Keep Me Entertained!

Friday confession: I had nothin' for today. Not one thing. My creative juices were so dry that I couldn't even conjure up ideas with help. (Really makes you want to keep reading, doesn't it?) But then I remembered I hadn't done a fun Friday quiz for a while, so I found one. I needed some lightheartedness in my day. The Blended Blog came to the rescue with some ideas for me, so I pass along my quiz answers to you!

1. Books you have read multiple times. When it comes to rereading an entire book, I'm more likely to do that with fiction than nonfiction. In the land of nonfiction, I tend to just thumb back through looking for particular quotes I loved and underlined. But in fiction, I have often reread the Love Comes Softly series by Janette Oke, Anne of Green Gables by L.M. Montgomery, and some of the Little House on the Prairie books by Laura Ingalls Wilder. Apparently, although I dearly enjoy the conveniences of this era, I enjoy visiting the late 1800s and early 1900s.

2. Favorite book/author of all time. I can't possibly answer that. It's like asking a mother to choose her favorite child! There are just too many that I love too much.

3. Favorite TV show to binge. Right now we seem to be on a Family Feud binge. (That has probably never been the answer to this question! LOL!) Though it does happen, it's not a common occurrence for us to sit down and specifically watch hours and hours of TV at one time. We do, however, like to have TV on in the background while we work, and this has been our show of choice lately. Let the record show, we are both outstanding players, but I'm confident if I tried to play it in real life, I would 100% crash and burn under pressure.

4. Favorite new-ish TV show. We really haven't had a lot of time to find and watch new (or old) shows lately, but we did hop on the New Amsterdam bandwagon this year. Sometimes (in all our hospital visits) I forget that the doctors on that show and on The Good Doctor are not actually on staff and providing care for anyone we know. Sometimes I really wish they were.

5. Favorite movie of all time. I have long said that Where the Heart Is is my favorite movie, and I think it still is. I'm really not much of a movie watcher (Hallmark Christmas lineup excluded) so I don't know if I have any others I particularly love more.

6. Movie you are looking forward to watching. None. I don't even know what's out or has come out or is coming out. I think the last movie I got excited about was the live version of Beauty and the Beast.

7. First concert you attended. I can't remember for absolute sure, but I am kinda thinking it was a Gaither Vocal Band concert. Sounds about right. My college years (when I started attending them) coincided with my massive crush on Mark Lowry, so it makes sense that the GVB headlined my concert-going life.

8. Ultimate concert (even if it can't happen). Oh it happened. David Phelps, and I got to introduce him. Bucket list....CHECK.

9. Favorite music/artist/band. Well aside from the obvious of David Phelps, I have to say I don't really have a favorite anymore. I tend to latch onto songs over artists, so whatever song I need or want is my favorite, and whoever I can find that sings it the best is my favorite singer. (Now there are a few artists I can't handle and will turn the radio off whenever I hear them, but as far as faves, I don't think I have any.)

10. How do you listen? (Streaming/CD's/Vinyl). Usually YouTube, actually. Because I'm always after a specific song, I hunt for it there and listen/watch/sing along/cry.

So that's my list! How about you? And while we're asking questions...how are you at Family Feud??

Love Coming to Life

As you know, over the course of the last few weeks, Ryan's mom's health has been in a pretty critical state, which has changed the appearance of daily life for all of us. Her hospital stays and her need for care at home have caused us to be on the go quite a lot. And that's true not just for the two of us, but for all family members.

In all this, we've experienced measures of love we hadn't anticipated receiving. I decided I wanted to write about some of them, not to flaunt anything, but to give you ideas of ways you might be able to support loved ones in their time of chaos and/or hurt. Sometimes you might want to do something to show you care, but you might not know what to do. Here are some examples of things that have meant so much to us recently.

* One day, when we were at the hospital visiting Ryan's mom, a friend of ours from church happened to text me to check on us. I mentioned we were with Nita right then, and our friend (who has a beautiful, beautiful voice) said she wanted to sing for her. I asked Nita what she wanted to hear, and without hesitating, she said, It is Well. So our friend recorded herself singing that (acapella, in her car, actually) and texted it to me. I played it for Nita, and she and Ryan and I had a little moment of church right there in the hospital room.

* One of Ryan's co-workers left a basket of snacks and a Starbucks card on his desk. That was such a helpful gift for the days when he would work all day and then we would have three hours on the road and be gone all night visiting the hospital. We lived on coffee even more than usual, and the snacks were so helpful since it was sometimes hard to find time to cook!

