Warm the Heart and Spirit

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 “Not all of us can do great things. But we can do small things with great love.”  ~ Mother Teresa 

Himalaya Mountain HeartIn the aftermath of Friday’s senseless occurrence, it is important to keep the faith in humanity in tragic times, as hard as that may be.  There are many people who do good deeds, day after day, which reflect the goodness of people in our country. Each one of us can find opportunities to help our fellow man, in some small way, to make this place a better world. 

  • During the holidays, give to the person on the street ringing the bell for charity, no matter how big or small your contribution.
  • Give Christmas cookies or a thoughtful token to someone who is alone at Christmas.
  • Use every opportunity, you can find, to let your child know you believe in them.
  • Give your unused grocery coupons to someone who needs them.
  • Carry groceries for the elderly or offer a kind word.
  • Volunteer at a food shelter or donation center for the needy.
  • Say “thank you” to military men and women on the street, veterans and those actively serving.
  • Be grateful there are men and women who are willing serve in public office positions, at the local and state level, even if you may not agree with their opinions or decisions.
  • Leave your newspaper at the coffee shop, neatly folded, for someone else to read.
  • Offer your position in line at the store to someone who looks like they need it.
  • Compliment someone on a job well done. 

There are small heartfelt things we can do to help each other know there are still people who  are warm hearted and care in this world. We can never afford to lose the faith in the human race.

This blog brought to you by www.CornerstoneFulfillmentService.com.

Film Friday: Ted

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Teddy bears don’t need hearts, they are already stuffed with love.” ~ Anonymous 

Ted_posterWho didn’t have a favorite teddy bear as a child? For some kids, giving up a favorite stuffed animal is more difficult than others. Letting go means growing up, and sometimes that is hard to do. 

Ted, which is a movie that is all about a boy’s fulfilling relationship with his treasured friend, and how his unwillingness to let go of it affects others in his life. 

This comedy, from the creators of FamilyMan, staring Mark Wahlberg, Mila Kunis and Seth McFarland has gotten good reviews. To read more about the movie and watch a trailer, please visit this link. http://imdb.to/WJwMkr

Please note this movie is NOT FOR CHILDREN, IT IS “R” RATED. While the storyline sounds “cute”, it has a spoiler to some people’s way of thinking. Unfortunately,  “Ted” a lovable, cuddly little creature long associated with childhood, good feelings and innocence has beenTED pared with a film with swear language, scenes with drugs and booze. “Ted” learns some realistic but not so nice things about life from it’s owner. But, as we all know, far too often filmmakers feel the need to include “bad boy” behavior to draw in the audience, create conflict or make movies appeal to adults. Never the less, their is some good humor to be found in this movie.

Click here for info & ordering Ted

 Come on back next week for more independent thoughts, words and views from www.CornerstoneFulfillmentService.com .

This blog brought to you by Sue Batton Leonard, author of Gift of a Lifetime:Finding Fulfilling Things in the Unexpected

Connecting Children Worldwide through Literacy

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There is no such thing as a child who hates to read; there are only children who have not found the right book.”
― Frank Serafini

Have you heard about the Flat Stanley literacy project? Not only is it a great way to engage children in reading, it also teaches children about geography and interesting places around the world. I love this concept. The books were written by an author in Canada.

Flat Stanley “is about the adventures of a little boy who gets flattened by a bulletin board. During one part of the story, his parents put him in an envelope and send him to visit his friend in California.”

flatstanleySimilar to a chain letter, if you receive a “Flat Stanley” in the mail, from a child, you send a postcard or mail a letter (through the USPS), back to the student’s class to notify them of the place where “Flat Stanley” landed. Click for info & ordering

I just participated by sending my first cousin, Hope’s daughter, Grace, a postcard at her school in Baltimore, Maryland from Steamboat Springs, Colorado. Shhhh…..don’t tell her! She is a 2nd grader, and I hope she will be surprised when she sees the city it came from.

This literacy program even has a digital component, an i-Tunes app, so students participating in this literacy project can communicate with each other and talk about the places their “Flat Stanley” traveled.

To date, there are nine “Flat Stanley” books with worldwide adventures. To learn more about “Flat Stanley” and the mission of connecting children worldwide, through common interest in a book and it’s character, please visit this website. http://bit.ly/XLuTcn.

