MUSINGS FROM THE CREATIVE MIND OF

WIN A Canon or Nikon camera from MCP Actions

2012-01-25T13:09:00.001-08:00

Hey all you photog lovers!! Check out this awesome contest from MCP Actions! You can increase you entries for following and sharing! Good Luck!
Enter to win a #Canon 5D MKII or #Nikon D700 from @mcpactions #photography #photog http://www.punchtab.com/contest?referrer=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.facebook.com%2Fmcpfans%3Fsk%3Dapp_215426648488569&user_id=MjQ0MDQ5&raffle_id=MzIzMg%3D%3D via @PunchTab

MUSINGS FROM THE CREATIVE MIND OF: Happy 2012!

2012-01-14T22:49:00.000-08:00

MUSINGS FROM THE CREATIVE MIND OF: Happy 2012!

Happy 2012!

2012-01-14T22:39:00.000-08:00

Hope everyone is having a FAB. New 2012! It's ironic that my last post was over a year ago. Do you have any new years resolutions? How about for starters...... I'll make an effort to post more in the coming year!

Winner Winner Chicken Dinner !

2011-01-31T16:11:00.000-08:00

Ok, so it's not a chicken dinner but I love screaming that. Thanks to all who entered the giveaway. Only four responded so I decided to draw an additional name. YAY! Here's how I choose the winner at random.

First I wrote the entrants on a piece of paper all fancy like

Then I pretended I was back in kindergarten and tried to cut on the straight line

and then I folded all the names and placed them in a bowl and mixed them up

Next I danced backwards through the seven levels of the candy-cane forest and shoved eleven cookies into the VCR when I got back home! I love that movie and the quote,"Sorry I ruined all your lives and shoved eleven cookies in the VCR." Buddy the Elf
just kidding...I closed my eyes and used my random generator fingers to pick two winners!

And the lucky winners are......

GUURRRL and DOTHETWIST !!!!!

Please contact me via email at inglemonica@yahoo.com or send me a private FB message and we can talk about colors and style choice.
Congrats girls!

Creative Creature and The GIRL

2011-01-25T17:37:00.000-08:00

We started a Etsy shop to showcase our artwork and handmade creations. We hope you will stop by and take a look.We are currently busy making more things to add to the shop.

http://www.etsy.com/shop/monicaingle
You can also friend us on FB and suggest to your friends if you like. On FB we are under Creative Creature and The Girl. Wish us luck!

Custom Creative Creature Upcycled Scarf Giveaway

2011-01-15T07:01:00.000-08:00

CUSTOM UPCYCLED SCARF GIVEAWAY!

I'm having my first blog giveaway! Enter to win a custom upcycled scarf made by yours truly, the Creative Creature. These soft scarfs are made from recycle t-shirts and are oh so soft and cuddly! They can be worn many different ways. I gave several for Christmas gifts this year and they were a big hit.Keep it for yourself or give it to someone you love or like a little or a lot.

TO ENTER ANSWER THE FOLLOWING QUESTION IN THE COMMENTS OF THIS BLOG POST.

WHAT WAS YOUR MOST FAVORITE HANDMADE GIFT ?

Just list your favorite handmade gift ...given or received and you will be entered to win.
Never gave a handmade gift? Don't forget about kindergarten and all the beautiful things you brought home to mom, dad and grandma or auntie m.
If you skipped kindergarten and never made a gift otherwise, I'll accept, "I love Rainbow Monkeys!" Or anything else and you'll be counted too.
THE RULES

One entry per person unless you hit me up for exclusive additional entries
No entries after Sunday January 30th
A winner will be randomly selected and announced Monday January 31st

HOW TO GAIN EXCLUSIVE ADDITIONAL ENTRIES

* Follow me on twitter ( monicaingle)

* Friend Monica Ingle on Facebook ( you need to mention my Musings blog in your friend request) If you are already a friend on Facebook, leave a comment on my wall about this blog post.

* Add a link to my blog in a Facebook post about the giveaway.

* Have a friend follow my blog and have them mention that you sent them in the comments on this post.

* Don't forget to include your email address when you post a comment so I will know how to contact you if you are the winner of the giveaway.

Please make sure you come back and make a comment on this post about your additional entries.

Thanks for visiting and Good luck.

I've included a few pics of a couple of blue scarves I made. I can also make different designs.Please don't look at my messy desk! Do you promise not to hold it against me? We can talk about what color and style you prefer after I pick a winner on Monday January 31st.

Toy Story in the playroom

2011-01-14T17:21:00.000-08:00

  Last night I went through the task of sorting and organizing and culling Liberty's unused, unwanted and, UNNEEDED toy population. Barbie and Ken were involved . I'm sorry to report that they didn't out wit, out play or outlast the other toys on the island of misfit toys that populated my upstairs loft, FROG or whatever you want to call that room over the garage. In the beginning it was going to be a man cave. After we moved in it became a playroom. I've decided to convert it to a extra bedroom/girl cave/reading room. I might let my husband come up there if he promises to read a book.OK I'll settle for a foot massage while I'm reading a book.

  It only took her 10 and a half years to acquire most of this stuff, so why is it such a task to go through it all and get rid of most of it? Well the answer is simple. There is a lot of it. There are things I want to keep like some of her most favorite things. Most of it is stuff so gently played with it looks next to new.And then I find them.The tattered dearly loved ones. The ones you rush back and look for in the restaurant  booth or call Grandma to tell her to look and see if you left them there and if so,you'll be right back.You know, the ones they couldn't go to sleep without. I have to remind myself that I will keep only three... that my memories may be attached to the the objects but even if I get rid of the item, my memories will remain. If you wondering I did learn that from the show HOARDERS, but that information would fill another post entirely.

