Rest

Y'all, it's been CRAZY busy in Shafferland lady. CRAZY.

Any of you ladies out there have project-oriented husbands? I do, and I do not say that as a word of complaint. I'm THANKFUL for his knowledge, his skills, his hard work, and most of all, for his motivation. When I get tired of working on something, I tend to quit. He tends to push through until the task is done. I have so much to learn from him!

Our latest project has been renovating the kitchen.

On a budget.

We pulled out the two sections of cabinetry that aren't attached to the wall, scrubbed down all the counter tops really well, and did a granite paint treatment on them. I was worried, but it turned out really well. Check it out!

{That's before and after, in case you're not sure.}

We spray painted all the hardware on the cabinets, just to update it, did a wood-oil treatment on all the wood, painted the trim white and the walls a gorgeous gray/blue.

Later this weekend, Ryan and his best friend, Adam, will install new flooring and we'll reassemble everything into the kitchen and maybe start to cook again!!

As for now...it just kind of looks like this:

{That was the old paint. We really did the new paint job better than that!}

Everything is ripped up, pulled apart, and an all-around mess. {Husband excluded from that statement.}

We have worked hard...long days, afternoons, evenings, and into the night to get the kitchen done quickly. We're still working full time jobs and carrying on with our otherwise busy schedule...just packing this into the "free time."

It makes a person tired, you know? I'm sure you know. You have your own brand of busy - whatever it entails.

That's why I so love the moments when we walk away...and leave the ripped carpet, the paint splattered cloths, the cluttered rooms...and we enter our little oasis outside:

Our little gazebo with our hammock and fire pit and patio table. out where it's breezy and lovely and wonderful in every way...and we can rest.

You might not have a little oasis outside, but I would love to encourage you in this busyness we call life...to sneak away to rest for a few minutes. Your soul craves it.

Fun Summer Freebies

The only way to make summer fun even better is to make it FREE! Check out these ideas to add to your summer plans:

• Kids can bowl 2 free games a day through September by registering at kidsbowlfree.com

• The National Park Service is celebrating its 97th birthday...and we get the present. On August 25, the government will waive entrance fees to every national park. Check nps.gov for info.

• Many cities, and even some beaches, offer outdoor movies during the summer. Check out town's official website or Google free outdoor movies and your hometown.

• Text REDBOOK to 727272 and Redbox will send you a code good for a free movie rental every single month.

• Sign up at kidsskatefree.com and you'll be e-mailed up to four kids' roller-skating passes every single week. If your local rink isn't participating, the site has  a letter you can print out, asking them to join the program.

• 7-11 is giving away free Slurpees on July 11.

Let the summer fun begin!

Corky's Peanut Butter & Fudge Pie Recipe

If you're not signed up to bring dessert to the family or a friend's Memorial Day barbecue, text or call the host RIGHT NOW and volunteer for the assignment! The "Peanut Butter and Fudge Pie" recipe from the new Cookin' with Corky's cookbook is a surefire winner. Corky's Carol Sweeney is the sweet genius behind the decadent treat.


Thanks to our friends at Corky's for allowing us to post the recipe on the Mid-Morning blog.

CORKY'S PEANUT PUTTER & FUDGE PIE

Yields: 8 servings

 

 

Some things are just meant to be together, like BBQ and beans, or beans and slaw. Peanut butter and fudge is an obvious combination, but one with uncommonly good results.

 

 

Ingredients:

 

Nonstick cooking spray, oil or butter

2 cups sugar

1 cup all-purpose flour, plus additional for dusting

1/2 cup cocoa powder

2 sticks unsalted butter, melted

3 large eggs

1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

1/2 cup chopped pecans

1/4 cup creamy peanut butter

 

Preheat the over to 375 degrees Fahrenheit. Butter and flour an 8-inch pie pan.

 

Sift together the sugar, flour, and cocoa in a large mixing bowl. Add the melted butter, and mix well.

Using a mixer set on low speed, mix in the eggs and vanilla until just blended, taking care not to overbeat. Stir in the pecans. Pour half of the chocolate batter into the prepared pie pan. Spoon the peanut butter over the batter and follow with the remaining chocolate batter. Swirl the batter gently with a knife to create patterns.

 

Bake for 45-50 minutes. The pie will make its own crust.

 



Can I Quote You on That?

This has been quite the week of quotes worth remembering from Mid-Morning guests.




Tuesday, Dr. Mitch Kruse reminded us that on this side of heaven, God's children are free from sin's power and penalty but not its presence. The people of Moore, Oklahoma, understand that better than anyone. But the day is coming when sin will be no more. Until then, we live in the shelter of the Most High and find rest and refuge in the shadow of the Almighty (Psalm 91:1, 2).






Wednesday, Dr.Jennifer Degler returned for Part Two of our discussion about emotional and verbal abuse. The psychologist and author made two statements that you can say to yourself whenever you're afraid or uncomfortable to be honest with someone:

Conflict is the price you pay for intimacy.

 

Failure to confront bad behavior is permission for it to continue.

And then there's Eddie Broussard's Beauty in the Desert, one of Monday's six "Author! Author!" conversations. I'm not sojourning in a trying wasteland at the moment, but I learned several fresh insights to tuck away for future sojourns because, as we all know, desert visits are reoccurring!

When God brings us into the desert, He does so to humble us...When God humbles us, He breaks our sense of confidence. Our confidence is simply what we are depending on to provide what we need.

Deserts reveal a lot about how deeply we know God.

 

When God wants to teach us something new, He breaks what is incorrect.

 

Testing is at the core of a desert experience. Testing is often a painful process because it reveals what needs attention in our lives.

 

Testing prepares us to face the successes and failures of our future.

 

 

See what I mean? Pack these truths away. You'll definitely find them reassuring and oh-so-helpful the next time God leads you into the desert. Go with a humble heart and receptive ears. Yes, God will teach you a life-giving lesson. But the real treasure is the gift of God Himself and a special knowing that can only be birthed in the desert. 

 

Various and Sundry Things

Earlier this week, Kerri Zurbuch paid a visit to the Mid-Morning studio to chat about fitness...and before she left, she made a little demonstration video for how to do plank exercises. Check it out!



I have to say...her abs are pretty amazing!

In other catch-up-with-Mid-Morning news...

We took BLT on the road last week and visited the LOVELY ladies of Sturgis Wesleyan Church in Sturgis, Michigan. OH it was fun. They were warm and welcoming and our first ever attempt to "take the show on the road" - went really well! Thought I'd give you a few glimpses into that experience:

 That's what happens when Lynne and Bek take a road trip. Don't worry. We weren't in drive at that time. :) And if I'd known she was hamming it up, I'd have joined her.

 In hair and makeup. Aren't we so glamorous?

It's B...L...T...!!!!!!!!!

And after looking at those photos, I find it necessary to tell you that I got a haircut. It came after my weekend away with Ryan, in which I ran out of hairspray AND gel and threatened to shave my head.

I stopped just short of that (though we would have been such cute twins) and went with this instead:

I feel much better now.

And speaking of my weekend away with Ryan...want to see what I did? You seriously won't even believe this.

Yes, that's my fit, athletic, muscular husband rocking the zipline and that ducklike figure there in the back kicking for her life? That's me.

That's what's been happening in Mid-Morning land as of late!!