Saturday Suggestions: Inspirations for Your Weekend

 

                Thank you for your notes, texts, and calls yesterday! Ryan enjoyed his birthday (minus the cold I accidentally gave him…that wasn’t supposed to be part of the gift!) and I enjoyed celebrating him. I’m so glad he has some extra time today and can keep enjoying his birthday weekend.

                Today is, of course, the perfect date. Enjoy however you spend the day and….these fun finds!

My friend Brent released some new online activities for kids (or adults who miss being kids…not that I played…) Here is the link to Merry Matchup, which is a memory game featuring characters from his Gingerbrood children’s books. I had a lot of fun playing! And here is Sam’s Bible memory game, which lets you choose the translation you want to memorize in!

I’ve followed Janet on Instagram for quite some time and love her posts. She and her husband are both deaf, and all their children can hear. I read a few weeks ago that their family was interviewed by People, so I was excited to see the article release! I love Janet’s desire to share her everyday life while helping people better understand the challenges she and her husband face and how they work through them!

I adore the makeover KariAnne gave her daughter’s bedroom. I wanted to take so many pieces of this room and transfer them right over into our house. I think all her choices are so bright, cheerful, and suitable for a lake home. What’s your favorite part? I can’t choose. Is it the bedding? The lumbar pillow? The artwork? I love it all.

I grew up listening to the music of Steve Green and Sandi Patty, and I still love them both. I recently stumbled upon this full-length concert Steve did just about a year ago and loved it. Some of my favorites are in his set list: Find Us Faithful, He Who Began a Good Work, People Need the Lord, Calvary’s Love…so good. I appreciate his faithfulness to ministry all these years!

Travel season is upon us, and Audrey has a whole list of practical, yet CUTE travel accessories that might make your summer travels easier. I’m all for efficiency, compactness, and cuteness when I hit the road, so I appreciate her suggestions. I think the cup holder for rolling suitcases is BRILLIANT. (I need one for my purse. Maybe I should just start carrying a suitcase as a purse.)

Working on your garden plans? I still am…and I’m always looking for advice, even if it’s repeated advice. I’m a slow learner sometimes. Mary’s post on companion planting for raised beds is excellent! She focuses on kitchen gardening, which is basically all I have room to do here on our little lake property! Good stuff in this post. Here’s hoping for a way better experience than I had last summer. Gardens in most of Indiana didn’t thrive last year. It wasn’t just me, and that made me feel so much better!

Friday Fun: Happy Birthday, RYAN!!!

 

Today is a major holiday in the Shaffer household! Today is my dreamy husband’s birthday, and I always love a great excuse to celebrate him to the fullest. However, this brings me to my annual conundrum: how do I possibly put into one post how much he means to me? I can’t.

                So this year I decided to return to the scrapbook and find a favorite memory from each month, starting with his birthday last year.

                At the end of April last year, I was licensed for ministry, and this photo is one of my favorites from that day. The congregation came forward to pray over me (which was so beautiful) but I chose two people to pray out loud for me, and Ryan was one of them. I cherish his words in prayer for my life and ministry, and when prayer time ended, he was right there to hug and congratulate me. This year of licensed ministry has been full and beautiful, and I mean it completely: none of this could happen without him beside me. He walks every step with me, prays over me, and carries me through the hard parts. 

                In May, our church moved into its new building – fully – after several months of construction. Ryan was such a huge part of all of that project, and to share that day together was so meaningful to both of us. I am so proud of him for who he is to our church. He is on the worship team rotation, is picking up the skills to work in our tech booth, helps out at the Boutique each month, is a GriefShare leader, and fills in absolutely anywhere else he’s needed. He loves our people, and I am just so proud of him!

                June was our vacation month last year, when we finally were able to explore Hocking Hills State Park! We had the best time and made so many memories, but I think his favorite part was our UTV ride. He was so kind to NOT drive as fast and furious as I know he wanted to so I could stand a chance at having some fun! 

                Ryan has such a huge heart, and I love the way he always makes sure the kids in our lives have as much fun as they can whenever they come over. July was a big host-fun-days-at-the-lake month for us, and with every group of visitors, he made sure the kids sat with him to drive the boat if they wanted to, he gave paddleboarding and kayaking lessons and encouraged everyone into doing a super job!

                And for as much as he invests in everyone around him, I also love how much he invests in us. August was full of dates he planned, he took me on sunset boat rides, went for walks and bike rides with me, and was always the best conversationalist – talking and listening! I know those things are rare traits in husbands, so I am thankful for them!

                He’s always up for an adventure, and one of our favorite ones from September was walking the Mackinac Bridge and exploring Mackinac Island together. Those were SO MUCH FUN, and they also marked one of the first times that Michigan has ever been kind to us in the weather department.