Happy Travels, Stanley! I have sent you along on your journey and you will travel far. I hope you have the opportunity to travel out of the country, too.

This blog brought to you by www.CornerstoneFulfillmentService.com and Sue Batton Leonard, author of Gift of a Lifetime:Finding Fulfilling Things in the Unexpected

More Fulfilling Signs of the Season

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“Christmas is the season for kindling the fire of hospitality in the hall, the genial flame of charity in the heart.” ~ Washington Irving

On Friday I posted photos of my walking tour in Steamboat Springs, Colorado. I had given myself permission to enjoy the day doing something different, in celebration of my 1,000th blog on All Things Fulfilling. 

Today I continue with more photographic images of Ski Town U.S.A., and over the weekend Mother Nature left us with a fresh coat of white, which was greatly appreciated by this tourist town that relies on winter recreation of all kinds. 

My husband and I are grateful to live in such a beautiful and inspiring place, with gorgeous landscapes. Join me on this tour of historic Lincoln Avenue. The town has been bedecked, bedazzled and looks forward to welcoming all. It’s a very friendly place. Thanks for those who let me photograph their spaces.

IMAG0037Steamboat Art Company, offering wonderful coffee table art books and  unique hand hooked wool pillows from Chandler 4 Corners ,  designed by Laura Megroz.

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Center for Visual Arts, the CVA is a (501)(c)(3) nonprofit organization and community art center. Their mission is to support emerging artists , provide exhibition space,  educate through guest artist series and work with youth.

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Homesteader Kitchen Shop, specialty food items and wonderful kitchen gadgets and accessories.

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Nutcrackers Stand at Attention in the Windows, Handsome Fellows!

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Oh, look! The winter exhibition at the Steamboat Art Museum begins December 21st – a Retrospective of painter Jean Perry and sculptor Curtis Zabel. Can’t wait to check it out.

Photo Below: Lyon’s Drugs and alot more! Great gifts also.

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Photos above and below, more gift suggestions from Off the Beaten Path, the Indie Bound Bookstore in town.

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Branches – home decor and accessories. Pictured above and below.

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This town in filled with businesses of all kinds, including a host of location neutral businesses and people with lots of entrepreneurial spirit. Makes living here, very interesting.

This blog brought to you by www.CornerstoneFulfillmentService.com.

Street Walking with Joy

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“Cherish your visions and your dreams as they are the children of your soul, the blueprints of your ultimate achievements.”~ Napoleon Hill 

Yesterday I gave myself a break; took time to do something fulfilling for myself. I strolled the streets and retail spaces, preparing for my personal celebration today. This is a landmark – my 1,000th blog on All Things Fulfilling. I can hardly believe it, myself. 

Today, I  share all things Christmas with you through photographic images. Enjoy this day, and I am going to do the same myself. I may even make a little yummy, sweet, holiday treat and put my feet up, just for a little bit, then I’ve got more work to do. 

Thanks in advance to all shop-owners who let me photograph their retail spaces – there will be more pictures of my walking tour of Ski Town, U.S.A next week, too!. Come on back.

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Entry of the United Methodist Church “Open Hearts, Open Minds, Open Doors

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Off the Beaten Path, a fine Indie Bound Bookstore is loaded up with The Lost Christmas Gift. A winter adventure set in Steamboat Springs, on the Colorado’s Best Seller list, it hit LA Times Holiday Book Gift list and is sold out in most outlets. OTBP has plenty and the author will have a book signing tomorrow – 12/8/12 at 2:30pm!

 

 

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Always a Beautiful Retail Space to visit in town, Steamboat Art Company all decked out!

 

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Window Shopping, a scene outside the Bucking Rainbow Outfitters – what is inside is even better! Attention, fly fishing enthusiasts!

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Fuzziwigs Candy Shop – Stocking Stuffer Sweets Galore!!

 

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Christmas Tree bedecking Colorado Mountain College’s brand new facility – meets all LEED standards and has a great business enterprise center, too! This new building raises the college to all new levels!

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F.M Light Store’s horse ready for Xmas. A real landmark in town. This business has been selling  cowboy boots and hats for more than 100 years! Best selection for miles around!

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Homesteader Kitchen Shop – The aromas coming from this shop were enough to draw me in! Daniella was cooking up her chocolate treats and toffee (more pictures of Homesteader next week). The cinnamon,vanilla coated almonds are outstanding!

