Monday Morning Coffee

Good Monday morning, my friends! Do you have a routine? This is part of mine. Every morning. And I love it.

How was your weekend? We had a nice one here, a mix of sun and storms. Saturday afternoon, we went to Mass, and as seen here, I asked Flynn to snap a selfie for no good reason other than I was wearing actual clothing and had put on some makeup.

I took this picture through the window as we headed over the bridge into the city for Mass.

After Mass, Steve ran Flynn home because she had some plans, and I spent some time on the beach with my favorite accessory.

A book. And I highly recommend this one. It is titled "Keeping the House," by Ellen Barker.

It is one of the best books I have read in a long time!

Evenings at the beach are highly underrated. Soon, Steve returned with dinner! We ate chicken sandwiches on the beach. Why, you may ask?

Well, because we were celebrating our anniversary! Cheers to thirty-four years!

Thirty-four years in the blink of an eye! Thirty-four years... Watching movies on a mattress in the best little apartment during our fist married summer, eating late dinners on the coffee table after we got home from work, four trips to the hospital, returning with a beautiful baby each time, countless family dinners around the table, eating dripping ice cream cones on the porch, bundling up for sledding, lugging up tubs for holiday decorating, one kitten, four pups, countless happy times filled with laughter, and heartwrenching sad times too. Learning to say goodbye to our parents, knowing we are now them, and watching our children grow and live their very best lives as adults, just as we did all those years ago. 

We celebrated with pizza. Because we are fancy like that. 

Meanwhile, Flynn was living her best life with Madison and Nicolas. They took her for ice cream to celebrate the end of school and the beginning of summer fun!

Lastly, this little guy enjoyed freedom on the deck for the first time. Last year, he jumped through the bars all the time! Now, he realizes that home is the place to be. Why bother? 

Have a cozy Monday, my friends.

Thanks for visiting!

Billie Jo

The Last Friday Of June

Hello, my friends. And here we are at the end of June. I don't want to alarm anyone, but Fourth of July is NEXT WEEK! Flynn and I are finishing homeschool today, and that means we will have a sophomore in the house. Yes. That means this little one here...

Will be in tenth grade next year!? Ten years go by in a flash! We celebrated the last week of school with a special DoorDash treat. Sipping on some favorites made the Biology lessons seem a bit easier.

The rest of our week was, you guessed it, hot! I opted for some housedresses and iced coffee...

Breakfast for dinner...

And waiting until evening to venture outdoors.

Not that I'm complaining, or anything. 

It's me, after all!

Have a lovely weekend, my friends. Do what you love with the people who make you happy. Thanks for visiting!

Billie Jo

Yep

I have a folder on my laptop for random memes and pictures I come across and want to save. It is simply titled "Yep." Looking through it recently, I realized one of the common themes is something like this one.

And so, at the ripe old age of fifty-five, 

• I have given myself permission to be me without worrying that I am not meeting all the expectations others have of me.

• I have permitted myself to not care that others do not understand my desire to be home.

• I am allowing myself to remain true to myself while maintaining a respectful relationship with others who value different things and ways to spend their time.

• I am allowing myself freedom from being everything to everyone.

What does this mean? It means I won't attend events or gatherings just because "I should." It means I cannot worry if someone is upset with or offended by me and my decisions. I have done that, and trust me. It is exhausting. I respect others and their desire to be busy all the time. I appreciate the fact that they thrive on social engagements and family events. I expect them to do the same for me. This doesn't mean I won't ever attend; I will choose to attend when I want or can. This may sound harsh, selfish, or even rude. After all, isn't it expected and polite to participate in all the things? Maybe. However, family time used to be valued more. People didn't fill their free days with parties, picnics, get-togethers, game nights, ball games, and dance recitals. They focused on their home and immediate family, so they felt more inclined to attend when an invitation arrived. 

I understand and appreciate if you disagree with me. I am simply being me and deciding to embrace the homebody that I am. I have been called weird, strange, odd, and selfish in my life, which is okay. I have simply decided to show myself grace and allow myself the space to be in my home with my books, pups, family, and peace. And it feels good.

Have a cozy summer day, my friends.

Thank you for visiting!

Billie Jo

Monday Morning Coffee

Good Monday morning, my friends. And welcome to summer! Many of us here are anticipating extreme heat this week, or as I refer to it, scary hot. Since I do not tolerate heat well at all, I will enjoy most of this weather from inside, with the occasional early morning or late evening venture outside to assess the situation. Sometimes I wish I enjoyed the outdoors more. I wish I liked slathering myself in sunscreen, sitting on the beach in the sun, or engaging in outdoor physical activity like hiking, golfing, or biking. Then, I think of being hot, sweaty, tired, and thirsty, and remember my cozy couch and my stack of books, and I snap out of that really quickly.

As an autumn soul, I must admit I have a soft spot for certain aspects of summer. Tomatoes, for instance. Garden tomatoes. Seeing red garden tomatoes in my kitchen is one of life's simple pleasures. Tomato sandwiches for lunch...

A big bowl of homemade pasta salad with fresh cherry tomatoes, basil, mozzarella, and garlic in the fridge...

And Madison's pasta with tomatoes...

Not to mention the summer aesthetic...

Summer=tomatoes.

Summer also means a short window of time for fresh strawberries. Now, I am going to say something controversial. I don't like strawberries. I know. I know. It's weird. I love raspberries, blueberries, and blackberries, but strawberries are a no from me. My family loves them, and fortunately, they all have mastered the art of making delicious desserts with them. And no. I can't eat them with cereal either. Go figure. I will finish up today with random pictures from the past few days, like this one. I apparently thought I needed to take one morning after taking the dogs out. I don't know what the reasoning was, but here it is.

