Grandma Ruth: 17 years ago today.

Today is the 17th anniversary since my grandma Ruth's death. 

She died exactly 7 weeks before I was born. 

My entire family is on a camping trip right now with my dad's side of the family. His dad, two brothers, sister in law, and all of their kids. 

As I sit and think about all of the different things my family has been through, I can't help but chuckle a little and say "Lord, you're funny."

My dad and his brothers are all so different, yet they all are obviously related. 

My dad's oldest brother relies heavily on others and their opinions of him. He's rough sensitive all at once. 

My daddy is the toughest of them all, and I don't say that just because he's my dad. He's sincere, honest, and doesn't let anyone play him. 

My dad and uncle's youngest brother is a hoot though. Emotional and sensitive, wants to be socially acceptable and is demanding of others. 

But all three of them love their mom. Or, loved, rather. My grandma didn't die of something very common, it was sudden and no one knew until two days later. 

I have always wondered about my grandma, but even more so in the past few years.

I've always been told by my entire family that I'm like her, from the looks to facial expressions , her love of fishing, her attitude. I love hearing these things. 

My family, I've decided, wouldn't be the same if she hadn't passed away so soon, I think. I wouldn't have been named after her either. I don't think my parents would have embraced the "family" as much either. It made a lot of the members of my family realize how short life is, and to cherish it. 

It's special to all be together today. We've never gotten to do this before. No one's talked much about it yet, but I suspect around the campfire tonight, some shores will be shared. 

Grandma, I never got to meet you, but, if you were here, I hope you'd be proud of your boys...for putting up with each other, and with grandpa. I can imagine if you were here with us, you'd be laughing, and fishing. You and I would probably be harassing my daddy, and maybe playing cards. I wish you were here, but since you're not, I'm thankful for what you left behind. 

I will be glad.

I will be glad // In all situations // My heart may mourn // But my joy belongs to You

I will be glad // In all situations // My flesh may yearn // But my hope remains in You

Lyrics to a new song I'm working on. I'm learning, slowly, that joy is something one must work for - there aren't any steps one can take that lead to joy instantly. Joy is choosing to be content in all situations, knowing you're saved by the grace of God - Jesus Christ. Saved by the One who died on the cross for you and me. The One who was beaten, shamed, had His beard plucked from His face. He was scorned, and scoffed at. Nails pierced His hands and feet. And you know what He said, as He was in pain, and agony, dying the most brutal death for you and me? He said "Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do" (Luke 23:34) That's who died for me. That's who died for you. A man, who even in His own horrible suffering, was thinking of you. 

My youth pastor mentioned that verse tonight, reminding us that we are all sinners and have no choice in the matter. The choice we do have though, is to follow Him, the only one who can save us.

Lord, help me.

Right now, my heart is full of all sorts of things.

Anger, sadness, frustration, irritation, and the like. Even after spending the day with one of the most amazing friends God has blessed me with, my heart is hurting, and I don't know why. Not fully, at least.

I'm angry at the man who is responsible for the shooting in Colorado last week. And I'm angry at the people who don't think it's totally on him, and blaming the gun instead. That's like blaming a spoon for being overweight. Guns don't kill people. People with guns kill people. Lord, help me not be angry at the man for what he did. Help me pray for him, and healing within him. Help me not be angry at those who don't blame him, either.

I'm sad for all of the people who were victims of the shooting. How devastated they and their families must be. Lord, comfort all of the victims and their friends and families.

I'm frustrated with my siblings. One cries when he doesn't get his way, another could spit in my face and not care, and the baby is in the "I will rebel and tell you no at all costs" phase, and I'm really not digging it. Lord, help my heart to soften to them - it's not their fault, anymore than it is my fault for being frustrated with them. We're human. I need to get over it.

And I'm irritated that there are more feelings pent up inside of me that I can't seem to shake. I want to scream, and cry, and throw a chair through the window. Lord, help me see the joy in each day, every day.

I miss my best friend, and can't do anything about it, since she's 2000 miles away. Lord, help me not to rely solely on her companionship to be happy. 

I miss participating in summer....I haven't done much of anything since I started working. Lord, help me see that spending time with Miss Makenna and her mommy is my ministry field for right now, and help me find joy in that.

I'm going camping with family on friday for 10 days, and I'm not really too thrilled about it. My papa and mimi aren't able to come, like they normally do, and everyone else is from my dad's side of the family. Two uncles, an aunt, three cousins, two half cousins, grandpa and my whole family. It's going to be interesting. Lord, help me to love them unconditionally, and not keep score of all the times they've "wronged" me. They are your children too.

And Lord, help me to be happy in all situations, finding joy in the day's work.

