My Planning Life

Posted on September 10, 2013 by Donna Davenport

Almost a Decade of Planning

I have been planning for more than a decade. I have been planning on paper for most of my adult life. I love carrying around an agenda with all my events, goals and notes of my life. At first the agenda binder was a practical tool to carry the planner pages. Later, appearance became important. I wanted the pages and the binder to show my personality. I have the opportunity to use most planner styles and formats that are available. I feel that I have been able to make most planners work for me but I have found that my Louis Vuitton GM/Large Agenda and Filofax A5 Day Per Page – Business Style have worked the best for me. The monthly and weekly style pages are available through Filofax but I like the look and texture of the ivory Louis Vuitton paper. I also liked the Louis Vuitton pictures displayed quarterly through the planning pages. I started decorating or scrapbooking the monthly pages at the beginning of using the Louis Vuitton pages because the pages are thicker which make great scrapbooking paper.

Louis Vuitton Agenda Refills

Filofax Diary Refills

My Louis Vuitton Agenda:

This agenda uses Louis Vuitton GM/Large Agenda pages and A5 Filofax Diary & paper. Filofax also has beautiful leather A5 Agenda Covers for a more affordable price.

Louis Vuitton Agenda Covers

Filofax Organizers & Planners

Inside my planner:

Louis Vuitton Monthly pages before decorating:

I’m still in the process of decorating my monthly pages for 2013 so I will display them later in a blog page, My Planning Life – 2013 when I’m finished.

Louis Vuitton Weekly Pages:

Filofax Daily Pages:

Filofax A5 One Day per Page – Business Style.

Louis Vuitton Note Pages & My Tabs:

A5 Index Tabs, 6 Tabs:

I used my favorite colors of scrapbook paper. I took the Filofax A5 Blank Index Tabs as a master to trace and cut out the tabs.

Plastic Inserts & Journal in the Back Cover:

I found journals from Target that fit in my planner nicely. The journals comes in a set of 3. The design on the outside has changed since my first set but they’re just as nice and more colorful. When I find something I like that works, I stock up.

First set of Journals:

Second set of Journals:

Other Agendas I Use:

Louis Vuitton PM/Small Agenda & Temperley London for Filofax: The Affair

I use the LV PM Agenda in my purse. Especially when I’m using a smaller purse. It is easy to write down a quick note. The Filofax I use in my purse. I love the journal in this Agenda, I am able to jot down my thoughts.

Inside My Louis Vuitton PM Agenda:

Louis Vuitton PM Daily Agenda Pages:

Louis Vuitton One Day per Page.

Journal in the Back:

I found this journal at Target. It comes in a set of 3. There has been been a newer set of these since. I feel fortunate to find notebooks and journals that fit my agendas and of course I stock up.

First set of Journals:

Second set of Journals:

Inside My Temperley London for Filofax: The Affair:

Uses Filofax Personal Agenda Pages & Flex by Filofax Thick Notebook.

It comes with the Flex by Filofax Lined Thick Notebook but that is what I prefer. Filofax offers thin or thick, lined or plain Notebooks.

I use the Filofax day on 2 pages Agenda pages. Appointment page on left and To Do/Notes on the right.

Notepad in the Back Cover:

Lined Notepads are sold at Target in a set of 3.

Notepads (set of 3):

New Addition to My Planners:

Finsbury Organiser A4 Raspberry Leather

Not sold in the US, Available at http://www.filofax.co.uk

Inside My Finsbury Organiser A4 Raspberry Leather:

A4 Filofax Weekly Diary -week on two pages diary (5 language):

Week on two pages diary (5 language) included with the purchase of this planner.

A4 Filofax Day per Page Diary:

A4 Homemade Monthly Tabs:

Filofax didn’t have monthly tabs for the A4 Agenda so I made my own out of scrapbook paper for my Day per Page Diary. I used a labeler to name the monthly tabs.

Filofax Blank Index (cream):

Blank index (cream) tabs included with the purchase of this planner.

Homemade index tabs:

I used the Filofax index tabs to make my own in scrapbooking paper that match the planner.

