autumn basket wreath

October 24, 2019 Raising up Rubies4 Comments

Fall is in full swing here in upstate NY – the leaves are on fire and the weather is chilly in the evenings

it’s one of my favorite times of year here where we live. Life has been so busy and full with field hockey & volleyball games, senior year activities & a new teenage driver with her own car & new job (yes. tell me about it.) but I’ve been sharing on instagram about how i have been trying to simplify my holiday/seasonal decorating methods by choosing few but meaningful pieces to spread throughout our home while still keeping it cozy …

I was searching for some simple fall inspiration to replace the lemon wreaths on our pantry doors,

when i stumbled on these $3 tobacco baskets in the target dollar section

with some wool pumpkins i had leftover & wire florals i found on clearance for $2 at Joanns –

i layered all three together with some hot glue

i used command hooks to hang them on our pantry doors

and my fall decorating is now complete 🙂

If you pick these baskets up to make your own,

you can fill it with any combination of things for any season or holiday –

changing it up for Christmas would be so easy.

With life being as busy as it has been, I’ve been doing lots of reflecting in my down time … on how this season we’re in feels alot like fall too – our girls are getting older and will soon have their own lives apart from us – like everything we’ve done as parents up to this point is now a culmination of how they will choose to live out life and the paths they choose to take – it’s a strange scary feeling – like something is coming to a close and it’s almost time to let go. I don’t handle lack of control very well that’s for sure…

As a mother you spend so much time watering, grooming, teaching, protecting, guiding and then just like that their true colors, personalities & individual choices are out on full display -from all the little + big somethings to the end results – like the trees and their leaves outside my window.

… but as always and as hard as it is to do most days, I am trusting in God to fill in the gaps i left and taking comfort in the absolute knowledge that He’s holding on to them much tighter then i ever could.

what season of life are you in friends? tell me in the comments below

i’d love to hear your stories too. ♥

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summer book list ♥

July 23, 2019 Raising up RubiesLeave a comment

I started this blog back in 2011 and i just can’t believe how fast time has flown by …

some of my first posts are about my little ponies and how my girls loved reading Amelia Bedelia … now they are both teens and reading is still loved, but finding uplifting, beneficial and mainly just clean non-agenda pushing reading material is a little more challenging these days ♥ but with summer upon us, we’re going through books like crazy & I’ve been scouring the interwebs for book lists and thought that it might be helpful to put our favorites up here on my blog – in hopes that maybe it’s helpful to some of you & your kiddos as well.

Christy Miller series – Robin Jones Gunn

These are at the top of our list because they are our so loved in our house – the Christy Miller books you see here in this picture, are the books that were mine when i was a teenager oh… alot of years ago 🙂 i remember reading about Todd & Christy then thinking & dreaming about what my future boyfriend/husband would be like – i cherished those books! my older daughter (who’s almost 17) read them a few years ago and fell in love with them and we were able to talk together about a few topics that came up in the book (faith + relationships and what it looks like for those to work in tandem) my youngest (13) just finished reading them this past month and we became a club of three T&C die hards.
(on a sidenote, these books are romance/relationship based –
but all within appropriate context – in my opinion – and from a faith based perspective)
after this series, the author (Robin Jones Gunn, who has so many other books i love – she writes for grown-up’s too!) added to the story with more Christy & Todd college, marriage & baby adventures that i’m linking here ♥

Sierra Jensen Series – Robin Jones Gunn

This is a follow up series from the Christy Miller books, she’s a friend of Christy’s who has her own set of adventures and also from the same author so i highly recommend!
i linked these books on my amazon favorites page here – they are a little harder to get, but still available! also check your local library, ours had some available.

The Jennie McGrady Mysteries – Patricia Rushford

my youngest is LOVING these books right now – Jennie is sort of a Christian version of Nancy Drew 🙂

i read books 1-6 when i was her age, and recently discovered that there were many more books in the series that we never knew about – i had to chase these down on different thrift book sites – but a quick google search will help you find them all. (i paid a little under $40 for books 6-15 but all were available)

The Cooper Kids – Frank Peretti

by acclaimed author Frank Peretti (This Present Darkness – have you read it??)

this series is suspenseful & exciting for girls & boys both! i would say maybe for a kids on the younger side (age 8-12) but still fun for everyone – or if you read books together as a family.

Mandie Books – Lois Gladys Leppard

Mandie books are classics! mysteries to be solved & friendships to be navigated all in separate little stories – and there are so many Mandie books, if your kids love these they’ll be busy for a while 🙂 Mandie reminds me of another Nancy Drew type of character.

