The Saturday Six

One.

Wanted to show you one of my Christmas gift creations! I gave these to Ryan's sisters...the adult kids don't really exchange gifts, but I wanted to get them a little something. I got trays that hold chips on the outside and dip on the inside...added a jar of salsa in the center, put a bag of chips around the back, with a note that says "Tis the SEASON for taco night..." and then added a little jar of my homemade taco seasoning. I found a cute free printable for the seasoning jar here...

Two.

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I would like to believe this one falls into the category of something you read on the internet and CAN believe, because it's pretty cool. Days of yore fascinate me, though I'm eternally grateful to live in the age of air conditioning!! 

Three.

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A little PSA for all my fellow coffee lovers out there. BIG recall on the Keurig Mini Plus...reports of water spraying out as it heats and burning people. This affects these versions made between December 2009 and July 2014...so a pretty big range! Here's the link to the full report and what to do!

Four.

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Really cool {LITERALLY!} gift from Ryan this year - the Mega Chill straw. I love my drinks really really cold, and I also drink Advocare Spark every morning, in a cup that's pretty tall. Regular straws get lost in it. So this straw is long enough for my Spark cup AND it keeps my drink cold in there! Pretty cool!   {And yes, mine is purple!}

Five.

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ANOTHER really cool gift I got this year was from my friend Amy...and she said it was on Shark Tank! {So maybe you saw it on there a while back, if you like to watch Shark Tank.} It's called the Scrub Daddy, and it's a scratch free sponge of sorts that cleans in areas that are round, and has a way for you to grip it from the inside so the outside can be cleaning. It has lots of cool things about it...check it out! 

Six.

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You know I love reading KariAnne's blog over at Thistlewood Farm. She said this week that she's going to be part of a free online 8 week study starting in January {along with other bloggers} - in which she'll be sharing her own journey to weight loss. Different bloggers will share different stories, and the whole study is called Becoming: The Unfolding of You. It's a study about finding your identity in Christ. It's free to register, so if you're looking for some inside changes in yourself in 2015, you might want to check it out as an inspiration! 

Our Little Christmas

Did you have a good Christmas yesterday? We had an interesting one...that's for sure! We went to my parents' house for lunch, and Ryan's parents and sister, Bre, joined us. My parents are both sick...and Dad is really sick. I'll show you more of that Christmas later, but let's just say there were many rounds of hand sanitizing and some immunity boosting supplements being ingested! The Christmas Petri Dish of 2014! After leaving my parents' house, we headed to Ryan's grandparents' house, for dinner and Christmas with the extended family.

But before we did all that...we had our own Christmas at home!

You might remember that on our anniversary trip earlier this month, we went to IKEA and found the couch of our dreams. We decided to take money we would have spent on Christmas gifts and put it instead toward the couch. {Please let the record show that I knew Ryan had already done some shopping for me, so I asked at IKEA if it was going to mess him up if we did that little switcharoo, and he said no.}

I still wanted to unwrap SOMETHING on Christmas, so we decided to exchange stockings instead.

We kept our tradition of sleeping by the tree on Christmas Eve, and then on Christmas morning, we had cinnamon rolls and coffee {obviously}.

SOMEONE pretended to be on her best behavior. Except, you know, she was not on her best behavior.

Check out this really cool straw I got! I drink Advocare Spark every morning, and the cup I use for it is extra tall, so I need an extra tall straw. AND this one keeps the drink cold while you drink! BONUS!

Sorry for my bedhead.

Had a little help....

New texting gloves, since my old one has a hole in the finger. Ryan claims it's from too much texting. Doubtful. HIGHLY doubtful.

Ryan got his turn too!

THAT is the face of someone very excited about his new e-cloths for washing his car. He does love a clean car!!

AND I got him his very own charger {like the kind for when you don't have a place to plug in a charger} that ISN'T purple! I have one of these, but it's purple, and I know he always feels kind of unmanly when he has to use it. HA!

See? Told you she wasn't behaving. Do you even KNOW how many bows we had to chase down and reapply this month?

Whilst I went into the other room to prepare Braeya's stocking, lo and behold, a gift appeared in our living room!

Like an ACTUAL gift! The kind we weren't buying so we could buy our couch!