Flynn and I are finishing up homeschool this week. We are in the murky depths of Pre-Algebra, and I am having flashbacks to 1984 with Jordache Jeans, Hubba Bubba gum, and late-night phone calls to my friends for help with surface area equations.

Dinner at Madison and Nico's beautiful home after mass on Saturday night made me realize that suddenly, Steve and I are my mom and dad! They used to come to our house for dinner all the time.

Lastly, I am still thinking about the delicious tea Madison, Kyrstin, and I attended last week. I am also wondering why I never think to make cucumber sandwiches with the crust cut off. 

Today I will work on school with Flynn, do some laundry, write out some cards, and help Steve with dinner. I hope you have a lovely summer day, my friends. Thank you for visiting!

Billie Jo

P.S. Thanks to Google for the Cher image. It is from Moonstruck, one of my mom's favorite movies!

I Have A Little Shadow

My Shadow by Robert Louis Stevenson

I have a little shadow that goes in and out with me,

And what can be the use of him is more than I can see.

He is very, very like me from the heels up to the head;

And I see him jump before me, when I jump into my bed.

Some say Mocha is my shadow. I cannot disagree. My Mocha needs me to be in her line of vision every second of the day! If Flynn and I are homeschooling, she is right here. And if not there, she may be found right here.

Biology and World History are her current favorites! If I am in the kitchen, fixing dinner, she keeps an eye on things from her cozy spot near the fireplace.

And when Madison makes amazing chocolate chip cookies, Mocha eyes mine up every time! Madison made these using Ina Garten's recipe, which I will link below.

Mocha loves and tolerates the other dogs in her life, but given the chance, she prefers to hang out with me and the other humans.

You can do that when you are the oldest and consider yourself the most mature!

Have a lovely weekend, my friends! Stay cool, hydrated, and safe from the sun. See you back here on Monday!

Billie Jo

Giant Crinkled Chocolate Chip Cookies

What Time?

 

What time of day is your favorite? As I age, my days become more relaxed and unscheduled. I notice time more, and while it still passes much too quickly, I am determined to appreciate and savor the heck out of it all! This morning, when I took the pups outside, I realized that early mornings are definitely my favorite in the summer. 

I love waking early, knowing that the whole day lies ahead. I love waking up with nature and watching it all come alive. On summer mornings, I am slower and more deliberate, lingering outside until the pups insist we go in for their morning treat. I make my coffee, take my pills, and pour fresh water for the dogs. I do all this with light shining through the windows, highlighting the dirt and dust on them, but who cares about that, really? In what universe do my dirty windows matter one single bit? (This new attitude brought to you by Middle Age. Thank you very much!) Then I sit and sip my coffee while I say my morning prayers and watch for the birds to visit. Summer mornings at my stage of life? 10/10. Highly recommend.

What about the fact that I am a self-diagnosed autumn soul? What about the crisp, windy fall days and the snowy winter ones that follow? Well, on those beautiful days, evenings are my favorite. But that is a post for another day. For now, I will sip my coffee and watch my birds. How about you?

Have a lovely Wednesday!

Billie Jo

Monday Morning Coffee

 

Good Monday morning! It is overcast and humid here today, with the promise of spotty showers and the possibility of an afternoon thunderstorm. What is it about a rainy summer day that makes me feel happy? It may have something to do with my innate love of all things cozy. Who knows? Soon enough, we will have those bright, hot, sunny days, the ones my mom used to sing about... " Roll out those lazy, crazy, hazy days of summer! " That song takes me back to the days of Bob Barker and The Price is Right before lunch, drippy ice cream from a plastic bucket scooped onto green, brown, or pink colored cones, rides around town with my dad in his truck with the windows down, and kickball games and Ghost in the Graveyard with our neighbor friends after dinner. Now, summer is many different things, but one of the favorites is something as simple as this.

Tomatoes. Garden tomatoes, to be specific. I am a simple person, and a bowl of ripe garden tomatoes on my counter just brings me joy!

Madison found these sweet salt and pepper shakers for me at Anthropology. She gave them to me for Mother's Day, and yes, that is a Tomato Sandwich candle, too! Madison has a friend who makes them. Tomato sandwiches, pasta with tomatoes, BLT sandwiches...I could go on and on. But I won't! I'll end this with a wish for a happy summer day, my friends! 

I hope you enjoy in the ways that make you happy!

Billie Jo

Friday And Fathers

Happy Friday, my friends! Here we are. It is suddenly in the middle of June, and summer is here! How do I know? The weather outside is hot and humid. The birds sing in the morning, and something...a frog or a toad?...croaks at night. My flowers are blooming beautifully, not because of me, but despite me, and Flynn has been eating Bomb Pops after dinner. Summer. 

I love my summer wreath so much that I decided to keep it up and make a few simple additions for June and July. I added this perfect doormat...a Mother's Day gift from Rhett and Kyrstin, and suddenly, I am decorated for summer on the porch!

Another blog-worthy item from this past week is the delicious strawberry rhubarb cake Madison brought over!

It was amazing.

Steve and I went on an impromptu date in my Jeep the other night. We picked up dinner and ate it at the pier, watching the boats and all the people. Speaking of Steve... Happy Father's Day! One of the things I tell my girls is, "Marry a man like your father." Steve is the concert-goer, trip-taker, clothes-shopper, driving instructor, and financial planner. He is a hard worker and has instilled in our children the importance of finding a job you love. He also reminds them that family and faith are more important and always come first. 

Plus, he reads here all the time. So, Happy Father's Day, Steve! And Happy Father's Day to my dad, who is celebrating in Heaven.

And this year, he has his wife beside him. 

Have a wonderful, summery weekend, my friends! Thank you for visiting! 

Billie Jo