Monday Morning Coffee

 

Good Monday morning, my friends! Welcome to the middle of October. I love this time of year, as you no doubt already know. These next few weeks, however, are some of my favorites. Slowly, almost unnoticeably, the shift occurs. For me, the pumpkin spice obsessions, bright afternoons, and vibrant leaf-covered trees that define early autumn are replaced with cloudy days and earlier nights, chilly enough for the heat to kick on afternoons and spooky movies on TV at night.

I plan on intentionally enjoying these next two weeks and promise to live in the now, the time of cozy, spooky fun. Come November 1, I can shift into all things Christmas. (No matter how tempted I am by the Target and Home Goods Christmas placemats, ornaments, and throw blankets they shove at me.)

That being said, do you prefer

Reese Peanut Butter Pumpkins or colorful candy corn?

It's The Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown or Michael Myers Halloween?

Colorful leaves on trees or crunchy leaves on the sidewalk?

Pumpkin patches or Haunted houses?

Whatever you enjoy, savor it. These next two weeks will pass before we know it, and we will be knocking on the door of Christmas. (Which I also love, by the way.) Today is a homeschool day for us, and that is about it. We have some groceries to pick up, and  I can finally pull on some of my Halloween sweaters and sweatshirts!!!! 

Thanks for visiting, my friends. And if you want to get even more in the spirit, search YouTube for Halloween ambiance. It takes enjoying this time of year to a whole new level!

BillieJo

P. S. 

My answers are Peanut butter pumpkins, Halloween, Crunchy leaves, and Pumpkin patches.

Monday Morning Coffee Talk

 Good Monday morning! I hope you had a wonderful October weekend. Here in Pennsylvania, we enjoyed an absolutely glorious display of beauty, which I enjoyed from both inside and out. Want to see it? Let's see. Friday afternoon, I took Mocha to the vet for her yearly checkup, and this is what we saw on our way home. This is the view approaching the lake and the marina, where most all the boats are gone now, tucked away for winter.

Saturday afternoon was just as beautiful, so we used that time to pack summer away and organize for winter. I may or may not have forgotten that I am fifty-three years old and should probably leave the heavy lifting to the young people. Nothing a long, hot shower and some cozy couch time couldn't fix, however.

Sunday morning was beautiful as well, and I enjoyed some quiet time outside with my coffee, the lake, and the birds.

Sunday evening, I looked outside and saw this. Words cannot adequately describe it. So, I'll let you see for yourself.

No filter. God doesn't need one, right? 

And that was my weekend, along with mass and laundry, movies, menus, grocery lists, and calls with my mom. Today Flynn and I will sit at the kitchen table and homeschool and Steve is cooking dinner tonight, so I may curl up on the couch later with my book and my pup. I will throw a load of laundry in, change out my bedsheets, and write out some cards too. What are you up to, my friends? Enjoy your day, and thanks for stopping by!

Before I go, I must give a shoutout to a wonderfully kind and extremely talented blogger who helps me immensely whenever I need it. You may not believe this, but I am incredibly inept with the technological side of blogging. I know what I know, and what I don't know, I don't try to figure out! Thankfully, I found a lovely friend who can design and fix anything! Her name is Linda, and you can find her HERE. She has saved me and this little old blog many times, and I cannot recommend her enough. 

Billie Jo

Cozy Dinnertime!!

What's that, you ask? Cozy dinnertime? Indeed. It is time. The temperature here in Pennsylvania has dipped enough for the annual switch from summer dinners to cozy, fall ones. First up, Irish Stew! 

We enjoyed this last night with some store-bought loaves of sourdough bread. It was delicious! The recipe is found HERE. I followed it completely, except I realized all the boxes in the pantry were chicken broth, not beef broth. According to Madison, that made it even better! 

In other news, 

I lit the candle this morning,

Poured my coffee and sat by the fire,

Because. Snow. And...cozy.

