On the First day of Christmas...

On the First Day of Christmas, my true love gave to me....

I thought I would start the First Day of Christmas by Sharing my treasures that I received from friends, far and near.

Of course, Santa did NOT forget about sweet little Charcoal..

EVEN though he was very naughty, he STILL made out like a bandit, proving again, it might not matter if you are naughty or nice, Santa still forgives and delivers...

Never has Charcoal had more than one tennis ball at a time, and he was hilarious!  I took one ball out of the bag, and soon, he had 5 out!  Yep, 2 are who-knows-where...time will tell.

Spoiled baby got some treats from Miss Gloria...so did Mommie! 

Crystal sent me and Charcoal some treats...

Always happy art, a reflection of her!

Jolanda, from the Netherlands, 

sent this hand-painted Charcoal...
LOVE IT!!

Christine, from Germany, sent these beauties for me.  

Beautifully painted and I love the domino!

Sweet Lynn, who sends treasures 

all over the country, 

made this awesome Santa for me.

Now, here is the problem...

I got ready to take the picture 

and a four-legged, furry child, 

STOLE and ATE my candy Cane...

heavy sigh--PAPER and all!!  

This was the only Candy Cane 

I had in the house to use for the photo...

Yeppers, 

He LOOKS all 

sweet and innocent and laid back, 

but I tell ya, he has some "thievin'" in him!!

Miss Linda sent this to me, 

but CHARCOAL thought it was his 

since it has "Labrador" written on it.  

We are still in negotiations...

And then, Wendy sent Summer Sausages...

He is getting his share....

I took time on Christmas eve to do this drawing 

with Prismacolor Pencils.  

It was fun to just play! 

I am getting a bit better, 

but so much more to learn.
Design is by Amy Mogish.

Yes, Charcoal...I SEE YOU...

I brought a little bit of my 

Christmas Tradition with me on Christmas Day. 

 I cooked Country Ham, Biscuits, 
Garlic Cheese Grits, 

Creamed Corn, Fruit Salad 
and a Tomato.

It was so very yummy and brought back precious memories.
Served on Mommas white plate.♡

My friend Wanda brought us this Nativity Flag...

And a bucket of 3 flavors of Popcorn

I love getting Popcorn!

Karalee sent me these cute ornaments!!

I adore them!

Nancy set this pretty ornament with a planning calendar.

 Do I dare TRY to plan?!!  LOL

This is a better picture of the mug.

I got this cute Gingerbread Ornament from Michele...

This is DA Naughty Boy with his haul from Santa...

As we enter the 12 days of Christmas,

 may we NEVER forget to keep the 

Spirit of Christmas Alive all year.

I am beyond blessed for those 
who thought of me.

My prayer is that I will take opportunities 

in this coming year

to Pay it Forward with 

Random Acts of Kindness.

I hope you will each do the same.

I am GRATEFUL and BLESSED!...~charlotte♡

The Gift of Love Continues...

I have a few more gifts to show that I got from my friends around the world!

I do not show these things to boast, but to share how generous people are and what can happened if you take just a few moments to say HI to someone.

The first thing I want to share is the dip mix I got from the dip, shoot, I mean, from Ramona...

I  love dips...again, apologies, I  meant to say that I love DIP.  I was already thinking that Charcoal and I would enjoy it watching the Super Bowl this year....YUM!!

The next awesome gift, that made me cry, came from Jolanda who lives in the Netherlands...

Isn't it beautiful!! She "fussed" at me because I didn't have a good picture of Charcoal for her to use, but it looks like him, anyway!

Usually, I  grab my camera in the dark to take a picture of Charcoal being silly. He does NOT sit still for long,  but I will make it a goal to get ONE good picture of Charcoal before the year ends! We will see how that works out...

You know, thinking back to Ramona, she left the price tag on the gift! hmmmmm...

Back to Jo...she and I met in a painting group when she shared a picture of a rolling pin she had painted and I commented...she had no idea what I was talking about because they called it something different...we laughed about it and became friends who joked, which, by the way, is what I like in a friend! 

Mother said that if I teased someone, it was a sure sign that I liked them! 

(Wonder why Ramona sent me dip but sent our other mutual friends something she painted...I thought she liked me just as much...sigh...)

The other gift came from my scroll saw buddy in Canada...she is a mis-placed Chicago girl...Sesame Street Smart, she is! LOL  I will use her picture to show what she sent me.

She designed and cut them! She is amazingly talented!

(Don't get me wrong about Ramona...I appreciate that she sent me the dip because she sent it out of love...I think it was out of love...it is hard to tell with Ramona...she is a stinker! )

Sheila also gave me several little sheepies with yarn wrapped around them...so pretty and colorful! I love colors!

Oh my goodness...they are the sweetest little things EVER!

We had a close call with Charcoal thinking this sheepie was for him...ugh...

Look at the detail!

I  just can't stop thinking about that dip...I guess I need to see what I need to make it because I only shop about once a month for groceries and the Super Bowl will be here soon!

The dip reminds me of a Christmas present that my brother got one year. He had just moved in with a bunch of his college buddies and so he got this gift that was in a box that said: Avocado Green Chip and Dip Set.

He sarcastically said: "just what I ALWAYS wanted--an avocado green chip and dip set!"

