Excuses for NOT Blogging...Sunday, June 28, 2015

I read this week that bloggers SHOULD blog at least twice a week...I agree...

I have had a HARD time getting motivated to do this because it FRUSTRATES me to no end at how long it takes me to do a post because of my SLOW dial-up internet...I find myself SCREAMING at God, BEGGING HIM to SOMEHOW make a way for me to find an AFFORDABLE solution...

Then I feel guilty for getting mad at GOD because it 

CERTAINLY is not HIS FAULT!!!

Designed by Sharon Bond, painted by me...

 I have found myself AFRAID to post because of the fear of SAYING my OPINION on recent events...

I believe that as a Christian, it is my responsibility to spread LOVE and not to incite people into expressing opinions that are FILLED with negativity and hatred.  I have no problem with people who disagree with me, but I DO have a problem with HOW belittled that many people make others feel for DARING to step out and to state their beliefs.

I also believe that we should NOT be posting in Anger...

I have learned on FB, that if you want to get people going, THEN simply post a NEGATIVE comment and watch the comments add up...I have fallen for this too many times to count...

I MAY/May NOT agree with laws that have been passed this week, it really doesn't matter that YOU know how I feel, but I DO CLAIM God's warning that we are to Give unto Caesar what is due him and unto God what is due HIM...

I am PROUD to be an AMERICAN...I do my best to live my life THANKFULLY for every person who has made a sacrifice for MY FREEDOM and I will live my life to TREAT others with the HONOR of these men and women who stand BEHIND the AMERICAN FLAG, along with other countries, doing their BEST to make sure that ALL people, throughout the world, have BASIC HUMAN RIGHTS!!  

I MAY hate a sin, but I MUST love a sinner...

I will do my best to LOVE all people and

 treat them with RESPECT

 and I EXPECT the same.

A painting with Friends Pattern by Sharon Bond adjusted to fit the surface I have...I LOVED painting this!

 I ALSO thought I would post a warm and fuzzy post about my Daddy on Father's Day, but after reading all the posts, all I could do was to CRY, so I simply went and laid down and composed myself and then, I painted the "SWEET LAND OF LIBERTY" piece pictured above, designed by Sharon Bond/PWF,  to send to my friend in Germany, who has asked to buy one...I painted it in Memory of my SILLY, SWEET DADDY, who was so loved...

This is my FIRST design that was published...HAPPY DANCE

I thought I would SHARE how Daddy pronounced the words "FROG" and "LOG" and how many times Mother and I had laughed at him~~these two words rhymed when he said them, and he said them so that they rhymed with BLOG...He would just stick his little tongue out, ever so slightly at me...

Strangely enough, Daddy did NOT say WARSH, but he did "RENCH" out things and it would go down the "DREEN"....oh my sweet Daddy...

Sticking out his tongue was ALSO what Daddy would do when he would collect the Tithes and Offerings at our home church...When he would bring the offering plates forward, during the prayer, I would look at him from the choir, and he at me, and we would stick our tongues out at each other and GRIN...I couldn't sing in the choir for the LONGEST TIME after he died, but I kept playing the piano...

THEN there was the Sunday several months after Daddy died, that I stuck my tongue out at my friend in the congregation, and she returned the gesture ONLY to be caught by the PASTOR...you gotta be CAREFUL when you do this stuff, folks!!  It takes SKILLS...

My Second design that was published...so blessed...

Another blog thought I had was to share ONE of the reasons I paint so many frogs...

Mother LOVED to tell the joke of the BIG MOUTH FROG who went throughout the zoo after she had her first little babies...She would hop up to each animal and ask loudly and with her mouth opening VERY WIDE, "WHAT DO YOU FEED YOUR BABIES"....She asked the monkey, the snake, the cockatoo, and would end the conversation with "THANK YOU VERY MUCH."   THEN she asked the alligator: "Mother Alligator, WHAT do YOU FEED your babies"...The grumpy old alligator said, "BIG MOUTH FROGS"... Mrs. Frog said, very quietly, and through her teeth, "THANK YOU VERY MUCH"

Mother started getting FROGS as gifts, especially from her sweet Roberta, whose Parents were missionaries to Japan...