Filofax Address Pages and Tabs:

Filofax Notepad in the Back Cover:

Included in the purchase of the planner:

transparent flyleaf
week on two pages diary (5 language)
ruler/page marker (black)
to do (5 language)
white ruled notepaper
indices
blank index (cream)
addresses (5 language)

I purchased the Day per page Diary, extra page marker, extra note pages and to do pages. I use one page marker to mark my weekly pages and one to mark my daily pages. I also use magnetic bookmarkers to save my important and current pages. I love the A4 because it’s the size of a notebook binder so it’s a large size with plenty of room to write. The only draw back of this planner is it doesn’t have as many extras as the other planner sizes and I can only get my refills from the http://www.filofax.co.uk . I was able to get my 2014 Weekly and Daily Diary Pages when I ordered the planner so I won’t have to worry about it till the end of 2014 for my 2015 refills.

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14 Books You Should Read

Posted on May 13, 2013 by Donna Davenport

The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald

Book Description:

The Great Gatsby, F. Scott Fitzgerald’s third book, stands as the supreme achievement of his career. This exemplary novel of the Jazz Age has been acclaimed by generations of readers. The story of the fabulously wealthy Jay Gatsby and his love for the beautiful Daisy Buchanan, of lavish parties on Long Island at a time when The New York Times noted “gin was the national drink and sex the national obsession,” it is an exquisitely crafted tale of America in the 1920s.

The Great Gatsby is one of the great classics of twentieth-century literature.

Related Links:

Judging ‘Gatsby’ by Its Cover(s)

Teaching ‘The Great Gatsby’ With The New York Times

To Kill a Mocking Bird by Harper Lee

Book Description:

“Shoot all the bluejays you want, if you can hit ’em, but remember it’s a sin to kill a mockingbird.”

A lawyer’s advice to his children as he defends the real mockingbird of Harper Lee’s classic novel—a black man charged with the rape of a white girl. Through the young eyes of Scout and Jem Finch, Harper Lee explores with rich humor and unswerving honesty the irrationality of adult attitudes toward race and class in the Deep South of the 1930s. The conscience of a town steeped in prejudice, violence, and hypocrisy is pricked by the stamina and quiet heroism of one man’s struggle for justice—but the weight of history will only tolerate so much.

One of the best-loved classics of all time, To Kill a Mockingbird has earned many dis-tinctions since its original publication in 1960. It has won the Pulitzer Prize, been translated into more than forty languages, sold more than forty million copies worldwide, and been made into an enormously popular movie. It was also named the best novel of the twentieth century by librarians across the country (Library Journal). HarperCollins is proud to celebrate the fiftieth anniversary of the book’s publication with this special hardcover edition.

On the Road by Jack Kerouac

Book Description:

On the Road chronicles Jack Kerouac’s years traveling the North American continent with his friend Neal Cassady, “a sideburned hero of the snowy West.” As “Sal Paradise” and “Dean Moriarty,” the two roam the country in a quest for self-knowledge and experience. Kerouac’s love of America, his compassion for humanity, and his sense of language as jazz combine to make On the Road an inspirational work of lasting importance.

Kerouac’s classic novel of freedom and longing defined what it meant to be “Beat” and has inspired every generation since its initial publication more than fifty years ago.

Tell Me a Riddle by Tillie Olsen

Book Description:

“Tell Me a Riddle” renders an unforgettable portrait of a working class couple when the gender determined differences in their experiences of poverty and familial life give rise to bitter conflict after almost four decades of marriage. As she dies from cancer, Eva, the protagonist, recollects a revolutionary past that both critiques and offers hope for the present. Deborah Rosenfelt’s introduction and the essays in this volume survey the critical reception of this highly acclaimed story, analyze its biographical and historical contexts, examine the text’s language, structure, spiritual and moral significance, and illuminate Olsen’s relationship to the American midwest, the American left, and the Jewish enlightenment tradition.

This casebook includes an introduction by the editor, a chronology of Olsen’s life, an authoritative text of “Tell Me a Riddle,” relevant essays by Olsen, seven critical essays, and a bibliography.

The contributors are: Joanne Trautmann Banks, Constance Coiner, Rachel Blau Duplessis, Mara Faulkner, Elaine Orr, Linda Ray Pratt, and Deborah Silverton Rosenfelt.

Great Expectations by Charles Dickens

Book Description:

Humbled, orphaned Pip is apprenticed to the dirty work of the forge but dares to dream of becoming a gentleman — and one day he finds himself in possession of “great expectations.” One of Dickens’ finest novels, this is a gripping tale of crime and guilt, revenge and reward.

All Quiet on the Western Front by Erich Marie Remarque

Book Description:

Considered by many the greatest war novel of all time, All Quiet on the Western Front is Erich Maria Remarque’s masterpiece of the German experience during World War I.

