New Years Day Sweet Moments Captured; Even The Moon!

Hello friends,

I hope you've had a great start into 2018.

It was a gorgeous day in Arkansas. 

Cold as all get out; good snugglin weather! 

I almost feel guilty enjoying my new word so much.  

I absolutely "love" to hike, and go walking... taking strolls... 

uphill, downhill... rain, shine, and especially snow.  

Yesterday was no exception loving to walk because Myguy was home and went with me! 

One of the things for his new year is trying to be more intentional to take more time

doing the things he loves.  He works really hard and has a  demanding job.   Something unique about him  is ... he's a farmboy at heart.  

He loves his cows.  And they love him.  Feeding them  is some of his best "down time." 

When I watch him out there... I can almost see the stress melt right off him.  

Same for out on his tractor.  He is such a happy guy working on the farm.

So that's one of his goals for the year... and since it's one of his- it becomes one of mine.  -to see to it he gets more

time to de-stress.

It's not something he even asked of me, but 

for his well being I want to be more intentional to help him find more time.     

So yesterday he spent a good portion of the day out on the tractor.  

He brush hogged in the fields and also cut more firewood. 

Later I told him I was gonna head for the woods after awhile for a walk.   

He said, "When you get ready to go ... I'd like to go with you."  (my heart did a flip

flop coz going for a walk in the woods with my honey on New years day- yeah.. that's what I'm talkin bout.)  wink*

So we both had a really good start into 2018.  

So many times in the past,  I've stopped and taken photos of my boots out walking.  

What a treat yesterday to take a pic of that other pair of boots I cherish.

Well ... the heart that wears them.  

As we walked the woods he showed me areas he's  cleared here and there; and then showed me 

other sweet surprises.  Years ago our little boys used to play in those woods and they built 

tree houses and things.  He showed me trees two little boys had cut down with hack saws. 

Omg... I'd never noticed it even before but sure enough... clean cuts... well but for the different directions they sawed after getting tired I'm sure. lol  Pricesless !  He showed me different ones

he'd found that they'd sawed and ... said it just did his heart good when he discovered those were stumps  two little boys had left behind once upon a time.  

As we walked down to the far gate... I pointed to this little heart rock and told him

it was something I too had left behind.  He smiled ...

and so did I.  

After our walk I headed home to make a big kettle of 

chicken and dumplings.  

Nothin like some comfort food to ring in the new year.

Especially for Myguy after spending hours on his tractor

and splitting firewood.  

As the sun was going down... came the moon watch.

My dear friend in Scotland and I have been planning to catch the moon together..  at the same time somehow.  

I'd just put dumplins on the top of the potatoes and bubbling chicken broth when I got her text.

I ran out the kitchen door looking for the moon... but it still wasn't up high enough.  

Back in and setting the timer on the stove... I paced waiting... I kept running outside to check.

Finally it was peeking just behind the trees!  

I wrote her back and told her I was grabbing a coat and hat.

She wrote that she too was headed outside.   

Myguy helped me photograph this so I could be in the picture of memories.  

Standing at the garden fence ... the moon broke over the trees.  

 My friend and I were looking at the moon at the same time.

 Although we live 4,199 miles apart, my friend in Scotland and I 

watched the New Year Super Moon at the same time .. with a 6 hour time difference-

AND it was still her birthday!  

Is that stinkin cool or what!!!?  

 What fun... 

Something I will remember forever.

 I documented it in my fauxbonichi.

I don't care that  the sketch is wonky...

I will  look at this little sketch in the future 

and smile from ear to ear.  

Just as I am now.  

 That summed up my first Day pretty well. 

I better jump off here now and get to babyproofing. 

It's my Tuesday to play with the little flitting wren.  

I need to get my outside chores all done and

tend all the critters so my focus can be entirely on her. 

Can't wait to get some sugars! 

Have a beautiful day everyone!

Stay warm!  

Love from an olde shed.  