That is ONE of the reasons that I paint so many frogs, and it goes without saying, it is also a reminder to Fully Rely On God...

I NEVER want to forget all that my parents did for me and I want to remind people that the LOVE and SUPPORT of my Parents runs through EVERY stroke of my paintbrush...

I am GRATEFUL for the GIFT of Painting!!

HONOR your FATHER and your MOTHER...even their memories!

I am doing my best to make them PROUD!  We had the best family...we were taught GOD, FAMILY and COUNTRY...I will continue to do my best to LIVE what they taught me and to REMEMBER WHO I AM and WHOSE I am...I will ALSO try to do better about Blogging....Blessings to YOU...~charlotte

Oh, I DID start adding my Painting Patterns to the 

TOP of my blog and linking them to my etsy shop!!  

SO I HAVE gotten something done!  ROFL...

AND

IF you have NOT ordered you Subscription to

PAINTING EZINE (CLICK HERE)

The NEXT issue comes out on July 1st...

It is called: Come Sail Away

I have a PROJECT in there!  =)

Sam...Saturday, June 20, 2015

 I thought it was time to share another FREE project using DecoArt Chalky Finish...OK, I cheated and used Americana Raw Umber because I was too lazy to dig into the bottom box to get out the brown...lol  BUT, this shows you how you can easily use Americana Paint with the Chalky Finish Paints...

I wanted this to be a PRIMITIVE piece, since I was making it to sell on my Etsy's Primitive and Folkart Team (FAAP)...We are having an AUCTION today on our Page on Facebook...go join us...The sale ENDS on Sunday, June 21,2015 at 5 pm Central Time.... 
FAAP AUCTION AND SELLING PAGE (click here to go there)


I started by adding a coat of CARBON (Black)...notice that I put tape where the hat brim will go...I also left the back of the hat brim unpainted on the back so I could wood glue them together...Glue will not HOLD pieces that are not glued raw wood on raw wood!

 I taped off the two stripes to leave the stripe that would 

be painted LACE (White)

At this point, I took an old white stick candle and put wax 

where I wanted the paint to peel.

I added the wax heavier on the edges and I avoided the area that would be the face...that is just MY preference...

 I painted the center stripe and the bottom half with LACE (a white).  I used 2 coats to get a better coverage...I KNOW, it is going to be sanded, but I think it looks better to have a good foundation.

 I removed the tape and put it on the INSIDE of the white stripes to paint the 2 red stripes...

on the sides, I painted the red down to where 

the hat brim would go...

I used 2 coats of ROUGE (RED) to paint this.

I wanted a darker blue, so I added some 

CARBON (Black) to LEGACY (Blue)

This is ready to SAND...I use my hand sander...WHOOSH.....

 Perfectly Prim!

 I drew on the features with a pencil so you could see...

I used a wooden plug for the nose.

 I made the fleshtone by mixing

 LACE (white) with Smitten (Peach)...

I showed the scruffy brush that I used to add 

ROUGE (RED) to the cheeks and nose...

use VERY little paint...this is where people can make a BIG mistake...wipe almost all of the paint out of the brush for this step!

I added the mouth with CARBON (Black) and

the lips with Rouge (Red)

 I added the eyes with Carbon (Black) and 

shaded the face/moustache with RAW UMBER.  

I added highlights and the lettering with LACE (white)...

I went around the piece with my Raw Umber to give it more of an antiqued look...you could antique this if you want...

I will add 3 coats of DuraClear Ultra Matte and

 put a hanger on the back...That will be IT!!

You can EASILY paint this project 

with regular Americana Acrylics, 

but I LOVE to use the Chalky Finish Paints!!

 

Be sure to visit DecoArt's Website (click here).

See their AMAZING products AND

look at all the FREE patterns they offer to use these products!

 

Below, is the pattern...to save it to your computer, Right Click on the picture and choose SAVE AS...your computer might say something different, but there should be an option to save!

