OCD Awareness Week

 

Monday Morning Coffee will return next week, but today, I am sharing a few things about something that is a part of me and of my life. If you are a longtime reader, you may know I was diagnosed with OCD - Obsessive Compulsive Disorder - in my early forties. Looking back, I realize I had tendencies years prior, but it wasn't until I could no longer control those intrusive thoughts and worries without them impacting my wonderful life that I finally walked into my doctor's office with Steve and asked for help. Today, I am happy to say that I am managing my OCD, and it is no longer impacting my daily life. 

I wish I could say I waved a magic wand and magically cured my OCD, but that is not the case. While there is no cure, OCD can be managed, and I am happy to say that is where I am now. It took years of hard work with a compassionate therapist, prayer, support from family and friends, and doctors committed to finding the proper medication to get here. I am now able to go to the doctor without severe anxiety. I can notice a twinge, a mole, or a racing heart without becoming paralyzed with fear. I no longer wake with an illogical fear of impending doom. I realize those intrusive thoughts are simply my anxious mind trying to get my attention. I know I can let them be there and move on with my day, and they will simply fade. 

Throughout this journey, I have learned a few things that I want to share with anyone who may be experiencing mental health issues and/or anxiety. First, Your mental health is as important as your physical health. If you feel ill, you go to the doctor. If you are sick, you take medicine. Are you embarrassed, ashamed, or worried about telling people you have a sickness like Diabetes? Nope. Treat your mental illness with as much respect as you do your physical illness. Get the help you need and deserve. Anyone who doesn't stand beside you through that doesn't belong in your space anyway. 

There is so much more to know, learn, and say about OCD. I will let the experts do that. Here are just a few of the things found on the International OCD Foundation Website.

That is all for today, my friends! Except for a few puppy pics, because who doesn't love those?

Literally how I found him when I woke up!

Have a wonderful, cozy Monday!

Billie Jo

A Touch Of Halloween Spooky

Hello and Happy Friday! I'm sharing a few spaces in our home that are cozy, spooky, and ready for Halloween. Many of these things I have had for over thirty years. So, while it is tempting to buy all the cute new things I see every year, I find comfort in the familiarity of those I set out year after year. When the kids were little, we had a special day for Halloween decorating. I got them each a pair of Halloween jammies; we waited until dusk, put on our favorite CD, which we still have, and lugged the orange tote with the jack-o-lantern on it up the basement steps.

Years and years ago, I bought two small Yankee candles, one Witches Brew and the other Candy Corn. When I was packing up Halloween one year, I put them inside the box, and the next year, when we opened it, everything inside smelled like the candles! The fragrance is like patchouli, and we love it. Why am I telling you this? Would you believe that I still have those candles? Everything still smells like that. The kids say that smell will always be Halloween to them. 

  

Have a wonderful weekend, my friends! If you want something to watch, Halloweentown is a fun, festive choice. And there are three more in the series! 

(This one has a different girl. Not our favorite. )

Billie Jo

Our favorite Halloween CD for years and years!

(Google for the images.)

A Piece Of Life

One of my favorite childhood memories is watching my mom make apple pie in her bright yellow daffodil kitchen. I remember the smell of sliced apples covered in cinnamon and sugar, and even more vividly, I remember my mom taking the scraps of her homemade crust, dipping them in cinnamon sugar, rolling them up, and baking them for me and my sisters. Years later, when I was in college, my mom made me that same apple pie to take back to school after weekends at home. I remember the delicious smell comforting me for the whole three hours of the drive after leaving my house with my family and Steve standing in the driveway, waving goodbye.

Years later, I made apple pie for my family and used Mom's recipe, but by then, I had discovered the ease of a Pillsbury Pie Crust. My whole family loves that apple pie, except Rhett, who "doesn't eat cooked fruit." I lost track of how many times I made that apple pie, and before I knew it, I was teaching Peyton how to make her Grandma's Famous Apple Pie. Peyton has perfected it and sometimes uses a delicious crumble for the top crust. 

On Monday, Flynn decided she wanted to make a fall dessert. Peyton and she had listed several options, and Madison offered to help. They went over different options, many in the pumpkin category and a few in the apple category. I happened to mention that I had a Pillsbury Pie Crust in the fridge, and the decision was made! Suddenly, I was peeling farm-fresh apples, and then they got to work. I sat in the kitchen and watched as my oldest and my youngest, with texting support from Peyton, made their first apple pie. I realized at that moment how a simple but meaningful piece of life would continue as a link in the chain of our lives. 