Here are a few treats for you, in case you're struggling with something similar too.

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printable - will print on 8.5x11 paper

you might be a homeschooler IF...

Have y'all seen these videos? If not, watch them. Most non-homeschoolers probably won't get them...but to us...they're hilarious and over 75% totally accurate. 

Lets talk about the whole Connie and Eugene getting married thing.....please tell me y'all agree with that statement, up until Mitch entered the situation, and then it was like OH NO. MARRY HIM, CONNIE, MITCH IS AWESOME.....Yeah? okay. Glad we got that cleared up..

anyway......

Yes....I'm most definitely a homeschooler.

that time I bought vintage baby clothes

Hey, guys.

So, you probably have noticed that I'm pretty strange, right? I'm not exactly "normal" by any means...

My town is an old railroad town. It's dinky and totally western, I kid you not. But. When the railroad was being built, quite a few wealthy men built gorgeous houses. These houses exchanged owners many times, but as time went on, the houses became run down. 

Well. Anyway, these beautiful houses sit on the river and the main street down town. Mom and I were out yesterday garage "saling" it up, when we drove by these houses and saw that they were having a sale. A "make me an offer I don't even really care about the money" kind of sale. We stopped, of course. There were boxes and boxes of things. The man in charge told me everything is for sale. Don't matter what, make him an offer and he'll probably sell it. Well, naturally I was like a kid in a candy store..digging through boxes, dusting off things to reveal their face. It seemed that most of this stuff was just left in the house, and most of it hadn't been used too much. I'm talking vintage galore. Record players, a dozen televisions, recliners...a gorgeous green leather couch, bed frames, wallpaper on the floor and walls. The kitchen was amazing - soooo wonderful. And the paint, you guys? Beautiful. The doors were awesome too. See?

 In the front room, though, there was an old crib, with a few baby clothes peeking out. I went over, excited, because they were stain-free and beautiful. I picked out ten pieces (because I honestly have no need for them right now....not even graduated, for petes sake!) and my mom bought one of the dressers in one of the bedrooms. The guy only wanted a dollar for the clothes! I ended up giving him 5 because he didn't have enough change, and he was sitting in the hot sun....yucky. We left to go to another estate sale, but while we were digging through that one, I couldn't get the door I saw off my mind. It was so pretty, and would make an awesome headboard, I thought....so when we got home, I kept thinking about it...a friend and I on Instagram were going on and on about it. Daddy was busy, but when my Papa got here at four, I asked him if he'd go down with me to see if they'd sell me the door. My Papa, being the amazing guy he is, was all for it and we left...

Turns out, that they can't just let 16 year old girls take doors from historical landmarks that are most likely to be torn down...go figure. My Papa got talking to the owner of the houses, or rather, the owner's daughter, who was his age, and they talked about town back in the 60s...while they were talking, I went back into that front room and couldn't help myself. I went through more baby clothes. Oh, you guys. They were all so beautiful. Virtually stain free and hardly worn. Definitely from the 50s or 60s. 

So this is where you get to grin, or not, and tell me I'm crazy...

I bought an entire garbage bag full of them. I know, I know...I'm too young, gonna jinx my chances of even having kids...yada yada yada...but....oh my word. they were beautiful. I'll probably end up selling some of them - I have a feeling some mama's will be stoked on life about them.

And you wanna take a crazy guess at how much I paid for all 76 pieces? Just guess. 

Twenty-five dollars. I spent twenty-five dollars on almost an entire closet's worth of vintage baby clothing. And there were more I could have put into my bag. But I refrained, because I knew my mother would just look at me like "You're insane..." and I really have no idea where I'm going to store them. Anyway, here are a few of my favorite pieces...what do y'all think?

the last dress is my favorite for sure! so cute! 

new friendship, new beginning, new smiles.

About 2 months ago I started taking walks with a "friend" of mine. We've had difficulties in the past with our relationship being legitimate, and loving. a series of events led the both of us to form incorrect opinions about the other...and they were not good. 

She lives up the street from me, and she mentioned wanting to start walking in the morning with someone. I felt a nudge, and just kind of blurted out "I'd love to!"

Both of us were really, really hesitant, I think. And neither of us knew what to really expect on this first walk.

The walk happened, and a friendship was born. A real friendship.

We talked - about actual things. And then it happened the next day again. We walked and talked for an hour.

Over the next two months the friendship has grown. 

The Lord has blessed us and our friendship. I've found a kindred spirit in someone I never thought I would. 

Almost half of our conversations start off with "I saw this thing on pinterest.."...and the other half have to do with some other wonderful thing. 

The time we've spent dreaming up DIY projects, creating delicious meals in our heads, and just spending girl time together has been amazing.