You are MORE than welcome to make these to sell, but PLEASE do NOT claim the pattern/instructions as your own...give me credit...Do not mass market this pattern/item...feel free to resize as you need and enjoy this quick and easy project...feel free to add YOUR STYLE to this...

I hope you have FUN with this...As you are painting, remember those who have gone before us to keep us free...LIVE your life THANKFULLY...Treat others as YOU WANT to be treated, and it is NOT your problem if they choose not to return the kindness...hang in there because KINDNESS does MATTER!!  I wish GLORIOUS...BLESSINGS to YOU...~charlotte

YES, I am RUSTY and LOVING it! Tuesday, June9, 2015

 I am SO EXCITED!  I never dreamed how EASY it would be to make paper mache look as though it is RUSTED!  Sure, I've painted surfaces to get a similar look, but this is AMAZING to me how simple it is and how much it really does look rusted in real life.  

I will apologize right up front for the poor quality photos.  I was so excited to try this that I got out of bed and went directly to painting without even turning on the lights!

Last night, as I was attempting to go to sleep, I had this idea, so I watched the DecoArt video by Andy Skinner, again, and decided what I would use and I just started painting.  With the use of my hairdryer, I had this process finished in about 30 minutes!

To find the videos, go to YouTube and search: DecoArt Mixed Media Rust

I used the 4 products listed above: Quinacridone Gold, Carbon Mister, Black Modeling Paste and Ultra Matte Varnish.

These products are in the new line of DecoArt Media...The fluid acrylics are strongly pigmented, so they take very little paint.  They are transparent, which gives them versatility.  They are SO MUCH fun to play with!

IF you are one of THOSE PEOPLE who think they have no use for these products, PLEASE go watch some videos and you might be surprised at what they can do to help you stretch those creative juices!  I will admit, I had NO CLUE what they were when they were introduced, but now, I have most all of the products and I plan to get MORE!

I would suggest buying the starter kit to begin your journey.  Go to DecoArt (click on the blue) to see what they offer.  While you are there, CHECK OUT the hundreds of FREE PATTERNS that are available to you...I think you will be quite pleased with the variety.
 
 I didn't have the exact products that were used in the video, so I did my own thing...I sure had nothing to lose.  I took the BLACK MODELING PASTE and spread it on the paper mache box randomly....I did this with my finger.  If you don't have black, then use white or even use gesso...The goal is to get some texture.  You get texture simply by stamping, so see what you have and use what you've got!

I used the Carbon (BLACK) mister to cover the box.  Don't cover it completely and leave some BLOBS...the misters leave blobs...

When this dried, I painted it with Quinacridone Gold (QG)

and THAT was IT!

To get rid of the "shine" of the paints,

 I covered them with Ultra Matte Varnish.

Look at this picture...isn't that the COOLEST THING? 

 I know, it is JUST PAINT,

 but this Paint is making me VERY HAPPY.

What would I do differently?  I would leave more of the paper mache showing because see that light brown in the pictures...it looks AMAZING!!  That light color is where I left the paper mache uncovered with paste or paint BEFORE I painted it with the QG!

I am MORE than pleased with my first attempt at doing this and I can't wait until my mind gives me more ideas...but I only hope it is NOT before I am about to fall asleep...

I used DecoArt Chalky Finish TREASURE to paint the bottom of the box.  I sanded it to give it a worn look to match the rust.

 I wanted to show how nicely you can transfer your pattern on top of the Ultra Matte Varnish.

Note to self:  Turn the transfer paper to the RIGHT SIDE because, really, tracing a pattern ONTO the BACK of the pattern does NOBODY any good...sigh...

HURRY, if you would like to buy this pattern for $1.00, go visit Susan Kelley at PUDDLES OF PAINT (click on this to take you to the site).  The sale ends on June 10, 2015!  You will WANT to buy more than ONLY one!!  CHOP CHOP...times a tickin'

 This painting, called CLASSY CHICK, is dedicated to ALL of my CLASSY CHICKS...you KNOW who you are Susan, Kathy, Lynn, Ramona, Nancy, 3 Lisa's, Michele, Suzie Q, Wendy, Mindy, Sheila, Kat, Diane, Lois, Jan, Karalee, Anne, Gloria, Judy, Margaret and WELL, I'm going to stop naming names because there are DOZENS of YOU....REALLY...LOTS of YOU and I wouldn't trade YOUR friendship for all the riches of the world, because YOU make my world RICH!