Grandma’s Attic Series – Arleta Richardson

i love this series for younger readers (8-12 maybe?) but even reading these out loud with your kids is so fun! the BFF’s in these stories are always getting into trouble then scrambling to make it right – think Anne of Green Gables and her bosom buddy Diana 🙂

Golden Filly Series – Lauraine Snelling

do you have a girl who loves horses? this is a darling series ♥
all about a girl, her horse & racing – i love these books!
these books are on the older side and no longer in print, but a quick google search will help you track them down & i believe there’s a total of 10 books in the series.

The O'Malley Collection: Danger in the Shadows / The Negotiator / The Guardian / The Truth Seeker / The Protector / The Healer / The Rescuer

The O’Malley series – Dee Henderson

my oldest is going into her senior year in high school and has just started reading this series – it was recommended to me by a friend, so we’ll report back once we get farther, but so far it’s off to a great start!

Brio Magazine – Focus on the Family

Brio magazine comes from one of my favorite faith based resources – Focus on the Family
when i am struggling as a parent to find good advice or resources on certain topics, i head right to their website/podcasts every time. i subscribed to Brio for my older daughter, but my youngest loves it just as much. (ps if your child isn’t naturally drawn to reading, put reading materials of ‘certain interest’ to them in a cute basket somewhere in your bathroom – they’ll be sure to pick it up when they’re in there 😉

Devos & other books

here’s a few books that we love for personal devo time, self help or just as single reads:

1. This girl’s guide to conquering middle school, high school, etc…

2. It couldn’t just happen

3. The Christian girl’s guide to money, style, etc…

4. Truth, Dare, Double dare

5. Chronicles of Narnia

6. The Action Bible

a little off subject, but if you’re looking for books that touch/teach on the subject of sex & purity – i’ve personally read to & with my girls from all of these books. i know sometimes it’s a tough/awkward subject to approach with your kids but it’s a must! if you don’t teach your them about sex and everything that comes with – you can be sure they’ll hear it somewhere else and long before they probably should 😦
i was determined as a young mother to always teach my girls about marriage & sex in the context of God’s beautiful design (always with age appropriate info & materials of course) since my experience growing up was a different one … it’s so important! i can’t say that enough.

1. God’s design for sex series – Stan & Brenna Jones
2. The princess and the kiss (has a work-through book too) – Jennie Bishop
3. The way home princess story – Max Lucado
4. The garden wall (i love this one!) – Jennie Bishop

now, what are YOUR family’s favorites? let me know in the comments below!

i’ll try to add more books to the list as time goes on and as we find/read more but for now this is a start – and i hope it’s helpful to you!
much love ♥

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our favorite chocolate chip cookies

May 16, 2019 Raising up Rubies2 Comments

it’s national chocolate chip cookie day &

i couldn’t let this day pass without sharing our favorite chocolate chip recipe!!

I’ve tried so many recipes over the years and have had many favorites along the way …

but this tried & true recipe (that I’ve adapted & tweaked just a tiny bit) from a bountiful kitchen has stuck with us for a few years now and is on speed dial in my recipe book 🙂

my husband and I met in college, we actually started talking because one day in class i was telling my girlfriend about a care package i had received from home that contained cookies (up until that day he was only known to me as the cute guy who sat in front of me in Bible class) his head spun right around when he heard ‘chocolate chip cookies’ … the rest is history ♥

we’re celebrating our 20th anniversary this summer and the guy still loves his chocolate chip cookies … even at Christmas time that’s his primary request.

we sound something like this:

me: babe gonna make Christmas cookies this week

babe: oh ok, chocolate chip right? and oatmeal butterscotch?

me: no. babe those are regular during the year cookies

i’m making Christmas cookies now…

babe: oh ok. whatever.

sooooo can you make chocolate chip for me. for Christmas.

you know cause that’s what me and all the guys in the office like.

oh and we like sugar cookies too. with no sprinkles. please.

me: no sprinkles = blasphemy

but ok babe. sure.

🙂

a few things i always do when i make these and pretty much any other cookie recipe …

1. i ALWAYS use parchment paper – it makes for a more evenly baked cookie

and prevents sticking, it’s magic.

2. i ALWAYS use a cookie scoop – i mean i don’t even know what people did before the cookie scoop.

it makes for less mess, uniform cookies & is pretty much an overall game changer.

3. for this recipe i use bread flour instead of regular flour – this substitution really happened by accident one night when i ran out of flour and only had bread flour on hand, i used it since i was in a pinch and it turned out to be the best accident ever! since the bread flour has a higher, more dense gluten composition, it makes for the PERFECT cookie – soft & chewy in the middle, slightly crispy on the outer edges … YUM.

