The Saturday Six

One.

I've recently started using more pouches to organize my purse contents, and I'm loving them so much. But my goodness! This blogger takes pouch organization to a whole new level! Check out her impressive car organization!

Two.

I've been following this blogger on Instagram for a while, because I love the pictures of her little tiny(ish) cabin. She just posted a walk-through tour, and I think it's darling! Simple and functional! For the record, I don't think I would love living in a place with such cold winters - and so far out where getting snowed in is a real possibility on the regular, but I can't deny the views around her are stunning.

Three.

Fall picture sessions are gearing up for lots of families, which means figuring out what to wear for said photo sessions. I'm loving some of the ideas in this post! (And also - I have no idea what we're going to wear for ours. I need to start figuring that out!!)

Four.

When I was in my twenties, I ate a lottttttttttttttt of baked potatoes. I ate them because they were easy and in my budget range. But clearly, they weren't a great choice from a healthy-eating-option perspective. BUT LOOK AT THESE ADORABLE MINI-BAKED POTATOES!!!!!! Cute as a little button. Gives the baked potato fix without eating a massive potato!!

Five.

I don't know if you would agree with the suggestions for the day trips in your state, but I've been to both suggestions for Indiana, and I agree! They're great places to spend a day!

Six.

One of the things we are working on in our job is trying to find new ways to teach our tenants about the Bible and more importantly - plant seeds that we hope will encourage them to WANT to study more on their own. I found this article with some simple and practical tips on how to study when you aren't used to doing it and may not know how! If you struggle with that too, check out this advice!

Faithful and Good

Last Sunday in church, the praise team sang the somewhat new(ish) song Goodness of God. It wasn't the first time I had heard it, but it was the first time I really stopped to listen fully to the words. And once I started really listening, I became completely overwhelmed by their truth and aware of how I've seen that truth at work in our lives. 

All my life You have been faithful...

All my life You have been so, so good.

With every breath that I am able...

I will sing of the goodness of God.

Today is a pivotal day in my heart to share those lyrics with you and think about them in my own mind, because today is my nephew's birthday. I've written about him many times before, but if you're new here, you might not know that I became an aunt at the tender age of ten. (Perks of being a major last-born child.) Kirk was stillborn, so I also experienced my first up-close experience with death at the tender age of ten. And in ways my little inexperienced heart couldn't even discern on that day, God was right in the middle of being faithful and so, so good. 

And again, for those of you who have read here for a long time, you know some of the big-moment ways He kept right on being faithful and so, so good to me in the last 32 years since that Sunday morning in 1988. Through my teen years (ohhhh the angst), the loss of my friend Craig, my college years (ohhhhh the second round of angst), love lost, my single twenties (there aren't enough volumes in the world to hold that angst), my Financial Aid job, love lost again, my radio job, my relationship with Ryan, my stay-at home-years, losing Ryan's mom, a pandemic, and now our whole new life and career. 

But it hasn't just been about those big "marker" moments. It's been in every little moment of every little day. Every terrified interstate drive. Every achingly lonely night of those single years. Every moment I stood on a platform and shared a talk. Every twinge of joy that flooded my heart. Every word I wrote. Every meal I cooked. 

Always faithful. Always so, so good. 

We've been serving in our new role for two months now, and I've already pulled from some of those long-ago moments in my conversations with our tenants. I've reached back to remember how I felt and I've been able to share concrete ways that God was faithful and good to carry me in all the good, bad, hard, and fun. 

It really is a faith booster to look back and see specific ways He has worked. If you haven't done that for a while, give it a try today. You might just find a whole bunch of praise welling up inside you!

And as for me, I'm grateful for today, this 32nd birthday for my nephew. Every now and then when I think about him, I wonder who he would have become as he grew up. I wonder what his story would have been, had more pages been written on this earth. But because of him, my pages on this earth have meaning. Because of him, my faith grew and strengthened. Because of him, I have been able to see specific displays of the goodness of God.

To Nap or Not to Nap

(Today's post is just for fun...I know it's not deep or important in any way, but it's one of those random thoughts running through my mind, so I thought we could talk about it!)

The other day I was playing with our co-worker's baby, and she was fighting her upcoming nap with everything in her. I bounced her on my lap and told her that one day, many years from now, she'll actually want a nap. 

I don't think she believed me.

And I didn't blame her. I actually have no idea if I was good at naps when I was a baby or not, but I do know that once I comprehended how much life I missed out on during nap time I went on nap strike.

