"Favorite Things Swap" ready to be mailed....

I am so excited! I am getting everything together for my partner, Dorey, in our "Favorite Things Swap". I have been shopping for weeks, picking up little things here and there that I like and that I think she will like. Dorey has two little boys and it has been so fun thinking back to when Chase was a little boy and what we enjoyed doing. I tried to think of things that made life easier for me in the challenge of searching for Dorey's "favorite things" gifts. For me, giving puts me in this place where I know that God truly wants me to be. And this challenge, giving to someone that I don't know, has even been greater! Getting to know her heart through her blog has been incredible, I think that is how God wants us to know everyone! He wants us to take the time to "ponder" that person, get to know what they like, find out where their heart is and what can we do for them. God wants us to search people out, to love them and to honor them, just like He does us! I thank God everyday for the "Surprise's of Life" that He gives me. I hope Dorey enjoy's hers! A little sneak peek for her to guess at!

Altered Diva Summer Classes Almost Finished...

I am almost finished with with my summer classes (funny seeing that summer just started) with the Altered Diva and I am considering taking more. I have enjoyed taking both of them so much especially the challenging landsape class. I am terrible at painting in the lines, that is why I enjoy altered art so much. Anyways I wanted to show you my finished pieces and invited you to her site. Karyn Gartel is a fantastic instructor providing written instruction and youtube instruction. The address to her site is http://adonlineworkshops.ning.com/

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The Garden Tour

THE SUMMER GARDEN TOUR~ Welcome to my Garden.....

Home, Sweet, Home!

The fountain with no water!!!



What a honor and joy to be a part of the Garden Tour being held by the Cottage Industy. Gardening in Georgia has been a challenge this year. We are on water restrictions like we have never been on. Old Nellie has only been washed a couple of times and that was at the carwash that used recycled water (we had to wash her to get rid of the giant dead bugs from our visit to St. George Island). Our grass cries out for water and our shrubs and perennials are just wilting from the heat. Forget about planting the annuals this year, they will die in a matter of days in the record setting temperatures that we are having. What few plants I have planted have been plants that require very little watering. The one good thing is my checkbook looks better from not buying the flowers and not paying for the extra water bill, but I really do miss the green grass and the wonderful color of the flowering shrubs and the annuals in bloom!

Thank you for visiting and please comment here for my first giveaway!

See details at left!

The Unexpected....

Psalm 46:10“Be still, and know that I am God!"

The Most Unexpected..... God's beauty of the Sunset and Sunrise!

I think he sheds a tear missing the children while they are away at college!

Chase's Tonka Truck Garden!

My favorite nut tree with nuts hanging from it!!!

Let's sit for a while....

My Favorite Sitting Place!

Ta Da.................

The "Charm House Chicks" and their completed altered art projects!

Happy Father's Day

Happy Fathers Day Daddy!

Dad, if all the fathers

Had lined up one by one,

And God told me to pick one,

I'd still choose to be your daugher.

I'm proud to have you as a father

Who listens and understands,

Who teaches me and sets fair rules

Without unfair demads.

Dad you are my hero,

My role model in all you do.

So Dad, if I could pick again,

You know I'd still pick you!

By Joanna Fuchs

A day with my little artist...

I had an incredible day with three new, young, budding artists! It was one of the most relaxing, giggly, smiley days that I have had in a very, long time!

The heart of the young girl, so innocent, so free, so loving! You never know what they will say, how they will react or how they will feel! You know why God desires us to come to HIM with the heart of a child after being around children like this for awhile. I pray that HE once again will give me this opportunity to serve HIM again through teaching art to young children. It is such a JOY!

Karis showing off her altered art star project! Can't wait to see the final piece!

Haley and Faith, sisters, admiring Haley's star piece!

Haley, Faith and Karis in my studio creating gifts for their daddys' for Father's Day!

Two Blog Day....

I just had to show my first art lesson from the Altered Diva~

This is going to my Landscape.... I will post my next lesson next week.

Summer Lessons go to this site~ http://adonlineworkshops.ning.com/

The Phone Call.....

So......... I get a phone call from my daughter Whitney last night and she is so excited. Now to remind you of things. Chase and Whitney, my college age children, are working on St. George Island at Jeanni's Journey's providing kayak tours and environmental camps for children. This is Whitney's first year, so basically she has been assisting Chase on the tours. Now, back to that exciting phone call.......... My little baby girl calls and informs me that she will be "LEAD GUIDE" today on a kayak tour, not just any kayak tour, but the BLACK WATER, scary, alligator ridden, snakey, slimy and I will mention again ~ scary ~ tour! I can't believe my beautiful little girl that was cheering her team on to victory a year and a half ago is now this gutsy, extreme, tough woman! Chase has her by himself for one month and now look, she is a changed woman! I kinda like this! THANKS CHASE!!!! Hmmm..... I now have one tough girlie!! And I have always had one tough, crazy, extreme, wild son!!!! I love you and miss you both!!!

Thank you for your Prayers....

What a week............ God has truly sent a blessing my way! I want to thank so many of you for your continued prayers~ I wanted to share my good news to you through my e-mail to my doctors office and a post by my daughter to her blog......

