Proud Mommy Moment & a quick card

Steven is one of only 11 kids in his school that was chosen for the Duke University Talent Search for gifted children this year. I can not begin to explain how proud of him I am. Now that he is officially a teenager I've stepped into a whole new chapter of mommyhood..To be honest there are times when I had just rather skip this stage in his life..hehee. But with all the struggles he and I have been through over the past year it all seems almost worth it. He is going this morning to take his ACT. Did I mention he is in the 7th grade? The Duke program is sponsoring the test. To read more about the Duke TIP program go HERE .
He is so excited and scared to death at the same time. I mean there at things on the test that he just hasn't learned in school yet. I have no doubt that he will do a great job. So I made him a quick "good luck" card yesterday. When I say 'quick' what I mean is from the time I decided to make it to the moment I gave it to him was under an hour. I know had I had more time it could have turned out a bit better, but the look on his face when he got it made me feel like I had made the best card ever.

As another surprise for him today, after his test I am going to take him out for lunch and a bit of shopping.

Steven, Honey, When you read this I want you to know just how much I LOVE you and how proud of you I am. You are one awesome kid and I am blessed to be your mom. I love you Bub!!

Thanks for stopping by and taking a peek into my life.

~Monica~

My Valentine's Day gifts

I have been meaning to post pictures of what Trent gave me on Valentine's Day for a few days now but I've just not gotten around to it. So here they are.

Trent, bless his heart, has been working so many hours lately. 10 hours a day 7 days a week for the last few weeks to be exact. With no real end in sight. He's so tired when he gets home that he barely has time to eat supper, take a shower and visit with the boys and me before he has to get to bed for the next day. Much less keep his eyes open while doing it. Knowing how tired and sore he is and with everything he has going on with work I honestly didn't think he had time to go to the store to pick anything up this year for me. Or even remember it was Valentine's day to begin with. I wouldn't have blamed him in the least. Besides he spoils me enough throughout the year that he would be off the hook had he missed this one holiday. heehee.

At 5:30 am on Valentine morning, after getting dressed, he goes outside to start his truck to warm it before leaving just like every morning. But this morning when he came back in he was holding this adorable huge teddy bear. awwwwwww.. He had stopped on his way home from work the night before to buy it and hide it out in his truck all night just to surprise me... again...awwwww. Now as a little girl I was a sucker for a cute stuffed animal. I had tons of them in my room most of which were on my bed. And a teddy bear was the LAST thing I'd expect Trent to get. How sweet is he?? I fell in love with my big guy the second I saw him.

I took a pic of the bear with Rex (my 6 year old) just to show how big he really is.


Now like I said I really wasn't expecting anything for Valentine's this year and the bear was such a sweet surprise. Well it just got better. That night when he came home from work, he came in the house like any other night after work. Hugs and hello's to me and the boys and puts his lunch box up in the kitchen. Then right after that said he had to go outside to do something...(I can't remember what his excuse was now). He was only outside for a second when he came in with these......a dozen roses.....OMG!! I have to tell you this was one of the most special Valentines Days ever. He really showed me that no matter how tired he is...no matter how much he does work and is away from home...he is still thinking of ways to make me feel special. And believe me, he does make me feel special.

Now there is a bit of a back story to Trent giving me roses. We were together for a few years before he had bought me any. He felt that buying roses, or flowers in general are a bit of a waste of money because they die. Ok...Ok...so he has a valid point. BUT I don't know many women that don't love flowers.. I prefer wild flowers except for Valentine's Day. To me Valentine's = roses and chocolates...(and now an adorable big teddy) I don't ask for much do I?? heeheee. Anyway...a few years ago he came home on Valentine's with a dozen roses. They were so special to me knowing how he felt about flowers that I dried them and saved them in a basket. I figured that was going to be the only flowers I ever got from him....Low and behold the following year, more roses...woohoo. Then the next year, again,more roses. I have dried all the roses he has ever given to me so I could keep them for a very long time.