I am young, I am twenty years old; yet I know nothing of life but despair, death, fear, and fatuous superficiality cast over an abyss of sorrow. . . .

This is the testament of Paul Bäumer, who enlists with his classmates in the German army during World War I. They become soldiers with youthful enthusiasm. But the world of duty, culture, and progress they had been taught breaks in pieces under the first bombardment in the trenches.

Through years of vivid horror, Paul holds fast to a single vow: to fight against the principle of hate that meaninglessly pits young men of the same generation but different uniforms against one another . . . if only he can come out of the war alive.

“The world has a great writer in Erich Maria Remarque. He is a craftsman of unquestionably first rank, a man who can bend language to his will. Whether he writes of men or of inanimate nature, his touch is sensitive, firm, and sure.”—The New York Times Book Review

War and Peace Leo Tolstoy

Book Description:

From the award-winning translators of Anna Karenina and The Brothers Karamazov comes this magnificent new translation of Tolstoy’s masterwork.

War and Peace broadly focuses on Napoleon’s invasion of Russia in 1812 and follows three of the most well-known characters in literature: Pierre Bezukhov, the illegitimate son of a count who is fighting for his inheritance and yearning for spiritual fulfillment; Prince Andrei Bolkonsky, who leaves his family behind to fight in the war against Napoleon; and Natasha Rostov, the beautiful young daughter of a nobleman who intrigues both men.

A s Napoleon’s army invades, Tolstoy brilliantly follows characters from diverse backgrounds—peasants and nobility, civilians and soldiers—as they struggle with the problems unique to their era, their history, and their culture. And as the novel progresses, these characters transcend their specificity, becoming some of the most moving—and human—figures in world literature.

The Heart is a Lonely Hunter by Carson McCullers

Book Description:

With the publication of her first novel, THE HEART IS A LONELY HUNTER, Carson McCullers, all of twenty-three, became a literary sensation. With its profound sense of moral isolation and its compassionate glimpses into its characters’ inner lives, the novel is considered McCullers’ finest work, an enduring masterpiece first published by Houghton Mifflin in 1940. At its center is the deaf-mute John Singer, who becomes the confidant for various types of misfits in a Georgia mill town during the 1930s. Each one yearns for escape from small town life. When Singer’s mute companion goes insane, Singer moves into the Kelly house, where Mick Kelly, the book’s heroine (and loosely based on McCullers), finds solace in her music. Wonderfully attuned to the spiritual isolation that underlies the human condition, and with a deft sense for racial tensions in the South, McCullers spins a haunting, unforgettable story that gives voice to the rejected, the forgotten, and the mistreated — and, through Mick Kelly, gives voice to the quiet, intensely personal search for beauty.
Richard Wright praised Carson McCullers for her ability “to rise above the pressures of her environment and embrace white and black humanity in one sweep of apprehension and tenderness.” She writes “with a sweep and certainty that are overwhelming,” said the NEW YORK TIMES. McCullers became an overnight literary sensation, but her novel has endured, just as timely and powerful today as when it was first published. THE HEART IS A LONELY HUNTER is Carson McCullers at her most compassionate, endearing best.

Native Son by Richard Wright

Book Description:

Right from the start, Bigger Thomas had been headed for jail. It could have been for assault or petty larceny; by chance, it was for murder and rape. Native Son tells the story of this young black man caught in a downward spiral after he kills a young white woman in a brief moment of panic. Set in Chicago in the 1930s, Richard Wright’s novel is just as powerful today as when it was written — in its reflection of poverty and hopelessness, and what it means to be black in America.

Frankenstein by Mary Shelley

Book Description:

A young Swiss student discovers the secret of animating lifeless matter and, by assembling body parts, creates a monster who vows revenge on his creator after being rejected from society.

A Good Man is Hard to Find by Flannery O’Connor

Book Description:

“A Good Man Is Hard to Find” is Flannery O’Connor’s most famous and most discussed story. O’Connor herself singled it out by making it the title piece of her first collection and the story she most often chose for readings or talks to students. It is an unforgettable tale, both riveting and comic, of the confrontation of a family with violence and sudden death. More than anything else O’Connor ever wrote, this story mixes the comedy, violence, and religious concerns that characterize her fiction.

