Introducing Sarah @ The Fontenot Four

Hi friends!  My name is Sarah.  I am the one behind The Fontenot Four!  I'm really excited that Kimberlee asked me to share a bit about myself today!

Ron & Moira on the top row
Me & Peyton on the bottom row

I am a recent {well, 3.5 years recent} transplant to South Carolina by way of Texas, where I spent about 11 years.  I am in love with God, my husband {Ron}, my girls {Moira and Peyton}, and life in the Lowcountry.  I am a stay a home mom.  Actually, it was not something we actively chose to pursue for me, but that is the way it happened.  My daughters are 7 and 5.  Peyton was born with multiple special needs.  Over her 5 years, she's developed more problems and has become medically fragile.  A few years ago, it became necessary for me to quit my job so I could adequately meet her needs.  That lost income forced my husband to seek out a better job.  With nothing coming up in Houston, we decided he ought to broaden his search, and so we wound up {rather quickly} in Charleston, SC!  We knew no one here.  No family here.  No friends. It was truly a leap of faith....but it was the best decision we ever made!  That's not to say we haven't had our share of ups and downs.  We just happened to find a true home here.

It's actually Peyton that drove me to begin blogging.  Since she was about a year old, I have been keeping up with a CaringBridge site for her.  A little over a year ago, her health was declining...fast...and our lives were so burdened and difficult and stressed as a result of everything going on with her, finances, home life, and just life in general.  If you have a special needs child or know someone who does, perhaps you know how life can be for the family.  Everything was so negative that I decided I had to do something to break out of that mindset.  I began a blog.  I started The Fontenot Four as an outlet for me to write about the blessings in my life.  The good stuff.  Nothing negative.  I figured if I focused on the positive for a change, it might really help me.  It has.  What was just a little blog that my husband and I read {along with a very small handful of others - close friends mostly} became a tiny bit bigger after I did a guest post on a friend's blog.  Just a little bit.  It's been a few months since I wrote that post.  In that time, I have been totally inspired by some wonderful bloggers, including April!  I decided somewhere along the way that I could really use my blog to help people.  Our family has been through so much.  I thought maybe something I write one day could help someone who is going through a similar situation.  I'm still just a little blog, but I've met some really amazing women - many of whom, like me, are not afraid to share their faith.  I love to blog about the blessings in my life, my faith, the occasional book review, recipes from time to time, musings about my family, and so on.

In my spare time, I do a little knitting.  Just simple little things.  A few months ago I decided to open up a little Etsy shop {emphasis on little!} called "Knitted Simplicity" where I thought I could sell some of these little goodies.  I knit a of cotton wash cloths.  I absolutely love these.  My mom began knitting those years ago, and that's all I ever use!  I also have scarves and reusable coffee sleeves in the shop.  The motivation behind my shop was simply that after not working {for pay!} for over 3 years, and constantly seeing how financially strapped our family is because of our situation, that I could maybe sell a few items and help out, even if it was in a very small way.

Currently, I'm still working on getting this little baby off the ground, but it's there.  I'm trying to come up with some ideas for other items to add to the shop.  Let me know if you have any suggestions!!  And just for you, I'm offering a 10% discount in my shop using coupon code ENOUGHFAITH.

Thanks again for inviting me over today!

*********************

Sweet Sarah was kind enough to open her blog to me last month, and I wrote my first guest post. Originally it was supposed to be something light hearted and encouraging. It ended up be something far more painful and deep. I felt God strongly calling me to share this story, and I am ever grateful to her for allowing me to follow His calling. 

Blessings to you Sarah, Thanks for being a part of my journey. Hope you all enjoyed getting to know Sarah as much as I did! More “Introduce Yourself Here” posts coming, stay tuned!