
Dear friend,
I hope you are enjoying Family Fridays so far! I am having so much fun putting them all together. Before I share this weeks Family Friday Favorites I wanted to announce the winner of the First Family Friday giveaway! Meaghan from Feasting with the Saints is the winner! I was so glad when I saw that she was the winner. I was connected with her via a mutual friend as Meaghan is a blogger as well! She makes some delicious meals that follow along with the liturgical calendar that I would recommend checking out. Be sure to tag along in the fun as you will discover some delicious recipes!
So, without further ado here are some of this week’s Family Friday Favorites that I cannot wait to share with you!
By Love Refined: Letters to a Young Bride by Alice von Hildebrand
When I was young I always desired a beautiful marriage and to be the most loving wife. At times I would wonder what my husband would be like and when I would meet him. God took me on a wild and beautiful journey to meet Adam and He definitely fulfilled the desires of my heart (more than I even imagined). My desire to be the most loving wife still hasn’t faded, in fact it has grown exponentially. By Love Refined gives the reader tools to be able to achieve a beautiful marriage and become the most loving wife. Alice von Hildebrand is one of my favorite writers and one of my friends gifted this book to me as a wedding gift. By Love Refined is set up as a series of letters from a widowed Godmother to her newly wed Goddaughter. This book includes many instances in marriage that might cause conflict as well as other common instances that come up within a marriage. Von Hildebrand beautifully explains how to love your spouse in each instance even when it is difficult. She teaches us to defeat pride and selfishness so that we can love more fully! I have gifted copies of this book to friends and I highly recommend this book even if you are no longer a young wife. Von Hildebrand’s wisdom and advice are some of the best that you can find.
You can find By Love Refined by Alice von Hildebrand here.
I also thought I would share the story of how Adam and I met. I wrote a three part blog post explaining how God beautifully brought us together if you’d care to read. What an exciting journey God is taking us on.
Bambu Earth Dry Shampoo
Ok so you are probably wondering why I would add a dry shampoo to my Family Friday Favorites. Well, I can honestly say that this dry shampoo has become one of my favorite products to use as a mother! I actually never used dry shampoo before becoming a mama. I know many mothers who swear by using a good dry shampoo, which is why I am sharing this one with you this week. I have tried a few dry shampoos in the past and not only did I not like using the aerosol form of dry shampoo, but the ingredient list was pretty nasty. I saw a recommendation for Bambu Earth dry shampoo and decided to give it a try. It works wonders! For not being an aerosol and for having natural ingredients it actually works better than any dry shampoo I have ever used. As an added bonus it smells amazing, which you typically don’t get from an aerosol. One very special thing about Bambu Earth is that throughout their website and even on their product packaging you will find Scripture verses. Written on my dry shampoo container it says, “I praise you, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made. Wonderful are your works; my soul knows it very well. My frame was not hidden from you, when I was being made in secret, intricately woven in the depths of the earth” (Psalm 139:14-15). I was so happy when I saw this! I have given this dry shampoo away as a gift to new moms who also love it. I am definitely a repeat customer and cannot wait to try some more of Bambu Earth’s products in the future.
You can learn more about Bambu Earth here. I would really encourage you to read their “About” page. Their vision and mission is just beautiful!
You can find Bambu Earth dry shampoo here.
Sweet n Swag Shoes
These shoes are the cutest baby and toddler shoes! Every time Gianna wore her pair of Sweet n Swag shoes she got so many compliments on them. The sweetest part is that every year Sweet n Swag donates hundreds of pairs of their shoes to children and babies in need around the world. Sweet n Swag is found covering the toes of babies and children in Africa, homeless shelters, NICUs, pediatric units, and oncology units. As cute as the Sweet n Swag shoes are they are thankfully affordable as well. The story of how they started is certainly inspiring and their motto is “do good.” Be sure to check out their website to learn more about the company, how they got started, and their mission.
You learn more about Sweet n Swag and how they began here.
You can find Sweet n Swag shoes here.
Sweet n Swag shoes are also available on Amazon, which is great if you are a Prime member because you can save money on shipping and get free returns! You can find my favorite kind of Sweet n Swag shoes on Amazon here.
Recent Happenings at Love Begins at Home
I thought I would add any blog posts or news from each week leading up to Friday so you can always stay in the loop as to what is going on here at Love Begins at Home. My most recent blog post is titled, “Hope in a hopeless culture.” I don’t know if you have felt this way as well, but recently there has been a heaviness and gloominess upon our culture as we continue to hear disheartening news. It seems as if all hope is lost. Over and over again I continue to hear “I would not want to have kids in this day and age” or something similar. I want to encourage you that hope is not lost and my children have only increased my hope for our world. You can continue reading “Hope in a hopeless culture” here.
Have a great rest of your weekend and know you are in my prayers!
With love,
Nina
+JMJ+