Singing a Song of Thanksgiving and Praise

Good afternoon, my sweet cottage blog friends!!! I am just getting home from taking my momma to her Wednesday appointment for whirlpool therapy on her legs and I wanted to take time to blog a bit. I really miss sitting down on a regular basis to type a little bit about life around my dear old cottage. I also miss taking time to sit with a cuppa tea with time to leisurely read through all of your beautiful blogs and catch up a  bit. Well, here I am now and there are some really cool things that I wanted to share, so here we  go!!!

First of all, let me say that GOD is so GOOD!!! He never ceases to amaze me with His Providence or His timing! He is Faithful to supply all our needs whether Spiritual, mental, physical or, when most needed, material! Let me give you our latest example: we were getting ready to head out the door this past Friday to a Spring Dance being hosted for our local homeschool kids at a nearby Country Club when our phone rang. On the other end was my sweet cousin, mom's niece, and she wanted to talk to my hubby "about something important". She and he talk often as my whole family just adores that man and the way he takes care of us here. Anyway, I took the phone to him and continued to groom Caleb and myself a bit for the dance. All of a sudden I hear my husband exclaim, "You're kidding me!!!!". Well, I knew it had to be something REALLY good or REALLY bad; I was hoping for GOOD~lol. They continued to talk for a few more minutes and then I heard him make arrangements for us to go down to her house on Saturday. When they got off the phone, he says to me, "you're not going to believe this!!!". "What, come on tell me", I said. Get ready folks, here it comes......She wanted to buy us a VAN!!!! Can you believe that!!! I almost fainted!!! She had seen one at a dealership right down the road from her and wanted us to come down and look at it and take it out on a test drive on Saturday to make sure we wanted it. We were just THRILLED! Needless to say, the dance was great, but it kind of took a second seat to this news!!! PRAISE GOD, it was an answer to a long-time prayer! For those of you who have read my little old blog for the last couple of years you know a bit about my poor, rusty old van from some previous posts. It does still run but is getting close to needing some major work and lovin'~lol. This new one is a 2006 Chevy Uplander that is loaded with all kinds of cool amenities. It is a one-owner vehicle clear of any bad reports or problems which had previously belonged to a local florist shop and has right around 78,650 miles on it. Our poor old 1998 Ford Windstar had racked up a neat 286,350 miles over the past 15 years. We got to drive it home on Saturday as the dealership was able to do all of the insurance and title transfers right on the spot~COOL! We just LOVE it! God's timing and Providence are just wonderful! My cousin said that this was something that He had just laid  on her heart as she knew that all of the trips mom and I had been making back and forth to her PT and doctor appointments was placing a strain on our old van. I will have some pictures of the van and the dance and a fun nature trail hike we took on Saturday morning here for you tomorrow. For now I just wanted to post this latest news and Praise God for this blessing to us. Hoping that you are all having a beautiful day!!!

God bless and Stay Cozy, 

Charlotte

The Simple Woman's Daybook~April 18, 2013

FOR TODAY: Thursday, April 18, 2013

Outside my window...

Bright and beautiful sunshine!!! The temperature is a balmy 79 degrees and it is supposed to get up in the 80s before the day is over! YAY! My sweet hubby has just gone out to mow our grass (well dandelions, clover and violets, anyway~lol). We have a very natural landscape. :-) 

I am thinking...

That it seems good to feel like writing again. I am no longer going to compare myself or my little blog to anyone else's blog, I am only going to write from the heart and enjoy sharing those things which God lays on my heart to share. I have been very guilty of feeling that mine was somewhat less than important as I know that I am often not as eloquent as others. I have long struggled with feeling inadequate and inferior all of my life...something that I have had to hand to the Lord over and over again. I am now shaking my fist in the old devil's face and telling him to get out of my way. There is too much glory to give to God to allow old Satan to get in my way by lying to me. God is always greater and He is my courage and my confidence!!! 

I am thankful...

For every good blessing that the Lord has given me! I could not list them all on this page, even if I tried. I will say an extra BIG thank-you to Him for His love, for Jesus my Savior, for my beautiful family, for this sweet home and for His Providence and care each new day!

In the kitchen...

We just finished a fine breakfast of fried eggs, bacon and toast. I am not sure what we are having for our supper this evening, yet. 

I am wearing...

New little beige and pink striped cotton Capris pants that I bought the other day and a pink cotton tee shirt.

