CONTACT Reach me via e-mail at sarahkeller1@gmail.com.
FOLLOW ALONG Get an up to date feed via Bloglovin or find me on Facebook, Twitter, Google+, Pinterest, or Instagram.
ABOUT Here you'll find bits and pieces of my everyday life as a stay at home mom mingled with a variety of creative pursuits. Between photography, graphics, home decor, fine arts, and even just simple crafts with my boys, I always have my hands into something! But more important than those things, I'm an undeserving but ever grateful child of God with a passion for sharing His story and the redemption He's so graciously working in the life of our family.
MY BACKGROUND I'm a Northern Virginia native with a degree in fashion as well as a professional background in marketing and design. After a short stint working as a corporate graphic designer, I married my amazing high school sweetheart and then became something I barely saw coming; an Army wife!
FOLLOW ALONG Get an up to date feed via Bloglovin or find me on Facebook, Twitter, Google+, Pinterest, or Instagram.
ABOUT Here you'll find bits and pieces of my everyday life as a stay at home mom mingled with a variety of creative pursuits. Between photography, graphics, home decor, fine arts, and even just simple crafts with my boys, I always have my hands into something! But more important than those things, I'm an undeserving but ever grateful child of God with a passion for sharing His story and the redemption He's so graciously working in the life of our family.
MY FAITH I believe that Jesus Christ is exactly who He said He is- the son of God who came to take away the sins of the world {ref. John 1:29}. But, taking that step of faith was not something of my own making. It had nothing to do with me saying a prayer, being baptized, or following in the tradition of my family. He came for me, and with open arms welcomed me into His family. And in the years since that day, He continues to prove to me that He is our gracious God and King, the Bible is His divine Word, and He is our one and only path to forgiveness and redemption. He is good, He is trustworthy, and He is true. In the words of a dear sister in Christ, "He won’t chase us down and chain us to his holy chariot — but He does extend His hand. He does pursue our hearts and offer us the sacred opportunity to follow Him. We have a choice; follow or flee. Turn toward Him or turn away. Return or reject." {Diana Stone, SRT}
I can't help but share the new life He's given me and is daily working within me. Please read more about His work in my life here;
- The story of how I met Christ, and how He changed everything.
- My decision to be re-baptized as an adult in order to follow the Biblical model of baptism.
- What the bible tells us about our roles as women.
- How motherhood is a sacred, sanctifying calling that helps to shape us into the image of Christ.
- Coping with miscarriage with the comfort of Christ and His eternal perspective.
- My favorite fun & colorful bible study techniques.
- The blessing of reading the bible and pursuing spiritual maturity with your spouse or significant other.
- Tried and true strategies for making your relationship with Christ a daily reality.
- A perspective on waiting through difficult seasons of life.
If Jesus is tugging on your own heart, please don't hesitate to contact me with questions or comments! I would love to encourage you and pray for you. | sarahkeller1@gmail.com
MOTHERHOOD Next to the start of my new life in Christ, becoming a mother has been one of the most wonderful, challenging, and profound experiences I've ever been blessed with. Our first son, Asher Levi, was born in February of 2011, followed by our precious baby Eden Joy who's waiting for us in Heaven, Silas Jude in June of 2013, and Phinehas Gauge in April of 2015.
For more on motherhood, see these posts:
- Our first month as a family of five.
- Our "Pre-Baby" checklist for bringing our third new baby home.
- "To Be A Fly on Another Mom's Wall"; recent thoughts on the realities of motherhood & faith.
- "Saved Through Childbearing"; a biblical perspective on the challenge of motherhood.
- Asher's natural birth story.
- Silas' natural birth story.
- Our Natural Birth Plan
- Our latest gender ultrasound reveal & announcement.
- 10 tips for breastfeeding.
- Our first experience with potty training.
- 10 signs that somebody calls you "Mommy".
- The magic of a wool diaper cover for heavy overnight wetters.
- Our journey with cloth diapering.
And for those of you who have lost a precious baby, my heart goes out to you and I hope that you can be strengthened and encouraged by my own experience with miscarriage as well as a Christ-centered, biblical perspective on loss.
