Thursday, November 5, 2015

This Blog Will Come To A Close


Hi friends!!! Just letting you know I am closing this blog down. I will leave this blog open but no longer will I share my heart here due to things I cannot share with you at this time. I have blogged here for almost 9 years with you...I have shared my heart, my family and home and have enjoyed sharing in this space...Some of you have followed along for these many years..Thanks for sticking with me!!! I will however be starting a new blog elsewhere...If you are a long time reader and enjoy following along and would like to continue onto my new chapter...please contact me and let me know if you wish to join me.
 I will email you privately with my new space address. It breaks my heart to have to say goodbye to this space...It really does. But sometimes we just have to start out with a fresh perspective... I will not share here as to where my new space is...This is by special invitation only. hope to see you there! Take care!!!

Tuesday, November 3, 2015

Teatime Tuesday~Gearing Up For Thanksgiving


Happy Tuesday!!!
&
Happy November!!!





Time is flying by like a storm these days. Here in our parts we have been blessed with cooler weather and rain this week! It's always exciting when we get rain and cool weather after having such a long dry, hot season. Today I enjoyed a nice bowl of oatmeal with tea and cream. I also rearranged some of my decor and brought out a few of our Thanksgiving decorations to cozy up the place. I am also gearing up for Thanksgiving. Looks like it will be just the three of us again this year...Which I love! There's no one more I'd want to spend the holidays with than my dear Mr. Darling and Freckles. We would love it if our boy could be with us too...But just not enough time off for him and his job. We miss him very much! But also grateful he will have his girl with him to spend the holidays with and he could also spend it with his grandparents if he wanted.




No matter, our Thanksgiving will be splendid!




I brought out my wooden pilgrims...They are near and dear to my heart. I made and painted them many years ago when our son was about two years old...I was in a MOPS group through church and this was a project we made together. They have adorned our 
Thanksgiving table for almost 20 years now!
I can't believe it has been that long ago...It really blows my mind!
They will be with us for the remainder of our days for sure. I envision us around the Thanksgiving table old and gray with our children and their spouses and our grandchildren with these wooden pilgrims there. That would be so cool.



I made a little collage of some of my favorite chick flick films for ya! Many of them are great tear jerkers. I love a good lighthearted movie or a sweet romance. Since Autumn is the perfect time to cuddle up in a quilt and watch a flick with a nice hot cup of cocoa and caramel popcorn...I thought I'd start you off with a few of my favorite suggestions. Enjoy!


And.....I found these sweet Thankful cards on Pinterest...In which I am planning to use for our Thanksgiving....Thought I'd share with you. You can print them out and hand them out to your family members, have them write down what they are thankful for and share them around the Thanksgiving table. It's a nice way to share what your thankful for and have a bit of conversation together. Making memories and making new traditions is a good thing!
Thanks for popping in today! 
have a delightful week ahead!!!

Saturday, October 31, 2015

Halloween 2015



I finished 31 days of sketching! I actually added 4 days into one 
picture since I was still sick...I am a lot better now...yay!!!!


Freckles and I cut out Jack O Lanterns and dressed up for Halloween. We were actually separated this year...Freckles went out with a bunch of friends this year! Yep, she's growing up! She and her friends were going to dress up with Alice In Wonderland characters...One friend was joining in with her dressing up as female Tweedle Dee and Tweedle Dum...










Mr. Darling and I joined in with our local Safe Trick Or Treating downtown, setting up our booth, representing our church...And handed out candy to a ton of kids. I dressed up as a Pop Art character









Hope y'all had a safe, fun Halloween!!!

Wednesday, October 28, 2015

October Sketches 20~26


Day 20
~BERRIES~

This month is almost coming to a close! Boy, has it passed by quickly. I caught up with more sketches for the challenge I took this month. It was fun. There are a few more before the month ends...But feel that a few of the word prompts will probably will be put together into one picture. Will share later...For now here are the next seven sketches/watercolor/paintings I did in the challenge.