I love Capris! They are just so comfortable as they are not too long and not too short. I most always wear some kind of tee shirts now days as anything else is just too binding with my fibro.  

I am creating...

No crafts going on right now. I am creating a warm and loving home environment for my family; that is a constant. I really don't have a lot of time or energy for crafting at this time as I am busy taking my mom to and from her weekly physical therapy appointments and doctor's appointments. She loves to go shopping and out for lunch during her outings, as well. We are out and about 2-3 days a week. At 84, she can get around better than me most of the time~lol. 

I am going...

To my mother-in-laws later on this evening and then out with mom tomorrow. 

I am wondering...

Where the time goes....I know we all say this, but it just seems that the days fly by so much faster now than when I was younger. My dad used to always tell me that they would, he was so very wise. 

I am reading...

Various poetry and devotional books, my favorite magazines and other little books that are good to grab a quick glance at when I get a minute to sit down and read a bit. This is not the season of my life for War and Peace~LOL! 

I am hoping...

That mom is soon released from her Physical Therapy. We have been going for the past three months and it is starting to wear both of us out. She has issues with ulcers and a skin condition on her legs and they have been giving her whirlpool treatments and wrapping them. She is to go and see a vein specialist and a dermatologist soon to see if there is any other course of treatment for her. Please keep her in your prayers.

I am looking forward to...

The weekend and getting our front porch cleaned off for porch-sittin' season. That is what we are planning on getting done, anyway. 

I am learning

Once again to Let Go and Let GOD! Also learning my limitations and that I cannot do it all in one day. 

Around the house...

There are clothes drying in the dryer and my hubby is running the weed eater outside.Caleb is quietly working on building something on Mine Craft. 

I am pondering...

How hard I used to work when I was younger and how much has changed over the past 10 years.

A favorite quote for today...

Everything is blooming most recklessly; if it were voices instead of colors, there would be an unbelievable shrieking into the heart of the night.  

~Rainer Maria Rilke, Letters of Rainer Maria Rilke

One of my favorite things...

The beautiful bloom of the Red Bud trees on the hills around my house!

A few plans for the rest of the week:

Trips out with mom, cooking, cleaning, some much needed organizing in my office; the usual homely things that we do around our dear cottage.

Here is a little picture that I will share with you: 

My Narcissus blooming earlier this month.

Thank you for taking a minute to read my Daybook entry. If you would like to post an entry in The Simple Woman's Daybook visit the link here. I would like to take a minute to that Peggy for hosting the Daybook, she is a continuing inspiration and encouragement for me to keep on blogging. I would also like to thank all of my blog sisters and thank each of you for not giving up on me as I have gone through my recent "dry spell". You ladies are the BEST!!! 

Big Hugs and Stay Cozy, 

Charlotte 

Gearing Up To Get A NEW Start

Hello sweet friends! Did you wonder if you were ever going to hear from me again~lol?!?! I am pulling myself up by my almost worn-out bootstraps to get back into this little old blog of mine. I have realized just how much I miss posting about my life and business events around here. I also miss keeping up with all of you and what is going on in your lives. So, I will be back here at least a couple of days each week to post something of interest whether it is just my daily events or a recipe or a little poem or whatever might come to my poor feeble mind~heehee. For now I am just getting ready to climb our little cottage stairway to get some much needed shut eye. I will be back online in the morning, so hope to see you here or on FB or Twitter. 

For now I am sending you love and hugs and wishes that you have nothing but sweet dreams. 

Hugs and Stay Cozy, 

Charlotte

New Year, New Start

Hello my dear ones, hope you are all having a beautiful Saturday! I am extra elated today as I have finally resolved some really pesky issues with my good old PC :-) It has been down since before the New Year and I have been a terribly grumpy old mom because of it~lol. To make a VERY L-O-N-G story short, I had picked up a pretty nasty virus and my older son had come by and cleared everything back to ZERO, but when he tried to re-load my version of XP he ran into some problem with one of the DLL files. WELL, don't ask me how but this morning I was able to download the Service Pack 3 update and then my Internet Explorer 8 update and now all is fine~YIPPEE!!! I am so VERY happy to be back online!
I am hoping to get back to doing some serious blogging this year as I am now back at home full time and am going to get back to my path of being a full-time WAHM and decorator! I have picked up some NEW lines of merchandise to offer my clients and customers~very pretty and all resonably priced, too.
I just wanted to stop by the old CHC Blog to say, "Hello" and give you all an update.

