Friday Photos

Hello!  And Happy Friday. I hope you had a happy, healthy week and are ready for the weekend. This past week was our last here for a bit. Next week, we head back to Pennsylvania for Thanksgiving and Christmas. Christmas!!! Yay! 

The night before Halloween was beautiful here. We wrapped up school and headed to the beach for the last warm day of the season. We sat on the beach, watching the waves, and I felt such peace knowing that all the things I used to worry about and fret over...Halloween costumes, dusty shelves and dirty laundry, Christmas pictures, time passing so quickly...those things pass. And if they don't... it's ok. I have dirty laundry on the floor. Dust accumulates whether I wipe it off every Friday or not. A Christmas picture can be the most informal, unplanned photo in the world, my children will continue to grow, and life will be different. And it is good. Life is good. 

In other news...We had a new student in the classroom this week.

He is very well-behaved and friendly.  

Halloween was fun. Flynn's costume came just in time, and she loved it! She was a favorite character from the Marvel Movies. The weather was dark and gloomy, perfect for a spooky dinner of Mummy Dogs and Macaroni and Cheese. And some delicious, made-by-Madison dark chocolate brownies, too.

We missed Peyton and Chris, but they shared their Halloween fun with us, and Peyton didn't disappoint!

The day after Halloween, we celebrated All Saint's Day. We watched a beautiful mass online. The parish has a school, and the children attended mass dressed as a favorite saint. They really looked so amazing! Yesterday, we commemorated All Soul's Day, a day we pray for our deceased loved ones. We remembered this beautiful woman, Steve's mother. Her name is Flo, but to us, she is Mum. Mum passed away six years ago on the Feast of All Souls, and I miss her every day. She taught me so many things about being a wife and mother. She was a humble, caring, faith-filled, and compassionate woman. She made the best meatloaf, ironed clothes better than a dry cleaner, and taught me to always shake my clothes before putting them into the washer to reduce wrinkles. She loved praying the rosary, fresh tomato sandwiches, and The Young and The Restless. She also raised, along with Steve's father, the most amazing, loving family of seven children I will ever know. 

Leaving you with pictures of the pups because pictures of pups make everyone smile. Have a cozy weekend, my friends. I will be around to catch up with you all!

BillieJo

Random Thoughts For A Friday

Good Friday morning, my friends! Sometimes when I sit down to type out a post, I have a specific thought or idea to share. Other times, today, for example, I have several random thoughts swirling in my mind. So, here goes in no particular order, of course.

~

Time passes so quickly. Literally, I look out at the lake today, and I see it as it is. But in my mind, I feel like I was out there swimming, boating, and spraying sunscreen everywhere. I will never understand how time seems to speed up as we age. It hurts my brain to even try.

~

My calendar is filling up for the rest of November and December. I am trying not to get anxious about the days I am committed to being somewhere, even somewhere I want to be! I will take one day at a time and focus on being present wherever I am.

~

Ornament Day was a success! All the kids could come, and afterward, they came back here for a taco dinner and some family fun. As I get older, I am learning to accept help when I need it, and I am so thankful I have children who always offer to do just that. Peyton made the taco meat, Kyrstin chopped all the vegetables, Nicolas and Rhett got my Christmas tree down from storage and set it up, Madison fluffed all the branches, Christopher helped Steve install batteries in all the smoke detectors, and Flynn played with all the pups. 

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This year is the first since 1997 I am not sending Christmas cards. I have sent photos or photo cards of our family every year since Madison turned one! This year, I am choosing to simplify and send just a few handwritten cards to people who may need extra joy this season. 

~

Well, that's it for today! I am off to get some cereal with blueberries and raspberries. I got the best raspberries at the store this week! What a treat. Thanks for visiting, my friends. Have a cozy weekend!

Oh! One more thing. I am wondering about two special blogger friends who have not posted in a while. If you know anything about Lorraine from Mamas Mercantile or Linda from Ramblings of a Retired Lady, could you please drop me a line? I have been thinking about both of them, as they are very good blogger friends.

Thank you!

Billie Jo

Monday Morning Coffee Talk

 Good Monday morning, my friends! I hope you had a wonderful weekend, especially with that extra hour of sleep! We took advantage of the beautiful weather Sunday to finish our fall clean-up and winter prep around outside. That translates to the young people putting away the rockers on the deck and front porch, sweeping the cobwebs and leaves from the porch, and cutting up the numerous cardboard boxes that have accumulated in our garage. I am mainly an online shopper, but I blame the stores for shipping a single roll of ribbon in a box filled with plastic bubble wrap for the mountain of cardboard.