This year I decided to do something special with the flowers that mean so much to me. I put them in mason canning jars and tagged them. This is what I came up with.....

I've put them on a shelf in my dinning room so I can see them everyday. I even have the jar and tag ready for this year's roses. As long as he gets me flowers, I will dry them and put them in jars so I can enjoy them for a long time to come.

Well that was my Valentine's Day. Happy Late Valentine's to each of you, I hope it was as memorable and special to you as mine was to me.

~XO Monica OX~

New bloggers in the neighborhood Let's give them a big welcome.

Two very special people to me have joined the blogging world. They are both very creative and talented.

The first is Kristy. Her blog is Webfrndz. She has quickly became a very dear friend to me. The fact that she's married to my cousin doesn't have anything to do with it..heehee. Kristy is an amazing photographer and does not give herself enough credit. She dreams to become a professional photographer someday and I believe she will do just that. She's even started making some of the cutest props for photo shoots. I'm hoping she will share those in her blog someday too. Kristy is so full of creativity that I am green with envy. I'm just thankful she's passed on some of her ideas for photo shoots to me..heehee.

The second is my niece Jo Lynn. Her blog is Hair Bows from the Heart. This girl seems to be the "Go-To" girl for all things weddings these days. She helped me with the planning of my other niece's wedding last year and since has had people knocking down her door for help on their own weddings. I've told her more times than I can count she should start a wedding planner business. Instead she's started making hair bows. And beautiful bows at that. Seeing them makes me wish I had a little girl to buy them for. There really isn't anything she can't do or create.

If you have time, please stop by their blogs to check out some of their work. Tell'em Monica sent ya.

Keep those creative juices flowin'

~Monica~

Ice Storm Photos

An ice storm hit us January 26Th and 27Th. We were without power for the 10 days following. Not to mention cell phone service was out for the first several days. There were over 170,000 homes in Kentucky alone that were affected. There are still thousands of homes across the state without power. Power crews from other states came to Kentucky to work around the clock to help get utilities back on for us.

This one is looking down our driveway to the road. We had already moved several large limbs from the drive before I took this.

If you look closely in this shot you can see the slide from the boys swing set. These are trees that were so heavy from the ice they were bent over the swing-set. Luckily they didn't break and completely fall on the set. The boys are happy it survived.

Another shot down our drive.





The top of a tree in our front yard. Several large limbs had broken off.

This is a shot right out my front door. The limbs that had fallen from the tree above.

A shot of the tree-line and pasture.

The next few shots were just me playing around.

Trent's tractor...

Bird in on a limb.

My statues...

Red berries on a tree. I thought they were so pretty. I couldn't get much closer to them to get a better shot because limbs were falling all around me. I was afraid to get under the trees next to it to get a better shot.

Ice on the limbs with a bird house in the back ground.

Ice on the gate.

Ice on a Cedar Tree.

The ice and snow are now gone and the clean up has begun. It really does look like a war zone out there. But we are counting our blessing because it could have been much worse.

Keep the families who are still without power in your prayers.

~Monica~

Study Time

I've been spending the majority of my time reading and studying lately. Well, that's if I can pull myself away from FaceBook long enough. In the time since my last post I've completed 2 more sections in my Interior Decorator course.." Principles of Color" and "Decorating with Fabric'' as well as completing two more photography classes at HP.com. One on camera composition and the other on photographing babies in the first year. It's true that I'm past the baby stage in my Mommy career, but I thought it would be a good class to take for information only. I have a friend who will soon be having a baby and Trent's brother and sister-in-Law are expecting sometime next Fall. I'm hoping to be able to "borrow" a baby.

Taking the photography classes on Hp.com has only fueled my passion for Photography. On top of taking the classes I've finished reading a book on the subject and now looking for the next book to start reading. All of this activity has lead me to enroll for the Photography course with the same school I'm taking my Interior Decorator through. At the moment I'm waiting on the final enrollment paper work so I can get started.

