CLEAN CHOCOLATE SOURDOUGH BREAD

I love sourdough bread. And I love chocolate. But we also eat clean for my husbands autoimmune disease. So, I set out to find a clean Chocolate Sourdough, but eventually just decided to create it myself.

It has the perfect touch of sweetness from coconut sugar, and then pops of dark chocolate from the chocolate chips. It is the perfect after dinner treat or brunch bread. I hope you absolutely love it!

Below are sone of my favorite tools for sourdough:

• Weck Jars (for storing your starter)

• Wooden Spatula (for mixing your starter and for pulling out flour)

• Grams Scale

• Banneton Baskets

• Bread Lame

• Dutch Oven

• Fabric Dough Bowl Covers

• Kitchen Timer (The multiple timer feature is a game changer!)

• Bench Scraper

• Whisk

• Tea Towels

I hope these recommendations help set you up for success as you bake your sourdough!

CLEAN CHOCOLATE SOURDOUGH BREAD

PREP TIME: 2 days, including bulk fermentation and cold proofing | BAKE TIME: 55 mins

• 125 grams Starter

• 365 grams of Water

• 500 grams of Flour

• 12 grams of Salt

• 100 grams of Coconut Sugar

• 50 grams of Cocoa Powder

• 125 grams of Chocolate Chips

I - Pull out your scale, and add the starter from your Weck jar, and the water, to your bowl. Whisk them together until the starter is all blended in, and small bubbles appear.

II - Add the flour, salt, coconut sugar, cocoa powder, and chocolate chips to your bowl. Mix them all together with a fork or whisk. Once you have mixed or whisked them together until they are clumpy, begin to use your hands to knead the ingredients until they have formed a messy, loose ball.

III - Let your dough rest on the counter in the bowl for 45 minutes covered with a tea towel.

IV - Complete 3 stretch and folds on your dough every 45 minutes, covering the bowl with a tea towel after each stretch and fold.

V - After the third stretch and fold, leave your dough on the counter overnight, covered with a tea towel. Your dough should roughly double in size overnight.

VI - First thing in the morning, take your dough out of the bowl and lay it on the counter. Stretch the dough gently until it is a small rectangle. Fold the dough in thirds one way and then in thirds the opposite way until you have a ball of dough.

VII - Shape your dough into a tight ball with pushes and pulls on your counter. (I do not put flour on the counter while I do these pushes and pulls.) Once you have the dough shaped, lightly sprinkle your banneton basket with flour using your wooden spatula. Using the bench scraper, place the shaped dough into your banneton basket and cover it with a fabric dough bowl cover.

VIII - Place the banneton basket in the fridge to proof for 8-36 hours.

VIIII - When you are ready to bake your bread (Sometime within 8-36 hours), preheat your oven to 450 degrees before taking the dough out of the fridge.

X - Once your oven is preheated, cut a square piece of parchment paper big enough to come up just over the sides of your dutch oven. Take your dough out of the fridge. Place the dough on the parchment paper and lightly sprinkle with flour. using your wooden spatula (This will help the designs from your bread lame show better!) Use your bread lame to score the bread to your desired design. Place the dough on the parchment paper in the dutch oven and put the lid on. Place the dutch oven in the oven.

XI - Bake covered for 22 minutes. Once your timer goes off, take the lid off of the dutch oven and bake uncovered for 30 minutes uncovered. (This timing works perfect for my oven - your oven may cook slower or faster so the timing may be a little trial and error as you learn your oven.)

XII - Take the bread out of the dutch oven with the edges of the parchment paper and place it on the counter for 30 mins to 1 hour before eating! (This is the hardest part, but so worth the wait!)

I hope you love making - and most importantly, eating - this clean chocolate sourdough bread. Enjoy!

Sincerely-

CRANBERRY ORANGE APPLE CIDER

If you are looking for a way to offer a warm drink to your guests, have beautiful rich colors on your table, AND have your home smelling like Christmas, I have the perfect, quick, and simple crockpot recipe that you need.

You will simply need a crockpot or a large pan for your Apple Cider to warm in. I hope you love it!

CRANBERRY ORANGE APPLE CIDER

PREP TIME: 5 minutes | COOK TIME: 1 hour

• 1/2-3/4 cups of fresh Cranberries

• 2 Oranges sliced

• 10-12 Cinnamon Sticks

• Fresh Apple Cider (No sugar added)

I - Pour 1 jug of Apple Cider into a crockpot.

II - Slice 2 Oranges and add on top of the Apple Cider.

III - Top with Cranberries and Cinnamon sticks.

IV - Turn your crockpot on high and leave uncovered to warm and make your home smell like Christmas!

That’s it! So easy. So simple. So beautiful. So yummy. (Feel free to spike it if that is your thing!) May you invite people in to your home with joy this Christmas season and may it feel like home to those who need a friend.

Sincerely-

CRAFTS HOMEMADE BLUEBERRY JAM (PALEO)

I grew up going blueberry picking in New England during the late summer, and I absolutely love blueberry jam. I am team chunky jam, and cannot get enough of it. One my favorite things about blueberry jam, especially when homemade, is that it is extremely versatile.

For this recipe, it would be beneficial to have a Farberware Masher to mash the blueberries (If you prefer them like that!). This is technically a meat masher, but works perfect for this jam! It will not scratch or ruin your pans either, which is a bonus.

It would also be beneficial to have canning jars ready to store your jam. These are my favorite!

Below are a few fun ways to enjoy your jam:

• Toast with grassfed butter

• Atop homemade sourdough bread

• Grassfed burger with bacon, avocado, and lettuce

• Sausage for breakfast

• Goat cheese on Simple Mills Rosemary and Sea Salt (Almond Flour) crackers

• Good Culture Cottage Cheese (Basically like dessert!)

• …and of course the ultimate classic - PBJ! (Almond Butter and Ezekiel Bread)

This recipe is made with three simple ingredients and you will never want to eat store bought jam ever again.

CRAFTS HOMEMADE BLUEBERRY JAM (PALEO)

PREP TIME: 5 minutes | COOK TIME: 30-35 minutes

• 5 cups frozen organic blueberries

• 3/4 cups of maple syrup (1 cup if you like your jam a touch sweeter)

• 2.5 tablespoons of lemon juice

I - Add blueberries, lemon juice, and maple syrup to a pot.

II - Cook on medium high for 25 minutes, stirring occasionally with a spatula. (Please beware that as the jam boils, it may bubble up and splash on your hand or clothes. It will be VERY hot and could burn you.)

III - Reduce to medium heat for the last 5-10 minutes. It is a personal preference to mash the blueberries. I love to keep them whole. To mash the blueberries, simply use your Farberware Masher to make your jam smooth.

IV - Timing can vary with how long this cooks and when it is done. You can tell it is done when it starts to get thickens and the bubbles make a louder noise. This is when it has turned from a liquid to a thicker gelatin. This may take some time to master how long it takes on your stove.

V - Remove from the heat. Let cool and thicken for 10 minutes.

VI - Pour the jam into canning jars. Refrigerate and enjoy.

I hope life is a little sweeter as you make your own blueberry jam.

Sweet blessings,

Ash

DIY LAUNDRY ROOM MAKEOVER

Laundry rooms are special, because they are daily, mundane places. And it is in those places where we most often meet Jesus. This quote by Elisabeth Elliot inspired my entire laundry room, and is a sweet reminder that we are called to simply be faithful - right where we are - even in the laundry rooms.

“This job has been given to me to do. Therefore, it is a gift. Therefore, it is a privilege. Therefore, it is an offering I may make to God. Therefore, it is to be done gladly, if it is done for Him. Here, not somewhere else, I may learn God’s way. In this job, not in some other, God looks for faithfulness.”

— Elisabeth Elliot

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THE BEFORE AND THE PLANNING

Wow. The only place to go is up from here. I am so thankful for a laundry room, but my aesthetic heart was hurting looking at this space. Not only that, but it was so impractical and the whole space was so underutilized in regards to storage, organization, and function of doing laundry in this space.

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WHAT WAS IMPORTANT TO ME?

When designing this laundry room, there were a few things that were important to me:

1. Drawer Storage: The built-ins had to have pull out storage. We don’t have great storage options in our home, so anywhere that functional storage meets beauty, I celebrate.

2. Place to Hang Dry Clothes: I hang dry so many of our clothes, and since we have a second floor washer and dryer, I did not want to have to go up and down to hang clothes for them to hang dry.

3. Deep Ledge above Washer and Dryer: It had to have a ledge deep enough for me to apply treatment to clothes, or do some light folding.

4. Keep the Natural Light: It had to keep the beautiful natural light that we have. There is a very short and wide window that allows me to work in the day without turning the light on. I did not want to lose that.

5. Cover the Washer Cords: The solution had to cover the washer cords that were exposed above the washer. This was the Achilles heel of the built-ins design process.

6. Access to the Water Shut Off for the Washer: The built in solution HAD to have access to the water shut off and washer plug-in in the event there was a leak. This made the design tricky, but led to a really fun ‘faux drawer’ in the built in. But you would never know. ;)

I drew up the quick vision in my head, and I sent it over to my dad. He is a world class New England carpenter, and loves to serve by using his hands. He said ‘I can do that - but only for my girl!’. (Daddy’s and daughters are a special thing.)

The week before we were planning to start on this mini DIY and remodel, our washer and dryer completely broke. They came with the house when we bought it, and turns, out they were way older than we thought.

There were three things that were important to us when looking for a new washer and dryer:

1. Front Loader: It had to be a front loader so that I could place a shelf over the top of the washer and dryer. We have a small narrow laundry room, and I wanted that above space.

2. Washer Self Dry Feature: It is very, very common for front loaders to have mold grow in the front lip because it never dries. That is what was happening to our old one.

3. Lock Feature: I have a very curious 2.5 year old who loves to help with laundry, but also, loves to push all the buttons on the washer and dryer. I needed a way to be able to lock the buttons so she could not turn them off mid-cycle.

The washer and dryer set we found hit all of those must haves, and we absolutely love it! It is by GE, and visually, it is beautiful. I chose the matte nickel finish and it almost looks like a dark tan color. It does have a clean white option, and that would be stunning as well for a different vibe.

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HOLD YOUR DESIGN LOOSELY

If you are in the middle of doing a home remodel, especially if it is DIY, always remember to hold your initial design and plan loosely! It was one thing to draw out my vision, but then when we actually tried to add the shelf right under the window, it caused two main problems:

1. It blocked SO much of the natural light - I did not expect that. It was an immediate no go for that reason.

2. Functionally though, I forgot to account for the height of the rod, and the height of the hangers, and it simply was not going to be functional to hang clothes once we saw it there.

So we scratched that plan all together! And honestly, it turned out better than my initial vision. So hold your plan loosely, and watch it turn out better than you thought it would.

In a perfect world, we would have redone the floors, added bead board and wallpaper, and put in a new light fixture. But when we realized we needed a new washer and dryer all together, that plan changed. We decided to pour that money into more functional appliances! I hope to add a new light fixture at a later time (I would like one on a dimmer for late night laundry) and paint/spruce up the inside of our linen closet. This was our solution for hanging clothes and it has worked out perfectly. Don’t let not doing everything perfectly stop you from doing something.

If you can’t do everything, choose the things that will make the biggest bang for your buck, and break it up in buckets! This is not our longterm home, so we were ok to not go above and beyond, but still maximize the right things. This update will be a HUGE selling point for home buyers in the future.

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BUILT IN PROCESS

Below you will see the process of how the built-ins were designed, especially around that plug in and the water shut off. All the drawers slide out, even the faux one. You can also see where he tried to put the wood under the window to see how the shelf would work. As you know already, it didn’t! But at least we tried.

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PAINT SAMPLES AND FINAL COLORS

Paint is so hard. It is hard because it looks different in every home and every room. It can vary based on the colors you have in the room, the lighting, and the accents you choose. There are a few things I always do when choosing paint colors:

1. Multiple Swatches: Always get multiple swatches and place them in the room you want to paint. I have started with as many as 30 swatches to as little as 2. But it is usually around 10-15 that I tape on the wall.

2. Day vs Night Lighting: Look at the swatches in both day and night lighting. You may love one color in day and hate it at night. That will not be a winner. As I rule a color out, I will simply take the swatch off the wall to eliminate them.

3. Paint on the Walls: Once I narrow it down to 2-4 options, I will buy paint samples and place the samples on the wall. It is best to use a roller instead of a brush. Learn from my mistakes!

4. Paint on a Piece of Wood for Non-Wall Colors: For the built-ins, I took a cheap piece of wood from Lowes and painted the four samples on the wood. I then placed the wood along the built in so I could see how it would look in the place that it would actually be in the room. This was very helpful to come to my final decision!

Below are the paint colors we went with:

• Wall Color | Storm’s Coming

• Built-in Color | Classic Bronze

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THE BIG REVEAL!

Everything that I sourced, I linked below on the rolling bar. I also linked each item at the very end of this post.

May you never forget that home spaces are meant to be lived in. I believe beauty and functionality can intersect, with laundry overflowing and cold cups of coffee all around the home. This is the everyday beautiful mundane. May you be inspired today to make your home a place you love living, one small change at a time.

WASHER and DRYER

ORIGINAL CALLIGRAPHY ART | You can also order your own custom piece from my shop here!

RUG

WALL HANGERS

CABINET KNOBS

VASE

WICKER BASKET

RUG TAPE

WOODEN FRAME (SMALL)

WOODEN FRAME (LARGE)

DETERGENT POD GLASS JAR

DRYER BALLS

DETERGENT PODS (LESS TOXIC - NOT PERFECT)

WOODEN HANGERS

FELT HANGERS

MEADOW ART PRINT

BRASS LINT JAR | I sourced this at a local antique shop. I do not have a link.