* Texts meant everything. Even though most people didn't know the specifics of what was happening, we would receive multiple texts throughout the day from people just asking how we were holding up - or maybe telling us they were praying. Just to know we were on people's minds and in their prayers was a huge comfort to us. Made us feel loved in our weariness.

* One of the couples in our small group opened their home to host the study when we needed to be in Indianapolis at the hospital. It was so nice to know our crew could study and pray together even if we weren't in a position to lead like usual.

* Ryan's boss and his wife put together a meal-in-a-box for us. Chili, chicken, salad, chips, hummus, avocados, cheese, cookies...we could stick it in the fridge and eat it whenever we had time to eat but not to cook. WHAT A BLESSING!

* One of YOU sent me an e-card to Starbucks. Obviously that's a pretty perfect gift, but the love I felt when I opened that email and saw words of kindness and support far surpassed the actual cups of coffee. (It also taught me to remember this idea in case I need to support someone from a distance, too!)

* One of my friends emailed a prayer to me. We appreciate all the people praying for us, because those prayers were (and are) carrying us. But it was a blessing to open an email and see the words of the prayer right there on the screen. I could read through her specific requests and that was a sweet moment for me. (I used to email prayers to people...why don't I do that anymore?)

* One of you also sent a song to me!! Thank you for recording it and messaging it to me, so I could listen to it and be encouraged by the lyrics. (If you don't have friends who are musically inclined, make some. They are great blessings!)

Like I said, this is just a sampling, but hopefully it gives you some ideas of things you can do to reach out to those who are hurting in your own circle of friends. I know I have been learning so much about how the simplest things make the biggest impact. I hope I never forget and use these ideas to share with others!

Deuce, Take Two!

Last fall, we helped out Ryan's aunt/uncle/cousin by watching their dog, Deuce, while they all traveled out of state to a wedding. I just looked back at my recap of that visit, and oh how I miss that weather!! Let's have more of THAT!

Deuce is a beautiful Blue Heeler with such a gentle personality. He's a joy to have, and one of our favorite things about him is that he utterly ignores Braeya. She isn't fond of him, but she IS getting braver. I walked through our bedroom yesterday to find him staring her in the face, and she wasn't hissing. If I hadn't been so overcome by amazement, I would have thought to take a picture. I do have this example, though. He's asleep and she's frozen.

We are learning that having a dog in the dead of sub-zero temperatures is VERY different from having one in the dead of shorts weather. LOL! (And while our Phoebe is perfectly content to sleep on the couch all day in cold weather, Deuce is a country boy at heart, and he is happiest while skipping merrily through the open air, no matter how cold it may be.)

While Phoebe is a Bekah-Mom girl, Deuce is totally a Daddy-Ryan boy, so it has brought him great sorrow to learn that Ryan works during the day. This is basically his favorite place to be:

In fact, yesterday, just about an hour after Ryan left for work, Deuce started dancing around by the front door like he had to go RIGHT now, so I flew into full speed, throwing on clothes, snow pants, a second pair of socks, shoes, gloves, hat, muffler, the leash, and when we got outside, he just started skipping around and jumping by the car. That little stinker just wanted to see Ryan and tricked me into getting out!

So we went to see Ryan. I'm nothing if not a sucker for literal puppy dog eyes.

He's a good traveler, though. Hunkers right down in the back and stays so quiet you almost have to check to make sure he's still there!

So pretty. :) 

Deuce and I spend our days working around the house together. He lives in hope of scraps, but you know how I feel about sharing food. (I'm KIDDING. I just try to make sure I don't overfeed dogs that don't belong to me.)

And then Ryan comes home, and all is right with the world.

He makes our days brighter, and we are having a fun time with him!

Sharing A Little Pick-Me-Up

It's podcast Tuesday!!! Stories from our week, and my (feeble) attempts to convince Ryan we need a dog. Enjoy!

 Listen here!

I think probably most of you know this about me, but if you don't, here's your Tuesday-fun-fact. Bekah doesn't share food.

(Read that in the voice of Joey Tribbiani, and you've got it.)

I can't remember where I was recently when I joked about that and someone asked me if I was an only child who had never learned to share. (Ha!...Kind of.) The bottom line of it is this: if I'm eating and encounter someone who is not going to make it through the next five minutes without food, I will pull out my wallet and buy him or her a meal. If someone shows up at my house at mealtime and doesn't have a plan for lunch, I will happily put an extra plate on the table and dish up a big helping. If you need food at all for any reason, I will stay up until 2:00 in the morning lovingly cooking and packaging an entire day's worth of food for you.  But all I'm asking is that you please don't eat food off my plate while I'm eating my meal.

