Do you remember last month when I blogged about a book I enjoyed while I was on vacation? It was this book:
I read it while we were on a relaxing little weekend getaway and I loved it. loved it. loved it.
Well, just last week the sequel to it was released!
I haven’t had a chance to read it yet, but it’s somewhere enroute between an amazon warehouse and my front porch right this moment, so I’ll be reading it soon – I can’t wait!
I mentioned before that the author of this series is Courtney Walsh, who, in addition to being an incredible writer, is also an amazing scrapbooker. I was so thrilled when Courtney invited me to join her, and a handful of her friends, for this:
Courtney wanted to show some Sweethaven-inspired layouts...and then give you a chance to show off your talents by creating your own Sweethaven inspired layout. She has put together some great prizes too!
She sent us a list of topics to choose from – all topics that are addressed in her book - here’s the list:
- reconciled friendships
- motherhood
- weight loss
- being transparent
- distractions
- forgiveness
- old friends
- best friends
- getting away
- the place where you can most be yourself
- the place where the peace is
- the cover of the book
- a verse or quote that really means something to you
- second chances
I chose “the place where the peace is” and created this layout:
This was actually the second version of this layout. The first one was okay, but it had a lot more “stuff” on it, and just didn’t feel “peaceful” enough, so this one is much more simple…but much more peaceful as well. :)
I’ve shared photos, and my feelings about this location before…but I haven’t scrapbooked about how peaceful it is. So my layout is all about this peaceful little place where I love to go. My parents bought property in the mountains above our little valley - I'm sure when they bought it they had no idea what a special place it would become. It's close enough to home that we can drive up there any time and when we get there we feel like we're a world away.
The pond is gorgeous, the surrounding mountains are nothing short of majestic, and the wildlife that often visits reminds us that we're only a little piece of such an amazing and beautiful world! I love visiting the pond, even if it's only for a short amount of time, I always leave with a feeling of peace and renewal in my heart. :)
Courtney shared my layout today on her blog (here) and I was really struck by the words she used to end her post:
“My hope for you today is that you get a moment to stop and pause. To take in the peacefulness around you, even in the midst of chaos. To reevaluate priorities...because your to-do list will still be there tomorrow...but that child will be one day older.
How will you love them today?”
I know it’s always good to be reminded about keeping our priorities where they need to be – and I appreciated the reminder from Courtney today.
Now, be sure to visit Courtney’s blog and her author page on facebook (here) for more inspiration and opportunities to win some great prizes!
Since we’ll be heading back to school later this week, I wanted to share a layout I created using the School Days Mini Kit. 
