Category Archives: Self esteem in girls

Unique Christmas Gift for Writers

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Christmas Gifts 1“The intuitive mind is a sacred gift and the rational mind is a faithful servant. We have created a society that honors the servant and has forgotten the gift.” ~ Albert Einstein 

Know someone who is loathe to the idea of giving up their typewriter for a computer? There are still rare individuals who write books using a pen and paper  or with manual typewriters. I personally can not fathom it. Seems painfully slow and unforgiving to me.

Using a typewriter was my ultimate source of frustration in writing term papers in high school. I took a course in personal typing and I was the worst kid in the class. It was so embarrassing. Our teacher charted, throughout the year, our  typing speed progress. The chart hung on the bulletin board at the front of the class and my speed stayed steady. It never improved. I knew right then and there, my career goals did not include becoming an executive secretary at a Fortune 500 company. I’d have to find something else fulfilling to do.

 The problem was my mind and fingers raced faster than the typewriter would go, thus the keys always got stuck and locked up together. And then there was the problem of correcting mistakes. There was no delete or backspace button. Every time I made a typing error, (which was about every other word) I wanted to stand up and scream. Long gone are those days, and I am much better with a computer. The keyboard can keep up with my thoughts and my “quick on the draw” digits. 

usb-typewriterThere are companies that are taking manual typewriters and retrofitting them to USB typewriters. Imagine that!  They sell conversion kits whereby you can do it yourself,  in relatively short order, if you like to tinker. Or the company will sell you an upcycled antique model. 

If you are still hunting and pecking to find a last minute Christmas present for a writer, visit this link. http://bit.ly/TzLtXW. It may just be the solution to a creative gift.

Return tomorrow, so I can share some special Christmas words and images. Come  on back!

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

Fulfilling Holiday Appetites

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Something about an old-fashioned Christmas is hard to forget.” ~Hugh Downs 

Isn’t it odd how we associate certain foods with certain people? My maternal Grandmother passed away when I was a very young child, but one of my most lucid, wonderful memories of her is the chicken stew she fed me when I went to her house. It was so delicious, right out of a can, heated up.  Thoughts of the stew, makes my mouth water. And my paternal grandmother’s greatest joy in life was feeding others. Her basement pantry was large. My sister and I loved going in her cellar to see what was stocked. 

When I was a child, our neighbors found personal fulfillment in “gifting” home baked food at Christmastime. HomemadeChristmas in a jar root beer arrived each year from the family next door. Other neighbors sent cookies, date nut bread or a can of pickled beets or green beans from the garden. My mother always gave back,  something a little different each year – to surprise. This type of gift giving is fun, economical and it  “feels good” because it comes from the heart.  It is  just one way of  how we form  associations of certain foods with certain people.

Christmas has gotten so commercialized and out of control. Need some suggestions of homemade gifts to give someone? Here is a list of one hundred. Some of these gifts can be made by getting children involved in the process, providing quality time between parent and child. http://bit.ly/ZdmMqE. 

goulasch-with-spaetzleAt our house,  Christmas Eve dinner is a recipe that was passed along from my maternal grandmother.  “Spiced Beef” with spaetzle or egg noodles. I cook it for my husband and my son just once a year so it is special. There would be trouble in the house, if it wasn’t on the Christmas Eve table. Since cooking is not one of my passions, (although I do enjoy baking), it brings me great joy to think that a few recipes that I have fed my family over the years brings them fulfilling feelings during the holidays. It is really what Christmas is all about.

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Sign of the Times

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spread the loveI wish we could put up some of the Christmas spirit in jars and open a jar of it every month. ~Harlan Miller

I love getting Christmas cards in the mail, even those once a year letters telling me about the lives of friends I seldom see. You know, the letters that say Johnny is on the honor roll, the smartest kid in the school. Mary plays the violin, at age three, with an adult symphony. Jane was the star in the school play and was contacted by Hollywood to do a bit part in the movie that will probably win an Oscar this year. We are often inspired by those around us. Learning about other’s goals and accomplishments helps us to think about our own ambitions and dreams for the coming year.

Over the past decade fewer Christmas cards have arrived in my mailbox. I miss that. People are watching their pocketbooks and practicing time management skills by eliminating some Christmas rituals. I’m no different.

The other day I sent my first batch of Christmas cards – digitally. It was so easy! And my address book is kept in one place, so I can send anniversary, birthday, graduation cards with ease. Sad that I’m included on the list of people who are less frequently sending cards in the mail, I am buoyed by the thought that I can stay in contact with my friends by sending e-cards for every occasion, economically and easily. I like sending cards as much as I enjoy receiving them.