I put English Red Oxide Antiquing Creme on the bottom of the box to carry out the aged look...I really do LIKE this!  I HOPE you will give this technique a TRY..

ALWAYS embrace new opportunities...new products...new ideas...CHANGE can be your friend!  Don't be afraid and by all means, don't feed the old demon of I'VE NEVER DONE IT THAT WAY BEFORE AND I DON'T WANT TO CHANGE...you are robbing your creativity of endless possibilities!

Thanks for stopping by my little corner of the world.

Embrace Life...CELEBRATE EVERY DAY...Blessings to YOU...~charlotte

I LOVE the OLD Hymns... Sunday, May 31, 2015

I was raised in a house with music…GROWING up, VERY few days were without Mother singing and/or humming a hymn…I remember getting so irritated that she would sing the SAME song over and over…sometimes the same line…over and over…

My oldest brother, Bob, has a beautiful tenor voice. Brian, the middle child, is blessed with a gorgeous bass voice.  Mother sang alto.  When she was young, she would sing often with her twin sister, at revivals.  Daddy sang lead, although he could harmonize.  I was given an alto/soprano voice.  Mother would sing along with me when I young to teach me to stay on key while she would sing harmony.

Art by Amanda

I started taking piano in the third grade, along with Brian, who only took a few years because he needed to do BOY THINGS…sad, really, because HE was the one who had the gift for piano.  Mother searched for a teacher who was interested in teaching us to play for our own enjoyment, and well, for CHURCH…LOL…She believed, and taught us well, that ALL our gifts were to be used for the GLORY of GOD!

I have often said that I was born into the wrong generation, because I much prefer OLD Songs…songs that I could understand the words…songs that spoke to me…songs with a melody…songs with words that could inspire or could share an emotion that I UNDERSTOOD…I am an old soul…

 What I REALLY love and have come to appreciate are the OLD HYMNS…I was raised on them…NOW that I have lived life and experienced every emotion imaginable, these hymns speak to ME…I HATE how money has been wasted to make them POLITICALLY correct~~HATE IT!  So much of the meaning has been lost and it has taken away one’s ability to SEARCH for what that song means…It saddens me that so many of the young’ens have no CLUE about the OLD HYMNS…Change is ok…it makes me sad sometimes, but LIFE has to move on…I wish it could take along the GOOD STUFF with it a little bit more…

Don’t get me wrong, I appreciate some of the new songs and ditties…I only WISH they could have found more than just ONE LINE to sing over and over…sigh…

The old songs spoke of HELL…we don’t find churches speaking much of HELL anymore…heck, SOMEBODY might get mad and leave or not feel GOOD about themselves…AND WHAT is entertaining about that?  We have dummied down God’s Word so that EVERYONE will be HAPPY…heavier sigh…Sometimes we NEED to be pruned to grow big and strong!! My parent’s sure didn’t hesitate to PRUNE me and I am SO THANKFUL they cared enough to NOT always tell me I was right…that there were rules I HAD to follow…that MY OPIONION was simply that~~my opinion and that in no way made me RIGHT, but it also didn’t make me wrong, either!  

  

I UNDERSTAND the POWER OF MUSIC…it is universal.  I had a conversation with a friend, who has his Doctorate from Vandy and taught at the college I attended and is a part-time, well, he PREACHES… one day we were talking about our frustrations with churches.  I made the statement that SO MANY PREACHERS THINK their sermon is the MOST important part of worship and Well, no need to continue with what all we said, BUT he made the statement that PASTORS are the most EDUCATED and most UNDERPAID workers…I sat there and started to think of the 12 years I took piano, the 4 years of organ lessons, the hours of practice I spent, the four years of voice lessons, the HOURS of practicing for the singing group I was in…hmmmmmmm…I was at church EVERY SUNDAY to play the piano, EVERY SUNDAY for choir practice, EVERY worship service~~morning and night…staying after choir practice to practice special music with the organist…music classes for children/youth…VBS director…Sunday School teacher…class parties…YEP…I was OVERPAID…I didn’t receive a SINGLE penny and NEVER did I get a thank you from the Pastors or from our board of Elders…and when I quit, NOBODY cared at all…YEP…OVERPAID, but then, THAT is not why I did it!! BOY HOWDY!!!