Missing and Dragonfly Kisses

 Missing someone can put an awful ache in a body.  

Probably most of us have known that ache in one way or another. 

This week; I was just feelin it.
-- That loneliness ya know?  

This bible was a gift from Mentor who went home to Jesus  and the verse  highlited in purple;

that was her verse.  

"Thus says the Lord,

Stand in the ways and see, And ask for the old paths, where the good way is, And walk in it; Then you will find rest for your souls.

But they said, 'We will not walk in it."

There's this worn path I walk almost every day....  

It's hard... and  usually this piece of my trail always gets me thinkin of  "the good way."

Out there walking; I think of my friend and mentor Cora a lot.
Mostly because all the things I wonder about in the bible ... I could ask her.
I wonder a lot and have so many questions....
Cora didn't mind all my wondering ....
She was trust worthy and really really really liked digging deep in the Word.
Man I miss her.
Been missin my Momma too.
 
Last night on my walk I kept seeing dragonflies.
 

They were everywhere!

  

 I wrote a journal entry  from that walk.  

The  dragonfly was on a  gate in the back pasture.   

At one point I realized I even had my Life is Good "dragonfly" shirt on. 

"Dragonfly kisses, Momma."  

With brave wings I fly.  

Alright friends,

Time to sign off.  

Myguy should be home soon.  

 

Until we meet again, 

Leaon Mary

Garden Planning and Making My One Word Visible

Hi friends!

It's been a while!  

Thought I'd jump on here and share

a few things.  

It's been absolutely beautiful today.

The dogs and I went for a walk and it had been awhile for that too.

We need to get back in the groove again!  

As I headed for the house, I noticed Francoise was not keeping up which

is unlike him.  I turned to see what he was doing and he was bringing up the rear but

definitely limping.  I told him to stop and I walked to him to see what happened.  

I couldn't tell what was wrong with his paw so carried him up the big hill  back home.  Finally discovered the poor little

fella had quite a briar thorn stuck between his toes.  

I tell ya what; carrying an extra 25-30 pounds uphill bout did me in.  

Reminded me of a time I carried his Dad up that very same hill long ago.  

What we do for our furbabies huh?  

Back at home I found myself  in the garden.

I keep winding up back there, and scratching my head; trying  to figure out what to do about fencing?

I just cannot make up my mind?  Part of me wants to put picket fence up around the whole

thing but that sure makes it harder to turn around with a tiller.  

Also I have got  to get seeds ordered that I want to start early inside.

 Walking around the garden I found several new sprouts happening.

These bulbs, 

some garlic,

and the fennel is coming back as well.  

Boy does that ever get my heart to pumpin!  

 I have about five big hens and several little roos turned out today.

All the others I keep locked up because of  the hawks. 

They don't seem to mess with these big hens?   

Having the big girls free range; I tell ya their eggs are just beautiful.

I used their eggs in another chocolate buttermilk cake and blonde brownies yesterday as well as Myguy's breakfast this morning.  

Those bright orange yolks....  Happydance!  

Speaking of happydance; 

had to share a pic of this Roo today.  

He's half frizzle, half quail Antwerp Belgian.

The sunlight had him all lit up. 

And those curls!

He just knows he's the man.   

Then there's this olde gal.  

She's an Araucana who honestly I can't believe is still kickin.

She's always gimpy and yet year after year keeps on a goin.  

Had to laugh when I noticed her shadow this afternoon and remembered this 

Swedish Proverb.  Because when I'm feeling chicken to do something sometimes the fears

seem bigger than they really are.  

 Enough about shadows.

How about some light?  

I've been looking for new ways to bring my one little word into my space-

where I can see it often and think on it more.  

 I hope to hang it on walls, 

wear it, and journal with it too.  

This is a sheet of acetate type stuff with  my word and anchor verse printed

on it.  I laid it over a piece of pink card stock to better see it.  

Soon it will get cut and taped into a journal page....