Having said that, I started to feel like maybe I was some sort of mean old miser where food was concerned, so I have made a goal to try to be more giving in the land of food. (Still not off my plate...yet. Baby steps.)

So yesterday I did a little craft project for Ryan's work friends, and it involved sharing chocolate.

Please.  Let.  The.  Record.  Show.

I got the idea a few weeks ago when I saw this post on Pinterest - for stress relief gifts made with bubble wrap and chocolate. I know I've been out of the working world for just a little bit, but it seemed to me the long, winter-weather-filled days of January could be stressful. Icy commutes, gray days, early nights - that can be frustrating no matter where you work!

So I tucked away this idea, figuring at some point I'd end up with some bubble wrap, and sure enough! I received a package a couple of weeks ago that came heavily padded with bubble wrap.

When we did our grocery shopping last week, I picked up a bag of Hershey Hugs and Kisses to go with it.

The blogger who wrote the post made a cute little printable that I downloaded and used. No need to reinvent the wheel!

I cut the bubble wrap into big squares, put some hugs and kisses in the middle of each square, and pulled the bubble wrap up around it to make a little bag. I tied it with some curly ribbon I found in my wrapping paper stash and attached the printable from the post I found.

I piled them all up in a basket and sent them to work with Ryan for him to share with the work crowd.

(He said some of them were more excited about popping the bubble wrap than they were about eating the chocolate.)

It felt good to share chocolate! (And no, I did not even sneak a single piece while I packed the little bags.) And it was fun to send a little gift basket to his work. I need to be more intentional about doing that.

Check out that original post if you want to use the printable, and if you need any food at all, you just let me know. I'd be happy to send some right over, and none of it will be from my plate! :)

Oh. The. Memories.

Yesterday, Ryan and I went to stay with his mom for a little bit so Allen could get some things done. Ryan watched football, Nita slept, and I scrolled through Facebook. I stumbled upon some album that a friend of mine had shared, and ohhhhhhhhhhhhhh the memories. The album was for people who had been kids in the 70's and teens in the 80's. Well, that wasn't quite me, but it was close. Close enough that I stumbled upon things I'd nearly completely forgotten.

I know I did a post kind of like this a few months ago, but I think most, if not all of these, are new even from that list. (Or is it old?) Anyway! Let's just call this Monday's memory lane. Wanna take a trip with me?

(All the pictures are from the album.)

Remember these??? I only owned one, because guess what? My hair was too thick. No matter how much I tried to evenly distribute it from the top to the bottom of the clip, it would pop open as soon as I snapped it shut. (Not much changes.)

Every now and then, my dad would sign one of these out from the stash at school, and he would bring it home for projects. (I don't even know what, to be honest with you.) But in a twist that probably won't surprise ANY of you, I actually owned my own set of transparencies and the non-dry-erase pens, and I adored playing school with the projector every single time he brought it home. Oh, it was THE BEST.

Jelly shoes!!! I wore mine with socks sometimes, but that shouldn't surprise you. I'm also the girl who tucked in her sweatshirts and strapped a belt over top of them. (Facepalm.)

Literally THE only thing in PE class that I liked to play with. I think my favorite season of that class was when I broke my leg in the sixth grade and couldn't do anything. (Fun side note: our teacher required a doctor's note to excuse me from participation. The giant pink cast and stunning crutches weren't enough.)

I don't think I personally owned any of these, but I remember them. I also remember thinking what a nightmare it would be to lose ONE pom pom. Apparently I had matching issues even then.

It was something like the greatest achievement ever to finally qualify for pantyhose that came in the egg, and not just in a plastic bag. I had no idea that the TRUE greatest achievement was still in my future: not ever wearing pantyhose at all.

Slouchy socks!! I never doubled them like this, but I probably wore them with pantyhose and jellies or something else equally awful. (Anyone else ever have one sock lose its slouchiness faster than the other?)

I had forgotten all about these until I saw the picture. I had one of these and I loved it! (Never mind that I also had a REAL piano and didn't love that...)

My mom always had a couple of these in the medicine cabinet. And by "a couple," I mean the tubes, not the boxes full of tubes. I don't know why she had them, since she's never worn lipstick. But I always thought it would be the greatest thing ever to wear lipstick. (And now I don't wear it because Ryan doesn't want to wear it via kissing. LOL!!)

I had these, I used them, and I greatly resembled a French poodle when done. Just hand me some pantyhose, slouchy socks, a sweatshirt, and a belt.

As I recall, you could twist two together and make them look like some kind of cuff bracelet. I think?

Ugh. Worst. Day. Ever. Same for cassette tapes. Ahhhhh the cassettes. In the Walkmans.