                Part of marriage is dealing with the hard as well as the good, and last October, we said our earthly goodbye to Ryan’s Grandpa Cox. We drove to see him a couple of weeks before he passed away, and both of us knew it would be the last time we saw him alive. To hear Ryan’s prayer over him in that room before we walked out was heartbreakingly beautiful. And then to honor his life a short time later was a privilege.

                We can’t talk about Ryan without talking about what a great dad he is to Lexi. That girl loves him with her whole heart and then some. He loves her, he takes care of her when she’s sick, he takes her on adventures, he snuggles with her on the couch, and she can’t jump for joy fast enough every day when he gets home from work. I love their bond! 

                Ryan spends so much time giving to others that he rarely takes time to do anything fun for himself. When he was invited to announce for the local wrestling matches this year, I was excited to see him do something that brought him joy! I learned about wrestling and he had fun returning to something he loved so much in high school! 

                One of the things I love about him is how seriously he takes his responsibility to steward what God has entrusted to him. He cares for EVERYTHING so intentionally: our cars, our home, and everything in them. When the bad weather hit this winter, he was outside in the worst of it, clearing the driveway, filling the gas tanks, and making sure everything was in good working order. 

                When Dad got sick in February, Ryan was right there for everything. Every ER trip, every doctor appointment, every decision and transition. He did literal heavy lifting, he treated my Dad with dignity, and he cleaned up a whole lot of my tears. He is absolutely the person you want when your parents are sick and it’s hard.

                March was HARD. It was really, really hard. We both had different strains of the flu at different times. We moved both of my parents at different times. We tried to start cleaning out their apartment. We were preparing for Holy Week at church. It was exhausting, but he never missed a beat. He showed up, he worked hard, he advocated, and he was his constant, steady self.

                Whether we are having the most fun ever, working on an adventure, or slogging through something hard, he is absolutely the one I want by my side. He’s the best. He just really IS the best.

                Ryan, I love you, I love the way you live your life, and I love getting to share your days.

Travel Thursday: Cold, Rain, and Boats

 

                Remember when I started telling you about some of my favorite memories of our annual birthday trips? Remember when I told you about the tulipless Tulip Time Festival? Remember when I told you about the snowy Wisconsin adventures? Well, when the time came to plan our fifth annual birthday trip, we wanted to try another little town in Michigan, but we didn’t want to freeze. So we pushed our trip later into May and…froze in a rainy mess the entire time we were gone. Sigh.

                Our trip was crafted around a little gem I found on Pinterest: a boat and breakfast. It remains one of the coolest, most unique places we’ve ever stayed, and it’s still in business, so if you’re going to Saugatuck, check it out! This tip wasn’t the only time we formed a whole trip around the lodging, but it was one of our favorite fun finds.

                Here were some of our favorite parts of this trip!

·         We visited another lighthouse – a favorite trip adventure of ours. This one was in South Haven, and we almost had it entirely to ourselves, since it was so gross outside.

·         Fun fact: The lighthouse had just undergone a huge restoration that involved 52 gallons of red paint.

·         We found an old-fashioned drugstore that sold nightgowns. Like nightgowns from days of yore.

·         We loved our Boat and Breakfast. Even though there were other guests staying in other rooms, it was quiet and felt so private.

·         We went to a pie tasting that was so good – but I still remember how badly we were treated! The restaurant was also a winery, and because we did not order wine, we weren’t treated quite as kindly. (This has happened to us other places, too.) Despite that, the pie was SO good. And it was cute. I dearly love cute food.

·         We had ice cream at Charlie’s and dreamed up a dream of one day owning our own ice cream shop. It’s unlikely that this will ever come true, but we had fun dreaming about it.

·         Ryan found a sign that fit him…

·         We did enjoy hiking some dunes at a state park before we came home, and we had the place almost to ourselves because the weather was so bad.

·         And on the way home? SUNNY AND WARM! Of course.

Wednesday in the Word: Little is Much

 

Our church is having a fundraiser rummage sale this weekend, hosted by one of the Sunday School classes. For several weeks, now, they’ve been collecting items, sorting them, and this week the gym turned into a thrifter’s paradise. I know we have been grateful to be able to donate items we don’t need, and in truth, it’s pushed us to finally part with some things we know we don’t need anymore.

                Cleaning out my parents’ apartment has reminded us that one of these days, someone will have to have pity on us and clean out our home. We keep saying we should just be kind to that person and help clean out now. Why do we need so much stuff anyway??

                So as I studied my way through Psalm 37 this week and saw verses 16 and 17, it brought that back to my mind:

                Better is the little that the righteous has than the abundance of many wicked. For the arms of the wicked shall be broken, but the Lord upholds the righteous.

