The Last Week Of May

Really? Ok, then. You can't stop time, so we might as well enjoy every minute! Isn't it wonderful that we can do that however we want? I like to tell my children, grown as they are, that different doesn't have to mean one is right, and the other wrong. This week, enjoying time for me was settling into a familiar routine. I woke early, drank my coffee, went swimming, showered, and was in my cozy clothes before ten-thirty. Then I had lunch, a tomato sandwich on toasted sourdough bread with cottage cheese, and homeschooled with Flynn. After school, I either took a short nap or went to the beach to watch the waves. Then it was dinner, clean up, a movie or game, followed by an episode of Seinfeld, some reading in bed, and sleep. 

We celebrated Memorial Day with a simple little dinner. I made sloppy joes, heated some tater tots, and made a delicious new salad! I will link the recipe below. It is so easy! Just lettuce, strawberries, blueberries, and Feta. Madison made the first strawberry pie of the season for dessert!

Most days, if I am lucky, the pool looks like this when I arrive. Can we make reminding your young children that screaming incessantly and splashing older people in a public pool is not kind and respectful behavior popular again? I love kids! I have four of my own. And they all swam in this very pool when they were younger. They did not, however, scream and throw things when older people were in the pool. And, yes. I am the "older person" now! 

Watching the waves from the window is a new pastime of mine when we are here. My favorite days are stormy, when the waves are big and powerful.

Sometimes, when the storm passes, the waves are a bit calmer.

And other days, like yesterday, they are quiet and calm.

This is the third book in a series. I really enjoyed the first two, and this one is good, too!

Have a wonderful weekend, my friends! We are heading back to the house today. I hope to fill the bird feeders, sweep the porch, and make a meal plan. What about you?

Billie Jo

Red, White, and Blue Salad

Random But Worthwhile Thoughts On A Wednesday In May

Sometimes, I have different thoughts about various things that I find hard to put into a whole post. I think of something, then realize that no one wants to read an entire post about the trivial thoughts of my mind. For instance, why do they sell shampoo and conditioner in the same size bottles when most people regularly use way less conditioner? The shampoo bottle always looks bright and fresh, and the poor conditioner bottle sits in the shower so long it starts to look streaky and messy with globs of thick conditioner stuck to the top. I know. The world has far bigger problems than my conditioner, right? But maybe my mind isn't supposed to deal with all those things. My circle of interest and concern should be smaller, like my grandma's and my mom's was, before the internet and social media allowed us access beyond our neighborhoods and local news. 

Another thing I've been thinking about is how time speeds up each year. I always tell my kids I can literally feel myself sitting in a Physics Class in January after Christmas break. I remember thinking about how loooong the winter would be with nothing to look forward to. Back then, January, February, and March dragged on and on. Spring was forever away, and summer? Forget about it! Now, it's New Year's Day and Valentine's Day, and I'm getting Easter decorations out before putting them away because it is the Fourth of July! That means fall and pumpkin spice for a few weeks before it is time to decorate for Christmas. And no amount of intent and focus can slow life down! 

Let's see. What else? Oh! This is a PSA concerning Blogger. Recently, I have been wondering about some of my blogger friends I haven't heard from, and after going to their pages, I realized I was no longer following them! If you haven't seen me visiting in some time, this is the reason why! GINNY and RACHEL, I just refollowed you! This is a tip in case you are missing some of your blog friends and their posts on your Reading List. 

And one last thought: I sometimes wonder about random things, like how often you should wash the throw blankets you use or how many times you use your coffee pot before you wash it. Sometimes, I think of all the books I haven't read or the places I haven't seen. Then I think about how content I am with the stack of books on my bedside table and how much comfort I feel being home. So. That's that. Thanks for indulging me in my random chain of thought, my friends! 

Have a wonderful Wednesday!

Billie Jo

*Google for the pic*

Monday Morning Coffee On Memorial Day

Good Monday morning, my friends. How was your weekend? For many, it continues today and is considered the first summer weekend. We had a lovely weekend here, with Saturday being the highlight. Nicolas, my son-in-law, celebrated his birthday! It is hard to believe he is thirty-one. He was just twenty when he flew from his beautiful home of Denmark to meet Madison. Madison had a lovely party at their home. Then we celebrated Nicolas with a fun dinner at one of his favorite restaurants overlooking the water, with the most beautiful sunset view. 

Happy Birthday, Nicolas! On Sunday, we crossed the bridge to the ocean to spend a few days at the condo. We are only about fifteen minutes from the beach, which makes it very easy.

  

We arrived just in time for the sunset. We ate dinner, watched an episode of Seinfeld, and headed to bed. Or, at least I tried to, until I found this little guy had gotten there first. 

Today, we commemorate Memorial Day. How we do it is very different from how it was years ago. In those days, we rose early, put on our matching Old Navy flag shirts, decorated paper bags, and headed downtown for the parade. After that, we took the kids to pick out flowers, and they each planted their own summer arrangement. Today is much more low-key. We will have a quieter day with a movie and sloppy joes for dinner. And that's just fine with me. No matter how we spend the day, I try to remember why we have parades, cookouts, and long weekends.