4. i ALWAYS use milk chocolate chips – it’s really whatever your chocolate preference is, but if you like semi-sweet or dark … i’m not sure what your problem is.

🙂

if you make these cookies, pop into the comments below & let me know!

i’m pretty sure you’re going to have this recipe saved to your favorites too.

oh! and if peanut butter is your jam – this is my go-to peanut butter chocolate chip cookie recipe!

these are MY personal favorite ♥

the recipe page i created from Si’s recipe with my minimal changes can be downloaded below

again, to read her original recipe you can find it here. print this page for your recipe binders & books and pop it into a clear plastic sleeve – enjoy!

download page 1 here

download page 2 here

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mailcarrier appreciation day – free printable

February 4, 2019 Raising up RubiesLeave a comment

February 4th is national thank your mailcarrier day!

i couldn’t let the day pass without acknowledging it

since so much of what i do – being a small online shop owner – depends on the mail!

that last one is circa 2014!

when i first launched the stitching the states kits – crazy stuff.

♥ download the free printable tag i created here ♥

cut to size and attach to candy, cookies, or even a gift card for a cup of coffee,

then leave it in your mailbox with the little flag up.

one simple little kindness can completely change someone’s day – in this case your mailcarrier’s!

happy national thank your mailcarrier day friends! xo

(cute artwork for printable is provided by DigitalArtsi on etsy ♥)

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Christmas 2018 ♥

November 19, 2018 Raising up Rubies2 Comments

popping in to say it’s here! Christmas has arrived in my etsy shop ♥

everything is just so bright & colorful & HAPPY!

Merry Christmas Darling planner / purse charms with jingle bell & tree charms

one of my favorite new releases this year, is this 7 card Christmas story set

designed to tell a different part of the nativity story with the flip of each card

this & all card sets in my shop can be purchased

with a mini wooden easel to be displayed in a child’s room,

a desktop or maybe even near your coffee maker 🙂

matching nativity animals stickers for your Christmas cards

deer and bunnies and bears oh my! 😉

if you loved last years vintage cars & carols scripture cards – you’ll love this new set

with bright colors, new carol quotes & vintage bug car designs

and matching stickers too! they come in 3 colors to match the cards

and can be purchased with envelopes for all your holiday snail mail needs

don’t forget matching gift tags too!

this cute Christmas girls & dresses design comes in cards / envelopes / gift tags as well

and there’s still a few surprise craft boxes & mini books left in my etsy shop

the perfect stocking stuffer or gift for that one person you know who loves to craft or bible journal

… or maybe just for yourself ♥

i hope you find something you love in my shop this year

i pour tons of love and a little bit of me into everything i create & sell so happy shopping!

our tree is actually up VERY early this year – only because i was hoping to cross a few holiday

to-do’s off of my list and try to be ahead of the game this time around?! hopefully.

if you follow me on instagram,

you know we did a little shuffle in some of the main areas of our home

this is the before & after!

i keep telling everyone that was my fun creative house – and this is my 40’s grown up house 🙂

what do you think? before or after?

i’m loving the after. it just feels so peaceful.

and as much as i crave color & happiness, there’s just something about the quiet & simple

starting the week off with a big cup of tea and a very long to-do list

hope you found somthing here that inspires you or helps tackle your Christmas gift list ♥

Merry Christmas Darlings!

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drop sugar cookies ♥

September 4, 2018 Raising up Rubies1 Comment

just popping in to share a favorite cookie recipe 😉

school starts tomorrow so there’s lots to do, but over the weekend i filled the cookie jar with

these cookies that we found on pinterest a few years ago…

they’ve been a family favorite ever since!

these cookies are so soft and yummy AND easy to make as far as sugar cookies go … i mean don’t get me wrong, we love us some basic roll em out frost & sprinkle take all day and a half to make sugar cookies – but when it’s not Christmas and you’re just in the mood for a basic sugar cookie without all the fuss – this is it.

add a little frosting and pop these in the cookie jar for the week!

they won’t last long i promise 🙂

download my recipe page here!

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almost 20 ♥

July 31, 2018 Raising up Rubies3 Comments

Marriage is hard work guys. Some people say marriage is easy… it’s just a walk in the park. And I don’t understand that. because what planet are you from? which two people anywhere in this galaxy are perfect? There has to be conflict and lack of communication and unfair expectations in any relationship with two people. Because it’s natural. Because we’re human. Because we’re instinctively selfish and because if there wasn’t, what would be the point of marriage? It’s supposed to be the ultimate picture of how Christ loves us – and without growing and pulling and pressure and heat and heartache how would we grow? How would we learn? How would we be more like Christ? We can’t get there without growth.