Even Hallmark and American Greeting cards are offering e-cards, their sales have been diversified, and business revenue is now made in  e-commerce. Both companies have been long known for wonderful sentiments on their cards, and I am sure the digital artists they work with have great ideas. E-cards even come with audio sound!  http://www.hallmark.com/.

this emotional lifeIt is important to stay in touch with people who have meant much to us in life, even if we don’t often see them. Friends enrich our lives enormously. There is a DVD called, This Emotional Life, available through Amazon, brought to you by PBS. It addresses just how important friendship is to our happiness. Check it out, and share this link with your pals.Click for info & ordering

Return tomorrow, and we will see what else we can stir up on the subject of personal fulfillment.

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

A Fashionable Read

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“The secret of fashion is to surprise and never to disappoint.” ~ Edward G Bulwer-Lytton

Do you have a want-to-be fashion designer in the family who you are  looking for something to give them other than clothing for Christmas? Tired of seeing your hard earned money thrown in the trash because the clothes you have given your budding fashion stylist, as gifts, do not fit their own unique look?

How about an independently published book about the fashion industry that encourages high fashion at low cost? In this economy, many feel that is the wise way to shop.

Consultant Marisa Lynch’s book, developed out of her blogging efforts called New Dress A Day: The Ultimate DIY Guide to Creating Fashion Dos from the Thrift Store Don’ts  is now available. Click for info and ordering

Lynch has gained further fame by appearing on Nate Berkus’ Show, RickiLake, Martha Stewart and has also been interviewed by Anderson Cooper. She as part of the E! Red Carpet team at the Oscars, transforming dresses from thrift stores into stunning gowns that met the approval of many of the top fashionistas and the paparazzi, too.

Support literary arts  through your Christmas shopping. There are unique books being published independently. You will be doing our local economies a great service by helping to build a creative economy industry.

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Imparting Knowledge to Younger Generations

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There is so much we can learn from generations who came before us, if we would only listen and read about what others have to say through their writing.

On Sunday afternoon, the photography of Andrew Zuckerman and his wisdom project was featured on Rocky Mountain Public Broadcast Service (RMPBS). Zuckerman’s portrait photography is really stunning. He captured 51 important celebrity personalities who are familiar to most of us through their careers in all different fields. Each person’s image was captured, through the lens of the camera, with a pure white background; completely eliminating any distraction to the eye when viewing the aging faces. Hence, each person’s unique facial characteristics really pop. The stark photographs allow the viewer to better see beyond the external.

Zukerman’s book, Wisdom: The Greatest Gift One Generation Can Give To Another  is accompanied by a DVD. An oral recounting tells each person’s truth about life as they know it. To read more about the people who are featured in this project, Click here for info and ordering

There is also a show produced by Maryland Public Broadcast Service called My Generation, hosted by Leeza Gibbons in association with AARP.  This weekly, Emmy nominated show also highlights individuals, aged 50 and older, who have much to share with younger people about living healthy, active lives. Lifetime experience and knowledge is the basis for great words of advice. http://bit.ly/SYWDae.

 The advice and knowledge imparted in the book/DVD and the TV programs all give insight into the art of living a fulfilling life. Check them out.

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

Generation of Smart, Healthy Children

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“As a kindergarten teacher, I have come to understand the powerful interplay between our senses, memory and food.” ~ Grady Turner

There is an e-book project in the works that I am more excited about than many others I have heard about. I desperately want to see it come to fruition. Why? This independent publishing project is about the new generation and teaching through interactive e-books.

Eat, Play, Learn Books, LLC is a company that is developing “kids activities that use healthy food as a learning tool.” These lessons have been successfully used and tested in the classroom by award winning  kindergarten teacher, Grady Turner, B.A., MEd. They meet and reinforce academic standards.

The impetus behind this Eat, Play, Learn Books is a need our country has – raising children who know about the benefits of staying healthy and fit. 

This series published by Eat, Play, Learn Books, LLC covers four diciplines of learning – reading and writing, math, science and social studies. The e-books, complimented with video, will lead parents and children through a series of fun activities that reinforce healthy food choices. It is geared for children aged 4 to 9. The activities can be done at home, providing parents and children outstanding quality time together. Through the activities in the books, children are introduced food that is both nutritious and commonly found in homes and the grocery store.  

Electronic books published by Eat, Play Learn Books, LLC are downloadable on e-readers, computers and palm-size digital devices, too – such as cell phones.Click here for Eat Play Learn – Lessons 1-3 Reading and Writing

Please join me in supporting this wonderful publishing project and raise a generation of healthier children.