 Probably this one:

Recently I got this new tn with special Christmas money.

It's from Foxy Fix and I had my word embossed on the cover.  

 A  little star on the spine too. 

-And I signed up this year for Ali Edwards  One Little Word 2017.

I preordered an album with them  to document everything.  

I wish I would have done that with my previous words.  

Just having it all in one place would be pretty cool.  

Well I've gotta get some supper going but wanted to leave yall with 

a scripture picture.  One of Myguy's friends gave him a huge bale of wheat straw and 

the hen I shared up above kept getting in the bale and kicking out the seeds to eat.  I shoo'd her off

and seeing the pretty stalks; decided to make this bouquet to bring inside.  

Let us not become weary in doing good,

for at the proper time we will reap a harvest 

if we do not give up.  

Galatians 6:9  

Goodnight all,

LeaonMary

A Day Scripted and Scripture Picture

Howdy friends!

-Been thinkin about how our dots all connect in one way or other.  

My friend and mentor Cora, who went to heaven a few months ago, 

used to talk to me about the "bigger picture," 

You know; like connecting the dot to dots in a coloring book, 

You're a dot... and I'm a dot... and so on... and this big  picture 

is all becoming and growing... and  ... 

what a  beautiful thing it all is.  

A few days ago, in one of the groups I'm in; a lady shared

how she distressed a  traveler's notebook using  a coffee stain stencil. 

Those circles just grabbed me and I thought of the dots.  

I wanted to try distressing one of my own 

notebooks that I'd gotten paint  on the back.  I found this stencil by 

crafters workshop and while chatting with my dot Dawn, we both

distressed a tn while private messaging pictures back and forth.  

It was so much fun and I kept thinking how our own dots had connected.

While this moment was all in art play; I know it was really God who first

connected our dots and with  purpose.  Just like so many of you who may be

reading this now.  It's overwhelming really to think on.. the big beautiful picture of it all.  

There's just so much we don't even see and again

so much we do see if we're looking.

 I love when people share things in their lives with others and that thing just 

sparks you.  Maybe it's a song, scripture or quote, 

and it sparks you  to the point that you  "get it."  Maybe it's a new hobby,

art supply, recipe, technique... 

Maybe you're sparked to try  something new... 

Or maybe pick a hobby back up that for whatever reason.. ya stopped doing.  We've all been there haven't we?   

 Dot Dawn Dutton and another dot lady recently shared with me about this book.  

I found it on Ebay and it's been absolutely challenging me to

write like crazy, and create art... and ohmygosh... the joy that is sparking!  

I've been so inspired. 

So I want to share what a blessing it's been  with you.

The copy I bought here is dated 1992 and I found a name scrawled-- 

There's a contract inside of an agreement where you write your name stating

you'll commit to the 12 week course.  A woman's name was filled in 

all the lines in pencil.  I rewrote her name at the bottom of the page then erased

her name on every blank and filled in my own.

I wonder if she completed the book... and did all the assignments?

I wonder what she learned and what kind of art she creates and

if she still writes three pages a day?

Our dots connected.  

 Between The Artists Way  and another book called 

The Creative Called- I've been writing for 20-30 minutes in this new daybook

and then three other pages that so far mostly become prayers.  

When I ordered this Outlander travelers notebook from Chic Sparrow,

I told them the more range marks, scars, brands, and blemishes the better.

Can you see what the brand/scar is?  

TWO CIRCLES connected by a line.

Like ... dot to dot.   

I'm still in awe!!!!!!!!!!!!!

God things are happening...

And I hope one day to beable to see the big beautiful picture.  

 Meanwhile... I'm scripting the days... 

forward, backward; 

seeing what happens,

and enjoying the process. 

 Every day 

holds possibilities. 

 One of the assignments for today was to go to 

a dime store and spend five dollars on things.

I couldn't find the star stickers I wanted but did get these.

Index cards to doodle and write scripture memory cards to tape around the house.