BRASS VASE | I sourced this at a local antique shop. I do not have a link.

ANTIQUE FRAME | This was gifted to me by a friend and was sourced at an antique shop.

BOOKS | I sourced all of them at a local antique shop.

FLORALS | Sourced from Hobby Lobby.

Sincerely-

HOMEMADE SALT DOUGH ORNAMENTS

There is nothing sweeter than homemade ornaments on your tree at Christmas. We are team special ornaments all the way!

Every year for my girls first Christmases, I have made handprint and footprint salt dough ornaments. I was really intimated by them at first, but they are surprisingly easy, and so special. This year, we made some fun picture frame salt dough ornaments for Ever to gift to her friends, and she even painted one so we can remember her little artwork by!

Here are the items you will need to make your own:

• Flour

• Water

• Salt (I used Pink Himalayan salt for that touch of blush for the girls!)

• Something to press into the dough to cut out shapes (I used the lid of an Almond butter jar - you don’t have to be fancy. You can get creative with items in your kitchen)

• A sturdy straw to press a hole into the ornaments (These ones are similar to what I use)

• Ribbon (This one is my favorite)

• Wax Paper

• Baking Sheet or Pampered Chef Stone

• Cooling Racks (These are similar to ours)

• Poly Spray (This is the one we used)

• Rolling Pin (This is the one we have an love)

• Hot glue gun (If you want to make the picture frame ones!)

HOMEMADE SALT DOUGH ORNAMENTS

Prep: 5 mins | COOK TIME: 2-2.5 hours

• 2 cups of flour

• 1 cup of salt

• 1 cup warm water

I - Mix all 3 ingredients into a bowl or a kitchen aid mixer bowl. Mix throughly.

II - Take salt dough in hands and knead it until it is soft.

III - Place salt dough on wax paper on a table. Use rolling pin to flatten the salt dough.

IV - Cut out your desired shapes! If you are doing handprints and footprints, grab your little one and have your spouse or friend help you press down. You will want to make the imprint deeper than you think so that it stays after you heat them. *Make sure to use to straw to press a hole into the cut out to make sure you have a way to hang them!

V - Place cut outs on a Pampered Chef Stone or your baking sheet. Cook for 2-2.5 hours @ 225 degrees.

VI - Place cut outs on cooling rack and let sit overnight. From here, you can paint them, add photos, hot glue multiples together, or so much more.

VII - Bring cut outs outside and lay on wax paper. Spray them with the poly spray and let them dry for 45 minutes. Turn them over, and repeat.

VIII - Add your ribbon or string! Then, you are ready to hang them on the tree of gift them!

I hope you enjoy making these as much as we have every year for our girls first Christmases. I have a feeling these will be keepsakes for your tree for a very long time.

Sincerely-

Ash

ELEANOR SAGE’S NURSERY

My husband and I moved into our new home in December 2021 as I was 3 months pregnant. After we got everything unpacked, and the house in somewhat of an order, it was time to start working on our second daughter’s nursery.

My hope in each room I design in our home is that it would be beautiful, functional, and life giving. We hope to have a peaceful home when people enter, and I believe how you design your home matters to achieve this.

My vision was to bring in antique pieces for some added character in this newer home, incorporate round corners and edges to tie shapes together, and bring dainty, feminine, earthy colors (mauve, sage, and cream/white with warm woods) that would make this space a place I loved spending time in with our Ellie girl.

For the antique frames, I had two pieces that I wanted to showcase:

1. Calligraphy Keepsake: I calligraphed the song ‘Give Me Jesus’ by All Sons and Daughters for above her crib. Joshua and I worshipped to this song at our wedding ceremony, so it holds very special meaning. (P.s. You can purchase your own calligraphy keepsake HERE!)

2. Watercolor Portrait: My dear friend, Dianuh Aerin, gifted a watercolor keepsake to me at my baby sprinkle. It was inspired by a photo from our maternity session with Kelsey Wilson, and it was such a special gift. I never want to forget the days of Eleanor’s life when I carried her in my womb.

This was the first room I designed from blank walls to full reveal in our new home, and I have to say, it just might be my favorite room in the house! I hope you feel inspired and find some practical things to help bring your home to life.

Kelsey captured our first few days as a family in her sweet nursery, and I will cherish these moments forever. Babies don’t keep.

SHOP ALL ITEMS BELOW

NURSERY ITEMS

• Crib

• Swivel Rocking Chair and Ottoman

• Dresser

• Nightstand

• Lamp (Dimmer on switch!)

• Rug

• Mirror

• Velvet Black Out Curtains

• Large Wicker Basket (Under Nightstand)

• Small Wicker Basket (Dresser)

• Sheets (Muslin material)

• Changing Pad (Keekaroo)

• Sound Machines

• Diaper Pail

• Crib Skirt

• Bunny Stuffed Animal

CLOTHING

• Sage Green Dress

• Eleanor’s Floral Romper

• Everly’s Striped Dress

• Everly’s Bows

• Eleanor’s Mauve Ruffle Bum Footie

Sweet blessings,

ELEANOR'S HOME BIRTH STORY

Eleanor Sage Craft is here and she is perfect! And her birth was more than I could have asked for.

After going through birth for the first time with Everly, I knew I wanted a different experience with Eleanor than I got with a hospital delivery. I planned to have an unmedicated birth with Everly, but the cascade of interventions is real, and I ended up with an epidural. I also wanted to be able to have more voice in my birth than I was given in the hospital, as well as more freedom to labor how my body would tell me I needed to labor.

We did have an initial first ultrasound for Eleanor with our OB that delivered Everly, but with this pregnancy being after the heat of covid, we had some differences with how to have a safe pregnancy in these covid times, and I was not comfortable with the fear and guilting tactics used to try to get me to do things I did not want to do while pregnant. We walked out of that office after that first ultrasound and immediately made our appointment with Haven Birth here in Franklin, TN. They are a midwifery practice with an amazing team of Certified Nurse Midwives (CNM’s). I was 100% ready to commit to a homebirth, but Josh needed some questions answers on safety and what this would actually look like. If he was not 100% on board after the consult with Haven, we would proceed forward with a birthing center. But, from that very first consult we had with Lauren Drees, we knew that a home birth was the right option for us, and that this team would be the ones who would help us welcome Eleanor into the world with confidence, peace, and holistic wisdom.

Everything was on track for me to carry 40 weeks+ until Eleanor was ready to come on her own, but at our 38 week appointment, some concerns were voiced and things moved quickly from there. On Thursday, 6/23, they did the routine check of my fundal height (measurement of pubic bone to the top of the uterus in centimeters). I had been at fundal height 34 cm for 4 weeks, now 5, without any growth (Your fundal height should match the amount of weeks your are pregnant, and they don’t like to see you 2 cm above or below that height.) At this point, I was now 4-5 cm behind the ideal fundal height for growth. I carry very small pregnant, but this was very different from my pregnancy with Ever, as she always measured right on track with her fundal height.

Our midwife team was pretty concerned, so they sent me for a same-day (Thursday, 6/23) Biophysical Profile Ultrasound (BPP). This first BPP showed that Eleanor was measuring around the thirteenth percentile, but her abdomen was measuring around three percentile, which would technically qualify her for Intrauterine Growth Restriction (IUGR). Before they took any further action, they wanted to do monitoring of her movement with them at Haven ASAP, and another BPP. She passed her monitoring on Monday, 6/27, with flying colors. At her second BPP, though, on Tuesday, 6/28 at 8 am, they measured her around the twelfth percentile, but her abdomen was still measuring in the three percentile range, and her head was measuring in the one percentile range. We didn’t know what this would be mean, but we were still very concerned.

We waited for our midwife to call us back that afternoon, and it was a long few hours waiting. After Haven got the results of our BPP and they were able to consult with their partnering hospital doctor, they finally had facts and a few plans of action for us. Praise the Lord! They had officially determined that she was IUGR, and that the best thing for Eleanor was to be outside my womb as soon as possible so she could grow without restriction. Their overarching strong recommendation was to induce early and not let me go past 40 weeks. They talked Joshua and I through the two options to induce early:

1. Induce at their partner hospital and deliver in a hospital. This would be WAY outside of our plan for Eleanor’s birth, but we were thankful for this option. They would have been there every step of the way had we chose this option.

2. Start the process of natural induction on Thursday, 6/30 at our 38w6d appointment, and move forward with our planned home birth. (The way we would naturally work to induce labor would be to do a membrane sweep at my appointment, and then drink the ‘Midwives Brew’ with Castor Oil in the afternoon - 4 TBSP castor oil, 4 TBSP nut butter, 1 cup of apricot, pineapple, or orange juice, optional I cup of champagne, or sparkling cider.)

After having all the facts presented to us and praying through it together, we decided to continue forward with option 2, the natural induction process and our planned home birth. Our midwife team was so supportive of either decision and we are extremely grateful for their wisdom and guidance through an unexpected and scary decision. We never once felt pressured in either direction and we had their full support no matter what we chose.

I share all of that backstory because Thursday, 6/30 started off as just a normal day, and it ended with our great reward, Eleanor Sage Craft, being born in our home.

THURSDAY, JUNE 30th

8:30 am - Went to brunch for our 6th wedding anniversary (Our anniversary is July 2nd, and we did not know if we would make it to that date to celebrate on our actual anniversary.)

9:30 am - Went to Honest Coffee for coffee and walking around the Factory. We did this on Everly’s due date and it was fun to recreate this new tradition.

10:30 am - Membrane sweep at Haven Birth. I was 2 cm dilated and 75% effaced.

11:30 am - Grocery shopping and flower shopping with Joshua in case I went into labor. We wanted to have a full fridge since we would be home, especially for Everly. (Also, every woman should have flowers for her anniversary and birth!)

1:00 pm - Drank Castor Oil on an empty stomach. (Newsflash, it wasn’t AS bad as I thought it would be, but gosh it made me feel awful REAL fast.)

1:30 pm - Laid down to nap as I started to feel horrible.

2:15 pm - Josh brought me a Panera sandwich because I needed food. I had not eaten since 8:30 am and needed something to absorb all the sugar I had just drank in the Midwives Brew.

5:30 pm - Dance party on the front porch with Joshua and Everly. That will forever be one of the sweetest last memories with just us three. It was the first thunderstorm in over a month, and we did not waste that precious time with her.

6:30 pm - Went on our last walk as a family of three around our neighborhood. My contractions started as soon as we hit the top of our street, and they felt like they were 2-3 minutes apart. I was going to wait to time them until we got home.

7:00 pm - I laid on the couch with Everly while I timed contractions. She just held my hand while she watched Luca. After 30 minutes of timing them, they were officially 2-3 minutes apart. I honestly did not believe the timer because those contractions came on so quick and so intensely.

*At this point, we knew I was in labor, but with everything going on (putting Ever down, timing contractions, focusing intensely on labor and my contractions, Josh getting our bedroom set up, and then the team arriving, we did not even have time to let anyone, not even our parents, know that I was in labor. This was not our plan, as we had a whole list of people to text when I went into labor. We did not get to tell anyone until early the next morning while we were lying in bed with Eleanor. We so wish we could have let people know to be praying, but we already had an army of people praying around us for Eleanor since there were some concerns for her, as shared above. We felt every single one of those prayers during the labor though.

7:30 pm - Helped Josh lay down Everly in between contractions. I could barely make it up the stairs, but I got my last snuggles in with Everly before she became a big sister.

7:47 pm - Called my midwife, Dawn. She could hear it in my voice that things were serious and sped over. She lives right down the street from us, so she was able to get here pretty quickly. She suggested I start laboring in our bath tub while Josh got our bedroom, our bed, the birth tub, and the hose to fill the tub all set up. (Josh is a project manager, and he had an entire folder of to-do’s for how to set up our bedroom for the home birth - it was super cute. But this actually was so helpful for him since everything was moving so fast to have a checklist to get everything done for me to deliver at home.) As I got into our tub, I had this overwhelming desire to add the song ‘Oceans’ to my birth playlist that only had 15-20 songs on it. A dear friend gave me an affirmation to speak over my heart during contractions. “This is just a wave. He won’t let you go under.” I spoke that, alongside “Keep your shoulders down” and “Breathe her down” and “Jesus” over and and over again when I thought I couldn’t continue laboring. Little did I know, I would meet my daughter while ‘Oceans’ played just a short hour later. I would nurse her skin to skin for the first time to ‘Knowing You’ by Steffany Gretzinger.

7:50 pm - Started laboring in our tub.

8:10 pm - Dawn, our midwife, arrives. She first listened to Eleanor’s heartbeat, and it 155 and strong. She checked my progress, and I was already 6 cm and 100% effaced. She began talking me through contractions with encouragement and affirmations, as they were growing in strength and intensity, very quickly. Dan and Josh thought it would be best for me to get some electrolytes in me. He brought me over a cup of LMNT Raspberry Electrolyte drink to continue to get fluids outside of water. I took one sip, Dawn asked me a question, and I couldn’t even answer because I immediately felt like I had to throw up. I threw up twice and felt instantly better after that.

8:40 pm - Lauren, my second midwife, arrives.

8:45 pm - At this point, I felt what every birth video said I would feel - I felt like I needed to poop. I asked for privacy to use the bathroom, but of course, I did not need to. When that happened though, I knew I was so close to meeting Eleanor. I got back in our tub, and during the first contraction, I felt this overwhelming urge to push. I told them I wanted to have one more contraction in our tub before walking to the birth tub. The last contraction in this tub I remember vividly saying ‘I can’t do this’ and then right after that said ‘No, I can do this’. This was one of the most intense mental experiences of my life.