Dear Mary,
I cannot thank you enough for suggesting Dr. McIntrye to me. He has been a complete blessing since I met him and now that he has found out that I have a low thyroid and put me on meds I am in complete awe of him and my Lord! A week before I went to him I was at the beach visiting Whit and Chase, I was sick to the point I was in the bed most of the trip. One night when Whit was praying over dinner she ask God for a healing for me so that we could start doing things together again. After I came home and Dr. Mc's nurse called me and told me what she did I called Whit so excited because I felt like it was an answered prayer. Whit started crying and said that night she went home and wrote a long prayer in her journal about how much she needed a healing for me. I believe God is answering that prayer! Mary, I count your as part of that
blessing. Thank you and God bless you!

Finally - GREAT NEWS!!

The Lord is continuing to heal my mom again.

She went to a new doctor that tested her thyroid and found that she suffers from hypothyroidism which causes heavy weight gain, muscle cramps and frequent muscle aches, fatigue, weakness, tiredness, and swelling.

The doctor put her on medication and her swelling has already gone down.

Hopefully, everything else will be taken care of too and she'll have more energy.

Please keep her in your prayers... as well as the doctor -

that the Lord will give him the knowledge in taking

the best steps so that she can be healthy again.

Our Father is faithful in answering us -

sometimes it takes years, other times it takes just a week.

We're seriously discussing our plans in making

The Charm House into a mother/daughter business -

a little boutique filled with artwork and coffee!

We'll just continue to pray over it and see what happens!

The rest of the goodies...

So... I took Reid and the truck back to pick up "MY" new desk (there were drifting thoughts of letting Whit have it for her new apartment). As we pull up, the lady looked exhausted. The day with the heat had been miserable. But I could tell with what was left she had a good yard sale! But in the process it had uncovered a few more goodies for me, but thank goodness at a cheaper price. The one thing that didn't sell that I was shocked, was her grandfathers old desk chair. I didn't ask the first time how much it was because I knew it was probably out of my price range. With the day coming to the end I was curious at the price. I felt like heaven had just poured down on me when she said $40.00. All the nail heads were in perfect condition, the leather was like new on front, back and bottom. It rocked liked a rocker should and it had rubber rollers that I could roll all over the room with! Oh my goodness~ not only did I have his desk but now I owned his chair. It now will have a home and will be cherished and loved as it was by this family! Oh how I love other people's stuff! Thank you Lord for these gifts!

Best Bubbles in the World.....

Best and Biggest Bubbles in the World
*This is a great item to keep in the refrigerator!! Kids love them because they make really big bubbles that last forever floating through the sky!! Hint – If you have a child that loves Mountain Dew, do not use an old Mountain Dew bottle to put your bubbles in. (Looks like the real Mountain Dew but, it doesn’t taste like it!!!!!!)
2 Cups Joy dishwashing detergent
6 Cups Water
¾ Cup White Karo Corn Syrup
Combine, shake, let settle 4 hours. Store covered in refrigerator to extend suds shelf life. Allow to warm before using.
Only Use Joy!!!!!!
A 2-liter bottle holds exactly one recipe!!
**Non-Toxic – but not for human consumption

Taking Nellie to the Yard Sale......

MY STASH IN THE BACK OF NELLIE

WOW.......... Has my day started off great! I pulled out of my road, drove 1/2 mile and there it was, the big sign~ HUGE SALE>TURN HERE! I passed, knowing I had another destination.... but thinking ....... hmmmm......... I am not on a time schedule here........ So I swung Ole Nellie around and we headed back to the big sign and I wondered which farm could it be. I knew that Nunally Farm Road was the home to only farm houses. So, I slowly drove down the road looking for a big sign ~ it had to be big, the sign on the road was big~ and there it was.......... tents set-up, stuff everywhere, sign saying 9:00 - 5:00. This is great......... but I am here at 8:15. What the heck, go for it. I pull in, seeing someone else already looking. Go in and the lady says welcome, we are still setting up. And my eyes are going crazy searching out treasures. I am in altered art, first apartment (my daughter's) heaven! I start grabbing and negotiating and before I know it I have spent my limit. What a day and it is only 8:30. What damage I can do in 15 minutes. But it felt good! I don't do this very often. Once in a blue moon! This for me was a gift today, a blessing! Thank God for allowing me to feel this good to get out and do this, having it this close to my home, a nice lady and family to help me and wonderful husband who allows me to shop! WOW,God is good and life is good WHOOOOPS............ I forgot! We have to pick up the desk tonight that goes with the rest of the goodies. I will post the pictures of it later!!! It is so beautiful! Oak with a leather top!

Getting Ready for Christmas Rush...

With things being slow on Ebay and ETSY I thought I would take the time to work on my studio. I actually decided to move it into another bedroom that was larger and had access to a patio. This was the room that I spent the most of my day in and I decided that it should be the bigger bedroom seeing that my children no longer lived at home.......... big step for me! At first it seemed selfish of me, but then I thought it seemed very reasonable and logical! If art is my life then I need to be comfortable in my surroundings! So...... here it is! I went to the basement, pulled out the boxes and found some of my old favorite things (and yes, many belonged to my children), put up some of my favorite artist pieces and WOW did I have the best time decorating! I still have to get my desktop. I really want something that looks old, but is still stable and long........... Hmmm..... have to get Hubby to work on this project.