Monday Musings

Today I am rewarding myself by writing a post…

Yep, I enjoy just typing and letting the words flow…

No agenda…no specific subject…just typing

Monday musings…

I have gathered quotes for as long as I can remember.

I was the geek who had them on index cards and filed by subject…

I get to use quotes when I do my blog…it gives me such a sense of peace and inspiration.  I don’t share things if they don’t speak to me.  I NEVER (crap, nothing is never or always) type this blog with a finger pointed toward anyone specifically, but INSTEAD, firmly pointed at the LOGS in my eyes.  It is a way for me to sort through my feelings.  I REALLY need to take Mother’s advice not to share EVERYTHING I KNOW…

So WHAT did I do to get rewarded?

Well, I tell you, Yesterday, I got 2 patterns written and loaded on ETSY.  Patterns that have been sitting around for about 2 years, I think…maybe longer…maybe not so long!  Luckily, both of these projects HAD already made it to “the book” and out of a stack.  As a matter of fact, I am down to ONE stack that must find another home besides on the floor. Oh, and I created 2 treasuries on etsy!  WHOOP, there it is...

The green notebook is about one year of patterns...The white notebook holds ideas and my color charts from DecoArt

Step Back, folks, the hands are flying as I pat myself on the back…I don’t want anyone to get hurt!

This is making some of you shiver in fright, but I emptied 2 Artist Club Boxes of sketches, notes, ideas…things that needed to COOK before they were served…I have made some progress and that can’t be a bad thing!

Unless, as I look at these pages, I start making OTHER pages…sigh

It is the name of the game and a hazard of having ideas stomping on top of other ideas in this ole brain of mine!  Yes, I understand why that frightens you!

I have no rhyme or reason as to how I design.  Sometimes I find a surface and start painting.  Sometimes it ends up as I envisioned it…sometimes not…it is good at times…it is horrid other times…One thing that remains consistent, is that I will quickly draw a sketch on ANYTHING that is within reach, and that reminds me, I have a sketch inside one of the books I was looking through the other day…now, where did I put THAT book…

I have tried to be more disciplined by actually drawing a pattern before I start painting.  It works at times…it is an epic failure at times!

Hmmmmmmm….it sounds a lot like life, doesn’t it!  =)

The one thing I know for sure, I must generate more than my fair share of dead trees with all the paper I use.  The BEE KIND pattern alone, used 11 sheets of paper just for the line drawing!!  AND for some, sick reason, I feel a need to keep them all, so into a paper sleeve they go and into a notebook to make themselves at home~~Eventually…When the stack of paper sleeves start to slide, it really is time to put them into the notebook!

11 pages!!  And this was only for the line drawing!  LOL

Until this happens…they find themselves living in a nice big pile…PhD~~Piled Higher and Deeper…or would that be PhD~~Projects Half Done??!!

I am positive, I shall NEVER EVER run out of things to laugh at as long as I exist!  I am a big ole pile of silly!

PLEASE don’t take any of this as a complaint.  I am trying to JUSTIFY to you and to me WHY I am so messy and don’t think for one moment that I do not love it, for I DO!!  To be able to possibly encourage someone or to inspire someone makes my soul sing!!

I really hate admitting that I have become my mother…Not the good parts, but the parts that DROVE ME CRAZY…

Reminds me that she often told me that WHEN we don’t like something in someone else, it is because it USUALLY in within us, and we don’t want to admit it…

DANGIT!  I hate when people prove me right about things I don’t want to admit…heaviest sigh yet…

Hello Kettle—You’re BLACK!  (Big Smile)

Gosh, my brain went WAY off course.  I meant to share some food thoughts since on FOOD Friday, I was up to my elbows in trying to get ahead of a deadline, because, after giving myself a good “talking to”, I decided that it is absolutely unnecessary and rude to wait until the last moment to get something finished that could EASILY have been done weeks ago.  I told ME that I should NOT start something else until the PREVIOUS project was complete… (giggles and grins have broken out on my face and I am just about to really, laugh out loud!) 

Oh, good grief, HOW would that possibly fit into my life as a procrastinator?!  NOW, who is afraid!  WHAT??!! To lose a part of me that is so deeply ingrained into my psyche!!  Oh, NO~~that cannot happen.