8:55 pm - Josh finished filling up the birth tub with water RIGHT before I needed to get in. Our nurse, Lia, also arrived right as I was getting into the tub. My team helped me move from our tub in our bathroom, to the birthing tub. As soon as I got in the birth tub, I felt a ‘pop’ in the water. I told Dawn and Lauren this, and they said that my water had just broken. I pushed once after my water broke, and Dawn felt Eleanor’s head. I pushed a second time and could literally feel her head come first and then her shoulders all in the same push. It was the hardest most amazing moment of my life. It was also incredible to feel everything that was happening, as I was not able to experience that with Everly. I have never been more in tune with my body and what was happening.

9:00 pm - I was holding Eleanor Sage. Her birthdate: June 30th, 2022 born at 9:00 pm. It happened so fast that I had a hard time processing that she was actually here. Josh was crying from seeing the pain I was in from laboring and meeting his second daughter all in the same moment. 

9:10pm - Moved to the bed where I was skin to skin with Eleanor for hours. Josh wanted to be really involved in the whole process. While he did not get to catch Eleanor (The position I was in was too hard for him to catch her, so Dawn caught her.), he was able to cut the cord when it stopped pulsating, measured her length with Dawn, and weighed her. Our team allowed all of Eleanor’s vernix (a protective coating that forms on baby's skin in utero. It is a thick, greasy substance made of water, fatty acids, and proteins, and it creates a moisturizing barrier for your baby's skin.) to stay on her skin and they did not require that we wash it off in a bath right away. This was totally different than a hospital birth where they clean it off right away.

FRIDAY, JULY 1st

1:00 am - Our birth team was at our house until well after midnight finishing up paperwork, getting me all taken care of with postpartum things, and cleaning up our bedroom from the birth. They drained the tub, did all the laundry for us, stripped our bed, pulled up the floor mats taped to the floor, took down the hose from the shower head, and left our home feeling like nothing ever happened. It was truly a weird and wonderful experience to just be home after such a huge life change. Joshua and I were up until 2:00 am just spending time with Eleanor and soaking her in before she met her sister in the morning.

7:19 am - Everly met Eleanor! Ever and Nora - the future best of friends. When we first brought Eleanor in to meet Everly, she started saying ‘No, no, no, no’ over and over. She finally warmed up to her sister and gave her kisses on her head. She still did not really understand what was happening since she is still so little, but she knew she loved her little sister and gave her dad the sweetest smile while he held Eleanor. This morning is etched into my heart forever.

This birth will forever be one of the top moments of my entire life. I am still not over how amazing the woman’s body is, how wonderful the Haven Birth team was, and how strong and supportive my husband was through this whole process. Praise God for a healthy mama and baby Eleanor!

We still cannot believe that we have two daughters. We are eternally grateful to get to steward their little lives together.

Sweet blessings,

TOP BABY PRODUCTS (0-6 MONTHS)

Photo by: Leah Hardcastle featuring Noell Jane bow and Amazon romper

If you are a new momma coming here for tips, I am cheering you on! First time motherhood can be summed up by research ALL THE TIME as you are trying to figure out what the best products are, where to find them, how you want to raise your child, what do you really need, wondering how you will pursue your spouse in this new season, preparing for post partum life/healing, and all the in between. I was right there in your shoes 7 months ago! I wish I had a list like this from a trusted friend that could give me a starting point of the top baby products/resources that I would actually use…and love!

I have bucketed this list into three categories to make it a little easier to digest:

1. Post Partum Healing

2. Breastfeeding

3. All Things Baby

I hope this takes some of the guess work out of new motherhood for you on the practical resources side of things, and that you find these products/tools/tips helpful!

DISCLAIMER: Joshua and I are very low-tech when it comes to baby products, so if you are looking for the geekiest tech products for little one, you will not find that here. However, if simple, beautiful, high quality, and practical are your thing, you came to the right place! Last, I am not a medical professional, nor do I have any licensure to teach anything on post-partum healing, breastfeeding, medicine for babies, sleep training, or raising a grown adult. This is me simply sharing resources because I get the question all the time from new mommas of ‘What are your facvorite products?’

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POST PARTUM HEALING

I did not have c-section, so these tips will not be helpful if you had a c-section. Let’s start off getting real…REAL quick.

1. POSTPARTUM CART (For your bathroom): I set this cart up before my daughter was born so that I was prepared for all the care that I would need. This makes it really easy and keeps your bathroom from exploding full of post partum things. I put everything that is listed below in this cart.

2. PERI BOTTLE: I wish I brought this to the hospital, but it is a must have item. It is not needed for a C-section.

3. DEPENDS: I brought a few of these to the hospital to leave the hospital in, and I am so glad I did. The mesh stuff is for the birds. (IMO) You can actually wear real clothes with these and they make you feel a little human again.

4. NURSING PADS: I personally loved these nursing pads to keep from leaking. They are comfortable, disposable, and make caring for your breasts easy to keep things clean and fresh after feeding. They hold alot and I did not have any leak issues even through the night.

5. DERMAPLAST: This will help numb the pain a little. You will want a few of these ready at home.

6. COLACE or MAGSOOTHE: This will help your stool soften for those first bathroom trips post partum. (Colace/Magsoothe)

7. WITCH HAZEL FOAM: Witch Hazel helps to tighten skin and reduce inflammation. This was all time favorite post partum healing product. These Tucks Witch Hazel Cooling Pads are also wonderful!

8. EPSOM SALT: I loved this Epsom Salt for baths to help heal and help my body relax. I highly recommend these.

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BREASTFEEDING

I have grown a new passion for cheering on and encouraging other mommas in their breastfeeding journeys. It is hard work, but I truly believe the right tools can make a huge difference in making this hard thing a little easier…and full of more joy! Breastfeeding and pumping can be a lonely and isolating thing…but it does not have to be. I hope you feel less alone, and seen, with these tips to help you through!

1. IDAHO JONES PUMPING PRODUCTS: This is what I use for work, and it makes it really simple.

   1. Ellerby Pump Bag: This one fits your cooler, spectra pump, laptop, wet bag, medela wipes, and snacks. It doesn’t look like a pump bag either, which helps when going back to work.

   2. Wet Bag: One of my favorite parts of this set up. The wet bag is game changing.

   3. Roxwell Cooler: This is really nice if there is not a fridge around, but you are on the go.

   4. Ice packs: The cooler is pretty small, so the ice packs that fit this are worth it. I got 4, and they fit really well with two bottles.

2. SPECTRA (BATTERY CHARGED): For our next child, I would love to try the Elvie or Willow pump, but the battery charged Spectra worked great for where we are now. You can also purchase the wall plug in Spectra! *Some insurance covers breast pumps. Make sure you check with your insurance company before purchasing.

3. KINDRED BRAVELY HANDS FREE PUMPING BRAS: I purchased these when I went back to work (4.5 months), and I have no idea why I waited so long. Do yourself a favor and get 3 of these. One for wearing, one for washing, and one clean. I keep one in my pump bag for work just in case! They are the only pump bras that actually allow you to be hands free pumping. (Or you can purchase individually here: Pink, Tan, or Black)

4. MEDELA WIPES: I put these in my pump bag for work, and they make cleaning parts so easy on the fly.

5. COTTON ROBES: Spit up doesnt roll off a cotton robe like a silk one.

6. LACTATION COOKIE RECIPE (CLEAN - ALMOST PALEO): I started to pump to up my supply and add in lactation cookies around 7 weeks. That was when I noticed a drop. Since we are paleo, we homemake ours, and they are still not quite paleo, but much higher quality than the boxed ones. They truly make a difference for me, and I basically eat them as my breakfast.

7. LOOSE TSHIRTS: I wore these pregnant as well. They are very oversized and look great tucked after pregnancy. There is also a scoop neck version that I love!

8. MY BREAST FRIEND: Another one of my all time favorite nursing products. It has great back support, has a spot to hold things, and you can stand up and move around easily while your baby is little with this. You could never do that with a boppy. I would never use a boppy for breast feeding after using this. However, the boppy is great for baby sitting up or laying down, just not as practical for breastfeeding in my opinion.

9. TAKING CARA BABIES - BREASTFEEDING TIPS FROM A SUBWAY SANDWICH: There has never been a more accurate video on the internet than this gem full of gold. If you are breastfeeding, this is so good and so helpful. She also has great tips and tricks on time change, diapering, sleep, and more.

10. NURSING PADS: These work so well, especially for the first few months of nursing, to not have leaking happen through your bra. :)

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ALL THINGS BABY

This list is random and ranges from toys to diapering to safety! There is SO much out there, so I hope this list helps you make a decision on products in a time where you can feel like decision fatigue is plaguing you.

1. BURP CLOTHS: The muslin material is so good at catching spit up from dripping off. I would never get any other type of burp cloth. I got a few buts bees brand, and the spit up just rolls right off. Stick with muslin material. White is classic anyways.

   1. Thinner: I like putting these ones in my pump bag as well to help dry off my pumping parts, but use them for spit up all the time. You can never have enough.

   2. Thicker: These fit perfect on you shoulder for burping.

2. SOFT BOOKS: Everly absolutely loves her soft books and the crinkle pages. I highly recommend these.

   1. Peter Rabbit: Favorite!

   2. Hungry Hungry Caterpillar: I wish we had gotten this one instead of another one we got.

   3. Guess How Much I Love You: Favorite!

3. KEEKAROO: I will never not love the Keekaroo. One of my all time favorite baby products. Saves time, laundry, messes. It is amazing.

4. AVENT BOTTLE PRODUCTS:

   1. Bottle Sanitizer: We use this every night to sanitize the plastic bottles and the caps. It is very low-tech.

   2. Bottle Warmer: We are super low tech. This works perfect if you are similar in that regard!

   3. Glass Bottles: I love using glass bottles (8 oz) as they heat up faster and these are my favorite to pump into because of how tall they are. We can only use them at home though because daycare requires plastic.

   4. Plastic Bottles: We only purchased these because daycare requires plastic bottles.

   5. Sippy Cup: This is a great transition sippy cup from Avent Bottles, and can use the Avent nipples as well as the sippy cup nipple.

5. BOOGIE SPRAY: This stuff truly is magic when used with the Frida Baby Snot Sucker.

6. FAWN DESIGN PRODUCTS:

   1. Diaper Bag: We use this one for daycare drop off. It is very durable and the material is so easy to wipe down. I dont worry about daycare workers ‘ruining’ it. We have this in gray.

   2. Weekender Bag: We have traveled alot with Ever, and this hold every thing she needs for trips. It makes it really easy to pack for her.

   3. Stroller Straps: If you want to hang your diaper bag from your stroller, these are perfect.

7. LULI BEBE DIAPER BAG: This is my everyday diaper bag that is more stylish and feels like ‘me’. I absolutely LOVE the size. It holds so much, and the material on the inside makes it really easy to pull things in and out of. Very different from the Fawn Design diaper bag, and I love that they are different.

8. FRIDA BABY NOSE SUCKER: I promise, you will get over how gross this is.

9. GRIPE WATER: I gave this to Ever at 3 AM on her first night home, and it was FINALLY the thing that helped her sleep that first night. This stuff is magic.

10. FIRDA BABY MEDICINE DISPENSER: This works amazing for gripe water (mainly what we use it for) and giving any medicine to your baby.

11. MERLIN SLEEP SUIT: We moved Everly to this around 12 weeks and she loved it. She had a bad startle reflex, so it was perfect for her.

12. MOMS ON CALL: We used this book to help navigate sleep schedules, sleep training, and food schedules. I would highly recommend getting all three for the different ages, And if you have a newborn and toddler, there is a schedule for both!

    1. 0-6 months

    2. 6-15 months

    3. 15 months-4 years

13. EXERSAUCER: There were two options on Amazon that were very similar. One has more options you can change out at different ages. You cannot go wrong with either. This was the one I got for Everly that includes the chairs for when it turns into a table. This is the one without the chairs.

14. ERGO BABY OMNI 360/NEWBORN CARRIER: I love everything about this product. I have taken Everly on long hikes in this, do housework with it, carry her at homegroup in this, grocery shop in this, go for walks in this, and all the in between. It is one of my favorite baby purchase. It is extremely comfortable for momma and Everly sleeps super well in it. I could not recommend this enough. Worth every penny. Comes with a pouch that attaches and fit my phone, chapstick, a paci, and an extra burp cloth. This is the newborn one that is amazing for the early days. I love that it is so secure.

15. GOUMI SLEEPER: I only had one of these sleepers, but wish I got more. The sweet spot is newborn or 0-3 months, as they are typically still swaddled for naps/night time sleep.

16. OLLIE SWADDLE: I have no words for this product because it is amazing and Everly slept so well in it. We wish we had two, but never pulled the trigger. She slept in this until about 12 weeks, when she transitioned to the Merlin Sleep Suit.

17. BUMBO: We still use this to feed her on the floor while she is doing purees.

18. NOELL JANE BOWS: They have my favorite bows, the school girl bow. Bows make great stocking stuffers, easter basket ideas, and fun purchases for baby girls.

19. UPPA BABY STROLLER VISTA V2: We absolutely love this stroller, and we use it almost everyday for walks. Everly loved the bassinet for for the first 3-4 months or so. We have the Jordan color, but they just came out with the Declan color, and had that been out when we were purchasing, we would have gone with that one. The mockingbird stroller is a great option if you are looking for something a little less expensive. We got the Uppa Baby car seat as well.

20. PACIS: They make the best little noises when they paci. These are the only ones we bought, and we had no issues with Ever liking them because it was all she knew.

21. PACI CLIP: These are really dainty, and not too bulky. The bubbles are a really soft silicon, so great for teething as well.

