Good Friday And Happy Easter

 

Have a blessed weekend, my friends, and a glorious Easter Day!

Billie Jo

This Or That ~ Easter Edition

 

My little Flynn ~ Easter 2013

What are your thoughts on these?

The Easter Bunny Is Comin' To Town

or

Here Comes Peter Cottontail

Easter Dinner

or

Easter Brunch

Matching pajamas

or

Sorry, Mom. No way.

Also, do you color eggs?

Or make this cake?

Are there any Easter ideas or traditions you would like to share?

Before I start my day, I will give you my answers to the above questions!

1. I love Here Comes Peter Cottontail! It is by far my favorite Easter movie.

2. I prefer Easter Brunch. We have had that for several years, and it is a nice change from a big dinner. We are having Easter dinner this year, though, and I am actually kind of excited!

3. I LOVED getting matching holiday pajamas for the kids when they were little. Loved. Alas, all good things must end. And honestly, now, I feel relieved. One less thing!

4. We used to color eggs every year with my sister Margie and my mom. It was a tradition that we all loved. As the kids got older, the eggs were left uneaten due to an unfortunate unrelated incident: One year, Peyton and I had a severe bout of the flu the morning after coloring and consuming too many eggs. 

5. We make the Easter Bunny Cake every single year! The kids love that tradition, and I am glad. Especially since Peyton took over the decorating!

Enjoy your traditions, my friends!

Billie Jo

Monday Morning Coffee ~ Holy Week Edition

Good morning, my friends. Holy Week is here again. In our Catholic faith, Holy Week is indeed the holiest week of the year. We pray, fast, and anticipate Jesus' resurrection on Easter Day after his agony and death on Good Friday. While our focus is on the religious aspect of this week, I have always added in some of the Easter Bunny fun and continue to do so even as my children have grown. It is possible to celebrate the joy of Jesus's Resurrection while adding the fun of hidden baskets and chocolate eggs. I hope to pass on many traditions to my children so that someday, these celebrations continue in their homes. One of my favorite sayings is, " Someday you will be doing this with your own kids, and telling them that Grandma always had this candle burning on Christmas Eve, and Grandma loved having chocolates in this dish on Easter Sunday. " 

We spent this weekend at the beach, and it was windy! The waves were huge and forming so far out that watching them was amazing. I did just that, along with some reading and napping from the safe and cozy inside. What does it say about me that these are my favorite beach days? I actually prefer days like that to the hot, sunny, calm ones when the beach is filled with people, umbrellas, beach chairs,  and the pervading scent of  (necessary) sunscreen. Give me clouds, wind, crashing waves, and empty beaches any day. 

Hmmmmmm.

Today, we will tidy the condo, pack up, and drive fifteen minutes back to the house. Flynn and I will do school, I will do some laundry, and after dinner, we will finally see the dramatic conclusion to Joey's season of The Bachelor. Flynn and I hope he chooses Kelsey, she says yes, and they live happily ever after. It could happen, right?

Have a lovely Monday, my friends. 

Thanks for stopping in!

Billie Jo

Thanks, Google, for the image!

Friday On Thursday Night

Is it me? Or are these weeks passing at an obscenely fast pace? How in the world is it almost Easter when last week was Christmas?? I am reminded of something my father told me as I lamented how horribly long the winter months were when, as a sixteen-year-old sitting in Physics class, I wished it were time for the prom. He told me not to wish my life away because the older you get, the faster it goes. My goodness, was he right. And by the way, has anyone ever really understood why we had Physics class? Have I ever utilized anything I learned tried to learn there? 

It is Thursday night, and I am snuggled on the couch, watching the first round of March Madness. You won't usually find me watching college sports, but when March Madness rolls around, I am all in! I enjoy the games and the stories behind some of the players. I also like to cheer for the underdogs, although I hate to see anyone lose. 

The weekend will be quiet here, as we expect over an inch of rain on Saturday. We plan on mass and then getting dinner to take to the condo and spend a couple nights there watching the waves and some more basketball. I hope you have a lovely weekend, my friends. Before I go, here is a little wrap-up of our week with a few pictures from my camera roll!

Rhett was so happy when he met his favorite gamer at a tournament in Florida! His smile says it all! 

The dogs got haircuts, and Mocha was consoled with a new little lamb toy. I think they had trouble getting her face even, so they just kept going! 

Cosmo seemed happy and content with his cut. Maybe because he could actually see! 

This week, we had some cold weather, so I made one of Rhett's favorite meals. It is so simple and so good! I will link the recipe down below.

Now, here is my new favorite lunch. At first glance, you may think you are seeing pancakes. You would be wrong! I had a loaf of French bread and decided to make some mini grilled cheese sandwiches. They were delicious! I used The Original Laughing Cow Cheese and a small slice of fresh cheese on each one. I used whatever cheese I had, and I think it may have been Gouda. Or not. But I am sure whatever you have will be good. 

