So, here we are! Trying our very best to do this big job that God has called us to…PARENTING! We welcome you to join us on this journey as we share our mommy successes, mommy fails, and all the fun stuff in between! Just for fun, let’s give you a little back story on us: Sarabeth and Carolyn. Let’s take a trip down memory lane, shall we?? So, we grew up in the same youth group, but never with each other. Think of us as 2 ships passing in the night. After discussing it, we think we may have missed each other but only a few months. You see, Sarabeth’s family was in the military and moved states right about the same time that Carolyn started coming to church. So we didn’t really know each other, but we did know a lot of the same people. And if you were to ask a lot of those people about us, they would probably tell you that we were a very unlikely duo. And really, that’s what makes this all so funny! Growing up, Sarabeth was kind of your ideal teenager. She helped out in kids church, volunteered for things, and basically was a youth pastor’s dream. And Carolyn? Well…she wasn’t. She was more of a stereotypical teenager; testing her boundaries and hanging with the “cool kids”. But hey! It’s the lost the church is after, are we right?? Lol. Fast forward, now, to 2018 and here we are! The best of friends! How exactly is the possible? Well, for starters, Sarabeth moved back and we started attending church together, but-more than that, we are connected by the “BIG M”! Aka: MOTHERHOOD! (Side note- we realize no one actually calls it “the BIG M” but we were going for dramatic flare). Moving on! We were both pretty sure when we first met that we would be NOT be friends. Sarabeth is still super outgoing and the type of person who volunteers for everything and is the most enthusiastic volunteer they have. And though Carolyn has come a long way in her walk with the Lord, she’s not as outgoing, nor is she eager to sign up for more to do. Nevertheless, God had a plan and through some God encounters and our kiddos having playdates, we actually hit it off! We very quickly realized we were way more alike than we were different! We share a lot of the same struggles (we’re looking at you whiny kids and junk food addictions!), but we also have a lot of the same dreams and goals as well. Out of all that realization, you now have this blog! We couldn’t be more excited to collaborate and inspire other women just like us. Our greatest hope for this blog is this: we want to be able to share all the tips and tricks we have learned not only about motherhood, but also about marriage and friendships too! Really, just about life. We have realized one thing about life and it is that we can do nothing good without God’s grace. That brings us to the name of our blog: Raised By Grace. Because, we are raising children, raising standards, and raising  awareness and trying our best to do it gracefully in a way that will bring God glory!

Good company in a journey makes the way seem shorter. — Izaak Walton