Bloom by Kelle Hampton. Win this book.
Saturday, April 14, 2012 at 9:25PM There's no hiding the fact that one of my all time favourite blogs is: Enjoying The Small Things by Kelle Hampton. I first came across her blog, late one night in January 2010 and have been completely hooked ever since. I often wonder why her blog posts inspire & amaze me week after week, and really...it's not rocket science...it's quite simple actually: she's positive, she's consistent, she's uplifting, she's an amazing writer, a professional photographer, a dedicated mother, and she gives us honest insights into her life - the ups & downs! 2009 was a rocky year in my life's timeline...Chris & I encountered an array of challenging curve-balls & obstacles. So, when we welcomed in 2010 and we were given a fresh slate....I was motivated & inspired to make it grand & live it bigger & better! Finding Kelle's blog at that time was a huge factor in changing my perspective on life & how I live it. 2010 was grand....and I have to admit that I was drawing a lot of energy & inspiration from Kelle's words. Inspiration to simply look at situations with a different view point.
Her blog still to this day draws me in. The fact that her 2nd daughter has Down syndrome, now goes completely unnoticed by me, because I've been there on her site, reading her journey the whole way, and now see Nella no differently than any other child on a Mumma's blog.
Earlier this month, Kelle, launched her first published book: BLOOM - Finding beauty in the unexpected. Within it's first 2 weeks of launch, it hit number 11 on the New York Best Seller List...WOW! I knew this book was coming out & was anxiously awaiting my pre-ordered copy to hit Australian shores for the past few weeks. It arrived last Thursday, and the delivery woman must have thought there was a million dollars inside that parcel....I was doing a very big happy dance :) And I think Ryder was pretty happy too:
Either that....or he was just laughing at his Mumma looking ridiculous doing a happy dance in the lunge room :)
However, I was truly excited to get my hands on this book.....and I have hardly put the thing down ever since. It's exactly what I expected it to be....but more! It's beautiful.
Why do I love it so much? Because it's honest & raw & acknowledges deep pain....but it's also so positive & inspiring & full of beauty. Kelle talks about the end-of-the-world emotions she had when Nella was born with undiagnosed/unexpected Down syndrome. Her words take you in....as if you're inside that hospital room with her. The story unfolds more......meaning & change starts to happen. The memoir then continues through these emotions {which have had me in tears} to reveal a whole new perspective on life & challenges & living! And that's why I wanted this book so badly.....I wanted to get inside Kelle's head to truly see how she copes, how she thinks & how she has made her life so grand & so beautiful.....after everything!
Being able to change someone's perspective on any given topic is a powerful thing. I'm not an overly opinionated person but I see things through my own eyes. To gain other perspectives, I have to focus more, look further, read more or take a step back and look in. However, with Kelle's blog & her new book....she has changed my perspective on life & motherhood & Down syndrome. I'll be honest here....my view & perspective on having a child with DS has completely flipped in the past 2 years of being inside Kelle's life. If you had asked me about having a DS child when I was pregnant with Ella 4 years ago, my response would've been completely different if you had asked me last year whilst pregnancy with Ryder. Kelle CHANGED my perspective. That's power. And that's power going into a good energy source. Life is rarely how we expect it or plan it to be.....yet how we choose to live it & tackle it, is what matters....it's what shapes us.....it's what defines us!!! I'm now more aware of this! Thank you Kelle.
She's also inspired me to get my butt into action.....to finish the children's book I started in 2008, to finish the memoir I started in 2009, to tick a few more things off my bucket list :) What have I go to loose?!
Heck, I love the book so much...and want to share Kelle's messages with as many people as possible, so I've bought another copy of BLOOM to GIVEAWAY to one lucky reader here!!!!! Simply leave a comment here on this blog post telling me; What makes your life more beautiful?! A comment will be drawn randomly on Wednesday 25th April 2012 {7pm Aus EST} and announced here on my blog and on my FACEBOOK page. For multiple entries into this draw.....simply Tweet, Facebook or Instagram about this giveaway & then come back here & leave a comment telling me you did so.
Tag me on Twitter: @SPRockDesigns. Tag me on Facebook: Scissors Paper Rock. Tag me on Instagram: @clairechadwick, so I see the links :)
Good Luck!
