Weekend Links:)

Here are a few things I have been reading/listening to and enjoying as of late.

A Mother's Day message I loved by Shauna Niequist can be found here.  I especially loved the part about having the guts and making the time to connect deeply with other women.  About having a tribe.  Knowing we are not alone and letting others know that too.  About walking with one another in both joy and sorrow.  And about bout caring for ourselves as Mom's.  Really challenging and inspiring.  I think I might listen to it again and take notes:)

Michael Hyatt's podcast on Authentic Leadership can be found here.  Super fun for me because I even got a question answered :)

this post on Summer Style at Simple Design.

I pretty much love anythign that Christine Caine has to say.  Her podcasts on women in leadership are beyond fantastic.

This post  on joy and gratitude was just the reminder I needed.

How about you?  Read anything great online lately?

Springtime in Niagara

A couple of weeks ago, when the blossoms were at their finest, I grabbed my camera and hopped in my car.  The orchards were were calling me with their sweet scent and magnificent colour.  Breathtaking in every possible sense.

After my nap, we sat in the hotel lobby, looking at a catalogue of flowers that Tom would plant at his house and mine in the fall.  He wanted me to pick out my favorite color daffodil for him to plant, but I said, "Don't they just die in four or five days, and not come until the following spring?  So what is the point?"

"The point is those four or five days," he said.

Anne Lamott - Some Assembly Required

page 259

Weekend Links

 

It's the weekend and the weather is perfection.  The warmth of the sun on my face is golden.  I'm soaking in the sounds and smells of spring.   Every time I go on my back deck, I savour the scent of my neighbours lilacs.  And it's heavenly.

Hope you all have a great Mothers Day weekend and are able to deeply celebrate and honour the influential women in your life; both past and present.

If you are looking for some good reading/listening material this weekend,  here are a few of my favourites from this past week:

A Little Beauty Goes a Long Way by Simple Mom.  I really loved and resonated with this post.  The only thing I would add to her list would be fresh flowers:)

Podcast by Michael Hyatt: The Secret Power of Naps.  Since being pregnant and having babies, I have become a big believer in naps.  Even nowadays, I will take a 20-30 minute nap 2 or 3 times a week.  This is something my Mom always did when she was raising her family and she encouraged me to do the same.  I loved listening to this podcast and am committed to napping more than ever!

A Commencement Speech by Shauna Niequist.  Simply fantastic.  I especially loved the part about living life with curiosoty, a lifelong love for learning and a willingness to be wrong.  If you read nothing else this week, read this.

Every Mother Matters by Lynne Hybels.  This post was a lovely reminder about living beyond ourselves.

How about you?  What has inspired you this week?

p.s.  Hand Made Market.  If you live in Niagara and have some free time this weekend, this is so worth checking out.  Everything about it is amazing.  The food, wine, the various forms of art, artisans, location, atmosphere.  Really great.

Iron Lady

This past Friday night while everyone else was lined up to go and see Hunger Games, I dragged my husband along with me to see The Iron Lady.  We may or may not have been the youngest people in the theatre.  The Iron Lady is the story of Margaret Thatcher, the first and only female Prime Minister of Great Britain (from 1979-1990).

The history lover in me combined with my own british roots as well as fond memories of the year I spent in England as an 18/19 year old were all motivating factors to why I would want to see this particular movie.

While the movie was a wee bit slow and my husband fought drifting off to sleep at times, I personally found her story quite fascinating and inspiring.   It also made me want to drink a cup of tea.

There was this one great line that I hope will stay with me for a long time.  The price of admission was worth it for this quote alone:

"Watch your thoughts for they become words. Watch your words for they become actions. Watch your actions for they become... habits. Watch your habits, for they become your character. And watch your character, for it becomes your destiny! What we think we become."

Margaret Thatcher

Jesus Storybook Bible - a review and a giveaway!

These days I am loving reading to my four year old at bedtime.  (I'm embarrassed to say that that hasn't always been the case...sometimes I feel like I have nothing left by the end of the day!).

Over the last little while, I have heard raving reviews about the Jesus Storybook Bible.  I had been looking for a bible for Beth and am so glad I got my hands on this one.  It has really revived our bedtime routine.  Yay!

It's beautifully written.

I love the illustrations.

So bright and colourful!

I had really wanted something for Beth to help her really understand the central message of scripture, and to read with her at bedtime.

Here's how the Storybook Bible is described on the website:

Written for children ages four and up, The Jesus Storybook Bible tells the one story underneath all the stories of the Bible and points to the birth of a child, the Rescuer, Jesus. Complete with 44 Bible stories, The Jesus Storybook Bible paints a beautiful portrait of Jesus and invites children to see that he is not only at the center of God’s great story of redemption—he is at the center of their story too. Children and adults alike will be captivated by the beautifully written narrative and the original and unique illustrations by accomplished artist Jago. Lloyd-Jones’ powerful gift of storytelling draws the reader into the greatest adventure of all time in an exciting page-turner that kids (and adults) find hard to put down.


Sally Lloyd-Jones is a leading writer of inspirational books for children and is an expert at conveying biblical truth to young children. She is the author of three bestselling children’s Bibles, including the Gold Book Award-winning Baby’s First Bible and, most recently, the Moonbeam Award Winner The Jesus Storybook Bible. She has written many picture books for children, including Handbag Friends, Time to Say Goodnight, and the critically acclaimed How to Be a Baby: By Me, the Big Sister. 

On a whim, I contacted the publishers at Zondervan and they provided me with 2 bibles to giveaway on my blog!  Just in time for Christmas.

To be entered in the draw, just leave a comment with your name below.  Let me know who you would love to read/give this book to :)

You have until next Friday, December 9th, at midnight, to enter, and you can only enter once. The winners will be chosen randomly. I'll announce the winners the next day, so be sure to check back then.

I'll post the two winners on Saturday December 10th.

Best of luck!

Storm Hair Group

I know there are tons of great salon's out there, but I need to brag for a minute about the hair salon that I go to.  It's called Storm Hair Group.  It's a really fantastic Aveda concept salon and spa.  They have three locations in Niagara. I attend the Fonthill location for my hair and the Lake Street location for my esthetics:)

Anyways, I am a big fan of Storm for so many reasons.  They have fantastic customer service, great staff, a focus on social justice, give back to their community and their products are chemical free.  I so love the way this company cares about the environment.  The fact that a hair cut and style includes a head, neck and shoulder massage and a hair wash includes a scalp massage and hot towel is pure heaven.  Honestly, I try to make up reasons to get my hair done!

Anyways, Storm has always used Aveda products (which I love) and recently has come out with their own line of products:

I recently tried the Intense Nourishing Shampoo and Conditioner and loved them!  The lavender scent is divine.  I also found out that they are made in Canada.  Can I tell you how happy that makes me? 

I couldn't help but share.  Check out their website at stormhairgroup.com

What's Your Story?

Have any of you read Donald Miller's latest book 'A Million Miles in a Thousand Years'?  It is a fantastic book! One of my all time favourites.  If you're looking for a challenging and inspiring book to read, you'll want to pick this one up.  This little clip gives you a taste of what the book is like. It just got released today into paperback :)