Easter Eggs of the Past

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Do return to All Things Fulfilling tomorrow. An author narrated story about Easter will be posted for one day only.

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You must know that there is nothing higher and stronger and more wholesome and good for life in the future than some good memory, especially a memory of childhood, of home. ~ Fyoda Dostoyevsky

Oh, Easter Joy! Look at these little pretties that are pictured. I’ve been up since before the crack of dawn making them.

In my memory box from my childhood are recollections of the year my mother and my aunt Claire made my twin sister, two brothers and me, and our two cousins Jay and Karen (aka Meg) hand-crafted Easter eggs made out of mashed potatoes.  Yes, you read it right – mashed potatoes.

Although both my mother and my aunt (now in their mid-eighties)  have lucid memories of making these eggs, neither of them still have the recipe but I was able to track it down from A Taste of Home.

The candy is every bit as good and sweet as commercially made coconut-crème…

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Spring Overflowing with Gratefulness

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Art is literacy of the heart” ~Elliot Eisner

Today is the first day of spring and with that, I celebrate gratefulness for my wonderful health, my dear family, new and life-long friends. I’d be remiss if I didn’t mention the beautiful natural environment in which I live. Wait, there is more –

The other day, I began to consider the huge volume of communication about independent publishing and all the creative industries that comes across my desk every day, every week, every month and every year. Difficult to keep up with; it also fascinates me to no end.

Adding another “I AM GRATEFUL to my list, I am grateful I have a way to share what arrives on my desk with my readers through All Things Fulfilling. Without an outlet, I would have to keep the information contained; a very hard thing to do. When I am filled with excitement about something, I want to share it! Don’t you?

My heart is overflowing with gratitude for those who visit this blog site. My hope is that you tell someone else about the value of this digital news and information space, so that our world blooms prolifically with all fulfilling things in art, culture, spirituality, business and life.

Happy Spring and May Your Life continue to Bloom and Grow!

This blog brought to you by  award-winning author Sue Batton Leonard.

Remembering Leaps of Faith

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I will be taking a new leap of faith in the very near future. Stay tuned! More information coming!

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If you have ever been successful at anything against all odds, you come to understand that sometimes risk is worth it.  There are valuable lessons to be learned when we let go and take a leap of faith. Without some element of believing in something greater than ourselves, it is hard to move forward. For instance –
I remember….

When I was in my late teens our family vacationed in the Thousand Island region of Canada on a lake called The Opinicon. On many of the islands that dotted the lake there were huge rocky cliffs, perhaps 20-30 feet high. We’d jump off the crags into the water. It was scary and exhilarating all at the same time.

I’d run up the edge of the cliff all filled with vim and vigor and then stop just before going over. Finally after a few failed attempts, I’d surrender and take the big…

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Acrostic Poem for St. Patty

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“If you have the words, there’s always a chance you will find the way.” ~ Seamus Heavy

The words for the day are Acrostic Poems. Can you define it?

Although I have written several acrostic poems on this website, I didn’t know the proper terminology for them. Perhaps we never discussed this form of poetry in a creative writing class that I took several years ago.

Here’s the task for this St. Patty’s Day. Write an acrostic poem using the words Irish Writer. If you have had a green Irish beer or Jameson’s or two, you might come up with something even more profoundly fulfilling. See what you can do.

Independent

Red-headed

Individuals,

Stereotypically

Holy Catholic,

Wildly

Rowdy,

Indulgent in

Taters,

Earnestly

Rooted.

Happy St. Patty’s Day, my friends. 
free st pattys day stationary with quoteSt Pattys Day

Protect and Defend Wholesome Values

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unity in spirti

Unity is strength… when there is teamwork and collaboration, wonderful things can be achieved. ~ Mattie Stepanek

The mission behind All Things Fulfilling has been always been a multi-media approach to sharing information about things that make my heart zing – what fills my heart with joy and happiness. That includes information on what has become my career and passion since 1998 – independent publishing.

I seldom make strong statements on All Things Fulfilling because we don’t need another platform on which to air controversial opinions all for the sake of being heard.

