Seeds of Thought

Hello friends,

I've vowed to not leave this chair until I post

at the olde shed today.  

I have friends in the North who say their ground is frozen like a brick-

so I had to share the first little buttercup bloomer in our garden.  

These little guys live under a Rose of Sharon and are all snug n cozy in  

a bed of English ivy.  

How cheered my heart was to discover this first flower this week!

Spring is really coming.   

I know we'll no doubt have very cold weather still;

but even the grass is greening up in places.  

Mary Jane had her calf and the rest we hope

we still start in late Spring to early Summer.  

Like many of you; 

we've been battling flu and colds.

Myguy got hit really hard and 

thankfully he finally went to the doctor and got antibiodics. 

So other than when we've just had to go places ...

we've spent a lot more time at home.  

There's nothin worse than havin a coughing fit in a public place.

Not to mention who wants your germs?  

And when I say your germs; I really mean mine.. and Muguy

Yeah we've been real germy lately.  

I know many of your families have been hit with the crud as well. 

The worst part for us here... is we've had to stay away from our grandgirl.

We both got to aching like crazy for her.  

We just couldn't bear to chance her catching any of this mess.  

 Good thing our furbabies never care what kinda shape we're in huh?

These olde friends just love no matter what.  

And were really happy to get out and go walkin together again.

Wish we could get out there again today but it is pouring cats and dogs here.

A Funny-  (sorry but it hit me after I'd written it.)  lol  

Heck; we'll just leave that right there.  

:)  

I snapped a photo of my devo this morning.  

It was so good and fits right in with  all my garden plans this year.

"The choices you make are the seeds you plant, and they determine the kind of crop you're going to harvest in the future."  

This is out of the In Touch Ministries if you're interested in daily devotionals. 

It asks three questions.  

What kind of life do I want to live?

What do I want my character to be like?

and What do I want to become years from now?

Three good questions to journal.  

By the end of the month I'll need to start my seeds to plant under grow lights.  

I can't tell you how torn I feel over all this.  

I love gardening; no surprise.  

But there are other things I want to do this Summer besides spending sunup to

long after sundown tending it all.  

Did I really just write that outloud?  

sigh

 I've been opening this handmade garden journal from my friend Jeanie

and trying to plan  it out ahead of time.  

 

Even by encouraging myself like this.  

-This is my note to self... 

and we'll see how it goes.  

Plant what you love

and can't imagine living without.  

And just because you love it and can't live without it doesn't mean

you need multiple rows of it.  

Sounds so simple doesn't it? 

The problem is...

When it comes down to it... 

there is always room for one more seed or bulb. 

Yall have seen those shows of hoarders on tv?  

That's my garden.  

You can't walk through it... for all the plants and flowers you gotta jump, hurdle,

or go around... and then around the next row coz it's all blocked with ... more flowers.  

It sounds like a beautiful problem but it gets then to that point where you shrug your shoulders

and close your eyes coz you can't manage none of it and keep bringing more plants home and planting more seeds and then next thing you know it's the garden of Weedin... 

The morning glory take over happens then and it's katybarthedoor.  

I still haven't figured it out yet.  

But the clocks tickin.  

Have you gardeners figured out what you're doing yet?

My main thing this summer is I want more time for art.  

Maybe I should put it like this... I want more time for art 

without the guilt of I should be weeding, watering, and picking.

 I'm kind of amazed how important art journaling has become in my walk.  

Often the prompts given...wind up  going  down a whole different road for me?

One prompt was about painting a castle and instead.. I found myself 

with my nose in the word reading about heaven and the walls and gates and 

streets of gold and jewels in the walls and my castle instead became my heavenly home.  

This past week's prompt in my journal turned  into the tomb where Joseph of Arimathea laid the 

body of Jesus after He was crucified.  

 I had a really cool thing happen today.  

I've shared before that when I read the word every morning I record a verse 

that stands out for me in this walk in faith book.  

Today Phil 4:8,9 returned.  

How many times has it in the past... a lot!  

I wrote it out in the space for the day and then after the Voice of God study and

Lent study; I knew I'd grab a flow paper magazine to maybe cut out some papers to use.

I saw a Daphne Magazine as well and knew I needed to look through it as well.  

Opening it I discovered an email from my friend and Mentor in life Cora 

who went to heaven two years ago.  I had at some point printed out the email and stuck the pages inside the Daphne magazine.  In it she wrote to me about my thoughts and wrote out 

Philippians 4:8-9.  The very verse I'd just written in my book.  