22. BIBS:

    1. Muslin Bandana Bibs: These ones catch spit up so well and look really cute.

    2. Muslin Triangle Bibs: Another great option in the muslin material.

    3. Cotton Triangle Bibs: These ones are lightweight and really cute. I put Ever in these with dressier outfits at church or on hot days.

    4. Mushie Silicon Bibs: These are amazing when you introduce food. We used them on road trips as well to minimize the mess in a car. So easy to clean and really comfortable.

23. BUBBLE ROMPERS (for little girls): Amazon has amazing prices on bubble rompers. I wish I could shop local more, but the prices are really hard to beat on Amazon, and babies just grow so fast!

24. SOUND MACHINES: Simple, cheap, plug in and battery options. We got three: two for her nursery, and one to leave at daycare. We love the battery powered option, as we used these on road trips to help ‘recreate’ her nursery while we were driving.

25. MONITOR: This one is easy, has. good range, and it really low tech. Comes with two monitors, and we have had zeros issues with it.

26. SNUGGLE ME ORGANIC: We loved this product to set Everly down in, and she used it early on when she was doing tummy time. We got the dark birch color, and then purchased two covers (Gumdrop and Natural colors) to help protect the inside long term for other kids. If she spit up on it, it was no big deal, as we could wash the cover.

27. KYTE BABY SLEEP SACK: We purchased this for Everly to transition out of her Merlin Sleep Suit. She has been using a hand me down Nested Bean in the meantime, but I want a simple sleep sack for her, and Kyte Baby is AH-MAZE-ING. We purchased the Cloud and Oat colors, and we will probably get the Cocoa color for daycare. The quality is incredible, and they are beyond soft. There is a ton of room for her to grow length wise in them as well. We are so pleased. I would have skipped the nested bean altogether, but since we move at the speed of cash, we used the hand me down nested bean while we waited for the next months budget. ;)

28. FRIDA BABY THERMOMETER: This was easy to use and has a stopper so you don’t go in too far accidentally. Worked great! We really wanted this one, but we were in the heat of 2020 thermometer shortages when Ever was born, so here we are!

Photo by: Leah Hardcastle featuring the Ergo Baby carrier

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For tips on how I set up our nursery, and products that we used in our nursery, check out Everly’s nursery reveal for ALL of those details. I am biased, but her little nursery is my all time favorite space.

Sweet blessings,

EVERLY OLIVE'S NURSERY

I have never loved a home design project as much as I loved designing Everly’s nursery. When I envisioned her room, I wanted it to be a place that was classic, simple, invited in nature, and let my girl shine, not the stuff in her room. I started planning her nursery a few months before COVID, and I had everything all picked out. But by the time we were ready to purchase everything, the supply chain was completely shot. I scoured the internet for a dressers, nightstands rockers, and cribs that were actually in stock and would ship faster than 4 months, but the options were very limited. In the end, my vision for this room stayed the same, I just had to go about it with a few different pieces than expected. Isn’t that the theme of 2020? Pivot? Change? Unexpected? Different but still good? In the end, her nursery turned out better than I could have hoped for.

VISION: For her nursery items, I wanted the pieces we purchased to be able to be used in other rooms in the future, and not be nursery specific. I wanted to mix highly functional , classic, and timeless pieces into her nursery, while still being girly and pretty.

STORAGE: In her nursery, I wanted to have a lot of hidden storage to keep her room clutter free. There is storage in her dresser, her nightstand, the rocking chair ottoman, under her crib, in her closet, and hanging on the wall. This has given us plenty of space to keep all of her little baby things and make her nursery highly practical and functional.

END OF THIS POST: At the end of this post, there are some sneak peeks of our newborn photo session, (I love you Leah Hardcastle!) and Everly is truly the thing that shines in this room. You will also find links to all the items that you will see in our nursery.

I hope Ever girl’s nursery inspires you, and that you see our daughter shine in her own little space, not the material things. We have LOVED loving her in her little room designed especially for her.

Due date (August 23rd 2020) and ready to finally bring our best gal home to her room.

Our beautiful maternity photos by Leah Lou Photography

This wash basin is so special to us, because it is the basin we washed each others feet in at our wedding. We pray that Everly sees a rich, full, sacrificial, and grace filled marriage lived out in front of her. One where we die to self, and serve each other well.

Crib: Buy Buy Baby

Dresser: Wayfair

Nightstand: Wayfair

Rocker and Ottoman: Buy Buy Baby

Velvet Black Out Curtains: West Elm

Accordion Hanging Rack: Terrain

Diaper Pail: Target

Sheets: Target

Crib Skirt: Target

Lamp: Pottery Barn

Rug: Target

Dress: Altar’d State from a few years ago

Swaddle: Mushie

Bow: Noell Jane

Josh’s White Shirt: Banana Republic

Abstract Painted Canvas: Handmade by me (Materials all from Jo-Ann Fabrics)

Baby Book: Write to Me

Prayer Journal: Val Marie

Velveteen Rabbit Book: Folio Society

Strawberry Stacking Toy: Odin Parker

Wooden Stacking Rings: Odin Parker

Cream and White Striped Romper: Lincoln and Grace

Cream Diaper Bag: Luli Bebe

Keekaroo Changing Pad: Amazon/Babylist

Bear Lovey: Odin Parker

Florals: Hobby Lobby

Vase: Jo-Ann Fabrics from a few years ago

Frames: Hobby Lobby

Dresser Knobs: Hobby Lobby

Stacked Antique Books: CR-71 (Local shop in the Factory in Franklin, TN)

Photography: Leah Lou Photography

Sweet blessings-

MUST-HAVE BABY REGISTRY ITEMS!

Don’t mind the upside down ultrasound. Pregnancy brain is strong in me.

A few weeks ago, I decided to start building our registry. I immediately knew that we should get clothes, diapers, wipes, a car seat, a stroller, and…well…that was about the extent of my knowledge of what I knew to put on our registry. I was pretty frustrated and overwhelmed because I started to feel like I did not know how to provide for my baby. But one of my weaknesses is not asking for help. I like to be in control, strong, and do things on my own (Enneagram 8 problems). What I know about motherhood, though, from watching so many amazing friends become momma’s, is that it takes a tribe, and asking for help is not weakness, but WISDOM.

So, I did the best thing I could think of, and I reached out to my tribe on Instagram and Facebook to ask them this question: “Tell me your favorite, life-saving products that you wish you knew about sooner as a new mom, or that you found can CANNOT live without.”

There were comments after comments of real moms showing up to share their wisdom with me, and it was so inspiring.

WHAT THIS LIST IS

These are recommendations from REAL moms who I know. I broke down all of the recommendations by category to make it a bit more digestible. Inside each category, you might find the SAME item, but a variance of brands/companies that sell this item. I personally love having multiple options so Josh and I can research them on our own, and make the BEST informed decision for ourselves, our aesthetic, and our budget, from these recommendations for our little family. This list is simply a starting point for the overwhelmed new momma like me who just needs a place to start for some of the must-haves that we would have NEVER ever thought about…because we simply haven’t been there yet, and we just want to know! No one has time to waste money on products that aren’t even important or won’t be used.

WHAT THIS LIST IS NOT

I have never been a mom, so I have never personally used or tried any of these items. This is simply a compilation of all of the suggestions I received. I want to remind you that this list will look different for every mom. Some mommas are more minimal and will only want a few things off this list. Others are world-is-going-to-end preparers (no pun intended right now during COVID-19) and they will want every single suggestion. Let’s celebrate each mom for how they decide to raise their little, and the various resources they choose to use.

“Every mom needs an escape - not from motherhood, but the world’s definition of it.”

— ValMarie Paper Products

HEALTH

• Nosefrieda

• Lotions and Soaps the mom likes the smell of.

• Electric Baby Nail Filer (Not clippers)

• Anything made by Frieda Baby

• Tubby Todd All Over Ointment

• Gripe Water

• Gas Drops

• Burtsbees diaper cream

• Baby probiotics

• Saline

• Itzy Ritzy Teething Toys

• Calmoseptine (Diaper cream)

• Puracy Laundry Detergent for baby clothes

  • Don’t wash the clothes until you use them.

  • Every baby grows different, so if you get too many of a size of clothes, and your baby never wears them, you can return them, or re-gift them. If you wash them all beforehand, you can’t do this!

• Updated First Aid kit

• Punkin Butt Teething Oil

• Freezer Teethers

• Windi by Freida

• A freezer teething ring

• Baby brush

• Thermometer

BABY CARRIERS

• Wrap and Carriers were something used everyday for the first 6 months

• Figure out if you like a wrap or a carrier

• Konny Baby

• Solly Baby

• Wild Bird Sling

• Nesting Days Carrier

• Ring Sling

• Moby Wrap

• Ergo Baby 360 (Husband recommendation)

• Baby K'tan carrier (Husbands can wear it too)

• Baby Bjorn carrier

• Structured baby carrier

• Lille Baby Carrier, Solly Baby Carrier, and Ring Sling

  • This mom used all three for different reasons and times.

  • You might consider multiple carriers.

BREAST FEEDING/EATING/FEEDING

• Hakka Breast Pump

• Boppy Nursing Pillow

• Nursing Cover

• Baby Banana Teether

• Spectra Baby USA S1 Plus Breast Pump

• Baby Breeza (If formula feeding)

• Burp cloths (You can never have too many)

• A Good Pump:

  • Medela from insurance

  • Unimom pup

  • This momma had both

• Bibs

• Dr Browns bottles with premie nipple

• Vitamin D drops (Essential if you are breast feeding)

• Get a sleek pump if you are pumping at work with an insulated carrier

• Lightweight nursing cover (Boppy brand)

• Lightweight nursing cover (Little Miss Dessa brand)

• Breastfeeding pillow in general

• Hands free pumping bra

• Willow Pump

• My Breast Friend nursing pillow

  • Boppy pillow was a COMPLETE waste.

  • This one has lumbar support…your back will thank you for this.

• Milk savers

• Reusable breast pads

• Silicone teething toys

• Silicon bibs

• Silicon suction plates

• A high chair with NO fabric

  • This makes it way easier to clean.

  • It also looks newer longer because it is easier to clean.

• Wooden high chair

• Bottles with premie/slow flow nipple

• Bottle brush

• Lansinoh Breastfeeding products

DIAPERING

• Wipes Warmer

• Cloth Diapers

  • Mommaq Koala

  • Ava Baby

• Ubbi Steel diaper Pail

• Backpack Diaper Bags

• Book bag diaper bag

• Diaper Cady

• Get.Dyer

  • Diapers

  • Wipes

• Try doing a diaper raffle at your shower

• Wipeable Changing Noads

• Diaper Genie

• Bum Genius reusable diapers

• Baby Bumco

NURSERY

• Hatch Baby Sound Machine

• Baby Shusher

• Black out curtains for the nursery

• Hatch White noise sound machine

• Homedics Sound machine

• Mist humidifier

• Newton Mattress

  • If you have a fear about SIDS, this is a breathable mattress.

  • It also cleans so easily for accidents.

• Keekaroo Changing Pad

  • So easy to clean after diaper changes (No one has time to launder changing pad covers every day)

• Gathre changing pad for on the go

• Comfy Rocking Chair/Recliner/Glider/Swivel

• Dohm Sound Machine

• Mirror above the changing table (So baby can look at themselves while they get changed)

TRAVEL

• Two sound machines

  • One for home, One for travel.

  • This just makes packing and unpacking simpler.

• Pack-N-Play

MOMMA

• Exercise Ball

  • This Is great for the momma to sit on and bounce the baby easier

• Stock up on easy, healthy snacks for YOU as the momma

  • Don’t forget to care for YOU well.

• Ice or hot pads for breasts

  • Earth Mama Booby Tubes (Gel-Free breast packs for breastfeeding)

  • Philips Avent 2-pack Thermal Gel-Pads

• Baby Memory Book or Journal

  • Promptly journals

  • ValMarie Paper Products

• Nipple cream

SLEEP

• Snuggle Me Organic (Newborn and Lounger)

• Dock-a-tot

• Jersey Knit Swaddlers

• Owlet Care Smart Sock

  • This is expensive, but it can help give the parents peace of mind and sleep better at night.

• Halo Bassinet Swivel Sleeper

• White Noise Sound Machine (That doesn’t turn off)

• Swaddle Me Velcro Swaddles

• Lots of swaddles

• A good bassinet that pulls up to your bed

• Hushh Sound Machine

• Love to Dream Sleep Sack

• Halo sleep swaddles

• Little Miss Dessa Swaddle Blankets

• SNOO Bassinet from Happiest Baby

• Lou Lou Swaddles

• Ollie World Swaddle

• Swaddles:

  • Velcro ones

  • Wearable sack

  • Copper pearl swaddle

• Little Unicorn Official - has the cutest muslin sheets and swaddles

• Sleepsack for when they outgrow or don’t like to be swaddled anymore

• Muslin Swaddle blankets

• SwaddleMe Swaddles

• Merlins Magic Sleep suit

• Wombie sleep sack

• Happiest Baby Swaddles

• Moses blanket

• Zip pods for newborns

• Swaddle Me after they grow out of Zip Pods

TOYS/ENTERTAINMENT

• Play Gym

• Bouncer Chair

• Baby Swing

• Sit-Me-Up Chair

• Kick N Play Piano Studio

• Regular Swing

• Leachco Podster (Newborn Lounger)

• Love Very Playgym

• Gathre Play Mat

• Angel Dear Lovey

• Baby books

• Rock and Play

• MamaRoo swing

• Bouncer Seat

  • One that you can move easily from room to room.

  • You will want to move this from the kitchen while you cook, to the bathroom while you get ready, and everywhere in between.