I also finished putting Halloween and fall back into their boxes, in which they will remain until next August when I get the urge to pull them out again! My holiday decorating/undecorating process has changed over the years. Gone are the days I would carry the tubs up the steps myself, put on some music and decorate the entire house after giving it a good cleaning. Now, before I decorate for a new holiday, I slowly pick items up and carry them out to the dining room table, where over the course of a week, I accumulate all the decorations to pack up. I put them into tubs, and there they remain until one of my children carries them out and stores them on the shelves. Then I enjoy some bareness before taking a rag, wiping some noticeable dust, and taking a few days or so to set out the decorations for the next holiday. That is where I am now. The in-between. But I am so excited for Christmas to appear here in our cozy lake home!

The weather feels nothing like November here, let alone Christmas. Friday evening, I sat outside on the deck for a final time this year and watched the sun say goodnight. It was beautiful.

Right?

Tomorrow is election day, and we will be voting. I try to never forget what a privilege that is and to never take it for granted. 

Well, that's all for today. Mocha and I should get started with our morning! Thank you for visiting! I am always glad you do!

Billie Jo

Wednesday In November

 

Looking outside at the lake today, I see November in Pennsylvania. September has a look. October has one too. This is November. Muted browns and barren trees, with some stubborn leaves hanging on until the last gust before falling to the ground. The beginning of November is the time of year I catch my breath. I use this time to turn inward and prepare myself and my home for the weeks and months ahead. This year I am thinking about simplicity. About intention. And about a more relaxing, family-centered holiday season. How about you, my friends? What is November for you this year?

Thanks for visiting!

Have a cozy day!

Billie Jo

November First

 

Good morning! And Happy November! Halloween has come and gone for yet another year, but we wake today filled with happy memories and a few too many fun-size candy bars. It was a great day that began at Dunkin with coffee and my Madison, followed by the best visit ever with my beautiful mom, who is doing wonderfully and being cared for lovingly, and ending with a rainy, foggy, spooky night of Trick-or-Treating with our Flynn. We also baked cupcakes, drank coffee, and watched a Halloween movie. 

Goodbye for now, Halloween fun! See you next October August! 

Billie Jo

Monday Morning Coffee

Good Monday morning! How was your weekend? Quiet here. I did manage to deep clean the family room. And that is about it! Progress, right? I also spent some time with these lovely people...

My Madison, her husband Nicolas, and their pup, Draper. You know, I used to be sad thinking how quickly my children grew. I wanted to stop time, to keep them little and with me forever. But then I would have missed out on the incredible person this one became and the extraordinary man she found across the ocean and, yes, even that furry little pup who never seems to realize Mocha is not playing with him when she runs and hides under the dresser. 

Shoutout to the husband who takes charge of exterior decor every season.

One last shot of our backyard before we packed it away for the winter. Can you spot our visitor?

And lastly. If you come across this in your local grocery store, pick one up. 

Happy Monday, my friends!

Billie Jo

Happy Friday!

 

This pretty much sums up our week. And I am not unhappy about it. This week has been a hodgepodge of the seasonal variety. We packed away Halloween, wrote Christmas wish lists, planned Christmas decorating, inventoried Thanksgiving menu items, turned the fireplace on in the chilly mornings, turned it off in the warm afternoons, took walks, watched Christmas baking shows, and ate Halloween candy. 

Meanwhile, I am thinking about tackling the family room this weekend. This may or may not be due to my dropping the television remote and finding it under the couch, which currently houses far too much dust, dirt, crumbs, and socks. I plan on vacuuming and wiping things down with vinegar water, opening the windows for some fresh air, and washing the winter throw blankets. All this is in preparation for the many cozy evenings we will spend here together. And I always feel better cleaning before I put up the tree. Go figure.

Have a cozy weekend. Thanks for visiting!

Billie Jo

Friday!

What Is November To You?

November.

I love November.

We are planning Thanksgiving dinner, listening to Christmas music, burning fall candles, packing jack-o-lanterns and witches away, raking leaves, and drinking Holiday Spice Coffee from Christmas mugs.

We are also embracing the early evenings by gathering together after the dinner dishes are done and watching tv by the fire. Every season has beauty. November's is a quiet, calm anticipation. 

Enjoy.

Friday!

Welcome to the weekend, my friends. This promises to be our first cold and possibly snowy weekend! Just in time for the cozy, dark, early evenings. It is time to fluff those cushions, pull out the soft throws, pop the popcorn, and get out the games. Cozy nights at home are back. : )

Someone helped us clean up the yard this week.

November

“November comes

And November goes,

With the last red berries

And the first white snows.

With night coming early,

And dawn coming late,

And ice in the bucket

And frost by the gate.

The fires burn

And the kettles sing,

And earth sinks to rest

Until next spring.”

― Clyde Watson

October slipped away last night, much like the faded leaves slip from the trees and float to the ground, their job complete for another year. We awoke to November, a month that begins in quiet and calm reflection and ends with excitement and anticipation of all things Christmas. November is a bridge of sorts, carrying us from the ordinary days of autumn to the festive ending of another year. Life passes quickly, especially if we forget to savor each and every day. So today, I choose to take a deep breath, look around, and settle into this most wonderful and cozy time of year.

Happy November, my friends!