A Note From My Mother

It seems lately I have heard several times how blessed I am how to have the parents I do.  I will admit that I took them for granted for many years, particularly my mother.  It took having babies myself for me to appreciate the pain, joy, and sacrifices she had experienced being my mother.  

As we were packing up our stuff to head to Northwest Arkansas to stay with my parents until we go to Houston later this month, I found this note she sent me before I had Drew.  

You are ready to pack your bag for the trip to the hospital.  One of the things I remember  about the day you were born involves a flat, glass marble your brother gave me on our trip to the hospital in Fayetteville.  He knew I was hurting and he leaned over the seat and gave me a blue marble to hold on to so it wouldn’t hurt so much.  I don’t have a blue marble to stick in your bag, but I do have this cross I wish you to take.  After all, all we say and do is about the cross and the one who suffered pain for us so we could be blessed.  He is with you in a way I can’t be. Hold tight to him. 

Love and Prayers, Mom

As a soon to be first time mother, I was naive to what was ahead and thought that I was big enough to handle having a baby on my own.  We lived in Florida and had pretty much told our parents that they could just come after Drew was born.  

In her wisdom as a mother, she came anyway.  I went into labor early and ended up having a c-section.  She flew to Florida the day we came home from the hospital. I have never been so happy to see my mother.  Since that day, our relationship has changed in a way that I never imagined.  Each night that I am up at 2 am with a sick little boy, each day that I am privileged to hear little boy giggles, and each afternoon that I feel like I am losing my temper, our relationship gets a little stronger because I get it.  I see the sacrifice and the hardship that comes with being a mother but I also see the extreme joy and happiness as well.

Mom holding Drew for the first time

Thanks Mom.  For loving me through the little years and then the years when I thought I could do it without you.  For pointing me to Jesus as a child and now as a mother of children. You are simply the best and I am grateful God gave you to me.

Love, Lindsay

A Return to Blog Land and Other Exciting Updates

Ahhh ... it feels so good to be typing a blog post again!  The last few months have been a roller coaster ride for our family and I have had a hard time blogging.  I know that some out there in blog land say that you shouldn’t ever use your blog as your personal journal, but for me so much of what I write about is an extension of the journey that God has me on and the lessons He is currently teaching me.  The last several months have been full of lessons of patience and trusting that God’s plans for our life is the only plan.  I have been challenged and pushed in regards to loving and encouraging my husband through a difficult time.  In the midst of all of this, I have battled through some thyroid issues that have caused me to trust the Lord for strength in a way I never had before.

So, I can FINALLY tell you that Hal has accepted a job in Houston. He will be returning to the company, Cooper Industries,  he worked with for over 10 years before we moved to Mississippi two years ago when his dad was battling cancer.  It is a bittersweet move for us.  We have felt so loved by our church family at Riverwood Bible Church and have grown so much since we starting attending there last year.  We also have several other dear friends here who have been family to us not to mention that we will be moving away from Hal’s family who are just about an hour away from us now.  Even though we will miss these relationships, this is the best move for our family of four in terms of Hal's work situation.  

He starts on April 30th.  The boys and I will be spending the month of May in Arkansas with my parents and joining Hal in Houston after Memorial Day. Hal will initially be doing some travel so he will fly in and out of Arkansas, so we will at least see him on the weekends!  Our house is on the market and we are praying for patience and wisdom as we navigate the housing market! 

Easter Fun

In the midst of the craziness that has been our life lately, I have been praying about and searching for ideas to focus our Easter celebration on the death, burial, and resurrection of Christ.  I haven't been able to invest near the amount of time that I did during Advent, so I am praying for meaningful, clear ways to share the Easter story.  Here are a few of the things I have planned for this week!


Easter Egg Hunts: We will be hunting ALOT of eggs this week!  I love looking back at the origin of traditions and the origin of the Easter egg had nothing to do with a bunny (that never made sense to me anyway)!  They were meant to be a symbol of new life.  So we will hunt lots of eggs and talk about the new life we have as believers in Jesus Christ.  For our egg hunt on Easter Sunday, I am going to print and stuff the eggs with these cards and candy from Desiring Virtue.


Resurrection Eggs: I have seen these for several years and I love the idea of them, but I am not in love with all the little pieces inside!  I found this great printable on Pinterest.  It gives you the story without the pieces and the expense. :)

Hot Cross Buns: I am going to attempt making Hot Cross Buns on Saturday morning.  I love the idea of this being a Saturday morning before Easter tradition for years to come!

