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!
Showing posts with label 2016 word. Show all posts
Showing posts with label 2016 word. Show all posts

Sunday, May 15, 2016

Serendipity Sunday



I am really enjoying this new Blog schedule I have set for myself…



I like the subjects each day to give me variety~~Serendipity Sunday, Technique Tuesday, Whacky Wednesday, Tutorial Thursday, Food Friday, and Saturday Smorgasbord.



It gives me a reason to be better organized with my thoughts, and gives me a challenge to make what I want to say FIT somewhere~~rolf…there is no shutting me up simply because I have something I feel I want to share!!  Boundaries??!!  Pish Posh!



I admit, my favorite topic is Serendipity Sunday.



I LOVE that each week, I try really hard to notice that little unexpected blessing that I would tend to overlook if I wasn’t looking.  It has caused me to stop dwelling so hard on the WHAT AM I GOING TO DO TO FIX THIS moments that seem to overwhelm me as of late.  I NEED this reminder.



On Wednesday, May 13, I was so overcome with joy because the mower started.  I was doing my “thank you, Jesus” praises, when as I was doing a pass, I noticed that something felt strange, only to discover the big back tire is flat and the front right tire is questionable…sigh…BUT I am claiming the JOY and victory in the “it started” moments and somehow, I will find a way to get the tire repaired…WHY do places want money?  =(





As I stood at the mower in tears, remembering having to spend $100 that I couldn’t afford on a car tire just one week ago.  I gave myself another “talking too” and thought somehow, I can’t dwell on this.  I just have to find a way to fix it. 





I found great joy in watching Charcoal bark at the mower and my leaving it in his dog trot.  It is quite comical how that has thrown his world into such a downward spiral.  I decided we needed a change in location for a bit, so I walked to the field by the house that is waiting to be planted in soybeans.





WOW…I didn’t notice how beautiful the day was.  I had shared with my FB friends on my page about the storms of life and how beautiful it is after they pass, and sure enough…This had been the first storm-free day in the last 5 days, and just WOW!! Only a few light clouds on the edges of the sky…




As I walked, I noticed that some type of fruit had dropped in a particular spot, so I walked and sat at the edge of that, and curiosity started filling this ole cat.  I sat and pondered what I thought it was.

I was fascinated by all the colors in the dying weeds.  Look Mulberries!!


Meanwhile, I looked to see a bird soaring HIGH and then another, and another, and they got lower…HOLY MOLY, it is a buzzard and his friends and they think I am DEAD…I moved quickly to discourage them for fear of some ole buzzard setting a record for the biggest find in buzzard history!! 



I smiled as I remembered the day that Daddy had come home from the barn, where he cut wood for me, after spending a month in the hospital and months at home regaining his strength.  He came into the house grinning like a possum, when he told that he walked out of the barn to see 3 buzzards sitting on the top looking down at him.  He giggled and said, “You don’t get me, YET!”  My precious Poppa!!  I am certain not many girls remember their father with such love when they see an ugly buzzard!

Look at the colors in that one weed.


I quickly went inside to grab my phone to research the berries, and yep, Mulberries.  It was a huge tree and I thought back to my childhood of singing, “here we go round the Mulberry bush” and thought, good grief, we could collapse in exhaustion trying to circle this big tree! 



Charcoal continued his search for more sticks and more sniffing…Do you KNOW the joy of a black fur baby running full speed toward you at the joy of seeing you?  Ok, yes, there is that moment of “Slow down, boy. You will KILL me if you hit me going that fast!”  Rewards of scratching his back made the celebration more fun for him.  Gosh, his Naughtie Aunts sure did make my world a better place when they helped me and encouraged me to get him…Yes, well,  they could tolerate the sadness no longer of  my losing Roamie…LOL   I do tend to have a gift for “woe, is me.”



All of this and you are convinced that this was my serendipity moment. 



Yes, it was a glorious couple of hours, and I no longer cried when I looked at the mower…

Life is filled with DOXOLOGY MOMENTS


BUT the REAL serendipity moment of the week was on Thursday, discovering that a Cardinal had built a nest in the little peach tree outside of the window by the door!  NEVER have I seen a cardinal nesting.



Last year, it was a robin in the bell, and now, this year…just for me…a Cardinal in the peach tree (sung to the 12 days of Christmas…yep…I think there might be a design coming with this moment!)



May I tell you how much I would love to see into that nest?  AND how DIFFICULT it is to get a good picture?  And how much Charcoal does not want my attention on such a thing?  Can you spell spoiled?  Why, Yes, m’am, I can~~C H A R C O A L!!



BUT, I would not risk hurting that location by dragging a ladder to it, or by cutting any of the protective branches…it is not my intent to destroy nature, so I will just watch each day to see the birdie parents making their nest a home…I welcome this family to my little corner of the world.