So I made three piles. One for Salvation Army and Purple Ribbon thrift shop stores,one for the Uganda mission trip kids and one fore the resale.When it was all said and done I was left with a gargantuan clump of naked Barbie,Kens and their assorted partners in crime as well as all the clothes and accessories to boot.Apparently I lost my mind long before I decided I should clothe them to make them appeal more decent,respectable and saleable.I don't know why I thought that a bunch of naked men ,women and skippers shoved in a zip lock bag looked so weird, well not so weird but it did make me feel ashamed for some odd reason. A therapist would say it was suppressed emotions stemming from my childhood. Although I don't remember that I liked to play with Barbie that much as a little girl, I do remember I got a Barbie Dream house one year for Christmas and didn't play with it much after I got in trouble for having Barbie and Ken laying on top of each other in the bed sans clothing. There was also another time when I had them in the elevator again... sans clothing. After that spanking I figured it wasn't worth the trouble.

  I was more of a tom boyish type who ran barefoot along the bayous of the out skirts of our sub division catching baby snakes to re sell for 10 cents a pop. Don't judge, it was the seventies, you got more for your dollar back in the day and it didn't take me many free snakes to have enough money by the time I heard the the chiming of the ice cream truck that produced my all time favorite Frozen Toe or Bullet Bomb Pop. On occasion I would sometimes go for a Fun Dip candy pouch or candy cigarettes or a orange push up. I don't remember what ever happened to my Barbie Dream House. Maybe it got lost in one of our many moves or dusted off and given to a cousin who desperately wanted to waste her time trying to dress up the plastic playthings or sold at a yard sale. Either way I didn't care, I was too busy building ramps to jump with my bicycle,collecting odds and ends for the fort or trading baby rattlesnakes for my tasty treats or M-80's to light under the squished bullfrog bodies that lay dried up on the streets.... I'm here to tell you those froggies would blast sky high! ( To clarify, I had not part in maiming or killing live bullfrogs as a child and no frogs were murdered or endangered in the writing of this post. During frequent downpours where I grew up in Texas, the rather large bullfrogs would usually make their way to the streets where they would get run over by oncoming vehicles. Yep, FROGGER in 3-D for reals. With the heat and humidity the carcases quickly dried to a hard flattened shell that I would then place a M-80 under, light it and run as fast as I could and watch them fly into the sky.) Now that I've explained that I wasn't some sicko amphibian torturer, I'm left wondering how I actually survived my childhood. Between the baby rattlesnakes and the explosives and all the things in between I failed to mention.

SO, I made my piles and got to work organizing all the stuff. What took the longest was trying to dress the Barbies,Kens,Skippers and the like. Apparently the size and shape of current Barbie and her cohorts not only got voted off the island they also got up-sized over the years.I was trying to fit Y2K clothes on 1968 and other years Barbie. Half the clothes wouldn't fit or I'd get it halfway up the thighs or arms and then I couldn't budge the micro sized garment any further.I begin to pull whatever I could from the box and desperately try and cram what ever piece of clothing I could get my hands on and make it work. After noticing that Ken had nicely sculpted legs, I also noticed that his surfer shirt didn't... how should I put it, fashionably match with his green and purple tinker bell fairy skirt.I was beginning to second guess my decisions to dress the dolls and make them look presentable. After all it is 2011 and there are surfer dudes who wear skirts and quite possibly tinker bell fairy skirts,right? I gave up and decided to shove several naked dolls together with a handful of clothes per bag.They can take it or leave it. I'm sure I'm not the only parent in this universe who has a plethora of birthday suit clad toys laying around.

  I had accomplished my task of going through most everything in the playroom.I'm sure there are several more boxes in the garage that never made it indoors from the garage after the move that I will inevitably unearth when I tackle the garage whenever I get to it.I did a good job of sticking to my guns about keeping all the sentimental stuff I remember my daughter loving on the most and only kept a few items. I cheated just a little bit and indulged myself with three extras as well that I didn't need. Believe it or not, they were a, " Barbie and Ken" pair dressed as one of my all time favorite tv show duos. Dana Scully and Fox Mulder from The X-Files. I also kept James T. Kirk the super suave captain of the Starship Enterprise. I figured my inner child could act out scenes that my favorite series never got to before it's end.

SNOW DAY

2011-01-12T12:04:00.000-08:00

We had another snow day today.We took Liberty and a friend sledding at a local middle school , a place near by where I heard that other people take their children there to sled. Wow! I wish that my knee was doing better so I could join in on the fun. I wanted to at least somehow slide down to the bottom of the hill on my butt so I could take pictures of the kiddos as they came down the hill. My husband Jeremy quickly reminded me of the possibility of further injuring myself if I did so I ditched the idea after much thought.
I spent most of my childhood in Houston,Texas as a child. I remember one time when I went out in the morning there was frost on the ground and I thought it snowed.It was seldom ever if we needed a jacket,let alone a thick winter coat. That was back in the seventies when rabbit fur coats were all the rage before the "Fur is Murder" days, and my mom bought me one. A couple of days later as I returned home on the bus without it,my mother was furious and questioned me if I had left it on the bus seat or on my special coat hook at school labeled with my name. I hadn't left it on the bus, nor on my coat hook at school. I explained to her that I had gave it away to another little girl who admired it and said she never had a coat before. I had paid it forward. What could she say? It was a childish yet profoundly humble act. Perhaps if we adults would think a little childishly more often about others, the world would be a much brighter place.
So... I grew up mostly in a humid,dry and hot place hot place with no snow. Later on in my preteen years we moved back to North Carolina and I got my coveted experience with the white powdery stuff. It is quite beautiful, breathtaking even. I remember in middle and high school we would watch the local Asheville WLOS Snowbird report and pray for a snow day and a chance to miss a day of school.That was back in the day when the school system planned for the snow days in advance. If we missed the days, we made them up. I vaguely remember having to drag into school only once on a Saturday. Isn't it funny how as children we relish in the fact of "checking out" for a day or two form scheduled activities but as adults we tend to get cabin fever before the snow even gets here? Is it because we are so conformed to our daily schedules that such a small change could throw a wicked monkey wrench of a kink into our well established plans or because we're afraid we will be trapped at home with nothing to do or to entertain our families with? Maybe it's the fact that you can't get out and go somewhere if you want and it's more of a caged animal type flight issue. I don't know about you.I went a little cray-cray during our first December snow.I did a little better during the end of December Christmas snow and now I'm adjusting somewhat to our January snow. I've tried to look at it like this. Usually I'm caught up with stress with getting to and fro and managing all the daily activities we have going on during the week. I often find myself wishing for a break from it all once in a while.We're so used to the complexity of our daily activities we tend to skip over the importance of the little things because we have got so far away form the simplicity of it all that the generations of our past were allowed.So this snow day,keep it simple and don't stress.If you're like me you have got your wish for your once and a while. Get bundled up and take your kids sledding. If you don't have kids get bundled up and take yourself out for just a bit.If you're unable to go outside for whatever reason.....read a book,clean out your closets, organize old photographs for a memory scrap book,take a nap,create some art or doing something you have wanted to do forever but haven't had the chance to do so.Today is your snow day and you can do whatever you want.I give you permission.Now go have fun!