Some people say marriage is impossible. And I don’t understand that. because anything is possible *with God*. I know there are exceptions – abuse, infidelity, addiction – but *sometimes* even with & through all those things God will work. He can change. He can make you new. Make your marriage new. He’s applying the heat and molding the clay and stretching you beyond anything you thought you would ever be able to endure. Pain beyond recognition sometimes. All to make your marriage or in some cases maybe just YOU into the ultimate testimony of His dying love for us.

But the enemy hates it.

He’ll tear it down tiny piece by tiny piece if he has to. And if you’ll let him, he’ll slither ever so quietly into the tiniest hair line fracture and take your marriage down from the inside out one thought at a time.

But choice.

Choose not to let him. Choose to fill those gaps ladies. Choose to let Jesus pour out of you and cement those gaps shut with unselfishness. With an open heart. With Mercy. With forgiveness. With time. With priority. With sometimes I don’t want to do this but I’m just going to do it anyways. With a little Victoria’s secret & a few chocolate chip cookies. (cause I’m old fashioned like that) And because deep down ladies, our men just want to be respected. They want to know we’re proud of who they are. They want to know they’re enough for us. Enough at 20 and still enough at 40 50 & 60.

You can’t do it on your own.

God wants us to need Him in our marriages. And sometimes you might have to wait.

Months, years maybe even until heaven, i don’t know…

now i know, not everyone will agree with me and that’s ok. I also understand every relationship is unique and complicated and sometimes for safety or other reasons the end of a marriage is necessary … but as a general rule and because like everything else in life – stuff takes work. It takes time. It takes discipline and it takes choice. And because I’ve never seen a perfect long lasting no effort marriage just fall into anyone’s lap. And I get it… it’ll never be perfect like in the movies we all watch or in the books we read but it will be worth it. Pinky promise.♥️

much love ♥

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bathroom remodel ♥

June 22, 2018 Raising up Rubies6 Comments

hello friends.

i posted a few pictures of our bathroom remodel a while back on Instagram

and i promised i would post in more detail about the project here on the blog,

with some source info & a few before pictures too ♥

(even though i always forget to take those until it’s too late #bloggerprobs)

we moved into this house almost 13 ago after leaving a small starter house that we had lived in for a couple years … when we got here the house had been updated in some ways but in a lot of ways i knew it would take a while before we made this house our home.

over the years we’ve been through every room in the house updating, tweaking, renovating … except for the main bathroom upstairs – it had been one of the last things on the list because we knew it would be a big job as well as a pain to tear apart because it’s the only shower in the house.

my husband & my dad did most of the work installing a new window, shower/tub, vanity, sink & toilet – and we purchased everything right at home depot.

Home Decorators Collection 49 in. W Marble Vanity Top in Arabescato Venato

vanity top source

Home Decorators Collection Thornbriar 48 in. W x 21.52 in. D Vanity Cabinet in Cement

vanity source

the old tub & shower unit was original to the house (almost 40 yrs) and needed to be torn out completely – new drywall had to be installed behind it as well because of water damage

Delta Classic 400 32 in. x 60 in. x 74 in. 3-Piece Direct-to-Stud Alcove Surround in White

shower unit source

Delta Classic 400 60 in. Left-Hand Drain Rectangular Alcove Bathtub in High Gloss White

tub source

all the hardware for the sink & shower was from Home Depot as well

we opted for a separate tub & shower instead of a single unit mainly because we wanted the bigger/deeper tub since my girls love to take bubble baths (and by bubble baths i mean sitting in the tub for an hour reading books & watching 5 minute crafts until i yell time to get out)

(the other day one of them asked me if i would bring a snack up to them cause they were getting hungry….???? um. no.)

the aqua rolling cart was from ikea a few years back, but i think they still carry it and i know i’ve also seen a similar version of it at Michaels as well. i’m using it to store hand towels, washcloths and some shower supplies that are handy to have nearby but not in the shower

(razors, shaving cream, shower comb… you get the idea 🙂

the shower curtian (which i love) was from world market … i purchased it probably three years ago and was holding onto it for when we remodeled. i can’t seem to find it anywhere on the interwebs so i’m thinking it’s been discontinued 😦

i’ve had a lot of questions about the flooring we chose – it was a grayish wood colored waterproof laminate safe for bathrooms, and yes, we went right over the existing tile, added new molding and it worked like a charm. we considered tearing the tile out but it was level and undamaged so we decided against the extra work & mess!

