a peaceful place…

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!

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