I can't even begin to explain how excited I am to start this course. I may never become a professional photographer or even a paid amateur. And you know, that doesn't matter so much to me. I just want to take great photos of my family.

Another reason I am taking the class is Lathan will be starting Kindergarten in the Fall. He is the last of the "litter" so to speak. All four boys will be in school. Which will leave me home alone all day to enjoy peace and quiet, get all the things done in one day that I never could before with little ones running around, and to ultimately become completely and utterly bored out of my mind.....you get the idea.

So just consider this post a warning that you will soon be flooded with pictures on top of pictures of my trying to become a better photographer... Nothing to share as of yet. I still have to complete one more class at Hp.com before I will allow myself to post any new pics. This class is on Photoshop Elements..heehee. And Trent told me I had to finish the painting in the house before I can go out spending my day taking pictures. LOL I guess he's probably right. I'm getting pretty tired of seeing the paint cans in the laundry room too.

Well...that's about all the babbling I'll put you through for now. Until next time stay warm and keep those creative juices flowin'

~Monica~

Playing with a Christmas Gift.

The boys and I gave Trent a Game Trail camera for Christmas. For those of you who don't know what they are..they are used for hunting. You attach it to a tree in the area you plan to hunt to see what kind of activity is going on. Check it out more at Cabela's .



Trent put the camera out here on the farm just to check it out and see what we could get. He placed it in an area where he know deer usually travel through. Unfortunately we haven't gotten pictures of any deer yet. What we have gotten are a bunch of shots of nothing, I guess the wind or rain would trigger the motion sensor. We've also gotten several shots of dogs, ours and others from the area. Also the occasional rabbit and what we think is a raccoon. (it was kinda hard to make out) But this one shot is by far my favorite of all that we've gotten so far. If only he had been turned facing the camera.

That has got to be the biggest fox I have ever seen. I think I am more excited about this shot than Trent is..heehee.

We moved the camera the other day to an area where we believe the deer bed down. My fingers are crossed we get some good shots. If we do I will be sharing those for sure.

Who knows, we may get a shot of BigFoot...LOL

Thanks for stopping by to take a peek into my life.

~Monica~

Ya learn something new everyday!!

I'm taking free online Photography classes at HP.com. I just completed the first class. Now I am on to my second course "Camera composition: change your perspective".

I just wanted to share and pass on the information just in case someone may want to join me in these classes.

Monica

Every girls crazy 'bout a sharp dressed man!!!

Trent's parents came by Saturday evening to bring Lathan a new church outfit. I wish I had gotten a picture of him when he first saw the clothes. Talk about a happy boy. So Sunday morning I had to get some pictures of him in his new duds.

He was more than happy to model for me. He looks so grown. I told him he looks like a business man so now he says he needs a briefcase..heehee.

Every time I have my camera out he wants to take a picture. Since I've gotten my Rebel it has been a STRICT rule...'You DON'T touch Mommy's camera!!' But for some reason I was feeling nice that morning. So I let him take one of me.

After seeing this picture of myself I've come to realize a few things...1) no matter what color hair dye I use my hair always turns out red. 2) I really need to wear make up and fix my hair more often. 3) I should have taken my glasses off.

Have a very Merry Christmas!!

~Monica~

Puppies, Puppies, Everywhere

Here are some pics of the puppies. Half Siberian Husky, Half Neighbor's Dogs...
Yep, they are mutts but they are adorable. They're just about 3 weeks old and just opened their eyes a couple days ago.




I would love to keep them but Trent wont let me. Then again we are already feeding 3 dogs 3 cats and a horse on top of the 6 of us. So I guess he's right on this...But they are just so darn cute.

I need to find homes for them. So if anyone is interested just let me know.

Have a very Merry Christmas.

~Monica~

Autumn Theme wedding card

I made this for my neice. She asked me to make a Fall/Autumn theme Congrats card for her friend's wedding. This is what I came up with. The card and envelope were cut on my Cricut. The paper is Fancy Pants.