Empty Tomb: I also saw this on Pinterest and loved that it was so similar to what we did with the Nativity at Christmas.

Resurrection Cookies: We will be spending most of Easter weekend at my in-laws house.  I am excited to make these resurrection cookies at their house on Saturday night/Sunday morning since my mother-in-law is the one who first told me about them!


Since celebrating Advent this year, I have been more excited than ever for this Easter season.  I love the renewed excitement I feel about my Savior.  I love focusing on the truth that we serve a Savior that is ALIVE!  I am praying that each of you grasp the importance of that this week as you serve your families!

Mom's Memory Book

I have mentioned that I might have done just a little shopping in DC! :)  I found a great deal on new black boots and I was also able to pick up a jean skirt and black pants that I had been wanting, but my favorite find was this precious little book: "Mom's One Line a Day, A Five Year Memory Book."

Before I started on R&R, I was much better about keeping up with milestones on my personal blog, but working on this blog combined with adding another child to the mix, I just haven't recorded as much as I would have liked.  I found this book in a neat store in Old Town Alexandria. It gives you just enough space to record one or two things you want to remember for the day.

I am looking forward to remembering the funny things they say and they days they reach big milestones like crawling or walking but I am also going to record the days we face challenges!  Lately, I have read more than one blog post that almost sound negative about what we face as mothers and want to tell you that it is okay to complain.  Yes, there are LONG days that I am grateful when I put them to bed and have quiet time with Hal, but I am convinced that scripture tells us to find joy in ALL circumstances.  Even the hard days ... we can experience joy. The Lord gives us the grace to experience joy even when we are still stuck in the circumstance. So, I am looking forward to recording the hard days filled with discipline and correction and the days filled with laughter!

"Rejoice always, pray continually, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus."

1 Thessalonians 5:16-18

Random Friday

1) I can't tell you how much I enjoyed my time in DC with Sarah.  Sleeping without a monitor by bedside was a nice break! It was so fun to spend time shopping and have long conversations about anything from the funny things we did when we were roommates to menu planning!  As I left DC, I thought how timely it had been that the School of Fish post has been on (in)courage that week.  My friendship with Sarah is a huge blessing and I must admit that sometimes I take the blessing of friendships for granted.  I slept, shopped talked, and ate yummy food for 4 days, but I was very ready to get home to my boys!  

In front of the White House ... on a COLD and WINDY day.

2) This week we have been in Arkansas for me to spend some time at the bank.  This is one of those trips that makes me really wish that we lived here!  I was able to go to Bible Study with mom on Wednesday and I couldn't help but wish that it was something I was able to do every week.  In those moments, I must remind myself, that no matter what wonderful scenarios I can dream up in my mind, the absolute only place I want to be is right in the middle of God's will and right now for us, that is Mississippi, not Arkansas. I love that peace that follows when we submit our will to His will.  

The boys with their Great Maw Maw

3) I feel like my world is getting ready to change.  Brooks is oh so close to crawling.  His big brother was never really one who messed with things he wasn't supposed to.  Brooks will be different.  The day I walked into his room and found him pulling on his curtains (remember he isn't crawling YET) I knew that he was going to get into everything. I think that I better start moving things to higher ground as soon as I get home.
4) I haven't been on my computer all week.  No blogging. No blog reading. No Facebook. No Twitter. I must admit it has been nice.  I think I need a social media break every once in a while.

5:46 PM

Happy Birthday Daddy!

25 Days of Christmas: Christmas Tree Campout

Pull out the sleeping bags and maybe the air mattress and have a camp out under the lights of the Christmas tree!  Take the opportunity to name a blessing in your lives for each light on the Christmas tree!  If you have little ones like I do that probably would never go to sleep, maybe just read the Christmas story or watch a movie together under the lights. 

25 Days of Christmas: Happy Birthday Jesus Party

We have been reminding big brother all month that his birthday is over and that is now time for baby Jesus’ birthday!  This year I picked up a “Happy Birthday Jesus” plate for us to use.  We are making a birthday cake with candles on Christmas Eve to celebrate Jesus’ birthday.  At the age of 3, this is something that he really can understand and will give us something to build on in the future!


Does your family have a birthday party for Jesus?  Share your party ideas by leaving a comment below!

25 Days of Christmas: Gingerbread Nativity

Pinterest strikes again and we are going to make this one a Ramsey tradition!  Instead of making a gingerbread house, we made a gingerbread nativity scene. I went the easy route and we used pre-made icing and crackers instead of gingerbread.  I love this idea because you can be as creative as you want to be!

