Pinterest Board: Buttons. Blouses. Trousers. More.

With a hint of fall in the... air boots, autumn colors and blazers are making their way to the forefront of my closet. For this Pinterest Board of the Week I thought it would be fun to spotlight a few of these yummy items.

Fall Colors.

Perfect Fall Get-Up.

Let's get real, this blazer is just too perfect.

Such a great combo.

Just a hint of Winter.

With football well into the season and a few leaves or two on the ground, I'd say it's safe to say Autumn is being received with open arms in this household.

He is faithful

Growing pains. That has been my diagnosis of where I am right now. Being away from all of my close friends, my support system, has been so difficult. Working 8-5 everyday has presented its own challenges as I have found there to be such little time to go out and just make new friends.

…on Thursday nights Nathan and I host a graduate student and young professional’s small group. After a time studying the word the guys and girls split up for a time of prayer. This time has been such a blessing as all of the girls are in such similar stages of life and experiencing transitions of their own. I have met a few girls in particular that are both recent graduates (like me) and one is even newly married (like me). HE is so unbelievably faithful and that fact just hit me like a ton of bricks last night as I was surrounded by a group of women who the Lord has handpicked to be in my life for this next year and during this time in my life! I’m so grateful for these blessings.

Growing pains won’t break you. They will only cause you to lean more on Him and see the way He is providing and taking care of you, daily!

Let me say that I am utterly grateful for my husband, Nathan as he constantly points me to Christ and reminds me to focus on the positives, on His blessings.

The Lord your God is in your midst, a mighty one who will save; he will rejoice over you with gladness; he will quiet you by his love; he will exult over you with loud singing. Zephaniah 3:17

 I’ve always loved that verse in Zephaniah and how it depicts the way the Lord loves us!

Marital Compatibility

The Truth About Marital Compatibility is a great article written by Phil Smidt, who is the counseling pastor as well as the Marriage and Family pastor at one of the Mars Hill campuses. It takes a look at biblical compatibility and offers 5 questions for both singles seeking a spouse and married couples. 


5 Questions for Married Couples Who Want to Become More Biblically Compatible: 

1. What do you focus on more frequently, what's wrong with your marriage or what's right with it?

If you're a Christian, there’s a lot right about you because Jesus has saved you from God’s wrath and now owns you. You have every resource in Christ available to you (2 Peter 1:3). As a redeemed child of God, forgiveness and grace can flow freely from your heart allowing you to minister to your spouse’s weaknesses. But do you live that way?

2. When is the last time you did something intentional for your spouse?

Kindness and thoughtfulness strengthen marriage. Yet many couples feel entitled to speak harshly, be contemptuous, or withhold forgiveness. “For better or for worse” is not permission to sin. It takes faith and humility to respond graciously when you are angry, hurting, or misunderstood.

3. Do you believe God knew what he was doing when he had you marry your spouse?

When marriage is difficult it can be tempting to think you made a mistake, forgetting marriage sharpens us, often in painful ways. Step back and remind each other what you appreciate and admire about one another. Chances are, those qualities are still there, but you have allowed sin and selfishness to creep in and cloud your view.

4. Do you need to repent of discontentedness and complaining in your marriage?

It takes a supernatural intervention by the Holy Spirit to make us thankful. Our tendency is to compare and complain. Thanksgiving is a lifestyle command in Scripture (Col. 3:15-17), not just a suggestion or holiday in November. What are you thankful about? What would it take for you to enjoy your spouse?

5. Do you and your spouse pray together? Do you pray for each other?

It's difficult to grow hard-hearted and embittered toward someone you are praying for frequently. God will do his best work in your marriage when you are in prayer. Prayer acknowledges our need for God and worships him.       

Pinterest Board: Design

Packaging. Logos. Typography. Design. I'm smitten by every bit of it-the feel of paper, the final touches of a product and the way one chooses to manipulate the letters of the alphabet.

Enjoy these design goodies from Pinterest.

Clean & Simple.

Standing Out in a Positive Way.

Just right.

Nailed it.

Every bit of goodness. 

Love the color and the hidden silhouette. 

Utter perfection

If there was a room that was a perfect depiction of me it would be this one. The chairs, the curtains and oh that beautiful rug-truly utter perfection in my book. So much joy would be brought to every meal, simply because of these colors. 

Enjoy. 

Chicago Bound

My "little" (we will use this term loosely considering he is nearly a foot taller than me) is officially a Chicago resident for the next four years while he studies at Columbia College of Chicago.

Unfortunately Nathan and I weren't able to tag along for the big move-in, but we are nonetheless absolutely thrilled for this new chapter in Adam's life.

A few days ago Adam sent me this picture taken from his dorm room window (not your typical tiny living quarters but actually an apartment designed with perfect modern flair)...

Awesome view.

Adam,
Enjoy the windy city for all it has to offer. Enjoy college for all it has to offer. Pursue deep relationships that will make you a stronger man of God. Pursue relationships you will look back on in years to come, one's where see His provision for your life through those blessings. My prayer for you is that He stretches you out of your comfort zone only leading to truly reliance on Him alone-the only one who can satisfy. I love you Adam.

"For this reason I bow my knees before the Father, so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith, that you, being rooted and grounded in love, may have strength to comprehend with all the saints what is the breadth and length and height and depth, and to know the love of Christ that surpasses knowledge, that you may be filled with all the fullness of God."

Ephesians 3:14, 17-19

Repost: Just Write.

A while ago Cory Bordonaro (owner of Four Hats Press, and printer of the wedding paper suite I designed for the big day... she is phenomenal) posted this on her blog and I was nodding in agreement to everything she said so I just had to share.

Deliver the Letter

image from here

It's no secret that I'm a fan of the hand-written note. I have an endless appreciation for the lost art of tangible thoughtfulness. So, as soon as I get my press up and ready, I plan on continuing to deliver sweet somethings in letterpress. Until then, here's a guide to great letter-writing.

1. Secure some sweet stationery. The paper-licious options on etsy abound. I love the typography and deep impression on these. And I can never say no to what comes out of Rifle Paper Company.

get em here

2. Brush up on your technique. While you want your notes to be heartfelt and not at all formulaic sounding, there are some sweet tips on getting your message across, care of the one and only, Emily Post. Read her tips here. I also love Ready Made magazine's diagram of a good love letter (as written by Mark Twain to his wife, Livy). See the cute treatment they gave it below.

read more here

3. Sign, seal, and deliver. I simply can't stand how much I love the idea of this collage o stamps. If you order a set, it comes with a variety of squares that add up to the correct postage value of sending a letter. And it's just so darn pretty.

get them from Paper Nickel

  

Thanks Cory for sharing your thoughts on the art of letter writing.

 

Onward to writing a note, lickin' some envelopes and spreading some love!