Now, you might understand why a project for June was finished a few weeks ago, yet the project due for August 1^st was only finished on Saturday!  Ok—Let’s just take a moment for you to roll your eyes in amazement! (Jeopardy theme will be hummed as you compose yourself after laughing AT me…)

The good news is EVERYTHING that is due through December, is finished and submitted!!  Happy Dance.

In watching the news today, I found GREAT EXCITEMENT to see that the temps will only be 88 for two days!! 2 days!!  I also found myself excited to see that the Titans report to training camp on Friday!  This is the time of year when I find myself Hopeful that we can return to a winning season~~Yes, I understand that this is unrealistic, but HOPE is sometimes all I have!

I HOPE that I have given you a few moments to forget about your troubles and to see, in me, you can find silliness and a reason to laugh.

I have been blessed with many gifts.  Laughter is probably at the top of my list as my favorite.  There was a time I didn’t think I would ever laugh again.  Life was dark…hopeless…HARD!  There was little joy…little to find humorous.  It was a time, while I did NOT want to die, but if I had died, I really didn’t care!  It was a time that taught me NOT to judge people who commit suicide so harshly, because, at that moment in my life, I UNDERSTOOD hopelessness and I remember having a conversation with a friend that while I DID really want to live, sadly, I KNEW the depression of finding nothingness.  I was in a situation that I did NOT understand and I did not deserve, but you know what, SOMETIMES we GET stuff we do not deserve~~good or bad! Funny how life is like that…SOMETIMES we have to walk in someone’s shoes before we can understand.

Compassion is slowly becoming a part of my life.

It is a lesson I have needed to learn.  I have always said what I thought, but from watching people and hearing people talking about ME, I understand that I do NOT want to be like them or to be as they see me…

…SO the process continues AND I shall laugh…

AND sort stacks of papers!

I am simply blessed to create~charlotte♡

Oh, Happy Merry Christmas in July!
Only 5 months until Christmas in December!

Whacky Wednesday

Two of my special friends appeared this week...it has been a long time since they stopped by to say HEY to all of you.  

Some of you have NO IDEA who they are, so let me introduce you to them...

The larger guy is named Prince Charlie, the fairest in all the land...

The little guy is Chester the Jester Elf...

They are funny...

I guess I need to also give a little bit of history on them.

One of my favorite FB people, Lynn, had an elf that another FB friend, Miss Brenda, had made.  Lynn has put some of the cutest posts with her elf and it is always fun to see him make an appearance.  

Lynn's first elf perished in a fire at her house, but soon, she got another one....Let me be clear, you can NEVER replace someone that you loved, but sometimes, we just have to go on, and go on, she has...

Before too long, most all of my friends had gotten an elf.  OF COURSE, I was not going to miss out, either.  We have had lots of fun sharing our elf capades,  and it is time to start sharing again.

My two little mischief-makers probably took a vacation when the big dinosaur appeared (Charcoal)...

BUT, the other night, I went to the computer to type a pattern, and WHO was sitting above it, starring a hole through me...

Then, the next night, Chester was on my computer...

To the left, Prince Charlie, was sitting on top of the printer with the green light beaming...

WELL, I got them away from the computer, but when I opened the lap top, a line drawing appeared!!

I did ONLY what I knew what to do, I decided to paint it!...

NOW, to find a surface... 

 

 I have to admit, when I see these clipboards, I have mixed feelings.  Maybe that is why I haven’t painted them very much.  I know, it is silly, but that is what feelings do~~confuse you!   

I was in the Dollar Tree, buying several of these.  It was the winter, around Christmas.  The line was long, but that was ok, because it usually goes quickly.  Behind me was a man and his son, or grandson~~it is hard to tell with a man~~ROFL…Anyway, he was loud, and yes, I am loud, so I am not being mean.  

 Somehow, this loud man said to me something about me having so many of the clipboards.  I think I had about 8 or 10. I  told him I was an ARTIST and was going to paint them.

Let me tell you, I have been practicing being PROUD when I say I am an artist, because EVERYBODY has an opinion about WHO is an Artist and what kind of ART is called ART and not a craft…sigh…Gosh, we all want the world to see EVERYTHING though our eyes, don’t we…

Ok, sorry, I got distracted.  In my telling the man that I was an Artist, he said, “You sure aren’t a STARVING ARTIST.”  

