Now More Than Ever

 

Today, more than ever, we remember. Amid everything happening in our country and in our world today, we, the American people, cannot forget. We cannot allow an agenda of some to erase the sacrifice of many. We simply cannot.

Billie Jo

Images from Google.

The Last Week Of May~ At The Beach

 

We got dressed up and went out to dinner.

We walked through a darling town that could be used in a Hallmark movie.

We celebrated a fantastic young Danish son-in-law's 28th birthday!

We had fun with Aunt Margie and Uncle Chris.

We snuggled. A lot.

We played Monopoly. And cards. And more fun games.

We ate ice cream at the best little place right across the street.

We walked on the beach.

We enjoyed beautiful sunsets.

We...meaning Madison and Flynn...made a delicious dinner using fresh produce from the farmer's market.

And we spent time together.

Which is the best.

Have a wonderful, long holiday weekend, my friends.

Thank you for visiting!

Random Things About Me You Probably Won't Care About

 Do you really know a person if you don't know a few random facts about them? For example, did you know that although I love the ocean, I never go down to the beach when it is sunny?? I dislike the sun, heat, crowds, and smell of sunscreen so much that I limit my time to early mornings or early evenings. When everyone else is packing up and heading in, I am on my way down.

A few other random quirks of mine you probably don't care about...

I read magazines from back to front. Absolutely no explanation for this one.

I strongly dislike minigolf. Just cannot do it. But I am glad for those who do!

   I love cooking Italian food. And I am really good at it. Lots and lots of practice.

 A reader commented that my son resembles a young Paul McCartney. So after a quick Google search, I realized that yes. My son could pass for a Beatle! Thank you to whoever pointed that out!

And finally, while the vast majority is celebrating the commencement of summer, I join them, but for a different reason. It brings me that much closer to my happy place. Autumn.

Well. That is what I have today, my friends. I hope you have a cozy, happy, productive, or restful day. And I add the families of the precious victims of yesterday's tragedy to my prayers. 

Billie Jo

Celebrating Twenty

Good morning, my friends! Look who turned twenty over the weekend? Let me repeat that...twenty. Ok. I am still working on allowing that to sink in! Twenty years have passed since this gentle soul brought blue into a house filled with pink and Tonka trucks into a playroom filled with Barbies. Back in the "Olden Days," when important family events could not be instantly available on social media, I shared our blessed news with family and friends this way.

And we brought our son home to join his two excited big sisters. A year flew by, and suddenly our Rhett was one!

I remember how fun it was to buy those little ball caps from Old Navy! And that little, happy, oh so funny soul grew into a precious, kind, hilarious little boy who loved his Grandpa so.

Rhett is a joy. He is empathetic, kind, hard-working, fun, respectful, and caring. He is indeed an old soul, as my mother always says. He is a fantastic son, great little brother, and awesome big brother too. He is what my father used to call me, The Peacemaker. Rhett got the very best parts of Steve and me. And would you believe he never once had to go to Time Out??? 

We got dressed up and went out to dinner here at the beach to celebrate this young man of mine. We were all here, except Chris and Peyton, who reminded him this was the first birthday they hadn't been together in all their lives. But she called. And messaged. And all was well.

Dinner was at a fantastic place overlooking the bay,

Followed by cake and presents back at the condo with his beautiful, kind, fantastic girlfriend by his side. Kyrstin is a joy. She is everything a mom would want for her son. And together, they are everything.

Twenty years. Sounds like a long time, doesn't it? And I suppose it is. Unless you count it by the years a mother gets to spend with her baby boy. Yet, as my mother says, "Growing up is their job. We are here to help them along the way."

Have a wonderful Monday, my friends!

Prayers for our country and our world.

Billie Jo

 

A Friday In May

 

Good Friday morning! I hope this morning finds you happy, healthy, and ready to face the day! Or, if not, feel free to shower, put on fresh jammies and snuggle under a throw blanket with some coffee and favorite old tv shows all day. Self-care days, mental health days,  whatever you call them, are ok. Really, they are. What do we do with our phones and laptops when they slow down and get low on battery? We charge them. We let them be. Eventually, they are back and ready to go. Should we be any less thoughtful of ourselves? My mom has a saying, " Listen to your body." If my body tells me I need a break, you bet I listen!