 Sharing it here... brings tears all over again.  

My friend and mentor was once again encouraging my heart and 

pointing me to Christ.  

She also wrote about two books I should read that I honestly don't even remember 

anything about so I found them on amazon and did a good bit of reading about them; 

putting them in my cart for one of these days soon.  

Talk about a hot lump in my throat.  -- shew... 

Very much a God thing.  

Ha... about -hot lumps...

I have to share this tea with yall.  

If you've not seen this... this tea is seriously awesome.  

For a good ten days I had such an awful sore throat.  

This is the only thing that really helped ... especially with the coughing.  

I discovered I like it super hot and with stevia... but give it a try if you wind up 

with a cold.  Eeek... it's  reminded me that growing  teas is yet another something I want to grow this Summer.  

See the struggles real! 

I sign off with a picture of my sweet n me.  

Babygirl's  growin like a spring weed.  

I just thank God I got to spend the day with her yesterday!!  

Also since I haven't shared a scripture picture in a while

I leave you with the verse my Mentor in life loved 

and spoke to me often. 

I know I've shared it before but ... 

May we stand at the crossroads and look,

and ask 

for the ancient paths

where the good way is-

And walk in it.

#sharethelove 

Leaon Mary

So Long 2017

 Hello friends!

I hope you had a wonderful Christmas,

celebrating our Savior's birth!

We enjoyed a really nice candlelight service and Communion on 

Christmas eve; then 

Our kids all came Christmas day.

It was fun watching our little Blakelea open presents this year.

-Seeing the wonder on her face; is something I hope to always remember.

The day after Christmas my husband and I both came down with the  flu.  

That was pretty rough.

It's really going around!

Anyways; here are now.. on the eve of a brand new year!

Yesterday I got the mood to take the decorations down.

If the mood strikes; I go with it because while decorating is fun;

undecorating is not so much.   

It looks so barren without the tree now.  

I did keep a few snow themed things out- 

We've been aching for some snow; so 

I made a little winter wonderland on the olde hoosier.

 I keep finding  myself stopping in front of it and smiling. 

It reminds me so much of our week get away in Montana.

It was just the two of us and one spoiled fox that visited every night

begging for leftovers.  

We had no wifi... no tv... no phone service. 

It was like sheer heaven on earth.  

After getting all the Christmas decorations taken down-

I've been finishing up old journals and preparing for all the things starting in January.

 Today I completed this book documenting my faith. 

One whole year full of scriptures written every day and lessons learned ...

prayers written... -- this book means so much to me now.  

Thought I'd flip through and share a few favorite pages:

 This is a tip in that I'd stamped and watercolored. 

 This page was when I'd recorded Phil 4:8 and on the back of the tip in

is hidden journaling.  Those what if's that happen to me at night... get replaced 

with the whatsoevers.  

 This page reminds me to just go with it when I feel like

sketching something...    no matter what.  

 This was a scripture picture I'd made that when I printed it;

some of the words got hacked off.  Pictures like this work great in 

art journaling.  

 This was a little sketch pondering 2017's  olw

illuminate.  

 This page was just a magazine picture journaled with a white pen.  

I so often forget to use my white signo gel pen.  

 This was a scripture picture this past year that has my new

olw in it.  

WALK.  

I've known for a while now that walk would be my word.  

To walk in the Spirit, in love, in truth... etc 

 This week I received my goodies from My intent with my word on them.

This little token will get strung on my planner this year.  

 This bracelet ... I can hardly wait to wear.  

I've been saving it for tomorrow.  :)

 Once again I signed up to olw at Ali Edwards OLW 2018 

Last year I didn't follow all the prompts but now I want to!

 Been getting my books ready and preparing for all the things 

I signed up for and am participating in.  

 This past year I ordered this Chic Sparrow and had 

Walk In Faith engraved on the front. 

At that time I had no idea walk would be my word.  

Funny how things "happen." 

 Usually this time of year I peruse the isles at all the stores looking for a wall calendar I love. 

It's tradition you know?  

Having a mechanics shop we get lots of car ones sent to us but ... I like a pretty one!  

So far the only pretty calendar I have is one for my Plan book.

This insert book is hand painted by Peggy at Journal Creations.  

She even did my name inside the cover in gold! 

I'll so enjoy carrying that book around all year! 

