books

Susannah Conway: this i know*

{her beautiful book, all photos in this post are by susannah}

7-ish years ago, I remember laying with Susannah, side by side, my limbs curled up to her limbs, dreaming about how her journey through grief and healing needed to be put out into the world. I knew from her first brave blog post that her stories would be beautifully bound for many to hold in their hands and press gently against their hearts. Yes, a book that all who knew and loved her were certain she needed to write. And she did. And its here. And its launched! And my happiness for her is permeating from me.

Susannah has done a fun and exciting blog book tour (before she goes on her in the flesh book tour) and this space of mine is one of her stops. We decided to do a Skype interview to share a bit about her book with all of you but rather what ended up happening is us dancing down memory lane. We decided to go with the flow of our conversation and keep it down to earth, real...because that is truly the energy and vibe throughout her whole book.

In this clip, we talk about how we first met and how that was the catalyst to her beginning her own blog and how the healing process of writing and sharing her self inspired the beautiful journey she is living.

{here is the post Susannah refers to when she reached out to me the first time}

My heart feels full. As I said during our Skype session, it has been such an honor to witness her unraveling from the very raw beginning of days until the present. To witness her channel her grief, healing, self discovery and creative awakening into inspiring others to find their own way has been one of the most sacred gifts in my life. I feel a bit like a proud sister and with a lump in my throat and such deep love in my heart for her, I encourage each of you to pour through her pages. What I love most about this journey for Susannah is she never pretends to have arrived. Through her teachings and inspirations, she is constantly right beside all of us, learning and growing as she continues to unravel just like me and you.

You may order the book through Susannah’s website by clicking here. There are links on the page to Amazon (US, UK and Canada), Barnes & Noble and Chapters. Her book is also available at your local bookstore. Other places you can connect to Susannah is on her website, her ground-breaking e-courses, Twitter, Facebook, Pinterest & Instagram.

sponsor GIVEaway ~ squam gratitude journal*

"gratitude can transform common days into Thanksgivings, turn routine jobs into joy and change ordinary opportunitites into blessings."

~william arthur ward

This gratitude journal is designed to last throughout the year. Each day there is a place to write five things you are grateful for.

Professionally printed on 60lb cream paper, the gratitude journal is 5"w x 8"h. It is a soft-bound book that feels much like a paperback novel. The inside page features the above quote from William Arthur Ward. There are three options for you to choose from, each features an original photograph by Amy Gretchen on the cover. You can choose between the beach fence, the mushrooms, and the spider web. Or, perhaps you will want one of each as they are beautiful gifts. Also, these are timeless as they do not have the year imprinted on them; the days of each month are simply numbered.  You can find these beautiful journals in the Squam online store.

The Squam staff put together a sweet little video to show you what a beautiful practice the keeping of a gratitude journal can be...(this is my dear friend Elizabeth in the video.  Creator/Director of Squam).

A few things to keep in mind:

  • Shipping and handling: Journals are made to order, and will begin to arrive in mid-February.
  • Orders must be received on or before January 31, 2012.
  • We are HAPPY to ship internationally, please contact Michelle directly for details & rates: michelle@squamartworkshops.com
  • These journals are exclusive to squam, which makes them one-of-a-kind collectibles, but this also means that they will not be available again.

GIVEaway Rules:

  • Includes one gratitude journal for one of my readers (whichever cover they prefer)
  • To enter leave a comment (one comment per person, please)
  • In the comment, please tell us one thing you are grateful for so far in 2012
  • Winner will be chosen at random
  • Comments will be closed at 10pm PST Sunday, January 22nd
  • Winner announced Monday, January 23rd

 

mmmmm...solstice*

We are marinating in the energy the Solstice brings.

Here is me, earlier today, lounging near a fire at the beach house during Cedar's nap. Boho Boy made me a yerba mate with vanilla rice milk and agave nectar with whipped cream and peppermint bark sprinkles (YUM). I was writing a list of all of the parenting books you suggested on my previous post. I was only able to download Unconditional Parenting from iBook on my iPhone...so the rest we will search for at a bookstore around here. Raising Children, Raising Ourselves is on its way. All of this wisdom is transforming our hearts in beautiful ways. Our intuition always leads us with Cedar but gentle wisdom helps too. ; )

Oh, and how is this for adorable...

May the Solstice rain many droplets of peace and calm.

book~stand.

book~stand

I just took this photo a few minutes ago and had to share. I knew you'd appreciate it as much as I did. ; ) Sitting, standing or laying down and flipping through pages in a book is Cedar's favorite place to be. It always has been. With this particular book (Going on a Bear Hunt) he says "uh oh!" with every page and when he gets to the bit about them seeing the bear and running through all the places they had just been, he giggles and giggles. Its just awesome that he gets it...even when he doesn't know how to read yet (or does he and he is just keeping it secret?).

Boho Boy the Librarian is so thrilled about Cedar's passion for literature. ; ) I am sure some of you are looking past the book and noticing his Buddha belly. I know...totally pinch and squeeze and raspberry worthy.

i love you, stinky face.

i love you, stinky face
cedar & me at park yesterday, taken with phone

my husband found the sweetest book ever for Cedar. he loves it best. the story makes me giggle and weepy all at once.

its all about loving someone absolutely unconditionally. its about learning how to love them as they evolve into something you may not have dreamed of or expected but you get them, because you know their heart and you'll be there through it all. its about loving someone creatively.

i so love the deeper messages in between the lines of children's books. my husband, the dear sexy librarian, just knows how to find them.

storytime with the boho boys.

My boho boys reading together is part of our bedtime ritual. Last week, Cedar took it upon himself to start turning the pages, which blew me away. I mean, I am a new momma and am not about comparing milestones, so I have no idea if this is genius or normal but I find it so cute that he is doing this at 10 months.

Boho Boy is reading him Little Pea...a sweet gift from his Fairy Godmother.