brief update and a GIVEAWAY!!!!

well... i'm the worst blogger ever. oh well. I've been a tad busy... so there's that. sorry.

here's a brief update.

store = good

we've had some great months and some greater months! i'm truly blessed and thankful for this crazy opportunity.

judson and sarah = in love

judson bought an adorable house. we're in the process of fixing it up a little... not too much though. before and after pics will be posted at some point... some point.

so basically, life has been a mod podge of business and busyness. and honestly, i couldn't be happier!

Now to some really fun news....
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I've recently become an Ambassador for Noonday Collection. Noonday Collection is this amazing company that provides pathways out of poverty through the power of work. Noonday is not a charity. Noonday is about entering into partnerships with artisans from around the world and giving them an avenue in which to sell their BEAUTIFUL handmade pieces.

The premise of Noonday Collection is found in Isaiah 58

“Is not this the kind of fasting I have chosen:
to loose the chains of injustice
    and untie the cords of the yoke,
to set the oppressed free
    and break every yoke?
⁷ Is it not to share your food with the hungry
    and to provide the poor wanderer with shelter—
when you see the naked, to clothe them,
    and not to turn away from your own flesh and blood?
⁸ Then your light will break forth like the dawn,
    and your healing will quickly appear;
then your righteousness will go before you,
    and the glory of the Lord will be your rear guard.

…satisfy the needs of the oppressed,
then your light will rise in the darkness,
    and your night will become like the noonday.

You see... Noonday is based upon the foundation of who God wants us to be IN HIM. To love and serve others... and it will start to grow and heal our broken hearts in the process! I don't know about you, but I read all of this and decided I HAD to be a part of this incredible group of women.

When I went to my first Noonday Trunk Show, I was still living in Austin. My friend Emily invited me to go to her friend's house for an adoption fundraiser. Little did I know that I was going to be walking into a beautiful landscape of handmade jewelry!! I learned that a percentage of the total sales from the trunk show were going to this family that was raising money for adoption.

So, I'm a small business owner. And, y'all, it's hard. I'm so thankful to have my parents give me shelter and food and Judson pick up meals for me. I'm, thankfully, able to pay bills, but with very little to spare. I know that it's the first year of business, and I won't be in a place to have extra cash for a very long time. But, I also have a heart for the orphan. And, it is my hope one day to adopt. I want to start saving money for that, along with paying off my debts.

In July, I was kind of in a low state. Really questioning what my next steps needed to be regarding the business. I wasn't ever going to close, but I knew that some changes had to be made. After lots of prayer, Noonday popped into my head and heart one night. I started to research and realized that I could afford to start out as an Ambassador. Therefore, helping me to make some extra income, as well as start saving for a special little guy or girl to join my family one very sweet day.

More than anything, I'm so excited to educate those around me about Noonday and its mission. I'm excited to show off beautiful pieces of jewelry and accessories that add a little twinkle to a woman's eye. I'm excited to quite possibly help families with the craziness that is raising money for adoptions. I'm excited to advocate for those in poverty and truly see lives changed by something so easy and convenient.

 I truly hope you'll join me in this journey. It's such an amazing and unique opportunity! If you don't know anyone adopting, but want to host a trunk show... YOU get a percentage in a Noonday voucher. When I hosted a trunk show a few weeks ago at the store, I got a voucher to buy 4 different pieces!!! So... think FREE Christmas gifts for friends and family!!!

OK... If you're still reading... now is the FUN FUN FUN part!

I'm doing my FIRST NOONDAY GIVEAWAY!!!! That's right.... YOU could win this BEAUTIFUL "Bling Collar" Necklace, made with love in India. It's the PERFECT addition to a Christmas holiday outfit...

How do you enter? Comment on the blog... repost it on Facebook... Instagram about it! Whatever... just make sure that I am tagged!!! (@sarahkdecker on Instagram or Twitter)...

I'll pick a WINNER at random on Thursday, September 26th at 10am!!!

revisiting twentytwelve.

i kind of don't even know where to begin. so, i'll start here: i'm the happiest i've ever been. so there's that. :)

2012 has definitely been the greatest year of change in my 31 years. i lost my job, took a chance in a new job, took a leap of faith and quit that job, lived without a job for months, sold my house and moved back to my hometown.

crazy, yes. but incredible. and awesome. i wouldn't change a moment of it.

i am, without one doubt, precisely where i am supposed to be in this stage of my life.

heritage intentional mercantile

it's up and running and phenomenal. i am overwhelmed and humbled by God's sweet provision in this adventure. i can't even begin to tell you all every little thing that's happened. at the least, i can sum it up to one word: goodness.

five women have helped me start this crazy shop. these five women are women who love me, support me and want to see me do great things. they are women i live life with... and have literally watched me grow into the gal i am today. i couldn't be more blessed. so shout out to my momma, my aunt Tresa, Jean, Fran and Robin. it's so much fun doing this whole thing with them.

and i can't not thank my daddy. he's been my rock when i've needed him most. i'm thankful that i'm close to and with he and my momma. i couldn't imagine doing this shop anywhere else but henderson.

the goods: we've got it all. pillows, iphone cases, kitchen stuff, barware, the most incredible blankets on the face of the planet, luggage and bags, scarfs, prints, bath products, candles candles candles and of course, the jewelry. and that's only right now! we've got so so so much more coming! and now, for my plug... follow us on Facebook at www.facebook.com/heritagehenderson.com


 
 

running

yep. you read that right. i moved from austin and i started running. what can i say, i do things a little backwards anyway!  no, i'm not ready for a marathon... or a half marathon at that. but, i like it. and that's the important part. i took a few months off... because i was opening a business and all that jazz, but i started back this week. and it feels good.

this is Abbey. she's my friend... and one of my running partners. and this is right before i was about to run my first 2 miles!! we were pumped... and goofy!





digs

the weekend i moved home, we started working on the garage apartment at my parent's house. it was built in the 20s, and has been remodeled a few times since my parent's bought the house in 1976. at any rate, we, as in dad, did TONS of work to the place and mom, and a little bit of me, designed the new set up. it looks phenomenal, and i couldn't be happier with my little set-up. dad now wants to call it the studio... cause it's that cool. :)

in other big news...

i may have met the best man a girl can ask for. yep. i'm dating a guy. and he's a dollface, even though he'd rather me call him a badass or something along those lines. about a month after i moved back, a mutual friend "re-introduced" us and we were all in after that. he's the salt of the earth, loves Jesus, makes me laugh and i absolutely adore living life with this man. also, it should be noted that my family and my friends truly love this guy. that's so huge for me... and i couldn't be more thankful. and, i should mention that as a girl who absolutely HATES to dress up in costumes, he's convinced me to do it not once, but twice, in the four months we've been dating. either i'm getting soft or i'm putty in his hand. let's go with soft.

all in all, i wouldn't replace 2012 with anything. there's something completely awesome about seeing the Lord's sweet plan starting to reveal itself. i truly can't wait to see what 2013 has in store... having gone through lots of valleys and mountain tops in 2012, i welcome the ebb and flow of life for this next year! He is good... ALL THE TIME!

wishing you all the best and praying for a blessed new year for you and yours!