• Swings that swing side to side

  • A lot of kids don’t like front to back ones

• Jolly jumper

• Infant lounger

• Baby Einstein toys

• Activity center for when they are 5+ months or so

RESOURCES

• Sleep Wise Consulting

• Follow Mommy.LaborNurse on Instagram

• Taking Cara Babies 0-12 week class

• Little Z Sleep

• Make/ Find a baby playlist made with lullabies and hymns

• Wonder Weeks App

  • Track growth and learn about your baby as they grow.

  • This will help you know what to expect each step of the way as you heal and your baby grows.

PACIFIERS

• Purchase JUST a few different styles/types of pacifiers before the baby is born (

  • There will be a learning curve for you in regards to what type of pacifier your baby takes well t o.

  • If you buy a bunch of one kind, and your baby doesn’t take to it, it will be a waste.

• All things Ryan and Rose

• Glow in the dark pacifiers

• Frieda Pacifier that you can give medication through

• Maam pacifiers

• Bibs USA Pacifiers

• Bib pacifier clips

• Pacifier clips

CLOTHES

• GoumiKids stay on baby bootie sleepers

  • They velcro

• Long sleeve onesies with built in gloves that pull over hands

  • If you can’t keep up with clipping their nails, they will scratch themselves bad.

• Velcro socks/booties

• GoumiKids mittens

  • They velcro

• Katie Quinn bamboo onesies

• Night gowns

  • Makes changing diapers at night super easy.

  • Do not buy sleeper clothes with buttons. They are so hard to button in the middle of the night.

  • Try to find clothes that zip up from the bottom to make changing easier, especially in the middle of the night.

• Newborn socks

STROLLERS/CAR SEATS

• Chicco Bravo Travel System

• Bob stroller with infant seat adapter

• Evenflo lightweight

• Bugaboo Chameleon 3 Stroller

• Doonausa

  • This one is just a little on the heavier side.

• City Select by Baby Jogger

  • Fits any brand pumpkin seat

  • Can have a boogie board attachment

  • Can have 2 seats

  • If you plan on having more kids soon, this is a great option.

• Maxi Cosi stroller

• Jogging Stroller

• Nuna USA Infant car seat

• Bob stroller

  • They make infant car seat adapters to make the stroller compatible.

  • If you are a runner, this Is a must!

• City Mini Stroller

• Car Seat

  • Peg Perego

• Milk Snob carseat

• Convertible carseat because infant grows out of the first super fast

BATHTIME

• Blooming Bath Lotus

• Baby Bath tub with sling for a newborn

• Baby Flower Bath Collapsible baby bath (To save space)

• Tubby Todd Bath products

If you are a new momma like me, I want to encourage you after looking at this list. The Lord knows us. And he knows that huge life changes, like having a baby for the first time or second or third time, take time to adjust to. In His goodness, he GAVE US a season of waiting and preparing for our baby; 9 months of them growing in our bellies! During that time, we have been given the space to mentally prepare, emotionally prepare, physically prepare, practically prepare, spiritually prepare, financially prepare, and all the in between prepare. He built in pregnancy to be a season for us to prepare for this new life to come into the world that you will care for.

So stop right now.

Take a deep breath as you read this list. I want to encourage you to sit with your spouse, and do research together. I highly recommend also taking the time to figure out what your budget is for what you can afford to purchase. Take time to soak in all the last moments with your husband of time with JUST the two of you. Take time to think about what you will name this child and the meaning behind that name. Take TIME in this season, because that is what this season is for. Don’t rush this season of pregnancy past, but take this season to prepare your heart, and everything in between, for this next adventure.

I have a feeling it is going to be the wildest adventure of my life, and of yours too!

I pray this must-have baby registry items list is helpful as you begin your baby registry as well!

Sincerely-

…Josh, and Baby Craft!

CREATE YOUR OWN PLASTER STYLING BOARD

Since I started my calligraphy and design business, rugs, tables, and my floor have been my go-to for styling my work on. With my new rebrand, it just wasn’t going to cut it, so I am finally coming around to bringing to life my very own styling boards. Whether you are a calligrapher, photographer, florist, essential oil seller, hair stylist, bride-to-be, or small business owner, this is the perfect way to make your work stand out with a beautiful background. The best part is: it is SIMPLE and CHEAP. The total cost for this project is under $40, depending on how many styling boards you make, and how many paint colors you choose.

MATERIALS: (You can find all the links to the materials at the end of this bog post)

I- Fabric Canvas (See what NOT to use below…please learn from my mistakes!)

II- All Purpose Joint Compound (Found at any Home Depot or Lowes)

III- Trowels (Plastic or Wooden and Metal)

IV- Drop Canvas (or plastic paint protectors)

V- Acrylic Paint (Whatever color you desire to create your styling board)

VI- Paint brushes

VII- Container for the paint to dip the brush in

VIII- Foam Painters

DIRECTIONS:

I- Pick your desired canvas size. Lay the canvas onto your drop cloth. Open the plaster, and spread it over the canvas with the trowels. Start from the middle, and work your way to the outsides.

II- Once the canvas is spread how you like it, let it dry for up to 24 hours before your paint. You will see it start to turn white when it is drying, and that is perfectly fine.

III- Choose your paint color, and pour it into your container. With your paint brush, paint the plaster until you have the desired color you are looking for. You may also use the foam painted to give the styling board more texture. Let dry for 6 hours, and then paint a second coat of paint.

IV- Start styling and making some magic!

Shop these: Trowels

Shop these: Foam Painters

Shop these: Paint Brush Set

Shop these: Fabric Canvas (20” x 20”) (I found them in a 3-pack for $30, but am not able to find them online)

Shop these: Acrylic Paints

Shop this: Joint Compound

“I always thought that the “thriving” would come when everything was perfect, and what I learned is that it’s actually down in the mess that things get good.”

— JOANNA GAINES, The Magnolia Story

Now, for those of you out there who are like me, and like to tweak things just a little to try to make them your own, or be a little different, DON’T! I love wood, and I really wanted to do these on a thin piece of wood to have mine stand out. But I SHOULD have known…because hello, I am a carpenters daughter, and I didn’t even think about how dumb this was. Once all the joint compound was applied, it made the wood really wet, and made it bow up while it was drying. Because of that bowing, it cracked the joint compound all over, and it caused it to dry that way. Once it dried fully, it did end up laying flat again, and the bow went away, but the cracks were still extremely visible and have not gone away. This is not the look I was going for at ALL, and I had to start all over again. Moral of the story: don’t be like me. Trust the process. Trust what I am sharing with you. I want you to learn from me, and do it right the first time. Consider this me giving you the gift of going second. You are welcome, friend!

Unpainted dried joint compound on wood. Please see the VERY visible cracks.

Unpainted dried joint compound on fabric canvas. Please see how perfect this is! NO cracks. NO bowing. Perfection.

Styling board with no paint, just the color of the dried joint compound. It dries a pretty light grey color on its own!

I hope this short tutorial was helpful, and that you are able to make your beautiful work shine with this textured, simple, beautiful styling board. Please enjoy some of the STUNNING final results of investing in creating your own styling board. I am ecstatic to share these with you.

Sweet blessings,

SHOP THIS BOG POST

I- Fabric Canvas

II- All Purpose Joint Compound

III- Trowels

IV- Drop Canvas

V- Acrylic Paints

VI- Paint Brushes

VII- Foam Painters

VIII- Legacy Recipe Cards

VIIII- ‘Greetings from Louisville’ Card and Envelope

X- ‘Mr. & Mrs.’ Card and Envelope

XI- ‘The Best is Today and to Come’ Card and Envelope

XI- Bespoke Wedding Vows

XII- Bespoke Calligraphy Keepsakes

DEBUNKED: DEBT AND CREDIT CARD MYTHS IN SMALL BUSINESS OWNERSHIP

Kelsey Kelley and I are coming to you from the ‘Cranberry Bog’ to share a counter cultural vision for your small creative business. Our desire in penning these words is to support creative entrepreneurs in running highly successful and profitable small businesses that give them freedom, choices, and bring them great joy to thrive. But before you hear the six debunked myths of debt and credit cards in small business, we want you to know WHY this mission is so important to each of us.

ASHLEY MARGARET CRAFT

My name is Ashley Margaret Craft, and I am the owner and calligrapher behind ‘Ashley Margaret’! I pen and preserve intentional stories through bespoke calligraphy and design.

My husband and I were 8 months into marriage when we first realized we had over $150,000 in debt: student loans (over $100,000), cars, credit cards, and medical bills. In that moment, we saw every dream we ever had disappear right before our eyes. We had chains and we were truly enslaved by our debt. But instead of being paralyzed by our situation, we DID something about it. To date, we have paid off over $115,000 since February 17, 2017, and 2019 is the year we will finally be completely DEBT FREE!

I started this creative small business as a way to hustle HARD at something I loved to bring in extra income for our debt free journey. At the time, I had no idea just how special this business would become. As we get closer to the finish line of our debt free journey, we feel the chains coming off, and we can see all of the freedoms that we will have once debt no longer has a hold on our lives.

It was a JOY to partner with Kelsey because she is living on the other side of our debt free journey, and she is FLOURISHING as she stewards well her business financially!

KELSEY KELLEY

I’m Kelsey Kelley with ‘K. Kelley Designs’!

I create custom wedding invitations and watercolor portraits for clients all over the U.S. and teach workshops in my home state of Tennessee.

This small business started out as a ‘side hustle’ to help free up our income while paying down debt and in July of 2018, we became completely DEBT FREE! Having zero debt has allowed us SO many freedoms, one of which was the easy transition of leaving my job of 8 years in the corporate world to pursue my art business full time. I am living proof that with hard work and small daily sacrifices, ANYONE can experience the countless joys and endless opportunities that running a debt free life (and business) brings.

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Consider this a ‘hers & hers’ tale as we each share our perspective on why it is so important to run a debt free and credit card free small business.

6 MYTHS DEBUNKED

I- MYTH: Small business debt is business debt. DEBUNKED: Small business debt is PERSONAL debt.

Ashley: Small business debt is signed to your name and it is personal debt. If your business went upside down tomorrow, and you signed those loans, you would owe them, and you would very quickly learn that small business debt IS personal debt. For some reason, when business is attached to debt, people feel a different distance from the debt. I want to bring that distance back closer to you, because if something happened to you tomorrow, and you could no longer work your business, what debt would you have? If your business has $50,000 of debt, that is a debt you personally owe.

Kelsey: YOU are your business. YOU are your brand! Especially as a creative small business owner. Your clients are buying from you and it’s a personal transaction. So, let’s keep that in mind in every facet of our business…From your client experience, to your website, your social media, and yes- your finances. So if you take on debt, it’s personal. 

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II- MYTH: You get credit cards points when you use a credit card. DEBUNKED: You spend more when you use a credit card. (Upwards of 20-50% more)

Ashley: McDonalds was one of the FIRST companies to accept credit cards in the fast food industry. Do you know why? Because what they found was that when people buy with a credit card, they spend anywhere from 20-50% more than if they would have purchased with cash or a debit card. Points are a false reality. And then of course, WHY would you want to play with snakes? Credit Card companies are EXPERTS on behavior, and if there is one thing they know, it is YOU and your spending habits. They are ‘giving away’ points because they know they made money. Why not keep that extra 20-50% you spend in your own pocket?

Kelsey: The average credit card user pays at least $900 a year in interest. Does that $900 justify your cash back “benefits”? Odds are… Probably not. (Article on Interest)

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III- MYTH: You have freedom with when you use a credit card and it gives you an advantage. DEBUNKED: There is freedom spending with cash and running a debt free small business that gives you an untouchable advantage in business.

Ashley: What you don’t know is that credit card companies have done SUCH an exceptional job at marketing, that they have made YOU feel like YOU are GAINING freedoms by using a credit card, but in reality, they are just chains in disguise. When you have no debt in your business, YOU have ALL the control.

Kelsey: CASH IS KING! The power of cash is real y’all! Big companies (think furniture stores, car dealerships) will be more willing to negotiate on prices once they know that you have the cash on hand for that big purchase. So not only are you buying SMARTER but you could also save money. Win, Win!

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IV- MYTH: You cannot be as creative. DEBUNKED: Spending with cash and ‘doing business at the speed of cash’ only pushes you to be even more creative and resourceful.

Ashley: As I look back on my business over the past 2 years as I have run it debt free and credit card free, there were times when I did not have the cash flow to do something I wanted. So, like a grown adult, I had to wait, have patience, and save up the cash to purchase what I wanted for my business (Yes, in an Amazon prime culture, it is ok to WAIT for something.). And you know what? Time after time, I was FORCED to be even more creative, think outside the box, and make magic happen with my creativity, instead of a line of credit from a credit card.

Kelsey: False. Just false. Not to go all sappy on you, but creativity truly comes from within!! It’s not something you can purchase.

“I don’t have enough time/money/people/experience. Stop Whining. Less is a good thing. Constraints are advantages in disguise. Limited resources force you to make do with what you’ve got. There’s no room for waste. And that forces you to be creative.”

— REWORK, David Heinemeier Hansson and Jason Fried

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V- MYTH: You are limited in your decisions and you set higher goals with debt and a credit card. DEBUNKED: Spending with cash makes you think harder, make wiser decisions, set bigger, longer term goals, and be held accountable.

Ashley: As a business owner, there is ALWAYS something vying for our money: new office furniture, new tools, new educational courses, new product lines..the list could go on and on. But when you spend your money at the ‘speed of cash’ you have in your pocket, you actually FEEL the money you spend. What that means is that you will take an extra night or week to think about the purchase because you actually realize you are spending money. Or maybe, you will set a goal to purchase something after you have hit a specific business goal. Or, maybe instead of just charging it, you take time to talk to a business mentor or trusted friend to make sure the purchase you are about to make is wise, intentional, and important for your business.

