Random Acts of Kindness Day

My first job out of college was as a Christian Education /Music Director at The First Cumberland Presbyterian Church in Russellville,  Arkansas.

The pastor was showing me around.   When we got to his office, he walked to the coffee pot and said, "I go to the hospital and nursing homes first thing each morning and you will have my coffee made for me when I come to the office."

"I don't drink coffee and I don't make coffee", was my reply.

Wisdom at 53 now knows that the 21-year-old me should have gone and packed her things and moved home, because it was not going to get any better, and it didn't.  That was a period of great trials for me during those 21 months.  I was far too young to know what to do, and playing the politics of church was too heart-wrenching for me to maneuver. I left Arkansas damaged and questioning my faith and searching for what I was being called to do with my life...the search continued for many years, and sometimes creeps back in when my guard is down.

I have shared this story with many people, and now, it makes me laugh. When applying for a job as a church secretay years later, I was quick to point out that I didn't drink or make coffee.  The head of the personnel committee sent me this message in an email one day:

Habits...we all have them. Some are good. Some are bad.

I have spent the last few years doing my best to focus on breaking some horrible habits of mine, and replacing them with the good things I was taught to do by my parents...often through their actions, instead of their words.

I am careful to remind people that my parents were not perfect, but the thing they did, that has left an impression on me,  is that when they told me NOT to do something,  I was assured that they didn't do it either. I admire that quality above all else.

One thing they taught me, through actions, was to do for others. They both were great encouragers of young people.

Mother worked tirelessly with the children at church and through 4-H, where she was affectionally called, "Momma Bear".

At Daddy's funeral, the son of the Funeral Home owner, shared at the gravesite, that as a young man, he was delivering gas to the farm, and he was nervous since it was his first time to do that. He shared that Daddy told him "to be careful, take your time and you will do fine." It made an impression on him that he shared over 20 years later.

At the funeral home of a friend, the son, who had worked as an engineer at Nasa, shared the story of his first job at the ASCS Office, where Daddy was the Chairman for many years. He told of how hard one of the men had been on him because of a mistake in measuring tobacco. One day at church, Daddy asked this young man how everything was going because Daddy knew something was wrong. Jerry shared about his mistake and how he was being treated. Daddy listened  and just encouraged him to do better and hang in there. It was never mentioned again. Years later, Jerry learned that Daddy had spoken to the man and told him that it was their responsibility to train and to support the young workers
and reminded him that we all make mistakes! Jerry shared this story 6 years after Daddy's death, and over 50 years after it happened...pretty awesome!

Today is Random Acts of Kindness Day.

I  hope that you will do something in honor of this day.

EVERYTHING we do is a habit...why not make a habit of being kind...of being helpful...of seeing the good in people...of encouraging...

Let's make a habit of not sharing mean comments...of not talking about people...of not keeping track of how many times we've been "wronged"...of not gossiping...of not making fun of people...

Let's make NEW and IMPROVED habits...

Let your heart be broken by the things that break God's heart...

Rejoice in GOOD...

Be the CHANGE you want to see in the world...

Let's start TODAY!

I wish Blessings to you...~~charlotte♡

Happy Valentines Day

Each year, Mother would find her "file" of her Valentine wish and would spend hours making enough copies to give/mail to all of her friends and to her Sunday School class. It didn't matter she had given the same thing to them before. It mattered to her that she told others 1. That SHE loved them, and 2. That God loved them.

Mother LOVED. She forgave. Her heart broke when "Christians" said the ugliest things to her, but she really did "turn the other cheek" and continued to love them anyway. She wasn't perfect. She struggled, but NEVER did she abandon her faith.

Mother ended most every phone call with I LOVE YOU. Never did a day go by, when she had her mind, that she didn't say, I LOVE YOU to me. As the spoiled brat that I am, I would get so angry with her telling me that, because I said it meant nothing since she told EVERYBODY the same thing. HOW in the world do I get forgiveness for being such a selfish, self-centered brat!

Well, she gave me the answer to HOW to get forgiveness. She lived the answer.

Mother spoke to Cumberland Presbyterian women and men in many churches throughout the States and in several churches in Columbia,  South America, and a few churches in Japan and to One in China. Her message was simple. Her message was LOVE.

So, Today, I share the VALENTINE that she sent. Tears flow as I miss Mother and Daddy so much. I  know where they are and I am trying to live my life to make sure that one day, when the time is right, I too, will live with them again--what a glorious day that will be. But for now, I have more living to do, the best I can do.

Mother also shared verse 17. She said it was just as important and was a scripture of Great Hope. So I also share verse 17:
For God sent not His Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through Him might be saved.