As you can see from the above picture, we have returned to the beach for a bit. We actually like to spend time here before the season officially begins. Fewer people, less noise, less sun, less everything. And we have a couple of birthdays to celebrate in the next few days. More on that in a later post. I have plenty of books to read, my planner to update, and Flynn's final lessons of sixth grade to work on with her, so that is how I will spend my time. I will swim in the pool. I will head down to the ocean to sit and relax in the early evenings. And I will call my mom every day to hear her beautiful voice call me Billie Jo. Because she knows me. Still. 

I hope you have a lovely weekend, my friends. Many of you have graduations and celebrations this time of year, so enjoy! May seems to pass in a blur of end-of-year field trips, programs, plays, and concerts. Then the graduations and celebrations. I remember that well. June will arrive soon, and along with her, quieter mornings, slower days, and longer evenings. There will be ice cream after dinner, time on the porch, and lightning bugs to catch. Until then, enjoy every moment!

Thanks for visiting! I am always glad you do!

Billie Jo

Random Things On A Wednesday

 

Happy Wednesday, my friends! Our boat is in the water, which means summer can't be far behind! Time to get prepared, and for me, that means time to gather our summer essentials.

You were thinking swimwear, beach chairs, and coolers weren't you?? Nope. This little basket sits right by our door and contains our summer must-haves. I keep sunscreen, natural mosquito repellent, anti-itch cream if that doesn't work, and tic removal tools. See how exciting we are here??

And although I wear it all year long, I am reminding anyone who will listen that daily facial sunscreen is a must during the summer. Take it from me, a blue-eyed, fair-skinned sun avoider who ended up with skin cancer on her face. Fortunately, it was Basal Cell, the most common and least severe form, but still. Wear sunscreen. Please. My friend Marian knows how much I dislike the smell and feel of sunscreen, especially on my face, so she told me about La Roche-Posay. It is amazing!! It has no scent and feels like a regular moisturizer. I love it!

In other news, I am so excited to receive this magazine in the mail. Ok. Maybe not, but Liam Neeson on the cover makes it a bit less painful.

Do you have a signature fragrance? This is mine. And has been forever. I don't like a strong scent, so the Amazing Grace is perfect. It literally smells...good. As in, people will tell me in the grocery store that I literally smell good. But the best thing? My kids say it smells like Mom.

Finally, have you tried an electric kettle? I always used a tea kettle on the stove, but Peyton introduced me to this, and I haven't looked back. 

Well, that was a whole lot of randomness, wasn't it??

Have a nice day, my friends.

Thanks for visiting!

Billie Jo

Monday Morning Coffee Talk

 

Good Monday morning, my friends! I am sipping my coffee on the couch, looking out at the lake. Seemingly overnight, everything decided to become green. Spring has arrived in Pennsylvania, and I am glad. Yesterday all my people were here to help us prepare our little lake home for summer. They washed porch furniture, cleaned out kayaks, organized items, and were kind enough to take some things I had stored for them in our garage. Almost two years ago. Because for some reason, cleaning and organizing a garage was at the bottom of our To-Do list and apparently kept being pushed further and further down. 

I even grabbed a broom, put on some music, and swept, organized, and purged until my body reminded me that I am no longer thirty years old and perhaps my services could be better utilized elsewhere. More in a supervising capacity. When we were done, Steve cooked a delicious meal on the grill. He made stir-fried rice with beef, shrimp, and vegetables. Peyton brought one of our family favorites, chocolate chip pumpkin bread, mainly for Kirby, who celebrated his birthday yesterday! Fourteen years old! 

(Apologies for the blurry photo. It is old, but too cute to leave out!)

It is hard to believe Kirby has been in our family longer than Flynn! Today is going to be rainy and stormy. Also known as cozy. My plans include schooling, laundry, washing my bedsheets, and enjoying my afternoon coffee. There are other things to be done, to be sure. Age has enlightened me, however. There will always be other things to be done. There will be dust under my couch. My tubs of photos may not be organized. My refrigerator shelves will be sticky. The mirrors will have toothpaste splatter on them. And I am ok with that. Finally.

How was your weekend? And what are your plans for this Monday in May?

Whatever they are, enjoy, my friends!

Thanks for visiting!

Billie Jo