I had these in white AND brown. (With slouch socks, I'm sure.)

I had this very toybox. It was the best.

I DO!! Because my parents had one! I used to wonder if the little knobs were really earring studs. (Don't ask.)

I had this very baton. (It's filled with water and glitter.) It's a small wonder I wasn't a danger to myself or others with this thing, but I really don't think I caused injury.

This was my ultimate goal in high school. To have a boyfriend with a class ring. I would, of course, wrap it in the fuzziest angora I could find - until it pushed my other fingers far away. I don't really think I need to explain why that did NOT happen. But when Ryan and I started dating, he did find his letter jacket and class ring and let me wear them for a picture.

Dream. Come. True.

Hey, thanks for coming down memory lane with me!! I hope you had a fun memory or two from this list!!

The Shafferland Limp/Shuffle

I'm not even sure we're up to shuffling this weekend. Just limping along. It has been a lonnnnnnnnnnng week, and we've had some weird run-ins with minor sickness and injury. We've had very little sleep and a whole bunch of weather drama. So yes. Today we limp toward you with a recap of our week!

* I grabbed this picture last Sunday morning while I was getting ready for church. Braeya just camped out in the sink while I was straightening my hair. What's up, Mom? We tried to take a little time to rest that afternoon (and Ryan made us lattes!) and then we headed out to the cabin to visit his mom for a little bit. We didn't stay too long, but he just wanted to check on her. I asked if I could get their picture, and she said yes. (I adore it that she never turns down a picture.)

* To kick off our week of illness and injury, Ryan spent some time working on my bum arm/elbow during his lunch hour on Monday. One of his coworkers thinks I have tendonitis. Eyeroll. Let's just say the work he did on me did help, but it didn't tickle. That evening, we went back to his mom's house to stay with her while her husband worked. She had a ton of visitors that night (I think fourteen plus the two of us) so it was kind of like Grand Central Station. But after everyone left and she went to bed, it was so peaceful and pretty in the cabin!

* When you're around that many people in that small of a space, you're likely to encounter a germ or two, so when I woke up with a grumpy stomach on Tuesday, I wondered what in the world I'd picked up. The longer the day went on, though, the more I decided it was likely something I had eaten. (Ryan and I didn't eat the same things the day before.) I never had any other symptoms, but what I had was enough. BOO. Braeya and I took it easy that day, and that night, on his way home from the gym, Ryan stopped to get us Blizzards. Yes, Blizzards and coffee fix all ailments.

* I was all better on Wednesday, and I was glad, because it was time to overhaul my bedraggled self. I gave myself a manicure and spent three hours in a salon chair waving goodbye to my sea of gray white hair. That day was also Ryan's sister's birthday, so we went back to the cabin to have dinner with part of the family and celebrate Bre!

* Unfortunately I did pick up a buglet there Wednesday night, because when I woke up Thursday, I could feel my eye tightening up like the beginning of pink eye. I had it for the first time ever exactly one year ago. Must be my new January thing. I still had medicine for it that hadn't expired, so I began treating it immediately and quarantined myself at home. I was so happy that it got better throughout the day and never even got to the gross and goopy stage. Just a little red and swollen. To try to not spread the love, though, I did not go with Ryan when he went to stay with his mom for the evening. We sent pictures back and forth to each other, and I tried to keep myself occupied with chores while he was gone. (Ryan also nailed his shin at the gym this day, so by bedtime, he was limping pretty heavily - and he has an impressive gash to go along with it!)

* Friday, I tried to do my hair like the stylist had done at the salon. (Insert uproarious laughter here.) It became a ponytail day in a FAT hurry. Okay, so I can't do hair, but I CAN clean, and I spent the afternoon trying to find the surface of the desk in the office. I don't think we've seen it since December. :) Ryan was exhausted by Friday night, since he'd been up for 22 hours straight on Thursday. He took a long, much-deserved nap on Mo while I knocked out TWO scrapbooks.

* All week, we've been hearing about Winter Storm Harper, and it showed up yesterday. It actually wasn't quite as bad (in terms of snowfall) as it could have been, but it was nasty, and I sure was glad to be home all day. Ryan worked, and I watched Hallmark movies, scrapbooked, and drank coffee and chai. Last night, our buddy Deuce came back to stay for a while! You remember Deuce, right? We're excited to have him back! (Although it's true that potty duty in the winter is no joke!)

Here's to a week of staying well and recovering from injuries...and if you're in the path of this storm, be safe out there!!

The Saturday Six

One.