He opened it to find: (say it with me) An Avocado Green Chip and Dip set!!

Boy, was he embarrassed! We kidded him mercilessly! The next year, he got a cross-stitched sign that said: Just what I ALWAYS wanted!

In my house, we take gifts to be what the box says they are!!

Back to the dip...I got the ingredients listed in my smart phone grocery shopping list....I wonder what the mix looks like...

Wait....that isn't any dip!!!

She DOES love me (ok...we are sticking with this)! ! I  got 2 of her hand painted Nickelettes! I'm so excited!!

But now....I have no dip for me and Charcoal to make for Super Bowl Sunday...heavy sigh...ROFL

I have shed true tears this Christmas with each gift I have received. I am amazed at the generosity of friendships.

I  have wasted far too much time protecting my heart from any more hurt, but yet, these friends have taught me and reminded me more about friendship and how vital they are to living a complete life.

Once again, I have reaped far better than I have sown! Blessings drop like rain as I am reminded that we are NEW EVERY MORNING!

Thank you, my friends for helping me to see the MAGIC of the season...of the generosity of people...of unconditional love and of the JOY in encouraging others!

I am humbly blessed...Let's keep Christmas alive all year!~~charlotte♡

Footprints on my heart, Monday, December 28, 2015

I  do not dare complain about the rain because I lived through a drought one summer that saw farmers lose their income for the year and possibly longer, since many had to sell their cattle...

I  won't lie and say that I am seeing all the JOY in this event,  but it has made me grateful for warmth, for a dry place to lodge and for the knowledge that the ground water will help us through the possibly long dry summer.

I am grateful for safety during the storms and am keeping A prayerful heart for those who suffered great tragedies during the past few storms.

I went to the POSTIE and discovered MORE rain, but this was the rain of FRIENDSHIP!

The first discovery was to make a mental note to contact one of the husbands to take away the DUCT TAPE from his wife!! But, never fear, I got it opened!!! I  won't name names, but it certainly made me giggle AND made me think I might need to find my box opener....

CHOCOLATE, oh, and an ornament, LOL,  came from my friend, Lydia in Kansas...Lydia was one of the first people that I really met on Facebook. Her work is immaculate! This meaningful ornament will remain special, and a part of me will giggle at her son's thoughts about it!♡

This awesome package came from Gloria in Idaho-ho-ho! It spent some extra time in Memphis and I wonder if it saw Elvis!!  A beautiful hand made card (WOW), some beautiful ornaments to paint and a loverly magnet that now is on my freezer to think of her when I open the door daily...and now, for some reason, I would like a watermelon!♡

Crystal in Ohio, sent me these awesome treats that will join the other goodies I have painted by her. I love these. There are some artists that you know their work instantly, and Crystal is one of those! I love her whimsical creations. She also has one of the most giving hearts I have ever seen!

This handsome fella came from Janice in Missouri?? Oooooooooo...JAN!! ROFL He had to spend an extra night at the Postie because he was too big, but he was so worth the trip back to town! He is beautiful!! I am so blessed to have several of Jan's painted goodies.

I am floored at the generosity of people. It is just another reminder that Life often gives us better than we deserve.

Thanks for your part in leaving footprints on my heart and giving me wonderful memories of this Christmas. Because of each of you, I will try harder to be a better person and a better friend.

Thank you to all who have sent me cards...left posts and messages wishing me a Merry Christmas...they do not go unnoticed...I finally mailed some cards on Saturday, even though they had been ready for weeks...I had to find the MAGIC...  (and, well, stamps)

Once again, Thank you!  May you feel the love you gave returned to you in even greater ways! Funny how God makes that happen! I send Blessings to YOU...~~charlotte♡

Be Still and KNOW, Wednesday, December 23, 2015

I wonder how many people are sitting on their back porch at 2am playing fetch with their dog?

The tiniest drops of mist have been steadily falling...for some reason, the scripture of having faith as tiny as a mustard seed came to my mind.

Then my mind skips to seeing the outline of an owl taking flight the other night--it was awesome!  That could have been jolted by hearing a screech owl in the distance and being thankful it was not in my yard!

The next thought was remembering all the cantatas that I have sung in during years past--I always had the solo of the Virgin Mary and remember joking with the ladies about well, I will stop before someone is offended, but we laughed---lots!

Our local news has done several segments on the McDonalds in Spring Hill that had the Nativity painted on the windows, as a 40 year tradition, and I think how sad that it is so rare to get so much attention...I live about 60 minutes from the location.

I  shared with a friend that for years, our local Captain D's puts "Wise men still seek Him". That is one of my favorite songs from all of the cantatas of my past.

How wise am I? What am I seeking? Why am I afraid of things? Why can't I trust? Is my faith even as big as a mustard seed? Am I a false prophet? Is my life a sham? Am I capable of loving?

Doubt...we all face it. That is what I love about exploring my faith...I know that I do not have to worry about how others perceive me, because GOD is the judge. He is big enough to allow me to ask questions.

It is in these quiet moments, sitting on my back porch, that I am able to sit and listen for that still, small voice...all part of my season of Advent, as I continue to prepare my heart for the coming of Christ...

Glory to God in the highest! And on earth, Peace, good will toward man!...

Are you wise? ...~~charlotte♡