Quotes ,Writings and Poetry about snow
"It's snowing still,' said Eeyore gloomily.
So it is"
And freezing"
Is it?"
Yes," said Eeyore. "However," he said, brightening up a little, "we haven't had an earthquake lately."
— A.A. Milne

"The Eskimo has fifty-names for snow because it is important to them; there ought to be as many for love."
— Margaret Atwood

"Sunshine is delicious, rain is refreshing, wind braces us up, snow is exhilarating; there is really no such thing as bad weather, only different kinds of good weather. "
— John Ruskin

"Once I spoke the language of the flowers,
Once I understood each word the caterpillar said,
Once I smiled in secret at the gossip of the starlings,
And shared a conversation with the housefly
in my bed.
Once I heard and answered all the questions
of the crickets,
And joined the crying of each falling dying
flake of snow,
Once I spoke the language of the flowers. . . .
How did it go?
How did it go?

"
— Shel Silverstein (Where the Sidewalk Ends)

"Footsteps in the snow
suggest where you have been,
point to where you were going:
but when they suddenly vanish,
never dismiss the possibility
of flight..."
— Diane Duane

"We studied our Angels for a few moments more, looking where we'd lain side by side in that sweet, quite moment. I wished what I'd said was true, that we had truly left our mark on the mountain. But I knew that after the next snow fall,our angels would disappear into the whiteness and be nothing more than a memory."
— Richelle Mead (Blood Promise)

"Hold fast to dreams
for if dreams die
life is a broken-winged bird
that can not fly

Hold fast to dreams
for when dreams go
life is a barren field
frozen with snow"
— Langston Hughes

It's a BLOG HOP WEEKEND

2011-01-08T17:52:00.000-08:00

Would you like to find out about new and exciting blogs? How about stumble upon new friends or followers for your own blog? If so join me in this blog hop,no socks or shoes required! Feel free to leap,jump,bounce or dance yourself on over to the following link. There is still a little bit of weekend left so please check it out!

2010 It's a rap and Venture out in 2011

2011-01-05T10:55:00.000-08:00

The end of 2010 was exciting as I attended my first Avett brothers concert as a gift from a very near and dear friend! Wow! The energy these guys exude is unbelievable! There was so much love in that place and it was a cross between the feeling of BIG LOVE I felt when I held Liberty for the first time,how I felt on my wedding day and or quite possibly how the homely girl felt when she was asked to the prom by the star quarterback she secretly admired sense second grade.It was a lovely feeling like the kind you get when you know deep down that all is well with your soul at church.Their music took me to higher place of happiness that my heart needed it and is so happy to received it.Thanks again for sharing that with me sister.I believe music is poetry in motion and I loved it from the bottom of my heart. So I'm a very new Bro's fan.For those of you who know them....here was the set list for 12-30-2010

Paranoia
Shame
Living of love
Sfos
Open ended life
Jan. Wedding
Denouncing nb
Backwards
Pg from Mich
I & luv & u
Sally
Salina
Tin man
DDD
Weight of lies
Hfdrfp
Murder
And it spread
Perfect space
Kdh
In the Curve
Talk on Ind.

RESOLUTION: finding a solution to a problem,something settled or resolved; the outcome of decision making.

Do you make resolutions for the new year? Do you follow through and keep them? How about if we call them changes instead? Will that help us because the word is smaller and friendly? I don't know about you, but I usually make resolutions for the new year and never,ever give them another half hearted attempt by the time January rolls around.I think many make such unrealistic resolutions that the end result is so far away from their reality that they can never hope to reach the goal.So this year, instead of making a puny attempt at something I want to make a few changes... a few tweaks that I can quite possibly follow through with.Best of luck to you if you decide to do so too.

"No, life cannot be understood flat on a page. It has to be lived; a person has to get out of his head, has to fall in love, has to memorize poems, has to jump off bridges into rivers, has to stand in an empty desert and whisper sonnets under his breath... We get one story, you and I, and one story alone. God has established the elements, the setting and the climax and resolution. It would be a crime not to venture out, wouldn't it?" -Donald Miller,Through Painted Deserts"
— Donald Miller

