The Nesting Place by Myquillyn Smith book review, You Make Your Home Beautiful

I was given the opportunity from Booklookbloggers.com to review the NESTING Place by Myquillyn Smith.  I really enjoyed reading about all her many homes she lived in and how she was able to make each place hers by adding her special touch.

From the Publisher:
Perfection is overrated. Popular blogger and self-taught decorator, Myquillyn Smith (The Nester), is all about embracing reality---especially when it comes to decorating a home bursting with boys, pets, and all the unpredictable messes of life. In The Nesting Place, Myquillyn shares the secrets of decorating for real people---and it has nothing to do with creating a flawless look to wow your guests. It has everything to do with embracing the natural imperfection and chaos of daily living. Drawing on her years of experience creating beauty in her 13 different homes, Myquillyn will show you how to think differently about the true purpose of your home and simply and creatively tailor it to reflect you and your unique style.

Full of easy tips, simple steps, and practical advice, The Nesting Place will give you the courage to take risks with your home and transform it into a place that's inviting and warm for family and friends. Myquillyn says, There is beauty in the lived-in and loved-on and just-about-used- up, and welcoming that imperfection wholeheartedly just might be the most freeing thing you'll ever do.

Creating a beautiful home is a journey, not a destination.

This stay-at-home mom in stretchy yoga pants with expired milk in her refrigerator has stumbled upon the secret to decorating for real people, and it has nothing to do with trying to convince others of our perfection. Imperfections put people at ease and free us to take risks and create the home and the life we've always wanted.

Myquillyn's warm and insightful words are paired with her own gorgeous four-color photos and creative, easy ideas for arranging, decorating, and building a home that welcomes everyone. In the book you learn how to create your own style without breaking the bank or stressing over comparisons.

FOCUS on the beauty that’s there, not the imperfect and undone.

http://www.thenester.com/ 

What books have you been reading lately?  Leave a comment below...

xoxo,

Nicole Flothe

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Heartbeat Connection Magazine May 2014 Cover

Each issue of the Heartbeat Connection Magazine comes down to the final days of picking out the cover.  The May issue, our 40th cover, I found this pretty photo I'd taken from the roses that my kids had given me on Mother's day.  This way I can remember my roses forever with them on the cover.

In the May issue, you will find articles on Heart of Fashion, Love the Way You Look, Heart of Travel, Mount St. Helens, and Optimist International, What is the Optimist Award?  Also enter for a chance to win a Custom Facebook Fan Page from JENStar Media!

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Since Father's Day is approaching soon, I'd thought I'd share this great quote I found via Pinterest.  If you have one please share with me in the comments also join me below for Wordless Wednesday if you love to Bloghop!

xoxo,

Nicole Flothe

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Heartbeat Connection Magazine April 2014 Cover

This month's cover is a photograph I took of Jake finding his Easter egg on a hunt provided by his older cousin Alex.  He was so happy to be included and knew that he was the oldest so would have to give his sister and younger cousin a chance to get the eggs.  Alex created a surprise and color coded the eggs so each kid got the same amount!  Perfect!

In the Heartbeat Connection Magazine April 2014 edition you will find articles on Heart of Fashion, Heart of Travel, Heaven is for Real, and a local Contest from Calistoga Bakery Cafe.

Please share your heartfelt story with me as I'd love to include it in next months issue!

xoxo,

Nicole Flothe

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Lifted From Darkness Book Review

I had the opportunity to review this book from Booklook Bloggers.  I love the ability to choose books that provide a true life story and how someone can go on from a terrible situation into a life full of love and success.  

The Epic Transformation from Living the Nightmare to Healing the Spirit… 

On the outside, Alexa lived the life of a cheerful married woman whose entire life seemed poised for greatness. On the inside, she continued to hide the shadowy secret of a splintered world of torture that she endured for ten years at the hands of the man whose lies she believed.

When she first met Jim, she was nineteen years old. Immediately captured by his charming personality, Alexa began an ardent love affair with him. What originated as controlling emotional abuse developed into a traumatic depiction of physical and psychological violence, illustrating the intense complexities of love and fury, passion and brutality.

In this touching work of inspiration, Alexa reveals the entangled suffering and sadistic manipulation experienced by living with an abuser, and carries you with her through the shocking events that led to her escape from the chasm of fear and intimidation. Along the way, Alexa exposes the heartbreaking effects domestic violence played on her identity as she moved toward true healing and a life of personal fulfillment and success with a faithful trust in God.