Kelsey: Studies show that credit card debt is the only debt where you actually take on MORE debt than you had originally planned. This makes planning and goal achieving very unstable. The best way to achieve goals in your business is to dedicate time to work towards them and stay disciplined in achieving them! Debt does not magically equal more time and definitely doesn’t encourage discipline. (Trust me, it takes a LOT of discipline to get out of debt!)

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VI- MYTH: You gain more choices when using a credit card and debt. DEBUNKED: You never know what will happen in your life. Debt is slavery. You have more choice when you choose to run your business without credit cards and debt free.

Ashley: When Josh and I first realized we had $150,000 in debt, every single choice we had went out the window. “Adults devise a plan and follow it, and children do what feels good” (Dave Ramsey) To think that you gain more choice by having a credit card is a childish way of thinking, and in fact, having a plan, following it, and choosing the debt free/credit card free life with always give you more choice. You never know what could happen in life, and as I mentioned earlier, if your business has debt, and it stopped tomorrow because you could no longer work, you would instantly gain all of that debt as personal debt, and your choices would then be limited in so many ways.

Kelsey: Debt binds you. It actually restricts your freedom of choice because now you have payments and if those payment aren’t made- you’re in trouble.. It limits your freedom to choose how you spend your money.

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FINAL TRUTH- Debt and credit cards in business are JUST PLAIN DUMB. I want to take a moment to remind you of where both Kelsey and I started; getting out of debt has changed both of our lives, and we both run successful, thriving small businesses that run at the speed of cash, and that are flourishing. Our desire is to support entrepreneurs to run highly successful and profitable small businesses that give them freedom, choices, and bring them great joy as they flourish doing what they love.

FINAL WORDS FROM KELSEY: Getting out of debt has changed my life. I’m a Christian and hear me when I say the Lord will honor your obedience and your sacrifice to make this happen. He will make a way for you…I promise! When we paid off our credit cards, then our student loans, and finally our car- I am telling you there is nothing more empowering than taking control of your life like that! In the past year, my net income has TRIPLED and I absolutely would not have been able to make that happen if we weren’t able to operate my business and life debt free. I’m so passionate about running my business this way and I want every other small business owner to experience the immeasurable joy and benefits having zero debt brings… Not only to your business, but your mental health, your marriage, your relationships- it seriously improves every aspect of your life!

 SMALL BUSINESS CREATIVES WHO RUN THEIR LIFE DEBT FREE AND CREDIT CARD FREE

• Jenna Kutcher of Jenna Kutcher

• Nancy Ray of Nancy Ray Photography

• Ashlyn Carter of Ashlyn Writes

• Christy Wright of Business Boutique

• Ashley Margaret Craft of Ashley Margaret

• Kelsey Kelley of K.Kelley Designs

“The rich rule over the poor, and the borrower is slave to the lender.”

— PROVERBS 22:7

TAKE ACTION FRIEND: I don’t know what ‘action’ looks like for you right now, but below are three actions that could make sense for you to do today:

I- Cut up your credit cards. Be done with them FOREVER. They are not your friend. They are not life-giving. They will only give you chains.

II- Pay off your debt, personal and business. Start small, and keep snowballing.

III- Pay for your next purchase with cold hard cash…actually take money out of the bank and see your hard earned cash pay for something you save up for. I promise it will feel different and you will be more empowered .

“The best is today AND to come.”

— ASHLEY MARGARET CRAFT

Sweet blessings, 

RESOURCES

I- Financial Peace University

II- Business Boutique

III- Dave Ramsey Show Podcast

IV- How to Run a Business Debt Free (Article by Dave Ramsey)

2018 IN REVIEW

I- JANUARY: Every year, Joshua and I always start off the year with a date to Starbucks to dream about the upcoming year, and set our goals for the year. In January, I left my job at TEKsystems due to character misconduct from a coworker, and from there, we really started to look at our debt free journey and made some hard decisions to sell a lot of what we had. We sold our Honda CR-V, and instantly became a one-car family. I finally took classes at Maker13, a local maker shop in hopes to expand my service offerings.

II- FEBRUARY: In February, I calligraphed my FIRST wedding vows for a client, and I was honestly scared to death. It was 1200 words, and I lost sleep because I kept telling myself I couldn’t do it, and that I would fail. Well, I didn’t fail, and I fell in love with hand calligraphing wedding vows and large calligraphy keepsakes. February was the month that I hosted my largest workshop to date of 21 students at Seed and Harvest in Lexington, KY, and had a blast. I also created my first large calligraphy wood cut-out. It was a lot of trial and error, but they were such a unique service offering.

III- MARCH: In March, Joshua and I made the decision to sell our first home together. He bought this home when he was only 19, and we had a decent amount of equity in it that we put towards our debt. We took a fun trip to Lynchburg, VA for a sweet gal that I mentor for her engagement. We surprised her, and it was such a sweet trip showing Joshua around my college town. I started and launched my #celebratelifecollection in March of hand drawn and laser etched custom ultrasound keepsakes. The response I received to them was overwhelming in the best way.

IV- APRIL: In April, we finally closed on selling our first home and moved into a rental home we LOVE in the Saint Matthews area of Louisville, and this home was been such a blessing to us. one of our FAVORITE Louisville events is Thunder Over Louisville, the largest firework show in North America, and my parents came up from Maryville, TN to spend the weekend with us at Thunder. I also pulled the trigger and decided to invest in my business a little and I attended Christy Wright Business Boutique one-day event. I went with a few creative small business owner from Lexington, and it was such an inspiring and educational day that spurred on growth in my business in 2018. Joshua and I also FINALLY got to see Dave Ramsey speak and teach live at his Smart Money tour at Southeast Christian Church, and he was just as wonderful in person as he is on his podcast.

V- MAY: In May, I finally visited Joshuas hometown with him and got to attend the church he grew up in and that his dad pastored for years. Also, this was a MAJOR milestone month because Josh FINALLY graduated from college with his Bachelors in Business Administration with a Project Management specialization. He got really sick in undergrad years ago, and he FINALLY got to walk across the stage to receive his diploma. Both of our families went down to VA with us to watch him, and it was a sweet weekend.

VI- JUNE: In June, I hosted my first out of state calligraphy workshop at 618 Ewing in Nashville, TN, and honestly, it was so much harder than I expected to host an out of state workshop. This month, I got to design for a bride who was looking to create a love story banner, and I created three hand drawn illustrations for her that re-sparked my love for illustration drawings. I went back to Corporate America in this month at Robert Half Technology to continue to pay off debt aggressively for out debt free journey. It was a hard transition, but it helped us make some massive progress on our debt.

VII- JULY: In July, Joshua and I celebrated 2 years of marriage. We traveled to Virginia to be with a friend who just received some really hard news and love on her. It was a very unexpected trip, but such an encouraging weekend. This was the month that I pulled off the greatest surprise party of all time for Josh’s graduation party, and it was the first time in his life he has ever been truly surprised! Our whole families came up for the party, and it was such a fun day celebrating his accomplishment!

VIII-AUGUST: In August, I had the honor of hosting a baby shower for a dear friend in our home. I finally hand calligraphed my own wedding vows, and got to hang those in our home after wanting to do them for myself for a very long time. It was in August that Joshua and I hosted our 2nd Financial Peace University class, and we had a wonderful 9 weeks with our FPU students.

VIIII-SEPTEMBER: In September, I hosted my first in-home calligraphy workshop, and it went so smooth! I had always rented out event spaces in the past, and this was so fun to do in our own home. I got to have Joshua as one of my students, and if I can be honest, he was not great at calligraphy…I think I will stay as the C.C.O (Chief Calligraphy Officer). This was also the month where I decided to discontinue my large calligraphy wood cut-outs. It was a really good decision business wise, and as fun as they were to make, it was what my business needed.

X- OCTOBER: In October, I started my 3-month journey of being sick…all the time. I think I had walking pneumonia and bronchitis, but it was just really, really awful and I missed so much work this month. This was the month we also had a blast redoing our guest room, and I shared with you tips for hosting well. It turned out better than we imagined.

XI- NOVEMBER: In November, my dad fell off of a retaining wall, and shattered his entire hip socket. That was hard news to get, as he is a carpenter and this would mean him being out of work for a long time. Joshua and I hosted Thanksgiving this month, and I had my best ever month in business to close out the year. I also had a dream come true, and I had my first ever written piece published in a magazine. I have a desire to write in the future, and this was a small, but faithful step towards that life-long dream.

XII- DECEMBER: In December, I turned 29 years old. To celebrate, I got a very bad sinus infection, and ended up sick for 3 weeks over Christmas. it was a really hard end to 2019 with how bad my sinus infection was. Before I got sick, I hosted my second annual Christmas calligraphy workshop, and it was full of all things Christmas, just the way I like it! In December, I decided that my word for 2019 would be ‘healthy’. To kick off healthy, I decided to go back to my original hair color, and become a dark brunette again after being blonde for so long. For a combined Christmas and birthday gift, Joshua surprised me with the best gift ever of FIVE vintage wooden flat files, and my heart is still in love. We also sent out our first ever Christmas cards, and that was so fun for me, as I designed them all and hand calligraphed them. Lastly, I announced in mid-December that I would be rebranding my entire business and changing my business name, and as I look back, it was the start of something so wonderful, and I didn’t even know it yet.

As wonderful as 2018, was, Joshua and I are beyond expectant for all that 2019 will hold. 2019 is the year we can FINALLY say we will be debt free, and we cannot wait to celebrate this huge milestone in our life that had kept us chained for far too long.

The best is today AND to come!

Sweet blessings,

WHAT WOULD YOUR FAMILY MISSION STATEMENT SAY?

Libby and Isaac Wendland are two of the most inspirational people I have had the honor of knowing. I went to college at in Lynchburg, VA at Liberty University with them, and I knew Isaac through my time running Cross Country and track there my freshman year. He and Libby were school grade crushes, and they married right out of college. Their love for each other and for the Lord is fierce, strong, deep, passionate, humble, and always seeking to bring glory to the Lord, not themselves. Isaac is now the Assistant Track and Field Coach at Liberty University, and Libby is a teacher in the surrounding area.

After a few years of being married, they started trying to have their own child. Month after month, and year after year, that sweet baby never came and they never got that positive test. They finally sought out a doctor to understand why it was not happening for them, and they were told it would be very difficult for them to have their own children naturally. It had always been their dream to be parents, and they were just broken when they found out that news. One day, traveling back from a trip, they were sitting in the airport. They were in a deep valley season on this hard road to parenthood, and they sat together in the airport to just cry out to the Lord. Right after they prayed, a little girl came running up to them, and she just brought them so much joy. Little did they know that they would be seated right next to this little family on the airplane. During the plane ride, Libby looked over at the mom of that little girl, and simply asked ‘Where did she get her big brown eyes from?’ The mom answered that she was not biologically theirs, but that their daughter was actually adopted.

After that conversation, Libby and Isaac began to have their hearts softened towards adoption. They began to do research on different ways to adopt around the world, and ultimately, the Thailand program tugged at their hearts, and made the most sense for their season of life with all of the Thai rules and regulations. They finally got their acceptance letter into the Thailand program, and it was the best day of their lives. They started a campaign called ‘Miles to Eden’, and after 2.5 years, they finally brought their daughter, Eden Hazel Wendland, HOME.

As their family grew, they knew they wanted to have a strong family mission statement to have as the center of their home to always be able to come back to when life got hard, or they were faced with challenges. When Libby reached out to me, I was honored, as this piece is truly a keepsake that will be passed down for generations to come of the legacy they hope to leave to their family, and to their daughter Eden, of what their family mission statement is. Friends, words MATTER. The words we hang in our home are important and the words we see everyday have the power to CHANGE our everyday.

To hear their sweet hearts, and learn more about their story, please watch the video below from their ‘Miles to Eden’ journey, and how they were finally able to bring home this little girl with the help of the body of Christ.

Click the Photo to watch the Wendland’s ‘Miles to Eden’ story.

“The Lord will surely comfort Zion and will look with compassion on all her ruins; he will make her deserts like Eden, her wastelands like the garden of the Lord. Joy and gladness will be found in her, thanksgiving and the sound of singing.”

— Isaiah 51:3 (NIV)

Read their full mission statement and see an up close of the hand calligraphed keepsake below:

WENDLAND FAMILY MISSION STATEMENT

VI XXVII MMIX

Seek His Kingdom

Love God, Love people

Experiences over things

When they go low, we go high

Be in the world, but not of it

Kindness changes everything

We can do hard things

We go to the ends of the earth for each other

CHALLENGE: What would YOUR family mission statement say if you hung one in your home? I would be honored to calligraph this keepsake piece for you to hang intentionally in your home so that every single person who walks through your doors knows exactly what your family’s mission is.

Sweet blessings,

TWENTY WAYS TO CREATE AN INTENTIONAL GUEST SUITE

“Those who live out radically ordinary hospitality see their homes not as theirs at all but as God’s gift to use for the furtherance of His kingdom.”

— ROSARIA BUTTERFIELD, THE GOSPEL COMES WITH A HOUSE KEY

Welcome to part two of this guest suite Cranberry Bog series! I was really eager to share Bog Post one with you, ‘THE GUEST SUITE REVEAL’, because as humans, we LOVE radical transformations…and I will tell you, this guest suite was a RADICAL transformation. But this second Bog Post, I have been particularly excited about because I learned it from YOU! I asked THOUSANDS of you what makes you feel at home, cozy, and welcomed in when staying in a guest suite. This is a true compilation of community coming together with ideas. So, if you contributed to this list, and shared what is important to you in a guest suite, THANK YOU! You have not only helped me, but you are helping to serve so many who are also seeking ideas on how to host WELL in their home through a guest suite.

