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 93^rd Birthday…I try to do something thoughtful on those special days that make me sad, so May 24^th, 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…

Serendipity Sunday

I’m not going to lie…

There are days that I wish away…

Days I don’t want to remember…

Day I wish didn’t exist…

BUT then, I think that sometimes, no matter how painful it may seem, we NEED to experience these days.  That is how we grow.

Days that are meant to be Celebrations with family, well, I dread them.  I dread the well wishes from those who mean only joy, who say, “have fun with your family.”  It cuts to the core, because being an orphan, even at 53, isn’t fun…HOW DARE we have days that are not FUN…sigh…

Yes, I laugh at me…I laugh at my ignorance…I laugh at how silly I am to wish away ANY day of my life, because we all know, that something good can be found in EVERY situation, IF we are looking for it.

As I sat on the back porch waiting for Charcoal to decide if he wanted to bring back the stick, or if he was content to sniff where HE had just peed (ok, sometimes, I do wonder how bright he is…), a beautiful yellow and black butterfly flew by…flying up and down, round and round on the wind…

Those who have paid any attention to my writings, know, that the butterfly was special to my Mother, and she never (on purpose) left the house without a butterfly pinned to her left shoulder.  People who knew my mother, knew this about her.

In just a few moments more, a black butterfly flew by and danced for a moment as I watched, and again, thought of my Mother…and it was dressed in black.  Mother’s favorite clothes were most always black and white.

 

When I came in the house, I pulled out a new roll of paper towels. I always buy the select-a-size in white, BUT as I pulled out the roll, plastered all over the paper towel were butterflies!!

NOW, this is where the discussion of coincidence comes into play.

Again, those who KNOW me and have read my words, KNOW that I was raised by a Mother who did not believe in coincidence.  She and I had many conversations about this, and I would look at her when a football player, who happened to just be standing on the field in a bizarre location, caught a ball that was knocked from the hands of the intended receiver~~how can that NOT be coincidence?  She and I would laugh as I said, “well, sometimes, I would rather be lucky than good!”  We understood each other about this and embraced the fact that we could have such a conversation.

Let me be clear.  I am pretty sure that those butterflies would have floated by, had I been paying attention or not, AND the reason I got home with butterfly covered paper towels happened because I was not paying attention at the store…BUT this is where I think that the events become part of a bigger plan, and you are more than welcome to disagree with me…

Mother also taught me that in life, I will always find what I am looking to find.

This has been an incredibly sad day for me.  It is a day that guilt overcomes my soul.  I wish I could have been a better daughter…no, I wish I had made more of an effort to be a better daughter.  I had moments of brilliance, she says, patting herself on the back, but when I needed to be compassionate, and loving, all I could see was the path my life had taken that I DID NOT choose.  What I failed to realize, is that Mother did not choose that path, either.  She did not want to be a burden to anyone.  She raised us to be strong, and all I could muster, was weakness and selfishness…so, try as I may, I can’t forgive myself…it is a daily struggle, again, that you each are probably getting sick of hearing about, but there is a part of me that KNOWS that I went through this to help someone else…maybe just one person, so I continue to write about it…

ANYWAY, pity party over for the moment…

The butterflies were a symbol very special to Mother.  I never see one that I don’t think of her and smile.  I recount how she loved without fault.  She was not ashamed of telling people, even complete strangers, that she loved them.  She had felt a calling as a young child to be a missionary.  A missionary she was~~right in her own little corner of the world.  Her mission was love and she lived her life as a reflection of God’s love…she smiled on days when all she wanted to do was to cry.  She was LOVE.

On this day where tears are flowing way more than they should, I was “visited” by butterflies.

On a day that I was searching to find some type of assurance that God understood my heartbreak and guilt, butterflies visited.

So, this is why I think me NOTICING the butterflies was no coincidence~~Because I was LOOKING for them.  I wanted a sign that somehow, Mother knew I did the best I could at the moment. 

We go through life, sometimes stubbing our toe on every rock, and blaming the stones for being in our way.  The same rocks have been in the same place all along, but when we happen to upturn one, we cry FOUL…

Things in our world may seem to never change, because, after a while, we stop noticing our surroundings.  For instance, when you plant flowers, you can’t wait to see them bloom, but often, once they bloom, we fail to stop and notice them after awhile, because we get used to them…we don’t look for the beauty, even though they are right there, right in front of us in all of their glory…we stop noticing…we even start to dread having planted them because we must water and weed...

ONLY when we decide to LOOK for the beauty, do we again, see it…

I bought the paper towels over a week ago, but how FUNNY that today, on Mother’s Day, I opened the package, without looking at them, and the one roll out of the 8 rolls that I pull out is covered in butterflies! 