God Bless and Stay Cozy,
Charlotte <3 data-blogger-escaped-="data-blogger-escaped-" script="script" src="http://w.sharethis.com/button/sharethis.js#publisher=c543db06-822a-4e9c-acde-6227b557f1a7&type=website&buttonText=Share%20the%20Cozy&embeds=true&post_services=email%2Cfacebook%2Ctwitter%2Cgbuzz%2Cmyspace%2Cdigg%2Csms%2Cwindows_live%2Cdelicious%2Cstumbleupon%2Creddit%2Cgoogle_bmarks%2Clinkedin%2Cbebo%2Cybuzz%2Cblogger%2Cyahoo_bmarks%2Cmixx%2Ctechnorati%2Cfriendfeed%2Cpropeller%2Cwordpress%2Cnewsvine&button=false" type="text/javascript">

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Another Late Night Post...(this could become a habit~lol)

Hello Dear Ones,

After a really good L-O-N-G nap on my reclining sofa this evening (causing me to miss Grey's Anatomy~grrr) I am now wide awake at 1:30AM. I have been doing this a LOT lately so I thought I would take advantage of my owl-like, late night alertness and hit the old blog for a minute to say, "hello" and do a little post. I have a bunch of pictures that I should be posting but that will just have to wait as they are still on my camera and not edited and formatted for the blog world :-) I am still working at Mr. Sewing Machine and have started taking in light mending in an effort to begin my way back to working completely at home by this time next year. I really miss being at home during the afternoon hours and working with Caleb on his schooling. I am also thinking of putting together a collection of wares for a booth at some of the spring and fall craft festivals during the upcoming year. More on this endeavor later. I am starting to get a bit drowsy again and my hubby just popped around the doorway and asked if I was ready to head upstairs for some shut-eye. I love the old cottage at night~so very peaceful here. Good night to all and I hope to be posting again in the next couple of days and include the photos I have taken.

Hugs to all and Stay Cozy,
Charlotte <3 data-blogger-escaped-="data-blogger-escaped-" script="script" src="http://w.sharethis.com/button/sharethis.js#publisher=c543db06-822a-4e9c-acde-6227b557f1a7&type=website&buttonText=Share%20the%20Cozy&embeds=true&post_services=email%2Cfacebook%2Ctwitter%2Cgbuzz%2Cmyspace%2Cdigg%2Csms%2Cwindows_live%2Cdelicious%2Cstumbleupon%2Creddit%2Cgoogle_bmarks%2Clinkedin%2Cbebo%2Cybuzz%2Cblogger%2Cyahoo_bmarks%2Cmixx%2Ctechnorati%2Cfriendfeed%2Cpropeller%2Cwordpress%2Cnewsvine&button=false" type="text/javascript">

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A Late Night Note

Ever been tired, but it's a good tired? That is exactly how I am feeling right now. Today has been such a great day and I got so much accomplished around the old cottage. For starters I put together my first ever batch of homemade laundry detergent! I have been wanting to try this for at least a year or two but just hadn't gotten a round to it (oh, the ever elusive "round TUIT"~why can't we ever seem to find one of those when you need it~lol!) It was so much easier than I had thought it would be to make and I LOVE the way it cleaned our clothes! I also appreciate that the homemade version does not leave any chemical residue. I know my skin will thank me for that. I did four loads of clothes and was very pleased with the results, even on the really grungy stuff.

I also did more apples today and we now have another four containers in the freezer for use this winter. I have peppers to process tomorrow. We will also be going to visit with my brother-in-law at my mother in law's house tomorrow. It is the first time in three years that he has been able to make the trip in and we are really looking forward to getting in a good visit with him.

I am really tired and ready for a good night's rest, but just had to post a bit before I turned in. I will leave you with a few pictures of the apples and some shots of the little veggie garden beside our storage building. Hope that you all have a blessed Labor Day weekend!