The graham crackers were small squares so we headed to the pantry and used Wasa crackers!

Tasting the sheep. :)

Daddy's donkey turned out great!

Showing momma where Joseph goes

Our creation!

Having fun with licorice

6:36 PM

Waiting patiently for daddy to get home to light the Advent candles at dinner.

25 Days of Christmas: Nativity Floor Puzzle

I picked up this Christmas floor puzzle at Lifeway and it has been a hit!  D and I have put it together NUMEROUS times!  It has been a great way to walk through the Christmas story with him again and again!

Working on the border 

 Almost finished!

 Once you complete the large part of the puzzle, you place small pieces in

The finished product!  And one little boy who isn't feeling great. :)

What things have you found to help teach your children the story of the birth of Jesus?

This and That

-We had a wonderful Thanksgiving in Arkansas filled with lots of family time.  It was the first time we had been in Arkansas for Thanksgiving since before D was born. I was able to spend Thursday helping my mom and her mom prepare a meal.  I am so blessed to have both of those women in my life.  

My Maw Maw's dumplings.  I learned after I got married that most people don't have dumplings at Thanksgiving.  Dressing without dumplings??? They are missing out! 

Pumpkin Pies

We also were able to spend time with my brother and his family on Friday and Saturday.  D loves his time with his cousins and I love watching them together. 

B did not get neglected. :)  He received plenty of attention.

-I have been reading the Femina blog for a while.  I love the way the posts encourage and challenge me to rise up and be the wife and mother God has equipped me to be.  Today’s post was timely for me.  I hope you enjoy it as well.

-December is going to be a little different for Rubies and Rewards.  I will start a series called “25 Days of Christmas.”  Each day I will post an idea for focusing the holiday season on Christ or a reflection of some aspect of the Christmas season.  The ideas aren’t time consuming or costly and I hope you can implement some of them in your family celebration this year. I would also love to share some of the things you do with your families during this holiday season.  Send me a picture and will share your ideas for focusing the season on Christ with Rubies and Rewards.

-D is at Mother’s Morning Out and B is napping, so I am going to turn this computer off and finish the Christmas decorating.  Happy Tuesday friends!

10:05 AM

Grammy's playroom after two days of cousins playing together. 

3:54 PM

Happy 3rd birthday my sweet boy.

Battling Fear

When we were first married, Hal traveled internationally and I put myself into all out panic attacks on more than one occasion. My bouts with fear can come from anything to the health of my children to fear over being accepted. My mind can run with fear and I can imagine the worst possible scenarios. If I allow it, fear can overtake me in an instant and I can be in an all out panic about the smallest thing. I have found that as the LORD matures me in my faith, it is easier to control fear.  I can fight it with scripture and I can fight it with knowing and repeating to myself the character of God. This passage in “The Excellent Wife” by Martha Peace has also be comforting and challenging at the same time.  I love that it gives practical help from scripture on how to fight fear.

“There are two ways you can respond to a legitimate concern.  One is to focus on the present day and what considers your responsibility regarding the concern.  The other is to focus on the future, jump to a rash conclusion, (usually the worst possible conclusion) and panic.

When you focus on the future, God may not give you grace to respond biblically (see Matthew 6:34.)  in fact, God never gives grace for rash conclusions that are not really happening.  If it is not really happening, then it is not real and God always wants us to live in the light of  reality, not in the grip of sinful imaginations.  For example, a wife is concerned about her husband’s bout with the flu.  It seems to her that he is not recovering as quickly as he should.  She begins to think about what else might be wrong with him. Before long, she has him terminally ill, dead, his funeral planned, and him buried.  Instead of “thinking on things that are true.” (Philippians 4:8), she has jumped to a rash conclusion based on very little data.  God will neither comfort nor give her grace to cope with something that is not happening.  He will, however, give her the grace to correct her thinking and to recover from her fear and panic.

On the other hand, suppose that the same wife has a legitimate concern about her husband who is not recovering quickly from the flu.  Instead of jumping to rash conclusions, she focuses on what God wants her to do today.  Today she can pray very specifically for her husband.  Today she can call his doctor and consider taking him in for an office visit.  Today she can be a servant to her husband and care for his physical needs.  Today she can notify the prayer chain at her church and ask them to pray.  Today she can comfort herself with the fact that if he does die tomorrow, God will take care of her. God will give her grace to focus on today.  Her love for God and for her husband will overcome any fear she may experience.” The Excellent Wife, p 223

What can you do TODAY to battle the fear you are facing?