 My entire soul wanted to cry.  The man was proud of his humor in front of the young man and the group of people and smiled and laughed, while I simply wanted to cry.   

Let’s be clear~~I KNOW I am FAT…I have a mirror and I have done this to my body and no one else is to blame for what I have done to me, but I feel like my life STILL has worth, just as much as anyone else’s life.   

I WISH I could have, at that moment, come up with one of my witty sayings, but I honestly wanted to crawl under something BIG to cover my BIG body.  I said, not out of love, “I KNOW I am fat, but at least I don’t say mean things to people out loud in public in front of a young man and show him how NOT to act…at least I TRY to be a good example.”  

The rest of the night is a blur…I went home feeling really crappy….

SO, I have decided to start painting HAPPY things on these clipboards, and This "found line drawing" is being called: 
                                 I LOVE ME…

IF I don’t learn to love ME, then why should anyone else?  I hope it will make YOU smile…it did me!  Hey, just in case somebody hasn’t told YOU, You are pretty AWESOME!  AND YOU ARE LOVED.

Being Kind sure is hard sometimes, BUT it is so important.  Always remember how you felt when someone was unkind to you, and try your best to NOT spread that feeling to anyone else.  We never know the pain that someone hides behind their smiles.

 Of Course, this was painted with my favorite paints~~

DecoArt Americana Acrylics

I KNOW, you will all be knocking yourselves over trying to get to etsy to buy this pattern...ROFL...I am being silly, but IF you are interested, this is the link to the pattern in my etsy shop.

OR if you would like to purchase the original clipboard, click here to go to my etsy shop where you can purchase this!

OR, if you would like to see what patterns and finished products I have available, click here to go to my etsy shop.

 

Have a wonderful day, and take every chance you get to SMILE and LAUGH...spread sunshine and find all those blessings that are around, just for you~~I am simply blessed to create~~charlotte ♡

Today, we shall LAUGH

I am a kidder. 

I kid mercilessly.

Mother always thought she had to add a disclaimer to me~~IF she kids you, then she likes you!

Sadly, my kidding has many times hurt people’s feelings.

This befuddles me, because people SHOULD know me, and ought to know that IF I want to hurt someone, then I can REALLY hurt someone, without the blinking of an eye, but IF someone knows me, they should KNOW that I would NEVER intentionally hurt someone that I loved…heavy sigh…

I have come to realize in my older age, that OFTEN what I say didn’t so much hurt someone, as much as WHEN I said it, because, you see, so many of us are walking around with smiles on our faces, hiding a broken heart, and NOBODY can see that.

I don’t seem to learn, but I am trying…

BUT then, there are those moments WHEN my kidding SHINES!!

I am at my best when I can joke around with someone.

I hate admitting, but if I can’t laugh and joke with someone, I really don’t have a need for them in my life…sad, but it seems to be true…

One of the most memorable stories Mother loved to share was when we attended my cousin’s wedding in Marietta, GA…My cousins had traveled around the world with my Uncle’s military career.  They went to some great places, and met great people….But really, I think Aunt Polly would have been happy WHEREVER she was~~such a contrast to Uncle JP…He was a good guy, but he was a Fletcher~~ROFL…

Daddy and Uncle JP weren’t raised in the same house, even though they had contact.  Those who don’t remember, Daddy’s mother died when he was 22 months old and it was during the depression.  Granddaddy was left with 4 children, four years apart in age, and times were tough.  His sister and her husband asked to adopt Daddy.  He said that NEVER would he allow them to adopt him, because he wanted to make certain that he knew that he was loved and wanted, but he did agree to allow them to raise him.  They were in constant contact.  THIS made Daddy develop that “only child/baby of the family” attitude, while it made Uncle JP the baby of his house…whew…enough said with that statement~~LOL….

WELL, Daddy and Uncle JP got on each other’s nerves, and while they loved each other, this never changed during their lifetime.  Uncle JP would spend their time together trying to get Daddy to go away.  One day, Uncle JP decided that he would take Daddy into the woods and teach him to swing on grapevines, and sneak away while he wasn’t looking…When Uncle JP found the perfect vine, he got on it and swung and WHOOOSH…it broke…Uncle JP fell and broke his arm…Daddy loved telling that story.

