** some exciting news thats been in the making since last year ** REESE: “We’ve been working hard to change the narrative for women and be a platform dedicated to female storytelling, and are so excited to share the site with you. All the most inspiring, empowering and engaging stories” We are so thrilled to be part of the first 6 featured stories on female empowerment & creativity— A series created by #ladyboss, mother of 3 goddess Reese Witherspoon’s Hello Sunshine. In a time when women need to support each other more than ever, role models like Reese are our much-needed beacons of light…
Winter Weekend : a short about what happens when a few friends visit the Hillhouse #sponsored #campsocialhouse by @isaacwsmith of Ethosfilms.co. Isaac is one of those people you want to hang with – inspiring, happy midwestern, hardworking guy building his dream. (and our Wisconsin neighbors out of Beloit) // We love supporting young local emerging talent in any creative fields- #CreativesWelcome. /// thanks to our partners who helped bring this to life: @kohler #kohlerideas // @rejuvenation @rejuvenationchicago and more #wandawegahillhouse
Thanks so much to everyone who came out to celebrate with me and @donnalukecp for the launch of The Forever Tree at @barnesandnoble with @randomhouse.More at #WandawegaCustoms
Supporting a good cause. Charlies school is Near North Montessori – where they teach empathy, social responsibility and diversity. //Tonight is the big annual fundraiser to help less fortunate kids with school tuition- we hope that throwing a little camp weekend on the auction block helps tonight.Were gonna make (which is probably gonna hurt its value since I cant cook. The winners of this package will get to help us break in the new #hillhousekitchen by tying on a cooks apron ) #GoodVibesOnly @nearnorthmontessori
We are drawn to certain folks. Creative types who tackle things a little differently. That see opportunity where others see obstacles- those that forge their own path in lieu of just taking orders – and somehow they come find us. One of these types reached out a few weeks ago- he and his crew packed their Jeep with vintage cameras, some good coffee and drove all the way down from Minnesota to pay us a visit. Its funny how sometimes you meet someone for the first time and they are somehow familiar- (like youve met them before?) they stayed and hiked and we drank coffee and talked about vintage cameras and where to find the best thrift shops for fishing gear. Please meet @nicksrichter (and some of his Feed pics here) well be sharing a photo essay he shot of his stay with us soon… starting with our tiny little Aframe.
14 day countdown to spring and we get to pull Davids mobile church key lounge back out of storage to hit the road again. You might find her parked up at the hillhouse this year
At the end of his life, my dad Tom didnt have a cent to his name. 60 years of breaking his back as a mason, mechanic and laborer didnt pan out the way hed dreamed. (And yet he always somehow gave his five kids exactly what we needed). When we took the keys to this abandoned summer camp he gave us the greatest gift – some rope & scraps of wood and two hours later hed christened our new home by making his grandkids the same type of swing hed built for us when we were little.Years later, That little swing would inspire strangers to build a treehouse around it…That would inspire a kids company to make a dollhouse version of it…That would inspire a publisher to print a book about it…That would inspire a toy company to turn the story into an augmented reality book reader to tell the story of the power of a single act of kindness… to leave a legacy long after dad left us.@randomhouse just shared the news yesterday with us that this April The Forever Tree will come to life in a way we never imagined -inspiration is infectious and it can all start with a single act of kindness. The legacy we leave behind for our kids has nothing to do with money. Goodwill & kindness is Forever – thank you, Dad.Story in DailyMail in todays profile line.
A SPECIAL GIFT. When @sfrduder proposed to his girlfriend in the treehouse – he commissioned the epically talented babe @staceyrozich to paint a custom camp wedding portrait to commemorate the day. (bonus fun fact: Stacey dates our friend @sam_macon) When Rhe two visited last, she left being a thank you card like we’ve never seen before: completely illustrated. support the arts, y’all & congrats @sfrduder on your engagement! (Pics of Stacey & her creations)
YOURE INVITED!Please join @donnalukecp and me tomorrow morning at 11:30 at @barnesandnoble Webster place for the official @RandomHouse Book launch of THE FOREVER TREE…. a story of love, compassion and the power of a community to build something beautiful out of loss. Join us for: Sweets. Treats. Swag bags. Book reading, behind the scenes films & more (Weve enlisted the collaboration of urban raccoons to make decorations and masks to deck out the reading room).If you havent already dropped us a line to let us know youre coming, add your headcount in comments below Treats open at 11:30 reading at 11:45. THANKFUL for friends who designed and built the real treehouse including @teichelman1973 @bladonconner @afinney27 @shaun_oa Tyler Peterson
Today would have been my dads birthday. He died at 61, over a decade ago. My sister reminded me of this two minutes before I took the stage in front of 250 elementary school kids this morning to read the story of The Forever Tree (the story of him, and the grand daughter he would never meet in the real world. (And the treehouse that will be a constant reminder).If even one of these kids gets the tiniest bit of inspiration from this and takes an interest in becoming a preservationist, a caregiver or animal activitst – then taking 2 hours away from the office was more than worth it.The kids asked some hard questions:What happened to the grandfather? I had to explain that before he left us, he grew five mighty oaks out of little acorn kids. And then he became a star to watch over us – like we see in the last page of the book.Kids are more intuitive than we give them credit for. They understand love and loss and hope. Their ability to have empathy and share compassion blows my mind.The last question of the morning was from a five year old: How old was the grandfather when he turned into that star? So because an adult cannot cry in front of 250 grade schoolers, I just read my sisters text shed sent me an hour before. Happy birthday TomAnd then asked the kids if they wanted to wish him a happy birthday -They all screamed it at the top of their lungs – Im sure he heard it loud and clear. Little acorns grow into big oaks.Lets all nurture the little acorns in our lives.
