Anew January 2023

 2023            JANUARY.               ANEW

After the wonder and majesty of Christmas holidays the new year can seem a little daunting but let’s simply come forth anew. 

Here a few simple  inspirations to anew a room. A tiny string of lights or jingle bells can keep the spirit alive so feel free to add those to these displays or simply hang bells 🔔 on the door handle. 

*. A centerpiece of old fashioned time pieces; special clocks, pocket watches work well 

*. Array of pine cones and deer 🦌 sheds give a clean new look to any wooden table. 

*. Or set out a painting with a path or trail leading some where and pair that with your favorite pottery and bowl of nuts with a nut cracker by a favorite  chair. 

Look up anew!

L

BaileyArt4U 
Crossings 28 is my Etsy shop

Enjoy a starry night

2022 DECEMBER

 DECEMBER 2022                                     Wait 4*word

word of the month:  wait

Winter is wrapping all around nature and our perspective is reflective, hoping that we have learned in some ways how to handle the freezing temps.  Even though we have a lot less light during the days, we can be thankful for the beautiful starry nights.  Wait is just a four letter word for anticipation and oh how hopeful that can be, finding the little sparkle in the quiet moments is true harmony. Speaking of harmony sing along with your favorite Christmas carols or just listen to the beautiful harmony of groups like Pentatonix, the little drummer boy is my fave! Playing Silent Night is one of my traditions also.

Sending painted holiday cards is another great gift to give while waiting or anticipating Jesus’s day.  These are this years: 

Children always find it hard to wait through the month for Christmas yet as we get older and hopefully wiser, we wait with a lot more grace.  I have some good ideas for the reluctant waiter so here goes:  wait with good picture book stories, wait with songs,or wait with the warmth of memories and appreciation, wait by candlelight, wait with the Lord, trying to wait with unwavering or unshakable faith,(just imagining that is a full-time job), wait with a ball game in the snow, wait with skis on, wait by playing games or inventing new ones, our latest was charades of traditional Christmas carols or just sing them at home.  Whatever way you wait ask Jesus to help and you will be amazed!

 

Rustic & Sash waiting 

Sundogs at Christmas 

“For God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten son that who ever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life”

November 2022. Love

NOVEMBER 

Love is the word of the month

 In a memory to Loretta Lynn, her song “Love is the foundation we all lean on”  sums up this month.  Love helps us find gratitude, grace and patience; all gifts freely given to us by God if we’ll just call on him. 

November is a great month to take a walk in the leaves enjoy all the full fall foliage or take a walk at night and enjoy the winter constellations like Orion or the Big Dipper getting ready to spill, write  Christmas cards or make a Christmas shelter for Baby Jesus    So many ways to reflect and give thanks. 

Every morning I give thanks to Jesus for all his help and I am trying to do it more all through the day. Yet sometimes I just have to be thankful for little steps. ..Try remembering to give thanks when you stumble into a frozen mud puddle, I think I’ve come a long way just to be quiet, pick myself up and carry on. So with that said, give thanks for the good times and the

not-so-good ones as well.   Enjoy and love the Thanksgiving season, with family and friends  

Winter came fully in the beginning of November…

October 2022. **** word : lamp

The Amazing light of autumn 

Lamp is our word of the month

October 

Autumn light is heavenly light. Hence the word of the month: lamp.  In psalm 119 we often quote “Thy word is a lamp to my feet and light to my path”. To whom do you bring light to each day?  Not necessarily by a lamp , maybe just with a smile or a compliment or just by being you. 

We wake early on the ranch…this gives us a little time with our Lord before we begin the day.  The sun rays stretch out like long bleachers as they stretch below the horizon.  It gives amazing morning light and deeper hues to all of the natural beauty surrounding us.  The sun is resilient and we can hope to be that way in spirit.  We are so grateful and spend these early moments thanking God for the gifts he has given us. 

Be sure to wake up thankfully and then pass it on in tiny little ways that make you smile a mysterious little grin. Celebrate All Hallows’ Eve and enjoy the thanksgiving season.  

    A trio of pumpkins 

 I

                                                                                                       I would make a cute Halloween gift

The stars and moon are just sparkling with light each night 

Enjoy the gift of walking amongst the stars one evening and you wonder upon the universe 

   

Jupiter and the Hunter’s moon

2022. SEPTEMBER : GRIT (word of the month)

Be Blessed

 Summer and September flow into Fall or the autumnal equinox It takes grit to persevere with grace. Encouragement and motivation come from deep within your heart.  Enduring the pains of giving all your efforts to stay afloat and enjoy every minute of the sunshine season (especially if you live in the northern part) will now be rewarded with shorter days and longer nights.  This will come with a longing to look back but knowing that moving forward is what you are meant to do today. All of this takes Grit!! 