One day long ago, my Grandma Mil made an apple pie. My mom watched, learned, and showed me. I made that delicious apple pie for years. Now, my girls are keepers of the piece of our lives and will hopefully continue to share it with those who come after them. Yesterday, I sat at the kitchen table with Madison and Flynn, enjoyed a piece of apple pie, and visited, just as I had when I sat at my mom's kitchen table and did the same thing with her and my Gram. Who knew all those years ago that one thought, one recipe, one pie would span generations and bring comfort to so many? Thank you, Gram. And Mom. And Peyton, Madison, and Flynn, for this delicious, familiar piece of life.

Have a lovely Wednesday, my friends. And prayers for all affected by these horrible hurricanes. Please be safe if you are near.

Billie Jo

Monday Morning Coffee

( Google )

Good Morning, my friends! Here we are, beginning the second week of October, and with apologies for sounding redundant, I feel the days passing faster and faster. It was just July, and I was beginning to get the first glimpse of an inkling that it may be time to start thinking about autumn. Now we are smack dab in the middle of this cozy, pumpkin-spiced, changing leaves, spooky movie, cooler weather season, and I remind myself to slow down and enjoy. I recognize that I need to let go of the pressure to recreate or match the Octobers of the past. I often measure my seasons against the previous ones and struggle to fit in all the traditions as if time stood still. Note to self: Stop doing that. Watch as many favorite movies as you choose, and may I suggest Halloweentown and The Wolfman? Sit on the porch during a sunny afternoon and watch the leaves slowly float to the ground. Get cozy inside during the early evening with fairy lights and a Jack-o-lantern to keep you company. Lastly, while I commit to staying in the present and appreciating every bit of October magic I can, I also admit that I need to look ahead to the festive months of November and December that arrive at the stroke of midnight Halloween night. Therefore, I am jotting down ideas for decorations and presents in my little red notebook, decorated with Santa Claus and candy cane stickers. 

What did the first weekend of October look like around her? It was quiet and cozy and sunny and pleasant. There were errands, pizza, naps, laundry, church, phone visits, and movies before bed. 

And visitors during morning coffee,

Blooming mums in pretty colors,

And a precious pup finding every ray of sunshine she can. And there was this photo my sister sent me of my beautiful momma sitting outside waiting to watch the Homecoming Parade in my hometown. This picture brought happy tears to my eyes. She is so beautiful, inside and out. Margie told me she loved the parade, especially the band, and was clapping along! This has always been my prayer for her, peace and happiness because that is what she brought to me every single day of my life. Every time I marched in the Homecoming parade, she made sure my uniform was clean and my majorette boots were as white as possible. (Remember the bottles of white shoe polish we all had to cover those black scuff marks?? ) Mom always opened our home to my friends afterward. She made hot chocolate on the stove and toast with melted butter to warm us up. She made my life happy. And I pray I am doing the same for her.

Have a lovely Monday, my friends. Prayers for everyone dealing with the remnants of the hurricane and those in the path of the new one this week. 

Billie Jo

October Days

~Baking Oatmeal Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies with Flynn ~Sharing Pumpkin puree with the pups~ The last few days of fresh tomato sandwiches for lunch  ~Cute puppies learning about the Volume of liquids and the atomic makeup of carbohydrates, proteins, and lipids ~ an impromptu Jeep ride to watch a sunset at the bay ~ and pictures from Peyton of one of our favorite Hallloween treats.

Not pictured: leaving random cobwebs up for Halloween decoration, watching spooky movies in the dark, filling and refilling birdfeeders, and daily phone calls with my momma.

I hope you are enjoying these first few October days, my friends. 

Have a cozy weekend!

Billie Jo

Pumpkin Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies

Spiderweb Munch

My Superpower Is

Being able to leap into all the spooky on the first day of October in a single bound! Well, actually, it may be because I started thinking about and planning for October in July, but...still. I am here for the cooler days and longer nights, the spooky movies, and the comfort foods. I have no complicated bucket list, and I won't stress if I don't organize and do it all. I will simply breathe and be and enjoy these fleeting thirty-one days of my favorite month of the year. And, of course, share the fun things I have been saving all summer long.

Have a cozy October day, my friends.

Thank you for visiting.

And thank you to Google for all the fun.

Billie Jo