Category Archives: living positive lives

Book Pages to Paper Posies

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“All the flowers of the tomorrows are in the seeds of today.” ~ Indian Proverb 

The other day, I saw a wonderful floral creation made with recycled book pages. Depending on your time and skill, one single paper posey or a full bouquet can be crafted.

These handmade flowers are long lasting. Help to keep news print and other printed paper out of landfills by making them. This type of floral decorating needs no watering, saving natural resources from being depleted.

 Here are step by step instructions, along with photos , of how to create these sustainable flowers  http://bit.ly/Qb4myY. 

Lately, I have seen many ideas for recycling paperback books. It seems to becoming a fulfilling hobby. If you are looking for unique gifts for the someone in your life,  think about re-using paper products creatively.

With the emphasis on recycling, my husband  may decide he has bought me enough live flowers throughout our thirty-two year marriage. Some day he may draw the line and say “I am no longer buying the real deal, you already have the resources needed to make floral arrangements in those books you are discarding. Get to it, get inspired!” 

If I want to keep peace in the family and celebrate a golden anniversary, I’d better side with him.  The thing is, a puny nosegay is not very effective. I’ll want an overflowing bouquet, a real armful of paper posies,  for a bountiful look. For my 50th anniversary maybe  I’ll have my original wedding garb re-designed to reflect a new era – using recycled materials in artistic bridal clothing.

I better make a vow to get started now, producing my own book page bouquet. Eighteen years from now I should have enough blossoms to make a real fashion statement.  

Want to help make some flowers? I’ve provided the instructions, you provide the paper, from all those newspapers, hardcover and paperback books, they say, are going out of style.

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Better Living Books

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Are you looking for a different assortment of books, like no other? Publications geared toward mind, body, spirit and the Earth? 

The Living Now Book Awards “Books for Better Living” has a great selection of independently published books on many topics that are popular and relevant to better living. Here are just a few categories that are judged in the Living Now Book Awards. 

  • Green Living
  • Social Activism/Charity
  • Enlightenment/Spirituality
  • Metaphysical (Astrology, Tarot, Psychic Development)
  • Healing Arts/Bodywork/Energy Techniques
  • Caregiving
  • Mature Living/Aging
  • Grieving/Death and Dying
  • Inspirational Fiction

 To see the titles of the winning books that came from thirty-six U.S. States, six CanadianProvinces and 7 overseas countries, please visit this link. http://bit.ly/RLQ8WV.

Return tomorrow for more independent publishing news from www.CornerstoneFulfillmentService.com.

“The Boat” Brings Prized Authors to Community

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“I try to be respectful of how other people think, I try to listen to what they’re saying.” ~Rick Scott

This past weekend was Literary Sojourn weekend here in Steamboat Springs, Colorado. This event has been held annually since 1993. So popular, people arrive from all over the country to attend it. Each year it sells out very quickly.

As a way of extending the event, the Bud Werner Memorial Library invited two Bellwether Prize winners to speak on Sunday. For those who were not fortunate enough to get tickets to Saturday’s discussions, the second part of the “Sojourn” weekend was open to everyone at no charge. The two featured authors were Naomi Benaron and Hillary Jordan, Bellwether award winners in 2010 and 2006, respectively.

Jennie Lay, adult programs coordinator at the Bud Werner Memorial Library, asked the authors “what winning this book prize has meant to them?” Each expressed it has done wonders for their publishing careers. All contestants for the “Bellwether” must have a previously unpublished novel. Along with winning $25,000, winners are given publishing contracts with Alqonquin Books.

Jordan and Benaron discussed how fiction writing is useful for telling stories that are interwoven with issues of culture, politics and social justice. However, Benaron stressed the importance of writing stories about controversial issues in a “respectful manner.” She also mentioned how research into a culture brings credibility and correctness to the story.

“Literature,” Benaron said “is the only art form that takes you into another person’s brain.” Essentially, she said, as readers, we are better able to feel and live the story along with the characters through fictional dialogue.

To read more about the publications of these impressive authors, visit these two websites,Hillary Jordanand Naomi Benaron.

For more information on the Bellwether Prize, which was established in 2000, solely funded by author Barbara Kingsolver and administered by the PEN American Center, please visit this site http://bit.ly/Rom01E.  For information on Barbara Kingsolvers latest book, click here: Flight Behavior: A Novel.

As I left this most enjoyable event, I thought to myself “living in a community with avid readers and writers, certainly has its benefits.”

Thank you to our local library and our local “Indie Bound” bookstore, Off the Beaten Path” for their participation in this event.

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Wrinkles from Delight are Best

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If you read yesterday’s blog, you know of my struggles. I’ve been working on an elegy for my creative writing class. Last night, my trials and tribulations continued as I tried to nail down just the right words symbolizing a grievous time in a person’s life.  The professor said I am  “intellectualizing it” rather than “feeling it.” Her point is well taken, I understand what she is saying.