Thanks for looking...

Happy Thanksgiving!!

Just a quick one.

Yeah, I know I haven't been around for a while. Sorry about that. I'll try to do better. But I just had to make a quick post and leave this. A bit of food for thought during the upcoming Holiday Season and throughout the coming year.

This was sent to me in an email from my sister. Yes, this is one of "those" emails, but the story was so touching I could not help but to get teary eyed. I had to share.....

Psalm 55:22 ---

You really need to read this.

'Friends are God's way of taking care of us.'

This was written by a Metro Denver Hospice Physician:

I was driving home from a meeting this evening

about 5pm, stuck in traffic on Colorado Blvd. , and the car started to choke and

splutter and die - I barely managed to coast, cursing, into a gas station,

glad only that I would not be blocking traffic and would have a somewhat warm

spot to wait for the tow truck. It wouldn't even turn over. Before I

could make the call, I saw a woman walking out of the 'quickie mart'

building and it looked like she slipped on some ice and fell into a Gas pump, so I got

out to see if she was ; ; ;okay.

When I got there, it looked more like she had been overcome by sobs than

that she had fallen; she was a young woman who looked really haggard with

dark circles under her eyes. She dropped something as I helped her up, and I

picked it up to give it to her. It was a nickel.

At that moment, everything came into focus for me: the crying woman, the

ancient Suburban crammed full of stuff with 3 kids in the back (1 in a car

seat), and the gas pump reading $4.95.

I asked her if she was okay and if she needed help, and she just kept

saying 'don't want my kids to see me crying,' so we stood on the other side

of the pump from her car. She said she was driving to California and that

things were very hard for her right now. So I asked, 'And you were praying?'

That made her back awa y fr om me a little, but I assured her I was not a

crazy person and said, 'He heard you, and He sent me.'

I took out my card and swiped it through the card reader on the pump so

she could fill up her car completely, and while it was fueling, walked to

the next door McDonald's and bought 2 big bags of food, some gift

certificates for more, and a big cup of coffee. She gave the food to the

kids in the car, who attacked it like wolves, and we stood by the pump

eating fries and talking a little.


She told me her name, and that she lived in Kansas City Her boyfriend left

2 months ago and she had not been able to make ends meet. She knew she

wouldn't have money to pay rent Jan 1, and finally in desperation had

finally called her parents, wi th whom she had not spoken in about 5 years.

They lived in California and said she could come live with them and try to

get on her feet there.


So she packed up everything she owned in the car. She told the kids they

were going to California for Christmas, but not that they were going to live there.


I gave her my gloves, a little hug and said a quick prayer with her for

safety on the road. As I was walking over to my car, she said, 'So, are you

like an angel or something?'


This definitely made me cry. I said, 'Sweetie, at this time of year angels

are really busy, so sometimes God uses regular people.'


It was so incredible to be a part of someone else's miracle. And of

course, you guessed it, when I got in my car it started right away and got

me home with no problem. I'll put it in th e shop tomorrow to check, but I

suspect the mechanic won't find anything wrong


Sometimes the angels fly close enough to you that you can hear the flutter

of their wings...


Psalms 55:22 'Cast thy burden upon the Lord, and He shall sustain thee. He

shall never suffer the righteous to be moved.'


My instructions were to pick four people that I wanted God to bless,

especially for the months in 2009 , and I picked you.


Please pass this to four people you want to be blessed and a copy back to me.


Here is the prayer:


'Father, I ask You to bless my children, grandchildren, friends, relatives

and email buddies reading this right now. Show them a new revelation of your

love and power. Holy Spirit, I ask you to minister to their spirit this very

moment. Where there is pain, give them your peace and mercy. Where there is

self doubt, release a renewed confidence through your grace,

In Jesus’ precious name.

Amen.'


I know I picked more than four -- you can, too.