The Catcher in the Rye by J.D. Salinger

Book Description:

Anyone who has read J.D. Salinger’s New Yorker stories ? particularly A Perfect Day for Bananafish, Uncle Wiggily in Connecticut, The Laughing Man, and For Esme ? With Love and Squalor, will not be surprised by the fact that his first novel is fully of children. The hero-narrator of THE CATCHER IN THE RYE is an ancient child of sixteen, a native New Yorker named Holden Caulfield. Through circumstances that tend to preclude adult, secondhand description, he leaves his prep school in Pennsylvania and goes underground in New York City for three days. The boy himself is at once too simple and too complex for us to make any final comment about him or his story. Perhaps the safest thing we can say about Holden is that he was born in the world not just strongly attracted to beauty but, almost, hopelessly impaled on it. There are many voices in this novel: children’s voices, adult voices, underground voices-but Holden’s voice is the most eloquent of all. Transcending his own vernacular, yet remaining marvelously faithful to it, he issues a perfectly articulated cry of mixed pain and pleasure. However, like most lovers and clowns and poets of the higher orders, he keeps most of the pain to, and for, himself. The pleasure he gives away, or sets aside, with all his heart. It is there for the reader who can handle it to keep.

The Chronicles of Narnia by C.S. Lewis

Book Description:

Narnia . . . where a dragon awakens . . . where stars walk the earth . . . where anything can happen.

The Magician’s Nephew
The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe
The Horse and His Boy
Prince Caspian
The Voyage of the Dawn Treader
The Silver Chair
The Last Battle

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The Artful Readers Club – March’s Book Review

Posted on April 24, 2013 by Donna Davenport

When It Happens to You by Molly Ringwald Review

Book Description

Tales of love, loss, and betrayal are at the heart of When It Happens to You, the debut story collection from actress and author Molly Ringwald.

A Hollywood icon, Ringwald defined the teenage experience in the eighties in such classic films as Pretty in Pink, The Breakfast Club, and Sixteen Candles. Now the star of ABC Family’s hit series, The Secret Life of the American Teenager, and author of the bestselling memoir Getting the Pretty Back, Ringwald brings that same compelling candor she displayed in her film roles to the unforgettable characters she has created in this series of linked stories about the particular challenges, joys, and disappointments of adult relationships.

Here are stories that grapple with infertility and infidelity, fame and familial discord, in a magnificent collection that will resonate broadly with readers—from fans of Melissa Banks to Meg Wolitzer to Lorrie Moore. Told through a series of stories surrounding a Los Angeles family and their neighborhood, When It Happens to You is a compassionate look into the imperfections and complexities that pervade modern relationships. Ringwald’s voice will strike a chord with anyone who has struggled with the universalities of loss, love, and the search for connection.

My Book Review

Molly Ringwald started writing the book as a collection of short stories with the general theme of betrayal, but once she actually started writing the book, the stories became longer. She also realized that she was interested in the characters and wanted to know more about them, so she started connecting them. She set out to write a collection of stories, and then it “became” the novel through the writing. When I read the book the series of stories flowed together so naturally. I have felt the pain and heartache of betrayal in different roles in my life, so reading the description of the betrayal in the book was like she was saying things I have felt before.

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The “Who Am I?” Journal

Posted on April 9, 2013 by Donna Davenport

“Who am I? It’s a lifelong question. It’s not about labels—”I’m a mom,” or “I’m a good employee”, or “I’m a Christian.” Concentrate on moving beyond labels and appearances. It’s, “When I was born, what was the plan for my life?” Oprah.com

1. Write in your “Who Am I?” journal every day. Start with a descriptive word or words about yourself. The descriptive word or words can make excellent positive affirmations through the day.

2. Start Concentrating on moving beyond labels and appearances. This will require yourself to not avoid the question “Who Am I?” and to bring back feelings about your self while you ponder on that question

3. The “Who Am I?” Journal does not need to be exclusively about your failures, mistakes and missteps. Keep in mind good things about yourself that will balance your answer to the essential question in your journal.

DESCRIPTIVE WORDS TO DESCRIBE WHO AM I?

DEFINITION TO THE FOLLOWING DESCRIPTIVE WORDS:

Who am I, I am bored, What to do when bored

If you say you are:

ACTIVE – It means you are taking part in an activity … any activity like swimming, tennis, exercise etc.

ADVENTUROUS – It means you are seeking out new and daring things to do … climb a tree, climb a mountain, climb in a canoe.

AUTHENTIC – It means you conform to fact and are therefore worthy of belief … research facts, research interesting ideas, research animals, plants or people.

AWESOME – It means you inspire awe, admiration or wonder … create something positive, a painting, a poem, a herb garden.