It has been a challenge, and I think it shows in my writing. To me, it is not fun to write about morose things.I so enjoyed writing my memoir because although the beginning was a bit uncomfortable to write, the tale takes some fulfilling turns that are unanticipated. Click here for info and ordering Gift of a Lifetime:Finding Fulfilling Things in the Unexpected.

Last night when I turned off the computer , I picked up a book called Watching Grandma Circle the Drain. It was the perfect cure-all to brighten my spirits after being engrossed in dark, depressing writing. The essay called “Hairdresser’s Lament” had me on the floor laughing.Click here for info & ordering

The author of the book, Allen Smith, is a humor writer whose perspective has been said to be “gritty.” Definitely, adult comedy. It’s been mentioned on ABC’s The View and has appeared in publications such as The Denver Post, The Writer Magazine, The Vail Daily, The Aspen News and LIVESTRONG.COM, just to name a few. For more information on Smith’s writing, please visit www.snowwriter.com.

Through his creative writing, Allen Smith reminds the reader to live with joy by laughing at ourselves and not to take life so seriously. One might describe Smith as a healing artist. He helps the reader see the ridiculous in careers, aging, men’s issues, medical situations, dating, sport, and other relatable subjects.

Watching Grandma Circle the Drain is a perfect gift for people who think “wrinkles should merely indicate where smiles have been.” ~ Mark Twain

To order Allen Smith’s book, please click on this link. http://amzn.to/RG9DQG.

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Writing Fictitious Scenes

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“Keep your face to the sunshine, and you can not see the shadow.” ~ Helen Keller 

Who likes to think of sad and unhappy times? Joyous moments, positive thoughts, fulfilling feelings are much better. Is there value in clinging to images that make us feel anything other than good and healthy? 

In my creative writing class yesterday, we were given an assignment to write an elegy. Do you know what that is? I didn’t. Think of the word eulogy. Composing an elegy is very similar in nature. The teacher said “write about significant loss or death. Nothing funny; make it serious.”  In her words, “no rhymes!” In my words,“Don’t use expressions in writing that makes a frown turn right side around.” 

Last night, I worked a little on my elegy. Wow- that is difficult for me. I am not used to that way of thinking. It is like having to transition my stream of consciousness into something backwards. An analogy would be trying to make water flow, in a river, in the wrong direction. 

I feel as if  I don’t have that much to draw from compared to a lot of people. I have been so very fortunate – the really bad times in my life have been few and far between.  

 I suspect I’ll have to dig deep within to come up with a good piece of writing. If I can’t find it inside, I suppose I can make something up –  creative writing is what you decide to make it, isn’t it? Can it all be fiction? I’ll ask my teacher.

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A Picture is Worth a Thousand Words

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“When faced with a challenge, look for a way, not a way out.”
—David Weatherford 

Yesterday’s blog was blasé, there was something missing. As much as I try to paint pictures with words in my blog writing, corresponding images makes things POP! Let’s face it, a picture helps drive a point home, there is no denying it. 

Posting a blog without a picture is like: 

    • Music without Sound
    • Peanut butter without jelly
    • Fries without catsup
    • Men without a Remote Control
    • Dungeons without Dragons
    • Tea Kettle without Water
    • Movies without  Screens
    • A Tux without a Tie
    • Chips without Dip
    • Pen without Paper
    • Coffee without Donuts
    • Upstairs without Downstairs
    • Fulfillment without Satisfaction
    • Shopping without Money
    • Yin without Yang
    • Campfires without Marshmallows
    • Books without Text
    • Weeks without Days

When one half of two things that are meant to be together, is missing, life just does not seem right.

 Yesterday, I couldn’t post any images, there were technical difficulties. But I thought “What’s a girl to do when things are out of her control? Find more Words, and Press on, I guess! ”

Today, all is right with my world again.

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The Goddess of Color

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I found I could say things with color and shapes that I couldn’t say any other way – things I had no words for. ~ Georgia O’Keefe 

Thoughts of the harvest season are beginning to creep forward, as summer has evolved into the next season.

Here in Colorado where altitudes soar, the goddess of color has already donned her white cap and is preparing to pile on coats  of ivory before the winter season is even here. Everyone says “the fall colors are beautiful” here in the Rockies. Yes, they are pretty if you like primarily all shades of golden with an occasional dusting of sugar. The foliage is rather monochromatic, to my way of thinking. Contrasts are missing from the palette. Much better than no autumn at all, however. 

I think of New England when I see the turning leaves of autumn. The deciduous forests filled with sugar maples, oaks, birches and aspens, all mixed together, make for stunning fall landscapes. A fulfilling spectrum of colors – scarlett, maroon, purple, cadmiums, greens, brown, gold and orange bring in droves of tourists to the New England States for good reason.