So, KNOW that whatever you have done or have thought, it doesn't matter.  ALL you have to do is to to ask forgiveness, then from that moment on, live like a child of God, AND when you fail, no worries, just ask forgiveness and try again. NOTHING you have done is unforgivable. You ARE LOVED. Maybe your earthly father (or mother) sucked at being a parent to you, but you HAVE a Heavenly Father who will NEVER abandon you. He will lead you through every obstacle in your journey and He wants ONLY the best for you, AND He will love you unconditionally!

Forgive YOURSELF...I am working to forgive myself...I send you LOVE and I wish for you to recongnize all the BLESSINGS sent to You by THE ONE who loves you so much that He created YOU...~charlotte♡

A Good Salad, Good Friends, and Living Gratefully

Finally, I made myself a Greek Salad!

All of this comfort food during our snow storms (bwah...storms is so dramatic!) made me hungry for a big salad.

I admit, if it has mild banana pepper rings in it, then chances are that it is something I want to eat.

This is what I usually put in my Greek Salads:  Romaine lettuce, mild banana peppers, appetizer olives in dipping oil, Roma tomatoes  (they are usually pretty good all winter), cucumbers (Charcoal 's favorite!), green pepper, sweet onion, quality feta cheese, a light sprinkle of Good Seasons Zesty Italian dressing mix (use it dry), juice from banana peppers, drizzle of the appetizer olive's oil! TOSS and enjoy all day long-I make a big bowl.

I was in salad heaven! AND it was yet another reason I haven't gotten a blog post done.

This is another reason:
My friend in California sent me this pattern on Tuesday night, and, well, YES, it had to be painted!

This is the fun background using a Laurie Speltz word stencil and the stamp by Tracy Weinzepfel's Totally Tracy Textures...I love this stamp!

I adore this happy fella and humbled that Cheryl thought of me. She wanted to warn everyone to be careful when you put #tags on things--using "weeds" will get you lots of Pot houses and Marijuana followers! ;) ROFL

I have painted many of Cheryl's bears and they are so much fun.
You can find this pattern as an instant download in Cheryl's etsy shop, UnderTheLemon, by clicking here

AND then, I had to look for a pattern I had sketched, and shamefully found this gift from my friend,  Karalee, that had fallen off of the table...it is now safely on my freezer. I shared with her that I never realized it, but I missed having someone to pray for me everyday.

My mother did that, and I believe her prayers protected me on many occasions when I didn't know.  I know that Karalee is doing that for me now! ♡

The next post has been in my head for a couple of weeks.  I  went to the Postie (WHAT would I do without this word, my friend, Lynnie Poo Poo? ♡ ), and found this beautiful tag that was painted by Paula from WV. I was blown away! I love sheep. This design is by Betty Bowers and painted by Paula.

THEN, inside the package was this beautiful bear and pup painted on slate. Tears filled my eyes as I wondered what I did to deserve this. There was also a magnet, stencil brush/stylus, and chalk pencil.

I was reminded, again, that so often, we don't get what we deserve--we get so much better!

I know, people probably roll their eyes when I put that I am blessed, But there is no other word to describe these acts of kindness.

We don't agree on everything...we don't chat every day...BUT these are some of my peeps! I have a great group of people around me--supporting me, encouraging me , praying for me, laughing  (at me on too many occasions ) with me, and loving me! WOW...just WOW!

PLEASE...if ever you feel a gentle nudging on your heart, don't ignore it...
You might have no idea what just a little note, prayer, gift, or some kind words can do for someone. YOU matter. YOU are needed...AND , when you do for others, ALWAYS, it will come back to you bigger and greater than your initial action--that is how God works!

I have noticed that GRATEFUL people do little complaing...I have noticed that GRATEFUL people gather grateful people...that grateful people might not have all of their needs met, but they KNOW they will get exactly what they need when they need it...seems these are some good reasons to live gratefully!

Thank you, my friends, for loving me!  I wish blessings to YOU!...~~charlotte♡

Ecclesiastes 3: A Time for Everything

I have had the best time playing with the DecoArt Media Line. 

I am gaining a new voice in my painting through Mixed Media.

I always have loved drawing big hearts, daisies, butterflies, ladybugs~~things I think of as HAPPY ART.

I have sat and listened to fellow artist bashing mixed media and the quick and easy art that I create.  I don’t understand it.

Aren’t we supposed to create what we love?