BEAUTIFUL – It means it is highly enjoyable to look at, be near to – beautify yourself inside and outside … treat and beautify hair, skin, finger and toenails and even your heart, areas and things around you.

BOLD – It means you are fearless, daring, clear and distinct … do something bold … confront a negative issue like crime, homelessness, bad management, negative or destructive people – turn a negative into a positive through word or deed.

BRAVE – It means you have courage, you are able to face and deal with danger, fear or intimidation without flinching.

CAPABLE – It means you have the skills, qualities and ability to do something … learn something new, there are many useful and helpful things to learn in this world, “how to” in Google Search is a great place to start.

CARING – It means you carry within you concern and empathy for others … take care of something or someone… do something nice for someone who is always taking care of you or others.

CONFIDENT – It means you are sure of yourself, sure of who you are.

COURAGEOUS – It means you can face danger or pain without fear, it is a quality of spirit that goes hand in hand with “brave”.

CURIOUS – It means you are eager to investigate, learn and learn some more about different things … find interesting topics, a sport or hobby.

DEPENDABLE – It means you are consistent in performance & behavior and you are worthy of reliance or trust … show up when you must and learn how to manage your finances early on in life.

DETERMINED – It means you are driven, you know what, when and where you want stuff, you have a positive influence on life, people and things because you know where you are going/heading … set goals – short, medium and long term goals and achieve them.

DISTINCT – It means you are different but clearly defined by nature – you know who you are, what you like and what you stand for and support. You are not a grey area person who can be swung any way the wind blows … KNOW how you feel about life’s greatest challenges/the things that cause the most problems in life.

DYNAMIC – It means you take action, forceful action to accomplish things. The business world is full of dynamic people … read a few autobiographies of very successful people, their dynamic natures always show.

ENERGETIC – It means you have high levels of energy. You have get-up and go in you. You get this from enough sleep and a good nutritious diet.

ENTHUSIASTIC – It means you show great excitement and interest in the things you do! You are passionate about the things you like and your passion SHINES! Search until you find things that arouse these feelings in you! Love what you do and you never have to work a day – simply because it won’t feel like work.

EXCEPTIONAL – It means you are special, way above average and the expected. We all have exceptional qualities – find yours early in life and hone in on them, develop other exceptional qualities throughout life.

FASCINATING – It means you are capable of arousing and holding attention, capturing interest. Learn this art it has a lot to do with language, tone and presenting yourself.

FEISTY – It means in the positive sense that you have courage in the negative sense that you take offense easily. Learn to handle both and don’t let them handle you.

FUN – Is activities that are enjoyable and amusing.

GUTSY – It means you have courage, determination, you are robust and uninhibited/unrestrained.

HAPPY – It means you are marked by joy, pleasure and good fortune.

HARDWORKING – It means you know how to persevere tirelessly. What are your goals and how hard are you working at them?

HEALTHY – It means mind, body, soul and finances are taken care of and are performing optimally.

HELPFUL – It means you are providing assistance, serving a useful function.

HONEST – It means you are not deceptive or fraudulent and are without pretensions. You are marked by truth.

IMAGINATIVE – It means you are creative. Creativity can be unleashed in so many ways – art, writing, a meal, flower arranging, decoration, gardening and many more.

IMPORTANT – It means you are of great significance or value.

INTERESTING – It means you hold attention, excite and matter. Explore some interesting facts & fabrications.

INTELLIGENT – It means your capacity for thought and reason is of a high degree. You have sound knowledge and judgment.

JOYFUL – It means you are filled with high-spirited delight.

KIND – It means you show a tender, considerate and helpful nature.

LIKABLE – It means you are appealing, sympathetic, empathic and agreeable.

LIVELY – It means you are filled with zest, vigor and positive energy. You are bouncy, merry and alert.

LOYAL – It means you are steadfast in alliance or duty and have an unwavering devotion to something or someone.

MAGICAL – It means you are charming.

MOTIVATED – It means you have an incentive waiting for the action you are about to take.

MEMORABLE – It means you are unforgettable.

MYSELF – It means me. It means mini-me or mega-me. So I said to myself: “Self, do you want to be mini or mega.

NATURAL – It means in conformity with nature, not artificial, not imitated.

NICE – It means socially correct, gracious, courteous and polite.

NOTICEABLE – It means you are capable of being detected.

OPEN-MINDED – It means you are ready to entertain new ideas.

OPTIMISTIC – It means you expect the best to happen.

ORIGINAL – It means you are fresh, unusual and you set the tone.