My parents were hard workers (and still are!) and didn't nap when I was little - except for Sunday afternoons. I can only imagine, now that I'm an adult, that they waited with great longing for that one coveted nap they got every week. Mom would sleep in her recliner in the living room and Dad would nap in bed. And when I got old enough that I could-not-would-not nap, they said I didn't have to sleep, but I did have to have quiet time while they napped. And so I read lots and lots of books while they slept. 

And somewhere in there, I'm sure I vowed to never nap. Ever.

For many years, I did not. 

Even all the way through college, I resisted naps. All my roommates slept away their afternoons, and I powered through, declaring naps to be pointless. There probably should be some sort of award for that. Don't college students usually live on naps? I only lived on Mountain Dew. 

What. Was. I. THINKING????

The Bekah of today dearly loves a good nap. Doesn't even have to be Sunday, as far as I'm concerned. Any day of the week ending in Y is nap-worthy to me.

And taking a nap is pretty much a 100% guarantee that someone will call or text me. I've actually started putting my phone in airplane mode if I'm serious about the nap, because I know I'm bound to be awakened just as soon as I fall asleep. 

So here are my questions for you: 

* Do you nap? Obviously, you know I love them!

* Where is your favorite place to nap? Couch for me!! Our couch is so comfy, and I love to stretch out with a pillow and blanket and snooze away! Ryan usually naps on the couch, too, though he can sleep ANYWHERE.

* How long is a good nap for you? Ryan can do a 10 minute nap and be refreshed for the rest of the day. A ten minute nap does nothing for me - except make me grouchy. I need at least an hour, and I prefer two. 

* If you like to take naps - have you always? Or did you used to resist them? I wish I could remember when I finally discovered how much I like them.

* Do you reserve naps for special occasions? Like Sundays? Or are you an any-day-of-the-week sort of person?

* How late in the day can you take a nap before you won't be able to sleep at night? I can nap just about any time of day or evening, and it doesn't really seem to impact my ability to sleep at night. If anything does keep me from falling asleep, it's getting up from my warm cozy nap position on the couch to move into the bed. But having extra sleep during the day never seems to keep me from sleeping at night.

(This post brought to you by a nap I took yesterday...which was delightful!) 

Fall Comes to Shafferland!

I'm not sure what temps are doing where you are, but they are blissfully fallish around here this week. The days are still warm, but mornings and evenings now require a jacket. The middle of the day isn't quite as hot as it was, and every now and then, I catch glimpses of turning leaves.

I'm not QUITE ready for pumpkins, but I am ready for mums. (Don't have them yet, though.) And this past weekend, I pulled out the fall decor and gave the apartment a little extra touch of love.

So in the spirit of the Fall Favorites list...here is a peek at our fall-filled apartment!

I started in the living room. A couple of pumpkins and some sprigs of berries give the coffee table some extra life. (Our coffee table is hinged in the middle because it has storage inside, so I normally don't keep things on top of it. These are small enough that they don't really stand in the way of being able to open the two doors on top.)

Ryan and I went to Hobby Lobby shortly before we moved to Grabill, and I noticed they had one of their lighted trees covered in fall leaves in one of their displays. We have the same tree and I thought I would copy their idea, just to switch up the tree for fall. (It always reminds me of a cherry tree in blossom, so I thought a fall alteration was in order.)

All twinkly and ready for fall! (It's not a perfect picture, but you get the idea.)

A little pumpkin from a women's retreat a few years ago - tucked into the top of the entertainment center decor.

Over in the dining room, I made this little corner on the buffet:

And since we have a dining room table again, I get to use my massive centerpiece! (I sold all my candles before our move since we can't burn them here, so just imagine them in this picture. I do plan to grab some at the dollar store just to cover up the spikes.)

A little pumpkin for the guest bathroom...

An extra bouquet of flowers in the guest bedroom...

And even a little appearance of fall on the coffee bar:

And one by the door, too...

Our "porch" is actually inside - but I still decorate it!

And a wreath on the door to complete the entry:

The day I did my decorating, our co-worker Justine was here working as well. Some of her family had dropped by to see her, and they heard me say I was going to decorate. She told me later that they asked if I meant I was decorating our apartment or if I was decorating the building itself. She told them I was decorating our apartment, but she was fairly sure I'd be sharing my extra with the building, and she was right!

I did have some extra! So I added a few touches to the main entry of the building:

And I put a few more things in the Community Room, just for good measure:

I love the way it turned out, and I'm excited for all the fall fun we can find a way to enjoy! I do still plan to get a few pumpkins and some mums for the front of the building, and I also put one of my fall flags outside at the entrance.

And that's fall in Shafferland 3.0!