And what is a week without a picture of my Mom? She is honestly the best. 

Have a lovely weekend, my friends!

Billie Jo

Chicken and Gravy

Roasted Carrots

Things I Like And Things I Don't

I like mornings with my coffee, my prayers, and my pups.

I like climbing into a freshly made bed at the end of the day.

I like making my family a good home-cooked meal.

I like takeout nights, too.

I like canceled plans.

I like online ordering and grocery delivery.

I like that I have learned to be unapologetically me.

I don't like prescription drug commercials for pills with strange names.

I don't like group texts that pressure you to read and respond immediately.

I don't like sticky refrigerator shelves.

I don't like when people drop in without calling or texting first.

I don't like floral-scented candles.

I don't like soggy french fries with no salt.

I don't like it when it is too warm for a throw blanket on the couch.

Just in case you were wondering!

Billie Jo

 ( Pinterest for the image. )

Monday Morning Coffee

 

Good Monday morning! I hope you had a nice weekend. Monday dawned bright and sunny here, yet it is pretty chilly. It's one of those days that looks nicer than it actually is. Cooler days are just fine here at the beach. We can look outside and watch the reassuring sight of a never-ending rhythm.

 

We can play new games with easy-to-understand instructions that are fun for everyone.

We can snuggle with not one, not two, but three pups, this one being the smallest.

We can watch new TV shows that we all really like. This is on Apple TV+. It is about John Wilkes Booth and the assassination of one of our greatest leaders.

And we get updates from home where Madison and Nicolas visited my Mom and Facetimed me, too!

Today begins a new week. I have a menu to make and some groceries to get. There is laundry, school, and dinner, too. Tonight, on The Bachelor, Joey must send one of his women home, just like that. And then there will be two. How will he ever decide which of the women he's known for six weeks is the one he will propose to...next week?!? Well, have a nice day, my friends. I am off to get mine started. Thanks for visiting! I will be around to visit you soon.

Billie Jo

                                 

Happy Things And Recipes

It's time to wrap up another week, my friends. Here are some pictures from my camera roll that made me happy!

My Momma. Happy and healthy and happy. And my beautiful sister Margie, who visits every single day and calls me so I can visit with them. On this day, my mom won Bingo and was so happy to share that with me! Also, I found the best place to purchase clothes for my mom. I want her to be cozy, comfy, and warm, and I found wonderful options at Silverts online. They have excellent quality, soft-as-can-be adaptive clothing that washes beautifully. 

My Mocha. She is content and unfazed by all the recent changes in her life. In seven months, she lost her best friend, Kirby, moved to a new house part of the time, got a new best friend who was much more playful and then got yet another new friend who was even smaller and more playful. Mocha is adjusting and taking it mostly in stride. As long as I am in her line of vision, everything is just fine.

Good food. This week, we had two delicious meals. I mentioned our chicken bowls—I know, such a creative name—and I wanted to share them here again because they are just that good. Just put some boneless, skinless chicken breast in the crockpot, sprinkle on some taco seasoning, and then pour in some salsa. That cooks all day while you do everything else except worry about dinner. Then, shortly before you plan on eating, just wash, chop, boil, or do whatever else you need to prepare what you want to serve with the chicken. We like rice, corn, lettuce, tomato, pico, avocado, shredded cheese, lime, cilantro, and sour cream. I also set out some taco shells for anyone who wants to eat that way.

I also made this recipe this week. It is delicious! It is baked ziti with sausage, a new one for me. I will link it below. I served it with salad, using the leftover tomato and lettuce from the chicken bowls, and garlic bread. 

My bird room. I finally got around to fixing this beautiful room in the back of the house. I call it the Bird Sanctuary because so many different types of birds visit every day! I thought it appropriate to decorate it to reflect some of the ones we see often. This is ironic because I really don't like birds, but I guess I just don't like them too close to me?

This candle. It smells AMAZING. It's like cozy autumn without the autumn. Does that make sense? I got it online and will link it below. The candles are soy, paraffin-free, dye-free, and cruelty-free. This one is Momma's Kitchen, and it smells so good.

Well, there you have it—happy things. As I get older, I have learned that we can always find happiness, even when the world seems to be spiraling out of control or filled with chaos. Happiness isn't out there, on the news or on social media. Happiness is inside our family, our home, our friendships, our faith, and ourselves. That may be why I feel so much happier insulated within my little world with my people. That,  or I may just be socially awkward. Perhaps a bit of both! 

Happy Weekend!

Happy St. Patrick's Day!

Oh! One more!

Peyton and Chris had Madison and Nicolas for dinner last night back home, and she served a delicious Irish meal complete with her signature sugar cookies. While I am incredibly envious, I am also very thankful that my children are each other's best friends. 

Billie Jo

Baked Ziti

Candles