I love living in places where all four seasons are noticeable. Weather indicators tell us it is time to change direction; deviate from the way we have been living the months before. Our eating habits vary and we put on extra or take off clothing to adjust for the rising and falling temperatures. In winter we hunker down and put on layers; in summer we live unadorned and freely.

 Before I allow myself to experience what comes with cooler climate, here is an image of autumn color that is found in the past season of  summer. I’m reluctant to say goodbye to the balmy weather.

This is an image of Georgia O’Keefe’s flowers.

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Film Friday: Won’t Back Down

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“Tell me and I’ll forget; show me and I may remember; involve me and I’ll understand.” ~ Chinese proverb

The film “Won’t Back Down” will be making its debut in movie theatres today, September 28th.  It is a movie that many parents will relate to because it is about doing the right thing for children by providing them with the best opportunity for education.

The story focuses on two parents, one of whom is a teacher, who are unhappy with their children’s inner city school and they face issues of how to “fix it.”

Evidently, this movie is raising eyebrows of the Teacher’s Union. Although controversial, I feel compelled to share this movie because the subject is so familiar to my family.

We went through a similar situation in rural Vermont back in the 1990s.  Our son was going to a tiny elementary school, 30 students, in danger of closing entirely due to budgetary constraints and not so great quality. The parents were unhappy with the public school system. Our town boldly voted to close down the public school, and re-open it as a “private school, with a public mission.” The transition was not an easy one; there were dissenters.

In the end, it seems the children are receiving a better and different kind of education. Moving into a unique school model grew the school, which now includes middle school grades. Parents from surrounding towns are able to send their students to it. According to everything I am reading, some fourteen years later, students are scoring well above state and national averages on standardized assessments.”

Look for “I Won’t Back Down” in your neighborhood theatres. To read more about this film,Click here for info & ordering.

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Lesser Known Facts about F. Scott Fitzgerald

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“All good writing is swimming under water and holding your breath.”  ~ F. Scott Fitzgerald

Yesterday was the birthday of author of F. Scott Fitzgerald.

We are all familiar with his notable books, which have become classics, but there are some lesser known facts about this author. Francis Scott Key, the composer of our National Anthem, was Fitzgerald’s 2nd cousin, three times removed.  Fitzgerald’s parents honored the memory of the composer Key by using “F.Scott ” to name their son.

He also spent time living and writing at the Paix Estate in the suburbs of Baltimore in Towson, Maryland, the town where I grew up.   He lived there while his wife, Zelda, was being treated for schizophrenia. At that time he worked on his story of Dick Diver, a bright young psychiatrist who falls in love with one of his patients. Some historians say that his writing of this book provided Fitzgerald with a fulfilling way to tell his story of his marriage to Zelda and her mental problems. For info on the 2013 publicationk about Fitzgerald’s wife, please click here  Z: A Novel of Zelda Fitzgerald.

His remains are in Maryland. Evidently because his parents were practicing Catholics, whereas he was not, there was controversy over his burial. To read more about his life and death, please visit this link. http://bit.ly/2IvUY8

F. Scott Fitzgerald also wrote for the Saturday Evening Post, Colliers and Esquire Magazine. His face graced the cover of the “Post” in a painting by Norman Rockwell that complimented his short story called “Bernice Bobs Her Hair.”

Happy Belated Birthday to F. Scott Fitzgerald, an author who helped to shape the literary world in this country.

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Books that Shape America

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“There is more treasure in books than in all the pirate’s loot on Treasure Island.”       ~Walt Disney

On Saturday and Sunday, the National Mall in Washington, DC was abuzz with activity, The Library of Congress hosted the 12th annual National Book Festival. More than 100 authors were in attendance.R.L. Stine , known as the “Stephen Kingof children’s literature” and creator of the “Goosebump” Series was just one notable in the line-up. I remember those books well. My son read them in rapid succession, with avid interest. There were 62 books in the “Goosebumps” series published from 1992 – 1997. These books helped to engage many children, who were non-readers or low readers, in literature.

Book TV over the weekend was dedicated to the National Book Festival. Interviews of authors who have written books of historical and political importance were featured.

David and Julie Nixon Eisenhower have penned a book together, called Going Home To Glory: A Memoir of Life with Dwight D. Eisenhower, 1961-1969 about David’s grandfather Dwight D. “Ike” Eisenhower’s years following his presidency. Jean Edward Smith, author of Eisenhower In War and Peace http://wapo.st/y4Ebyl was also on the podium. It struck me as I listened to the interviews of the authors, that it took an enormous amount of research into Eisenhower and Richard Nixon as leaders and political figures, and much study about the relationship he and Nixon had with one another to write these books. Book TV will no doubt rebroadcast this show, don’t miss it.

 

As we go forward in this digital age of publishing, in my opinion, a whole new generation of authors will influence America’s children arising out of the industry of e-book publishing. That is exciting!

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