It was fun to see them both being so alike~~all 3 brothers were “baby whispers” and could calm a crying baby like none other, yet it was interesting to see how different they were…But I sure did love my Uncles.

Oh, well, back to the original story…(Squirrel)

One of their best friends came to the wedding and we got to spend quite a bit of time getting to love them.  He, like me, was a great kidder, and we had so much fun getting each other with our words, but the best came the day of the wedding as we were cleaning.  I came into the fellowship hall and he told me to come on over and tell him a lie or two.  WITHOUT missing a beat, I said, “You are the GREATEST Man I have ever met.” 

SILENCE as all of a sudden, the room burst into laughter.  HE had met his match, and yes, in just that weekend, I too, learned to love my cousin’s friend…funny how life is like that.

Humor has helped my family to SURVIVE.

Two of Mother’s brothers were some of the funniest people to walk this earth.  Mother said Uncle Jimmy could sell ice to an Eskimo, and she thought my brother, Brian, was so much like him.  Uncle Harold was hilarious.  I have fond memories of gatherings when the sisters would call them both to say HI and they missed him.  As a child, I sat and watched in amazement at all of the laughter and how they couldn’t wait to get their turn on the phone.

Mother’s family endured HELL with her father, and I will share soon about him.  All four brothers were recovering alcoholics.  They were brilliant men, but struggled in the family of 8.  Granny was left alone to raise them, as best she could.  Back then, communities took care of each other, and Mother’s family was embraced with such love.

During the saddest day of my life, God placed HUMOR in my life to allow me to get through Daddy’s funeral~~funny how much noise a little old life saver in a wrapper can make and HOW much one person can SMACK that little piece of candy!  I am amazed at how GOD provides EVERYTHING we need~~even laughter!

I was pulling out some items today to put on etsy to see if they would sell, and I came across something I designed for a lady.  She was looking for something to go on her front door and had described a basket.  The item had to be FLAT, so I made an attempt to create something~~I even went and looked at what she was describing (UGLY) and I called her when I finished.  When she arrived at my shop and we talked, I showed her what I came up with (picture below).  When I handed it to her, she said, “WHAT IS THIS?”  I started laughing and said, “Apparently, it is not what you want!”  I didn’t give up.  I ended up doing my simple angel for her~~4 feet tall, and she was happy…THEN there was the lady who wanted a sitting cow (cows, don’t sit…sigh), BUT after 3 attempts, I had success…

WELL, I have rattled on and on, and still have to tell you the reason for this post.

A friend in England, Gill, had some candy to give away, and she contacted me for the address of those who won (yep, I have lots of addresses for people~~LOL).  I actually did have all the ones she asked to get, and then she asked if I knew of a couple of people who needed a pick-me-up.  I gave her a couple of names and THEN I gave her an address, because, well, it WAS chocolate.  I thought she would know that address…

Look--2 packages...for me???

I went to the Post Office on Saturday night, and I giggled as I pulled the mail out of the box. 

I giggled as I walked to my car.

I giggled as I opened the package.

I giggled as I drove to WalMart.

I giggled as I shopped.

I giggled when I got home.

This one is really mine!

I GIGGLED as I sent the note.

“Gill, I thought you had my new address.  I would never have given you that address if I thought you didn’t know it was me.”

Gill had my old PO Box in Greenbrier, which, as soon as I remember to leave the keys, will be closed, BUT luckily, they forwarded it to my address in my hometown.  She thought the address was for another friend, and sent it with a cute little note…I am still giggling as I type this.  I was just CERTAIN she wanted me to have 2 packages~~BWAH HA HA….

I have such a mischievous side to me!  BUT the good news, is today the package went in the mail to the person that she THOUGHT she was sending it to!!  I can’t wait for this person to see the story of her little gift!

I have some of the neatest people who have stepped on my heart~~what a BLESSED little girl, I am!

Today, BE SURE to laugh.  Troubles are constantly at our door, but we sure don’t have to let them into our lives.  Thank YOU for being in my life…for laughing at me, I mean, with me!!  I send HAPPY BLESSINGS TO YOU…~charlotte

If you would like to have the "Big Girl Panties" line drawing, simply right click on the picture and save to your computer. IF you would like the pattern with colors and directions, I have it in my etsy shop for $2 as an instant download. Click here to go to my etsy shop.  Of course, I use DecoArt Acrylics to paint my creations!