It is almost back-to-school time, and as hard as it is to believe, my youngest is entering her junior year of high school. This got me thinking about when I was that age and what was part of my daily life. Like...
Here we are, my friends, halfway through August. Summer is still in charge, and she is happy to remind us daily. Autumn is on her way, however, dancing up the path, with colorful leaves swirling around her as she does. Soon, lazy summer days will give way to structure and schedule. The heat and humidity will eventually give way to cooler air that smells of cinnamon and crunchy leaves. And I am here for it.
In the meantime, we enjoy all the ordinary things, because no matter the season, ordinary is best. We are ordering greasy cheese pizza late at night.
Good morning, my friends! Happy Friday! I hope you had a good first week of August. The heat has returned here, along with the humidity. Hence, no pictures of my early morning walks. And, to be fair, it did rain a couple of mornings too. Moving on...
Thank you so very much for all the comments on my blog birthday post. Being a part of this community brings me so much happiness, inspiration, and comfort each and every day. I chose five winners using a random number generator, and the names are listed below. Thank you to all of those who commented. Please know I read and reread them all.
Congratulations to the five winners!
Barbara
Karen Kolb
Helen
Out My Window
Stacy
If you haven't already, please contact me with your email so I can send your gift cart straight out! And again, thank you all!
Finishing up with a few photos from the past week...
When it is hot and just the three of you, this qualifies as dinner.
If you...
~ Think August through December is the very best time of the year
~ Go to bed at night dreaming of that first cup of coffee
~ Spend too much time worrying about what might happen
~ Sometimes feel homesick for a time and a place that no longer exists
~ Vow to eat healthy but still love the occasional drive-thru at McDonald's
~ Miss plastic sippy cups, Sesame Street, Barbies, and dump trucks all over your house
~ Wish you could see your grandma sitting in her chair drinking coffee one more time
~ Seriously wonder how you are now older than the teachers you had in school
~ Sometimes feel overwhelmed even though you are doing way less than you used to do
~ Have a much smaller circle of people in your life and are much happier about that
~ Love sweatshirt time because bras are optional
~ Or feel blessed beyond measure for the people in your life...
You are not alone.
Happy Wednesday, my friends.
Billie Jo
Fourteen years ago today, I started this little space to keep pictures and thoughts about our family's life on something new to me, something called a blog. I had begun to read a few blogs and thought it would be fun, although I certainly had no idea what I was doing! Madison helped me get started, and I somehow fumbled my way through the first few months without throwing in the towel. I am so glad I kept going. This space here has recorded our lives for the past fourteen years in a way no scrapbook could. I have written thoughts on raising my children and keeping a home. I have documented recipes and holidays here, as well as many joyful events like weddings and new homes. I also have shared thoughts on extreme sadness during the loss of both my parents and my mother-in-law, too. I have vacations documented here, as well as my favorite: the ordinary and blessed days of being a wife, mother, and homeschool teacher to four amazing children. These are things I created this space to document.
To celebrate, I am sharing one random photo from every year of Afternoon Coffee and Evening Tea.
2012
Something I did not anticipate when I began blogging, however, was the wonderful friendships this space would allow me to make, and the joy, knowledge, comfort, and smiles those friendships would provide me. I am so very thankful to you, my friends, for reading, visiting, commenting, praying, encouraging, and even consoling me during times of sadness. I am so blessed to have made friends I would never have known had it not been for this little space of the internet. I am thankful to you all and am going to celebrate you today with a little drawing for one of five Amazon gift cards to be given away on Friday, August 7, 2026, during a highly sophisticated process of Rhett using a number generator on his phone! If you would like to enter, just leave a comment below. Please provide your name, as anonymous entries cannot be considered. I will post the winners on Friday, August 7, 2026. If you are chosen...YAY!...and please make sure I have an email address to send the gift card to. That's it!
Have a wonderful Monday, my friends!
Billie Jo
