Remember When?

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... 

As my kids say..."That was the vibe."

Have a wonderful Wednesday!

Billie Jo

Friday

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.

We are sitting on the porch while Mocha keeps an eye on the neighborhood.

We are going to Madison and Nicolas' house for dinner on warm summer evenings.

And we are just being cozy.

Have a nice, ordinary weekend, my friends. 

Thanks for visiting!

Billie Jo

Random Wondering On A Wednesday

I was just wondering...

1. Do you wash a brand new mattress pad before you use it?
2. How often do you vacuum your bedroom?
3. What is the one show you are watching now you won't miss?
4. Do you eat popcorn at the movies?
5. What do you eat for dinner on nights you just can't or don't want to cook?
6. When do you put on your pajamas?
7. How often do you wear makeup?
8. What was your favorite school lunch?

Just curious!

Happy Wednesday, my friends!

My answers:

1. I don't like washing new mattress pads. But then I think about it, and I do.
2. I vacuum our bedroom once a week. I should do it more because...wool rug!
3. Right now, we will not miss an episode of Big Brother!
4. I do eat popcorn at the theatre. And I get a fountain drink too. I think there's a rule.
5. If we don't cook, I will eat a bowl of cereal, pierogies, or Kraft macaroni and cheese!
6. In the fall and winter, I put my pajamas on around 4 PM. In the summer? Right before bed.
7. I rarely wear more than sunscreen, powder, and mascara anymore. It is wonderful!
8. My favorite school lunch was peanut butter sandwiches and chicken soup. That generic peanut butter in those huge tubs on the soft square generic bread was the BEST!

It's the little things.

Billie Jo

Monday Morning Coffee

Good Monday morning, my friends! I hope you had a nice weekend, however you chose to spend it. We had a quiet weekend around here, all while the heat and humidity fought a battle to prove who is the most evil of them all. They are still at it, by the way. 

Steve was up in PA for the weekend, visiting with Peyton and Chris. Rhett and Flynn worked on Saturday, which meant I had an entire day home alone with three pups. I had big plans of accomplishing great things. I did not. While I did Swiffer my bathroom floor, scrub a few toilets, and polish the kitchen sink, I spent much of the day on the couch with a book and the TV remote. I contend that the dogs are happier that way, and who am I to neglect the well-being of three sweet pups? Sunday, Flynn and I went to morning mass, stopped for a Dunkin refresher on the way home, ordered takeout wings for dinner, and watched Big Brother. 

 

I didn't need to worry about dinner on Saturday. Madison dropped off one of my favorites...my mom's goulash. And she even grated fresh Parmesan cheese too. 

She also brought me these beautiful flowers from the farmer's market. They are absolutely perfect!

We kept up with Steve, Peyton, and Chris all weekend, and they seemed to be having a good time.

And when it is unbearably hot and humid, Dukin refreshers are the way to go. Pineapple Mango for Flynn and Strawberry Dragonfruit for me. We got them with green tea, but lemonade is good too.

I know that we are still in the depths of summer, and I am much more cognizant of living in the moment now that I am... ahem... older. I do, however, love the thought that autumn is near. In fact, I think that I enjoy the anticipation of autumn and all it entails as much as autumn itself. Well, almost. This is the time I can look at fall images, recipes, decor, and movies, and make all sorts of plans and ideas. For example, maybe I will make this recipies this fall:

Or plan to watch all the movies...

Or take a walk on the perfect autumn day.

I can think about 

And 

So, as we enjoy the remaining days of summer, I can also find happiness in the anticipation of all the autumn, coziness, and pumpkin spice that is just around the corner.

Happy Monday, my friends. And to be completely transparent, I am already using Pumpkin Spice creamer in my coffee. Just couldn't wait. 

Billie Jo

Friday Photos And Winners

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.

Just in case you think I never venture out to the beach in the middle of summer, here is photographic proof I do. Ok. It was at night. And it was for dinner. But I was there! 

And this little cutie was waiting for me to get home. 

Have a wonderful weekend!

Billie Jo

If You

 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

Happy 14th Birthday, Little Blog! And A Giveaway!

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

2013

2014

2015

2016

2017

2018

2019

2020

2021

2022

2023

2024

2025

2026

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