A few days ago, the Annesley Forum published one of my articles. I always like to share them here with you, so here's the one for January!

Two.

Being the lover of story that I am, and also being in a place of hard chapters right now, I really appreciated this post from (in)courage this week. There is real importance to embracing ALL of your story and not ignoring or suffocating the hard parts!!

Three.

I don't know if you're the parent of a teen, or if you know the parent of a teen, or if you have access to working with teens, but if you fit into any of those scenarios, this article by Jen Wilkin is (in my opinion) a great resource. It teaches parents how to guide their teens into studying the Bible, not by studying any particular book, but by studying THE BIBLE. Anything I've ever read by or about Jen Wilkin leads me to believe she is solid and reputable, and I thought this guide was helpful and manageable. I learned my Bible study methods in my teens (and further deepened those skills in college) so I know how wildly important it is to make sure budding adults are equipped to understand the Word!

Four.

We don't have Netflix, but I've been hearing all about the Marie Kondo show airing on there, and I've also heard if ever there was a time to hit the thrift store, it's now. Marie's inspiring everyone to clean out, so now you can benefit from their castoffs! If you happen upon a surplus of picture frames (which is pretty easy to do at a thrift store) here are some ideas of what you can do with your spoils to give them an upgraded life!

Five.

There are some great lessons on perspective in this post by KariAnne. I think they apply beyond decorating, too, and could be true of any area of life!

Six.

A couple of years, ago, while reviewing books for Revell, I learned of a new author named Liz Johnson. Her first book, The Red Door Inn was about a bed and breakfast on Prince Edward Island, so I probably don't need to explain to you how and why I fell completely in love with book one in this new series. (My review of that book is at the end of this post.) Later that year, the second book in the Prince Edward Island Dreams series, Where Two Hearts Meet, released, and I was so excited to read it for review, too! (That review is here.) Then I had the chance to interview Liz on The Conversation Café, and she was utterly delightful. She was also, at that time, releasing the third book in the series, and I was supposed to received a copy of it, but there were some mix-ups at the publisher and it never arrived.

SADNESS!

But my mom was so kind and fulfilled that item from my wish list for Christmas this year, so I hunkered down this last week to read On Love's Gentle Shore. Sigh. Of. Happiness.

Because it had been a little while since I visited the good island and all its fictional inhabitants, it took me a couple of chapters to remember everyone's names, relationships, and occupations, but in no time at all, I was back on board, loving every corner of the island and the stories of the people who filled the little town.

In this book, Natalie O'Ryan returns to Prince Edward Island, only because her big Nashville music producing fiancé thinks it would make the perfect location for their wedding. He knows she's from there and has heard how beautiful it is...but he doesn't know it's only beautiful to everyone on earth except Natalie O'Ryan. For her, it's the place her childhood fell apart and the place she never wanted to see again. It is also full of the people she never wants to see again. She's sure some are still spreading rumors about her, some utterly failed her, and one in particular broke her heart.

Or maybe she broke his. It kind of depends on which of them you ask. She hopes to get through her six week visit without running into her childhood best friend, Justin Kane, but the island just isn't that big. And when her wedding planner thinks his old dairy barn would make the perfect reception location, Natalie's life gets a little more complicated.

All the warm fuzzies of a perfect romance movie spill out on the pages of this book, and I, for one, loved it. (I would have loved it no matter what, but going through the season we're in right now makes a quick virtual vacation in the pages of a book even more inviting.)

I also happen to love Liz's writing style. Some of her sentences made complete word paintings for me, so rich and full. Take a look:

"The flush-cheeked child inside her tugged on her arm, begging her to pull a 180 and disappear like she'd done all those years ago." (p. 8)

"Her eyebrows danced twice." (p. 29)

"She had at least a few other verbal grenades to lob in his direction...She was just peeking into that sack of ammunition to give them another good shine when Mama Kane whipped up." (p. 74)

"A sudden crack of thunder seemed to signify the collision of their memories..." (p. 159)

And that's just a hint of the beautiful description throughout the book!

Who should read this book? Anyone who loves a good, lighthearted romance. Yes, there are parts that are a little predictable, and I actually enjoy that in a romance novel. It's why I like Hallmark movies so much. Having said that, the book isn't CRAZY predictable. There are a few little twists in it, but the general storyline is pleasing in a way that doesn't tax you while you read. And if you love Prince Edward Island (or the dream of it) like I do, you're likely to enjoy this book - and the entire series, for that matter. Anyone who needs an escape would be a great fit for this book, too. If you're weary of winter and being home, you can take a virtual vacation in the pages of the story.

