Becoming a Mama

Today is the date I became a mama 40 years ago.  It is the birthday of my firstborn...Betsy..

Such a milestone and the beginning of a wonderful decade in her life.  It is so much fun watching her blossom into the woman she has become.....just a few lot of pictures of our celebration for her.....

Happy Birthday Betsy!!!

I have seen her look like this a million times...it is her signature expression..tickled and laughing...

Thank you for sharing in this wonderful day....

Love,

Mona

When Gentleness Rules

I have heard the saying that dogs can sense a person's spirit and react accordingly....We have a herd of 5 Australian shepherds..the oldest is Bonnie at 11 1/2 years old..  She has pretty much been running from my grandsons since they were born...for more than 7 years...

Yesterday, as my granddaughter played near the Christmas tree, Bonnie was near by...and never made a run for it...

As you can see in this sequence of pictures, Bonnie has made a new friend..a very gentle one.MaryElla..

I was so surprised as Bonnie just lay there while MaryElla wallowed all over her...there is definitely a different spirit about this lovely girl....she is a GIRL!  and boy are they different from boys..  LOL

This is my very favorite...ME just completely laid down and Bonnie just let her ..for a few minutes..this picture makes my heart glad...my two girls....I love them both dearly.....

  MaryElla with her little mirror....amazed at her reflection..did I say I adore this tiny girl?

Gotta start that makeup young...

I hope you all are having a Merry Christmas...Now that all of the preparations are done and our family dinner is over, I can focus on the meaning of Christmas..  and the extreme business of the last few weeks has subsided...we are now returning to a semblance of normal.....

Christmas Eve service at our church...
Two visits with children and grandchildren on Christmas Day...
Then the quietness of our home on Christmas night....

Yes, I love Christmas and this year is a very FULL and joyous one...I am so very thankful to God for all He has done for us....

Love, Mona

Can It Really Be December??

I ran across a quote this morning on facebook that really spoke to me..  I am in the middle of dragging out all of the Christmas decorations and sorting through them to see what goes with the feeling I want in our home this year..  Do you all do that?  or do you jut put out the same decorations year after year?  I change every year so I have quite a collection to choose from...mostly from my years of thrifting...I am hoping to wrap it up in the next day or so..

This is not the fun part to me...sitting in a room with only the Christmas tree lit is what makes it all worth it....
sooo without further ado here is a little bit of progress this morning.....

Practice, practice to be able to get the right bokeh in the pictures....that is the little blurry spots of light in the background.....needing some more practice..LOL

and then an edited picture....

See how it removes some of the background chaos?  Maybe I just need some more hours in the day.Especially when it is time to decorate for Christmas...

I promise I am working on the settings to get an unblurry picture...

Here are a few of my past Christmas pictures...

 I loved making these trees out of old jewelry..

Christmas tea...

My all time favorite Christmas picture..so far.....my son and husband...

This has been a big hit on Pinterest..from my childhood..and yes, they come out EVERY Christmas at our house..the little N.O.E.L choir..

Dear husband is sick with a cold so he went to be early last night..I was going to read a while but hey!!  I could do some work on the living room tree....So I stayed up way later than normal fluffing the tree and putting the lights on it.... After a few errands today, it is back to it..

Thank you for stopping by.  I am sure most of you are done with decorating...I will be there soon..I hope.

Love, Mona

I am joining Marty's party..  Inspire Me Tuesday

Thanksgivings Past

As I get the table ready for next week's meal, I think back to the many Thanksgivings we have been together..

People have come and gone but the core is still here...and added to every year....Things change, people get mad, people die, people divorce...but one thing that remains...We have Thanksgiving here every year...

I can't help but reminisce..  mainly because I try to change up the table settings..LOL  just being real here..

More than anything to do with this blog, I am grateful for a new camera this year.  These pictures leave a whole lot to be desired. I tried to find some decent photography from the past years...Funny thing I found ...I was already beginning to play around with the light with my old point and shoot camera...

I hope you enjoy these glimpses into past Thanksgivings at our house...and now I am on to getting the one we are fixing to celebrate all in order......

Thanks for stopping by...
Love, Mona

I hope to take some time and visit all of you very soon..I so appreciate all of your visits and your comments. I don't think I have been a very good visitor lately..please forgive me..Life has just been taking me over..

I am joining Inspire Me Tuesday

Crop Inspectors

One of the joys and one of the demands of gardening/farming is the endless job of inspecting the crops..........

It is such an important part of the whole planting and growing cycle.......

I am from an agrarian part of the country so crop inspection was a big part of what I am familiar with...it was a coveted summer job around our county...I remember my brother getting this grand job one summer ..he was mainly inspecting the peanut crop....watching out for snakes was a part of the job too....

But anyway, I go out every morning and look around my yard.....almost all of the cultivated areas of our 2 acre plot.....I can spot any activity by critters that are not welcome and if I take care of it right away, the damage will be minimal....but if I let this part of gardening slide, well, the results can be less than desirable...I am an organic gardener so that means no chemicals.  I rely on  crop inspection and hand removal to keep everything right on track.....I usually spot the very first June Bug or Japanese beetle...even kudzu bugs earlier this year....and I can kill them right then...instead of leaving them to chance....and to multiply..

So, this morning was no different....there was a lot to see....and lots of critters....another part of the job is knowing which ones are ok and which ones are damaging...

The camera captured some pretties this morning....

safe landing spot

butterfly on zinnia

maybe it's harmless

glad to see the bees

a very harmless critter...my Bo

I was taking a picture from squatting position and he came and plopped down between me and the flower..LOL

dahlia

July garden

??  from my Daddy's yard

and THEN!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

June Bug

I spotted this June bug happily sleeping among the tomato leaves.....he is NOT welcome......

Writing all of this is kinda thinking out loud about how we need to know the condition of our crops...or herds..or families.....we need to inspect the crops we are growing...are there some critters that have crept in and are not welcome?  or causing damage that needs to be taken care of?   If we just let situations continue without being checked, it has the potential to destroy the whole thing.....I believe everything starts out in seed form...and then it grows and grows until it can be seen by the naked eye.....

One of the most awful bugs in my whole garden are flea beetles...they live in the dirt and I cannot see them and they don't bother me UNTIL  I put an eggplant plant in the garden...and they magically appear and will destroy that eggplant almost overnight if I don't intervene......that is the way life is, until a situation arises..an opportunity......
a mean spirit can lie dormant for a very long time....but given favorable circumstances, it WILL make an appearance ....

July 4 celebrations are important for family gatherings...so maybe it is a chance to check yourself and your family and see if there are any flea beetles just waiting for the opportune time to destroy a healthy plant in your garden.....

Thank you for sticking with me til the end.....I appreciate each and every one of you...

Happy Fourth.......

Mona