HUGS and Stay Cozy,
Charlotte

 

A Little Saturday Post

HAPPY Saturdy, blog friends! I hope that you have all had a truly sweet and blessed week! All this week I have been continuing to study a wonderful book by Donna Partow titled Becoming a Vessel God Can Use. WOW, what a powerful tool for coming to a deeper understanding of the way God moves in our lives and ways we can prepare our hearts and lives to receive God's direction for us. I am on Week 5: Being Emptied of Self to Make Room for What God Wants to Do In and Through Your Life. The focus verse for the week has been Philippians 2:3-4; Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conciet, but in humility consider others better than yourselves. Each of you should look not only to your own interests, but also to the interests of others. In today's hustle and bustle, get it now world that is really hard to remember, sometimes and something I do struggle with, though it is hard for me to admit to it. I have really been praying that I will remember to pour out my selfish desires and wants so that I can be filled with a greater desire to do what God would have me to do for others. If you have a similar desire I will highly recommend this book for your study library.

Along with this study I have recently discovered the little book The Prayer of Jabez by Bruce Wilkinson. I (finally) got around to reading it last month and must admit to now knowing what all the excitement over it was all about when it first came out a number of years ago. I really got a blessing from it and have adopted that little prayer as part of my day along with all of the other prayers I pray as I communicate with God the Father. I love to spend time alone with God each day! Don't you? There is such a sweet peacefulness when we take time for Him.

Among other little books I have taken time to look at this week was the new decorating book I picked up last Sunday by Laurie Ann McMillin Ray entitiled At Home With Laurie Ann. It is FILLED with BEAUTIFUL photos and splendid ideas for decorating your home! I have just been drooling over all of the colorful pages!

From the home business stand point, I am now re-thinking things a bit and re-organizing my home business files and documents to better reflect the current direction of the way my business operates. I was once told that "a business is organic-it takes on a life of its own" by a very wise businessman who I have always admired and was privileged to have worked with for a while. It is true, and espeicially when you allow God to be your CEO. When I have tried to do things "My Way", things never seem to work out quite right. But, when I "Let Go and Let God", He whispers to my heart the directions for His plans for our business. I surrendered the attitude of doing things purely for financial gain many years ago in exchange for an "attitude of gratitude" for any way that God can use my little home decorating business for His devine purpose. God is always right! So I have been getting my day planner cleaned out and organized, started remembering to schedule time in for housework and internet time along with working at my new position at Mr. Sewing Machine (where I genuinely love assisting customers with their sewing needs), and, most importantly, remember to pray for direction early each morning. I feel more at peace with life than I have for months.

Well, for a short post, this got kind of "long winded", but I wanted to share all of this with you, sweet friends and hope that it will brighten your Saturday. God bless all during this next week. Sending you all ((HUGS)) from WV!

Stay Cozy,
Charlotte

What's New at CHC

Happy Saturday, sweet friends! Have ya missed me? Have you wondered what I have been up to lately? Well, there has been a lot happen since my last blog W-A-Y back in December. I am finding my way back to posting here after a real writing "dry spell". Whenever they hit me I have found that it is just best to go with it and take time to listen to the voice of my Heavenly Father and be quiet for a while. This keeps me from suffering the affects of "foot-in-mouth" disease~lol. I have been busy sorting out clutter from the cottage, preparing my kitchen for a major paint-fest (cabinets and all), finishing up Caleb's school year (we had our review on May 22nd) and working hard at Mr. Sewing Machine. What, didn't I tell you about my new little job? Are you sure? Oh, that's right, I haven't written about it yet, have I? All right, enough kidding with you; I did take a job with our friends and next door neighbors, Mr. Sewing Machine. I started the first week of March and am really having fun re-discovering my love of sewing and helping others with their sewing needs. Mr. Sewing Machine has been in business for 30 years. They carry Janome and Elna machines, but service ALL makes and models~including classic Singer treadle machines~WOW! I have seen some come in that I thought came over on the Mayflower and are still running. They have old models to sell as well as the brand new wonderful machines, too. I want to share a few pictures of the store with you today:


Our Janome Rep with John and Wendy



The "treasure chest"

AccuQuilt Cutters



Gifts by GANZ



Sergers

Sew many machines!

I am hoping to finally be back to at least weekly posts here; I have missed "chatting" with all of you. Thanks for checking in with me from time to time, you are all very dear to me!