Great job, Liz, on this book! I'm so glad I finally got to read it! Thanks, Mom, for gifting it to me for Christmas, so I could catch up and escape for a bit!

The Center of a Welcoming Home

I drool over them as much as you do, probably. You know what I mean: those Instagrammable, perfectly staged homes that are so cute, you just want to pinch the pillows on the couch. The homeowners who have their design style perfected, and it's not "eclectic garage sale." The people whose throw blankets are perfectly draped, rather than wadded up on the ottoman. The people whose book collections were curated for size and cover color, and are not actually a to-be-read pile.

You know those people.

Maybe you are those people. (Sending much love to your posts, if you are. You make my days brighter with your pictures!)

I'm not those people.

I've made peace with it. Ryan and I live in a home that we hope reflects our everyday life. The pictures we hang on the wall are pictures of our favorite moments in life, people we love, or crafted by artists we know in real life. My seasonal décor came from one of two places: the generous offering of my mother-in-law when she cleaned out her own house, or the dollar store. Our throw blankets are vintage (in throw-blanket years) and do not reflect any sort of current trend.

And you won't even have to look very hard to find a stray feather from a cat toy accenting some corner of the carpet. Just a little gem she's left herself for later when she's bored.

We love our home and don't apologize for it. It's not farmhouse. It's not chic. (It could sometimes be classified as shabby.) It's not modern. It's Shaffer. It's just who we are. We won't ever garner design accolades, and we're okay with it. We'll appreciate our style and simultaneously appreciate the more labeled styles of Instagrammers.

But we had the nicest thing said about our home this week, and I've been chewing on it ever since I heard it.

As you might know, Ryan's mom lived here with us for a couple of weeks after she had surgery last fall. Our guest room filled up quickly with all her belongings. We brought in a folding table and a hospital table and a kids' table...and a dining room chair for her visitors to sit in while they talked to her. Our guest room is just a normal size, so all the superfluous tables quickly filled the room, and it looked a little less magazine-ish when filled with suitcases, nebulizers, and pill bottles.

The guest bath was filled with the shower chair, all her lotions and face potions, extra clothes and towels, and even Braeya had a hard time navigating her way to the sink for her drinks. (Yes, we give her a water bowl. No, she won't use it.)

So there we were, our little house bursting at the seams with our guest and all her belongings. It was hard to keep everything corralled and organized - and keep up on the laundry and the cooking and the visitor-welcoming.

But the other night, when we were spending some time with Ryan's mom, she told us she missed being at our house. She started listing some of her favorite things about staying with us. She liked my cooking (one of her favorite things about me right now, I guess, since she mentions it every time she sees me), she liked our conversations, she loved her room...and a handful of other things.

Then she looked right at us and said, "But do you know what I loved most of all about your house?"

I shook my head and waited for the grand unveiling. What had we done so well in our home-making that she saved it for last because it was best of all?

Jesus lives there.

I stared at her, and she continued. You can feel Him there. Everywhere. That's the best part of your house. Jesus lives there.

She had given us the best gift.

Our house will always border on "eclectic garage sale." Other than our beloved coffee-themed kitchen, our house will probably never really have a style or a theme. It will always be filled with the things we love the most - the things that bring us great comfort. We will always do our best to make anyone who enters, whether for coffee, dinner, or a place to stay overnight, feel as comfortable and loved as possible.

But above all, we hope everyone senses what she did. We hope they know Jesus lives here.

The first night we owned this house, we walked through it and wrote Scripture on the walls. We painted over those verses, hiding His Word there for all time. We've prayed our way through this house time and time again. We welcome Him here every day. We always hope people sense that. It matters to us.

You can't Instagram it, but you can't improve upon it either. It's the best feature. The center. The highlight.

She sensed it, and nothing else mattered to me. Not the eclectic style. Not the piles of things during her visit.

Jesus lives here. She knew it. And that was the best word-gift she could have offered.


* Note: the picture above hangs in our foyer and was actually our wedding gift from Ryan's mom and step-dad. I feel like that's kind of a full circle moment, don't you? The best gift...twice.

Recipe Ruts

Today is January 17th, which means most of you have either waved goodbye to your resolutions for 2019, or you're hanging on for dear life only because you're too stubborn to let go and admit defeat this early.

One of my resolutions was to return to more consistent clean eating, which we had somewhat abandoned in all the December buffets. :) Of course, our trips to the hospital for Ryan's mom began on January 2nd, so I wasn't sure I could hang onto my intentions. But I have to say we've done pretty well! I'm proud of our efforts, anyway.