PERSISTENT – It means you are never-ceasing, lasting, follow closely or go after with the intent to catch.

POSITIVE – It means you are sure, confident and give advantage to good outcomes.

PRECIOUS – It means you are of high worth, treasured, wanted and valued.

PROUD – It means you display dignity, nobility and self-respect.

QUIRKY – It means you are strikingly unconventional and way-out.

REAL – It means you are not illusionary and not to be taken lightly.

RELIABLE – It means you can be depended on.

RESOURCEFUL – It means you are capable and able to deal with difficult situations.

RESPONSIBLE – It means you hold yourself accountable.

SHARP – It means you are alert, quick and forceful.

SPIRITUAL – It means you are concerned with the matters that affect the spirit or soul.

SURPRISING – It means you can cause wonder or amazement in your life.

SYMPATHETIC – It means you are good-hearted, compassionate, and friendly towards fellow feelings, you have understanding.

THOUGHTFUL – It means you have intellectual depth and you are considerate of the feelings or well-being of others.

TOLERANT – It means you show respect for the rights or opinions of others, you are patient.

TRUSTWORTHY – It means you take responsibility for your conduct and obligations.

UNIQUE – It means you are radically distinctive, rare or without equal – one of a kind.

UNSELFISH – It means you are not greedy. You have the ability to disregard your own advantages and welfare over those of others.

UPBEAT – It means you are in a contented state of being happy, healthy and prosperous.

VALUABLE – It means you are of high merit, worth or value.

VERSATILE – It means you are competent in many areas.

VIGOROUS – It means you are strong and active physically or mentally.

WARM – It means you are friendly, tender, responsive and affectionate.

WISE – It means you have good judgment/common sense.

WONDERFUL – It means extraordinarily good or great.

YOUNG – It means not old – play a little.

XENOPHOBIC – It means abnormal fear or hatred of the strange or foreign.

ZANY – It means ludicrous or foolish.

Steps to Rediscover Who You Are:

1. “Who Am I” Journal – Write Daily

2. The Buddy System – Get someone to do it with you.

3. Find a Role Model – Someone who has gotten to where you want to be.

4. Create a “What I Enjoy” List – List everything that brings you pleasure and passion in life.

5. Seek Counseling or Coaching – If you are struggling with personal issues or circumstance that are making this process difficult you can seek out some one-on-one therapy or support group with people who have suffered similar circumstances. If you just need a little guidance, a coach, is another source of help. A coach could offer you clarity, direction, accountability, guidance, resources and support.

My “Who Am I?” Journal will be Journal Prompts from a journal that I found online call “Who I Am” e-Journal. There are matching “Who I Am” Energy Cards also available. Purchase information for both is below:

“Who I Am” e-Journal

Journaling is a way to go deeper into yourself, to discover treasures that sometimes get buried within. So much can be healed by simply taking the time to be with yourself and write/draw. This journal gives you prompts with each card so that you can reflect, and then draw and/or write. Download the journal, and print as many pages as you need for each card. You never run out of room. Price: $27.97

To buy go to http://www.alovingway.com/e-journal.php.

A Loving Way Energy Cards are designed to utilize the “Law of Attraction” in our everyday life in an easy to use “feeling good” way! They spark the remembrance of what we know very deeply within ourselves. You can pick one card and focus on that quality for the day, or you can spend a few minutes going through the entire deck of 41 cards, creating a meditation that will start and/or end your day with love, joy, connection, and the “Law of Attraction” in motion. Deck of 41 cards Only $15.95

To buy go to http://www.alovingway.com/cards.php.

“Who I Am” Collection (free shipping):

Purchase Both for Price: $37.97

To buy both go to http://www.alovingway.com/store/index.php/meditation/-who-i-am-collection-free-shipping-/p_19.html

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My Artist’s Way Contract

Posted on April 2, 2013 by Donna Davenport

I, Donna Davenport, commit myself to the daily process of morning pages. Additionally, I commit to a weekly artist date. I understand that these two tools are most powerful when used in conjunction, and I commit myself to using both together.

I, Donna Davenport, further understand that working with these tools may create deep change, some of it turbulent. I commit myself to excellent self-care-adequate sleep, diet, exercise, and self-valuing. Above all, I commit to honoring the validity for me of my own unique perceptions-for the duration of the twelve weeks ahead and hopefully long after.

Donna Davenport

04/01/2013

I will have a page dedicated to what I learn, My Artist Way (based on My Artist’s Way Toolkit ) .

