Yep

It's all I have today, folks!

Billie Jo

A Finished Project

I recently finished a project that I have been working on for quite some time. I say "working on" as if it were a complicated and tedious task. It wasn't. It was something I had long wanted to do. I began it over a year ago, and worked on it here and there, when I had some free time alone. A few weeks ago, I finally finished and gave my children something I hope they cherish forever. 

This is a recipe binder filled with some of our family's favorite recipes. I made one for each of the kids. When I decided I wanted to do this, I thought about all the family dinners we enjoyed together and what some of our favorite meals were. I chose recipes that we made time and again, for dinner, dessert, snacks, and special occasions. I included a recipe or two from my parents, as well as Steve's, because I want their memories to live on through their grandchildren. 

Each of the recipes I included has a special meaning for our family, and I've tried to include a note with each one. The recipe I included for our favorite stuffed peppers was the very first meal I cooked for Steve after we were married. I didn't cover them, and they never got soft, but he ate those crunchy peppers as if they were the best meal he'd ever had! After I chose the recipes, I gathered them and retyped them on my laptop so that they all looked similar. I printed them and put them in a recipe binder, which I gave to the kids when we were all together. 

They were so happy, and we had a fun time looking through them, sharing our memories of Madison choosing pot roast for her back-to-school meal, Peyton making chocolate chip pumpkin bread every fall, Rhett requesting our favorite fudge for his birthday, and the time I surprised him with it the night before. We discussed Steve's amazing meatloaf, Flynn's love for the double chocolate muffins warm from the oven, and the Manager Cake recipe that my friend Delane gave me years ago, so the kids could make it for Christmas Eve. I was thrilled to know they were happy, and that the food and memories we made would last for years to come.

Have a wonderful day, my friends.

Thank you for visiting!

Billie Jo

Friday

I am really hitting it out of the park with these titles, aren't I? Whether your weekend is quiet and restful, productive and effective, or a combination of some type, I hope it is exactly what you want it to be. Here, in a word, it will be HOT. And I will be, in another word, INDOORS. 

Have a lovely weekend, my friends!

Billie Jo

Just For Fun

Last night we celebrated Shark Week with some shark-themed food and fun! Shark Week is an actual week on The Discovery Channel featuring information about...you guessed it...sharks. The shows are documentaries and adventure programs that share information and entertainment all about different species of sharks. It actually began in 1988 and has continued to grow into the cultural phenomenon it is today. While I cannot say I have watched it from the beginning, I know I have looked forward to this week in July many, many times. 

When my kids were little, and Steve was working very long hours, I started celebrating small events with them just for fun. In the winter, we would make a small cake and wear masks for Mardi Gras, and get Chinese food for Chinese New Year. In the summer, we would bake cupcakes and watch Shark Week. My kids are grown now, but they all still indulge me and my love for celebrating any and all events with food and games. 

I found some fun printables on Etsy. And then I planned a fun menu.

Seaweed Dip with Shark Fins 

Recipe right here: (Seaweed Dip)

My mom's favorite punch recipe:

(Hawaiian Punch, sherbert, and 7UP )

Shark Bites 

(Mrs. Paul's Fish Sticks)

Seafood Pasta Salad

(Recipe right here: Seafood Pasta Salad)

Sea Shell Mac and Cheese 

And a Deep, Dark Chocolate Cake

Duncan Hines Dark Chocolate Fudge Cake Mix

and Pillsbury Whipped Vanilla Frosting

I have these little decorations that I keep in my holiday box and just pull out when I need them. I find many of them on Etsy.

So, there you have it, my friends. 

Just a little bite of fun on a random Tuesday in July!

Have a lovely Wednesday.

Thanks for visiting!

Bilie Jo

Monday Morning Coffee

Good Monday morning, my friends! Yes, I remembered to dig out my Shark Week mug, and it is all ready for the week. We had a low-key weekend here, and I am not complaining one bit. Friday afternoon, Steve realized we had some chicken to use up, so I made a quick marinade and baked it in the oven. It was raining off and on, so grilling was iffy, but it was still delicious! Flynn isn't big on potatoes, so I served it with pierogies and some steamed broccoli. Simple but good!

