2023 FEBRUARY. LOVE

 February.      2023         4*word -  Love

Whatever is true

Whatever is lovely

Whatever is admirable-

If anything is excellent or praiseworthy—

think about such

Love is probably the number one need of a human being. So find time to share moments with those you ❤️ 💕 💗 love. 

OK my blog has been pretty reflective and thoughtful for a while so

since what I most want to share is a smile or laughter with my family and friends I’m going to try and tell a joke in hopes that whoever reads this will share a smile with me.  keeping with my theme of unwavering faith here It is. (I learned this from EM a few years ago) 

A soul came to the pearly gates and Saint Peter said “well if you want to enter here you must answer three questions correctly”

“OK what’s the first?”

“ what are the two days of the week that begin with T?asked Saint Peter. 

The soul thought for a minute and replied “I’ve got it today and tomorrow” just as he replied the Holy Spirit  flew by Saint peter was about to say no but the spirit said I think you have to give that one to him , it’s kind of clever. 

So Saint Peter said “OK are you ready for question number two “

The soul said “yes what is it?”

“How many seconds are there in one year?”

The soul thought for a moment and exclaimed I know there are 12”

Saint peter shook his head and said “what made you say that number “and the Holy Spirit was cruising by while the man said “well there is January 2 February 2 March 2 April 2 May 2 etc for twelve. “

Saint Peter looked up and the Holy Spirit said “I think you have to give him that one , that was pretty clever”

So Saint Peter said “are you ready for question number three?”

The soul replied yes 

Saint Peter said “what is God’s first name?”

He said “oh that’s a tough one let me think... oh I know it’s Howard”

Saint Peter  tried not to roll his eyes and said how did you come up with that name as the Holy Spirit was hovering by and the soul said “well our prayer is said, “our father Howard (hallowed) be thy name and of course the Holy Spirit said that was clever as well so Saint Peter let him through the pearly gates.  Ha ha ha

Love God with all your heart and mind and love your neighbor as yourself 💗. God loves you 💕

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.