Have a lovely day, my good friends. How are you enjoying this October day? And, if you get tired of me and my cozy, please let me know. I'll stop. Maybe. : )

Billie Jo

Monday Morning Coffee Talk

 

Good morning, my friends! How was your weekend? I hope it was everything you planned and hoped it would be. It seems like this time of year passes in a blur, and before we know it, January is here. I keep reminding myself to be in the moment. And appreciate the beauty of every blessed day. It isn't hard to do when the days look like this...

Today I have school with Flynn, some mail to work through, mounds of laundry to sort, and a meatloaf dinner to make. For me, a perfect day. I hope you enjoy your October day, my friends. Thanks for visiting. Remember to take a few minutes to just be. 

Billie Jo

I Like And I Don't ~ Autumn Edition

 

I like classic horror like Macbeth, Frankenstein, and Dracula. I don't like bloody, violent, and evil horror movies. Nope. Just nope.

I like cozy autumn afternoons inside, reading, and drinking coffee. I don't like autumn afternoons outside hiking, biking, or anything else that resembles physical activity.

I like pumpkin everything. Cookies, bars, cake, coffee. I don't like anything caramel or maple. I literally smell maple all day long whenever I am around it!

I like wearing crewneck sweatshirts with leggings in the fall. I don't like wearing anything else.

How about you, my friends?!

What do you like about fall? Anything you don't?

Have a cozy afternoon!

Billie Jo

P.S. All photos thanks to Pinterest!

This Or That ~ Autumn Edition

 

Hello there! Because I like to pour a heavy dose of autumn into every aspect of my life when I can, I thought I'd share yet another post on all things fall. I love reading about your thoughts on my favorite time of year.

In these cozy months of fall, do you get excited about...

1. Pumpkin or Caramel flavored everything?

2. Harvest or Spooky decor?

3. Sunny days outside or rainy ones inside?

4. Movie nights inside or campfire nights outside?

5. Creamy soups or hearty stews in the crockpot?

6. Dunkin or Starbucks Pumpkin Spice Latte?

7. Halloweentown or Halloween movie marathons?

And finally

8. Living in all things autumn or looking ahead to Christmas?!?!

Have a cozy day, my friends. And prayers for all in the path of the hurricane.

Be safe.

Billie Jo

P.S. For the record...

1. Pumpkin for me. I strongly dislike Carmel.

2. Tough one. A bit of both, but primarily spooky!

3. Rainy. Always.

4. I am an inside girl.

5. I love soup. So soup and bread for me.

6. We don't have Starbucks around here. Dunkin works!

7. Halloween. I love those movies!!!!

8. I try to stay in autumn. But I do start planning in my mind!

October Is Here

 

Hello! And Happy October! Yes, the most glorious month of the year for me has arrived. I simply love this month. I am often asked why that is. Why do I love October? Well, I love the feeling it brings. I love the clear, crisp mornings with that touch of coolness in the air that greets me when I take Mocha out. I love the sunny afternoons that aren't so hot. I love the cozy earlier evenings that bring us together indoors. I love seeing the green leaves slowly change to their vibrant red, gold, and yellow shades. And then, I love the blustery days that blow those same leaves through the air when their time is complete. I adore the smell of October. It is crispness mixed with the scent of crunchy leaves that takes me right back to my childhood, walking along 5th Street trick-or-treating on Halloween. I love the pumpkins and the music and anticipation. I also love the calmness of this month. September is a fun yet busy month for us. November begins the preparation for the holiday season. October rests between them. Thirty-one days of fun, rest, yummy treats, and spooky movies. Did I mention the snuggle times with a cup of pumpkin coffee in the afternoons?

Here is a sneak peek of our Halloween home this year! Flynn and I decorated yesterday afternoon and then made some yummy Halloween cookies to celebrate.

Again. October.

Have a wonderful weekend, my friends.

We are planning a campfire and heading to the pumpkin patch.

I am planning on making some soup in the crockpot too.

How about you?

What are your plans for this first October weekend?

Billie Jo