11:57 AM

Our traditional Saturday meal during football season ... burgers!

Go Dawgs and Go Hogs!  We won't talk about what we will say when they play each other next week! :)

The Emotions of a Miscarriage

Several weeks ago I shared that during my last pregnancy, I was carrying twins, but lost one baby early in the pregnancy.  Miscarriage like any loss is hard, and often we don’t know how to respond whether we are the one who lost a child or if someone we are close with lost a child.  A couple of months before we lost one of the babies, my good friend Kim lost a baby.  Today she shares a little of her experience and offers suggestions on how to handle the emotions you experience after a miscarriage as well as ways to respond to someone who has lost a baby.

Kim and her husband, Nate, live in Corsicana, Texas, with their twin 3 year old boys and 3 month old Caroline.  Kim blogs at Chasing the Wind.

What emotions did you experience when you realized you had miscarried?

A miscarriage is very multi dimensional.  I remember feeling saddened with the loss of a dream. I had plans for the baby.  I had spent time thinking about how I would decorate the nursery and what names we might chose. It was a weird loss in that I had never met the baby, but I knew the baby.  I also felt in some way responsible.  That maybe I had done something to cause the miscarriage. I had to recognize God's sovereignty and rest in the knowledge that I had not caused anything to happen.  I also remember feeling guilty that my husband, Nate, would never meet the baby. 

What advice would you give someone who just lost a baby through miscarriage?

Talk to someone:  What is so weird about having one is that you have a child that people will never know about.  It will be worse not talking about it than finding someone who has been through it.

Right Expectations: Don't expect your husband to grieve the same way.  They will be sad, but they will move on faster than you.  Don't take it personally or feel that he didn't want the baby.  He just will handle it differently than you.

Don’t be Afraid to Smile: Nate's biggest gift to me was when he told me to "feel what you feel when you feel it."  He encouraged me to cry when I needed to and to be happy if I wanted to, but not to put any expectations on myself as to how I should feel.  I was worried that if I wasn't crying all the time that it meant in some way I wasn't sad, but I had two 2 year old boys at home with me and it was okay if I wanted to laugh with them as they danced in the living room floor or smile when I saw them playing together.  I also struggled with feeling guilty when I cried because somehow it reflected that I didn't trust God's decision, but Nate encouraged me just to acknowledge the emotions I was feeling and to really deal with them properly.  It was okay to be sad and acknowledge the loss and it didn’t mean that I didn’t trust who God is.

Honor the Life:  Nate gave me a Pandora charm.  I have a good friend who lost a baby at 6 weeks.  The baby was the size of a poppy seed, so she and her husband bought a painting of poppies to hang in their house.  Find something that is memorable to you and your family so that you will remember the baby.

How do you respond to a friend who has lost a baby through miscarriage?

Give them time: As a friend you need to recognize that it is not a simple loss (not that any loss is simple) but that there will be more going on in the heart and mind of the person than they may realize at first.  

Recognize it is a loss: Miscarriage can be awkward.  You know the baby, but you never met the baby and most people will never know you lost a child, but that doesn’t mean that the mother isn’t experiencing grief and loss.

Follow their lead:  As with any loss people will respond differently.  Make sure you are available but don't push if they don't want to talk about it and on the other end, don't rush them in their grieving process.  This is a loss, this is a death, allow the other person to grieve how they need to.

A note from Lindsay:

I love the way Kim was able to express the feelings she experienced.  I too experienced some of the same feelings, but my experience with losing a baby was a little different in that I lost one of two babies. I only wanted to add that if you know someone that experiences a similar loss, allow them to grieve the loss of one child.  I can’t tell you the number of people who made some comment like: “At least you still have one baby.”  Yes, that was a true statement, but in many ways, I feel like I never was able to grieve the loss of Baby B because it was just expected that I would be joyful because I was still carrying a child. 

Praying for Our Children

This week we have talked about prayer: Growing in our Conversations with God, Biblical Models, and 31 Things We Can Pray for Our Husbands.  Today, we will look at a few resources that can help guide us in praying for our children.  In last week's "Meet  My Friends" post by Erin, she gave another suggestion for things we can pray for our children.

This particular list of items to pray comes from a Bible Study Fellowship (BSF) Home Training Lesson.  There are 12 items, so you can pray one for an entire month.  I also knew of a friend recently who prayed a different scripture each week while she was pregnant.

