Good morning, my friends! Flynn captured this scene beautifully last evening as we drove from Pennsylvania to Maryland. And now we are here! We had a wonderful time, saw family and friends, and are filled to the brim with happy memories. Like going to Perkins for dinner after mass, then to Peyton's for a homemade ice cream cake she made to celebrate Flynn's upcoming birthday...
It was as amazing as it looks, and yes, tomorrow, my baby is fifteen. In other news, the dogs were treated to a spa day with a holiday package containing a bath with Gingerbread Shampoo and Conditioner and precious Christmas-themed accessories.
Mocha
Cosmo
and Marty.
Finally, I was thinking about some random things yesterday. I would love to know your thoughts!
1. I love my crewneck sweatshirts oversized! I cannot stand to feel constricted when I am in cozy clothes. Do you buy sweatshirts that are bigger than your other clothes, or is it me??
2. Do you have your Christmas tree up? I am in the camp of putting it up before Thanksgiving so we can enjoy the lights during the early darkness. Our tree is currently in the dining room in a box, patiently waiting for its debut.
3. Do you need to charge your cell phone during the day? I do, and it is driving me nuts! I charge it to a full charge overnight, and although I am currently addicted to a Christmas game, I don't use it that much. But then, I guess I do?
4. Does everyone in your house have an aversion to unloading the dishwasher? It is like an Olympic Sport here, seeing how long we can go, putting dirty dishes in the sink, pretending not to notice the clean ones inside the dishwasher. Or the cute magnet that says CLEAN hanging on the front. For the record, I usually cave!
Have a wonderful Monday, my friends. And remember, next week is Thanksgiving.
Billie Jo
Fun questions! I do wear oversized crew neck sweatshirts. We put up a live Christmas tree between the 6-15th of December. I charge my cell phone during the day and try to keep it more than half charged. My husband will unload the dishwasher -- sometimes. He will hand wash dishes to avoid emptying the dishwasher most times! Enjoy your day.
ReplyDeletePatricia
Happy Birthday to Flynn! 15? How does this happen?
ReplyDeleteThe sky is so pretty.
I have never put my tree up before Thanksgiving, but I'm feeling the tug of it this year.
Yes to room sweatshirts. They feel cozier that way.
We usually empty the dishwasher together. :)
Dearest Billie Jo,
ReplyDeleteHappy Birthday to your daughter Flynn!
That cake looks like a labor of love.
Unloading the dishwasher is the most painful thing for me as it involved bending and then reaching up for putting dishes on the shelves. Guess a nerve near my spine gets pinched post aortic tear surgery... Often it makes me nauseous.
No, I don't buy things a size larger, just feel cozy in any sweater or sweatshirt.
No Christmas tree since we were forced to move from Georgia to Pennsylvania by Campbell Soup. Gave away all our things and never started it again. We only had outdoor decorations of white lights and that we also gave away one season when we were both freezing from cold while putting them up. I suddenly said: I have an idea and fetched several garbage bags. After bagging it up, we donated it and felt happy.
Hugs,
Mariette
Yes to larger sweatshirts! No to Christmas tree before Thanksgiving. I empty dishwasher sooner rather than later because I dread it! Get it over with!
ReplyDeleteA very happy birthday to Flynn! I can't believe she's 15 already. Where did the time go.
ReplyDeleteAnd just look at those pups. Adorable!
Now to answer your questions...
1. I like my sweatshirts oversized, but I don't like the sleeves so large that they flap about :)
2. I LOVE Christmas, but I don't like to put the tree up too early. This year it will probably be the first week in December.
3. I never have to charge my phone during the day. In fact, I've gone two days without charging it before now. It's a Samsung, and yes, I do use it a lot, especially for photographs.
4. It's always me who loads and unloads the dishwasher, but I don't mind, as I've only recently had it replaced. I've not had a working one for years. I'm sure the novelty will wear off.
Have a great day!
