Thankful blog #7

Western Lake
for sale
Blue Giraffe
Watercolor, Florida 

Happy Monday! I must say that Mondays are not exactly my favorite day of the week. I'm always a little sad that the weekend is over and everybody goes back to work and school. And have you noticed that when you ask someone on Monday how their weekend was they always say "Not long enough!" Anyway, I decided to change Monday and make it great. So the Monday after Labor Day I called my mom and my sister who lives in town and invited them to lunch. We had such a great time I said we should do this every Monday. So we meet at the same place and the same time every Monday for lunch. We haven't missed a Monday yet. So today I am thankful for lunch on Mondays with Mama and my sister. We had a fabulous time today. It rained the whole time we were there, and we did not even realize it because we were talking non stop. Honestly we cover about 100 topics every few minutes or so. It's really nice because even though we live in the same town we really don't see each other except on sunday while passing in the hall at church. So it's a perfect time to catch up.
Do you do lunch with friends or family? I really don't or didn't because it is right smack in the middle of the day and I think of all the things I could have gotten done while I was there. And really by the time you get gone you can't do anything because you have to be in the carpool line in an hour. But I must tell you that my Monday lunch is one of the highlights of my week! I don't care that it's in the middle of the day and quite honestly I'm sad when it is over. Seriously, at the end of the day what is the most important thing? Getting that third basket of laundry done? Or that second diet coke over a sweet conversation? I hope I did not have to tell you that the relationship is way more important than the load of laundry. We are relational. Sometimes I feel like I have to remind myself of that. But when I do have lunch or walk with a friend or do a diet coke with someone it fills my cup every time!   So take a couple of things off your list! That laundry will wait! Be intentional about inviting someone to lunch! I now look forward to Monday! I am thankful for lunch on Mondays with Mama and my sister.

Thankful blog #6

Fall in Love

Have you ever been in love? I remember the first time I met Eddie (my husband) We were at a swimming party for perspective YoungLife leaders. I remember feeling kinda weird because I did not know many people there. I was standing awkwardly in the shallow end of the pool with a friend, when this good looking guy(eddie) dove off the diving board and swam underwater all the way to the shallow end and when he came up for air he was right in front of me. I kid you not, at that moment it was as if we were the only 2 people in the pool. My body froze, I could not move and speaking was out of the question. This fine guy looked me in the eyes with a hypnotic gaze and smiled this dreamy smile and introduced himself and said he had wanted to meet me. I honestly don't think I responded and I blinked and all of a sudden there was splashing and talking and moving and Eddie was gone. Feeling so stupid I got out of the pool grabbed my stuff and left. I thought I'd blown my chances of ever meeting him again but a couple of days later he called and asked me out.Three and a half years later we were married. We have been married for 23 years and my heart still skips a beat when he calls my name.
This morning I was sitting in church worshiping The Lord with my family and I was overwhelmed with how very much I love Him. So today I am thankful for falling completely head over hills in love with Jesus. There is nothing quite like being in love. And there is no love that compares to the love of Jesus. His love for you and His love for me is infinite, and there is nothing that can separate you from His love. I love in Isaiah43 verse 1 where it says "Fear  not! For I have redeemed you! I have called you by name! You are mine!" I love that He has called me by name! And I absolutely positively love that I am His. So fall in love with Jesus today and be thankful for it with me!
love love love Ruthie

Thankful blog #5

Saturday Surprise

Today is such an easy blog post! What am I thankful for? Saturday surprises! It began with the boys bringing me the biggest basket of dirty clothes you've ever seen in your life! I love surprises that come in baskets! Then KK and MaryCam and I went to Costco and got little surprises in every isle. Every time we turned down a new isle there was a delicious surprise sample in cute little cupcake papers. My favorite? The flatbread with chicken salad. Divine! Then I ran into Michaels because it's right next door to Costco.  I got a fun little bag of surprises for myself that I could hardly wait to get home and create with . I love Michael surprises! KK and I made one more stop before heading home and we got a surprise phone call from Towns. She and four of her precious friends came home to watch the game and have a fun girls day. So we got out the dip and chips and diet coke and talked and laughed all afternoon! And I bought them a little surprise at Costco. The new Harry Potter movie. So they turned out the lights and had a movie night! Then my sweet husband came home and put  hamburgers on the grill and we finished the night with ice cream and chocolate sauce. What a fun day full of fun easy surprises! I love fun and easy! Family, friends, fun....Such a great day filled with surprises. I love it !
I'm so glad you dropped by today, another sweet saturday surprise! love love love Ruthie