Mr. Miller just about sums it up for me here.This year I want to memorize poems. If you know me well you know I'm, in love with all things poetry and if you don't know me well,I'm a poet and you didn't even know it so there you go,your first lesson for the day. I want to jump into rivers...not off bridges though because I would surely somehow break my neck or more than likely require local rescue squad emergency evacuation in one of those flimsy wire baskets that swing to and fro form the belly of those Coast Guard med vac helicopters.I can just see it now on the 6 o'clock news.Umm yea, let's skip that part all together.Getting back to what I want to do....I would love to stand in the empty desert and whisper sonnets under my breath....I whisper lots of things under my breath all the time.I'm sure people think I'm crazy,but that's the way I roll so adding an empty desert to the mix won't matter much except provide a beautiful landscape as a background as I quietly talk to myself and project my bizarre frustrations,silly often times child like emotions or something form my grocery list I think I'll forget if I don't repeat it at least twenty times(According to my fancy Internet research that is a tad OCD,but my crazy brain would take up an entire post all by it's squish pink self so I'll stop there.)
Ok,so poems,rivers and desert whispers.I also want to change the pattern I have fell into about being slack with watching church online.I need to do better about that for Liberty too.I have fond memories of friendships I made in my church youth group.In fact my oldest and dearest friends I met there and I want Liberty to experience that.I also have several bad habits I need to purge form my life.Yep,I've got a few skeletons in my closet just like the rest of yuns. I'll confess here..feel free to sing along.

Smoking and cursing.

SMOKING

No,I'm not a sailor if you're wondering.I know these things are bad for me and are also a very bad influence for my daughter and other littles

Cursing

Yep,I got a dirty mouth.Words spew from it quite frequently.This is one of my oldest dirty little habits.I don't want my daughter to talk like that and I can't expect her not to do so if I do.I know I'm only human and I get frustrated easily and I just need to learn to keep my mouth shut or use a tasteful word to describe my frustrations instead of F-bombs or words that are not beautiful whilst they roll of my tongue as I speak them.

So there you have it folks.These two were part of my resolutions last year and I failed them.I'm happy to report that 50 % of my resolutions were conquered last year.I did manage to quit biting my fingernails for the first time sense I was two years old and I lost close to thirty pounds.Two out of four ain't bad .So if I only have two resolutions this year will it work? Oh yea,I forgot about the poems,rivers and whispers in the desert and church.So no matter how few or how many resolutions you make and actually keep,good luck to you all.I'll try and keep you posted on my progress.

What it all boils down to my friends is that I want to live up to be the person my daughter thinks I am.I want to leave a legacy for her when it is all said and done.A story she won't be ashamed to tell her children one day.I'm not perfect,who is?I do however have a long way to go to live up to the person she sees me as and after all I'm her mother.Who better to teach her to learn from her mistakes and how to correct them but me? No one.

2010 Occurred To Me ...What A Long, Strange Trip It's Been

2010-12-15T13:02:00.000-08:00

Well as usual,it's been a while.I've become the ultimate slacker in many areas of my life and surprisingly a achiever in some as well.As the year draws to a close and I take a moment to pause and reflect on the happenings in my life,I'm reminded of the many things my family has experienced this year.

We've seen and learned about: newness,miracles,loss,true joy,tears,laughter,pain,heartbreak, and wonder to name a few.

On NEWNESS:

To experience newness each day is to be creative. Sometimes we find things to be very monotonous. There seems to be nothing new that is happening. Days pass on and we tend to become action-conscious only trying to finish the tasks at hand. We feel caught up in the routine not able to enjoy anything anymore. Instead of just doing what has to be done in a monotonous way, we need to take a thought each day to experience something new. There is such a variety in each day, we only have to discover ways of experiencing it. When we learn this creative art, we'll never be bored, but will be able to enjoy everything that comes our way.

~ Brahma Kumaris

We moved into our new home in January and have enjoyed and learned many new and exciting things about the joys of a new home.If in the future you are thinking about building a new home or perhaps thinking about moving into another I have a couple of tips for you.Take my word for it when I say an open floor plan has some advantages and disadvantages.
* When you think about how nice it is to have a kitchen open to the majority of the the square footage of your home take into account two things that I was unaware of until I had one myself.
1-The SMELL
Yep,I said the smell.Even the sweetest smells become old real quick when they penetrate every inch of space you breathe.Even P-Dub's delightful,yummy, baked from scratch cinnamon rolls begin to take their toll combined with other smells.So it goes without mention if I'm talking about the sweet smells,I'm also talking about their opposites also know as the nasty smelly smells.These smells include but are not limited to the following.: fish or shrimp,a couple days old garbage that is silently but violently begging to be drug to the outside pail,poop that accidentally gets from the visiting wee toddler's diaper onto the floor and coincidentally under her tiny shoe,any type of cooking mishap or disaster that goes way wrong and gets burnt in the oven or scalds and sticks to the pan or pot on top of the stove, bacon and FARTS! I know,I know,bacon is good and smells good,but have you ever noticed the lingering smell that ya know LINGERS.....for days?
2- The NOISE
Have you ever seen the makeover television episodes where they show the bright and beautiful open floor plans where you find yourself dreaming of cooking a meal while your child or children sit at the island doing their homework?Yeah,I know me too.Well it sounds nice but if you are a tad ADD like me you might want to rethink that one.If you have kids you probably already know that homework rarely goes off without a hitch and there is lots of noise,whining and commotion involved.OK I confess I'm not just a tad ADD ....I'm a whole heck of a lot of ADD and it is sometimes overwhelming to try and concentrate on adding ingredients to a recipe so I know it's gotta be taking away from the concentration my child needs for her studies when I'm whining about it.If I need to vacuum while she is doing homework it also disrupts things for her as well so you get the idea.Unless you are a domestic supermom and have everything spic and span I guess you could quietly be baking something while your child is doing their homework but if you are like me there is probably some type of mishap waiting to occur.So my advice is for you to have a separate quiet space for homework.Getting back to the noise issue...any noise seems like too much noise... I guess it amplifies off the vaulted ceilings or something.Now that I think about it,we are a loud, lively and dramatic bunch of folks so maybe the open floor plan is not for you if you if enjoy quiet uneventful peacefulness.

So we are settled into our new home and enjoying it and are very thankful for all the hands that helped build it.Next month will be the one year anniversary of our move!