And as always, there's a story behind it.

Ryan and I like to browse through TJ Maxx occasionally. One day, I found this ottoman that was PERFECT for our house. We owned two little square storage ottomans that I bought years ago during a back-to-school sale. There were three major issues with these ottomans. One: they matched nothing. Two: They were suede on the outside and black suede ottomans with a white and tan cat = one hairy disaster. Three: The lid to one of them cracked a while back, and constant sitting on it made it cave in completely.

So the one I found at the store was PERFECT. It did match our house. It was leather, so no cat hair issues. And it wasn't broken. And best of all, it had storage too...and the lids flip over to make trays, which is very handy when we try to eat dinner on the couch.

And the next time we went back, it was gone. I was sad. Exceedingly sad. This is why you should ALWAYS buy something at TJ Maxx when you find it because next time, it could be gone and they might never get another one.

So imagine my delight when:

It was in OUR LIVING ROOM!!!

Way back in September, when I worked the Beth Moore event, Ryan went back to TJ Maxx and bought it - and hid it in our attic. When we decided to skip presents in favor of a couch, he planned to return it, but alas, they have a 30 day return policy, so isn't THAT a shame...he was stuck with it!

And I'm so glad.

Even though this meant he was the better present giver this year. :)

It was a pretty great start to Christmas!

Merry Christmas from Shafferland!

Originally I planned to share our Christmas letter with you here today, but after taking communion at church last night, I changed my mind.

Ryan and I usually go to a Christmas Eve service, but our church holds theirs at a time that conflicted with a family get-together, so we weren't able to attend. We were thankful, though, that they offered open doors for communion for a couple of hours prior to the service, so on our way to our Christmas celebration, we stopped by the church to at least participate in that.

Pastor Alex read some Scripture to us, and my mind locked in on a verse from John 1 - "The Word became flesh and made His dwelling among us. We have seen His glory, the glory of the one and only Son, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth." (verse 14)

We have seen God's glory.

We have.

In 2014, we have seen God's glory.

If you had read the Christmas letter I intended to post here today, you would have read about all our adventures for the year {possibly terribly boring for you since you already read about them when they happened!} - and that would have been the entertaining version. But the deeper version is that tucked into each of those things...we saw the glory of God.

We saw Him in the protection He offered in those long, long months of Polar Vortexing, when we drove for hours each day, just getting to and from work on ridiculously treacherous roads.

We saw Him in the money raised during our Share fundraiser last January, when our listeners shared not only of their resources, but of their hearts as they told stories of how God had been at work in their hearts through the music we played.

We saw Him in our travels throughout the state of Indiana, Ohio, Illinois, and Michigan, as we traveled through beautiful scenery and saw the magnificent creation He made - including the lamb that had just been born and lay, still wet and groggy, in the muddy field beside the road.

We saw Him in the exhausting journey of selling Ryan's house. In the days when we didn't have the strength to wait one more day, and then somehow we did. In the day when the offer arrived, and in the day 141 days later when the house closed and we were free from the burden that plagued us so long.

We saw Him in the remarkable way I was able to get through my dental procedure this summer and the subsequent healing that has taken place in the months following. We saw Him in the prognosis for full recovery.

We saw Him in the vehicle breakdowns - and the one vehicle DEATH - in our household this year. We saw Him in the way He provided loaner cars and a replacement truck for Ryan.

We saw Him in the times we shared together in prayer and Bible study - seeking always to know the next step He has for us and aching to be obedient in following.

We have seen His glory - all year long. Every day. He has been present in our lives and in our hearts, and we overflow with gratitude today.

We pray that you will also see His glory today. That He will be so present on His birthday and show you His love.

Merry Christmas...from both of us...

Ryan and Bekah

Just a Note to You This Christmas

I don't normally copy my own writing to you here...but I wrote the words below for the December e-newsletter we send out for Mid-Morning, and it's just been weighing on my heart to share it with you, since I know not all of you receive that mailing.

For some, Christmas is a beautiful season, full of tradition, full of memories, full of hope. 

And for some, Christmas is a brutal season, full of loneliness, full of brokenness, full of tears. 