I do understand that there are people who are blessed with the gift to look at something and to recreate it.  I get that, and yes, I tend to put them on a much higher LEVEL of artist than what I do, BUT I have this passion that I think that EVERYONE can learn to paint.  Sure, they might not be as good as someone else, but, if they are creating something that makes them happy, then, I think, everyone else should go on their merry way and let EVERYONE create with their own skill level.  I know of no one who has the market cornered on happiness!  And, I have met way too many grumpy gusses who paint…they should paint a big old heart with a daisy and a ladybug!

Don’t let someone tell you that you are not an ARTIST!

PLEASE, take time to do something that brings YOU Joy.  We were not created to simply work and pay bills.  We were given GIFTS that we need to use to help to make US and our world a better place.  PLEASE take time to refresh your soul…

I am so blessed to be able to develop the gifts that God has given me, and I hope, in some small way, I have helped to put smiles on somebody’s face…I wish BLESSINGS to YOU…~charlotte

Directions:

I have been watching the videos of Tracy Weinzapfel and her Mixed Media Mondays (MMM).  She is in Germany this week, so one of her followers asked if we wanted to create something this week that was inspired by one of Tracy’s previous videos…WHY, YES, I WOULD LOVE to do that.

I chose a video that was only 15 minutes long, but I LOVED the colors, so that is what I used as my inspiration.

I have been making a small journal that has 16  pages (covers included) available to paint.  My thought is to make one for each of my nieces/nephew since they really know nothing about me, but we will see how that goes…I purchased these handmade journals on etsy and they are beautiful and just the right size for me!

I am calling these pages: Ecclesiastes 3: A Time for Everything

As is always the truth about me, I forget to take pictures.  I remembered this time, but for some reason, blogger will not let me load pictures from my computer, so I don’t have pictures of the first few steps.

I covered the pages with Gesso, going in different directions to add texture and allowed it to dry.

I stenciled images from Timeless treasures with Gesso and my pallet knife, and used my hair dryer to speed up the process~~what would I do without my hair dryer!

Water was sprayed on both pages with the mini mister and then I sprayed Magenta, and dadgumit~~my yellow sprayer did not work, so I just quickly brushed it on.  Purple was also sprayed onto the piece.  I added more water so it would run.  Again, hair dryer time…

Tinting Base was brushed all over to tone down the BRIGHT colors, but not too much, because I love bright colors.

I free-handed the flowers with Gesso.

The heart flower was painted with Q. Red with some White highlights and Q. Magenta shading.

The Blue Flower was based with Cobolt Turquoise Hue, highlighted with Titanium White and shaded with P. Turquoise.

The next flower was based with Q. Magenta, shaded with Q. Violet and highlighted with Titanium White.

The last daisy was based with Q. Violet with some Titanium White highlights.

The flower centers are D. Yellow with Raw Sienna shading along the bottom and on the left side. Titanium White highlights are added to the right side

The ladybugs have Q. Magenta bodies shaded with Q. Violet.  The heads are a mix of Titanium White and Paynes Grey, with the hearts on the body being Paynes Grey.  Antennae were Paynes Grey with Q. Magenta hearts on the end.

All stems are Green Gold shaded with Sap Green.

Everything was outlined using a 10/0 liner and Paynes Grey.

Dots were added to the tops of the 2 daisies with Paynes Grey/Titanium White using a stylus (or a toothpick, or the end of your brush…)

I stamped the little dots with Tracy’s stamp using Paynes Grey.  The “drink marks” were stamped with Burnt Sienna.

The words were added using Black Modeling Paste. 

I free-handed “sing” and “dance” with Paynes Grey.

The piece was lightly sanded to highlight the clock images that were stenciled at the beginning.

Paynes Grey shaded all the edges of the paper.

These are the products I used in making my design.

DecoArt Media Misters:

Primary Magenta

Purple

Primary Yellow

DecoArt Media:

White Gesso

Tinging Base

Black Modeling Paste

Matte Medium

Fluid Acrylics:

Green Gold

Sap Green

Diarylide Yellow

Titanium White

Paynes Grey

Raw Sienna

Burnt Sienna

Cobolt Turquoise Hue

Phthalo Turquoise

Quinacridone Red

Quinacridone Magenta

Quinacridone Violet

Stencils:

DecoArt Americana Timeless Treasures

Word Stencils by Laurie Speltz

Stamp:

Totally Tracy Textures by Dare2BArtzy~~Totally Tracy

Other supplies:

Old Brushes (I usually don’t use my good brushes to do Mixed Media)

10/0 Liner—ALWAYS use a good quality liner for detail work!

#4 Flat

DecoArt Brush Cleaner

Baby Wipes

Shop Towels

DecoArt Pallet Knife

Spray Water Bottle—I use a mini-mister by Ranger