If you would like  to pray along with me, I will be posting the new request and scripture each month as a reminder. I am hoping that surely I can remember one thing to pray ALL month even with my scattered, crazy brain!

To help me remember, I wrote the request and a verse on the picture over B's changing table.

1. Enjoy Bible Stories now and that, when old enough, he will make and keep a commitment to study the Bible every day of his life. (Joshua 1:8; Psalm 119:11; 3 John 4) Let's pray this one for November!
2. Understand who the Lord Jesus is, fall in love with Him, receive Him as Savior, and be passionately devoted to Jesus all his life. (2 Timothy 3:15; John 6:68-69; Psalm 71:17-18)
3. Boldly speak about Jesus and become a leader and standard-bearer for the cause of Christ rather for causes of the world (Galatians 6:14; 1 Timothy 6:17)
4. Never be without godly friends and role models, be discerning in choosing both friends and lifestyle--caring as much about inward beauty as outward appearance and achievement (Ecclesiastes 4:9-12; 1 Samuel 16:7; 20:42)
5. Understand he is created by God, be content and confident with the way he is made (physically, mentally, emotionally, and spiritually) (Psalm 139:13-16; Phillippians 4:13)
6. Be protected from immoral and impure people and activities, maintain virtue, and have a zeal for righteous living (Psalm 91:9-11; 1 Corinthians 15:33; Matthew 5:6; 2 Timothy 2:22)
7. Recognize, abhor, and flee sin; reject temptations to do evil (Psalm 19:13; 1 Thessalonians 5:22; Romans 16:19)
8. Love to give and serve; be a glad, grateful, and generous giver to the world; not just a taker (Matthew 20;26-28; Acts 20:35; 2 Corinthians 9:6-8)
9. At an early age, learn and love to pray, develop an intimacy with God, and become a true worshiper of Him (Psalm 63:1; Colossians 4:2)
10. Treat people with Godly kindness in a meek and gentle spirit, without losing ability to take a stand for what is right (Matthew 5:5, Romans 12:16, Ephesians 6:10-11)
11. Readily seek forgiveness when he sins and be quick to forgive others (Matthew 6:14-15; Ephesians 4:32; 1 John 1:9)
12. Grow spiritually as rapidly as he does mentally and physically (Luke 2:52)

The pictures and changing table
These pictures hung in Hal and his brother's room when they were little. :)

Date Night

Hal and I often talk about how we took for granted the time we had alone together before we had kids.  We were blessed to be able to travel a lot before kids, but I don't think you completely understand what a blessing that time is together until you are not able to get the one-on-one time quite as often when kids come along.  We both know it is important to get that time, but it seems life often gets in the way. It doesn't have to be an elaborate meal or a big event, it is just important to spend time with your man when your attention can be solely focused on him and not the hungry baby or inquisitive 3 year old.  Since we took my mom with us to Disney, we were able to sneak away each night for some much needed Hal & Lindsay time. 

Monday night after we put the boys to bed, we just walked down to the pool area at our resort and put our very tired feet in the hot tub. It was nice to talk kiddo free and my sweet man bought me a Pumpkin Spice Latte to go along with the conversation.  

Tuesday night we headed to Downtown Disney to do a little shopping without D's input.  Going in a store with him wasn't a pleasant experience.  He was sure he needed everything he saw! Of course we managed to spend some $$$, but we did pick up several Christmas gifts.

Wednesday night we left mom with both boys and headed back to Epcot around 5:00. We had planned on doing dinner at one of the restaurants in the World Showcase, but once we saw the International Food & Wine Festival our plans changed!  We had the best time walking around and trying food from the different countries that we wouldn't have normally tried.  Each country offered a few different choices.  It looks like we are eating a ton and we did try a lot of things, but the portions were small.  We enjoyed it so much that we would plan our next Disney trip around this festival.  Here is our culinary trip around the world!

Greece: Fried cheese with honey and pistachios

France: Coq au Vin

Ireland: Cheese plate with apple chutney

Japan: Spicy Tuna Rolls and Pork Kakuni(spare ribs)

Poland: Keilbasa and Potato Pierogi

Italy: Ravioli di Formiaggia all Emilliana

Ready for the fireworks!

We found freshly made carmel corn in one of the stores in Germany.  If I could make this for my husband at home he would be a very happy man.

Epcot Fireworks

What is your favorite date night?  Share your ideas with us.  How do you make date night a priority?