My Mother’s tattered Bible and several hymn books are within reach of where I paint!  They are my reference books of WHAT is important in my life…the basis of WHO I am and WHO I belong to!

NOW, that I am older, I UNDERSTAND why Mother sang the same song/lines over and over…it was her PRAYER…she was asking and seeking DIRECTION…I find myself doing the same thing…I have lost count of the many times I have sung, “Lead me Lord, Lead me in Thy righteousness.  Make THY WAY plain, before my face.”

Those who were raised on the old hymns, I simply need to say a LINE and your mind will take off~~it doesn’t take much to rekindle the heart’s memory…

I NEED Thee, O, I NEED Thee…EVERY Hour I NEED THEE…

Make Me a BLESSING, to SOMEONE today…

Amazing Grace, How Sweet the Sound…

Come, Thou Fount of Every Blessing, Tune my heart to sing Thy Grace…

On a Hill, far away…

I come to the Garden Alone, while the dew is still on the Roses…

Holy, Holy, Holy…Lord, God, Almighty…

All to Jesus, I surrender…(No. 316 in our hymnal as a child)

Down at the Cross where my Savior died…

Mercy there was great and GRACE WAS FREE, Pardon there was multiplied to me…There my burdened soul found LIBERTY at Calvary!!!

When the Roll is Called up Yonder I’ll be there!

Wonderful Grace of Jesus…

Great is Thy Faithfulness!  Morning by morning new mercies I see!

I MISS the old songs and I miss playing and singing…BUT these TRUTHS are in my heart and my service has changed to another of my gifts…I HOPE today that you will have a SONG in your heart…I HOPE that you will reflect on the words you were taught as a child and NOT depart from them…AND if you were not taught as a child, I HOPE that you will SEARCH because what you will FIND will change your heart…

…Blessings to YOU…~charlotte

Puddle of Paint Spring Challenge, Wednesday, May 27, 2015

WHEW...I got it finished!  I belong to a FUN CLUB called PUDDLES OF PAINT.  Designer, Susan Kelley, provides 2 patterns each month, JUST FOR US and then will give us some challenges to create throughout the year.

Susan has been WONDERFUL.  I have been lucky to get to know her a bit, and she is so helpful, friendly and down to earth....and FUNNY!!  I LOVE her!  She has become a friend and a mentor who is always willing to answer any questions that I may have...She inspires me and encourages me.  I am THANKFUL for getting to cross her path!

When I first got on FB, I was afraid to chat with anyone who had LOTS of likes on their pages, and talking to a BIG BRUSH was so out of the question, but then, I remembered something that Mother taught me growing up...ALL PEOPLE put their britches on one leg at a time!

I have gotten more opportunities than I could ever dream possible...MANY of these dreams are things I never knew to dream...

I have met some wonderfully helpful people in my fb journey, and I have soaked up as much knowledge as I could!

I am a Helping Artist through DecoArt~~another dream I had no idea was a possibility, but because of a friend sharing and encouraging me, I was accepted into the program.  I have used DecoArt products in my painting for over 20 years and I LOVE them.

DecoArt has recently come out with a new line of products especially for mixed media.  I have been fascinated with this, because I LOVE to learn new techniques. I recently saw a post from a person asking WHAT is the big deal with MIXED MEDIA...she went on to say she had NO IDEA what people did with the "stuff" they made...I was SO DISAPPOINTED in this person...Reminds me of the old CHURCH saying, "We've NEVER done it THAT WAY before and WHY change something that works!" ...heavy sigh...