OUR HOME Being an Army family we're never in one place for long, but for the time being we live in an 1800s era Victorian in Upstate New York. We no intentions of buying a home when we first moved to this part of the country, but we just couldn't resist this one...
We've done a lot of work to it and really made it our own in these last couple of years. This is truly my dream house, and it's going to be hard when moving day comes!
- Our original sitting room, and what it looks like now after adding a cow-hide rug and some fun new accessories.
- The reading nook & chalk wall.
- The dining room.
- Asher's room
- Silas' nursery
- Finn's little space
- The "before & after" of removing the wallpaper and painting our main hallway.
- Our fun yellow lions that greet us at the front door.
But I'm so thankful to God for the time we've had here and for all of the great memories we've made.
ART, PHOTOGRAPHY, & ALL THINGS CRAFTY I love to dabble! When I can find the time, I busy myself with painting, drawing, graphic design, blogging. I like to play with my camera a lot too.
- A series called Photo*journal where I document simple details of day to day life.
- A series called "Paper & Ink" where I share simple ink drawings.
- Making a low cost, oversized engineer print.
- Some of my oil on canvas paintings {coming soon!}
Oh, and did I mention that I'm sort of a J.Crew fanatic? You can see some of my favorite things to wear in the Wearing series.
I have to admit that I am not crafty. Not in the least bit. I've never even attempted a scrapbook, nor had the desire to. But having little ones around these past four years has changed that. I'm finding out how much fun it can be to make things, especially things that we can enjoy together!
- Making a village out of recycled milk cartons.
- Making fun masks out of recycled egg cartons.
- Making homemade decorations for Asher's A-mazing "A" birthday party.
- Making a gallery wall out of kids' finger paintings.
- Making a personalized countdown calender on a chalk wall/board.
- Making simple ABC cut-outs as a fun craft and learning tool for kids.
I still don't see myself attempting a scrapbook anytime soon, but never say never, right?
HOME{MADE}; SOME OF OUR FAVORITE RECIPES I spend a lot of time in the kitchen. With a husband and three boys to keep fed, it's pretty much inevitable!
Here are a few things we like to have on a regular basis, as well as a few that we treat ourselves to occasionally;
- Home{made} Flaxseed Bread
- Home{made} Chocolate Pudding
- Home{made} Granola
- Pizza Bagels that Kids {& Adults!} Can't Resist
- Healthy Banana Nut Bran Muffins {Sugar Free}
- Chocolate Chip Cake Batter Cookies
- Chocolate Chip Pumpkin Muffins
- Easy Strawberry Shortcake
Enjoy!
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
HOW DID YOU START BLOGGING? It's funny to admit that I knew almost nothing about blogging just a few years back. I started in 2010 when we found out that we were expecting our first son, but it was more of an online pregnancy journal than a true blog. It wasn't until a year or so after that when I stumbled upon the world of lifestyle blogging, fell in love with it, and started again. It was a fun hobby in between working part time from home, some oil painting commissions, and freelance graphic design work. With all of that plus being a wife and a mom, blogging fell to the back burner for a while. But I upgraded my camera, started an online photo album to share with our family, and little by little that online photo album became what you see here today! One of my favorite parts about blogging and web design is that it's a creative process that will never be "done". I love being inspired by other talented bloggers and I love the challenge of constantly learning to improve upon my work. But most of all, I pray that I can honor God, be a source of encouragement to other moms, and just plain have fun with this space!
WHAT KIND OF CAMERA DO YOU USE? Capturing the simple moments that make up my everyday life at home with my boys has become quite a passion. These are precious times and it's such a blessing to be able to document them with photos. I use a Nikon D3000 and I switch between three lenses depending on the occasion. My favorite and most used lens is my Nikon 50mm f/1.4G, followed by my Nikon 35mm f/1.8G. Occasionally I use the standard lens that came with the camera, but only as a last resort. I love my prime lenses! One of my long term goals is to get some formal training in photography and make it more than just a hobby. But in the meantime, I'm learning as I go.
ARE YOU GOING TO HOMESCHOOL YOUR KIDS? The short and easy answer is "we don't know!" It's a constant matter of prayer, what public or private schooling options are available where we happen to live when the time comes, and ultimately what God lays on our hearts for each season.
Again, thanks for stopping by!