A new red pencil sharpener. -It has two sizes for a dollar.  Two white erasers... coz

erasing ... well that's just a given.  Two new mechanical pencils in happy colors... turquoise and orange-.. didn't really need new pencils but ..they make me happy.  

Five bucks; nearly twenty years ago-  no doubt went further than today.  

So this was today.  

Have yet to print any photos to tip in.. but 

I think I'll just turn the page.  

 I must have been thinking of my friend and Mentor Cora a lot today because

I found myself reaching for the Lindy's sprays she gifted me.  

I can't wait to use these pages tomorrow and see what happens?

I love messy splatters and 

enjoyed how the sunlight streamed in while paint flew.

 Creativity played in the kitchen as well this week.

I made Myguy this new pumpkin hot roll recipe.  

Then... 

used a recipe my Sister gave me for this bread and used 

the two bread bowls she also gifted me!  

She's told  me how good the bread is toasted and I shoulda 

 listened to her LONG ago.  I do believe I'll be making this bread weekly for awhile and steering away from the English muffins I've been so deliciously stuck on.  

This bread.. toasted kinda THICK.. is crunchy on the outside and soft n chewy on the inside.

It has honey and molasses baked inside... so it has this slight sweetness and 

slathered with real butter... well..  

I'll just have to add the recipes this weekend into the recipe box tab and maybe someone will want to try it for themselves.  

SO I sign off tonight with this scripture picture.  

It's a sunset from a couple evenings ago looking out beyond the back pasture.

The tree you see is the "sweetheart tree."  It has love carved right into it. 

Sleep well friends.  

Sweet peace,

Leaon Mary xoxo

Revising and Punkin Play

Good morning merry Sunshines,

No matter that  it's actually drizzly here- merriment remains.

--So I was wrong*

Thought the pumpkin bread recipe was already in the recipe box tab but

scrolling through; I didn't see it.  It's there now.  For real    :)  

If you make it; I hope you love it. 

The recipe in my cookbook is so splattered and marked in the margin:  FAVORITE 

and Mikes favorite.  Apparently it's our eldest son's as well because 

he text me this week and asked, "Momma how do you make your pumpkin bread?" 

-- So when I finally found cans of pumpkin I bought some for him too.  It sure 

blesses this olde heart when grown manchild sons wanna know how it's done.  

I don't think he's made any yet; so I  have no doubt at some point today I'll hear 

the screen door slam and a rifling through in the kitchen to find what he knows

is already baked up.  Writing that just now brought that warmfuzzyfeelin.  

With pumpkin on the brain, and inspiration from my friend DawnDuttonalloneword: (that's what we call her)  -well I've also rifled through my paper stash.

These were purchased last year and never used.  Today, scissors will fly and a couple 

bare naked paper inserts will get dolled up for Fall. No more hoarding it.  

Use it uP!  

 Collages of this  lil  Punkin will also be printed out and 

washi taped to the pages.  

My new selphy and zip printers are getting a work out since she's arrived.

I've already had to reorder papers for them.  But it's so handy

to carry the zip with me to bed and print a few right off my phone.  

Alright friends... this olde farmhouse doesn't  clean itself.  

Time to knock that out first before punkin paper play. 

Have a great day! 

Leaon Mary xoxo

Garden CleanuP, Our New Donkey, And Learning To Be

 Hi friends,

Well; 

Last week I shared  

THIS mess. 

It about got the best of me but...

persistence pays off.  

Sometimes you just gotta keep chipping away at things-

or pruning away I should say.  

Pulling, hauling, and even grunting a little too.  

I wound up with a huge load of vines to haul to the burn pile. 

Tomato vines, dead clematis,

and the morning glories; ... well... -- I almost shudder at the 

millions of seed that kept falling from their pods as I pulled those wretched 

things off fence posts.  Okay; maybe that sounds harsh... but seriously 

give a morning glory an inch and ... 

well... 

you know the rest 

of the story.  