BELOW YOU WILL FIND THE TWENTY WAYS TO CREATE AN INTENTIONAL GUEST SUITE! I hope that this content is helpful, practical, and that it allows you to serve those you invite into your home WELL this holiday season, and every season after that.

I- BLANKETS: Friends, this was the number one thing that you shared with me that makes you feel at home and cozy. If there is ONE thing you do in your guest suite, have LOTS of cozy blankets, and give your guest options of blankets. We decided to put a throw blanket on the bed and on the chair so they are easily accessible, but also, we wanted more options in case it was particularly cold. We put extra quilts and comforters in the drawers in the mirrored chest so that they were not taking up space, but were easily accessible. As much as hosts try, it can still be hard for guests to ask for things, so make it easy for them to have access to those extra blankets.

II- GUEST BOOK TO SIGN: Can you believe that this was the second most shared tip?! I LOVE this because it means that you, friend, are a guy or gal after my own heart. I truly believe that there are power in words, and especially written letters. As both the guest and the host, this is such a fun, long time tradition that preserves the art of writing letters. Give your guests the gift of writing you a letter, and give yourself the joy of reading their words. We will cherish this tradition that we have started forever. As you host, make sure your guest book is somewhere that is EASILY visible with a pen ready to go so that guests dont forget. Also, leave a little note in the guest book cover welcoming your guests, and inviting them to sign and date the journal.

III- WIFI INFORMATION: This seems like something so silly, but it was the third most shared tip. This is something so simple to do, but because it is such a small thing to add to a guest room, it usually gets forgotten. It is so funny, because this one actually helps the host too! When your guest asks for the wifi password, usually that means you have to go, bend over, and rummage on the floor with all the cords to pick up the box that has that little sticker on the back with the password that is harder to type in than it is to graduate from college! (i.e. 5G6dsjkl4757HGdeGH5) Make this display fun, simple, and easy to find to simply avoid that whole debacle!

IV- CLEAN SOFT LINENS ON A COMFORTABLE BED: This goes without saying, but I think it is worth saying. There is nothing like sliding into bed after a long day of driving, flying, or visiting friends, and feeling like you are in a cozy bed that is clean, soft, and fresh. The best way to add fluff and extra coziness is with a bed shawl at the end of the bed. It makes the bed look fluffier, and adds extra layers of linens. The bed we chose was a Nectar, and we have been thoroughly pleased so far with the results. The bed is a little firmer, but the reason we chose the brand Nectar is that it has a one-year return policy in case we are not 1000% satisfied with it, and we got two free memory foam pillows!

V- PROVIDE BOXES OF KLEENEX: Would you believe that only ONE person shared this tip? (I am looking at you Elisabeth!) That doesn’t mean it isn’t important, it just means it is one of those guest suite amenities that you don’t realize you need until, well, until you absolutely need it, and then you have a giant booger running down your face, and you are too embarrassed to go ask the host for a tissue? Yes, just trust me. Have Kleenex in your guest suite. I wanted them to be invisible unless you needed them, so we tucked a Kleenex box in each night stand, and they will be perfectly accessible all hours of the night to guests.

VI- HEADBOARD ON THE BED: This was one of the most surprising shared tips that I received. but after I thought about it, it makes perfect sense. When you stay somewhere, you want to feel like you are not going to break the furniture when you sit on it, and move around on it. You dont want to have to worry about your pillow falling between the wall and the bed halfway through the night, and being exhausted for the next days adventures from a poor nights sleep. We fell in love with this Trishley Sleigh Bed, and it is a stable, sturdy piece of furniture that will remain a classic, timeless piece to have for years to come.

VII- MIRRORS: At the end of the day, everyone who stays in your home will have a different ‘getting ready’ routine. It will makes your guests feel so comfortable and at home in your guest suite when you provide them with getting ready mirrors, and a full length mirror. When someone is traveling, and staying in your guest room, they are most likely going to have places to go that require getting dressed up, and you know every girl needs to check all angles! Having a full length mirror and getting ready mirror where your guests can have their own routine in privacy will make them feel like they can use a hair dryer without taking up the bathroom, or being too loud.

VIII- LAMPS ON NIGHTSTANDS: Lamps are so important, because when guests stay in your room, they do not know the room like the back of their hand like they do their home. You can avoid nasty toe stubs and running into the edge of the bed while your guests turn off the light switch on the other side of the room by giving them lamps with nightstands. There is nothing worse than not having a place to put a glass of water or your alarm clock while you sleep.

IX- READ THIS BOOK: ‘The Gospel Comes with a House Key’, Rosaria Butterfield. This was the MOST thoughtful suggestion that I received from a dear friend. (Thank you, Leah, for your heart to care for souls, not just the material things!) This book has already started to shift my mindset on what it means to be a host, and what it means to be a guest, and I HIGHLY recommend you purchase it and give it a read as you seek to serve well through hosting in your home.

“When Jesus walked the earth, he wasn’t afraid to touch hurting people. he drew people in close. He met them empty and left them full. Jesus turned everything upside down.”

— ROSARIA BUTTERFIELD, THE GOSPEL COMES WITH A HOUSE KEY

X- FLUFFY PILLOWS: Not only did so many of you share tips to have fluffy pillows, but to have multiple options for pillows. Some people sleep with 57849 pillows, some sleep with a flat pillow. Some sleep with two pillows, some sleep with a firm one, some with a fluffy one. Everyone is different so I loved this tip because it considers others. We decided to keep the fluffy ones on the bed, and put the memory foam pillows in drawers so they could choose which pillows are best.

XI- CANDLES, ROOM SPRAYS, AND DIFFUSERS: The VERY first thing someone will notice, and remember, about your home, is how it smells; It is one of the strongest sense. So many of you suggested diffusers, which we unfortunately do not have right now, but what we do have is candles and room sprays. My mother-in-law is really good at teaching me about how to make a home always smell welcoming, and she was the first person to introduce me to room sprays. We have an organic one not featured below, as well as fun ones from Bath and Body Works, and they instantly change a home or space through smell!

XII- ROOM FOR LUGGAGE: One of the most frustrating things can be staying somewhere where you feel cluttered and like you cannot get to your luggage easily. If Josh and I can fit at the end of this bed, so can your luggage! It is also helpful to leave extra drawers open in your guest suite dressers for guests to be able to put their clothes in for an extended stay. This can make them feel like they are more settled.

XIII- OUTLETS NEAR THE BED, AND EASILY ACCESSIBLE: This suggestion just reminds me how tied to our phones and technology we are in the 21st century. However, it is a great suggestion because most people have their alarm clocks on their phones, and it very helpful so your guests can charge their phones all night so they have them ready for the next day of adventures. This can be as simple as running an extension chord to each side of the bed so the phone plugs in easily without having to move the entire bed.

XIV- FACE WIPES FOR MAKE-UP: This was one suggestion that I would have never thought of, but really does make a difference. I placed wet make-up towelettes next to the face clothes, and hand towels, as well as hand cream. I placed these someplace easy to find in the top drawer of the chest with a mirror where they could easily take off their makeup and get ready for bed.

XV- HOOKS: This suggestion is perfect for the guest who is coming in in the winter with lots of coats, or the guest who has multiple purses or bags to hang. It is one of those guest suite items that, like the Kleenex, isn’t something you realize you need until, well, you need it!

XVI- NOISE CONTROL: Growing up, my mom would let me sleep in her room when my dad would go away on trips. I always loved staying with her in her room because she had this big, antique, Tiffany Blue, metal fan that she would run all night for the noise. I never realized just how much this noise made a difference until I stayed in a home that didn’t have a fan. This can also be helpful if a husband and wife are staying in the guest suite, and one gets hotter than the other. It is always nice to have the option of a fan. I decided to store these in the bottom dresser drawers so they were easily accessible, but not in the way if they did not need them.

XVII- BATH TOWELS, HAND TOWELS, FACE CLOTHS: One of the most awkward things to ask for in my books is towels from a host. Do your guests a huge favor, and make your towels, hand towels, and face clothes visible, and easy to find so they don’t have to come and ask for them. I decided to store these in drawers as well, and on top of our tall dresser in little baskets so they are easily seen.

XVIII- SNACKS, WATER BOTTLES, AND A TRASH CAN: This is one of those little details that is such a fun tip because it is just, oh I don’t know, FUN! It is a way to show your guests that you know them through their favorite snack, candy, or drink. (Don’t we all just have a deep longing to be known? Show you guests that you KNOW them.) Practically, sometimes you just need a piece of chocolate or a bottle of water! With all these snacks though, don’t forget a trash bin! Back to the Kleenex…it can get real awkward real quick when you are standing with an empty chocolate wrapper or a tissue full of boogers, and no where to put it. Don’t forget the trash can!

XIX- CURTAINS: This tip goes without saying, but it needs to be said: have curtains in your guest room so that you guests can have their privacy. They do not need to be fancy, they just need to block the view from the outside. I have to hand it to Josh, AGAIN, for this genius idea to have LONG curtains in this room. Don’t y’all LOVE how they add so much length to the room and the windows? I also think there is nothing like the feeling of ‘home’ like opening the curtains wide in the morning to let the sun in.

XX- ALL THE LITTLE DETAILS TO MAKE A GUEST SUITE FEEL LIKE HOME: At the end of the day, your guests are coming to stay with YOU. Invite them in. Let them come empty. Leave them full; spiritually, physically, mentally, and emotionally. Home in this day and age is not always a safe place, but we can give people safe places in the homes we invite them into. Let us seek peace in our homes, and extend grace upon grace upon grace to those who enter our doors, as you may be the only picture of the Gospel they ever see or hear. We are tow imperfect humans serving a perfect Lord who has given us good gifts to share with friends, family, neighbors, our church, and strangers.

“We must participate as both hosts and guests - not just one or the other - as giving and receiving are good and sacred and connect people and communities in important ways. But this is not where it ends. God calls us to practice hospitality as a daily way of life, not as an occasional activity when time and finance allow. Radically ordinary hospitality means this: God promises to put the lonely in families (Psalm 68:6), and he intends to use your house as LIVING PROOF.”

— ROSARIA BUTTERFLIED, THE GOSPEL COMES WITH A HOUSE KEY

I pray that the Lord inspires you to invite people in and give well through these 19 tips from my tribe. Let’s host well this holiday season, and every season after, to the glory of God, the furthering of His Kingdom, and the joy of his people as they do real, raw, transparent, vulnerable, and joyful life together in homes just like ours all over the world.

Sincerely-

P.S. Below, you will find all of the details on where we found all of the pieces for our guest suite. Some pieces are older, so I tried to go back and find them all! I hope this helps you host well over the holidays too, and get your own inspiration for your holiday hosting and remodels.

PAINT COLORS || ‘Garden Wall’ and ‘Roman Plaster’ by Behr Paint, Home Depot

MATTRESS || Nectar (Comes with two free memory foam pillows, and a one year money back guarantee.

END TABLES || World Market

BED AND TWO DRESSERS || Trishley Sleigh Bed Set Originally found at Ashley Furniture, purchased at Louisville Overstock Warehouse. (I believe the sleigh bed has been discontinued.)

DUVET || Bed Bath and Beyond

BED SHAWL || Walmart

BEDDING INSERTS AND SHEETS || Walmart and Target

CHAIRS || Pier 1 Imports

BROWN JUTE RUG || World Market

WHITE WASHED JUTE RUG || World Market

THROW BLANKETS || Target

FRAMES || Hobby Lobby

CALLIGRAPHY ON PAPER || Ashley Margaret Calligraphy Keepsakes

CALLIGRAPHY FABRIC BANNER || Not for purchase. Handmade by Ashley.

WIFI STAND || World Market

BLACK AND WHITE PILLOW || World Market

TAN AND WHITE PILLOW || World Market

METAL SERVING TRAY || World Market

GUEST BOOK || Target, Magnolia Homes

LAMPS || Target

CANDLESTICK HOLDERS || Target

CURTAINS || Target

THE GUEST SUITE REVEAL: FROM YELLOW SCHOOL BUS TO BNB

“Decor sets the stage for any party, and it also gives a great indication to your guests as to how much effort you’ve put into hosting them within your home.”

— RACHEL HOLLIS

As most of you know, Joshua and I are following Dave Ramsey to aggressively pay off debt. We have been on Baby Step 2 in the debt snowball for the past 20 months, and this guest suite was one of our splurge projects. One of our unified values is to host people well in our home, and invest in that area of our lives. We moved into this rental home in April of 2018, and the first time I saw this basement, I instantly had visions for it. However, now that we rent, we knew it would take some time to get our landlord on board. I couldn’t stand the school bus yellow walls that made the floor look orange, the holes in the ceiling along the tops of the windows, the holes along the walls of the fireplace, and the fact that this space was completely unusable. Josh told me at the beginning of this project that he had zero expectations that this room could be turned around, but I told him to just trust me. I am so glad he did!

Because we rent, we had to get the colors approved by our landlord, and we had multiple limitations with the walls, what we could hang on the walls, etc. It was a fun challenge to work with the accent wall color she picked out. We used to get a TON of cricket spiders in this basement, and it made this space dreadful to go down into. To combat the cricket spiders, we purchased a dehumidifier to eliminate the muggy and damp air that was always down there, Josh sealed up the holes in the ceiling above the windows, he sealed up the holes along the sides of the fireplace, he sealed up the hole in the wall above the air vent in the ceiling, and we put a large piece of acrylic at the fireplace entrance behind the wire mesh to keep the cricket spiders from coming in from the fireplace. And you know what, we have not had ONE cricket spider since! Praise the Lord!

