Monday Morning Coffee

Good Monday morning! I hope you had a lovely October weekend. Peyton and Chris came for the weekend, and we had a wonderful time. We visited at the house, went to the farmer's market, attended a beautiful mass, then went to dinner at a favorite Italian restaurant. We spent Sunday at the condo, watching movies and playing games. I even spent some time in the pool, and although I strongly dislike exercise of any kind, I do enjoy swimming. It is the only time I don't mind actually doing some sort of physical activity! It felt good to move my body, and even better when I was showered and back on the couch with my Halloween throw blanket and my pup!

Peyton and Flynn made one of our seasonal favorites, Spiderweb Munch. It wouldn't be Halloween without it! Here is the recipe if you want to try it this Halloween.

SPIDERWEB MUNCH

Just click on this!

We were also so happy to see Rhett's very good friend, Gabe. He drove down to visit Rhett and Kyrstin. If you have read here for some time, you might remember Gabe. He lived across the street when the boys were little, and he and Rhett became friends in Preschool. It seems like Gabe was knocking at our door yesterday and playing on our driveway. He was the sweetest kid and is now an amazing young man. This is a picture of them this weekend...

 

And this is how I still see them in my heart.

While we were down here doing all that, Madison and Nicolas visited my mom! My hometown has the most beautiful Main Street, which is extra amazing the first two weeks of October.

Madison said they had a wonderful visit, and Mom was so happy to see them. I love this picture so much. It shows two of the most beautiful, amazing women who have a most beautiful relationship and who have forever blessed my life: my mother and my firstborn daughter.

Well, Mocha and I are off to start our day. We have school and laundry and some other beautifully ordinary things to do today. I hope your day is beautifully ordinary, too!

Thanks for stopping by, my friends!

BillieJo

(Google for the Halloween fun.)

Monday Morning Coffee Talk

 Good Monday morning! How was your weekend? I hope it was everything you hoped it would be. Our weekend was amazing, highlighted by two special events. Saturday, Rhett, Kyrstin, Flynn, Madison, Nicolas, and I traveled to Pittsburgh to see Taylor Swift's Eras Tour. And it was an experience of a lifetime. Madison is the biggest Taylor Swift fan ever, and I was so happy to be there with her. I wish I could find the words to describe it, but it isn't possible! Taylor Swift performed for three hours straight. She clearly loves what she does and is so happy to see her fans happy. Words cannot do justice to this unbelievable night. So I won't even try. 

  

Sunday was Father's Day! And we honored Steve with a relaxing day at home with dinner of his choice. Which, oddly enough, was burgers on the grill, cooked by him! Thankfully, the kids took care of everything because this old lady is not used to late nights, and we had a wonderful day celebrating Steve. The amount of love he has for each of his children is immeasurable. He was and still is the concert taker, field trip goer, new clothes shopper, and movie partner. In addition, he has taught the kids by words and actions how to be kind, respectful, and caring adults. And I am so thankful for that.

We played a game on the deck, ate dinner, opened gifts, and enjoyed Peyton's homemade strawberry pie! 

Happy and Blessed Father's Day to all!

Have a wonderful Monday.

I will be napping if you need me!

Billie Jo

Monday Morning Coffee Talk

Good Monday morning, my friends! I hope your weekend was lovely and cozy, exciting and fun, or a bit of all that rolled into one! As you can see from the above pictures, spring arrived here in Pennsylvania. As if by magic, green and blue appeared, promising beautiful summer days to follow. Helped along with the tremendous amount of pollen floating around, no doubt. That will pass, I remind myself!

Our weekend was blissfully busy! Friday night, some of the kids and I went to see Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3. It was so good! It was refreshingly free of politically correct themes and scenes that many movies insist on including these days. It was what a movie should be. Entertaining. It offered an escape from all the current noise of the world, rather than forcibly including things just for the sake of inclusion. And movie theatre popcorn? Come on!