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

Help for Individual and Societal Problem

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“If you have knowledge, let others light their candles with it.” – Margret Fuller

Last winter, on All Things Fulfilling, we put the spotlight on a multi-award winning book called Mission Possible: A Missionary Doctor’s Journey of Healing by Dr. Dawn V Obrecht.  

Doc Dawn’s second publication was recently published by Richer Press. It focuses on her field of specialty, addiction medicine. From the Edge of the Cliff: Understanding the Two Phases of Recovery and Becoming the Person You’re Meant to Be addresses the author’s personal account of “coming clean” and her own successful recovery of 28 years. “Doc ” Dawn willingly opens up her life to help others who face the pervasive problem of drugs and alcohol in today’s society. Addiction is not specific to any one community, socio-economic group, or any other specific segment of the population; addiction is an equal-opportunity disease. Most people are somehow touched by an addiction, if not personally then tangentially, perhaps at work or in a relative or neighbor.  People in places everywhere struggle or know someone who struggles with overuse and unhealthy reliance on drugs and alcohol.

Education about the two phases of recovery and the quality of life that comes with putting addiction behind is an enormous part of the information available in this publication. Learn how abstaining from the use of “legal drugs” prescribed by physicians can be the key to avoiding triggering relapses.

The author uses her expertise as a board certified Medical Addictionist, and her own experience, and approaches the subject in this book in a voice that is non-clinical in nature. It is effective in reaching those who struggle to admit there is a problem in their life. From the Edge of the Cliff is also a helpful resource for those who wish to reach out to a family member or friend who is struggling with any kind of addiction.

To read more about Doc Dawn’s publications,Click on this link

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

Reading Life’s Signals

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“Hear with your heart, see with your soul, be guided by a hand that you can not hold, and trust even if you can not see. That’s how faith must be.” ~ Unknown

Last week when I was interviewing Mara Purl, author of What the Heart Knows and  Where the Heart Lives we spoke about her recent keynote address for Go for the Red event, sponsored by the American Heart Association.

I asked her whether there was a connection between the message in her books and the subject of her keynote address. She said “she  took  the principles of Life Simple 7 http://bit.ly/RsCok9  that  are outlined in the American Heart Association’s brochures and literature. Then she made a correlation between a  literal interpretation of unclogging our lives by saying “we need to stop ignoring our intuition when it is telling us something.”  When our intuition tells us to change something, such as to stop smoking or get that cholesterol checked, Mara said “we need to listen.”

In Mara’s story “Where the Heart Lives,” the protagonist makes a geographical move, based on a “heart” decision. This decision has implications that changes her life and the focus of it. For more information on Mara Purl’s books, <a target=”_blank” href=”http://www.amazon.com/s/?_encoding=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=390957&field-keywords=mara%20purl&linkCode=ur2&rh=n%3A283155%2Ck%3Amara%20purl&tag=allthinfulf-20&url=search-alias%3Dstripbooks&linkId=JAPOA45PHI7EE76U”>Click here</a><img src=”https://ir-na.amazon-adsystem.com/e/ir?t=allthinfulf-20&l=ur2&o=1&#8243; width=”1″ height=”1″ border=”0″ alt=”” style=”border:none !important; margin:0px !important;” />.

The events of Hurricane Sandy, reminds us of how life can turn on us at a moments notice, dealing  nasty,long lasting blows. Unfortunately, individuals sometimes forget to take the time to interpret signs and signals that tell us it is time to slow down and heed the warnings along the path of life.

What a gift life is!  It is up to us as individuals to honor the life we have been given by taking good care of ourselves through healthy diets, regular exercise and by avoiding addictive behaviors – such as overindulging in food, alcohol, and other risky behaviors. Maintaining healthy personal relationships helps us to be mentally and spiritually fit.

Intuition research has been a growing field among nurses and other medical professionals.  It has been said that listening to our hearts and intuition, can help us to create better lifestyles for ourselves. Sometimes we learn the hard way, through devastating life events. We are all  guilty of not listening to our hearts at various points in our lives, I suppose. Here is an article that addresses some of the most recent findings concerning intuition research. http://lifesciencefoundation.org/inmain.html

What kind of listener you are? Head or heart?  Do you listen to what your heart is telling you?

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A Charming Idea, Mara Purl

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Today’s blog is part 2 of my interview with Mara Purl, author of the Milford-Haven series. The second book, Where the Heart Lives was the subject of yesterday’s blog. Please scroll down to read it.

Sue: Mara, I’d like to talk with you for a few minutes about books, in general, and what, if any, shift you have noticed among readers in recent years?