Have you ever had that happen? The Lord giving you a friendship you never thought you'd have? 

[giveaway winner announced]

Congratulations to the lovely miss Grace Anna, for winning the clutch from Fashion to Figure. I'll shoot you an email asap, dear!

again, I apologize for being so absent lately. if you read yesterday's post, you probably caught onto the fact that it was an insanely busy weekend.

♥

xo, ruthanne

lets play catch. [up, that is.]

Hello, hello friends. Wow. I can't believe it's been like a week since I posted. CRAZY.

I'm terrible, I know. but seriously, life has been insane.

first off... Wednesday (last week) was my parent's 20th anniversary! Holy cow, y'all! 20 years. bam. I love my parents and their love for each other. soooo inspiring.

speaking of my mom...she has a blog. y'all should go check it out. she's pretty great. 

back to Wednesday though... or the night before, rather....

Tuesday night, my sister got a concussion. and was sick all day wednesday. so my parents had to cancel their getaway. sooo sad. but, it's life, I guess. 

we had pizza for their dinner. fancy, I know.

I wrote a new song on Thursday evening. well, kind of. it's new, with the chorus of "nothing but the blood" - super excited about it.

Then...then came the weekend. Oh. MY GOSH GUYS.

That's a whole other post. Ha! You'll get it tomorrow afternoon :)

thanks, y'all for being patient with me as I work through this busy season. Between work and trying to enjoy summer, there really isn't much time. I'm trying though!

blessings, ruthanne

community fest.

this weekend. oh my GOSH. this WEEKEND.

I know I sound absolutely dramatic, but seriously guys, it was probably the most exhausting thing I've done in years. Legitimately.

We had the first ever local "community fest" - an event put on by all three main churches in town (yes, my town is 14,000 people and there are only about 5 total churches) - which is something that has never happened before ever. Anyway. I volunteered to help out with the food portion of the event. 

Friday night was the skate outreach - we were expecting 500 - 1000 people. And we received the latter. Free food, music, raffles, and people. Saturday (from 3-10) was the family fest. This time around we had carnival games for kids, bounce houses, people had donated tons of clothes for others to go through for free...there were a few medical people there to give general exams and all that jazz. On top of all this, everything from the previous night was present. Food, music, raffles, and the word of God. And everything was free. 

I was a hamburger wrapper for the weekend. I wrapped probably close to 1000 hamburgers...our team separated a good 6000 paper plates...opened hundreds bags of chips, and distributed thousands of bottles of water.

There were probably a good 5000 people who passed through our festival this weekend. That's over a third of my town....insane. 

The Lord definitely worked on the hearts of some of the people who came. We weren't focused on the thousands coming to the Lord, we just wanted to reach one. And that happened. 

It's amazing to me how quickly the body of Christ came together to put on this fest. It was wonderful to see the three churches - all sound doctrine, just very different teaching styles - work together for the first time ever. Pretty cool.

Sunday was even cooler though, because we had church in the park.

All of our pastors cancelled church for the week and we met in the park's amphitheater to worship.

Pastor James - he's from San Diego - preached. It was really quite wonderful. The work was worth it, for sure, even if I'm still catching up on sleep.

what did you do last weekend?

fire fire fire.

almost the entire sky was filled with smoke, and shortly after this the smoke went black

yesterday was crazy.

just buckets of excitement. 

no, really. I'm being serious. [for once.]

it was about 11:47 yesterday morning when mom and I look up from making lunch in the kitchen, to the back yard, and see smoke rising in the distance.

cue: freak out mode.

okay. now wait. before I go on, you need to know:

· I live in the mountains. no, I don't mean some dinky old hills. I'm talking 7,000 feet above sea level kind of mountains. which means:

· it's dry and there's a whole lotta trees just waiting to be burned. moving on,

· we had a below average winter last year - so that made things worse. the year before we had water draining from the peaks until it snowed again in october. this year, the mountain tops struggled to stay covered.

· that being said, our normally dry after a huge winter mountain range is really dry right now. 

· oh, and also. about two miles away from my house, there's a lake. it's not big, but it's there. we can see it from our back deck.

now that that's covered, we can continue on. 

so. smoke rising, freaking out, etc, etc. 

the fire is at the lake. there's a little peninsula that shoots into the water, and that's where it started. sirens are going off now, and in my small town, that's a big deal. I'm not kidding when I say that everyone can hear them, and everyone knows something's wrong.

black clouds of smoke are rising, and, guessing by where the fire is, there are about 3 and a half, maybe 4 direct miles separating our house from this fire. 

crap.

mom calls dad. dad already knows. he's on his way home. the wind starts to pick up, and smoke keeps rising. every now and then, the bottom of the smoke gets an orange tint to it. 

again, crap.

more sirens go off, and we're listening to the police/fire department on our scanner. [yes, we have one of those. it's a sign of a true local...]

it takes about half an hour, but finally, it's confirmed via the scanner, that the fire is out. 

whew. 