Thankful blog #4

Special Time with my little Pie

I could hardly wait to blog today and tell you what I'm thankful for! At our house we call it "special time." Today I had "special time" with KK! We planned this day about 2 weeks ago and couldn't wait for it to get here! We both got up early , dressed up, toasted a pop tart, and hit the road. Our destination? Perch in Auburn, AL. Perch is a jewelry studio. You can purchase original handmade pieces, or you can create your own jewelry with an endless supply of beads, charms, gold, silver,...the list goes on and the possibilities are as big as your imagination. From our house it's an easy 40 minute drive, a perfect amount of time for fabulous non stop conversation! What a treat  for me to get to have KK all to myself. Before I knew it we pulled up to our favorite jewelry store. The brightly painted green door not only welcomes you but cheerfully invites you to step inside and dream. The vintage inspired shop has old frames strung with wire to showcase beautifully designed earrings. There are antlers framed on the wall to hold necklaces of all lengths and designs. Gorgeous old doors are the backdrop for countless strands of spectacular beads. Scattered throughout the room are bowls and muffin tins filled with beads and charms and anything else you could possibly need to make the perfect piece of jewelry. You would love every square inch! You would also fall in love with  owner and artist Barbara Birdsong! She is amazing! She is there to make your dreams a reality. Barbara teaches you and serves you and makes your jewelry design process fun and fabulous!
KK and I spent 45 minutes choosing the perfect jewelry combinations. Then we sat down at this long table and began to create. That was my favorite part, just talking and laughing, no phone, no homework, nowhere to be, just being together and having fun. I didn't think it could get any better and I looked up and there was Towns in the doorway. She had finished class early and came to hang out. So fun!!! We even saw Stacy and MeriDean Hamilton walking by to eat lunch next door. Of course I grabbed them and introduced them to Perch! What a treat!Once we finished our pieces of jewelry we walked next door for lunch at Amsterdams. Delicious hamburgers, fantastic fries, and my favorite...great company and conversation!
We wrapped up our day strolling down College street and visiting two of our other favorite places, Wrapsody and The Villager. MaryCam has been bragging on the Christmas decorations at Wrapsody so we had to check them out. She was right! Great decorations and perfect gifts for everyone on your list. Her sweet friend Natalie was next door at the Villager, so we stuck our heads in to grab a hug and then we were back on the road headed for home. It was the perfect day from beginning to end! I am so thankful for my "special time" with KK today!!!
Love love love Ruthie

KK and Me and Barbara Birdsong

Love the frames and antlers

KK creating her necklace

Gorgeous

Barbara helping a group of ladies. Notice the good looking door s in the background!

So much fun seeing Stacy and Meri Dean!!!!

Lunch next door with KK and Towns!!!!!!!!

Pretty great Christmas decorations

Decorations were wonderful

Gifts for everyone

I am thankful for special time!!

Thankful blog #3

Today  I am thankful for one of my favorite things, family dinners. There is nothing like having everybody home and around the table together! Ever since our children were able to sit up we have made dinner time together at the table a priority. Really and truly we've been doing it so long that when we are not all at the table it feels weird.
There are so many reasons to have family dinners. When our children were younger we used that time to teach table manners. Like putting your napkin in your lap, elbows off the table, and not talking with your mouth full. We taught them how to set the table, cut their meat and how to hold their fork and pass food around the table. Believe it or not having seven people at the table we even had to teach them how to take turns speaking, how to add to conversation without interrupting and the difference between appropriate and inappropriate dinner subjects.  ( I will never forget when I was a senior in high school and my prom date thanked me for having nice table manners. Sounds crazy, but the other girls there didn't really do table manners and my date and I were kind of taken back.....can you believe I remember that?)        Anyway, learning all those things is a cool thing, but the real treasure is being together talking, laughing and keeping up with all that is going on in everybody's life.
Now that two of our children are in college, it feels weird to have two empty chairs, but it is still so important to make the effort to all eat together at night. If you are having family dinners, you know how special it is. If your are not doing it, try it! It will change your life, and I guarantee it will be one of your favorite things to be thankful for too!! love love love Ruthie