Mara: Readers know what they like to read, and with people being so busy these days, I think people are looking for more specific categories of books. Rather than just say, general fiction, they are looking types of fiction such as women’s fiction or family sagas or romance. My books are categorized in all three.

Authors are offering free sample chapters of e-books, prequels that are free, and 99 cent e-books which allows readers to venture into trying new genres and new authors they otherwise may have never discovered.  Short stories had been diminishing in the marketplace, and with the arrival of e-books, they are making a return. Serial story telling has also had a resurgence. 

Because of space constraints, in the past, booksellers have been hesitant to carry whole series of books; not wanting to take up too much space with just one author’s books. With e-books, there is not that concern of taking up too much shelf space. Thus, readers have the ability to read a whole series from beginning to end. Collecting and reading an entire series presents no constraints in storage in electronic (e-book) format.  

For fans of books that bring the reader through a chronology of generations, such as Louis L’Amour books, e-books can be very useful way to fulfill the readers desires to collect an entire series without having to find space to store them in their homes. 

Sue: I have noticed your wonderful newly redesigned website. There are all kinds of fun things for your readers on the site, including jewelry for fans of the Milford- Haven Books. Tell me what it has meant to you to follow the spirit of your character, Miranda Jones, and use your artistic expression to take your creativity in a new direction.

Mara:  Women love jewelry, and I have noticed that stories go along with jewelry that women wear. Women say, “oh, that necklace or bracelet was given to me by so and so, or it used to be my grandmothers, or I got that piece of jewelry when……” I thought that women may like to collect jewelry that will remind them of the Milford-Haven books they have read. As a talisman or reminder to listen to the heart. So, each book has a different shell “dingbat” (an ornament, character or spacer used in typesetting) and each will be available as a charm and can be collected for bracelets. The first book What the Heart Knows has a heart cockle shell “dingbat” in it, and then the 2nd book in the series Where the Heart Lives is a placuna shell, (called a windowpane oyster) which is a marine bivalve that is flat and translucent, in shape).  

Sue: Where can these charms and bracelets be purchased?  I will put a link to your newly designed website for our readers, and people can keep their eyes open for them as an upcoming product. Mara’s Blog site www.marapurlcom.  Link to Milford-Haven book charms on Pinterest  http://pinterest.com/marapurl/.

Mara: Yes, they are still in the development phase by a jeweler in Colorado Springs, but once available, they can be shipped anywhere in the world and if you go to my newly redesigned website, there is information.

Sue: Mara, I appreciate so much the opportunity to interview you again. I am so pleased at the success you are having with the Milford-Haven series. When will Bellekeep Books publish the third in the series When Hearts Keep Secrets be available? I look forward to reading the next book.

Mara: Look for When Hearts Keep Secrets in 2013. Probably in autumn of the year. Also, the e-book “When Whales Watch” the prequel to the second book  is available through Amazon.

For more information on all of Mara Purls’ publications,Click here

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

Preparing for Blog Tour Storm

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“Life…it consists mainly of the storm of thoughts that is forever flowing through one’s head.” ~ Mark Twain 

Good Morning! I am preparing for tomorrow’s blog – a special interview with best selling author Mara Purl. Many of you may remember our blogs about What the Heart Knows, book one of the Milford-Haven series . We are so excited that Mara’s promotions company contacted us a few weeks ago to request that All Things Fulfilling be part of her blog tour again for her 2nd book Where the Heart Lives. An astounding 17 million readers followed All Things Fulfilling and the other blogs that participated in the blog tour for book one. 

If you missed out, here are links to our previous blogs about Mara Purl as a published author of her Milford Haven series.

 Portrait of a Consummate Artist
https://allthingsfulfilling.wordpress.com/2011/08/17/portrait-of-a-consummate-artist/

Part I
Speaking the Language of Books
https://allthingsfulfilling.wordpress.com/2011/08/18/speaking-the-language-of-books/ 

Part II
Speaking the Language of Head and Heart
https://allthingsfulfilling.wordpress.com/2011/08/23/speaking-the-language-of-heart-and-art/
Extra Bonus
Getting Drawn In – Reading “ Hummer” on Kindle for PC
https://allthingsfulfilling.wordpress.com/2011/08/22/getting-drawn-in/ 

Mara’s book one What the Heart Knows  is an Amazon best-seller (ranked #5) and a finalist for the Book of the Year Award. Her prequel short story When Hummers Dream (also a best seller) was nominated for the Global e-book award. 

Please return tomorrow. Mara is guaranteed to have some interesting things to say about book two Where the Heart Lives. As a former soap opera actress who played the part of Darla Cook, R.N. on Days of Our Lives, Mara is well versed in telling and writing award-winning stories that reach hearts of her readers.

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