We fall into these two camps and it seems like no matter which one claims us, we are made to feel guilty for not venturing into the other. If we struggle, people push us – shove, even – toward the feel-good happiness of the season. We feel obligated to wipe away tears and stuff feelings and be merry and bright so those around us know we’re okay. If we celebrate, people push us – shove, even – toward a hurting world. We feel obligated to silence our celebration so we won’t offend the suffering around us.

May I offer a prayer for you…in both camps?

To the suffering…

Sweet Lord, my friends are hurting. They’re hurting from losses already experienced and losses that loom and consume them. Their hearts rip and their eyes overflow with tears and they see no way that life will ever feel normal again. They’re reeling from news and afraid of an uncertain future. They don’t want to celebrate. They want to sit and hurt because it’s all they know to do. And You know how that feels. You walked among a hurting people. You saw the sick and heart-sick. You reached out and touched them and sat in their hurting worlds alongside them. And so for my hurting friends this season, I pray that You would see their hurt and reach out in ways they recognize as unmistakably YOU. On the days they long for a happier Christmas season, I pray for a measure of joy for their souls, so they can feel Your hope – the same Hope born over 2000 years ago, born in a new way in their hearts. And while their circumstances may not change, I pray they would know, in the stillness, that You are God now as You were God then. Comfort them. Reach to them. Be born in a new way in their hearts today, right in the middle of the hurt.

And to the celebrating…

Sweet Lord, my friends are celebrating. They’re basking in the glorious answers to long-prayed requests. Their hearts nearly burst with a joy they’ve never known and they want nothing more than to soak up this beautiful season in ways they’ve never been able to do before. They’re celebrating births and reconciliations and new relationships, fresh beginnings, releases from bondage and wholeness through healing. They want to shout with joy and sing loudly, and they should. Your birth was a cause for celebration, and this new birth of whatever sort in their lives is no less cause for joy, smiling, and happiness. Reach out to them this season. Allow them the freedom to celebrate the gifts you have given alongside the Gift You gave.

Only in God can something like the birth of the Messiah relate as profoundly to the hurting as to the celebrating.

This Christmas, let’s give each other the gift of grace. Grace for the hurting to hurt…and grace to allow God to work in their hearts to comfort and transform them. Grace for the joyful to be joyful…and grace to allow God to work in their hearts to finish the good work He began.

The First Christmas {This Year}

This past Sunday was the first of our Christmas celebrations this year. We got together with Ryan's mom and step-dad and all his siblings for our Christmas dinner and gift exchange. What I love about Christmas with this side of the fam is the chance to see Christmas with a bunch of kids in the mix. I was the caboose in my family, and I only have one niece, and while it was always fun to watch her open gifts, there's a whole separate element of a handful of kids squealing with glee over each other. So much fun! Ryan and I hung out in the back and took pictures of all the gift festivities - and loved it.

Ryan's mom and Allen live in a STUNNING log cabin. Seriously STUNNING. Check it out:

Ryan and I went over early to help with some final preparations, which for Ryan, meant making a cheeseball:

...WHILE drinking eggnog. {Do you guys like eggnog? I cannot handle the mere SMELL of it!}

We uncovered an art project he made for his mom in the 5th grade. I have a very similar one somewhere at my parents' house. Awwww...meant to be, right???

I helped with some cleaning and gift wrapping - and taking pictures of the beautiful decorations Nita worked on so hard the last few weeks!

Ryan went to find the shrimp in the fridge where his mom said it would be...and...

...evidently there was ANOTHER package in there. WHEW!

Dinner was scrumptious. Pancakes, sausage, cheesy potatoes, ham, pecan rolls, and a million desserts.

{Ryan stole our niece's chair before dinner. When she finally noticed, he had some SPLAININ' to do!

The kids wasted no time getting full, so we could get to the presents!

Ryan has some blognonymous family, so I can't show you all the pics, but here's a few of us {and proof that I actually was there.}

 When it was all done, the tree area no longer looked like this...

 And Ryan looked like this:

Great night for Christmas numero uno!!

TobyMac!

A week ago Sunday, I worked my final event of 2014...a TobyMac concert! Usually the concerts we work are held at a church in Fort Wayne {there are two churches that alternate hosting the concerts} or at the Coliseum, but this was my first time to work an event at the Scottish Rite Auditorium. It's a BEAUTIFUL old theater with tons of charm.

