Fourth Of July Rewind

Happy July, my friends! Today, I thought I would share a few pictures from our past Fourth of July celebrations. My mom loved this special holiday. She loved the patriotic music the most, and always sang along while waving her little flag. Madison shares that love of the Fourth of July and is happily carrying on my mom's traditions. Looking back at our celebrations through the years, I notice the places we called home have changed, my children have grown, and while we miss the loved ones who are no longer here, we find comfort in knowing they are indeed celebrating with us, and actually have a much better view of the fireworks from their spot in the sky.

Little Cutie!

Well, time for me to go put on the coffee and start a load of laundry. I don't have anything planned today, so I will probably make a grocery list and start thinking about next year's curriculum. Peyton and Chris are coming down for the weekend, so I want to get their room ready, too. We, like much of the country, are expecting extremely hot temperatures over the next few days. Stay cool and safe, my friends. Anything requiring too much exertion can wait, right? These days are the ones my mom used to pull the heavy drapes closed to keep out the sun, and we would sip Country Time Lemonade while watching an old movie together. One of our favorites was What Ever Happened to Baby Jane, I remember. Have a nice Wednesday, my friends. See you back here on Friday!

Billie Jo

Thirty-Five

That's right. Thirty-five years ago today, at 11:30 AM to be exact, a young woman held onto her dad's arm and walked down the aisle to join the young man she would spend the rest of her life with. That day was beautiful and was filled with family, friends, and so much love. On that excessively hot, yet joyful, late June Saturday in 1991, as I excitedly thought about decorating the second-story apartment we had just rented, and the life we would be starting, thirty-five years seemed an eternity away. If I could talk to that young woman in the white satin wedding gown, however, I would tell her that thirty-five years will pass in a heartbeat. I would tell her that those years would be blissfully happy and, at times, devastatingly sorrowful. There would be unbelievable joy and heartwrenching loss. There would be apartments, houses, jobs, babies, baptisms, weddings, parties, deaths, funerals, pain, laughter, Christmas trees, and Halloween costumes. There would be cute little kittens, precious puppy dogs, and even a fish or two along the way. There would be dinners at the kitchen table, vacations to the beach, evenings on porch swings, and ice cream cones after supper.

Most importantly, I would tell her that, on that day, when she knelt before the statue of the Blessed Virgin Mary and prayed that she and her husband would be blessed with children, her prayer would be answered. In God's perfect timing, of course. And I would tell her that while everything else is nice, the family she and her husband have created, and the beautiful Catholic faith they shared, is by far the very best and most important thing to come of that lovely wedding day, thirty-five short years ago today. 

As my Momma always said, "Life is but a dream!"

Have a wonderful day, my friends!

Billie Jo

The Last Friday In June

Hello! Happy Friday. This week went by so quickly for me. Did it for you? It was Monday morning, then Wednesday, and now it is Friday again. What happened to what my momma used to call the "lazy, crazy, hazy days of summer"? Remember when summer days seemed to last forever? We got up early. Ate a Poptart while watching The Price is Right. Then we would put on our play clothes and head outside, or put on our suits and head to the pool. After a bit, we would come home, and Mom would make us lunch. My favorite? She would put some ham and Swiss cheese on two slices of Wonder Bread, wrap them in a paper towel, and microwave them just until the cheese started to melt. I can still taste those sandwiches! After lunch, we would watch some TV or play a game while my mom ironed or talked to my Grandma on the phone. At 4:35, my sisters and I would gather around the TV to watch our favorite show, The Brady Bunch. After that, we would help Mom get dinner ready. Sometimes I would make a pudding or a jello pie for dessert.

By 5:30, my dad had pulled into the driveway from work, usually in his truck, his arm resting on the rolled-down window. We would sit at our spots at the table in our yellow daffodil kitchen and talk about our day. After dinner, my sister Margie and I would clean up the kitchen and then either head outside or run through the backyard to the playground. The playground had activities from 6:00 to 8:00 every weeknight. We would play kickball or swing until we were ready to head home. Most nights, Dad would ask who wanted to go for a ride, and we'd pile into the truck to drive around our small town, and sometimes we'd stop for a hard ice cream cone. When the sun finally faded, we got cleaned up, grabbed the pajamas that we had put under our pillows that morning, and headed to bed. My two sisters and I shared a room, so sleep was secondary to games, books, giggles, and arguments. Finally, I went to sleep in my cozy spot on the bottom bunk, happy, content, tired, and blissfully unaware that those precious summer days would not last forever.  

Now, the days seem shorter, and the weeks pass more quickly, and suddenly I am the mom of grown kids. I pray I gave them the same wonderful summer days when they were young. Looking back, I remember we sure did have fun. And we still do, because there is no expiration date on having fun with the people you love, is there? 

My camera roll is filled with pictures from morning walks, and that is about all! We did get rain, so everything is green again. And the pond is filled once more.

If I am not walking, doing laundry, cooking, or homeschooling, you will find me here, on our screened-in porch, coffee in hand. 

And lastly,  a few images from Pinterest to finish off the week, just to remind anyone dealing with OCD or anxiety that you are not alone. Sometimes it can pop up out of nowhere when you are just living your life,  simply to remind you it is still there. Just acknowledge it for what it is and move on. 

One more to leave it on a lighter note:

Have a nice weekend, my friends!

BillieJo