This statement I am going to make is about valuing human life and it really doesn’t matter where you stand politically. We need people in this country to discover and fill open spaces in their hearts with what brings them personal fulfillment, not evil and violence.

Dr. Ben Carson recently said about the recent occurrences in Charleston, South Carolina that the

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Art for the Gain of Self

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Effort is not measured by what you get for it, but by what you become because of it.” ~ Julie Leidel, The Bungalow Craft

There has been an increasing awareness of how creating art benefits the heart and soul. Don’t believe me? Psychology Today magazine has a series of articles that speak to this issue.  Check out their article on the rising popularity of adult coloring books. Why? Because people remember how fulfilling an activity it was as a child to create a picture with something as simple as paper and crayons, incorporating whatever colors struck their heart strings.

Many people say they don’t have an artistic bone in their body, but, you might surprise yourself if you allow yourself to participate in the creative experience without judgement – purely for the fun of it. Not everyone is slated to be the world’s next greatest artist, we all have…

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Giving Oneself Permission

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By working faithfully eight hours a day you may eventually get to be the boss and work twelve hours a day.” ~ Robert Frost

Some people  need a boss behind them cracking the whip, helping them to stay on task and motivated. Having the corporate structure behind them saying “Your workday begins promptly at 9am and ends at 5pm, with a half an hour for lunch,” is what they relate to best.

Guess what, I worked under those conditions for most of my life. Now I’ve gotten a raise! “Twelve hours a day, hmmm, Mr. Frost?” Tell me, how does a writer, who is also essentially an entrepreneur, limit oneself to that?

Sometimes I find it hard to give myself permission to “lay off, let it go and call it a day.” It’s a challenge to remember the person in charge of me is myself!

Believe me, I am not complaining!…

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Meet You at the Sandbox

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“Play is the work of children. It’s very serious stuff.” ―Bob Keeshan

Welcome back! Hope you had fun weekend.

A few years ago when I moved to Colorado, I went to a business conference for entrepreneurs. I sat next to a very nice young woman, not many years out of college. We visited throughout the day and enjoyed each other’s company. At end of the conference, she turned to me and said, “You know, you really ought to join the young professionals networking group.”  I began laughing!

“What?” she asked, in all seriousness. “What are you laughing at?”

“Young professionals?” I asked. Not because I thought joining networking groups for professionals was a bad idea but because I was questioning her judgment of how old I was. If fact, there are great advantages to joining organizations to meet-up with other entrepreneurs and business people. http://bit.ly/1uICWXy.

“Yes,” she said, “they are a great group and…

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Good News: Young Entrepreneurs

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Reach high, for stars lie hidden in your soul. Dream deep, for every dream precedes the goal.” Pamela Vaull Starr

The good news is the world still has its share of young people who have heads for business. In fact,  digital tools are facilitating entrepreneurship at a younger age than ever! Want to know how? Here is an article.

There are many youngsters who find their passion and their talents at very young ages. Whether they have a head for science, mathematics, technology or inspire others through their unique creative talents, there are ways you can to encourage your child. There are even schools which help nuture entrepreneurial spirit and innovation in children by helping them set up micro-businesses.

lightbulbHow do you raise self-motivated children? Here is an excellent article. I like many of the tips in this article but my top pick is “to give a child a rich…

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Good News: The Simplicity Concept

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simple day 2To some people, living the simple life conjures up thoughts of living out in the woods with no running water, cooking over an open fire and being entirely self-sufficient by growing one’s own crops and hunting and fishing. A bit extreme for most people in this world of modern conveniences.

The good news is there is more than one way of living a pared down lifestyle. We can chose to simplify our lives in ways that might better suit us rather than returning to the homesteading concept.

In the interest of simplifying my blog writing today, here is a link to a great article that outlines 10 ways to simplify your lifestyle. Do a little soul-searching by assessing which choice suits your interests best.

This blog is brought to you by the author of the award-winning memoir Gift of a Lifetime: Finding Fulfilling Things in the Unexpected and short stories Lessons…

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