I think one of the hardest things about eating well is the determination it takes to plan and prepare the meals when you're tired/busy/sick/you name it. (And we've had a little bit of all of that lately.) Though I've so greatly improved in my meal planning over the past year, I have to say I kind of like it that Katie from Dashing Dish now publishes her own personal meal plan every week. I absolutely cheat and use it. I do that partly to save myself some planning brain strain, but I also do it partly because I am the queen of the recipe rut. I'm not great about trying new things...but following her plan means trying things from her recipe repertoire that I've never before attempted.

And I have to say, we're finding some new favorites!

(You can see her meal planning posts if you scroll down through her blog here. I believe you can see the posts even if you're not a member of her site, but you might not be able to access all the recipes unless you are a member.)

If you, too, are in a mid-January recipe slump, let me share with you some of our recent favorites.

Strawberry Pineapple Smoothie. (Note: I couldn't find frozen pineapple, and even if I could have, chances are good I would have been too cheap to afford it. So I bought frozen strawberries, and portioned out canned pineapple per her serving size to freeze that myself. Problem solved.)

Clean Eating Frosty. (Note: NOTHING will ever replace a real Frosty in my heart. I am a huge Frosty fan, and you can't mess with the goodness of the original. But that said, and even taking into consideration my disdain for bananas, I do like this recipe.)

Supreme Pizza Quesadilla. (This one is a TOTAL winner, and so very easy. You can easily swap in and out the sorts of pizza toppings you prefer.)

California Cobb Strawberry Salad. (I even loved the dressing. Made it in the Ninja and stored it in this nifty little salad dressing container Ryan gave me for Christmas.)

Cheesy Egg and Hashbrown Crockpot Casserole. (This recipe is very similar to a NOT healthy breakfast casserole I make regularly. I thought it tasted every bit as good, though. Next time I'm going to use turkey sausage instead of turkey bacon. Just personal preference.)

Snickers Protein Shake. (It's kind of like a frappe and makes me very happy.)

15 Minute Flatbread Pizza. (Another winner - like the quesadilla. And again, you can swap out whatever toppings you want.)

Grain Free Dutch Baby Pancake. (I was really skeptical. But I loved it. And Ryan did too! And I loved it that I didn't have to sit and babysit pancakes for flipping.)

Zucchini Parmesan Fries. (We had them with burgers. While I won't pretend they're real white-potato-fries-drowned-in-salt-and-grease, they are tasty!)

Roasted Cauliflower Poppers. (One of our favorite side dishes when we just need a little something extra.)

So maybe in there somewhere, you can find something new to try, especially if you feel like you're stuck in a bit of a rut. I made many more over the last two weeks, but I thought I'd just share the free access ones with you, in case you don't have a membership. If you DO have a membership, you should also check out the baked oatmeal singles, grain free chicken parmesan, white queso chicken chili, and Zuppa Toscana soup, among others.

Happy cooking, and happy hanging onto healthy resolutions! If we can do it in the middle of all our current chaos, I believe you can do it too! :)

If You're in the Market for a New Bible...

I grew up in a King James Version Bible household. Anyone else? Anyone? That was what my parents used (and to my knowledge, what they still use) in their own study, so that's what they purchased for me as well. Clear up until high school, I was a KJV girl.

Even though the language is not terribly common for any of us anymore, I seemed to grasp the concepts. (Although I do have one distinct memory of memorizing a verse for youth group in junior high that included the phrase, "withersoever thou goest." I can pretty much guarantee you I was the only kid in youth group withersoevering.)

Once I got to high school, it was only acceptable in my gotta-be-cool mind to become an NIV girl, which I did, and for the most part, I've remained an NIV girl still to this day. I've had a few years of studying primarily from the New Living Translation and a few from English Standard Version, but I tend to memorize and teach from NIV.

But it's probably no secret that I have a bit of a love for Bibles. I have a decent collection of them, and they don't just accumulate dust on the shelf. I use them every single week as I study - personally and for teaching and writing. I have Bibles in various versions and translations and also with various study angles. (Women's Bible, archeology Bible, life Bible, etc.)

A few weeks ago I learned of one I hadn't seen called the NKJV Full Color Study Bible from Thomas Nelson, and I was a mixture of intrigued and unsure. Intrigued because...a new Bible? With full color? I wanna see! And unsure because...did you see those three little letters at the end up there?? KJV? Do I really want to return to withersoevering?

Intrigue won, and the Bible is now a permanent resident of my study collection. And. I'm. So. Glad. 

I wanted to tell you a little bit about it because it's the start of a new year, and maybe one of your goals this year is to understand and/or study the Bible in ways you haven't before. Maybe you need a new idea of something to try. Maybe this is the one for you! But Bibles can be a big investment, so I think it's only fair to know what you're getting with one before you get it. Here's what I've found about this one.