On MIRACLES:

"Where there is great love, there are always miracles."
— Willa Cather

We witnessed a true miracle when my very near and dear friend Sonia gave an very early birth to her amazing daughter Maisy Ella Pitts.Maisy flew to us weighing only 10 ounces.She had a ladybug that lived in the light over NICU bed and her Mommy called her her Maisy Bird and we all begin to call her either little lady bug or Maisy Bird or Amaizying Maisy. She blessed our lives for 40 days and reminded us of the fragile gift of LIFE and HOPE and LOVE.Then as quickly as she flew to us she gently fluttered aback again to the LOVE,LIGHT and HEALING of heaven.Countless ladybug sightings and even a quirky cloud shaped like a feather gently remind us of the GINORMOUS impact this tiny soul had on each and every one of us that forever left footprints on our hearts.

On LOSS,TEARS,PAIN and HEARTBREAK:

— Alyson Noel

"Don't ever discount the wonder of your tears. They can be healing waters and a stream of joy. Sometimes they are the best words the heart can speak."
— William P. Young (The Shack)

The loss we experienced as Maisy left us was very hard to understand.Loss is such a raw emotion.It opens up so many "what ifs" in your mind that makes way for an emptiness that can never be explained away.I can't pretend to begin to understand the unimaginable heartbreak my dear friend is experiencing. There is not much to say except it hurts and it is painful and quite frankly it SUCKS!

On JOY,LAUGHTER and WONDER:

"Some people bring joy wherever they go, and some people bring joy whenever they go."
— Mark Twain

"The most wasted of all days is one without laughter."
— E.E. Cummings

We experienced joy this year when Liberty went to a new school and she fit in like one of the lost pieces they were missing.We were a little apprehensive at first and hoped we were doing the right thing.I think as parents that is one of the hardest things about raising children.You always hope for the best but know as an adult that life is what it is and the terrible fact that you can't change that for them is pretty scary.Liberty has made the a honor roll and a/b honor roll and her new school has challenged in a way that keeps her on her toes.She is laughing much more and that brings such happiness to my soul.
I personally experienced wonder when I watched Liberty preform in her school play The Spell of The Sleeping Beauty.I knew my little drama queen had a knack for drama because she spews it from daylight to dark at home daily but I have to admit I was blown away by her performance as Evilina.It was a combination of satisfaction of her personal achievement and her development of her character that got me.She was breathtaking and scary and funny and she even did magic tricks a professional magician taught her.It just totally blew me away.I am one proud momma for sure.
I'm happy to report that she has made some great new friends from the cast of the play and I couldn't be happier.I'm curious to see where these dramatic abilities take her and if they continue to cultivate in the years to come in her future.In the coming year she has decided to continue classes at the playhouse YouTheatre and I know she will have loads of fun doing that. I personally feel like she is meant for the stage,she personally feels like she will be a Paleontologist.I don't mind as long as she does what she loves.I will be happy with whatever career path she chooses as long as she gives it all she's got.After all I'm her mother and her number on fan!

So as you can see we've had a lot going on this year.We've experienced many emotions as we were on the tops of mountains and hung in there while in the valleys of our lives. We are continuing to learn the best way we know how.My wish for you is a very Happy Christmas and New Year 2011

THE LUNKER

2010-06-03T09:50:00.000-07:00

The whole family went fishing at Santee Cooper.If you haven't heard of it before it's the place you go round these parts to catch a BIG CATFISH.As luck would have it,the weather was very,oh so VERY WINDY and the fish were laying down in their comfy mud holes and not taking a fancy to our hooks.We sat on the VERY WINDY lake all day and saw lots of beautiful birds flying around including Osprey and Eagles.Several times Liberty asked if we could just jump in the lake and noodle us a catfish,after all it was pretty hot even though it was VERY WINDY. The fishing guide laughed out loud and told her she better not cause there were some wicked huge alligators lurking nearby.We sat on the lake some more and the wind whipped all around us some more.As Liberty's luck would have it,she caught the only fish that day and well,two turtles.Being the turtle lovers that were are and all, we released them.So check it out here's her 27 Pound catch for the day.Can you tell by the smile on her face she was oh so happy with her catch?Can you tell by the sate of her messy hair that wet sat on the lake all day as the fierce wind whipped all around us?Yeah,that's why you won't see my wind whipped pic either cause it could quite possibly damage your eyes.

I would not, could not, in a box.

2010-02-19T14:04:00.000-08:00

“You must empty a box before you fill it again”
Irish Saying

“There are people who put their dreams in a little box and say, "Yes, I've got dreams, of course I've got dreams." Then they put the box away and bring it out once in awhile to look in it, and yep, they're still there.” Bombeck

Have I mentioned that I have a BEHEAMOTH and quite very scary amount of cardboard boxes that seems to continue to grow daily? The pile is only getting bigger with each box I unpack.I need to get to it and make some goals for this increasing monstrosity.My goal is a box a day.Either unpack it,use it or get rid of it. I'm gonna try and stick to the rule if I haven't used it in the past six months..I'm gonna toss it to Goodwill.Please note that this rule will apply to each and every thing I own except BOOKS and ART SUPPLIES. Which includes the stuff that I don’t use any more..even if I think I'll have a reason or use for it in my near future.This is how I got here in the first place.I can think of lots of uses for things.It's one of my major hang ups.I could find a ten thousand uses for a bottle cap,if I barely tried.But I have to come to the terms with this hang up and I've gotta get rid of stuff,I NEED to get rid of stuff and perhaps IF I imagine it gone I might enjoy feeling lighter,at least emotionally.

More importantly, I need to find a really big, albeit invisible box, in which to put all of the mental and emotional stuff that I have used in the past six months but that I hope to get rid of now. There’s a heap of anger. Stacks of sadness. A few pounds of self-pity. And several cases of fear. More than anything, I’d like to throw out every ounce of fear. It’s done me no good.