Much Love to you all. Have a Happy Thanksgiving.
Monica

October is here...Where did September go??

I can't believe it is already October. I haven't posted since the end of August. Oh my where did September go??? Maybe with baseball, tball, and PTO planning for the Fall Festival??

But now that it is officially the Fall season it is time to decorate for Halloween and Autumn. I've been working on a few home decor items. I hope to be able to post in the next week or so.

Have you started decorating for the season? I would love to see what you've come up with.


I've also been trying to work on a few Christmas gifts. I cant share those yet. Not till after Christmas.

I know this is a bit scatter-brained...I just wanted to let everyone know I'm here and alive.

Also..check out my MemoryWorks site for new additions for the season. They are super cute and fun. Link to the left of the page.

If you place an order between now and November 30th 2008 your name will be put into a drawing for a nice Christmas prize pack. Drawing to be held the first week of December. Order must be at least $30.00 to qualify and placed between October 4, 2008 and November 30, 2008. If you have any questions or comments please feel free to email me at monicajo4@mchsi.com.

Have a happy and safe fall.

Monica

Long time no see

Wow, it has been a long time since I've posted. Stacey Sent me a couple "hints" to update my blog so I thought I had better get on over here before she sent out a search party...heehee....You know I love ya Girl!!

So what's been going on with Monica lately. Well being the glutton for punishment that I am, I have signed 3 of my 4 monkeys for Fall Baseball and T-Ball. And if that weren't busy enough for me I was elected to the Secretary position on our Elementary PTO.

Right now we are in the process of planning our Annual Fall Festival scheduled for Oct, 17Th. My niece is the Activities Coordinator for the PTO and she is planning what looks to be our school's best Fall Festival in years. We are making calls every day to area businesses for donations to help out with auctions, game prizes and theme baskets. If you would like to help out too just shoot me an email. On top of the games and activities we are also putting together theme baskets for auction. We have just about every theme possible...Scrapbooking, Art, Day Spa, Boys, Girls, etc...

If you happen to be in the area October 17Th between 4-7pm..Stop on by. We'd love to see ya.

I will be in the photo booth taking pictures. Which leads me to announcing my new baby. Trent was so sweet about a week and a half ago. He took me to Circut City to buy me the Canon Rebel XSi that I have been drooling over for some time now. Isn't he sweet? I am in LOVE with my new camera. I'm still learning all of its features. I took over 400 shots in just the first week I had the camera....is that too much??

I tried to upload a few of my favorite shots of the boys but the uploader isn't working well today. So I will try again later.

Well that's about all the time I have. I will try not to be gone so long this time.

Until next time...

Monica

Hug me

I found this fun little quiz on my sweet friend, Tracey's Blog "Running With Scissors"

My results ended up being the same as Traceys heehee.

Your Candy Heart Says "Hug Me"

A total sweetheart, you always have a lot of love to give out. Your heart is open to where ever love takes you! Your ideal Valentine's Day date: a surprise romantic evening that you've planned out Your flirting style: lots of listening and talking What turns you off: fighting and conflict Why you're hot: you're fearless about falling in love

What Does Your Candy Heart Say?

Until next time.....

They make dirt look good!!

That's a great title for a page don't ya think??

I walked out the back door the other night to call the boys in for supper and this is what I found. Rex and Lathan laying in the dirt with their cars. Oh two happy boys they are. I almost hated to make them stop playing to come in. But BOY were they filthy. Of Course I had to grab my camera........



They love to pose. Check out the dirt on Rex's upper lip and their clothes... Too funny.




This is Rex's favorite place in the world..

But MOM I don't wanna come in.....

Until next time....

CHA time..

Its that time of year again. CHA-Summer. I have to admit the past couple days I have been blog hopping to see all the cool new exciting products being released. Oh what I wouldn't give to have a chance to go. I know several people who are there now and I read their comments just to feel like I'm there too. I'm curious as to who else is with me on the blog hopping.

