Christmas Pillow Collection 2014

The 2014 Christmas collection is now available!  Click here to see more photos! 

Christmas pillows are coming!

I am so excited at the success of our new business- we will be unveiling our Christmas collection on November 1st!  Here is a preview!
https://www.etsy.com/listing/202221771/merry-christmas-pillow-cover-christmas?ref=shop_home_active_2

Etsy Shop Now Open!

Although the blog has be quiet for quite some time now, I wanted to let everyone know that I have recently opened my Etsy shop- Faith. Home. Love. Designs and Finds! 

In the shop you will find an assortment of imprinted pillow covers as well as special occasion banners.  I'm expanding the inventory and designs now, so favorite the shop and keep up-to-date on what I'm offering!  For my blog friends, I'd like to offer a special DISCOUNT!  Receive 10% off your order with code FAITHHOMELOVEBLOG at checkout until Sunday, August 24th!    

I am so excited about this new adventure! I've been blessed to have a local shop in our hometown, The Twisted Pear, begin carrying my products and I'll be expanding to another shop that just opened in September called The Main Market.   It has been a long month of hard work but I'm so proud of all that I have accomplished so far and am excited to see what the future will bring for this small business!  

You can also order directly from me by e-mailing faithhomelove@gmail.com.  I'm happy to take custom orders! 

Dirty God by Johnnie Moore

I love reading.  This time of year I begin thinking about books I've read throughout the year as well as books that I would like to read in the year to come.  I recently read Johnnie Moore's book "Dirty God" and wanted to share a little about it with you.  Johnnie Moore was the campus pastor and a professor at Liberty while Jeremy and I attended and I always loved hearing him preach the Gospel.  He always seemed to make Scripture come alive and help to build background knowledge while connecting Scripture to our lives today.  This book carries that same style.  Johnnie Moore presents Jesus in a tangible way.  Although fully God, Jesus  was also fully man and lived among the people.  He was real, He was willing to leave His place of authority in Heaven to come to earth and "get dirty".

Moore explains the magnitude of this sacrifice and how because of His sacrifice we are offered a grace unmatched by any other. The reader is also challenged to "get dirty", make sacrifices, and experience God's grace through serving others in ways that may not be the "neatest" of circumstances.  I would recommend this book if you are looking for something to challenge you to get out of your comfort zone and recognize the true sacrifice that Chris made in coming to earth.  One of my favorite quotes from the book is:
"God got his hands dirty so that we could have our hearts cleaned".  Powerful!



* I was provided a copy of Johnnie's Moore's book "Dirty God" by Booksneeze.com in exchange for a review of this title.  All opinions are my own.

Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from the publisher through the BookSneeze.com® <http://BookSneeze.com> book review bloggers program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255 <http://www.access.gpo.gov/nara/cfr/waisidx_03/16cfr255_03.html> : “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”

Savannah is 3 Months!

These are a about 6 days late, but better late than never!  

Right after I took these pictures, Savannah rolled over onto her belly for the first time!  I was so excited that I got to see her roll over the first time she did it, I was so sad about missing that "first" because she is now going to daycare.  Such a blessing!

Yay Savannah!

Savannah is 2 Months Old

Savannah is 1 Month Old

It is so hard to believe that Savannah is already one month old.  She has grown so much over the past few weeks!  We are so blessed with our precious daughter and thankful for the joy she brings to our lives!

Savannah Leslie

I'd like to introduce you to our precious daughter, Savannah Leslie Jenkins.  Born May 14th, 2013  at 11:23pm 7.4 lbs and 20 inches long.

More to come about our sweet girl as I get time to sit down and write- for now I'm just learning how to be a mommy :)

Savannah's Nursery

Savannah's nursery is all ready for her to arrive!  I've enjoyed putting together the details and preparing a special place for her! We converted our office to the nursery.  Click here to see what the room looked liked before.  

