Hi, I’m Carissa!
Hello friend and welcome to my little corner of the internet. Let me tell you a little bit about myself and the backstory behind this blog!
I grew up in a small town in Ohio with lots of cornfields and beautiful sunsets. My parents decided early on that they would homeschool my sister and I, and I am forever grateful for that decision. Not only did it allow us to have wonderful flexibility with our education, but it also gave me plenty of free time to start a business at a very young age. This has naturally given me a passion for homeschooling and raising my own children at home. Although they are not quite school age yet, I am sure it will be a subject I touch on many times on this blog.
When I was 19 I met my now husband at a Celtic ball (think Pride and Prejudice style dancing) and a couple years later he proposed to me at that very same ball. So yeah, I was basically Cinderella (had the blonde hair, blue dress, and everything). We now live in a small just over 800 square foot home on an acre with our two beautiful daughters and two sweet dachshunds. Oh yeah, and our four chickens that my hubby somehow convinced me to get. I really cannot complain though now that I have tons of fresh eggs on my counter every day.
The name of this blog has a double meaning. I become a Christian at a very young age, and have continued to grow in my love and understanding of the gospel and the God I serve. His glory is the reason for everything I do and my purpose for each day. Therefore, For Hope and Joy was taken from these two verses:
“Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for He who promised is faithful.” – Hebrews 10:23
“You make known to me the path of life; in your presence there is fullness of joy.” – Psalm 16:11
Hope and Joy are also the middle names of my two beautiful daughters. Before we ever got married, my husband and I knew we wanted me to stay home with our future children. However, we knew we would have to be willing to make many sacrifices to make this happen. The most significant sacrifice was that we would be cutting our income in half.
Since quitting my job to stay home with our children, I have had to get very creative with both my time and our finances. I have become quite talented at doing pretty much everything on the cheap, learning how to make healthy meals from scratch on a budget, creating a beautiful home with items from the Dollar Tree, and learning how to be content to give the majority of my time to joyfully serve my family. None of this has come easy to me, and I am still a very slow learner in many areas. However, as I continue to grow and learn as a wife, homemaker, and mother, I want to share this journey with you, so that I might encourage you in your own journey of finding hope and joy in the Lord as you seek to glorify Him each and every day.