Last week I forgot to share with yall 

about our newest family addition:

 A friend on facebook shared a post with me about 

a free donkey.  I saved the pic to my phone
and later added her to my Hobo that night.
 I didn't even respond to the ad right away thinking;

surely she was gone already.  

But ... what if??? 

I kept thinking about it so finally private messaged the lady who ran the ad and 

she gave me the number to her Aunt. 

I phoned her and we talked quite a long time.

Her husband had passed away just three weeks earlier and this donkey was his.  

The woman said she was 80 years old (same age as my Momma in heaven) and 

 told me she knew she couldn't care for "Ruth the donkey" through Winter.

As hard as it was; she had  to find her a good home.  

I really enjoyed visiting with her... and if you know me... you know how much

my AngelMother  loved our donkeys.  I don't know but ... it felt like something was just clicking
 between this woman and myself??  

Before we hung up, she told me we could have Ruth.  

I was so excited and text Myguy right away about them.
Happily; he was in full favor of us getting another donkey.  

(sigh)....I just love Myguy!  

 So that  Sunday after church we drove to West Fork with our rusty, olde stock trailer in tow.  

The woman... well; she did indeed remind  me so much of my Momma.  

That's her in the upper right hand corner of this little collage.  

And this sweet donk is Ole Ruthie.  

We put her in the corral when we got home and let Spirit, Violet and Gracie walk up and meet her.

It went really well...
So much so that it just seemed 

meant to Be ....  

I keep adding her in my journals.. lol
She's fun to watch and  

is very sweet natured,

After turning her out into the big pasture;

at one point I looked out and didn't see her anywhere.  

I think this  was actually the next afternoon.  

So I walked around the place and finally found her all alone in the woods.  

I think I woke her up. 

She refused the apple I carried, but did 

come back up to the barn.
I told a friend of mine how she went off to the woods alone and how her owner had died
three weeks prior to this and she wondered if maybe she was grieving?
It does make you kinda wonder.  

I believe we've become friends now. 

I bought a bag of the same brand donkey treats my Momma used to get-

and Ruthie; ... she loves em.  

We've wormed her and the farrier has us on his schedule 

so soon she'll get her feet trimmed.  

Myguy managed to get her halter off thee other day.  

She'd worn it a long time and as you can see; it  was wearin the hair off her nose.  

She now thinks I have a treat when I walk in the pasture and I can 

walk right up to her.  She stays  with her herd now too.  

When she discovered the salt block I thought she was gonna eat the whole thing.  lol

The girl likes things salty n sweet!!   

Let's see; the next news to share is 

I finished  my last surgery to uncover thee ..

is it ... abutments?  That's not how I thought my dentist was saying it 

but I guess it is after looking it up.  

This has  been one long, lonnnnng ordeal. Years now.

It's really not anything I just "like" talking about BUT.... 

It just is. 

And like it or not;

it's part of my story. 

I remember when all this started being beside myself. 

In hindsight I can now see a lot of good things that have come from it all.  

  

Anyways, I can't remember how many bone grafts I've had now, 4?....and 

a sinus lift surgery... and the other day; the last little surgery to uncover

all the screw thingys.  (That's what I call them but really they're more like

little titanium screws that are hollow and go up into my new bone.  Part of them are sticking out

and now I just gotta heal again.... before getting the final implants.  

This waiting is definitely the hardest part.  

I have stitches from one side to the other again,

but the day after didn't even need ibuprofin.

So that's pretty awesome.  

I think this was the night of  surgery.
Sacked out with Myguy on the couch. 

I slept all day long- probably coz the night before I was pretty wired about it all.    

I thank God so much for my wonderful husband and sons.  

They have been so supportive and 

rally around me. Their genuine love ...
is such a gift.

One learns alot through an experience like this.
You learn who your friends really are.
-Who you can trust... who you  shouldn't.
And who you never ever would!  
It's very eye opening on many levels.
 At any rate... I'm just thankful.
I give thanks in all these crazy circumstances.  