While I'm on the subject...Do any of you have some boxes of stuff you need to get rid of figurative or realistically?If so,feel free to join in,it might do ya some good.

I wonder about my boxes of emotional baggage and about the few people out there reading this. I wonder about what might be in everybody else’s boxes to and what it would it look and feel like if we met at some mystical magical spiritual dumping ground as we passed our boxes around,giggled kind heartedly and laughed and cried
at them not to mention ourselves.After we were through and said out goodbyes and gave each other some much needed hugs we would all set out for our much lighter,happier homes?Right? I hope so.If by chance I never get going on my goals would anyone be needing one of these?It's really good for the environment and only needs tires and some type of propulsion system..TEEHEE.

OOPS..There I go again.Did I mention I can find ten thousand uses for each and every thing?

Oh I know IF I don't get rid of the boxes I could make a magical kingdom for Liberty and I to play in.Did I ever mention I like dragons?

Please someone stop me before I find just one more reason for the recycled cardboard dreams I'm having.Something has got to give.
I would not, could not, in a box? Oh YES YOU COULD!
Cardboard most pit 6pm.Mud and cardboard provided.
.

When the game is over, the king and the pawn go into the same box”
Italian Proverb quotes

“A box of rain will ease the pain,and love will see you through.”
The Grateful Dead

New Year Brings New Things

2010-02-13T14:41:00.000-08:00

I like catching snowflakes
that melt on my tongue.
Who says that's a treat
just reserved for the young?

How can anything get better than when you have your head bent right back, mouth gaping and you are looking up at all the white fluffy stuff falling from the sky, and catching a specially chosen flake in your mouth. Lots of stumbling and stupid ‘urh’ noises are guaranteed.

New Beginnings

We are finally in our new house! Being homeless after the sale of our old home was tough,but we got by.When I say homeless,we actually had a place to stay,we just didn't feel quite at home with all our possessions stored away in cardboard boxes. Needless to say we had trouble finding what we needed when we needed it but we endured and are now slowly finding all sorts of things we packed in haste before the move!Christmas was low key and the holidays went by fast.Liberty experienced her first taste of theatre on the big stage at the Flat Rock Playhouse in the YouTheatre production of The Best Christmas Pageant Ever.
2009 had many blessings and adjustments and we are settling in to 2010 nicely.Liberty continues to keep us on our toes daily and is adjusting to the new move.She enjoys all the spare space to play and was a little disappointed when ANOTHER unexpected snowfall kept her from having a friend over to spend the night and a trip to the movies to see Percy Jackson,the main character in a series of books she read over Christmas break.
I hope this post finds you and yours having a happy new beginning to the year 2010 and be on the lookout for more posts to come.

First day of school

2009-08-25T05:06:00.001-07:00

Last night after softball practice Liberty was upbeat and excited in anticipation for today.This morning however,her attitude was downright NASTY and she tried everything in her power to keep from going.I know she was tired considering that practice was over at 8:30 pm in Etowah which is about a 25 minute from our home and the fact we had to stop and pick up a bite to eat,put us at home at an unruly hour for children her age.I think that softball will unfortunately have to go on the back burner for now for I'm not gonna have her out that late and expect her to get a good nights sleep and feel refreshed and ready for school so early in the morning.Her heart will break,but she will need to pick another activity that begins at a reasonable hour.She mentioned wanting to go back to acting classes at the Flat Rock Playhouse which is practically in our back yard, and classes are after school,so that would be a better time frame.I'll keep you posted on the saga and what happens.

First day of school 2009

Sleeping late,running late and wet hair to boot makes this chick a sassy mouth meanypants.Oh I know she will adore this picture ten years from now,bless her heart.

I think I'm gonna start a new photo album named I DON'T WANNA BE IN THIS PICTURE MOM!

Where does the time go?

2009-08-12T09:20:00.000-07:00

Liberty wearing her first winter school coat

Liberty and her first friend from preschool

Momma ,I gots my backpack on can we go now?

Liberty getting ready for her first day of preschool

Time flies and draws us with it. The moment in which I am speaking is already far from me. (Nicolas Boileau)

Time, which changes people, does not alter the image we have retained of them. ~Marcel Proust

If nothing ever changed, they're be no butterflies. ~Author Unknown

Where does the time go?It literally just seems like yesterday that Liberty started preschool.She was four years old, and today she's 9 and getting ready to start fourth grade.Boy how time swiftly passes us by when our children are growing up.I vacillate between the excitement of watching her grow into this nice young lady and wanting her to stay my little girl forever.I can't stop this and it is happening right before my very eyes...Help me Lord!
With her growing older comes change and change is hard to grasp sometimes as a parent and at other times happily welcomed.So as much as I would like for Liberty to stay my little girl forever,I have to keep in mind of the butterflies in her life.My how she is changing constantly before my eyes!For today is a new memory and tomorrow is another beginning.I look forward to experiencing what each new day brings us.

Mother's Day 2009

2009-05-09T20:23:00.001-07:00

One day in 1992 I was asked by a friend if I would really want to bring a child into this messed up world with as bad as it was with all it's evil and hatred.My reply was,"Yes." Dumbfounded he looked at me and shook his head sadly and said a single word,"Why?" My reply was immediate and steadfast..."Because I truly feel I was put on this earth to become a mother."
HOLDING LIBERTY FOR THE FIRST TIME WAS LOVE AT FIRST SIGHT