I don't understand WHY people feel the need to attempt to BASH things they don't like, especially if it causes no harm...IF you don't prefer to DO SOMETHING, then DON'T...People really don't CARE and by all means, don't be so condescending to others who ENJOY EMBRACING CREATIVITY in other forms!  OK...off of my soap box for a little while...

I thought this challenge was a perfect time to use some of these wonderful products and to step out of my comfort zone that I know so well.  I really had FUN with this...SO, I took a few pictures along the way and thought I would share what I did...

First, I used a stamp to put on a piece of paper and then I printed the words I wanted to use on this piece...

 I Then used the Misters to spray on the background...These are SO MUCH FUN...I put the paint on fairly thick and then took a crumpled up piece of packing bubbles and picked off some of the paint to get a texture...I had so much paint, that it kept seeping back over the texture, so I worked quickly and then blasted it with my hairdryer...HA...can't defeat ME!

I painted the face, arms and legs with the media fluid acrylics.  It takes very little paint since they are highly pigments...You will see in the top right, that I cut the dress and purse from scrapbook paper.  I used Decou-Page Matte to glue it in place!

I added some color around the dress, purse, ears and nose!!  Isn't she SWEET!!  Anyone who follows me might have noticed that I paint my bunnies grey...WHY?  Because I HAVE GREY HARE, um, Hair!  teeheheeeheeeee

I painted 4 wooden butterflies that I had bought at JoAnn's in the mixed media aisle...Yes, I have a habit of buying things with NO CLUE what I will do with them, but SEEEEEEE...they were JUST WHAT I NEEDED!

This is the finished piece...I printed the words on my computer onto the stamped paper...I gued on the butterflies, painted the grass and flowers...I went around the flowers with a Dimensional Writer.

I LOVE it!  The message is JUST what I needed to see.  We ALL need to follow our dreams...we ALL need to live the life we have imagined...It is ok if your imagination changes a few times along the way.  Sometimes, we have to adapt and there is nothing wrong with that!

I thought I would share the Cake I made when I Celebrated Daddy's birthday.  It was nice to remember good things about him, not that that is any different from most days.

Mother and Miss Stella made this cake DOZENS of times.  It is so easy and light.  It is wonderful with fruit over it or just with some cool whip OR with Ice Cream!  A GREAT summer dessert!

Take an Angel Food Cake and a can of crushed pineapple

 Mix the two together. Pour in a 9x13 pan. 

Bake at 350 for 30 minutes.

YUMMY!! Served on Mother and Daddy's wedding China that Uncle J.P. (daddy's brother) bought them as a wedding present when he was stationed in Japan.  It is Noritake, Orient.

Thanks for stopping by my little corner of the world...

I HOPE that I have inspired you in some small way

...Blessings to YOU...~charlotte

Go CONFIDENTLY in the direction of your dreams,

Live the life you've imagined.

~~Thoreau

Happy Birthday, Daddy...Sunday, May 24, 2015

I baked a cake tonight...I wanted to CELEBRATE this day!  Daddy would have been 92!  My goodness...where does time go?  It has been 12 years since I celebrated his birthday with him...I got to have my Daddy for 40 years...far longer than so many...I am blessed...

Age 16....He had hair!!  =)

We were constant companions...He was forever trying to bring to fruition something I had concocted in my mind when half way through, I would ask WHO thought this was a good idea?!

These are some pictures that I found and thought I would share...I LOVED that he always had a hat!  I LOVE how they dressed with PRIDE to go places in those days....

Daddy traveled when he was young...I think he had it out of his system by the time he had a family, BUT what I really think, is that his priorities changed...He was a WORKER...He wanted to make certain his family had what they needed.

Daddy was 28 when he and mother (19) married in 1951 and Bob was born 1 day shy of 9 months after they married...ROFL!  They had dug a hole in a piece of land with the plans of building a basement home and adding to it when they got more money, but the health of Uncle Bud and Aunt Jenny was declining, so they moved in with them to help care for them...our house was FULL.  When I came along in 1962, I had a brother 2 years older, one 10.5 years older and 3 people past 80!  Mother said we didn't sit down to eat that SOMEBODY didn't spill something, and it was NOT always the children doing the spilling!