* Quick disclaimer: I have not read through every single note throughout this entire Bible, so I'm counting on the group of scholars who compiled the study notes to have done their job well. My list below is based on looking through this Bible to see what it has to offer. *

1. So pretty. Totally not a requirement for a Bible, but if you're like me, you're probably fairly easily drawn in by pretty covers. In full disclosure, you can actually find this Bible (as is true for most Bibles) in a variety of cover and cost options, from leather to hardcover to even an e-book version. But mine is cranberry with gold edges and has two ribbons. You should ask Ryan how much I squealed over the discovery of two ribbons.

2. So big. Now in all fairness, this is a pro for some people and a con for others, and I know that. I tend to be one of those people who lives by the persuasion that the bigger the Bible, the closer to God. That is not even an actual theologically sound statement, so please don't take that part to heart! But I am the kind of girl who loves to study out of thick Bibles, because I know I'll find tons of information to help further explain what I might not understand from the text itself. Some people want just Scripture words in their Bibles, and they want them to be small and easily portable for carrying around. But if you love a big Bible like I do, I think you'll be pleased with this one!

3. Print for normal people. They make regular print Bibles and large print Bibles, and I've always thought it would be grand to have a happy medium. This Bible, in my opinion, is a good happy medium. Remember, I'm 20/12 vision girl, so print size truly doesn't matter to me. But, when you have a ton of words on a page, and everything's black and white, even 20/12 folks can get a little bleary-eyed while reading. But the large print Bibles (at least for me) are a bit TOO large. And they tend to be even bulkier because they have to make room for all the print, you know. In this one, the Scripture text is a very pleasing size. Plenty big enough to read if the Bible is in your lap at church, but not so huge that the people five rows behind you can also read it. The study note text size at the bottom is a bit smaller, but I even think that is pretty decent. (Sometimes those notes can be crazy small!)

4. New information. I have noticed in my Bible study that some study Bibles match others in the content of the additional notes. This one appears to contain content that is worded differently from the other ones I have, so I'm excited to learn from it! I also love that the book introductions contain timelines and book outlines, so if you're looking for something in particular, you can find it quickly. This Bible also contains some articles on topics found throughout Scripture (such as miracles, sin, faith, etc.), cultural notes to help you understand things in context a bit more (like tents, shepherds, leprosy, etc.), charts, and even full color maps right in the middle of the Bible, not all the way back in the end - though you can find some there, too! One of my favorite features? Word studies. I love word studies, and while this Bible isn't comprehensive in that, it contains more than I've ever seen in a regular study Bible before. There are also full color pictures throughout, to help you envision the places about which you read.

5. Helpful features. Even though I can quickly look this sort of information up online now, I still like a good concordance in the back of a Bible, and this one has a great one. I'm learning that most Bibles don't anymore - probably because designers expect people to just look up the info.  It also has cross-references throughout (which are easy to read at the bottom of the page and not crammed in a little column in the middle), and there's a good subject index in the back, if you need to look up a particular topic.

6. What's missing? The only thing I was surprised to NOT find in this Bible, given that it's a full color Bible - were the words of Christ in red. I like that feature, but I don't have to have it. But I just found that ironic, that a full color Bible wouldn't feature that. And this also is not something I need, but it doesn't have the books of the Bible tabbed out on the side. If you do need that, you can easily buy a tab set and add it yourself.

7. Now....about the NKJV thing. I stand surprised and corrected. I looked up some verses I know by heart and found that the language wasn't that different from what I learned in the NIV. The things about the KJV that can make it hard for some people to read (basically the Old English style) aren't present in the NKJV. I guess I have always had an incorrect interpretation of how it translated, and I stand pleasantly corrected. In the sections I read, I found it easy to understand.

So all of that to say...I'm excited to have this big, pretty, double-ribboned Bible in my collection. I will dive right in, consulting its pages as I study on my own and study for teaching purposes. I'm already knee deep in making notes in the Bible I'm studying daily this year, but I am going to move this one to the top of the list for my next regular study Bible, even though the version is a bit different than what I've been using. I need that. I need fresh perspective. And this copy is full of it - not just in the wording of Scripture, but in the study helps.

If you'd like to see a little trailer about this Bible, you can watch it here. And here's a link to the one I have, though mine looks more red than the purple-ish color on this page.


* The Blythe Daniel Agency and Thomas Nelson Publishers provided this copy of the Bible to me at no charge, and all the opinions above are my own. *