Yes to large sweatshirts!! We don't put our tree up early, not because I am opposed to it but because our house is so small (cozy) that if it's up for too long I get wiggy and want to take it down before Christmas and have everything be clean. My phone is basically a landline these days because the battery is shot, it's always needing to be charged. Dishwasher and the dishes in general are my nemesis!
ReplyDeleteHappy early birthday to Flynn!!
I guess I am the only person left on earth who does not have a dishwasher! Happy Birthday to Flynn! Will she be learning to drive? The dogs look so REALLYREALLY cute! I don't know how you managed to get such a good photo of all three of the together! YES, I like bigger T-shirts and sweatshirts, so they hide my fat bulges! Your sky photos are incredible and amazing!!!
ReplyDeleteYes, I tend to buy sweaters larger than my other blouses. My tree has been up for a week. No I don't need to charge my cell phone through the day but I do when I am driving just in case... I'm the only one in my house and yes I have an aversion to unloading the dishwasher! LOL!
ReplyDeleteHope you have a great week!
If I am cold enough to put on a sweatshirt, I want it to be oversized so yes, it is bigger than my other clothes. The Christmas decor doesn't go up until mid-December. While I enjoy the twinkling lights, I find putting up the tree a chore and not a fun one. I don't use a cell phone except in times of emergency. Maybe you need to see if the battery or cord needs replacing. I'm the chief dishwasher unloader and my husband only does if I'm not home. Happy week!
ReplyDeleteI load, hubby unloads the dishwasher here. I hate cleaning the oven…due again soon! Self cleaning but always extra work too.
ReplyDeleteHi Billie Jo. I don't like unloading the dishwasher. My husband usually does it - bless his soul! I am hoping to get our Christmas tree (or trees) up before Thanksgiving. It takes so long to put the decorations up that I like to have them up for a while. I will start a bit of a time this week. I don't like any of my clothing to be tight! I tend to wear all of my clothing loser than some others might, but that is just me. Beautiful pictures of the sunset as you drove. Happy birhday to Flynn! Your puppies are so cute! Have a great week. See you again soon!
ReplyDelete“Homemade” ice cream cake! I’m impressed! Happy Birthday to Flynn!
ReplyDeleteRegarding the wall hanging with the cast iron pieces — what a clever idea!!! I love my cast iron.
So now your pups smell like Gingerbread! That’s wonderful! I hope it lasts a long time. They are adorable!!!
1. don’t wear sweatshirts much here in North Central Florida (although according to the forecast, I may get to this weekend!!!). But yes, I like my clothes (just about any time of year) to be big enough that I don’t feel crowded in them.
2. Our Christmas trees (2 of them, table-top size) don’t come out until after we’ve finished the turkey.
3. My phone is the new iPhone 16 Pro and it does not need charging every day, but as you indicated, it does depend on how much I use it.
4. My husband has never used the dishwasher in this house (13 years ago) and since I’ve been here, 2 1/2 years, we have not used it once. He prefers to hand wash and I dry. I’ve got used to it and okay.
Loved your post.
LOL... I only own two sweatshirts (Florida) and they are comfortably roomy (but I like all my clothing to be roomy). I don't decorate for Christmas until after Thanksgiving. My phone doesn't need to be charged during the day. I plug it in at bedtime. Maybe you need a new battery? I am the only person in my house so I empty the clean dishes. If it needs to be done, I'm the one who does it. My cats are no help!! A fun post, and I loved the photos!
ReplyDeleteI like my sweatshirts a little big too.
ReplyDeleteWe put our Christmas tree up the first week in Dec.