                “The little” could mean many things. Little income. Little home. Little fame. Little attention. It’s not that it’s bad or sinful to have abundance. Indeed, God grants that to some – in any of these areas and more. But it’s just simply important to remember that having little of something, but yet having a righteous heart intact is more important than overflowing with wealth or importance if your heart is simultaneously wicked.

                I’m reminded that God will provide my needs. If my house is little and my car is small and older and I’m not famous and bringing in lots of income…it’s okay. God upholds and sustains. The little can be so much when it’s truly all I need.

                So as Ryan and I focus on our material possessions, as we look through our home and figure out what we really need and use – and let go of the rest – we feel a sense of relief. God is caring for us, and we’re satisfied.

                It’s a good reminder, and one that can be applied in many different directions!

Tuesday Tales: Women's Conference at the Rock

 

When I left WBCL, and I pursued a life as a stay-at-home wife, I began building up my speaking. I said yes to any and every engagement I could find. I sent out letters to let people know I was available if they had an event. I loved it. I loved meeting people and preparing for events and traveling around the state.

                Even after I returned to the workforce, I kept speaking as often as possible, though after the pandemic, there was a long stretch of time when no one was meeting in person to need a speaker.

                But when I took the job at the church, I had to cut back…way back. And I may have to cut back even more. For one thing, I can’t miss Sunday morning services now that I’m on staff, so filling in for other ministers isn’t possible anymore. And even though I could speak on Fridays and Saturdays, I’m finding that it’s difficult to have the time to prepare TO speak. And since Saturdays are my Sabbath, I try to protect them as much as I can.

                I miss getting to travel and speak, but I love what I do and am happy to protect my local ministry even if it means cutting back elsewhere.

                Last spring I spoke at a church near home, and they immediately asked if I’d come back again this year. I said yes, but I had no idea that this year, the event would come on the heels of my dad’s illness, both my parents moving, trying to clean out their apartment and sort through all their belongings, and lots of busyness in my own work calendar.

                The Lord was so gracious, and the church chose a topic I’d shared before. I had to revamp it a bit, but the bulk of the writing had been done. And it turns out, the topic – Fill My Cup – was one I needed to hear. So my preparation was personally helpful!

                The day may have been cold and rainy, but the room was full of joy and the presence of the Lord. The ladies sang so beautifully, the food was delicious, and everyone was so kind to Ryan and me.

                Ryan went (as he always does) and ran my slides for me. I shared stories from my life, and we dove into some sections of Scripture together.

                I learned many things from this day and this event, but the one that stands out the most is that the Lord is always faithful and is always bigger than my weaknesses, failures, and shortcomings. He met those women in beautiful, memorable ways, and it was my honor to be a small part of it!

Menu Monday: Nourishing Body and Soul

 

                Monday has returned, my friends. Another week is upon us, and here in Shafferland, we are hoping for a bit of a reprieve from unrelenting busyness. And maybe…some more fun recipes! Here were the ones we tried this week.

Monday: Cobb Salad with Lemon Basil Dressing

What We Loved: This website was suggested in a blog I read, and I decided to try some of the recipes for fun! This cobb salad was tasty, though in fairness we did not make the dressing. Used our trusty bottles of G Hughs sugar free dressings. (Italian for Ryan and Ranch for me!)

Tuesday: Rotel Chicken Bake

What We Did: I did not have a rotisserie chicken on hand, so I boiled chicken breasts and shredded them in the mixer. Other than that, I followed the recipe. Ryan ate his as a chip dip, and I used leftover bell pepper (from the cobb salad) to make “chips” to dip in this.

Wednesday: Ground Beef Philly Skillet

What We Did: I made this dish before church so it would be ready immediately after. I did use ground beef rather than ground turkey, and it was quite tasty. We ate ours plain, but you could eat it on bread or with chips.

Thursday: Ham and Veggie Frittata

What We Learned: I have made many frittatas in my day, and in the world of flavor, this was one of the best I’ve had. But PLEASE NOTE: It says to bake for 15 minutes. Try an hour. By the time we actually were able to eat, I was beyond hangry. But it was a good recipe if you have the time to cook it all the way through!

Friday: Pizza at Bible Bingo Night        

What We Learned: I forgot to take a picture! That’s what we learned! Our church had a Bible Bingo night and they ordered pizza for everyone. I was so busy talking, I forgot to take a picture of my plate, but you know what pizza looks like…right?

Saturday: Leftover Ham and Veggie Frittata

What We Loved: We had a long day away from home, since I spoke at a women’s conference, so it was nice to come home to an easy leftover meal. I paired it with toast, and we loved it!

Sunday: Leftover Ham and Veggie Frittata

What We Loved: Though our Sundays after church are typically restful, this one was not, so it was great to, once again, enjoy some leftovers!