You can see the orange of the bill right in the middle of the picture...Where's Wilma instead of Waldo!!  LOL

Oh, my sweet Lord, HOW did I get so blessed while others long to have a safe home?  I am absolutely floored by the amount of Mercy, Grace, Forgiveness and LOVE shown to me daily!  HOW can I not Praise YOU!!



Please forgive me for my moments of weakness and yes, there are things I need, but You keep showing me how you provide, so I will wait and I KNOW my needs will be met at just the exact moment and not one bit sooner or later.  THANK YOU for loving me…



Thank you for all of the UNEXPECTED and UNDESERVED moments of Joy…YOU have my heart and I will do my best to be better…I will honor my trust in You, by pushing FEAR from my life…it is really tough, but you know that.  You promised ME that if I will trust, You WILL provide and I am claiming it. Amen…


Thank you, all my friends for joining me in my journey as I stumble and fall, and then rise to have some pretty good moments, only to stumble again…but THIS is my life…it is REAL and I cannot thank you enough for loving me through my trip down these winding roads, and for laughing at me when YOU KNOW I should have taken the other road.  I’m stubborn like that.



I wish you MANY serendipity moments this week…you sometimes have to look for them…I am simply blessed to create~~charlotte





GIVEAWAY

I would like to GIVE AWAY this 5x7 painting I completed and shared on Tutorial Thursday.  I am blown away at the LIKES, kind comments and over 400 page views I had for the day on that post…YOWZERS.



I will draw a winning name on my Daddy’s 93rd Birthday…I try to do something thoughtful on those special days that make me sad, so May 24th, it will be…a drawing to someone who enters.  The drawing will be open to everyone, no matter where you live.



To enter: Answer this question: 
What is one of your favorite Serendipity moments, EVER…



I know, some of you HATE to share yourselves in public, but come on now, take a deep breath.  Answer on this blog, or I will make a PINNED POST (those on your phones, you will have to look for the pinned post at the top) on my facebook page ROMA LAND WOODCRAFTS.  Just my way to spread the love that was so freely given to me by my daddy…



Tuesday, December 29, 2015

BLOOM in 2016, Tuesday, December 29, 2015

I  laughed as I was eating my Christmas Supper as if I were a 5 year old:
Betty Crocker Cornbread Stuffing
Kraft Macaroni and Cheese (cause Charcoal loves it)
Apple Sauce
Strawberry Jell-O Snack Pack

I prayed as if it were the best meal ever:
Bless this food to nourish my body so that I may use my health to Thy service.

I was thankful.

As I ate each bite, I continued my prayer that I wished all hands who prepared it would be blessed.

I  thought of each person who had a part in the meal and it would be impossible to count how many, but I did try.

What I realized is that I am sure most everyone who had a part in my meal had a dream...it took foresight to build a company...to create fast food,  to develop the machines to gather, sort and package...people to box, ship, load, unload...stockers, cashiers, baggers, invoicers, shippers, stores, warehouses, factories, stoves, pots, pans, electricity, water, soil, seed, roads, railroads, cooks, microwaves, homes...on and on...

At the heart of all of this is an individual...a soul with hopes and dreams. Some have gained millions while others struggle to put food on the table and a roof over their heads...some work to make money to support their hobbies...some dream bigger and better ideas while others have broken dreams and have given up and now just try to survive. So many people have no idea that they can dream...they see no other road perhaps than the ones they have been taught to follow...

In living, I think it is normal to have mountains and valleys...struggles seem to be a constant sometimes. We can't control factors in life, but what we can control is our attitude.

With this knowledge, I have chosen my word for 2016 as BLOOM.

I want to learn to be content. I want to grow, no matter where I am in life. I want to chase dreams, but I do not want to overlook the miracles that are in the here and now.  I want to follow paths that might not be traveled by many but that can hold great adventure. I  want to be kind...to forgive...to encourage...to look for the good...to be hopeful...to promote peace, to be joyful and to love.

I want to BLOOM where I am planted!

As I BLOOM, I realize I will need to be given nourishment. I can't make it on my own, as much as I wish that I could.  I will have to trust others (oh me, that is going to be tough) and I will have to look for encouragement and support and a soft kick in the pants from time to time.

I  have mailed 55 ornaments to some people as an invitation to come along on this journey with me this year.. ..I hope to get more painted soon...

Let's BLOOM together in a POSITIVE environment and show a beauty like many have never seen before.

Let's put the "fruits of the Spirit" into our lives in ALL we do--Love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness,  gentleness  and self-control.

It is going to be a good year! If all else fails, maybe I will just be a bloomin' idiot, but hey--I will be the best one I can be! Lol

Most of us have everything we need. Let's not forget those around us who need what we have to offer. We might need to change our focus a bit to SEE where we are needed, but never doubt that YOU are needed...so let's get ourselves situated and start looking for ways to serve...to be a beautiful creation!

We are going to BLOOM! I  wish blessings to you....~charlotte♡