Charge my cell phone every 2 or 3 days
Don't have a dishwasher
My oldest granddaughter will be 15 on December 2! I didn't realize they were that close in age. Yes, I do like cozy sweaters and sweatshirts bigger than my usual size. Isn't that the way they're supposed to be worn? :) I'm desperate to start decorating for Christmas, but with our vaca last week, then a big storm due in tonight, plus lots of time at work the next 10 days, I'm not sure how much I'll get done. And the dishwasher, I usually fill and run it, then it's Beth's job to empty it. But her routine is 'empty the dishwasher on Mondays' so it sits full the rest of the week unless I specifically tell her to empty it. She'll empty it on a Thursday but she's not thrilled about it. :)
ReplyDeleteFlynn got some great shots! And her cake is beautiful! Your baby is growing up so fast! The doggies look precious and I know they enjoyed their spa day. So glad ya'll enjoyed your road trip! Yes, roomy clothes allll the time. I hate restriction! And yes, I have to charge my phone several times during the day. I charge it all night as well, but I listen to a lot of podcasts during the day when I do my housework, so I know that drains it. I'll be decorating the day after Thanksgiving. But, I am loving seeing what everyone else is already up to on that front! I love Christmas! And yes, I do the majority of emptying the dishwasher, but hubby is great to do it as well when he is home. Teamwork makes the dream work! Haha!
ReplyDeleteI loved seeing your beautiful pictures of the sunsets and hearing about your weekend. I also loved your thoughts at the end! I do wear sweatshirts more oversized than my usual clothes. You have seen that my Christmas tree is up early, and I love it! No regrets at all about this, and I may leave it up through the winter without the ornaments...or at least through January. I laughed over the dishwasher and emptying it; Jonah and I usually take turns doing this dreaded chore. We both hate it!
ReplyDeleteHappy Birthday Flynn. My boys are on dishwasher duty. And yes they hate it. The youngest does the bottom drawer and the oldest does the top.
ReplyDeleteI love how you have described the beautiful reflections of your past week. Happy Birthday to Flynn!! 🎂 Oh yes....OVERSIZED sweaters and sweat shirts for me....I need the comfort. My tree is up with lights only. I just wasn't in the mood to combine my Thanksgiving decor with the candy cane decorations going on my tree. My phone pretty much holds a good charge, but I do find myself grabbing the charger to charge my phone any time I am in the car. It is just Sam and I here at our home and since I am home all day, I pretty much keep the dishes loaded and unloaded in the dishwasher. These are great questions....Hoping your day is filled with all kinds of Greatness..
ReplyDeleteFlynn's photos are so pretty of the night skies. Happy Birthday to Flynn. That cake looks fabulous! So glad you made it safely back to Maryland. The doggies are all fresh and clean and wearing their cute holiday scarves. I chuckled when you mentioned the dishwasher marathon. When I was at Jess' house, I started taking the dishes out to help Jess, and Francesca saw me and said, "look papa, how fast grandma can take the dishes out." Yes, I have always wanted to get those dishes out fast, so your story made me think about that.
ReplyDeleteThe Christmas season is upon us. Have a beautiful week, Billie Jo.
~Sheri
Hi Billie Jo! I don't like anything restrictive around my neck anymore, so I would buy a size larger if necessary - but I don't think I actually own a sweatshirt at this time. But yes... I prefer a baggy sweatshirt to a more fitted one.
ReplyDeleteI don't know why, but I also dislike emptying the dishwasher. But we don't use it every day. We often just wash dishes by hand. For twenty 23 years we didn't have a dishwasher, and old habits are hard to break. FWIW, I don't particularly like drying dishes in the dish drainer and putting them away either. So there's that. It must be a putting away problem. :) Fortunately, hubs doesn't seem to have this same aversion.
I don't decorate for Christmas until after Thanksgiving, but the weekend right after that, I'm on it. I'm eager to have the tree up this year, but I'm not going to put it up until after Thanksgiving. That said, I'm beginning to understand why some people do put their trees up early.
And yes, I pretty much have to charge my phone every day. Actually, normally I charge it at night while I'm sleeping, but at this very moment it's behind me plugged in and charging.
Nice 15the birthday 🎂 🥳 🎉 🎈 🎁 for your youngest child who's a teenager now into 2 years. Dogs look adorable 😍. Nice sunset 🌇 photos. I usually get items out of the dishwasher but so does my daughter. Husband does it at time. I use my phone often even now reading your post and at times put photos on my post from my cell phone camera 🤳. We don't put our Christmas tree up til late November and it's fake but it has lights attached to it and in the garage. I don't wear a sweatshirt that's over my size. Have a good day!!
ReplyDelete