Most of you know this, but my husband is a Business Analyst for a software company, and he travels a lot for work. Wouldn’t you guess that the week that ALL of our furniture was delivered, he was on his LONGEST trip in Canada. When he left, the room was completely empty, and when he came back, the room was completely finished. It was a whirlwind of a week handling all the deliveries and furniture on my own, but isn’t that what women do? They just find a way?! I wish you could have seen me in my business clothes on my lunch breaks attaching furniture to our dolly, and hauling it downstairs! The surprise on his face though when he finally came home on that Saturday night was well worth the wait and the big reveal!

“Radically ordinary hospitality values the time it takes to invest in relationships, to build bridges, to repent of sins of the past, to reconcile. Bridge building and remaking friendships cannot be rushed. The word hospitality approximates the Greek word philoxenia, which mean ‘love of the stranger’.”

— ROSARIA BUTTERFIELD, THE GOSPEL COMES WITH A HOUSE KEY

So, drumroll please: I OFFICIALLY welcome you to our own Craft BNB (Bed ‘n Basement…unless you stay for a Saturday morning, then it will be a Bed ‘n Breakfast!). I hope that this transformation shocks you JUST as much as it did us, and our landlord. We pray that it is a blessing to us, and to the family, friends, neighbors, and strangers the Lord brings into our home. This blessing is not ours to keep to ourselves, but the Lords for us to steward well.

One of my favorite corners of this guest suite is probably the least exciting from the outside. My dad is a carpenter, and he is the man who taught me the joy of bringing beautiful things to life from my mind with my hands. These 1920’s antique book pages remind me of days when I was a little girl where I would watch my dad create beautiful homes in drawings and then bring them to life with his hands. From the title page starting point of a blueprint proposal, to the rough drawings, to the building and final product of a new home, the entire process is just beautiful. This corner tells a small part of my story that has made a huge impact on my life.

“I think when people have the freedom to tell their own story rather than trying to be specific to a certain design or style, there’s more freedom, and it ends up feeling more like home. Those spaces we see in magazines and on the internet are beautiful, but if there’s not that story there, then it’s going to lack that feeling of home.”

— JOANNA GAINES

“For Christians to maintain an authentic Christian witness to a world that mistrusts us (at the very least), we must be transparently hospitable. The Christian life is a cross-bearing life, and the Word of God calls and equips God’s people to holy living. All our neighbors must know that we live differently from the world, and they will know as we live visibly within the means of grace, placing ourselves under the authority of the church as members in good standing - and we must be UNMISTAKABLY hospitable.”

— ROSARIA BUTTERFIELD, 'THE GOSPEL COMES WITH A HOUSE KEY'

This banner is an Ashley Margaret original design, and hand calligraphed by yours truly. I hated this little shelf in our guest suite, so instead of making it work, I decided to cover this hole in the wall with a custom banner that shares core values of our life with those who stay in our home. If there is ONE thing I want people to know when they stay with us, and then leave, is simply Jesus. l want them to intimately know, and be intimately known, by Jesus.

So, I have to give Josh ALL the credit on the idea to hang LONG curtains in our tiny little windows. One, these windows are very weirdly shaped, and it would have been very expensive to get custom curtains. Two, it creates height in this space, and makes the room look taller, and not as short. Always work to create height in your spaces in the unexpected ways. Get out of the box and just try something new!

To the REAL MVP of this guest suite remodel, here is to YOU Joshua Steven Craft. I couldn’t bring my dreams to life without your brawn and problem solving mind, and I cannot wait to create many more home spaces together with you in all the days we are given together. I love you.

Lastly, thank you to the sweetest gal, Allie Thaxton, for these beautiful photos of our new guest suite so that I can share this reveal (and of course the next Cranberry Bog Post on ‘19 WAYS TO CREATE AN INTENTIONAL GUEST SUITE’) with you! It takes a village of creatives to bring to life beautiful things, and I am grateful for my growing tribe! She made a dark basement with two little windows of natural light look like a million dollars.

I hope you absolutely loved journeying this guest suite remodel with us, and don’t be afraid to let me know what you think. I hope this inspires you to tell your story well through the home you create. Make it yours, and make it count. All we get is this one life to live.

Sincerely-

P.S. Below, you will find all of the details on where we found all of the pieces for our guest suite. Some pieces are older, so I tried to go back and find them all! I hope this helps you host well over the holidays too, and get your own inspiration for your holiday hosting and remodels.

PAINT COLORS || ‘Garden Wall’ and ‘Roman Plaster’ by Behr Paint, Home Depot

MATTRESS || Nectar (Comes with two free memory foam pillows, and a one year money back guarantee.

END TABLES || World Market

BED AND TWO DRESSERS || Trishley Sleigh Bed Set Originally found at Ashley Furniture, purchased at Louisville Overstock Warehouse. (I believe the sleigh bed has been discontinued.)

DUVET || Bed Bath and Beyond

BED SHAWL || Walmart

BEDDING INSERTS AND SHEETS || Walmart and Target

CHAIRS || Pier 1 Imports

BROWN JUTE RUG || World Market

WHITE WASHED JUTE RUG || World Market

THROW BLANKETS || Target

FRAMES || Hobby Lobby

CALLIGRAPHY ON PAPER || Ashley Margaret Calligraphy Keepsakes

CALLIGRAPHY FABRIC BANNER || Not for purchase. Handmade by Ashley.

WIFI STAND || World Market

BLACK AND WHITE PILLOW || World Market

TAN AND WHITE PILLOW || World Market

METAL SERVING TRAY || World Market

GUEST BOOK || Target, Magnolia Homes

LAMPS || Target

CANDLESTICK HOLDERS || Target

CURTAINS || Target

FIVE REASONS YOU SHOULD INVEST IN HAND CALLIGRAPHED WEDDING VOWS

"I do" are the two most famous last words
The beginning of the end.
But to lose your life for another, I've heard
Is a good place to begin.

'Cause the only way to find your life
Is to lay your own life down.
And I believe it's an easy price
For the life that we have found.

And we're dancing in the minefields
We're sailing in the storms.
This is harder than we dreamed,
But I believe that's what the promise is for.
That's what the promise is for.

-Andrew Peterson, ‘Dancing in the Minefields’

Isn’t marriage one of the most wonderful, but crazy things this world has to offer? When you fall in love, you get engaged, and then, everyone starts telling you how hard marriage is and that you will need to be fighters for marriage every day. Isn’t that the TRUTH? I am here to break the ice: in a world of perfect instagram posts and perfectly posed marriages on social media, it is HARD. But it is a good, good gift given to us by the Lord himself that is worth fighting for.

As a woman who believes in the value and sanctity of marriage, given to humans as a picture of Christ and His bride, the church, I do not know if there are greater words that I could have the honor of preserving through calligraphy than your wedding vows. I do know that choosing to have them hand-calligraphed will be an investment, but one that will be well worth it. There are 5 reasons why I believe you should make the investment, and have your own vows hand-calligraphed:

I- YOUR WEDDING VOWS ARE THE MOST IMPORTANT WORDS YOU WILL EVER SPEAK TO ANOTHER HUMAN BEING. When God designed marriage, he designed it as a covenant that a man and a woman step into that will then be one of the greatest pictures of the Gospel as a husband seeks to love his wife as Christ loves, and gave himself up for His bride, the Church. There is a oneness that happens when two people say I do in front of God and witnesses, and I never want our culture to lose the meaning of the promises they speak, the covenant they step into, and the words they say. Your wedding vows are just that: promises, a covenant, and powerful words of oneness and commitment for life. Tell me: what greater words could you ever speak to another human being?

II- MARRIAGE IS HARD. I have said it once (ok, maybe twice!) and I will say it a third time: marriage is hard! There WILL be days where you want to throw in the towel and call it quits. There have been nights where Joshua and I have fought, and as I have walked (Ok, pouted and stomped) upstairs to our bedroom, I had to walk right by our vows hanging by our front door. Every single time, without fail, I am instantly convicted in those moments to go and reconcile with my husband, and remember that we are on the SAME team, fighting the SAME fight, and walking daily the SAME covenant of marriage together. If there is one thing that Satan wants to do in your marriage, it is create disunity, and he wants nothing more than to tear apart what God brought together as one. The stakes are too high, and marriage is too great a cost to not make the investment to have those covenant words calligraphed and hung in your home to daily be reminded of.

III- THEY WILL BE AN HEIRLOOM TO PASS DOWN FOR GENERATIONS. There are not many things nowadays that will stand the test of time to be able to be passed down from generation to generation as an heirloom. The classic and timeless style of Ashley Margaret bespoke calligraphy wedding vows allows them to be the perfect keepsake to pass down to your children, and their children, and so on that will not fade with time. One of the greatest gifts I hope to pass onto my children and my grandchildren is a marriage that is deep, wide, rich, weathered, tested, tried, proved, imperfect, Christ-centered, full of memories, joyful, and a testament to our covenant of marriage that will be a legacy for them to carry for generations to come.

IV- HANG ONE-OF-A-KIND, CUSTOM, INTIMATE ART IN YOUR HOME. In a world where everything is manufactured in mass quantity, and everyone saves images on Instagram to then go and purchase the exact same pieces…stand out! You don’t have to have a perfectly posed home that looks just like Joanna Gaines home. (Although her home is beautiful!) I believe that the art and pieces you choose to hang in your home should be a direct reflection of who you are, and they should create spaces in your home that not only give you life, but that remind you of your core values. Hand-calligraphed wedding vows are the perfect way to have custom art in your home that reminds you of your core values as a married couple.

V- THEY MAKE THE PERFECT ‘PAPER-VERSARY’ GIFT FOR YOUR SPOUSE. News flash! Did you know that paper is the first anniversary traditional gift that you are to give to your spouse? I cannot think of a better gift than the words that you both spoke on the day you stepped into covenant marriage.

…but after reading those 5 reasons, don’t JUST take my word for it! Below are the heartfelt words of 4 women who I had the honor of working with to bring to life their covenant words of marriage through Ashley Margaret bespoke calligraphy wedding vows. If you have been thinking about having yours calligraphed, listen to and hear the words of these precious women and what these vows mean to them, as well as their experience in working with me. I can share my 5 reasons I believe you should have them done all day long, but these are real clients, real women, and real marriages that I had the privilege of serving well.

“I invested in wedding vows because I saw the time and energy you spent into creating each piece! I knew I wanted to reference my vows in my house and having a special piece created just for our home is so special to remember the wedding and the words we promise each other every day!

My experience was just the best! From the moment I sent an inquiry to receiving my vows, you were so understanding and wanted to create the exact piece that I had dreamed about! You were professional as a business owner, but so genuine and became a friend and storyteller in the time before my wedding!

The vows have been THE best investment, and the most rewarding and treasured piece that I bought for my wedding! Not only did they serve as decoration, but now, they hang in my home as a testament of the words we promised not only on our wedding day but every day after too. I was hesitant to spend the chunk of money on just one piece, but I am so grateful for them and they have been the biggest blessing to reference on our wall!”

-KELSEY HOGUE

“My parents got divorced when I was seven, so my idea of family and home always strayed from wholeness. Over the last year and a half, Taylor and I have gotten engaged, married and moved into our first home. As milestones of life continue to pass, God deepens my understanding of what it means to be a member of the family of God and the ideals we should uphold and mission we should pursue. I chose to invest in hand-calligraphed wedding vows so they can serve as a main focus on the gallery wall in our living room. This wall will be comprised of those values that we feel represent our family. And next to the cross of Jesus being at the center, our vows and covenantal promise to each other will hang to the right.

Ashley finished our vows right before my husband and I left for our one-year anniversary trip. Remaining true to her priorities and character, a young woman whom Ashley mentors had an emergency situation a few states away. However, knowing how important this gift was to me, she had her husband meet me on my lunch break to ensure my gifting to Taylor was timely. Ashley provided the highest quality of customer service and companionship throughout the entire process.   

I highly recommend preserving a piece of your wedding day to remind yourselves of your commitment to each other often, and share that love you have with each other with everyone who enters your home.”

-CATHERINE LEIGH

“So in love with how these turned out, Ashley! Your perspective on marriage is spot on and some days remembering those words we vowed is vital. You are a dream to work with and made my ideas come to life perfectly. We have the vows hanging in a central spot in our home so we pass them every day, and it’s a beautiful reminder of our wedding day, the words we shared, and the commitment we made to each other and our family. Thank you. Thank you for putting our words to paper in such a beautiful way!”

-CORTNEY DAVIS PESKOE

“You were super helpful and asked so many questions to ensure that I got what I wanted. I wasn’t entirely sure on my vision so I also appreciated your artistic advice and guidance along the way. I was blown away by your attention to detail.

The reason I chose to have these done was that we weren’t newly weds anymore, and I wanted something that felt more like the weathered partners we were, something more raw. I saw you post someone else’s vows, and it made me think about my vows and the time I spent piecing them together. I stop in our home to re-read them often now that they are hanging in our living room, and it’s such a beautiful reminder of who we want to be, and where we started.”

-JESSICA BRANHAM

IN COSING: I truly believe that words have power, and that the words we choose to hang in our home have a deep impact on how we live and on our daily lives. Because of that, I finally took time away from client projects earlier this year to hand-calligraph my OWN wedding vows, and they now are one of the greatest pieces of artwork I have in my home that I will in fact pass down for generations to come. They hang by our front door, and every morning and evening I walk by them, and as I come and go into our home, and as people come and go into our home, they are the first and last words seen. Yes, marriage is worth it. Yes, having your vows hand calligraphed, framed, and hung in your home is worth the investment.

I hope I get the honor and privilege of serving you as well, sweet friend, whether through Ashley Margaret bespoke calligraphy wedding vows. Thank you for choosing me and trusting me with your most precious words spoken.

Sincerely-