able to say that all the many good things we hoped to know as a result of this move have absolutely come true.

If there's one thing we've learned in our marriage, it's that we have no idea what God has next for us. We could live here for the rest of our lives, or God could move us somewhere else. We have no idea. But I am thrilled that we have no regrets from this first year of living here. I don't think any house has ever been more well loved in that short amount of time. If we stay here forever, I completely anticipate that every year that follows will be just like the first: lived to the fullest. If God opens a different door and takes us forward into a new place, we'll go knowing we had a great, memory-packed season in this place.

It's home indeed.

The Date Inspired by "E"

In case you're keeping track, which I highly doubt any of you are, we actually have not yet gone on our date inspired by "D" in our alphabetical dates adventure. We had it scheduled for a week ago, but (spoiler alert!) it's a double date, and our doubles had to reschedule. Since they are a key part of the experience, we'll report in on that one once we've gone. Meanwhile, I already had the "E" date on the calendar, so I took a deep breath and tried really hard to not freak out about out of order dates!

The "E" date was an EARLY BIRD DATE, complete with EGGS and ESPRESSO, and EXTRA fun with our friend Randy, who joined us for breakfast!

Ryan had this past Saturday off work, so we arranged to meet Randy at Omeletty's, which is a local restaurant.

* Fun fact about Omeletty's: we have had their food several times, but this was the first time I've ever been TO the restaurant. My parents actually really like this place and on a handful of occasions over the past year, Mom's gotten food for us (moving/renovating/gallcation) and brought it to us so we didn't have to cook.

* Random observation about the restaurant: their sign says they specialize in breakfast, lunch, and dinner...which makes me wonder if that should just say they specialize in food? I mean isn't that like all the food?

* Random fact learned while eating at the restaurant: they have a HUGE chalkboard on one wall that details all the specialty coffee drinks they offer, but they actually don't have them anymore. The waitress told us the owner's late wife hand-lettered the chalkboard and after she died, he wanted it left untouched, so it stays up there. She said they have a lot of explaining to do when people try to order from it!

* Random PSA: The aforementioned chalkboard sign (which I did not take a picture of because it was crazy busy in there and I felt weird taking pictures) features "expresso," which is not a word. Ryan and I have this conversation a lot, because he calls it expresso, and I remind him it's actually espresso. No "X."

Breakfast was egg-and-coffee-filled and delicious! Someone was particularly excited about it.

 Hey! You can see part of the chalkboard behind him!

We had a great time talking with Randy. He's a fun friend, and we actually spent a couple of hours there swapping stories and having fun!

Early bird dates are fun, and if you're going to do one, try going to a place you've never been for breakfast. Whole new experience!

The Shafferland Shuffle

First of all, it's stinkin' DST day. If you forgot, HURRY!!!!! You're late!!!!! Or just go back to bed and reclaim the hour you lost.

Not that I'm bitter about it. :)

Meanwhile, a peek into our week!

* Lately we've been enjoying brunch on Sundays, and this past week, Ryan made the whole thing. Food tastes better when someone else does all the work! :) Speaking of "all the work," have I mentioned how much work Braeya creates each day by unmaking the bed we meticulously make each morning? That child. One super fun thing from Sunday? New patio furniture!! I had been busy on Pinterest figuring out how to make patio furniture out of pallets, and here Ryan was planning to surprise me with furniture the whole time! Excited to have it; now if it could WARM UP so we can use it!!

* Monday began my week of hard core writing, where I was determined to knock out a BUNCH of projects and not be sidetracked with a bunch of errands. So I hunkered down at the computer for most of the day. I did watch my friend's 5 kiddos for a little bit in the evening, and they decided to have an Easter egg hunt using my home decor. One of them used ME for a hiding place. No, I don't lay eggs! LOL! Ryan got busy diagramming the kitchen cabinets so he could begin the refinishing project this week!

* Tuesday, I went to a Bible study that uses the inductive study method. I've not done that before, but was so excited to get to use colored pencils in my study! It was a GORGEOUS day out that day. Blue skies, clouds, and the hope that spring will one day come! (Since it showed up for January and February and now we're waiting for it to return.) That night, we had our final Bible study with our small group, and when we got home, Ryan started the cleaning process for the cabinet adventure!

* On Wednesday, Ryan's boss made lunch for everyone, and I even got invited to enjoy some of it. He's a GOOD cook. I came home to resume my writing projects, and had an assistant sleeping in my lap for the majority of the time. And here's a peek at all our kitchen drawers in their new, temporary location on top of the table. Sigh.

* Thursday was a "must drink lots of coffee" kind of day. I was so tired! I love weeks that require much creativity, but they do make me tired! Got some baby snuggles in that evening, and then we had one more Bible study. (How many studies can I participate in at one time???)

* Friday night, I went to a celebration party to catch up with the ladies from one of the retreats I spoke at last fall. So good to see them and hear the stories of God at work in them! Ryan stayed home and started painting the cabinets! Can't wait to tell you more about all those things.

* Yesterday was our "E" date - and if you're keeping track, you are correct in remembering that we have not yet had the "D" date. WHOA. The Shaffers go out of order? It's true! But it was a fun date, and then we came home so Ryan could dive back into cabinet painting - and I helped! This is a lot of hard work, but it's going to be so worth it! :)