Bloom can be bought here! And you can see the trailer here.
{{"And the older I get, the more I embrace change as an opportunity to learn just what I'm capable of. I'm capable of so much" Kelle Hampton - Bloom.}}
P.S. The MESSAGE TO TEENAGE ME photo project ends this Friday 20th April. Please participate if you haven't yet :)
P.P.S The ipad3 promo is also drawn on April 27th...wow...a big month of prizes & freebies! Soak it up peeps :)
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Update: 25.4.12.... 8pm..... The winner is......
Comment Number 14 {Zoe from Little Swallow Blog}. CONGRATS!!!!!! THANK YOU so much everyone who entered & shared this giveaway link! Zoe, please contact me with your postal address :) Yay!
Reader Comments (29)
My children make my life more beautiful !
A kiss from my puppy!
My family make my life more beautiful. There are many generations of us & it's just wonderful.
I love her blog too!
Mother nature makes my life more beautiful - butterflies past my window, sunshine and breezes, walks on the beach...
my little boys eyelashes when he is fast asleep
That I have my health and because of that I am able to enjoy time with my precious little boy and husband-that is what makes like beautiful
My boys' laughing and giggling together. They make my life more beautiful.
I facebooked this also :-)
gratitude makes it so beautiful...expressing thanks for everything I've got x
It sounds cliche for me to say this, but my children make my life more beautiful. The things you never noticed or paid attention to before, you do after you have children.
Thank you for the opportunity! I would love to read this book. I have followed her blog for sometime now.
Being in the moment makes my life more beautiful!!
Time. Time with my precious little family.... It slips away so quickly. I am so concious of it now that I have had my second child. His first year went so quickly. There is nothing more beautiful than spending time together as a family, living in the moment... capturing memories so that we can remember these times when our children are grown. Time is so precious, it is beautiful...
I've stumbled across Kelle's blog once before but never really had the chance to have a proper look so will definitely do so. Her book sounds wonderful, I'd love to win a copy... am slowly getting back into reading again x
Spending time with the kids doing kid things! So much fun watching their faces when you act a little silly!
Meeting and marring my husband made life beautiful...but welcoming our daughter into the world 2 1/2 years ago made our lives even more beautiful! and there is not a day that passes that i don't stop and look into those wonderful blue eyes and tell her she is loved and that SHE is beautiful!
i instagramed it too :)
Just taking the time to breath, looking outside and seeing what is going on, enjoying my son doing silly things and letting him be a kid instead of a mini adult, and being at home, cuddling on the lounge .... definately a beautiful life.
Watching my kids grow and interact with each other makes my life more beautiful!
They are sweet and kind and loving, yet they do have their fighting moments!
thanks for the chance to win!
juli
Sitting on the porch on a swing and enjoying the quiet. :-)
How can I answer that question is a few words? Can I write a novel? ;-) Simply put, I think my 5 senses make life more beautiful. To see, hear, taste, feel and smell all the magic and beauty in this world is such a special gift. THAT is what makes life beautiful :-)
This is my first giveaway I have entered and have shared through Facebook, Twitter and IG! xx
My family makes my life more beautiful, having them in my life makes it amazing. And saying my 'family' doesn't just mean my parents & siblings (who I love very much) but also my wonderful husband & our furbabies!
Having people in my life who care & love me so much makes life beautiful even through the hard days I just remember at least 6 people in this world truly care for me & that is all I need!
Thank you for doing such a wonderful give away!
<3
I too am a Kelle Hampton fan and would love to win her book!
What makes my life more beautiful at the moment is the excitement leading up to the imminent arrival of my first niece and sharing in her parents' joyful expectation.
what makes life more beautiful is the simple things....gratitude and appreciation for the positive moments and memories
There are so many things that make my life beautiful: my family, my friends, people and beauty around me that inspires me...the list goes on.
I am also a fan of Kelle Hampton and I'm keeping my fingers crossed that I win this book as I'm hoping to have it for our next book club that I'm hosting. Either way, I'm so excited to share it with others! Thanks for doing the same!
Love makes my life more beautiful, from my children, my husband, my family and friends x