Grit and endurance is something we all must strive for... it’s like climbing; each mountain strengthens our resolve to persevere and only God knows what we will need it for later 

So with that said.. I hope you have had a wonderful sunny summer season that leaves you with a deep feeling of gratitude.

     This year we are anticipating autumn in the usual ways ,stacking hay , watching the sky, listening for the wildlife, and watching the colors change the leaves and grasses to bright reds, golds, and yellows. This year we get to wait gratefully and a little more patiently. 

     The cows are looking for a reprieve from hot summer days.  The shadows are getting larger and the nights longer,(great stargazing lately). Yet autumn will come at it’s own pace and that time will let us gather our grit  in places where we need to store it up for the winter   Those places like the barn, will grant us grand mornings of gratitude and gifts of hay for winter months.

The end of sunshiny, long,  country roads will bring cooler temps and deeper hues begin to look in the shadows and beyond.  Enjoy the transition from one wonderful season to another with a peaceful heart.

Be well, be Blessed, overcome fear, be resilient!    then you have Grace and Grit 

2022. AUGUST

 Dog Days of Summer 

Saint Roche is celebrated this month, the patron saint of dogs. A dog’s happiness is definitely a moment to share and cherish. Hope you have one of those this month. 

A Taste and Touch of August

Like ripples in water, positivity and love can spread far beyond their origin. My challenge is to Wake up each morning with seven thankful thoughts. Even if it’s just thank God for being able to breathe, touch,walk, see, taste, and ranch.   Giving thanks is the best way to begin my day or my prayers for the day. Mornings are so filled with, Hope, Cooler air and fresh new beginnings .

There is so much to do in August; so here are my recommendations:

1. Thank a rancher. I believe a rancher is a person who embraces the task from God to steward his creation in nature responsibly.  

2A. Spend lots of time splashing in the waters,creek,pond,or pool

2B.  Spend lots of time with the ones you love on the back porch, patio, or backyard deck, sipping lemonade or ice tea.

3. Corn is usually harvested this month so grill some corn on the cob, bake some sweet cornbread, and play a corn home game.

4. Go hiking BEAR AWARE,and pick some wildflowers to arrange in and old pitcher.

5.Freeze herbs in ice cube trays and butter or olive oil for using later.

6. Listen to the birds, there’s a cool free app that will match the bird you hear to its name. The app is from the Cornell Lab Merlin app. 

7. Create a fall to-do list or organize your pantry storage area.  Love the last month of summer   

Spend some silent time with our Lord who loves you.

Even though it seems like God isn’t there, He is.

2022. JULY

JULY

2022

“We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal,that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of happiness.”

Your Signature  Trivia:  John Hancock wrote his name very large so he said  he didn’t want the king of England to have to get his glasses to see this rebel’s signature.  Also when he sent it to General George Washington, who was with his troops in New York and told him to show his men, the men got so excited that they tore down the statue of king George at Bowling green and so began the American Revolution   The colonists fought 8 years for the independence from England.

Can you name five people who signed the Declaration of Independence?  I will give you a few you may guess and a few others to look up. Interesting men…

John Adams

Benjamin Franklin love his answer when asked. What have you got for us?  And he replied, “you have a republic..if you can keep it.”

John  Hancock

Thomas Jefferson

And also John Penn

Robert Paine

Francis Hopkinson

John Witherspoon 

Thomas Heyward 

George Wythe. There’s ten

Here’s to the hundred days of summer heat. There’s so much fun and work to be done it’s hard to rest but stop for a moment just to say thanks.  The most refreshing things I do in summer and all year are eat lots of fresh fruit and vegetables, head to water, even a sprinkler will do or many times the irrigation ditch, but the two most important things to do in the early morning are drink a full glass of water as soon as you get up and pause to read a daily verse from God.  It surely makes the day go better  Lean upon the Lord and he will give you peace.  Happy summer!

The rivers are still high and mighty; muddy and fast; it’s like they are telling the story of life.  The skies are the place I’ve been searching…saw a rainbow last night and took a picture with my mind.  The lightening has confused my phone more than once so I’m spending more time enjoying nature’s beauty outdoors. Montana is beautiful country. Blessings all around us. 

