About Me

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I LOVE to design and to paint whimsical items that will put a smile on your face. Each day I share my simple life with you as I try to encourage, to inspire and sometimes JUST to make you smile as I recount my life growing up on a dairy farm! I've never had many material items in my life, BUT I have been blessed beyond words with love and encouragement from WONDERFUL Parents who instilled in me WHAT was important. I have had EVERYTHING that I needed and WAY too much of what I wanted. I am slowly learning to be a better person each day through my interactions with my friends on Facebook. Some day I hope to be as good as people seem to THINK I am! I am BLESSED! Welcome to my little corner of the world...Please stop by and visit often!

Friday, December 12, 2014

On the SECOND Day of Christmas...Friday, December 12, 2014



Peppermint!  NOTHING says Christmas to me like Peppermint…as a matter of fact, ALL 12 posts could possibly be about Peppermint…so drag up a chair, kick your feet up and breath in that COOL fresh MINTY air!



My most favorite part of Christmas morning was looking in our stockings!  I LOVE buying gifts for the stocking and I was so excited when I was old enough to take over that part of our tradition.  Mother was more than happy to give up something to ease her often TOO LONG TO DO LIST.  



Mother was born in 1932 to a family that already had 6 children and when she and her twin were born, that made 8!  She was the baby.  Times were tough and she was born into a family that had a Father who was MISERABLE with life.  He was BRILLIANT and graduated from the University of Tennessee in only 3 years and dreamed, I imagine, of getting to use his brain to work for the rest of his life.  It was not meant to be because he was summoned to come back home to work on the farm and he was not happy and from all I have heard, he made life unhappy for those around him.

Dip the marshmallow into melted Chocolate, roll in crushed peppermint.  When dry, add the candy cane


Mother shared that often she remembered that all they got for Christmas was a shoebox that was filled with an orange, nuts, hard candy and a candy cane.  I think this was the basis of Mother teaching us that THINGS were not important and her life reflected this.  Mother said that in her whole life, she could HONESTLY say that she had EVERYTHING that she ever wanted…she just KNEW WHAT to want!  I think that is pretty profound!



Daddy was raised by his Aunt and Uncle because his Mother died when he was 22 months old, so in reality, he was raised as an only child, BUT he was ALWAYS around his father, sister and two brothers.  While Daddy was spoiled rotten and went on to raise 3 spoiled rotten children (WELL, at least my BROTHERS were rotten…says the BABY of the family as she clears her throat), he was taught to work hard, honestly and faithfully.  He didn’t experience the hardships like Mother did, but boy, did that man LOVE Peppermint!!  There were few days that he didn’t eat a piece of peppermint candy and my oldest brother would bring him 5 pound bags from Sams VERY often!  My sister-in-law gave Daddy a BIG Goose that became the Peppermint Candy Goose.  You know, I really should paint a red and white ribbon on that old goose! 



It became a TRADITION for our stockings to have an orange in the toe and a peppermint candy Cane added last to hang out of the top!  We have all heard the story of the Candy Cane, but I would like to remind us of that story.



I was raised and live in the South, and we really DO have a church on every corner.  My family was raised to attend church EVERY Sunday and each Sunday morning we HAD a choice~~either get up and get ready for Sunday School and Church OR be TOLD to get up and get ready for Sunday School and Church.  God WAS the head of our household and my parents taught us, by example, to live by the words of the Bible.  No, we weren’t STRANGE (well….no more than MOST people) who sat around and spoke of THEE and THOU, we were normal people with normal problems, BUT we were so BLESSED to be able to have our FAITH to lead us through the rough patches.  I BELIEVE with my whole heart that MUCH of the good that happens to me today is BECAUSE of the GOOD my parents did and somehow it has been stored up in Heaven and is being showered on me, EVEN when I think that God is picking on ME!...BUT he doesn’t DO THAT.  ;)



For a quick gift idea, go to PINTEREST to find printable copies of the candy cane story and attach it to a candy cane…it never hurts to be reminded that we have a LOVING SHEPHERD guiding us each day…I HOPE you feel HIS presence in YOUR life…Blessings to YOU…~charlotte♥

6 comments:

  1. Wonderful insight. Thank you for sharing this part of your life.

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  2. Thank you for sharing your story. Love the little lamb.

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  3. All very cute... love peppermint too.. so miss them... Loving your stories for the 12 days of Christmas.. have a good day..xx

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  4. Thank you for sharing your life & memories with us!

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  5. Good morning, Charlotte! I am just catching up on your posts. I always love the stories you tell and the candy cane story is no exception. I had not heard it before. I love your "peppermint goose" too. I think you SHOULD paint a striped bow on him. What a wonderful reminder of your childhood.

    <3

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  6. Thank you Ms Charlotte for sharing your story of Christmas MAGIC......I think that we were the last generation who grew up with parents who really came from nothing and KNEW what it was to have so very little......yet they had EVERYTHING THEY WANTED as your Mom said. One important lesson that I have learnt is knowing what I have is enough. Blessings to you !

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Thanks for stopping by my little corner of the world. In case you haven't been told, you are loved!~~charlotte♡