I really can't tell you how scary that was. and it'll probably happen two more times before the summer's over. 

if the wind had kept going, and the firefighters hadn't been able to get it under control, it would have taken less than two hours [if that, even] for the fire to reach our house.

I am so thankful though, that it didn't. 

this was the fourth fire in my town in two weeks. the other three have happened in a couple of the other sub-divisions.

Definitely will be praying for the safety of my town for the next few months. 

again, I'm so thankful that we're all safe. God is good.

swap ads with me in august!

so. my 1 year blog birthday is coming up. july 13th, baby!

and as I thought of my first year blogging, I thought of how much fun meeting new people has been.

sponsoring other sites was one of the most fun things I did in the whole year. 

I spent a few months advertising my blog on the letter 4, and getting to know those ladies. man, they sure are sweet.

I sponsored a few other blogs, but that point aside, not every new blogger wants to cough up the $15 bucks for an itty bitty ad space for just one month. are ya with me?

so here's the deal. y'all know what an ad swap is. we swap ads. your button goes up on my site, and mine on yours. 

there will be:

one extra large ad space per month

two large ad spaces per month

four medium ad spaces per month

six small ad spaces per month

first come, first serve. feel free to sign up now! you can reserve your spot for the next month on the first of each month - so on august 1, you can reserve september, etc. 

to reserve your spot for august, or if you have any questions (or just want to chat!), email me at ruthannewithane[at]gmail[dot]com!

loving lately on pinterest

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love love love everything on here. my goodness.

it's been a good day.

i'm sitting here, writing this, at my desk.

the basement is quiet; minus the occasional sounds I hear from dad and jacob working in the back yard.

it's cool, and peaceful. 

it's been a really good day, today. 

the sun was shining in my face when I woke this morning.

the kitty was more than willing to share some cuddles.

and I was joyful.

this morning at the meeting for the community fest the churches of the area are hosting next weekend, one of the ladies there quoted a verse from psalm 51.

it says [v.12] "restore to me the joy of your salvation, and uphold me with a willing spirit" 

i love that verse.

the day continued with an ice cream date with my lovely sister, and then playing music by the river. 

i love that girl. we've been so close for so long, that we can go weeks with no contact and pick right back up.

guess being friends for 10 years will do that to you.

God is good, amen?

GIVEAWAY.

oh, hello there, all 101 of my lovely followers!

I checked my blog yesterday evening and found that, and man, was I stoked on life. Y'all are great. 

annnnyway. to celebrate this wonderful occasion, I have a giveaway for you! yes, yes, I do.

and this lovely clutch is what you get to win! pretty rad, huh? (i dunno about you, but i'd sure love to win this ;)

fashion to figure contacted me a while ago, and wanted to host a giveaway for y'all! of course I readily agreed, but getting it up and running has been challenging. but now it's here, and it's wonderful, and you, my darling readers, have the chance to win an awesome clutch.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

so, enter, share, you know, all that jazz. 

have a great friday!

4th of july.

the fourth of july is one of my all time favorite holidays. I love it.

the patriotism, colors, smells, activities, all of it.

I. just. ♥ it. 

annnyway. 

the fourth of july with my family always starts out at the parade. pancake breakfast at the firehouse first, and then we run into basically everyone we know before the parade starts. it's great.

yes, to take this, i was indeed "that girl" standing in the middle of the street with her iphone. deal with it, yo...;) hehehe.

addy and I during the parade. she was not stoked about the camera. and then my brother. my very, very handsome brother. his civil air patrol squadron always leads the parade. they're all straight faced and serious...it's kinda cute...I just love how handsome he's getting though. but let it be known, any girl he dates is going to have to be approved by me first..;) ha.

these guys are great. every year they have a routine they do for ya. military style ski drills. so fun. 

kiddos.

the day continues at one of the local lakes. only locals (or people who have second/third/tenth homes) can come. so it's basically the entire town. there are activities all day. pie eating contests, tug of war, hula hooping (which, by the way, I took fourth in ;), sack races, egg tosses, you know. all that fun patriotic stuff. I only got one picture of the evening... isn't it lovely?

and then there are fireworks. 20 minutes of them. my my my. love. my phone died half way through, but you get to see some at least. 

and a video for you. 

hope y'all had a lovely and wonderful and safe 4th of july!