Rough Draft

I made a printout yesterday of my newest book

Nature Notes for Kids containing free verse

and poems about animals written for my grandkids

and anyone else's children. Geared to ages 9-12

it can also be read by parents to younger children.

I had fun finding clipart from www.clipart.com

to illustrate the book with colored images.

Now I'm trying to finalize the cover design with

photos of my six grand kids ages 8 mos. to 12 yrs.

(Thanks to my talented son Daniel for his help.)

Thinking about the process of creating a book,

I realize what I have now is just a rough draft-

needing more edits and improvements before

it is ready for publication. Kind of like "me."

Each of us is a work in progress as life's lessons

teach and mould us into the individuals we can be.

There is always room for revisions in our lives

but we must not lose sight of our finished product.

Time to Get GO-ing Again

After a too long break into nothingness,
I'm ready to gear up again-get going on LIFE.
That's right-unfinished projects are calling

Nature Notes for Kids and lesson plans for

upcoming classes-creative blogging, and

left brain-right brain poetry clustering.
I'm going to STOP listening to my critic and

little voices that trap me in a PITY PARTY.

GOALS for this month of August

1. Keep exercising and loose 4 more pounds.
2. Find my ab muscles and work on them.
3. Plan some fun dates with my spouse.
4. Submit articles to magazines.
5. Self publish my Nature Notes book.
6. Attend a children's writing workshop.
7. Continue cooking classes-try new recipes.
8. Take more photos-create a book of poetry.
9. Teach Writer's WORDshop on clustering.
10. Look for serendipity each day.

Happy Birthday Hakan!

SEVEN YEARS OLD and GROWING UP FAST...