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My Art and Soul Website

Posted on April 2, 2013 by Donna Davenport

My Art Work

My Art and Soul Website is a Blog dedicated to my personal art work from the Art Workshops that I’m learning from: Willowing Arts, Cotton Candy Girls, Doll Dreams and more. I will have a dedicated page to each Instructor or Workshop that I participate in.

Blog a Journal

I will have a Blog a Journal page where I will write to Journal Prompts that I find or anything that inspires me to write a thought.

“Who I Am” Journal

I have a “Who AM I” Journal Page where I write using a few resources on self discovery.

My Artist’s Way

I’m committing myself to the daily process of the morning pages of the Artist’s Way. Additionally, I’m committing to a weekly artist date. I will have a page dedicated to what I learn, My Artist Way (based on My Artist’s Way Toolkit ) .

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The Top 100 Inspirational Books

Posted on March 27, 2013 by Donna Davenport

Top 100 Inspirational Books

1 – 10

11 – 20

21 – 40

Screen Shot 2013-03-26 at 8.46.02 PM

Screen Shot 2013-03-26 at 7.50.34 PM

41 – 60

61 – 80

81 – 100

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Sony Readers Book Club Chat: The Black Box by Michael Connelly

Posted on March 15, 2013 by Donna Davenport

Sony Readers Book Club Chat: The Black Box by Michael Connelly

I had the opportunity to take a trip to Los Angeles, CA from February 15 – 17, 2013 for the Sony Reader VIP Book Club. On February 16, 2013, I meet Michael Connelly, author of The Black Box. He talked to us about the book and we were able to ask him questions. He autographed my reader cover that was also given to me by Sony for being chosen to be a Sony VIP Reader Member. I felt very excited and honored to meet Michael Connelly.

February 16, 2013 – Sony Reader VIP – Meeting Michael Connelly, SLS Hotel at Beverly Hills, Los Angeles, CA

Michael Connelly’s Website

Michael Connelly App for iOS Devices for Apple Products

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Sony Readers Book Club Chats

Posted on March 15, 2013 by Donna Davenport

I had a wonderful opportunity to be a part of a book club, that I qualified for by answering several essay questions and committed to participate in the author chats. I will take a trip in February to Calfornia for The Black Box by Michael Connelly. I thought the book Daughter of Smoke & Bone by Laini Taylor, was an intriguing fantasy story. I am going to read the sequel that just recently released, Days of Blood and Starlight by Laini Taylor. The first chat was on Facebook with Laini Taylor and several bookclub members and fans on November 28, 2012. The Chat was scheduled for an hour which went by fast while trying to read others questions and Laini’s answers. I had the opportunity to have several of my questions answered. The second chat on Facebook was about Flight Behavior with Barbara Kingsolver on January 16, 2013. The third chat was about The Black Box with Michael Connelly on February 16, 2013 in Los Angeles, California where I had the opportunity to meet him in person. The fourth author’s chat on Facebook was about When It Happens To You by Molly Ringwald on March 14, 2013. You can find an archive of the chats with Laini Taylor, Barbara Kingsolver and Michael Connelly, and Molly Ringwald at Sony Readers Book Club Author Chats.

Sony’s Reader Book Club Chats:

November 28 (12:30 PM PST): Daughter of Smoke & Bone by Laini Taylor
January 16 (12:30PM PST): Flight Behavior by Barbara Kingsolver
February 15 & 16 (1:30PM PST): The Black Box by Michael Connelly
March 14 (12:30 PM PST): When It Happens To You by Molly Ringwald

Sony Readers Book Club Chat: Flight Behavior on Facebook

Barbara Kingsolver Facebook Page

About the Book:

Dellarobia Turnbow dreamed of something bigger than Feathertown, TN, but married young and is now stuck raising kids on a hardscrabble farm. On the way to a rendezvous-her first break with life as it is-Dellarobia comes upon a forested glen filled with silent red fire. Fundamentalists, climate scientists, politicians, and the media mob all come to weigh in fervently on the cause and meaning of this phenomenon, as Dellarobia and her neighbors fend off the invasion.

My Thoughts on the Book:

I felt that I could relate with the character Dellarobia regarding her family situation and the hard choices she had to make. I was intrigued about the monarch butterflies that I had to do further research about the butterfly and it’s migration patterns.

