Out with the Old...In with the New

Well, hello friends!

I've been wanting to update this blog for months...literally.

The winter flew by, with our vacation to Florida, and then weeks of packing

 in preparation for our move.

We didn't go far: a whole half a mile back the lane to the farmhouse!

This house was home for our 9 years of marriage.

I came here as a new bride {although back then, it was an avocado green color!},

and both of our babies were born while we lived here. 

It was bittersweet to think of saying goodbye,

but I was reminded again that home is wherever my people are. 

I don't know how much the children will remember about the time we lived there -

and I know how easily I forget - so I wanted to document the main living spaces with pictures.

Many memories were made with family and friends around this table.

 I loved how the light streamed in these windows!

The sink is full of dirty dishes, because #reallife.

I loved the wood beadboard backsplash! It was easy to clean and pretty too.

  

The main hang-out, movie-watching, game-playing, book-reading, fire-cracklin' space!

Hours of music was made in this room! My sister-in-law, Jessica, loaned me her piano to use

until she had space in her new home. I'm so grateful!

The office was the one room that I never could make work for me.

It was too dark, too full and I had too little space to work.

I can't wait to show you pictures of the new office; it's one of my favorite rooms in the house now!

Our "catch-all" spot in the laundry room

This room was the nursery, where Nicholas slept the last 2 years.

My favorite chair, from Target (which became a drop-off for Eddie's clothes, most of the time!)

A view of our bedroom

She manages to get into nearly every photoshoot!

Can you guess whose room this is?

I got this cheap-o dresser at a yard sale for $20,

and had fun experimenting with a ombre effect on the drawers!

These two were troopers through the moving process!

Nicholas had the hardest time understanding why we were going to live

in his Pawpaw and Mumsie's house.

But he's adjusted very well, and I'm so thankful for that!

This girl is always up for an adventure, and couldn't wait to move into her new room!

Three of my friends came one day to help me move things,

and we got a lot accomplished!

My parents, brother, sister and her husband traveled from PA to help us get all our furniture moved and the house set up.

I was beyond grateful for all their help!

I gave her the job of putting her clothes away,

and she loved it!

She said, "I did it nice and neat, just like I like it!"

This is our new home,

the house where Eddie lived for most of his life!

We have plenty of space, so if you get a chance to stop in,

we'd love to have you!

What I Learned in December

I thought it would be fun to do one more "what I learned" blog post from 2015!


1. My daughter loved making chocolates almost as much as I loved eating them!

2. The joy of watching your child do something they love can make your heart hurt...in a good way!

3. Weddings are so beautiful, especially when the couple happens to be some of your best friends!

4. Christmas carols sung by candelight are my favorite.

5. The Pop up Park in Lancaster is just as charming as it looks. I could have stayed for hours!

6. My children have some of the most talented grandparents ever! Grandma Shenk made Hadassah an

apron and matching hot mats to use in the kitchen, and Mumsie Showalter made Hadassah an outfit

that matched her doll's outfit! Grandpa Shenk built Nicholas a fence and hay bales to go with the barn he made him last year. Like I said, most talented ever!

7. Christmas Day in Virginia can actually reach temperatures in the 70's! And we celebrated with a picnic outside! (sorry no pictures #whatwasithinking)

8. I may be a little jealous of my sister's green thumb. 

9.  When I packed for our trip to PA, I discovered that I have a lot of burgundy in my closet. #obviously

10. Matching dresses for little girls is always a great idea. 

                                        

What did you learn in December?

When Christmas is Messy

 I have always loved Christmas. 

I have wonderful memories of singing carols, baking cookies with my Mom and sister,

wrapping gifts, (though admittedly, mine end up looking more like lumps of coal when I'm done with them), night time drives to see the twinkling Christmas lights,

parties and reading the Advent story with my family.

There's excitement in the air as little children count down the days until Christmas,

when they finally get to open their presents.

The smell of cookies in the oven permeates the house while the carols

softly play in the background.

It's the most wonderful time of the year...

But in the middle of it all, life gets messy.

Children fight and spouses argue,

bills pile up and the cookies get burnt.

Disappointments threaten to steal the very joy we talk about so freely,

and soon the pain of living in a broken world

trumps the glory of the supernatural.

When I take a minute to actually reflect on the Advent of Christ,

I realize His coming was hardly the dreamy picture of Christmas I have conjured in my mind.

It was messy.

He was born to a young girl who was most likely rejected for what people thought was a horrible sin she'd committed.

She traveled with her soon-to-be husband to a town miles away while she was great with child,

and birthed the Son of God in a feeding trough.

I can only imagine the glory that came down from heaven that holy night,

and the wonder that Mary and Joseph must have felt

when they held Him for the first time.

But the circumstances of his birth, though full of heavenly glory,

were far from our idea of what the perfect Christmas should look like.

 And I am so grateful that it wasn't.

Because Christ - God in human form - became one of us.

He faced every temptation we face.

He was exhausted, He had bills to pay.

He struggled with relating to people who had hurt Him, even though He never sinned like we do.

