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No Comments» Continue ReadingI am so pleased to introduce the sponsors of GraceLaced for the month of May. Please take advantage of the discounts and giveaways that some sponsors have offered to GraceLaced readers for this month. Visit Treasured Word Etsy Shop for lovely Scripture verse memory card holders and accessories. Treasured Word is offering GraceLaced readers a FREE set of gospel cards with each total purchase order for the month of May! Coupon code: GRACELACED15 – Choose from NIV, ESV, NKJV, NLT. Type selection in comments box at checkout. One free set per total purchase order. Download a $20 off gift card for any salon or spa experience you have not yet experienced at Casa Verde! Get your coupon HERE! Please visit Casa Verde Salon Salon & Spa’s website for Aveda products and to book your next appointment! For in-store purchases, please save and print above image for $10 off […]
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» Continue ReadingI wish I could say that adjusting to six has been a piece of cake. It really hasn’t. Clearly, it’s easier in that we don’t pull over anxiously when a newborn wails. I don’t panic when the little man spits up, blows out, or grows baby acne. I’ve seen it all before. Nothing new here. And yet…I wake up everyday to the reality that I have six young boys to care for! Troy and I have never felt as outnumbered and overwhelmed as we do now. There is continual running in and out of the house…and constant yelling, laughing, wrestling, sword-fighting, arguing, whining, and crying. I’m sure it’s no different at your house. There is a two year old conveniently pitching a temper tantrum over the slightest thing while I nurse the baby, unable to attend to the correction and training that is needed. There’s the trying to teach three older […]
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» Continue ReadingIt takes time…to mine the depths of your child’s heart. It takes time…to confess, repent, and forgive within marriage. It takes time…to listen to the answers to the questions you ask. It takes time…to say “I’m sorry,” and really express it. It takes time…to pray. It takes time…to prioritize good health. It takes time…to put as much into a relationship as you want to receive. It takes time…to tend to any garden. It takes time…to stand behind the things you say instead of muttering them under your breath. It takes time…to pursue your spouse. It takes time…to determine a course instead of a course determining you. It takes time…to replace bad habits with good. It takes time…to not just talk about feasting in the Word, but to actually read it. I don’t mean “it takes time” in that change comes slowly (it may!) but that things that matter require a sacrifice […]
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» Continue ReadingIt’s the Mother’s Day card aisle at Target, and I’m not picking out a card; I’m watching people. I can’t help it. I’m a woman of nuances, of details, and of observing moments that may go unseen. There are women of all ages crowding this aisle as I survey the scene stealthily. I’m reading their expressions and the look in their eyes. I’m guessing at the collective thoughts in the cluttered dialogue bubbles swarming over this aisle. “Maybe not this one…it’s too sappy.” “Wish I could say this of my mom.” “This is one I wish I could receive, but I haven’t been this inspiring, this loving, this encouraging.” “How about a funny one–to keep it light.” “I’m not sure we see our relationship the same way…” “I want to honor her and tell her I love her, but my mom really wasn’t all these things to me.” “There’s so […]
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» Continue Reading********************************** “Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things that you didn’t do than by the ones you did do. So throw off the bowlines. Sail away from the safe harbor. Catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore. Dream. Discover.” -Mark Twain Every family benefits from a family vacation. Some of our vacations are staycations, and some are camping trips. We love any and all forms of travel, taking our family to places near and far. However, we made some choices, intentionally or not, when we decided to have a large family. One of those takes the form of this reality: Our family simply cannot take a vacation at the drop of a hat–both financially and logistically. As a family of 8, hours and hours of planning now goes into any trip we take. With kids that span the ages of newborn to 11 years […]
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» Continue ReadingWould it surprise you to know that I never aspired to be a mother, much less a mother of six? In fact, I didn’t give much thought to the art of homemaking as a young woman, as I was more than preoccupied with my notions of ambition and education, value and worth, none of which included the regular use of a mop or the continual employment of diapers for 11 years. I still chuckle when I think about how difficult it was for Troy to get me to go and register with him for wedding gifts. Picking out china, shower curtains, pots and pans…it just wasn’t high on my priority list. Domesticity and motherhood seemed far too docile and tame for a girl who dreamed of the front lines on the mission field, or perhaps owning my own business, or delving deep into an area of study…I didn’t know, I […]