The Sabbath Meal

As you know, Ryan and I have been visiting a variety of churches in our new area, looking for a place to call home. We visited a church a couple of weeks ago that was launching its fall programs, and one of them caught our eye!

The truth of it is, for this season of our lives, it's not really feasible to commit to a long term small group or study. Our schedule is too varied and our hours are too unpredictable. We would hate to give our word to being part of something and then have to miss or leave a good number of the meetings to be available for work.

We are okay with that, because we have several other ways to feed our souls with study and fellowship with co-workers. But we were excited to see that with this fall program launch, they had a short term study. It just had four meetings on the schedule, and the topic intrigued us!

The class is about some of the feasts or meals in the Bible. Each class offers teaching time that explains the practical and spiritual aspects of the meal - and then there is an ACTUAL meal, too!

They limited the class size so they could space out the tables appropriately, but we were able to sign up, and last week we went to the first class. It was about the Sabbath meal.

The class was also an introduction to the many places (over 700!) in Scripture where meals or eating are mentioned and why it seems to be an important theme.

Our teacher explained that the Sabbath means to cease, desist, and rest. We know from the Creation account that God rested from His work on the seventh day and He calls us to rest (body and soul) as well.

They taught us that the Sabbath is observed from a few minutes before sunset on Friday evening until the appearance of three stars in the sky on Saturday night. It's ushered in by lighting candles and reciting a blessing. It's closed on Saturday evening with another blessing.

She gave us the words (Hebrew and English) to the blessings, and we read them (in English) together.

Since part of the Hebrew Sabbath rest meant not working to prepare - or even warm up - food, the meals had to be able to be consumed cold.

I took a few pictures of our night...want to see?

This was our table. (She said it might not be so fancy at every class, but she wanted the full effect for the first night.)

Our table ended up not being full, but it sure was pretty!

This was our meal! (It came to us already plated and oh so pretty.)

We were also given the recipes, so don't be overly impressed that I know so much about what is in each thing. I'm not THAT good! :) The salad is an Israeli salad with chickpeas, feta, and fresh mint. It was a cold salad - similar to a pasta salad. It actually reminded me of a Dashing Dish salad I made once. The salad had cherry tomatoes, cucumber, bell pepper, onion, chickpeas, feta. mint, olive oil, lemon, salt, and pepper. It was quite delicious, actually.

The wrap was a curry chicken wrap with coconut milk yogurt. It was a mix of savory and sweet and I really liked it. But the recipe is pretty intricate, so I don't know that I would make it. It had chicken (cold), basmati rice (I don't even know what that is), coconut milk yogurt, mayo, salt, curry powder, turmeric, coriander, cinnamon, raisins, salad greens, and the wrap itself.

It was a very filling meal, and it didn't feel like cold leftovers - which, I guess, has always been my mental image of a Sabbath meal.

We also had Challah bread and grape juice (which she called wine, but thankfully for this non-drinker, it was really just grape juice).

I am so, so glad we took this class. It was really interesting to learn a few new things about the Sabbath meal and get a taste of what one might be like.

Marriage Building Night

When Ryan and I were first married, we went to a couple of marriage conferences. (It was an annual conference, and we went the first two years consecutively.)

In the years since, we've read some books and articles on marriage, but we haven't attended a conference - mostly because we found that the majority of the sessions were targeted at couples who were struggling heavily. We're not perfect, of course, and we don't pretend otherwise, but the speakers always talked to couples who had stopped communicating, or never went on dates, or maybe didn't even spend time in the same household anymore.

Shortly after we started working here, we saw an email for a virtual marriage conference sponsored by Right Now Media. It featured well-known speakers and the cost was minimal. And who can beat wearing the comfiest of clothes to a conference! (I did manage to do better than jammies.)

We watched it out in the Community Room of our building - along with our co-workers, Tim and Justine, and also Rob and Sierra, who used to have the job we have now.

We enjoyed the speakers and came away feeling like we were doing some good and productive things for our marriage, so that encouraged us!

I wanted to share a couple of things that stuck with me, in case you'd like some encouragement for your marriage (or your someday marriage) as well.

***

Ryan and I aren't fighters. We don't always agree on things, nor do we always see situations from the same perspective, but we don't fight. We share our opinions and work through the situation at hand carefully and prayerfully.

But one of the speakers made a point to say that in a marriage, when you have a disagreement, you're not enemies to each other. You're on the same team, and THE ENEMY of the world is against you. Basically, it's important to recognize your teammates for who they are and have your eye on the actual opponent.