Saturday was stormy, but we managed to make it to mass, and then Flynn chose a favorite pizza place for dinner. It was good! 

Then I went home to wash my face, do my nighttime skincare routine, and put on some fresh pajamas. Saturday nights in are my favorite! It's funny because I'm now putting on my pajamas and applying serum to my face at the same time I used to get dressed and put on makeup for a Saturday night out! 

Sunday afternoon has its own vibe. This book is one of the very best I have read in a long time. It is historical fiction, and so very well written. I was so sad to come to the end. It made me want to learn more about this very young woman. Highly Recommend.

Flynn took this picture of her little pup, Marty. He is so cute, and so attached to Flynn!

Leaving you with a couple of images from Google today. The first is a reminder.

And this one reminds me of my momma. She used to sing this on days like we have had lately.

Roll Out Those Lazy, Hazy, Crazy Days of Summer

Click on that to sing along!

Happy Monday, my friends.

Thank you for visiting!

Billie Jo

Friday Photos

 

Happy Friday, my friends! This was my first stop this morning, just after I started my coffee. Some people have laundry days. I do laundry every day. It's something about trying to keep up, although I know intellectually I will never be caught up, but a girl's gotta try, right? My lunches this week were all the same. The only thing that switched out was the fruit on the side. On this day, it was freshly picked blackberries!

Dinner one night this week was a staple around here. Sometimes the meal plan goes off the rails, but I still want to have something that resembles a meal. I always have these Organic Chicken Tenders on hand. They are delicious and easy to heat and serve. I had some fresh zucchini, and I made the easiest and best homemade macaroni and cheese. Here is the RECIPE for that.

(Blatently copied from Walmart's website...)

I am happy to report the pups are feeling better, and that this little lady celebrated her tenth birthday this week!!! We celebrated by sitting on the porch and watching the birds. Flynn had a fun night with Madison and Nicolas at their house one night, so Steve and I went on a Chick-fil-A takeout date night! We went to the inlet to watch the boats come in. We didn't see many, but it was beautiful nonetheless. Then we went to the condo and sat on the beach until it was too dark to read.

It was a nice night out on the town for these old folks! It has been so humid and muggy here, but I'm starting to think about the cool, spooky time of year that is just around the corner! Someone asked me once where my love of fall, Halloween, and the spooky came from. I am not sure, but it may have had something to do with this.

Not really. Ok, maybe. Probably.

Have a wonderful weekend, my friends!

Billie Jo

Oh! One more thing! If you know me, you know what next week is!!! Yep! It is Shark Week! Shark Week begins Sunday on the Discovery Channel. I started watching it years ago when the kids were younger, and Steve was working late. I would get the kids bathed and in pajamas, and we would watch and have some fun little shark treats. Watching Shark Week is a fun summer tradition that we still enjoy today.

(Discovery Channel)

Ok! I'm done now!

Just For Fun!

I remember...

My Mom having this in her cupboard for quick weeknight dinners...

Watching reruns of this show with my sister Margie...

The scratchy feeling of this Barbie's outfit...

Another rerun favorite, and thinking Robbie was so gorgeous!

I remember Sunday nights and this show that my Dad loved...

Deciding which of these amazing scents to buy at the drugstore downtown...

This on the dining room table every birthday, and my Mom asking if we wanted chocolate, vanilla, strawberry, or all three.

I remember thinking this soap was the absolute most amazing thing...

My Mom buying a box of these every payday, and my sisters and I being so excited...

I remember thinking this show was so scary...

And how you just knew someone was sick when this appeared...

Having an extra one of these on hand just in case...

And the yummy taste of these. But only the blue ones.

These are just a few of the many, many, many happy memories I have from my childhood. It is fun and comforting for me to go back every now and then and be that girl again, if only for a minute.

Oh...do you know the shows I watched?

The names are below!

1. Hazel

2. My Three Sons

3. Alice

4. Land of the Lost

Happy Wednesday!

Billie Jo

Google for the fun!