Pictures taken along travels

Art by Bailey 

June 2022

June greens

 Everywhere you look there’s a shade of green except of course with the birds and the flowers.  The birds are bright yellow warblers and tanagers are flittering around just above the ground and the early wildflowers are white,pink,and purple. Scavenger hunts and adventures are being planned  what will your treasure be this summer  

“Every time I think of you, I give thanks to my God.”  Phil1:3

The power of thank you has been underestimated and I would like to show more of my appreciation to all. It reminds me of a childhood prayer, 

Thank you for the food we eat

Thank you for the world so sweet 

Thank you for the birds that sing

Thank you God for everything 

 As you can imagine I am getting into the hundred days of summer for God children will be visiting and the outdoors is humming and busy. Nature is growing and we thank the farmers and ranchers as I hope they will be able to grow a great harvest. Fruits are great in gardens, and desserts. Water is a must so drinking more of it already. The ducks are in the pond and so is the canoe. Lakes and rivers have  their pull on us so hiking and heading to the cabin has begun. I hope everyone has a wonderful productive summer with all your senses engaged and appreciating each moment for what it brings to your life!  May you thrive along with nature. Happy trails 🐴

Photo by Katelyn Pahut 

Freezing herbs in butter 

MAY 2022

MAy 2022

Poppies in the pasture

 The grass is greening up after a very raining/snowy April.  Sash is herding sheep and wanting to earn her merits to progress to cattle but everything worth doing takes time to do it well. Twin calf doing well and horses are vet-checked and shod for the season. Spring cleaning is constantly happening as wet weather brings forth muddy prints everywhere. Preparing to plant soon.  Daffodils, a few wildflowers, dandelions along with a few poppies are the flowers we’ve seen  this spring. 

                                                                       

Happy Mother’s Day and Kentucky Derby Day. Hope mom is watching from our sky so blue. 💜💕

Mom’s double rainbow at 28

A cold Spring has filled our mountains with snow over 100%!  So soon summer will lead us out of doors and into seemingly endless sunlit days (at least in the northern hemisphere) and beautiful starry nights. I will begin my Sunday tradition of campfires amongst the mountains.  The 100 days of Summer will begin this Memorial Day and summer will reign again

    So as summer begins watch for wonderful pleasures in the sun and over the horizon, whether it’s a road trip to the top of the world or a ride in the country or a trip to the lake, enjoy all the sunshine, sunrises,and sunsets you can find and as CP would say take a picture in your mind and you’ll always keep those memories alive.

😎🐾👣👒🎓congratulations to all the Grads this Spring!👏🏼

HONOR THE MEMORIAL DAY GIFT 

Abraham Lincoln was a great president and it came with the ultimate sacrifice as well as the soldiers on D-day. I have quoted his famous Gettysburg address on a previous post but think it gives meaning to our Memorial Day thoughts of today, he said, : “In a larger sense,we can not dedicate,we can not consecrate,we can not hallow this ground.  The brave men,living and dead,who struggled here, have consecrated it,far above our poor power to add or detract. The world will little note,nor long remember what we say here,but it can never forget what they did here.”  

Freedom is not free. Dear Lord thank you for these great men so that your authority and principles might live on in greater ways.  In Jesus name we pray.  

And with his final words of the speech we can know what we are to do with our lives,:

  “It is for us the living…to be here dedicated to the great task remaining before us that from these honored dead we take increased devotion to that cause for which they gave the last full measure of devotion that we here highly resolve that these dead shall not have died in vain that this nation under God, shall have a new birth of freedom and that the government of the people, by the people, for the people shall not perish from the earth.”  Let’s do it.

Here is an excerpt from the book of the month happy reading!

2022 April

Awesome April  

Spring is in the air. Weather is changing. Spring breaks are over, getting prepared for the hundred days of summer work   Easter 🐣 is almost here. Calves are snuggled in to the earth and learning life. A time to refresh, renew, and recycle, another way to say spring cleaning. 

We cherish the mountain snow although the winds have been disgruntled for some time now so our hearts are hoping for spring moisture to make more green grass🙏

Find the ✨ stars, and northern lights, they’re beautiful 

Look for life and flowering the cross, an old time tradition at church.

It’s time for unshakable trust

And unstoppable hopeHe is unmovable loveJesus gives us  these three every morning, but especially Easter morning because he conquers death , rises,  and lives again in His kingdomDo we encourage othersCan we pray relentlessly Do we have the courage to follow Himfor He has risenHappy EasterWith  His peace”I came that they may have life and have it abundantly. “ John 10:10read The Velveteen Rabbit by M W  Bianco  to a child you know💜

2022 MARCH

🌿 Blessings in March ☘️

 

                                        Winter chickadees                                        Horseshoe cross

Calving begins…

black angus calf

☘️Irish Blessings:  “a good friend is like a four leaf clover …hard to find and lucky to have”🍀

🍃Thank you Friends and Family 🍀

🐾Everyday encouragements:    Increase our FAITH.   find your quiet place and listen to Lord Jesus