Memorial Day is an American holiday, observed on the last Monday of May, honoring the men and women who died while serving in the U.S. military. Memorial Day 2025 falls on Monday, May 26. - history.com

"The true soldier fights not because he hates what is in front of him, but because he loves what is behind him."

-G.K. Chesterton

Have a lovely day, my friends. Thank you for visiting!

Billie Jo

What We Did And What We Ate

Hello, and happy Friday! Not just any Friday, mind you. It is the Friday of Memorial Day Weekend, also known to some as the first weekend of summer! Or to others, the first weekend of the only season standing between them and their beloved autumn. I know, I know. Summer has not yet begun, and I already wish it were fall. It isn't that I dislike summer. I like the IDEA of summer. I am all for cookouts, swimming, porch sitting, and lemonade drinking. I am not ready for hot days with scorching sun, various varieties of wasps, bees, bugs, and flies, sweating, sunscreen, and humidity. 

These two, however, are ready for summer! Madison took Flynn to get their hair done yesterday. Look how pretty!

If you are a long-time reader, you may remember this young lady with big bows in her hair!

She is finishing her Freshman year of homeschool, and we are both having a great year. We will finish at the end of June and start again in August. I think these three bonus students will miss it!

What is a week without good food? A few favorite meals this week were chicken bowls...

Steve grilled chicken outside, and I just made some rice and prepared some toppings. We had garden tomatoes, lettuce, cucumbers, avocados, freshly grated cheese, cilantro, and Greek yogurt. We also had a big favorite here, the BLT. Again, garden tomatoes, lettuce, and avocado on toasted sourdough bread spread with Duke's mayonnaise. Add bacon cooked in the oven for less mess, and that's it! Dinner is served!

And last but certainly not least, we celebrated my son! He turned twenty-three! It seems impossible that the little guy who brought Tonka trucks and army men into our house of Barbies and baby dolls is all grown up. When sharing memories of Rhett at dinner, one word kept coming up. Fun. Rhett makes everything fun. He doesn't try to be fun, he just is. He brings joy to any situation, and we all benefit from that. Choosing one word to describe my son is too hard for me. Sincere, sensitive, and caring apply. Rhett never wants anyone to feel bad. He always makes sure each one of us is okay. He loves family and tradition, and his claim to fame is that he never went to time out! Never. I swear! Here he is with his lovely girlfriend, Kyrstin.

And with his mom...just this week...

And what feels like just yesterday.

Have a wonderful weekend, my friends!

See you Monday!

Billie Jo

I Can, But I Can't

 Things I can I do:

1. Wash the dishes and clean the kitchen before I am done cooking dinner

2. Eat the exact same thing for lunch every single day 

3. Recite my credit card number by heart

4. Name all the mysteries of the rosary

5. Get up at the same time every day without an alarm

6. Open a can with a manual can opener

7. Twirl a baton 

8. Wrap presents with pretty paper, fancy ribbon, and bows

9. Read and enjoy almost anything from Hop on Pop to The Iliad and The Odyssey

10. Bake really good brownies

And Things I Can't

1. Change a tire, add wiper fluid, or really anything other than drive a car

2. Sew, knit, crochet, needlepoint, or thread a button (Yes, I'm serious.)

3. Sleep with makeup on

4. Drive a stick shift car

5. Figure a tip or interest in my head

6. Drink from a glass with a chip or crack in it

7. Build a fire from scratch

8. Drink orange juice right after brushing my teeth

9. Eat a bowl of any kind of chili

10. Eat in a restaurant with sticky floors

In case you were curious! How about you, my friends? Anything to add???

Have a cozy Wednesday!

Billie Jo

Monday Morning Coffee

Good Monday morning! We came to the condo this past weekend and were blessed with the first beautiful weather of the season. I am actually sitting inside, but I have the door open so that I can hear the waves. Early morning is my favorite time at the beach: before the hot sun, the crowds of people, and the daily chaos of our modern world meets the calming presence of the ocean. And before any hint of movement activates the barking response in these two little ones.

Yesterday, I woke early enough to watch the sun rise.

Other happy things this weekend included some really good swim time for me, followed by a shower, cozy clothes, and a nap, a quick but thorough condo cleaning, a beautiful Saturday mass, delicious pasta takeout, and more Mother's Day love. What else?? Oh. I got new glasses. Let me show you this painfully awkward selfie I took before mass.

Told you.

Lastly, as a friend, I must inform you of something available at McDonald's that is now my favorite treat: the Hershey's Chocolate Chip Frappee. I hope it is available where you are! 

Well, it is time to get moving. We are heading home in a bit. I just need to tidy the condo and head across the bridge. When we get home, Flynn and I will do homeschooling, and then I plan on throwing in some laundry. I hope you all have a lovely Monday. Thank you for visiting!

Billie Jo

Scenes From A Week

Delicious fresh fish and vegetables from the market...

Madison treating me to an afternoon tea that was lovely and delicious...

Cosmo in his natural habitat...

 A new cookbook holder on my counter...

Lots of this...

And thoughts of this.

Have a lovely weekend, my friends!

Thanks for visiting!

Billie Jo

* Google for the images*