 Tonight I'm be writing down my goals 

both for January and the whole year.  

No resolutions though-- ... no no no!

Instead; ... dreams.  

I'm looking at life very different these days.  

I'll share more about it as time goes on.  

In fact; I'd like to start sharing a lot more here at the potting shed.  

Shorter posts; I promise but a lot more often.  

 One of the things I want for 2018 is to 

create every day.

Art journaling, sketching, watercoloring... anything!

No rules.  

You may be wondering why I'm sharing a diary from 2017- 

well it's one that didn't get used.  

A flow diary unused!  

So... this will be a redeemed art journal.  

I hope to share it often. 

 Some of you may remember that a few years back I was a Grama to three littles.  

Unfortunately a divorce shattered our family and we lost those kids that 

we loved with open arms.  The little girl was around 6 years old and we 

art journaled together.  We had matching pink moleskine journals and 

would cut pictures we liked from magazines and  glued  them into our little books.

It was so fun.  It was messy and I've  forgotten how much I enjoyed adding things like that 

in my art journals.    

 Myguy just happened to get me this paper lovers book for Christmas so I'll 

be using lots of pages from it.  If you've not delved into a flow book... 

I would encourage you to give them a look see.  :)  

 Aside from that... I'm jumping back into the world of 

fauxbonichi.  I didn't get a real hobonichi this year so will be 

making do with this blank book.  The idea is to takephotos on your phone through the  day.

Then  at bedtime...  pick a photo  from the day to  sketch on a page.  

This book ... all that white - goodness; I just can't wait to start the first page.   

  

 Along with the new year comes a new study:

Discerning the Voice of God.  

Anyone else starting?

For Christmas I was gifted this beautiful dear Diary

from my good friend and adopted sister Jean.  

This book is beautiful inside and out and through it I discovered the world 

of Wrendale Designs.  

If you've never heard of them... you are in for a treat indeed!

 New art classes are also starting.  

One I recently started taught how to make little garden prayer flags and I used the inspirations

from it to make this little banner in my art porch.  

It has all my one little words on it.  

 Heart

 Perspective

 True

 Illuminate

And now "walk."  

Before finishing up this tag, I looked through a box of ephemera my 

Mentor Cora had given me before she went to heaven.  

On a book page I found these words together:  want time to walk.  

I just knew there would be something in that box.  

Cora would say, "Lea you need to put feet to your faith."  

Now faith!  

(man I miss her) 

Well in other news and 

totally off topic but what the heck; it's New Years eve afterall.  

What blogpost would be complete without sharing your  pet chicken?

I know; I know; ... welcome to my world.  

Yes it's true.  And not only is she/he (I'm believing for a she) but

she's living in our bedroom.  

This poor little frizzle chick- more of a frazzle than frizzle hatched with

about 6 others and was doing so well.  Except since she's frazzled she's missing

lots of feathers.  One day I walked to the coop and there she was covered in blood.  

I thought something got in there somehow... until I witnessed another chicklet

pecking her behind and dining on "chicken"  I scooped this poor thing up

and I know it hurt terribly just touching her at all.  But I had to get her out.  

I made a bed in a carrier for her and have kept her in our room for days now.  

This afternoon I felt so sorry for her being alone and cooped up (sorry no pun intended.)

I carried her out to the greenhouse and let her hang out in there for the afternoon.  

Next picture is pretty gross if you don't want to see... you might want to stop here.  

But if you're curious... here she is...

She's healing up... just quite naked.  

She enjoyed the  whole afternoon around flowers and succulents  and is now 

back in our bedroom in her crate.  I expect she's going to become 

quite a pet.  I hope the barn gets done soon because our bedroom is 

taking on quite a poultry parfume.  

I cropped the photo above and made this scripture picture with her unique feathers and

the pink bloom behind her.   

It's going to be my anchor verse for the year.  

Whether you turn to the right or to the left, your ears will hear a voice behind you, saying, "This is the way; walk in it."  Isaiah 30:21

Feel free to use and share it if you like!  

#sharethelove

If any of you choose a word or anchor verse... or have a resolution feel free to share

in the comments.  If you have any questions about any of the books I shared feel free to drop me a message.  I'll do my best to reply.  

I want to thank all of you for sharing your time with me this past year.

For your friendships and prayers and 

journeying along with me.  

I'm so grateful for YOU.   

Happy New year everyone!  

May God bless you richly in 2018.

Leaon Mary