Saturday afternoon, we went to mass and then dinner at one of our favorite cozy places. It is old, comfortable, unpretentious, and has the best old-fashioned food. I got the turkey dinner with mashed potatoes and gravy and enjoyed it immensely. We had planned on a campfire after dinner, but the party girl that I am, I chose instead to come home, wash my face, and put on my pajamas for some comfy time on the couch. 

Sunday was Mother's Day! I was blessed to spend the afternoon with my own beautiful mother and the evening with all my awesome kids. Steve, Flynn, and I took lunch to my mom at her assisted living home and were able to sit outside and visit with her. She is the most special person I will ever know, and spending time with her is something I cherish. Her memory of current events and people is fading and being replaced with more detailed memories of her childhood and youth. As hard as that is for me, I see how happy it makes her to talk about her mom, dad, and siblings, so that is what we do! My mom loves music and singing, so I played some songs for her that I knew she loved. She sang along to Elvis Presley's  Love Me Tender, as well as one of her very favorites, Yankee Doodle Dandy! We had a beautiful visit sitting outside in her beautiful backyard.

Later in the evening, Madison and Nicolas, Peyton and Chris, Rhett and Kyrstin, and Flynn and Steve prepared the most yummy dinner for me. They had asked me earlier what I wanted, and I chose hotdogs on the grill, Peyton's deviled eggs, and Madison's macaroni and cheese! Peyton made my favorite chocolate chip cookie skillet for dessert. We took no pictures because we were too busy having fun! It was a beautiful day celebrating the blessing that is my vocation in life: motherhood. Today I have laundry, schooling with Flynn, some random things to clear off my counter, and some phone calls to make. I hope you have a cozy day with your people, whatever your plans may be! Thanks for visiting!

Mocha is happy to see you too!

Billie Jo

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

Monday Morning Coffee Talk

 

Good Monday morning! I hope your weekend was cozy, fun, or quiet and relaxed, whatever you hoped it would be. We had a lovely weekend here. It was busy and productive and fun! 

Nicolas, Flynn, and twenty other twelve-year-olds attended a hunter's safety course on Saturday. They both passed the test and are now proud prospective hunters!

These two beautiful people had a date night in my Jeep and were kind enough to send this picture.

And our awesome friends from far away drove many, many hours to spend a week here with us before summer ends. We are having fun drinking coffee, watching movies, cooking, and playing games with our families.

Have a good day, my friends.

Thanks for popping in!!!

Monday Morning Coffee Talk

 

Good Monday morning, my friends! How was your weekend? It was lovely here in PA. We had a few quick showers in between perfect lake weather, and last night we had a great soaking rain! Steve and I have been spending our early mornings by the lake lately. We had a little firepit area put in down there and are loving it. Mocha already knows exactly where to go when I put her in the grass. She runs right to my chair!

Last night we celebrated the start of Shark Week! My kids are such good sports to always indulge me in my random parties. We sat around and played Shark Trivia, then Shark Week Uno...it is a real thing!...and enjoyed junk food like Swedish Fish and Gummy Sharks and Shark Fin Brownies with too sweet KoolAid! (I didn't put enough water in, I guess!)

I found most of the decorations on Etsy, and some came from Target. I keep all my holiday and party things in a deep drawer in my kitchen. I always have a random supply of assorted plates, napkins, and party favors!

Well, that is about it for today. I am working on some laundry and running Flynn into town later for an Art Camp she attends at a local art gallery. She is very excited! I am not one for scheduled activity overboard, but she loves art, and I know she will enjoy it. Tonight I am making some sauce for homemade pizza. I will add a salad, and dinner will be served. After that, we will watch some Shark Week and then the guilty pleasure that is The Bachelorette! Have a wonderful Monday, my friends! Thanks for visiting!

 

Oh! I am such an advocate of Blogging and am happy to see an old friend has returned! Please hop over and visit Chrissy, who has a beautiful blog right HERE.

And feel free to share any new or favorite blogs too! 

Billie Jo