This was actually the last night of his tour, which he shared with Matt Maher and Ryan Stevenson. We got all set up and then a few of us got to actually go backstage and meet TobyMac. {I was sad that we didn't have enough passes for Ryan to go.} We congregated in a ballroom, and it was crazy hot in there. I was a bit fearful my entire face might be sliding right off as I met him, but alas, I looked normal in the picture!

Ron, Larry and I went backstage at the start of the concert and got to meet Ryan Stevenson, who was waiting to open the concert.

My dear, wonderful husband gained approximately a million bonus points by choosing, of his own accord, to take the camera and have a photo shoot while we were emceeing!

And this one...of my fling ring form. I'm improving, y'all!!!

I feel this is the closest I'll ever see to figure skating form. Ha!!!!

Ryan Stevenson was up first...we play his song Holding Nothing Back, and I really enjoyed the chance to hear him live! He was so nice when we met him backstage - a humble, down-to-earth guy!

After Ryan, Matt Maher sang for a while. He's one of Ryan's favorites!

And then...time for TobyMac!!

It was a great night, and the sold-out crowd was THRILLED to participate! I loved the evening and was thankful Ryan could go with me and be part of the evening!

The Shafferland Shuffle

* Last Sunday morning, our church was just so beautifully decorated for Christmas...and I enjoyed the service thoroughly!! It was fun, too, to celebrate with our Sunday School class, who has prayed with/for/over us regarding the sale of that Greentown house! We left in the early part of the afternoon to head to Fort Wayne, because I worked the TobyMac concert! Last event of the year!! Even got to meet him, which was fun! :)

* Monday night, I came home to find our celebratory house-sale Christmas ornament in the mail! Seemed appropriate that it arrived that day since it was also the day of Ryan's final visit to the house; he wanted to explain some stuff about the furnace to the new owner. While mentally and emotionally completing this journey, we also inscribed the stone for our "altar" - to show the sale of the house. And then we pretty much collapsed in the living room to watch TV and enjoy the gorgeous Christmas lights. I do so love this season for all the lights!!!

* Tuesday night, I was a cooking FOOL!! We were prepping for company on Wednesday night and Ryan's work carry-in on Wednesday as well, so I spent some time in the kitchen getting all that ready. While I did that, Ryan put together two go-karts. Someone he knows from work bought them for her grandkids and she didn't know how to assemble them. Assembly is one of Ryan's many happy places, so he brought them home and had an assembly party in our house. And then we may or may not have a had a photo shoot with them. They're COOL!!!!

* Wednesday at work, I had a couple of meetings, so I went in with all my stay-awake go-to items! Water! Coke! Granola bar! Paper for scribbling! I have luggage everywhere I go. That evening, we had dinner with our friend Ronda. So nice to have her over and just sit and enjoy conversation! I curled up to write and Ryan curled up to watch the Sing-Off - and we BOTH fell asleep eventually. I did get to see Pentatonix, though. They were great!

* Thursday, I went to the funeral of a friend's mom, which was very sad...and very cold! It was a graveside service and there were a few snowflakes flying. I was glad to be able to go in support, though. After work, Ryan and I scurried over to a church in town to attend the preschool Christmas program - ALWAYS a comical event. We went in support of one of our blognonymous friends, and we had a great time. Some of those kids were flat out hysterical!

* Friday was a normal day at the office for me - hanging out with the morning guys, hanging out with Lynne; it was a food-filled day for Ryan! His patients sure spoil him with a lot of goodies! We longed for a night at home, so we did a quick shopping date to TJ Maxx and then hung out at home, watching TV and taking it easy. I even squeezed in some writing. It was so lovely!

* Yesterday was a rare day that both of us had off work. We decided to skip setting alarms and just rest. NEITHER of us woke up until almost 10:00. That is not unusual for me, but it's UNHEARD of for Ryan. We were thrilled to have an entire day at home to both rest and get a LOT of chores done. We were able to finish the last of our Christmas shopping, make some last minute gifts, and even make a quick trip to Starbucks, where Ryan cashed in on his free drink! When we got home, I made cookies for our Phil at work, who is a diabetic. Always a challenge to find recipes that work for him, but this one went well!