Day 21
~SWEATER WEATHER~


Day 22
~BLANKET/QUILT~


Day 23
~DEER/ANTLERS~


Day 24
~CANDY~


Day 25
~CAT~


Day 26
~HOT COCOA~

I enjoyed these sketches quite a bit. I love how the pumpkin turned out. I painted the deer/antlers for Freckles...The quilts make me happy..I decided to make the whole paper the quilts..The berries in the top picture represent Lingonberries ...One of my favorite preserves in the Fall...Perfect pairings with Swedish meatballs and mashed potatoes...And after drawing that picture, I went to the grocery and got some, cooked up some Swedish meatballs and mash for one of our dinners...It was soooooo good! You eat it like you would a cranberry sauce! And one of my faves is actually the tea cup with cocoa in it...It could also be tea inside the cup...Since I love tea...
Well that's all I got for today...I am still recovering from the flu and a cold on top of it from the last couple weeks...So I am off, until next time!

Monday, October 26, 2015

Giving


It's Tea Time!
Today I am sharing my thoughts on something that has been on my heart for some time. This is a post I wrote on Facebook last week and wanted to share.
****

I am grateful for the things and the people in my families life, those who lift us up in prayer and lift us up in spirit and those who have helped us in our greatest time of need. I'd like to think that I would think of others before myself, or being that someone who lifts someone else up. Lately that has been on my heart. I was in the store about a month ago and a young couple about my son and his girlfriends age were buying some needful items. I was waiting in line as they fumbled around trying to count up their change to buy the things they needed. They looked a little disheartened and called the cashier over to take off an item. That item was a double pack of toothbrushes. I thought to myself and remembered being young and first married and had to put groceries back because we couldn't afford it.It was horrible. It's hard times for people. Then I thought what if that was my son and DIL. I called out to them and told them I would buy those toothbrushes for them...They were so surprised that I was willing to do that. To me it was nothing...it wasn't the money or the item..It was to let them know that there are good people out there who care. It was a toothbrush for crying out loud not a big deal but the act of kindness can make a whole lot of difference with people. Several years back I bought a homeless lady diapers for her baby and a treat for her toddler along with drinks. and the other day I gave all my pocket change to a Vet on the side of the road. Not something I normally do but there was something about his sad leathered face that compelled me to give. It wasn't much money at all...But brought a smile to his face. It's little things like that which can make a difference in at least one life for at least one day.
I know I am not going to change the world but if more people would do for others in need and lift them up with a prayer or a smile..That would change their world. We were driving last week and tried to merge over to get onto the freeway with our blinker on, no one was allowing us to get over, so Mr. Darling made a push over and the lady in that lane started YELLING and flailing her body around at us through her window...she was so MAD...I couldn't believe how she was conducting herself. I graciously smiled and made a smile gesture at her and she smirked back with a smart *$%&? look and flipped us the bird.

 Friends!!! lets be the opposite of this! Let someone in, through or over while driving if they need to get over ( it's not that big of a deal) let someone cut in front of you in a line, help someone in need if you can. Donate items to a Vet or Homeless or woman/ children shelter, if your in a drive thru coffee joint pay for the persons coffee behind you, smile at people, go out of your way for others. Visit the elderly, send a card to someone down in the dumps, pray for those in need, call someone, invite someone to lunch who might be lonely, open the door for others, help someone out with their groceries. 
GO OUT OF YOUR WAY...It won't hurt you..It will bless someone else.
****








And He sat down opposite the treasury, and began observing how the people were putting money into the treasury; and many rich people were putting in large sums. A poor widow came and put in two small copper coins, which amount to a cent. Calling His disciples to Him, He said to them, “Truly I say to you, this poor widow put in more than all the contributors to the treasury; for they all put in out of their surplus, but she, out of her poverty, put in all she owned, all she had to live on.”
Matthew 12:41~44



 In everything I showed you that by working hard in this manner you must help the weak and remember the words of the Lord Jesus, that He Himself said, ‘It is more blessed to give than to receive.
Acts 20:35
***

If a brother or sister is without clothing and in need of daily food, and one of you says to them, “Go in peace, be warmed and be filled,” and yet you do not give them what is necessary for their body, what use is that?James 2:15~16


Each one must do just as he has purposed in his heart, not grudgingly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver.