Thanksgiving Thoughts

 

Hello, my friends. Happy Friday! Well, we are less than two weeks until Thanksgiving. Although we will transform our house into a cozy Christmas home next week, I decorated our little dining room for turkey day with the tablecloth and a few pieces I have that I like to set out so that Thanksgiving gets the recognition it deserves. 

Are you ready for Thanksgiving? Do you host, or do you travel to a loved one's to eat too much turkey and pumpkin pie? We will have Thanksgiving at our house along with all the kids. We eat later in the day so that Peyton, Chris, Rhett, and Kyrstin can enjoy the day with their families. And because I like watching the parade before I start in the kitchen!

I have gradually purchased everything we need for that day: The turkey, cooking bag, broth, poultry seasonings, and the canned goods we use, like green beans, yams, and pumpkin. I will wait until the week of to get the perishables like celery, onions, potatoes, and the stuffing bread. Madison and Nicolas will make the mashed potatoes and the sweet potato casserole, Peyton will bake the pies, and the rest of the meal comes together like magic. Ok. Not really. But after all these years, we have a pretty good system, and somehow it happens. 

It never looks like the images on Pinterest or on TV. We don't get all dressed up. The turkey isn't sitting on the table waiting for Steve to carve it with a shiny, sharp knife. It is carved and set on the counter, along with the side dishes. We keep the gravy in a pot on the stove and the butter in the tub on the table. After we eat, everything is organized into aluminum pans and put in the fridge. The dishes are washed, the counters wiped, and we all flop in front of the TV for a Christmas movie, usually Christmas with the Kranks. And then there is the pie. Thanksgiving to me is a cold slice of my Grandma Mil's pumpkin pie with whipped cream on top. Peyton has perfected the recipe, passed from my Gram to my mom to me, and now to her. 

Our tree will be up and our house decorated, but our Christmas season will not begin until the last piece of pumpkin pie is eaten on that Thanksgiving night. I am always thankful for that cozy day with the people I love. And for leftovers in my fridge.

Happy Weekend!

Billie Jo

( Almost ) Wordless Wednesday

 I had a wonderful visit with my beautiful mom yesterday. We sat in her room and visited and talked about life. About how blessed we are and how quickly life passes. Before I left, I hugged her goodbye, and when I returned home, I immediately looked at this...

My mom~ on her Confirmation 

I looked at that beautiful young woman and thought of all that awaited her: happiness, joy, laughter, sadness, pain, loss, and love. Always love. I thought about how this young woman, my mom, faces every single circumstance in her life with happiness and hope. And I knew she was right about the song she always sings that ends with the line, "... Life is but a dream."

Happy Wednesday, my friends.

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

Friday Thoughts

~Not how I want to spend my holiday season~

 Hello, my friends. And Happy Friday! I have been thinking about my intention of simplifying our holiday celebrations this year for many reasons. First of all, my children are older now, and as much as I would like to hold on to every tradition we enjoyed for so many years, I also realize they may no longer be as relevant. In addition, I also recognize that my anxiety tends to flare up during times of stress, and as my therapist reminds me, even though I don't think of holiday preparation as stressful, good stress is still stress. And finally, I want to be sure that I leave time to practice self-care during this festive time to enjoy and appreciate the beauty of the season. 

That sounds well and good, right? But what exactly does it look like? What specific things can I do to prepare for and enjoy a simple, cozy, family holiday season? I am glad you asked!

Delete Instagram from my phone. For me, the constant scrolling is overwhelming. The barrage of images, decorations, recipes, and gift ideas fills my brain with unnecessary thoughts and expectations. I think back to my mom, and the wonderful Christmas seasons she gave us. The meals were family favorites, the decorations were ones she had for years, and the entire feel was homey. There were pop bottles on the table and wrapping paper on the floor. The tree was covered with random, mismatched decorations; we kept the same ones every year. My childhood Christmases weren't the images I repeatedly see, telling me that I need to have my house, my tree, my presents, and my table picture perfect. They were better than that. They were real. 

Plan less. Years ago, I was the expert micromanager. I suppose I had to be with four young children and all the activities that go with that. I used to make a schedule for everything we needed to do, from mailing Christmas cards to baking cookies. It worked then. Now, I realize I don't need to be so structured. It isn't easy for me, but I am working on it. I am not going to stick to a schedule of preplanned activities just because we used to do them or because everyone else is. If we want to bake some cookies, we will. Some nights we might call the kids to come over for a movie or to take a ride to look at the Christmas lights. If we do, great. If not, that's ok too. 

Gift with intention. This year Santa asked the kids for ideas of a few things they want or need and a few they didn't. That way, Santa can be ready with everything wrapped long before Christmas Eve, and I won't be tempted by all those things I see that I don't really need to buy. I find great joy in giving and putting thought into the perfect gift for each of my people, and sometimes less is more.

Focus on home and family. I always try to do this and hope to do the same this holiday season. For me, being home, sitting by the fire, and looking at the twinkling lights of the tree brings me peace. I am happiest in my cozy clothes, surrounded by my family, watching our favorite Christmas movies. The season passes so quickly; I want to enjoy every single moment. I can do that by simplifying my preparations and commitments and turning inward while leaving the chaotic world outside.

These are the things that I think will work for me. They may or may not be right for others. You do you, my friends. Do what works for you and your family. After all, family is what matters most. 

 ~This is more like it~

Have a cozy weekend, my friends. See you back here Monday!

Billie Jo

Google for the images.