Mother fretted that Daddy didn't play games with us, but he was ALWAYS present...Being with Daddy meant going with him on the farm.  NEVER was he too busy to let us tag along, except on the VERY RARE occasion.  We got to see Daddy respecting and caring for the Land that God gave us to be caretakers of...a lesson TOO many have ignored...We got to see a Daddy who was a HARD worker and who provided for his family.  I SAY we were dirt poor, but NEVER did we want for ANYTHING...We were given EVERY opportunity to participate in events...we had MORE than we needed and MORE than we could want.

Daddy was generous of spirit and of possessions.  He helped his neighbors and they helped him.  He gave of his time to help on issues he found important.  He was active in our community and in our church.  He was chairman of the ASCS Office (dealing with farm quotas)...it was a position that he was voted to hold by other farmers, so he was respected!

Daddy was so good with Math.  He could calculate things that would amaze me.  He loved to measure crops...He loved to play PITCH (cards) with his guy friends, but didn't get to do it much.  He and Mother has several couples they played Rook with and Mother ALWAYS loved to entertain.  Daddy just let her and didn't say much.  Actually, as long as she wasn't making him tag along, he encouraged her to be involved in activities of her choice.

Mother said Daddy changed as many dirty diapers as she did.  He was a rarity.  He worked in the house just as much as Mother did, maybe more of some occasions!

A SHARP Dresser!

In Colorado

WHY do all men look like GANGSTA'S at this period of time...This is on the square in my home town.

Momma and Daddy at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier...Bob must have taken the picture

August 26, 1954...must have been somewhere around Chattanooga...

August 28, 1954 in Chattanooga...Daddy holding Bob...He was always holding one of us!!  What a good Daddy!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

In Florida...April 1961

Uncle Bud and Aunt Jenny, who raised Daddy...Brian is sitting on the end with the ukelele and in the back is Bob, Momma, Daddy Holding ME (squirming to get down) and on the end is Aunt Ellen who was the teacher at the one room school.  She was the sister of Uncle Bud. August 1964

Daddy hold me (again) in December 1964...The ASCS Office annual Christmas dinner...It was always family and it was always nice.  We made lifelong friends among the workers and board members.

Visitng the Georgia Fletchers...Front row Eddie, Brian, Me, Mother, Ronald (what ARE you doing?) Jean, Daddy and Aunt Polly...I LOVED my cousins and always enjoyed getting to see them!

Wake up, Momma...LOL...1-21-1965 at Dr. Stone's house for the annual Birthday gathering...Dr. Stone delivered all 3 of us kids...Yep, Daddy had his CIGAR...LOL....

Momma and Daddy at Brian's Wedding (the middle child)

Daddy seeing and holding his FIRST Grandbaby for the First time.  We were celebrating the opening of my brother and sister-in-laws Flower shop.  1990

Same Grandchild, Kaylen, growing up with her little brother, Kendall...Sadly, they were never allowed to ride on the tractor and get to experience the hum of the tractor lulling a child to sleep.  Daddy had to pack me back home EVERY time I rode on the tractor with him...He was a SAFE driver and KNEW the land like the back of his hand.

This was in January 1999...we got what I call the 4 Bonus years...He spent 22 days in the hospital and wasn't expected to live through the first night...He was an AMAZING, STRONG Man!  Me, Brian, Daddy, Bob and Momma...

I don't understand how I got so lucky...I don't take it for granted...I have NO PROBLEM with anyone who says THEY have the best daddy...it is ok because I KNOW I had the BEST!!  Thank YOU, Daddy...I did EVERYTHING humanly possible to make sure YOU knew how much I loved you!  I was HONORED to be your baby girl...I was HUMBLED to be able to spend so much time with you...THANK YOU is not adequate, but it is all I got...I MISS YOU every single day but I wouldn't have your aching body back on earth for anything...I WAS and AM so PROUD to KNOW WHO I AM...Thanks for giving me a good name...Kisses to Heaven...~charlotte