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Aptly Named, “Om” this shop is a great place to calm the spirit after walking the streets. Love the lit decorative hangings that you can buy year round to add to a sacred spot in your abode, or for a thoughtful gift for a loved one.

 

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Lyons Drug, yes indeed, great thoughtful gifts in this store, and even an old fashioned soda fountain!

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Branches, Home Decor. Come back next week and there will more images of places to shop locally. Support local business, it’s what makes communities tick!

This blog brought to you by www.CornerstoneFulfillmentService.com.

Not a Person Stirring, Just a Mouse

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“Do give books – religious or otherwise – for Christmas. They’re never fattening, seldom sinful, and permanently personal.” – Lenore Hershey

 In the mood for reading a Christmas book, but you don’t have time to go buy one or borrow one from the library? There are many low-priced and free holiday e-books and short stories available for downloading on your computer. Here are some titles available through one e-book retailer, Smashwords: 

  • Scrooge, American Style
  • Footprints in the Snow
  • The Lights of Christmas Street
  • Kristmas Collins
  • The Road to Tucson
  • Hullabalou and Holly, too
  • Suburban Christmas 2012
  • Snowman’s Chance in Hell
  • Fools Rush Inn
  • The Christmas Cottage _mouse

If you have never read an e-book before, try them out! I have found some very satisfying reads in electronic book format, and generally, they are not pricey, since there are no printer’s costs,  binding/physical manufacturing or shipping costs.  Let’s face it  – a good read is a good read whether printed on paper or not. Even bookstores now carry e-book formatted publications. Check out your local bookstore’s website to see if they are available, if you can’t get out.

I am in need of a good read. So this weekend, when no one is stirring, I will click the mouse and select one of these holiday books from the Smashwords list and enjoy myself. See the full list of books from Smashwords in the holiday category, by visiting this link http://bit.ly/TDMNLq.

Where shall I start?

Stay tuned, www.CornerstoneFulfillmentService.com  will be featuring a beautiful Christmas story, first published in 1999, that has been fulfilling people’s need to know about the first Christmas, that will be available for the first time in electronic format this year.

Treasures from the Heart

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He who has not Christmas in his heart will never find it under a tree. “ ~Roy L. Smith 

Ok, so, I hadn’t thought that much about Christmas until Sunday. I was too busy planning Thanksgiving and enjoying the memories of our family reunion. Singing “Oh Come, Oh Come Emmanuel” in church on Sunday, and the lighting of the first candle of the Advent Season made me feel even jollier already. Ever since I was a child, I have loved everything about the magic of the Christmas season. 

shop locallyIf you have any doubts about whether winter is here in Colorado, just take a stroll down Lincoln Avenue in Steamboat and step inside the doors of the retail establishments. On Sunday, I allowed myself a few minutes to peek inside a few stores. I was not disappointed. The stores are beautifully “dressed” for holiday shoppers. I spied stylish women’s clothing artfully displayed and coordinated, outstanding assortments of coffee table books, sparkly western jeans and dazzling ornaments to accentuate trees or as an accessory to a  beautifully wrapped package. Rugged, yet, very classy men’s clothing is neatly folded and just waiting to be picked up. In many of the stores I saw a number of items that would make thoughtful gifts for under $20. There are treasures to be found with smaller bucks, too!

I look forward to stepping inside many more shops, visiting our local independent bookstore, Off the Beaten Path, http://bit.ly/VgvEE3 and in galleries located throughout town to take in the Christmas spirit over the next few weeks. 

Since I came to the Yampa Valley four years ago, despite challenging times, many of the stores in town have overhauled their retail spaces, updated their stock and generally spiffed up. Lookin’ good, Steamboat! Inspires me to shop!

Happy Treasure Hunting for big and small! And remember, shop Local, whenever possible.

This blog brought to you by www.CornerstoneFulfillmentService.com.

Meaningful Family Gifts

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“Christmas is not an eternal event at all, but a piece of one’s home that one carries in one’s heart.” ~ Freya Stark

I remember it well. As a child, during the Christmas season, I felt like the ornaments that consumed my thoughts. The bubbling lights that sat clipped to our white feather Xmas tree brought me enormous happiness.  And to think that our mother let us set up the tree, with branches that looked like extended angel wings, in the bedroom  I shared with my twin sister, was more than I could have ever hoped for in life. 

bubble_lights on white tree2Night time couldn’t come too soon. I couldn’t wait for dark so I could lay in my bed and watch mesmerized, before I fell asleep, trying to figure out what made the liquid in the vials bubble and boil. Had my maternal grandparents, who had given us the tree and lights, filled the vials themselves? I’d heard of gold, frankincense and myrrh from Christmas stories. “Did the lights contain magic oil, liquid gold, frankincense or myrrh?  Whatever that stuff was.” I thought. “Perhaps it was fairies flitting in the night, waving their wands over the tree that made the vials have movement.” 