Senior Girls 5

To my senior girls, I loved being with you last night. I think you are amazing to make it on wed. nights because you have so much going on. Thank you for coming!!!! MaryFran I hope you had a wonderful birthday!!!! For those of you who were not there, you were missed! Some of us worked on journal pages some of us just hung out and enjoyed the company! Claire don't be afraid to keep layering!! There are no wrong ways to create these pages! Go for it! ELee I hope you got some sleep! Jessica, very cool layers with the stencils! Abby love how fearless you are every time you put paint on the page! Nan, sometimes you have to chill and just enjoy the company! I so enjoyed your company last night! Each of you encourage me and make me smile! You are one of my favorite highlights of the week!
Last night we talked a little about Paul's letter to the Romans and how he was praying for their salvation because they knew a lot about God but they did not receive His righteousness. We talked about the prodigal son and how he blew his inheritance and yet he tried to stay gone and make it on his own. It wasn't until he had reached the very bottom that he swallowed his pride and saw his need for his father.
How sweet his father saw him in the distance. I loved that part. He never stopped looking for him, and when he saw his son in the distance he ran to him and received him.
When I was in college I was a counselor at camp Desoto.  It was one of the most incredible summers of my life! I could hardly wait for my girls to camp there. Years later, I was married and had 3 girls and I was ready for 2 of them to get to go to camp. I filled out all the paper work and then looked at the amount of money I would need to send for my down payment and I swallowed really hard and took it to Eddie. He sweetly told me that he did not have money to send the girls to camp. I thought for a moment, and respectfully asked if I could pay for it with odd jobs would that be ok with him. He agreed. I must say I hit the ground running. It was a lot of money, but my girls just had to go. I did all kinds of crazy things to earn money, but pay day was fast approaching. On the day the money was due, I pulled the money out of the jar and counted it for like the 100th time. (I think I thought it might magically double over night) I did not have enough money. I can't tell you how down I was. I waited a couple of days, the money is now late, and I called my daddy. Tearfully I asked him for the rest of the money. He did not give me the money. So then I called mama crying my heart out. She listened to me weep over not having the money and how desperately I wanted the girls to go to camp. She sweetly replied, "Have you told the Lord everything you just told me?" I was so mad at her... I was like no I haven't I just need a check and I'm good. After I had calmed down, I did actually go to my "chair" (where I pray) and I got on my knees and cried and cried and cried. I really wanted the girls to go, they were all excited, There was no way I could tell them the could not go, and daddy and mama were no help, and I couldn't tell Eddie because I knew what he would say. I waited even a couple of more days. I don't know why, I just really didn't know what to do. Like the prodigal son I was kinda at my lowest point and I swallowed my pride and went to Eddie. I remember looking up at him and feeling like I might burst into tears at any moment and I just plainly said "I don't have the money." He had absolutely the sweetest smile I've ever seen and he said "I know." I was so surprised I really did not know what to say. He said "I was wondering how long it was going to take you to come to me. I will cover your debt." I will never forget that day as long as I live. He saw me coming from distance.
You may not be living in a foreign country squandering your inheritance, but you might be squandering your time or something else. Go Home! your Heavenly Father loves you so much and He sent His only son to die for you. He has covered your debt, and wants to clothe you in His righteousness.  Receive Him.
I love you Ruthie

Thankful blog #2

Beach Talk
for sale
Blue Giraffe
Watercolor, FloridaI am so glad you stopped by! I can't tell you how much it means to me that you would take  time out of your day to be  a part of mine! Thank you!
I actually have a list a mile long of things I'm thankful for, and choosing just one a day has already proven to be quite the challenge!
So today I've chosen to be thankful for diet coke and great conversation! I love them both and they go really well together! For example I love when MaryCam and Towns come home from college and they go straight to the refrigerator to get an ice cold diet coke, pull a chair up to the island, pop the top and conversation flows as freely as that diet coke. I have so many memories of sweet conversations over a diet coke. Probably my favorites are the countless conversations I've had with my family on the beach. My husband packs the cooler (better than anyone I know I might add) with 5 diet cokes, a coke for Luke and a Dr. Pepper for KK. We hit the beach just in time to enjoy the last bit of sunshine before it magically disappears into the ocean. We arrange our chairs in a semi circle so we can all see each other and we sip our drinks and talk and laugh until the moon comes up. MaryCam, Towns, KK, and I talk about projects we want to do from sewing to painting to cooking. The boys talk about land or camp or hunting or trucks. We talk about books, college. careers, weddings all kinds of fun things. The sky is the limit when you're sitting on the beach with a diet coke. Dreams feed your soul and sharing them out loud gives them life. All that beach talk over a diet coke makes my heart smile! My cup runs over!!!
I am thankful for diet coke and good conversation! What about you? Have you had your diet coke and a good conversation lately? Let me know! I love hearing from you!
I am thankful for you! love love love Ruthie