I happen to think that's pretty great advice for relationships beyond marriage, too. We're all so caught up in aching to be right (because let's face it: who adores being wrong?) that we can fairly easily end up fighting our own people, rather than figuring out how to unite WITH our people to fight the real battle out there - against Satan.

I'm grateful for the teammate I have in Ryan, and I am confident that in this new work role we have, the opportunities to divide will only increase. I pray often for God to continue to knit and unite our hearts so we'll be great in our relationship, great in our work roles, and great in our interactions with others!

***

One of the speakers addressed the question of how in the world people are supposed to date their spouses right now with a pandemic raging all around us. I appreciated that in her answer, she said that the point of a date is to spend time with your spouse, not to be caught up in making a huge, expensive memory.

Though she didn't cite Pinterest as a source in her answer, I sure will! Even before the pandemic made it necessary, I found tons of great at-home date ideas on Pinterest, and Ryan and I did several of them this year!

Board games! Fire pits! Fondue! Karaoke! Introducing each other to favorite old movies! Reading books aloud! Cooking together! Hiking! Biking! Cleaning the mud room! (Okay that last one was the speaker's suggestion. But it's valid! Much of the dating Ryan and I did during the heart of quarantine centered around home projects. We painted everything in sight. You should have seen Braeya there for a while...kidding.)

I'm grateful that Ryan makes everything an adventure. I'm grateful he goes along with my crazy ideas, and I'm grateful that he comes up with fun ideas too! And I'm glad we have fun even if we're just going to the grocery store or walking around town. (Since we moved, our evening walk-and-talk has become one of my most treasured times of day.)

***

One of the speakers at the conference was a comedian (oh, so funny!) and he made a great point. He said in his early days of comedy, his main goal was to figure out what he had to do to get a laugh from his audience. Then he changed his perspective and tried to figure out what he needed to do to GIVE a laugh to his audience.

Ryan said this struck him harder than any other point shared the whole night. He said it wasn't new information, but it was a great way to frame it so he can remember it well: always focus on what you can give rather than seeking what you can get.

***

So there you go! A few marriage building nuggets for you.

Ryan, thanks for being a present, thoughtful, and engaged husband to me. I appreciate how you laugh with me, tell stories with me, and make every day an adventure! I love it that you seek to always grow as a man, believer, and husband, and I love the example you are to me and to those around you!

The Shafferland Shuffle

Happy Sunday, Friends! Whether the week has been sunny or gloomy in the weather department, we sure hope all of you had a good week in your hearts! Here's a peek at what we have been up to!

* Last Sunday we visited another church and really enjoyed it. We continued our streak of still not hearing a lead pastor preach (haven't heard a single one yet!) but we definitely heard a great sermon! We were on duty that day, but it was a very low-key day, and we got to enjoy another great sunset during our walk that evening. (We had no idea we wouldn't see too many of those this week!) That night, Ryan also learned how to use the WillowBridge laminator! It may revolutionize my life that we have one of those IN THE HOUSE!!

* Monday was Labor Day, but it was a work day for us. Since it was a holiday, we went all fancy and Ryan treated me to a white chocolate caramel latte. It's the first time he's put on his barista hat since we moved, and I'm happy to report he hasn't lost any of his skills! I made Muddy Buddy cookies, and Ryan grilled burgers and brats, so we could have a little cook-in with our co-workers. (It rained, or it would have been a cook-out.) We had dinner together in our apartment and had a team meeting while we ate. And that's how you work a holiday!

* Tuesday was the first day of our weekend, and we celebrated Mom's birthday by having lunch with her and Dad at Eugenia's restaurant down in Wabash. On our way home, we stopped at the BMV, and that's a whole separate story. I think God had mercy on my heart, because on the way back home, He sent a GORGEOUS rainbow. That night we went to a class at a church, where we learned about the Sabbath Meal from the pages of Scripture. I'll have to tell you more about that later!

* Wednesday was the second day of our weekend, and Ryan's step-dad came to visit us. We spent the late morning and early afternoon kayaking together and having long conversations with him while we paddled our way through the water. We were able to show him where we live and work, and we all went out for lunch and a walking tour of town before he went back home. It was good to see him!

* Thursday morning I met up with another fellow Gateway Woods employee down at the coffee shop, and this time I tried the cinnamon caramel latte. It was excellent - as was my conversation with my new friend and fellow co-worker!! Ryan did a plasma donation that day, and it ended up taking quite a bit longer than he anticipated. Apparently it's very popular right now!  When he got home, I made sloppy joes and made sure he got some food in him so he didn't get weak!