My sister was so lucky; she got extra peeks of the lights in the middle of the night. She often woke up hungry, so my mother packed her a peanut butter and jelly sandwich every night, wrapped it in waxed paper, and set it beside the bed. When her stomach began rumbling, she’d eat the snack, and watch the lights on the tree. I was never hungry, so I missed out and slept through the night.  

Just to look at an image of a Victorian white feather tree with bubbling lights, brings fulfilling memories flooding back. Do you have cherished childhood memories around holiday traditions that you could write about to preserve for your family.

There are easy to use programs to help you make keepsakes of family photos  for grandchildren or children. www.blurbl.com and www.Shutterfly.com are perfect for these kinds of projects. If you are computer savvy, you still have time to produce a uniquely designed gift book in time for Christmas giving.

Check them out. This blog brought to you by www.CornerstoneFulfillmentService.com.

Art Rocks! Rock Art Books

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“Every block of stone has a statue inside it and it is the task of the sculptor to discover it”~Michelangelo 

Yes, Art Rocks! It adds personal fulfillment to my life. Visual arts, literary/language arts, performance arts…it’s all good! Art is part of our American culture and arts and crafts are unique from each country around the world.  

Since I have moved to the western part of the United States, I have visited places where rock art rules. Petro glyphs, geological digs, caves and cliff dwellings indicate human existence that goes way back in time – interesting stuff! Trying to decipher crude symbols for common words is fun and all part of examining our ancient culture. 

Do you have a rock hound, historian, paleontologist, geologist,a fan of Native American culture or artist in your life that really digs looking at and reading about rock art? There are a number of excellent books on the subject.
Click for info & ordering

During my Thanksgiving visit to Bandelier National Monument, I discovered a nice assortment in their gift shop.  If you ever want to see a great  historical site with authentic rock art, visit Bandeliers, a real national treasure in New Mexico. http://1.usa.gov/10XO7LB.

 

 

 

Many of  independently published books about rock art and native American culture can be ordered in time for the holidays through e-commerce (internet shopping).

This blog brought to you by www.CornerstoneFulfillmentService.com

and author Sue Batton Leonard, author ofClick here for info & ordering.

Shopping with the Click of a Mouse

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Communications is at the heart of e-commerce and community.” ~ Meg Whitman 

Tis the Season! According to the Green Bay Press Gazette, http://gbpg.net/U9ALXu Cyber Monday had a 20% increase in on-line buying this year. Other sources report as much as 30%. Fulfillment centers everywhere have increased their staffing to accommodate for the buying and shipping activity that will take place over the next month, until Christmas. People filling orders are like Santa’s little helpers – selecting items, wrapping and packaging. What would bring you personal fulfillment this holiday season? Almost every imaginable item is now sold through internet commerce. 

Remember the days when the neighborhood store ran a tab and you went to the retail establishment to make your installment payments? You had to face the man who lent you the money! It felt more risky. And you wanted to stay on good terms with the shop keeper.  “Buying things on time” in the 1950’s was so vastly different than buying on credit today, sixty years later. 

On-line buying has become so easy! All it takes is a few clicks of a “mouse,” and you’ve got it – that thing you desire. No need to get in the car to mail your installment payment. Bill paying on-line reinforces the convenience. 

What you would spend in gas going to a retail store and mailing your payment at the Post Office, can be put toward buying another present. A carrier will even deliver the goods to your door! What with the price of gasoline these days, that’s not a bad thing. What do you need? Express, priority or standard shipping? How much of a hurry are you in to have it? 

Products are shipped worldwide, in short-order thanks to digital communication, logistics, computers, merchant services allowing for electronic funds transfer of currency – even money exchange from other countries is no big deal. 

Welcome to the world of e-commerce! Happy Holiday Shopping, everyone!

This blog brought to you by www.CornerstoneFulfillmentService.com.