I am an avid follower of Susan Branch's Blog
(the artist/illustrator/author/recipe queen and much more).
She inspires so very many 'girlfriends' to follow their dreams,
make home a wonderful place to be,
and to find time to jot down the memories of their lives as they happen.
This is my tribute to her, for inspiring me to continue with my journaling efforts.
Thank you, Dear Sue.
Spring has come extra early this year, and extra fast,
and I can hardly document its progress fast enough.
I have always loved journals...all kinds...and for all different interests...
and I had happened to make a purchase from Amazon.com
of a great little moleskin watercolor sketch book.
It has been the perfect size to record spring...
especially since this is our first spring in our little cottage,
and there are surprises all around.
Our Weeping Cherry tree, in the front corner of our little postage stamp-sized yard is like a little bouquet God gave me to look upon, and remember how much He loves me...
This Singer sewing machine, circa 1920, was a gift from my mother and dad...
because THEY love me so much...
So when I sit down to piece this quilt I've been working on...I am wrapped in love...
I pick a small twig with the softest pink blossoms and commence sketching and painting...
The blossoms are pressed within the pages a few days later.
The update on the Bradford Pear tree, through my sunroom window....it looked like snow....pear blossom snow...
The petals completely covered the driveway...it was beautiful while it lasted...and now we have green..
And my Amen Corner is cheering the arrival of Spring...
You remember Shirley, Goodness, and Mercy, don't you? And now sweet Chicky-chick has joined the 'corner'
I have a journal I purchased when we moved to Rose Water Cottage last June.
I like to have guests sign and/or leave their good wishes,
I tuck ticket stubs from the concerts we've attended at the old Franklin Theatre,
and have now begun to use it as a dinner party journal, as well,
after seeing Susan's post of the one she uses and has had for many many years.
This was a journal entry from last fall, when we took Xavier to a train exhibit at Cheekwood, here in Nashville....
Grandaughter Kyleigh spent the night with us, and when she saw my journal, she wanted to make her very own entry...
When Xavier came for his next visit, and saw Kyleigh's entry....yes, you guessed it...he wanted to make his own...
And then, just last week, I entered our 'family night'. We try to have these for the ones who can come, and always cook their favorite comfort foods.
Again, thankful to Susan for tips on things to include in the entry...date, weather, time, guests, menu, topics of interest, special memory...
This, from a few weeks ago, is entered in the journal I use for the grandkids...things they've said, that are quite profound, or funny, or thoughtful....always precious and priceless....
I love Susan Branch's collection of stickers and embellishments, for I don't always have time to sketch a little drawing. This next entry is from last fall. I made it, after Tim and I had to bite our tongues to keep serious faces as Xavier 'waited on me'...
He is quite an imaginative and animated little fella, and I could squeeze him to pieces when those big blue eyes over his freckled little nose look my way...so serious...oh my goodness, there's nothing better!
This is what the journal looks like on the outside....I just love it...
Another author/illustrator I admire and look to for inspiration, advice, and friendship...
is Jeri Landers.
Her blog, Hopalong Hollow Gazette,
is always pure joy, and she includes a link to her process of writing books.
When I was beginning my journey of writing and illustrating,
I took notes of the supplies she used...
paper, watercolors, mechanical pencils,
even the wonderful journal she uses for sketching and taking notes as she plots a new book.
Had to have one....needed all the inspiration I could gather around me....
I loved the waterfall and the trees embossed in my favorite shade of green.
This is the mess I create on the inside...
It's where I work through the ideas for the story...scribbling, scratching out, more scribbling....
until it takes form.
Thank you, Jeri, for sharing your process with us!
The other morning, I was at my art table...still in my p.j.s, Scout curled up asleep in my lap...
I couldn't keep my eyes away from the window...looking out over all the things sprouting, shooting, springing...
So, in my jammies, leaving Scout on the porch to have a sunbath...
....I took my camera to snap a few photos to share with you....
Tim and I had noticed this patch of 'grass' days before, and then, all of a sudden...on the first day of spring, there were blooms...tiny little 'bells'.... what are these tiny little sweet flowers? Please tell us, if you know...
Here's the iris bed...can hardly wait to see my favorite purple ones...the color of my wellies.
And the ivy we set out last year is making its way toward and up the big hackberry tree...
One of the six hydrangea bushes (out of the seven we set last summer) is producing foliage...
and I am ecstatic to meet those big moppy-headed blooms...
Pansies that have hung on through the winter...
....and the hollyhock sprouts are out of the kitchen garden window and sitting on the table between the back porch rockers, awaiting planting as soon as they have acclimated...
Last summer, I was privileged to meet, in person, a dear woman who had been visiting my blog.
Once she realized we lived only minutes away from each other,
we arranged to meet at a sweet little bakery in town, for coffee.
She gifted me with a copy of the beautiful Victoria Bliss Gardening issue.
Tucked inside was this lovely, handwritten note that I treasure...
We are kindred spirits, Mary and I, in every way.
When we realized our shared love for the movie/book Cranford...we were delighted.
When she saw my last post, highlighting the sweet Snowdrops, she made a request.
I went to gather some of the petite blooms and found there were only two left...out of all those patches...only two!
Aha! One for me, one for her....for pressing, the way the sisters did in Cranford...
and at last it is entered in the journal..
I begin the entry of the tiny mystery flower...
And here it is, completed...
At first, my main purpose for this sketchbook was to document the blooms.
I have now learned, it is a lesson in patience and in studying minute details that I never took time to notice...
finding just the right shade of paint....
and I realize what a novice I am.
But I keep sketching ...and painting...and eventually there will be improvement.
Embrace the journey....
embrace ...the...journey...
The other evening, before the sun set, I stepped outside barefooted,
feeling the cool grass, (feeling a bit like Tasha Tudor)
and snapped a photo of the dogwood in the opposing corner of the front yard,
as its buds were beginning to open...
...a reminder that Resurrection Day will soon be upon us.
The Tulip Poplar in the center of our yard (which is our state tree:) was boasting small buds that will soon form yellow tulip-like blooms...
and another photo of our weeping cherry...
A tiny wild violet (one of many that dot the front yard) in the rose bed....
I will close this post with one of my favorite journals...not just because its one created by Susan Branch...but because it is my Gratitude journal....
It reminds me to stop...for just a minute..each day...and write down what I am thankful for,
whether it's something small, like pizza with a nephew,
or something incredibly miraculous...
an answer to prayers...
So today, I am thankful for the spring bouquet from our Heavenly Father...
visits from you, my dear kindreds...and a precious woman, Susan Branch,
who writes heartfelt posts reminding us of how grateful we should be for the ordinary...
the simple things..that make life so special.
Happy Spring!
This bouquet is made up of our tulip poplar, weeping cherry, and the dogwood tree in the neighbor's yard after a spring shower.
Blessings, friends....Have a wonderful weekend!