February 11, 2026

Things I Like And Things I Don't

I Like

  • Dipping McDonald's fries in Chick-fil-A sauce
  • Freshly sharpened pencils on my desk
  • Raspberries and blackberries in the fridge 
  • Setting up a new month in my planner
  • Looking up people from old game shows to see how their lives turned out
  • Watching old game shows like Card Sharks and Match Game 76

  • A big bowl of white rice with butter, salt, and pepper
  • Waking up every day knowing I will soon have hot coffee with vanilla creamer
  • Showering and putting on fresh pajamas after swimming
  • Snoopy ambience videos on YouTube



But, I Don't Like

  • Mint mixed with any other flavor
  • Piles of unsorted dirty laundry 
  • Walking, driving, or being outside for any length of time, January through March
  • Drinking warm tap water that has been sitting in a glass for too long
  • The person who decided crop tops are the one thing every woman wants to wear
  • Washing my hair after I go to the salon because it won't ever look this good again
  • Trends that everyone jumps on just because they are the "In" thing, ex Protein
  • The dreaded "drop-in" because I need time to prepare for socializing 

How about you, my friends?

Happy Wednesday!

Billie Jo

February 9, 2026

Monday Morning Coffee

 


Good Monday morning! I hope you had a lovely weekend! Our weekend was nice here, and yep. You guessed it. Cold! We bundled up and headed to Mass, but we returned home right after to warm up! I don't like the cold, but I try to remind myself that soon enough, I will be complaining that it is too hot. So, there's that. 

Here is the photo of the beautiful view we have as we ride into town for Mass. I love it every single time.

In other news, we had the most delicious spread of food last night! Steve picked up some pizza; Rhett got some delicious, fresh, soft tacos from his favorite place and made Oreo Balls. Kyrstin made everyone's favorite Buffalo Chicken dip. Madison and Nico brought an amazingly good pan of homemade macaroni and cheese, and I added a fresh salad. Apparently, there was a big football game on, so we had that on too. LOL Congratulations to the Seahawks fans! And to the Patriots fans, as a Steelers fan, I feel your pain. 


Madison made cake! Pumpkin with cream cheese icing!
And it is delicious!

Before the food and fun, I checked off the items on my Sunday list in my planner. I recently started doing this because I realized I was doing random things on Saturday and then doing more things on Sunday. I felt as if I was never fully done or ready for the week, and I also felt I was missing the point of having a day to simply be and rest. I made a list of things I did or wanted to do to feel ready for a brand-new week. 


I know I have this list to work on Sunday, so Saturday is free for rest, relaxation, and Mass. I don't put pressure on myself to complete everything, and if it doesn't get done, I move it to Monday. But so far, so good! I asked Chat for some images of how I spent my day yesterday. 




And there you have it. Straight from an unknown artificial intelligence source that I truly will never understand. Nor do I want to. Because as much as I like to play around on it, Chat totally creeps me out. And it concerns me how it will be used by some in the future. 

Now I am off to pour one more cup of coffee, wait for Steve to wake up, and get started on my day. Flynn and I have school today, and thanks to last night, we have leftovers for dinner. I have laundry to do as well, and I am sure we will watch the Olympics tonight. I hope you have a cozy February day, my friends. Thank you for visiting!

Billie Jo

February 6, 2026

Friday and Brrrrr!

Good Friday morning! This is where I am as I type this today. I miss the Christmas tree, but am enjoying this cozy little spot by the fire. Clearly, I am not in the picture, and this would be because the world is a pretty scary place, and I don't need to add to that! It is far too early for me to look anything less than scary!

This week went quickly, I think. It was sunny, but deceptively quite cold. Sitting inside by the window, I thought about going for a walk. Upon walking outside, however, I quickly reevaluated that decision. But warmer days are coming. And the mornings are light now. It won't be long before my daily walks are a thing again. After this weekend, of course. Yikes!


This week's meals were amazing and delicious! And...not made by me. Steve made some delicious Chicken Parmesan Meatballs from a recipe Peyton sent him. They were so good! We paired them with angel hair pasta and a salad. 


Kyrstin made dinner one night, and it was so good. I was actually very tired that day, and had not even started anything when I came out of my room to find she was making one of our family favorites for those nights when you don't want to cook... Chicken tenders, Kraft Macaroni and Cheese Spirals, peas, and applesauce. I always have those on hand so you can whip up a comfort meal quickly. I appreciated that meal so much that I didn't even wait to take a picture.

Last night we had another delicious meal at Madison's. She made a Bolognese pasta with a salad and fresh bread. It was so good. She had us over for Draper's birthday. Their little pup is six! And he is the sweetest dog. He was so happy that all his friends could come to the party.

Well. I have to get going. There is enough in the pot for one more cup of coffee. After that, there will be no stopping me today. Well, maybe this afternoon after school. I may be stopped then. Before I go, though, I must share a few photos from right outside the glass doors from the very first picture I posted today. Steve took this yesterday, as we were just sitting here visiting. I think you will like this, Ginny!


And lastly, no matter how cold, or tired, or anxious I am some mornings, I cannot help but be reassured and calmed by this right outside my window.



I like to think of it as a beautiful painting by the strokes of God's brush, reminding us that He is so much bigger than anything here. And to just slow down and appreciate the day.

Have a cozy weekend, my friends. Stay warm. Stay cozy. Enjoy the Super Bowl, the Olympics, or that old movie you've watched so many times but are watching again. Take a nap. Bake some cookies. Call a friend. Just...Do You!

Billie Jo

February 4, 2026

What's Coming Up?

Now that the pesky groundhog is out of the way, it is time to look ahead to the special days coming up in February. When my kids were little, and my husband was working long hours, we celebrated everything and anything during the long winter months. It wasn't elaborate, maybe cupcakes and festive paper plates, or special necklaces for Mardi Gras, which we still use, by the way, or coloring pages and a special dinner. We had fun. So much fun. In fact, we may even pull out those special Mardi Gras necklaces and eat King Cake together in a few weeks. Stay tuned! Now, mark your calendars, my friends. Here are some days you may want to remember!






Anything you are looking forward to? Have a cozy Wednesday, my friends!

Billie Jo