Are you searching for the new goodies?? What are your faves so far??

I am loving anything Cosmo Cricket, that's a given. But I think I have fallen in love with the Making Memories Spell bound collection too.

Share with me what you like.

Just for Laughs

Ok so here I am searching the net looking for some funny quotes for a mini book I am making for a friend and ran across this. Some of these really made me giggle so I just had to share. Hope you get a laugh.

A Woman's Dictionary

Argument (ar*gyou*ment) n. A discussion that occurs when you're right, but he just hasn't realized it yet.

Airhead (er*hed) n. What a woman intentionally becomes when pulled over by a policeman.

Bar-be-que (bar*bi*q) n. You bought the groceries, washed the lettuce, chopped the tomatoes, diced the onions, marinated the meat and cleaned everything up, but, he, "made the dinner."

Blonde jokes (blond joks) n. Jokes that are short so men can understand them.

Clothes dryer (kloze dri*yer) n. An appliance designed to eat socks.

Diet Soda (dy*it so*da) n. A drink you buy at a convenience store to go with a half pound bag of peanut M&Ms.

Eternity (e*ter*ni*tee) n. The last two minutes of a football game.

Exercise (ex*er*siz) v. To walk up and down a mall, occasionally resting to make a purchase.

Grocery List (grow*ser*ee list) n. What you spend half an hour writing, then forget to take with you to the store.

Hair Dresser (hare dres*er) n. Someone who is able to create a style you will never be able to duplicate again. See "Magician."

Hardware Store (hard*war stor) n. Similar to a black hole in space-if he goes in, he isn't coming out anytime soon.

Childbirth (child*brth) n. You get to go through 36 hours of contractions; he gets to hold your hand and say "focus... breath... push"

Lipstick (lip*stik) n. On your lips, coloring to enhance the beauty of your mouth. On his collar, coloring only a tramp would wear!

Park (park) v./n. Before children, a verb meaning, "to go somewhere and neck." After children, a noun meaning a place with a swing set and slide.

Patience (pa*shens) n. The most important ingredient for dating, marriage and children. See also "tranquilizers."

Waterproof Mascara (wah*tr*pruf mas*kar*ah) n. Comes off if you cry, shower, or swim, but will not come off if you try to remove it.

Valentine's Day (val*en*tinez dae) n. A day when you have dreams of a candlelight dinner, diamonds, and romance, but consider yourself lucky to get a card.


Do you have a funny quote you would like to share?

Until Next time....
XO~Monica~OX

Subscription Linking Troubles---Fixed

It has came to my attention the subscription link to the blog wasn't working correctly. I am so sorry for any trouble. I do believe I have if fixed now. Unfortunately you will need to subscribe again. If you have any more trouble please let me know. You can either comment here or email me directly at monicajo4@mchsi.com. Thanks for understanding and again I am very sorry for the trouble.

Until next time

XO~Monica~OX

The 4th at home with family

We celebrated the 4th of July at home with family. Trent's parents, brother, sister-in-law and their boys came by to spend the holiday with us. We bought our own fireworks and several sparklers for the kids. It was nice to be at home and not fight the traffic and crowds of the large public displays.

Some of my dear friends from the MemoryWorks message board gave us some tips on photographing fireworks. So with camera, tripod and crossed fingers I attempted to get some good shots of our display and of the kids playing with the sparklers.

This is a pic of part of the fireworks we bought.

Here is Trent and his brother getting all the wicks ready before it got too dark to see them.

These are some of the fountain type.

This one is my favorite.

These are the ones that went up in the sky. I had my camera on a tripod and set on a 2 second timer. I got lucky to get some good shots, but I like what I got. I am actually pretty proud of these considering this is the first time I've tried to get pictures of fireworks. Thanks so much to the girls as MWMB for the tips.

And here are some of the boys playing with sparklers.

I hope everyone had a fun safe 4th.

Until next time,

XO~Monica~OX