Today as I recall this conversation I am saddened that anyone would ever feel that way and depriving their self from the greatest gift they could ever imagine could be regarded as such a word as why.Of course I support the decision of people who choose that path..its a free world and their choice and that's fine, but having a child has been the most rewarding experience I have ever been a part of. ..simply EVER.My greatest accomplishment.Yes, the sleepless nights are hard at the beginning and they are not just in the beginning..there has been sleepless nights when I've tried to hold a trash can for my daughter to try and hit as she projectile vomited the entire contents of her stomach in my face...chased her through the house a she sleepwalks, held her crying face as she has woke up from surgery with pain and asked her why I had done this to her. Oh I'm sure many sleepless nights are possibly in my near future.Her first car,her first date..and the list could go on and on.I can also report that I have felt like the Worst mother in the world and also the Best mother in the world after all I'm only human and as such make mistakes as any parent would.Like not keeping to a schedule for feedings and the like.Hey,I was stay at home mom when she was hungry,she ate and when she was tired,we went down for a nap.What I'm getting at is yes..I was totally clueless as a new mom and I've made it with many more years to go.I have to admit that nothing can compare to the unconditional love I feel for this sweet child of mine.Yes,we butt heads..we are so much alike and so much different mostly because this kiddo dances to the beat of her own different drum.I like it that she is different and not the same as other kids.She's special and always will be no matter what path she chooses in life she will always and will forevermore be my little girl.We laugh,we scream,we cry..but most of all we have fun together,we learn together and we experience life together.
WE LAUGH

WE PLAY

WE PLAY SOME MORE

NEVER FORGET YOU WILL ALWAYS BE MY PRINCESS

Becoming a parent has changed me on many levels but has most of all opened my eyes to the fact that as a child I simply didn't recognise how much I leaned on my mother and now as an adult awareness has slowly set in.My mom was always there for me.She cleaned scrapes,picked me up when I fell and fixed things.Now as an adult this awareness has taught me three things: She taught me to be an awesome parent because she was,and she still picks me up when I fall.She gave me wings and taught me to fly even when she wanted to hold me tight.For this I am grateful for a mother who always wanted to know where I was,what I was doing and insisted on what time I should be home because not only was I her responsibility but I was her little girl growing up too fast into the woman I have become and she loved me just because and that was all.Thank you mom for everything you have taught and shown me through the years of all my mistakes,failures and let downs that I put you through and for that I am truly sorry.Because you loved me unconditionally you were there the many times I fell and as my angel you picked me up again sang the song my heart needed to hear and taught me to fly all over again as an adult.You are so very precious to me and my hope is that one day Liberty can say the same of me.I love you Momma,Happy Mother's Day 2009

The Best Way To Spread Cheer is to LIVE OUT LOUD for everyone to hear!

2008-12-31T09:43:00.001-08:00

This is me, Monica reporting from home on a windy New Year's Eve day.The subject....My Blog.Read it if you want.If you don't like it,don't read it.Statements contained in said blog are of an utmost personal nature and can a may contain the following:

Feelings: Flowing consciously and unrated straight from my brain to the page.

Thoughts: Rational or Irrational.

Truths: That may apply to you or not, or can be completely fictional IE: creative writing,made-up,make-believe or mythical.

READER TAKE WARNING: SAID BLOG COULD BE DANGEROUS TO YOUR EGO OR SELF ESTEEM IF APPLIED IMPROPERLY TO YOURSELF OR OTHERS AROUND YOU.

DISCLAIMER: MY BLOG DOES NOT INTEND TO INFLICT SERIOUS UNJUST INJURY TO ANYONE,ANYTHING OR ANYBODY I LOVE.PLEASE ASK YOURSELF,"HAVE I EVER OFFENDED ANYONE,ANYTHING,OR ANYBODY AROUND ME IN ANY WAY WITH MY THOUGHTS AND WORDS?"
IF SO... WELL, THAT'S OKAY TOO.TAKE IT EASY AND LIGHTEN UP.I'M ALWAYS JUST MONKEYING AROUND.

P.S. THIS BLOG IS THE SOLE PROPERTY OF THE OF THE EXCEPTIONALLY GREAT AND INTELLECTUAL CREATIVE POWER OF MONICA MOORE INGLE AND ALL THOUGHTS, BRILLIANCE,MUSINGS,AND OTHERWISE..IE: POSTINGS ARE HERS, ALL HERS AND DO NOT INCLUDE ANYBODY ELSE IN HER UNIVERSE THAT SHOULD BE HELD ACCOUNTABLE FOR HER WORDS SUCH AS HER PRECIOUS OFFSPRING OR AWESOME HUSBAND.PLEASE FORWARD COMMENTS TO THE AUTHOR.THANK YOU AND GOOD DAY.

Merry Christmas Everybody!

2008-12-13T18:51:00.001-08:00

Wow!What a crazy month it has been!I just got my Christmas tree up this week with the help of my mom and Liberty who did most of the work!I have had a time between surgery rehab and a bad awful,dreadful,horrendous case of the gastro flu!I'm still trying to gain my strength to do anything around here.Dehydration has kicked my arse and I am bound and determined to better before the end of this week.
This year, we have scaled down on Christmas gifts and have either made gifts and or went smaller this year for it's the thought that counts right?OF COURSE it is!How many Christmas gifts have you gave in the past that you have either dreaded to shop for or the actual person you have to purchase the gift for?Well, I can say, just about each and every Christmas past!We have opted to say no to family parties that we have to spend critical cash on people we see but once a year who could care less to actually participate in our lives sometime in the other 364 days that has quickly but briefly passed us and threw caution to the wind and can I say (TOTALLY PISSED OFF BOTH SIDES OF OUR FAMILIES!)you know what, I really don't care!I am some what of a grown up human bean now and I have decided to give what I want when I want to who I want.Besides, I really don't have the cold cash anyways... do you? We decided to give to our local community via the angel tree and forgo all gifts except for our Daughter of course,our parents and a few close friends who make our other 364 days more bright.Those little few who may brighten our day when we feel like the biggest loser parents of the world that day or just turned upside down or inside out, the ones who truly matter to us and make a real difference in our lives.Besides isn't Santa for the kids anyways? Well I'd like to thank not cause well, Santa can see naughty and nice in all of us and we have have to be accountable for our actions and we are old enough and have learned that even big things come in small packages and well those of us who need it sometimes would be happy to be acknowledged by Santa when he is such a very busy man... oh no .. I'm off track...Don't get your panties in a wad Margret I'm only KIDDING!!! Anywho..On another note...
Jesus, God's gift to us is the real reason for the Season.Be good all year not just at Christmas!
So in the past couple of weeks,Liberty has come home from school upset and questioning the whole Santa Claus bit.I'm sharing some of my answers of the "Totally Awesome Parent Comebacks For Children Who Are Just Too Freaking Smart For Their Own Good" hope it helps.At least you can have a jolly laugh..go ahead I dare you.