He was lonely, He was rejected, "a man of sorrows and acquainted with grief".

Friends, if anyone gets messy, it's our God.

He knows just how ugly sin is;

He died because of it.

The wonder of Christmas is Emmanuel: God with us.

Because Christ came to this earth,

we have hope.

And the hope we have because of Jesus is the greatest gift of all.

My prayer for myself - and for all of us - is that the wonder of Christmas

would be in the joy that comes from knowing Jesus,

God with us.

Merry Christmas, friends!

xoxo, Ruby

My Christmas Home

I love everything about Christmas:

the songs, twinkling lights on trees, the daily reminders of the birth of our Saviour,

the pile of gifts, the cookies and of course, the decorations!

Come on in for a tour of my Christmas home!

In the dining room:

Magnolia leaves are a favorite of mine, so I was excited to find some at a cousin's house!

I love the texture they add to traditional winter greens.

Copper, gold and brass give so much warmth to spaces in your home!
I had fun pulling a collection of antiques {platter, gold tipped vase + deer candle holder} and mixing them with the new: copper mug from Home Goods and mirrored frame from Hobby Lobby.

My sister-in-law hosted a wreath making party, and mine hangs on the wall above the desk.

And this year, I attempted a garland above the doorway.

Clearly, I'm not an expert! But I love the warmth that greens give a room.

We started a gingerbread-house-making tradition this year,

and it was fun,

even if it meant more candies got eaten than got glued on!

A friend and I dug up these mini trees.

They're such a great addition to my Christmas decor!

On the table, I used a striped Ikea hand towel for a runner and my small collection of bottle trees.

In my living room:

This pillow - a watercolor from Craftberry Bush - is a favorite of mine!

You can order them here.

I used all white and gold ornaments on the tree this year.

This one was handmade from a friend at church and I love its simplicity!

For the first time ever, I have all four stockings hung on the mantle!

The first and third were from Target last year, and the second and fourth ones came from Home Goods (I am obsessed with that store).

Don't tell the kiddos, but I already stuffed their stockings! Eeek.

I love the sweet whimsy of this garland I found at New Creation!

The skis were in the dollar bins at Target,

and the deer was a piece I had that got a fresh coat of gold paint. 

On Black Friday, I bought this print from Lindsay Letters. I adore her art!

I added some magnolia leaves and pine cones to the evergreen to finish off the mantle.

This is my $10 Walmart tree that I pulled out for the kids to decorate.

It was just their size, 

and they had a blast hanging ornaments on it!

{Confession: I'm OCD about the placement of ornaments,

so I may or may not have rearranged a few.}

Outdoors:

For the first time ever, I actually decorated my front porch! 

{Unless hanging a wreath on the door qualifies}

It came together much more easily than I envisioned, and I now I don't know why I waited so many years to do it!

We filled this old milk can with greens and berries,

and I love the finishing touch it gives the porch,

along with the Noel sign I painted!

I need to give credit to my adorable assistant,

who was by side through so much of the fun, "helping" me decorate!

Thanks for stopping by for a tour of our home!

And don't forget to savor every minute of this special Christmas season.

xoxo, Ruby

Christmas Giveaway

This past week has been full of preparations for Christmas!

We've been baking cookies, mailing cards and shopping for presents.

Since Christmas is less than 2 weeks away,

I thought it would be fun to do a giveaway!

I painted this NOEL sign on some reclaimed barn wood,

and loved the finished product!

So I decided to give it to one of you!

(I'm keeping the cutie with golden curls, just in case you were wondering)

The giveaway is for local people only. I apologize if you don't qualify, but I plan to do another 

sometime around the beginning of the year so stay tuned for that!

You can enter the giveaway by commenting on this post. A winner will be selected on Monday at noon. Best of luck!

Happy weekend friends!

Rustic Glam Thanksgiving Tablescape

Thanksgiving is such a special time of year, remembering God's goodness to us

and giving thanks back to Him.

It's also a chance to spend time with the people we love and eat some turkey, dressing and pumpkin pie!

Typically, we travel to PA to celebrate with my family,

but we are staying home this year and planning a quiet celebration with some close friends.

I got inspired to put together a Thanksgiving tablescape, since we are hosting a lunch here!

Other than a bouquet of carnations and a few pears that I picked up at the store, 

I used what I had on hand.

The end result was a rustic-glam styled table.

I layered a lace tablecloth on a solid white,

and repeated that pattern with the plates: white round on white square.

The cloth napkins were a gift from my sister-in-law years ago, and I thought they went well with the autumn colors.

 

For my centerpiece, I carved a hole in the top of a white pumpkin just large enough for a clear plastic container to fit into. I added greens from our bushes outside to fill out the arrangement.

The antique silver platter came from a yard sale, and I love how it dresses up the table!

The antique deer candleholder is another find from my Embellish friends. 

Isn't it cute?!

The personalized name tags were a fun finishing touch.

To me, a beautiful table is more than just the decorations. It symbolizes warmth and fellowship,

a place to gather and make memories.

For this, I give thanks.

Happy Thanksgiving, friends!