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» Continue ReadingI muttered these words under my breath all day yesterday: “Oh, if I have to clean up one more spill!” “Why doesn’t anyone ever put things back where they belong?” “Please just stop talking…” “I can’t do this.” “If only…” “I just want to get something done today.” That was the mother I was yesterday. I was tired, I was anxious, I was looking to my to-do list and not to Christ’s to-BE list. Have I forgotten everything I learned about my true identity in Christ? Have I so quickly forgotten that I do not need to have everything go my way to have peace today? That a clean home is not my shelter and orderly children don’t earn me anything that the blood of Christ hasn’t already provided for? That the thing standing in my way to happiness today is ultimately my expectations wrapped up in sinful pride. When I […]
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» Continue ReadingEven with the master bedroom now turned into an all-boys bunkroom (I promise I’ll post pictures sometime in the next year ), true camaraderie between the boys doesn’t just happen. Sure, they love each other, but friendship– loyalty, laughter, considering one another more important than yourself– that doesn’t come naturally. And, with a new baby, I sit at my spot where I nurse throughout the day and watch (and hear) all the interaction between the boys through the filter of “What kind of brotherhood is Haddon growing in to?” Not a day goes by where there isn’t fighting and bickering among them; feelings get hurt, careless words fly, and defenses are raised. So believe me– it is not bliss and kumbaya-around-the-fire everyday at the Simons’ house. But as I do believe that loving takes continual effort, it’s really no surprise to find us learning these lessons over and over again… […]
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» Continue ReadingTomorrow my Number 5 turns 2. This little one was born into an emotional and painfully stretching time in our family’s journey. But God brought him into the world with sparkly eyes– eyes that say, “Smile! You have no idea what God will do next!” He’s been a constant source of hilarity, wonder, sweetness, and reminder that God tells big stories through little moments…and little people. His oldest big brother promised piggybacks down the stairs…and he’s kept his promise. He’s got amazing examples of loyalty, sharing, gentleness, and camaraderie in his older brothers. And now, Number 5 is a big brother. He’s slowly picking up the ways of brotherhood, and my prayer is that this birthday boy will one day be among the ranks of big brothers Number 6 will look up to as well. And as these early days with a newborn prove to be exhausting, disorienting, and easily wished […]
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» Continue ReadingThe funny thing about postpartum is that you can simultaneously experience elation and exhaustion…invincibility and weakness…feeling glowingly beautiful while looking like a complete mess. You may remember my last post about baby-ready hairstyling and hiding my bangs while growing them out. Now that Number 6 is here and time for self-care and primping is nil, I’m hoping to keep my styling simple…and yet, not completely give in to sweats and ponytail…everyday. It’s honestly not about looking put together, but about reflecting what I believe about my life’s work and purpose through the way I present myself…even to my kids and my husband. While I really do sport a ponytail most days, a french twist, a simple braid, or a loose and elegant bun like this one can be the difference between default and intention: Here are some other favorite simple updos for warm summer evenings… Source and tutorial here. via […]
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» Continue ReadingWith a diaper bag packed and ready to go, I started the first layer of a new painting last Monday, hoping to keep my mind off of the impending due date. We can be so anxious, waiting for what we do not know, when the Lord has us securely in his hands… My birth story is short and sweet: I had inconsistent, but uncomfortable contractions on Monday night. They stopped and I went to bed. I woke up at 3 am Tuesday morning, unable to sleep through the contactions that were building. As with the other labors, I quickly jumped in the shower and begin timing the contractions. By the time I dry off, I’m convinced it is the real thing, call Grandma and Grandpa to stay with the boys, and we head off to the hospital. There may have been some crazy driving at 3:30 am, as the labor intensified […]
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» Continue Reading“So, let me ask you: Is he the supremely honored center of your being? Is he the incomparable, unparalleled, unrivaled sun around whom your life orbits? You know that he won’t be unless you intentionally and consistently correct your heart. Without conscious effort he’ll slip from his rightful throne and in his place will spring up idols of sinful desires or even splendid vices, those good works we think we’re doing for him but are actually using as a way to avoid him.” (p. 188) We finish out our Because He Loves Me book study in consideration of how to persevere in the hope we have in Christ…how we continue in our “first love.” Praise be to the Lord! It is he who is “blessing and keeping us. His face is shining upon us. He is being gracious to us. He has looked with love upon us and brought us […]
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Hello, friend...I'm Ruth. Welcome to GraceLaced, where you will find my imperfect, but grace-filled musings on the Gospel, motherhood, crafting, art, domesticity, cooking, and the often-times overlooked joys of finding grace in the everyday of life. Read my full profile here.
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