One of my favorite aspects of the nursery are the prints that I bought off Etsy of fountains and statues in Savannah, GA.  We can't wait to take our little Savannah there someday :)

I made the bedding using this fabric.  It was a labor of love and my mom really helped out with that!  The monogram "S" was purchased from this Etsy shop.

We purchased the dresser/changing table at a discount furniture place in town.  I fell in love with the color- it was the first thing we bought for the nursery and I based the rest of the room around it.  

I am still working on her mobile, but I'm in no rush.  She won't be sleeping in her crib for a while, so I have time :)  

Getting Ready for Savannah

Jeremy and I have been blessed to have this past week off from work for Spring Break.  It has been a great time that we've been able to just relax and get prepared for our little daughter!  I'm proud of how much we've gotten accomplished this week!  Here are some projects we've done:

- Went shopping in Greenville, SC with our gift card money from the baby showers we've had so far as well as the $125 bonus money that we got from ING direct for opening up a checking account on Black Friday (we opened it with the intention of using the bonus money to buy baby supplies).  We were able to get a high chair, breast pump, bouncy chair, some clothes, burp cloths, nursing bras, new pj's for me to take to the hospital, diaper genie refills, and a few other random things.  We were blessed to only have to spend about $80 of our money for all of that!  So thankful for friends and family who have given us gift cards!

- We have assembled the high chair (and yes, we know it will be several months until she actually starts using it, but I'd rather look at the high chair than the box :)

- We got the carseat from my aunt (who graciously offered to give us the car seat her son just finished using) and installed it in the car.

- We got the cradle from my aunt as well and set it up in our bedroom 

- My mom came over and helped us spring clean and she painted a bookshelf for us and brought over a lot of my old children's books from when I was little.  We got those set up in Savannah's room.

- I packed Savannah's bag for the hospital

- I started packing my bag for the hospital, although I don't have everything ready just yet.  I am excited for my new pj's that I got to wear in the hospital after delivery.  

- I started washing Savannah's clothes and made tags to hang in the closet to separate the clothes by sizes. I used the template that I found here and added in my own text.  We went to Staples and had them printed out and laminated- all in all spent about $2 on them and I think they'll do the trick!  If you'd like to download the labels with the text I inserted, feel free to do so here (the labels are not my own, please see the original link above).  

- I also created a post-pardum recovery kit (sorry no pictures of this one, although I'm sure you don't mind :)  I am thankful for those who have shared what to expect as far as recovery for me after delivery so I have some idea of what is to come.  I took a look at a lot of different suggestions from other blogs and put together a basket containing: overnight super maxi pads, epsom salt, witch hazel, pure aloe vera, Tucks, medicated spray, stool softener, ibuprofen, hemorrhoid cream, spray bottle, and also made some "padsicles" to put in the freezer. 

- We had maternity pictures taken.  See a few of them here. 

- I downloaded some apps onto my phone to help me through labor.  I downloaded several free relaxing/nature sound apps, relaxing video apps, and I'm planning on buying an app called iBirth that has videos of labor positions and tips for relaxation during labor.  Although I plan to take a book with me to the hospital to help refresh my memory on some of the tips, I think having videos to watch may be easier for me to handle while in labor.  The app costs $2.99, and I've never actually bought an app, but I think this one may be worth it.  I'm working on creating some index cards with Bible verses and prayers to help me through labor and keep me focused.  

Still left to do- hang the curtains back up in the nursery.  They fell when my mom was helping us spring clean- just glad they didn't fall when Savannah was here and in the room!  We need to get some mounts to go into the dry wall to help them stay in place.  I also need to make the mobile to hang over the crib and hang up a picture.  Other than that, her room is ready to go!  We still have about 4 weeks until she is suppose to arrive but I'm so glad that we've gotten an early start on getting things ready!

Over the next month I plan on freezer cooking and continue getting the house ready for her to arrive.   I'm happy with how much we've done so far!