* Friday was September 11th, and we discovered this beautiful huge flag flying down at the fire station that morning. There was a perfect breeze, and it was billowing so beautifully. Look what we found when we went grocery shopping that afternoon!!! Bikes are back in stock, it seems! Grabill had a mini-festival this weekend, and we found out one of our tenants had never had an elephant ear, so we got one for all of us to share. (She ended up hating it, so we had to eat the whole thing ourselves!) We got to spend some extra time with her in the evening, and that was fun!

* Yesterday morning we got up early to do some inventory in a recently vacated apartment. Ryan and Tim worked on the air conditioning in the WillowBridge car (a project that will be continued on another day), and at the end of the day, we enjoyed the Right Now Media Marriage Night along with the other couples on staff with us. (It was a virtual marriage conference, basically.) We learned some good things!

And that's been our week!

The Saturday Six

One.

Anyone else started decorating for fall yet? I found this cute and simple decorating idea for a little DIY fall candle holder. (And if you're trying not to burn candles - or not allowed to burn them where you live - you can always use the battery operated ones!)

Two.

When Ryan and I meandered through the little flea market in our town a few days ago, I saw some older art prints for sale, and they were oddly refreshing to see. They seemed to hold a story and intrigued me. But also: $$$$$$!!! I happened to see on another blog a link to this Etsy shop that sells prints of vintage-style art. If that's your thing, take a look!

Three.

This post was a sweet read by a blogger who made a list of good ways to spend her time. I enjoyed the soft intentionality of it.

Four.

Christmas is coming, you know! No time like the present (Ha! See what I did there?) to make plans to have whatever safe and healthy gatherings you can have with friends. Here's an idea for a gift exchange that's just a little bit different! Creative!

Five.

Cardigan season is coming! (Or depending on where you live or how cold you are on a regular basis, perhaps it is already here.) This was a helpful post about how to wear cardigans that are flattering, rather than bulky and sloppy.

Six.

Football season is also here (Ryan is so excited!) and I think this creamy salsa dip looks pretty tasty! (And better than processed alternatives...)

Visits with Parents

Before I begin today's official post, I must pause to recognize this day. For the last several years, I've made a point of taking this day off (when I had a more flexible schedule) to devote my hours to remembering the many who lost their lives on this day all those years ago. This year, 9/11 has fallen on a day I am working, but I do plan to spend parts of my day in reflection and watching the stories of the people. Whether or not this is a day you choose to physically pause (and it's fine either way), I wanted to create a space at the start of my words to say I remember.

If you're teaching your kids at home right now - or just want a good way to talk with your kids about 9/11, here's a video a friend of ours made several years ago. He's an elementary school principal.

***

Ryan and I have already had our weekend for this week, and in an unusual twist, we had the opportunity to see family on both our days off!

Tuesday was my mom's birthday, and since our family is so scattered, we decided to try to see if her if it worked out in her schedule. She and Dad had plans to enjoy lunch at Eugenia's, which is a little restaurant in Wabash, and they said we could join them if we wanted!

I've never officially eaten there before (at least that I remember). Eugenia's is the restaurant attached to the Honeywell Performing Arts Center in Wabash, and I remember working a concert there one time on a Sunday evening. If I'm remembering correctly, Eugenia's didn't have evening hours on Sunday, but they provided a meal for me and my work guest, since we were on duty for their event. But this was the first time I remember being there on a regular day.

It was quite easy to keep our distance that day; they had one other party of two eating inside where we were, and another party eating outside on the patio. We had a great window seat and it was a GORGEOUS day outside, so the whole atmosphere was just delightful.

I gave Mom her present while she waited on her food:

She loves drinking cappuccino on Sunday afternoons in the winter, so I got her an official Grabill mug and some cappuccino mixes from the old fashioned general store. She loved them!

Our food was SO DELICIOUS!

And we had ice cream for dessert. Oh, it was so good. Vanilla bean ice cream rolled in candied pecans and drizzled with chocolate. I shared with Ryan. (I could have eaten it all myself.)

And a quick picture with Mom before we parted ways...

The next day after this lunch, we had the chance to see Ryan's step-dad! He came to visit us, see where we live, learn a bit more about our work, and he brought along his own kayak, and the three of us went out on a kayaking adventure!

 The day wasn't sunny this time, but it was actually pretty wonderful kayaking weather. Not too hot, and just enough breeze to help push us along!

We were out for about two hours and had some great conversations whilst gliding over the water.

After we were done with our adventure, we took him on a walking tour of Grabill, had lunch at the Mexican restaurant, and then walked some of the outskirts of town (to exercise off at least a portion of our lunch).

He was our first visitor from Ryan's side of the family, and we were so glad he came! :)