- Anyways; I'm chilling out and counting my blessings.  

A day or two after this surgery;

I discovered these beautiful flowers on the front porch.  

Our youngest son's fiance dropped them off for a pickmeup.  

I feel so blessed.    

They've brightened up the whole week. 

And I find myself  carting them from room to room. lol
- Depending what I'm doing.  They've been in my little art porch alot!   

Yesterday this was my share on Instagram.

 My time in the word had brought the word 

TRUTH; around again.   It keeps popping up!!!  

A friend commented on that Instagram photo and shared her time with the Lord 

calling  it her TRUTH Time.  

And just prior to that  I put Truth 

on this picture created at Picmonkey.  

While doing my devotional; I found  myself reaching for a scrap of painted paper and 

writing one of my favorite quotes about TRUTH on it.  

Has your voice ever shook a little when 

you've had to speak TRUTH to someone? 

Mine sure has.

Anyways; it's kind of wild when a word keeps repeating itself isn't it? 

Reaching for my Bando; I realized
how well the colors  above matched.
Thought I'd share it here because some of you are "listers" as well.
Listers Gotta List has become something I enjoy doing so much. But not using my Bando
 much I decided to try using  it to keep my listing.  In the past I've most often used a Midori
insert book but that gets kind of expensive over time.  Love how Listing  gives a creative outlet
for every day but sometimes I don't really feel like decorating all those pages; yet still enjoy
listing.  So far the  Bando is working out pretty well. 

It has a front pocket to keep each month's list of prompts... and 

there's quite a bit of room to jot down your answers.

Add a little washi and  stickers and the pages get colorful pretty quick.  

I like that I'll have just one book to house all the years listing.  

I suppose if you had more you wanted to write you could always use tipins on the pages.

And not long ago I shared my tall dark n handsome Mr. Darcy 

leather traveler's notebook here.  (Is that a mouthful or what?)  

He's worth it though.  

Having a long standing journal and now planner book addiction;

you can imagine I have quite a few from over the years.  Most of my planner books have been used for memory keeping

and looking through my stash of them I'm so glad I've kept them.  Picking the old ones up; I can read

about the funny things our boys did when they were mischievous little things. Reading them brings 

back so many wonderful memories.  The good bad and all.  

Mr. Darcy here is quite unlike any I've had. The leather is smooth and .. strong and he wraps around  the inserts so well. They say the Darcy leather really takes life on... meaning they show their journeys.  They get scratched, and marred and scarred... just like us!     

He's become the place to document my whole 

going gray journey.  

I really think everything I've been going through with all these dental surgeries added in

is putting a whole new spin on things.  

No wonder my one word this year is 

Perspective.  

Here's my first tabs 

There's a lot more to going gray for me than

just hair.  

It's mental, and emotional along with the 

physical.  Think I'll need more tabs.  

Sometimes I wonder if it's really about hair at all?  

And so begins the inside of my book.

One feather.  

.... I can't even explain.

Maybe it's to take flight...

give wings... 

to fly...

but...

I'm finding it starts at the beginning.

As far back as I can remember.  

Before this day and 

on this day.  

Who knew?  

Just ONE.  

Going gray is 

gaining perspective.  

Seeing differently.

Inside 

and outside.

It's soul seeing.

So tomorrow is another month of ditching the Clairol Nutmeg dye.  

This is two months of grey growth 

...as well as the mouthful of stitches you can't see.  

This mop has  grown quite a bit and I can almost

get it all in a little pony tail.  

While I know it's not gonna be easy; so far 

I love the new sparkles.

This card Be you, was recently in the planners society kit.  

It's staying right here in the back of Mr. Darcy as a reminder. 

Be YOU!! 

Well that's the lastest at the Potting shed.  

Thank you for stoppin by and spending your precious time  with me.  

Yall   mean so much to me.  

Until we meet again.... 

xoxo