Sony Readers Book Club Chat: The Black Box by Michael Connelly

Sony Readers Book Club Chat: The Black Box on Facebook

Michael Connelly’s Facebook Page

About the Book:

In a case that spans 20 years, Harry Bosch links the bullet from a recent crime to a file from 1992, the killing of a young female photographer during the L.A. riots. Harry originally investigated the murder, but it was then handed off to the Riot Crimes Task Force and never solved.

My Thoughts on the Book:

I have read several of Michael Connelly’s books and have enjoyed each one. One of the things I like about The Black Box is how he brings a piece of real life history into his story. The investigator, Harry Bosch, collected the evidence at the crime scene of Anneke Jespersen, a young female photographer during the L.A. Riots in 1992. It was then handed off to the Riot Crimes Task Force because there were too many deaths during the riots for them to keep up with so it wasn’t solved. Twenty years later Harry Bosch passionately solves the case and proves that her death wasn’t an act of a random violence. I also enjoyed reading the scenes with Harry Bosch and his daughter, to be able to view him as a father with normal family issues.

Sony Readers Book Club: When It Happens to You by Molly Ringwald

Sony Readers Book Club: When It Happens to You on Facebook

Molly Ringwald’s Facebook Page

Molly Ringwald’s Website

About the Book:

Told through a series of stories surrounding a Los Angeles family and their neighborhood, When It Happens to You is a compassionate look into the imperfections and complexities that pervade modern relationships. Ringwald’s voice will strike a chord with anyone who has struggled with the universalities of loss, love, and the search for connection.

My Thoughts on the Book:

Official Facebook Page for the Sony Reader™ Store

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Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn

Posted on March 13, 2013 by Donna Davenport

In December 7, 2012 Entertainment Weekly magazine, Reese Witherspoon wrote an article on Gillian Flynn’s Book, Gone Girl. She was mesmerize by the suspenseful story. She found that it was one of those books that unfolded in such an addictive way that she didn’t want to stop reading it. She had realized the author had written another addictive book about a crime in middle America called Dark Places. She made the opportunity to have lunch with Gillian Flynn, having the opinion that Gillian Flynn was going to be a dark, complicated, brooding crime novelist who would talk with her about unsolved crime in America. To her surprise and disappointment, Gillian was not dark, Gillian Flynn is a lovely, intelligent mother and wife. During the lunch she was pleased to learn that that Gillian loves talking about unsolved crimes. Reese Witherspoon realized that is why the heroine Amy Dunn is mesmerizing because Amy is nice and normal at first but later is revealed to be dark. Witherspoon is a producer on the planned film adaptation of Gone Girl. Reece Witherspoons article on EW.com on November 20, 2012: Gillian Flynn: 2012 Entertainers of the Year

David Fincher reportedly in talks to direct ‘Gone Girl’ movie

Article by Rob Brunner, January 22, 2013 on EW.com

David Fincher reportedly in talks to direct Gone Girl movie on EW.com

David Fincher is in early talks to tackle the project, which is being produced by Reese Witherspoon. There’s no word yet on whether Reece will also appear in the film. Flynn, a former Entertainment Weekly TV critic, is writing the screenplay. If Fincher does end up signing on the timing of the project is unclear, since the director is already reportedly attached to a 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea movie and might still take on Girl With the Dragon Tattoo sequel The Girl Who Played With Fire.

As of March 13, 2013, Gone Girl continues to be a top seller at Barnes and Nobles, Amazon and Audible.

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Almost a Decade of Planning

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The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald

To Kill a Mocking Bird by Harper Lee

On the Road by Jack Kerouac

Tell Me a Riddle by Tillie Olsen

Great Expectations by Charles Dickens

All Quiet on the Western Front by Erich Marie Remarque

War and Peace Leo Tolstoy

The Heart is a Lonely Hunter by Carson McCullers

Native Son by Richard Wright

Frankenstein by Mary Shelley

A Good Man is Hard to Find by Flannery O’Connor

The Catcher in the Rye by J.D. Salinger

The Chronicles of Narnia by C.S. Lewis

When It Happens to You by Molly Ringwald Review

Steps to Rediscover Who You Are:

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My Artist’s Way

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Sony Readers Book Club Chat: Daughter of Smoke & Bone by Laini Taylor

Sony Readers Book Club Chat: Flight Behavior by Barbara Kingsolver

Sony Readers Book Club Chat: The Black Box by Michael Connelly

Sony Readers Book Club: When It Happens to You by Molly Ringwald

David Fincher reportedly in talks to direct ‘Gone Girl’ movie

As of March 13, 2013, Gone Girl continues to be a top seller at Barnes and Nobles, Amazon and Audible.