There were so many parts of the story that I just wanted her to get up and leave her marriage.  One strike is the turning point in my opinion and I've always been an advocate of seeking help.  Each page I waited to find out when she would make the decision to leave but the cycle of abuse and then kindness continued.  He had a young daughter that she raised as her own and was primarily the caregiver for the child.  There were so many twists to her life that at one point I wasn't sure if she would survive.  

Throughout all of it, her strength and perseverance comes across. When she is finally able to unshackle herself from the abuse she thrives. More importantly she can look back at the awful times and see how God was still present in her life and would use them in her future. - S. McQuaid Amazon Review

It was definitely a roller coaster ride and I was surprised that she was able to break free.  Since I'm a nurse, I have been educated in Domestic Violence and how to see or treat signs and symptoms.  One of the things that never occurred in her story was any help from the medical field.  She visited the hospital several times for infections caused by her husband's affairs, but being young and naive didn't understand that these were serious issues.  The staff treated her unkindly because of her infections and never realized the problem.  I wonder how many times in our life we have people we meet and not realize they are in need.  

Since I've read the book I look at my life and thank God for the support and comfort I have from my family and loved ones.  It's an eye-opener and perhaps will be a support for those in a situation that need to know there is hope!

xoxo,

Nicole Flothe

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March 2014 Magazine Cover and Giveaway

The time seems to be zipping by and we are already in April!  The March issue is online for your viewing pleasure!  Here is the March cover of the Heartbeat Connection Magazine.  A few articles of intererst are Journey to Ireland, Message in a Bottle, and Dress like a CEO.

This months giveaway is Washi Tape Craft Supplies! 

Be sure to enter our giveaway below for a chance to craft a new bookmark, make a card for a friend or just enjoy the creativity that comes with owning washi tape!

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xoxo,

Nicole Flothe

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Book Review: Happy Wives Club

I found the Happy Wives Club once while surfing online and liked them on Facebook and thought the website was a great resource for women looking to have happy marriages.  Then I lost the site and hadn't been back in quite some time.  Recently, I was given the opportunity from BookLook Bloggers to review a book by Fawn Weaver about the Happy Wives Club.  It was a story about one woman's worldwide search for the secrets of a great marriage.  I went to her website and laughed at how life works and that I found her site again.  

The first few chapters talked about how Fawn created her club and the reason behind the idea.  She wanted to provide a resource for women to support each other and help figure out how to keep a loving relationship going.  Her journey began in her state of California and she met with an elderly woman that she had only knew via the internet.  She was cautious at first with her meeting.  I know exactly how she feels as sometimes I do home visits for my Nursing career or Client meetings and I don't know the people, but I press on and meet them. I'm always thankful for how kind and nice everyone has been.

I love the chapter when she went around the world and was in Italy waiting to connect with someone and then realized it was herself that she needed to be with.  Sometimes we just need to take time out for ourselves.  

She went to Buenas Aires, Argentina with her husband and met a lovely couple Marcello and Silvina.  It was clear that creating goals and working toward them together was one of the greatest gifts of their marriage.  Two minds instead of one and four hands instead of two.

Another of the tips was to tend to your spouse's needs and dreams as part of your day-to-day life, it begins to come natural to you and you don't have to think about it much.  Nor do you expect anything in return for your giving.  The obvious beauty of that approach is that if both spouses adopt this approach, both receive in good measure and give selflessly.  It's a good economy.

One wife, Kristine Carlson, shared how she chose to listen with her heart and let her heart receive what her husbands poured out.  In other words, they really connected, because she put her own reactions and retaliations aside.  She found an overwhelming place of love in a difficult moment when it could have been hard to find.  

From that day forward, she would always lisen heart-to-heart. She would make sure her heart remained open to her husband's and would never allow momentary disagreements to close it.

Fawn discovered the theme throughout all her interviews and journey around the world was that 'Happiness is a choice'.   

Facebook:

www.facebook.com/happywivesclub

xoxo,

Nicole Flothe

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February 2014 Magazine Cover and Influenster Unboxing

If you haven't checked out the latest edition of the Heartbeat Connection Magazine here is our February cover!  I'm almost done with March in just a few more days.  A few of my favorite articles in this last issue were the Sumerlin Band interview and Marc Damon Photography story. 

This month's giveaway is a book by Fawn Weaver called Happy Wives Club.  Discover the best marriage secrets from the world's happiest wives.  

Get it now on Amazon:
          Happy Wives Club: One Woman's Worldwide Search for the Secrets of a Great Marriage

or Enter our Giveaway below:
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Ever so often I get a box from Influenster and it's like I'm a kid in a candy store!  Here is a video of the unboxing of my samples that I received from them.

xoxo,

Nicole Flothe

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