thinking the wall behind the toilet is looking kinda bare

got my eye on this adhesive wall paper from target but we’ll see 🙂

the window in our bathroom was fairly large (not a typical bath size window) so when we replaced it, i knew i would want to keep it open as much as possible since it lets so much natural light into the bath & upstairs hallway – i shopped for weeks to find panels that i liked but they were either room darkening, too long or too short. so when i saw this simple white shower curtain it dawned on me to cut it right up the middle in half and i would have two panels that were the perfect size. i also bought a cloth shower curtain liner (did the same thing by cutting it in half) and hung it behind the white curtain on the same hooks for another layer of privacy (i hemmed the raw edges i cut with stitch witchery and the iron:)

the green clock was on clearance and target & the canvases are from at Home

we have one storage space/closet on the upper lever and it’s in the bathroom behind the door – not ideal but we make it work – it’s an open space with no doors so i try to keep it organized and a bit styled since it’s all out in the open – the metal caddy holds products we use on daily basis and are within easy reach (plus it looks pretty 🙂 the baskets house towels, products, toilet paper, kleenex etc.

the large white framed mirror is from Lowes

i forgot to take a picture of the old vanity and mirror before it was ripped out but it was just an average builders grade bathroom setup, nothing special

i think the previous color was called lettuce leaf green … yikes.

and the dreaded boob light … who’s idea was it to install those lights in every house in america? 🙂

it honestly feel like i’m in a hotel bathroom everytime i go in there ♥ it’s clean lined & simple with a little bit of color here & there – such a huge difference! if i missed anything or if you have any questions don’t hesitate to ask me in the comments, i’ll do my best to answer. 🙂

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Lego figure display frame ♥

February 17, 2018 Raising up Rubies2 Comments

my youngest currently loves minecraft, legos & books – we did a huge overhaul in her room last month really purging and cleaning everything so that we were left with only what she really loved and wanted to keep. i always tell my girls that every inch of their rooms are valuable real estate! i try to equip them with the thought that if it’s taking up space in their space then they should really love it or really use it!

if not – gone!

we were talking about how cute the little lego people were and that just hiding them in one of her bins seemed like a sad thing to do 🙂 a quick look on pinterest (how did we live without pinterest?)

and we found the frame display idea

the frame they used had a solid white back but we went to joanns

and decided to use this clear glass floating frame instead

next all you’ll need is some hot glue, a ruler, tape and some white lego bricks like the ones pictured … we have lots of extra legos from sets that are no longer played with or are outgrown so we were able to take from there, but if you need to buy some i know individual legos of every kind can be purchased at the lego store if you have one nearby

we measured, divided then decided 5 lego people per row was how we wanted to lay it out

we used the ruler (with tape to keep it in place) and a sharpie to mark where the bricks would be

then glued them on near the top of the ruler line so they would be even and straight

there was some trial and error to it … like some of our DC super hero girl legos have feet that are wider than the traditional lego people and their feet hung off the front and back of the brick – so we added a bigger dab of hot glue to raise the brick off the glass a bit for more room which you can kind of see in the picture below

she put them on their pedestals in the order she fancied and we were done 🙂

we had about 20 figurines that she really wanted to display, but if you have more than that they had so many different sizes of these glass frames at joanns you can go bigger! or to use a frame you have on hand just remove the backing and leave the glass in the frame on it’s own.

we installed new shelves above her desk to display the bigger pieces she’s built and made room for some of her favorite books too. let me know if you try this idea! i’d love to hear how it goes.

much love ♥

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2018 daily tracker – free printable

January 7, 2018 Raising up Rubies6 Comments

happy new year everyone!

and the new year means new goals & fresh starts for everyone

so i thought i’d share a little printable i made to keep a visual reminder

of the habits i’m trying to make stick!

every year i tell myself that i’m going to read my bible through by the end of the year and every year i drop the ball somewhere – whether i’m weeks or months in, i somehow lose track and just revert to my usual quiet time of journaling or reading certain passages that are outlined in my current devo…

last year i stumbled onto this daily reading bible at my local christain bookstore

and fell in love with it ♥ the One Year Bible Expressions is on amazon here

it’s different in the fact that it’s sectioned off into 365 daily readings with chapters from the old & new testament, one chapter of psalms & a short passage from proverbs.

it has wide margins for bible journaling and some of the pages have pre-drawn pictures for you to color – if you’re new to bible journaling just do a quick search on pinterest and you’ll be inspired!