HOLIDAY GIFT GUIDE // FOR THE BOYS

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Boy oh Boy. Does anyone else find it SO difficult to find a gift for guys?? This year, instead of giving one another an exact list of gift ideas, we've set a price limit and decided to surprise each other. For James that'll be easy because I LOVE EVERYTHING but man for me, it's a lot harder!! Are any of you like me? If so, I've got you covered...I spent a loooong time finding some gift ideas for that man in your life...

 
Holiday Gift Guide for Him!
 

1. Patterned Socks // 2. Leather Messenger Bag // 3. Brass Shaving Set // 4. John Varvatos Artisan Aqua // 5. Pocket Notebooks // 6. Grey Beanie

Past Holiday Gift Guides:

Hope you all have a fabulous weekend! I plan on spending it writing a paper and PACKING...oh goodness....!

xo,

s.s.♥︎.

SOME INSPIRATION ON A THURSDAY

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Hiiiii. This time of year can be hard for a lot of people. Finals...anxiety...cold grey days...stressful family gatherings...the feeling of loneliness. Maybe all you want to do is a curl up in a ball on your bed, cover yourself in blankets and not come out until 2015.

 Just wanted to remind you, that you are able to finish this year well.

Don't Stop.

Hold your head up high and keep working at making that dream a reality.

Shake off the negative voices in your life (and head).

You are more than a conquerer.

You got this.

xo,

s.s.♥︎.

 

TIME TO CELEBRATE...

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Well it's time to celebrate because WE BOUGHT A HOUSE!!!!! As I mentioned before, our offer on this home was accepted and last Friday all the subjects were removed.

Our home story...

We've been looking at houses online since the summer. After conference, we started looking more seriously, setting up showings with our realtor. We saw this house early November and we loved it. It's in a great neighbourhood, only a couple blocks from my dad's house. It has three bedrooms up top and a 1 bedroom suite below (who wants to be our tenant?!?!) It has a big backyard that's fully fenced.  We loved it and were seriously thinking about it.

But then someone else put an offer on it. I admit, I was pretty crushed. When we walked into that house, I could see us living there. But we couldn't do anything, so we had to let that house go.

But a couple days before their closing date, I got a feeling that the deal wasn't going to go through. I even chatted to our realtor and he contacted the seller's realtor and everything was going fine...but then at 4pm on the day of their closing, we got a phone call from our realtor...the deal hadn't gone through! We moved in on it and lo and behold WE HAVE A HOME!

 

I want to thank you all for all your prayer, support and encouragement!! We get possession on December 15th and cannot wait to move in!!

Happy Monday!

xo,

s.s.♥︎.

NOVEMBER FAVOURITES

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Well November is pretty much OVER which means one thing...CHRISTMAS !!!!!! This past week we decorated our church sanctuary. It's a bit of a BIG JOB (the sanctuary alone has 16 trees!!!) So let's just say...I am in the full Christmas mode. 

But before we go forward, let's look back at your favourite posts in November...

1. HOUSE HUNTING 

Well November has been a busy month for us!!! We've been house hunting & had a super exciting house announcement....more on that on Monday....

 

2. MY CURRENT OFFICE SPACE

I finally showed you photos of my current office space! It's teensy but I love it :)

 

3. ON CALLING & PURPOSE AND MY EX-OBSESSION WITH C.S.I.

This post was all about calling and purpose in the NOW.

 

4. NO SUGAR NOVEMBER + SOME SUGAR FREE RECIPES

Well I had one month without chocolate, sweets, candy, pastries and all of my favourite things. Let's just say I am PUMPED to dig into my advent calendar tomorrow. ha.

 

5. HOLIDAY GIFT GUIDE // GOLD

Let the holiday shopping begin...I started things off with my favourite colour...GOLD. How cute are ALL THOSE THINGS?

 

Happy Sunday!

xo,

s.s.♥︎.

GO GET IT GIRL // PROPEL WOMEN

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10 years ago I walked into my first ever women's conference. There I was surrounded by thousands of women with an anticipation that God was going to move. I had never heard a woman preach in my small experience of church so I had no idea what to expect. Well let's just say, I WAS BLOWN OUTTA THE WATER! Those speakers could PREACH. I saw God use women in a bold and powerful way and I was never the same.

One of those speakers, Christine Caine (who happens to be my favourite preacher EVER), recently launched an online magazine called Propel that's all about empowering women to lead. When I first saw it I was like YEEEESSSSSSSSSSSS! They're all about equipping women, no matter what season they're in, to lead. Whether you're a stay at home mom, lawyer, high school student, pastor, barista or wherever you are placed at the moment...I encourage you to go to Propel's website and sign up for their first issue!

I believe, that no matter what season you are in, God has called you to lead. When God created Eve, he used the Hebrew word- עֵ֫זֶר (ezer) to describe her. 

18 And the Lord God said, “It is not good that man should be alone; I will make him a helper comparable to him.” -Genesis 2:18

Now ezer is a term that God uses to describe himself throughout the Bible. (Psalm 33:20, Psalm 70:5, Psalm 115, and way more...)If God used this term to describe himself, surely he didn't mean that woman would be some weak "helper" designed to be below man. At a conference earlier this year, Sarah Bessey shared that this "helper" could be described as man's greatest ally. We women were designed to lead. Not over men, not under men but alongside men.

So let this be an encouragement, to find the leader within you and tell her (or him) that God has called you to lead, unapologetically.

 

Stay gold,

s.s.♥.