How FUNNY that today, I saw 2 butterflies in the span of only moments, when I have seen only one butterfly this spring and it was weeks ago!

COINCIDENCE?  I think not! 

I found a symbol of something that was very special to me that specifically reminded me of Mother…I believe it was placed on this earth by a God who thinks of EVERYTHING for us…but we MUST do our part and look for it.

Miracles still happen.

God hasn’t changed…he still is I AM!

I am the one who must change…I must continue to look for what I wish to find…I am slowly learning that I am not such a bad person.  I have bad days, but I am doing my best to NOT be defined by them.  I am learning that I AM the one who must forgive myself.  God has already granted me forgiveness, so I MUST let it go and accept…let go of the guilt and move forward.  I have a mission…I have a path…each day is a new adventure and I WILL embrace the beautiful miracles that God has placed in this world…I WILL find what I seek…I will BLOOM, dadgummit! =)

I am so glad that Mother taught me about serendipity, because the 3 butterflies made Serendipity Sunday possible, and let me tell you, it hasn't been the best week of my life!  Thanks, God.  Thanks, Mother…Thank BOTH of you for always loving me JUST AS I AM, but who love me way too much to leave me that way.

I wish you a week filled with FINDING the good you seek~~Blessings to YOU…~charlotte

Bloom and PAINT in 2016

I am pretty sure that most people know by now that my word for 2016 is BLOOM.

I  never realize how many people I talk to regularly, until I start to do something like this!  

A few months ago, I started playing with the Mixed Media line that DecoArt introduced a bit ago. I LOVE the colors and techniques I am learning.

I am certain I will never leave my "traditional" painting, but I thought I would try to use the techniques together. 

I painted this small 4 inch square canvas during my learning process and thought that I wanted to keep it.

As I was thinking about my WORD of inspiration for 2016, I looked at the canvas and knew this would be my word--BLOOM.

The crazy idea of painting ornaments happened by accident, and painting 56 in a week was cra-cra and I thought sure I was a "blooming idiot"! I could use at least 50 more! 

But, it has blessed me in ways I never thought. I didn't do it to gain glory, but I really wanted to encourage some close friends to BLOOM! We all have our moments of needing a gentle push sometimes.

SO...here is how YOU can paint this.

Blogger won't load my pictures from the computer, so I had to re-do them...heavy sigh...

Gather your DecoArt Americana paints:
Lamp Black
Snow White
Antique Maroon
Deep Midnight Blue
Avocado
Fresh Foliage
Turquoise Blue
Raw Sienna
Dark Chocolate
Marigold
Ice Crystal Glamour Dust
Gesso
Duraclear Satin Varnish

Base the surface (front and back) with 2 coats of Fresh Foliage

Put the following colors on your pallet:

Fresh foliage, turquoise blue, Antique Maroon, Deep Midnight Blue, Avocado.

Take a small stencil brush and pounce on Avocado

Then Deep Midnight Blue

Turquoise Blue

Antique Maroon...you can pounce your colors together as much as you like...

Take a piece of plastic mesh (used for screen windows) and scrub Fresh Foliage and Turquoise Blue on top...the texture is lovely!

This, to me, is what gives the ornaments much of their beauty.

Shade around the outside with Deep Midnight  Blue. Thin Snow White and add 5 or 6 flowers using a 10/0 liner.

With Gesso (or just white paint, but the gesso gives more texture), draw the center of your flower close to the left edge and add petals--I used a #4 round. When the gesso dries, paint with Snow White.

Shade around the petals with Raw Sienna

Paint the center with 2 coats of Raw sienna. Thin this and add lines on each petal. Shade the left side of the center with Dark Chocolate. Gently dry brush Marigold on the left of the center followed by a tad of Snow white. Outline each petal with thinned Lamp Black using your 10/0 liner. Add dots of Lamp Black and Margold to the center with your stylus.

The lettering is simple. Use the 10/0 liner and write BLOOM. Go back to each letter and add "triangles" to the ends and make one side bigger on your rounded letters...see the picture...color in these triangles/circles. I added a thin line of Snow White to the letters as a highlight.

Shade around the flower with Deep Midnight Blue.

Paint 2 coats of Ice Crystal Glamour Dust on the backs and finish with 2 coats of DuraClear Varnish on the front and back. I will be adding Magnets to these...NOW...who will get the next 2?

I hope that you ALL will live 2016 in FULL BLOOM, but just take each day, one step at a time and do the best you can! If you paint one, let me see it!

I  wish BLESSINGS to you in 2016...~~charlotte♡

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♡