Ruby stretched out full length on the couch and let out a sigh of contented coziness. She opened the book she was in the middle of and eagerly began to read. About halfway through the chapter, she looked up when Amber came into the room. Amber was carrying …
Why am I always overwhelmed? Do you ever find yourself wondering that? There can be a lot of things in life that make us feel overwhelmed. Sometimes, those things are out of our control. But, there are many areas where we can do things to make life simpler …
Is there a particular style of clothing that you love to wear but have trouble finding? There is for me too. Dresses. I am fairly tall, so finding long, flowy dresses I can wear is not easy. Recently I found one that fit me perfectly, and it was …
It’s a special day here on the blog! Bethany was tagged by her friend Alyssa, who blogs at Seeking The Timeless Anchor. Bethany wanted me (Ruby) to conduct the interview with her, and I was happy to oblige. So, let’s get past the preliminaries and get started! Rules …
Do you think Scripture memory is hard? Boring? Well, I agree that it can be hard, but there are so many ways that you can make it easier and more enjoyable. Instead of viewing it as a chore, we want to take delight in soaking up God’s Word, …
We have reached another aspect of the Proverbs 31 woman’s life. She clothes her family! While this verse is about the way the virtuous woman dresses her family warmly, there is a lot more than clothes that we can talk about in connection with this verse. What seems …
At a weekend ladies’ retreat with my mom and sister, I once heard an amazing, and also true, story. Would you like to hear it? Okay, great! An elderly lady began to memorize Scripture. Now, most people her age would probably have thought it unnecessary, since after all, …
“Okay, y’all.” Sterling stood up off the couch and snapped his book shut. “Mom wants us to get the living room straightened up this afternoon. We should go ahead and start so we can have it done by the time she wakes up from her nap.” …
Most of us are just plain too busy. Not only that but we easily get sucked into being busy doing things that really aren’t going to count for time and eternity. We talked in another post about toobusyitis – the condition that we nearly all have but don’t …
There are many diseases and illnesses that people are diagnosed with these days. From cancer to arthritis, to just a cold, and everything in between, sickness is part of life. But you know, I think there’s one very common condition that the doctors don’t talk about. The funny …
Thus far, this passage on the Proverbs 31 woman has looked primarily at her home life. It’s talked about the different occupations she has at home and how she cares for her family and the others in her household. This verse takes more of an outward focus. While …
I was tagged recently, and I decided to do something a little bit different. The tag is combined with our monthly Ruby story. That way, I was able to get Ruby to help me with the writing! I hope you enjoy what she had to say. Rules Thank …
Well, are you ready for the big reveal? I’ve decided to make this a tradition here on A Ruby in the Rough. Each year, I want to share with you what my word and verse of the year was for the previous year. My word of the year I …
Do you ever wonder what the best New Year’s resolutions are? Or, maybe you have tried making resolutions over and over, and you have decided that they just don’t work and aren’t worth it. I think most of us (myself included) have experienced the excitement of making big …
This is the second part of the story, M&M Cookies for Rhoda. If you haven’t read that story, start there! “Look at me! I look like a princess.” Rhoda Marshall twirled around, her pink gauze skirt ballooning as she went. Ruby Randall laughed. “How …
The Christmas season with all of its joy, coziness, and festivities is here! It’s the perfect time of year to remember what Jesus did for us and rejoice in His goodness. Christmas is a time for rejoicing and getting in the Christmas spirit. But, we all know that …
“Oh, I just don’t know what to do.” Ruby Randall spoke the words aloud to herself, going into her bedroom and dropping onto her bed. She rested her chin in her hand and gazed out the window. “I had Dad’s and Mom’s blessing to start this business …
You have a beautiful planner. You also have a bag full of stickers – enough to decorate your planners for years. Maybe you even have all the fancy pens, washi tape, bookmarks, and sticky notes. Oh, and even with all of this, you still can’t resist picking up …
I don’t know about you, but I don’t know how to use a spinning wheel. I did try spinning once at a craft festival, and it is a lot harder than it looks. While I think it would be fun to learn, I don’t think that you have to …
Simple living is an appealing ideal in our fast-paced world. Slowing down and taking time to smell the roses sounds wonderful, but is it Biblical? As Christians, don’t we need to rush from one thing to the next as fast as we can, trying to do as much …
You know that feeling. You have finished a hard job, and now you are reaping some of the benefits of it. Maybe you just cleaned up your messy kitchen, and now you are surveying the sparkling countertops and gleaming dishes. It could be that you planted a garden. All summer …
Have you ever wondered if there were people in the Bible who practiced simple living? I think that there were actually quite a few of them and that they have a lot to teach us if we slow down and take the time to learn. What does Christian simple living …
Prayer can be such a battleground. Do you know why? Satan knows that as Christians we so desperately need to connect with the Lord and draw strength from Him. So, the devil fights us on this. Oh, it may not look like a fight. It may come across …
“August 1,” Ruby mumbled to herself. She flipped over the pages of her journal. “It’s been exactly 3 months since my birthday. A quarter of a year gone, and what do I have to show for it?” Discontentedly she stared at the page she had written …
Exercise. We all know that we need it. Sometimes we may enjoy it, but other times it is just another to-do list item to hang over our heads. There was a workout routine that I used to do. It was certainly not something I wanted to go do …
“Don’t forget to watch the casserole in the oven. Have fun! Bye!” Mrs. Randall called back last-minute instructions as she climbed into the car. Mr. Randall closed her door and got into the driver’s seat. Both Mica and Ruby waved as the car pulled out. It was Friday …
Of course, you know those things that you would like to start doing and develop as habits. We probably all have them. There are things that we know we should do regularly, but they just fall between the cracks in our busy lives. Whether it is exercising, spending …
All of us want to accomplish something, right? We all look off into that rose-tinted dream we call “someday” and think of all the things we will do. In the meantime, the only time we are promised, which is this present moment, is passing us by. If we …
Did you get to listen to our Monthly Melody yet? An Hour of Hallowed Peace is such a beautiful hymn, and I love this arrangement of it. It is so peaceful!! Whether or not you try to learn the song, at least go and listen to this …
It’s 4:30 in the afternoon. You walk into the kitchen wondering, “What should I make for supper?” Slowly you pull open the fridge door. Surprise, surprise! Nothing jumps out at you ready to set on the table for your family. For the 4th time that week (and it’s …