Donnelly's Colonial Funeral Home: Obituaries

Good morning sweet blog friends. My heart is saddened this morning. I have just learned that my favorite Christian artist, Charles F. Humphrey passed away on November 19th. Mr. Humphrey was a watercolor artist that incoporated encouraging words as well as verses from the Holy Scriptures in his beautiful work. He became well known through the work he did for Home Interiors and Gifts, Inc. Mary C. Crowely was his friend and fellow member of The First Church of Dallas, TX. I had always been told that Mr Humphrey, an architect by trade, had done some paintings for the Sunday School classes and that Mrs. Crowley approached him to do some for her company. The rest is history. I know that this brother in Christ is home with our Lord. His work reflected his love and devotion to our Lord. I have a link to Mr. Humphrey's obituary for you here:

Donnelly's Colonial Funeral Home: Obituaries

I have several of his beautiful works of art bought from Home Interiors and Gifts, Inc. all around my cozy home.

I smile every time that I see them. The beautiful scripture verses hold such meaning for my life and the colors that he used are so pleasant to behold. I never had the pleasure of meeting him in person but have often thought of trying to find his address in order that I might write him a letter or send a card to let Mr. Humphrey know just how much his paintings mean to me.I wish that I had done this, alas, time gets away from me and I never did get that letter written. I wanted to share this with you along with a reminder to take time and write those cards and letters while you can. To the friends and family of this dear brother, I am sorry for your loss. I know that he will be greatly missed. From my heart I say, good-bye Mr. Humphrey, thank you for sharing your God-given talent with so many. To you my friends, God bless and hope you are having a beautiful day.

Stay Cozy,
Charlotte

Thanksgiving Day at Our Cottage

Good afternoon, dear blog friends! I hope that each of you enjoyed a blessed and beautiful Thanksgiving's Day gathered in with your family and friends. We had a wonderful day here at the cottage! I got up around 6:15 to the sumptuous aroma of the turkey baking in the oven. We bake our turkey over night at 275 degrees in our good old covered roasting pan seasoned with seasoned salt, poultry seasoning and a stick of melted butter poured over the top~mmmmMMM!!! I got online for just a few minutes to wish everyone on Facebook a Happy Thanksgiving and then set about turning off the oven and starting the process of preparing the side dishes for our meal at 3:00. My sweet husband and son got up around 9:00 and I had coffee and breakfast ready for us to eat by 9:30, too. Caleb and I watched most of the Macy's parade and we called family and friends to wish them "Happy Thanksgiving" and Caleb added "Happy turkey day", as well~lol! My sweet hubby got the turkey out of the oven and placed the meat on two separate platters; one for light meat and one for dark~we had to sample it, of course...mmmm. My daughter and her family got here around 1:00 and she brought rolls and a delicious venison roast with carrots, potatoes and celery in gravy. I usually am not real fond of venison, but this was very good. My son-in-law's cousin came along with them and we were very happy to meet him and have him join us for our celebration. I had most of the side dishes finished by then with the exception of the mashed potatoes and the gravy which I had just started working on. Next came two of our sons and their families and everyone had a good time visiting as they waited for all the food. My daughter and daughters-in-law helped me finish the meal. My hubby asked the blessing and thanked our Heavenly Father for the wonderful blessings of food, family, home and His Grace in our lives. And then, it was time to eat! We had two tables set, one in the dining room and one in my office/learning room (yes, I had to take my computer down yesterday so that we could use this BIG old table in here~lol). After our meal my two dear cousins, Kay and Nancy stopped by to visit a while. I was so glad to see them!!! They brought some new books for our ever growing homeschool bookshelf and told my hubby that they wanted to make sure they took some of his famous stuffing home with them. They love his stuffing~it is really good! Our grandchildren had a great time playing together; watching movies, playing with their favorite toys, drawing and making paper frames for their pictures. Elizabeth brought her saxaphone and played some Christmas tunes for us after dinner. My brother stopped by later that evening with my niece and nephew and a sweet friend from NC and we had a great time visiting, too. Most of our kids were still here, as well and they were glad to get in a visit with their uncle and cousins. We had phone calls from our daughter in NC and other dear family members, too that added to our joy! Needless to say, everyone had plenty to eat and wore themselves out visiting and laughing and talking! It was a wonderful day! I didn't get photos as I have decided that the visit is sweeter without the camera being in our faces. I did get a picture of the dining tables BEFORE:

My house looked like a bomb had exploded AFTER~LOL, but it was a blessed mess and will remain dear in my memories always! Love to all and hope you have a great weekend.

Until later, Stay Cozy,
Charlotte :-)