Suzanne Schaffer

If I could go back in time and change any one thing it would be to stay out of debt. Granted, there were some things that were out of our control in the early days. In one year we needed a new septic tank, a new furnace, and we didn't know that our taxes were not included in our mortgage. This all happened in our first year and a half of marriage. That is not a good way to start out. I wish that Dave Ramsey had written Total Money Makeover twenty years earlier. I wish that we had not indulged in so many lunch buffet meals at T he Nittany Lion Inn. I wish that we hadn't felt like we needed to get everyone expensive Christmas presents. From Sears. Because we had a store credit card. I wish someone had told me that if I didn't have the cash for something then I didn't need to buy it. Want to save your marriage? Want to eliminate stress from your home? Stay out of debt. Does it really matter if you buy that new gadget?  It doesn't. You don't need it...

On Saturday we got to spend the entire day with our friends. We've been friends with this family since our early days in ministry when our husbands were both youth pastors. We would see each other at different youth events and just hit it off. A couple of times over the years we lived close to each other and then one of us would end up moving away. I joked that God was thinking, "I'll give them another chance" and then He realized that we were trouble together and had to separate us again. This is my Marsha, my BFFWMTV. I adore her. Do  you  have a friend that you can just laugh with, laugh so hard that you can't breathe?  There is so much wrong with this. I won't even start... And no, we didn't buy it. Just posed it for a picture. A house in Colonial Williamsburg Beautiful dress These hats were just so pretty that I had to take a picture. Clay wig curlers. I still need to Google that to see how this works. My BFF...

We've talked an awful lot about what things not to do and what to avoid in order to guard your marriage. It's time to lighten things up and talk about some things that are good to do to guard your marriage.  It is important to spend time together. Just the two of you. No matter how long you've been married. Life interrupts relationships and unless you are keeping up with each other you will lose each other. Kids happen. Jobs happen. Debt happens. Sickness happens. Leaky roofs happen.  Car accidents happen. And the list goes on. Just like any other relationship, you get out of it what you put into it. Wayne and I don't have a perfect marriage, because we are just two people, but we are committed to making it work. We regularly take time each week to go out to lunch or dinner together. Since he is a sports nut and I am not, food is one thing that we can enjoy together. We have eaten in some fantastic restaurants all over the country. Date night doesn...

  I apologize in advance for this one. Most of the pictures are of food. After we visited the coffee shop we headed into the downtown area of Norfolk. Norfolk kind of freaked me out a little. There are a lot of low flying planes here. A lot. Probably because of that whole military base thing. *smirk* I don't like planes. I did enjoy the drive down, the scenery was pretty and we drove through a tunnel that went under water. Busy roads though. I'm glad that I live in a less populated area.  I found a little natural bistro online and so all we had to do was find a place to park. We ended up in a parking garage several blocks away so we battled the reallycoldwind and walked until we found it.  Love their simple menu Caught the man in my spoon Lunch! Their homemade cardamom soda that the man ordered Look at the butter knife. I love the shape of it. Most of the restaurants that we visited in Virginia gave us a bottle of water on the ...

  Our friends in Williamsburg had to work on Friday so we had the day to spend together. We drove down to Norfolk to do some more thrifting and we stumbled on this shop. Aroma Coffee House has been there since 1918, operated by the same family. They are now in their third generation. Check our their website here .   They roast and grind their own coffee beans (and they roast nuts too!)   The man sampled some coffee while I checked out the flavored tea.   They invited me into the back to see and take pictures of the machines up close. The original machines that his grandfather used are still in use today, almost one-hundred years later. These were some of the nicest people we met on our trip. If you're looking for good coffee (the man bought a bag of the chocolate raspberry coffee) then check them out. If you can't get to Norfolk then you can order online here .

Stopped at this Goodwill store on our way to Richmond. The sign on the door is on backwards. Not sure if they hung the door wrong or if the stickers were wrong. In any case it made me laugh. Chai latte with soy. Bliss. Stopped outside of Richmond for lunch and to check out the swanky shops at Short Pump Mall . It was an outdoor mall. On a cold day. With lots of wind.That is so bad for the hair. We ate at Tara Thai and the man had Kapow with beef. I was just happy that he ordered Kapow. I love the name. We'd planned to have Indian at Lehja and arrived for lunch at 2:20. The sign on the door and online said that they are open for lunch until 2:30 so we made it just in time. Walked in and they told us that they were already closed for lunch. Their loss, I suppose. Though I think if they "close" early perhaps they should lock the door.  We walked all around the mall and went into several stores that I'd only ever heard of. Lululemon, Free People, Kate Spade,...

I found a Calphalon 8-quart multi-pot just like this one at a yard sale in Williamsburg while we were on vacation. I spent $30 on it and think I got it for a steal. I'm thrilled with this purchase! I used it over the weekend to make a beef stew. I think maybe the man who was selling it (because he was moving to Thailand---how fun is that?) didn't use it. It was so shiny. It looks used now! 

On Wednesday we traveled to Charlottesville, VA where we would spend the night in a B&B. But before that we needed to stop at the long list of thrift stores that I found online. I was in desperate need to get some inventory. We found this little cupcake shop right down the street from Goodwill in a town called Waynesboro, VA. The man loves his sweets. I don't even remember what flavor it was. I do remember that they were kept in a refrigerated cabinet and were so cold and hard that they fell apart when he tried to take a bite. We let it sit out and then he ate it later. The frosting was good, but the cake was dry. Still have never had one as good as the cupcakes sold at D'Lites If you're in the mood for a cupcake, stop in there, they are perfection. When it was time for lunch we stopped at the Shebeen Pub & Braai Restaurant. South African food. I've never had that and I'm always willing to try something new. Because American flavors are ju...