#1 "Mommy is Santa Claus real?Because the kids at school are saying that he's not and that it's just your parents who wrap up the toys and say they are from Santa?

AWESOME ANSWER # 1 : "Why of course he's real!I believe in him don't you????Why those kids are trouble makers anyhow you need to stay away from them if they are spreading vicious rumors and blatant lies!

#2 " Mommy if you believe in Santa then why don't you have anything wrapped up under the tree from Santa on Christmas morning?

( Thinks Oh shit! Note to self... wrap gift from Santa under tree for self and husband)

Awesome Answer # 2 : "Well um honey it's okay if Santa forgot me this year.. at least you got something right? Here nowl let's unwrap another gift."

#3 "Mommy sense Santa Claus has all those elves working for him they can make anything I ask for because they are magical and they can do anything right?

Awesome Answer # 3 : "Well honey Santa Claus is very busy man and with the economy in the shape it is Santa has lots of girls and boys all over the world who are asking for things so it's best to ask for lots of surprises because the elves can only make so many things before Christmas time and even though you are one of the nicest kids I know,it's kinda like the supply and demand thing I was talking to you about the gas when it was so expensive so just be happy your getting some of the stuff on your list."

#4 " Because Santa knows everything even when I'm sleeping, I can add to my list anytime I want even on Christmas Eve as I'm hopping into bed right?"

Awesome Answer #4 : " Well honey Santa likes to be on the ball and not surprised, after all he has to fly around the whole world in one night so It's best that he is prepared early with plenty of advance notice"

THE TRUTH #1:
If your not laughing by now...
YOU DON"T HAVE KIDS OR HAVE NEVER HAD THEM.

THE TRUTH #2: OH WHAT TANGLED WEBS WE WEAVE!!!!!!!!!!!

Peace on Earth and Merry Christmas Everybody! WE Love You!
Oh and Happy New Year Too!

Happy Fall Yall!

2008-11-02T08:23:00.000-08:00

I can always tell that fall is here when the friskiness of the animals seem to go a little overboard.I don't know if it's the weather or the changing of the Moon's cycles that send them in an uproar.Anywho here is some pics of the old beggars when they are not up to their frisky business.Simba is almost camouflaged the wood pile an Coco well she may look like the cutest thing the world , which she is but she's most messy and frisky of the two.

The Hall Of Art

2008-11-02T08:16:00.001-08:00

Well we have some new pics here of Liberty's newest creations.my favorite is the cat with the fiddle.

Halloween 2008

2008-11-02T00:44:00.001-07:00

We had a fun Halloween and kept it simple.We only went down a couple of streets and left it at that.Liberty went as Gwen Tenninson because for the past couple of months she has been all about Ben 10. Anywho we reneged on a few invitations to go Downtown and just went out for supper and then home on the range.Sorry to all those we dissed I'm just gearing up for surgery this week and kept to myself and my Fam.I will try to post on all things groovy next week from the hospital especially each days scrumptious hospital tray oh yes,who could leave out the stuff that squiggles off the plate like a Sponge Bob character?Well I will keep you posted if I have the time.From what I hear, after the bionic knee I'll be forced to run up two flights of stairs daily.Just kidding.But there is alot of physical therapy.Alot of 70-80 ish year olds in the area say new joints are all the rage.I'm hoping they are talking about their knees and hips and not their new found pot habits.HAHAAHA!Just trying to keep my wits about all this... wish me lots of luck.I am however looking towards some Healing Touch therapy from my fab friend Mandi who will visit during my week at the hospital and then to my home after I'm discharged.I'm gonna need it.P.S. you know your old when the newest thing in your house is a LAZYBOY recliner that stands you up by it's self.Old age is a bummer.But hey, our lives have only begun, it's just our body's that are a little behind.My advise is DON'T go mountain biking in total darkness because that bitchin hole with your name on it is waiting to catch you off guard.Love and Peas,
Mony :>

Pumpkin Time

2008-10-27T11:33:00.000-07:00

Wreck This Journal Part 3

2008-10-24T08:03:00.001-07:00

Oh dear reader can you guess which page was most favorite?Here's a hint.BURN BABY BURN!There's just something about burning that creates some sort of release in me.I wonder if it's the changes and states it goes through: INTACT/THREATENED BY THE FLAME/CONSUMPTION BY THE FLAME/TOTAL DESTRUCTION/ASHES, ASHES, IT ALL FALLS DOWN.THEN IT'S LIKE THE PHOENIX...REBIRTH SOMEHOW FROM THE RELEASE OF THESE ELEMENTS...THESE FEELINGS.I guess it just reminds me of how good it felt to burn my Xe's stuff and break all his handmade pottery he had made and smash my wedding ring with a hammer into a nub before I took it to be sold for cash...what? They were gonna melt it down anyway!My therapist at the time said it was perfectly okay to release my anger and frustration this way.So there,I'm not crazy like you think.(Sticking out tongue with a... RAZZ BERRY noise)

More of Wreck This Journal

2008-10-23T07:01:00.001-07:00

Can you tell I'm really enjoying this?I am,so very very very much enjoying this!This journal is going to be so much fun!I can't wait till I have more time to work on it.Check it out people!On my fingerprint page I even rolled out my fingerprints just like I learned to in my Criminal Justice studies!Every loop and whorl accounted for!

a