Thankful And A Birthday

Hello, my friends! How was your Thanksgiving? It is hard to believe it has come and gone, but the stack of aluminum pans filled with leftovers in my refrigerator proves it. And is it just me, or does everything taste even better the day after? 

And not only did we celebrate Thanksgiving, but we also celebrated my Madison Marie! My firstborn, the sweet baby that made me a mommy on a snowy November night, turned twenty-nine. That baby has become a most lovely, caring, talented, hardworking, fun, and responsible young woman. I am blessed by her every single day. I am so happy for and proud of her and the beautiful life she has made with Nicolas. She has celebrated with my blackberry pie since she turned 4.

Tonight, we are heading to our little town's Christmas tree lighting and then to dinner. Saturday, we have mass, and then I am making the turkey soup our family has come to love. I just boil the turkey carcass in chicken broth with poultry seasoning for about an hour, then drain it before adding cooked noodles. So good! Well, I need to get going. I have to get to the post office to mail a package and get some stamps. Have a wonderful weekend! See you back here on Monday, when it will be December!

Billie Jo

Here We Go

Well, my friends, here we go! Today is the day it all begins. Today, we prep for tomorrow, Thanksgiving, a day to gather with family and friends, or perhaps with each other, and marvel how another year has passed so quickly. There will be some variation of turkey, ham, duck, potatoes, stuffing, green bean casserole, and pie, of course. For many, loved ones' chairs will be empty this year, and the pain and grief of loss will be felt a bit stronger, as special days bring specific memories that make us pause and remember. I, for one, will miss my beautiful, sweet momma, who always managed to create the most delicious Thanksgiving dinner from a frozen turkey sitting in the kitchen sink!

Today begins all of this and so much more. For me, the day before Thanksgiving is like the unofficial start to the magic, awe, and wonder that is the Christmas Season. Along with Thanksgiving dinner and all those leftovers, there will be Christmas trees in our living rooms, light displays in the neighborhood, Christmas specials on TV, and favorite Christmas songs playing in the background of our daily lives. We will write out pretty cards and wrap packages, hope for Christmas snow and light Advent candles. The kitchen will smell of gingerbread as we bake cookies to keep and to gift. 

This special, cozy, holy time will pass quickly in a flurry of preparation, and suddenly it will all come together as we head to mass on Christmas Eve. Christmas Day will come, whether we are ready or not, as my mom used to say, and once again, society will try to convince us that we have but one day to realize and enjoy all the effort, hope, and joy we have put forth to create Christmas this year. We, however, have a choice. We can choose to ignore the push to move on from Christmas on December twenty-sixth. Instead, we can, and we will choose to enjoy the peace and joy of our Christmas tree, our leftover cookies, and our families during those unique and cozy days in between. 

Before we know it, New Year's Eve will arrive, with the promise of excitement, champagne, noisemakers, and a burst of fireworks at midnight. (Which I may or may not be awake for, just saying.) And then, the quiet of New Year's Day will arrive. The day that today, the day before it all begins, seems so far away, will come, and we will feel a sense of sadness that it is over, but perhaps a slight pull to return to our normal, whatever that may be. And that will be it for another year. 

So, take a deep breath, my friends. It is here, the Christmas Season of 2025. Think about how you want to spend it and enjoy! No worries about pleasing everyone or cleaning every baseboard. No added stress of overstimulating or accepting every invitation. Use aluminum pans and paper plates, if you want. Wear cozy clothes for Thanksgiving dinner, and keep your tree up as long as you want. Cry when you feel grief for the loved ones who have passed, and take a nap when you feel overwhelmed, or call a friend who probably feels the same. Christmas will come, and too quickly it will pass. Let's enjoy it, my friends. Our way.

Busy nights this time of year call for grilled cheese and tomato soup for supper.

Walking in the mornings of November means beautiful sights.

And pups near Christmas trees? Yes, please.

Happy and Blessed Thanksgiving, my friends!

See you back here Friday!

Billie Jo

Monday Morning Coffee

 Time to bring back the mug pictures, because Christmas mugs are my favorite! 

This weekend was filled with fun. Saturday night, Nicolas, Madison, Kyrstin, Flynn, and I went to Philadelphia to see Twilight In Concert. It was a fantastic experience! We watched the movie while an orchestra played the music live. We all had a great time revisiting one of our favorite movies.

On Sunday, we went to mass, then Steve and I had dinner with some friends from Pennsylvania who were passing through on their way to North Carolina. It was so nice to see them, and we all had a great visit over a delicious meal.

Today, I am going to finish grocery shopping for Thanksgiving... celery, onions, milk, and the rest of the things you can't buy too far in advance. The turkey is thawing in the fridge, and pretty much everything else is waiting to be boiled, chopped, mashed, or baked. I also stocked up on aluminium pans with lids for all the leftovers we will have. Leftovers are actually my favorite part of Thanksgiving. The cold turkey sandwich on white bread with mayo, salt, and pepper, and a slice of provolone cheese on Friday afternoon...One of my favorite traditions ever. 

Well, time to get going. Flynn and I have school today, and then I have some laundry to do and some bills to write. I don't know what's for dinner tonight, which basically means my old standby: grilled cheese and tomato soup. Have a cozy afternoon, my friends! 

Have a cozy Monday, my friends!

Billie Jo

P.S. Flynn thanks you for all the birthday wishes!

Sixteen

Even as I type that word, I am incredulous as to how it is possible. Flynn Grace is sixteen. The little bundle of pink that completed our family, who came to us after seven years of waiting, turned sixteen yesterday. Flynn is kind, funny, laid back, chill, organized, creative, caring, introspective, and talented. She loves her family and has a special, individual bond with each and every one of us. She loves playing video games, drawing, listening to music, and watching and reviewing movies. She loves homeschooling and enjoys Chemistry, World History, and Art Appreciation. Flynn is content to snuggle on the couch, but is always up for a movie or shopping trip at a moment's notice. She is particular about the food she likes: tomatoes and any type of crockpot meat are hard nos, thank you. She does like tacos, bagels with cream cheese and smoked salmon, smash burgers, and Eggo Waffles. And a cup of Elderberry tea before bed. 

Flynn loves movies. Loves. For her birthday, we each dressed as a character in a film we thought she would enjoy. She, Peyton, and Chris discussed the options via FaceTime and chose a favorite costume and a favorite movie. The winner was the movie we would watch at her party! Here we are, once Flynn saw our choices.

Any guesses????

Rhett - Godzilla from Godzilla Minus One

Steve - Cousin Eddie from Christmas Vacation

Flynn dressed as Bella from Twilight

Nicolas - Ghostface from Scream

Me - Elizabeth from Frankenstein

Kyrstin - Sarah from Terminator

Madison - Sadness from Inside Out

We had so much fun!!! Kyrstin won Best Costume, and guess whose movie was chosen???? Yep! We watched the new Frankenstein on Netflix! It was a good choice, and we all liked it. Flynn and I recently completed reading the novel, so it worked out perfectly, especially since Flynn will soon be writing an essay comparing and contrasting the movie and the book! The movie was beautiful, and while it deviated from the novel in many ways, we still really enjoyed it.

We had Flynn's choice for dinner - Breakfast! She requested scrambled eggs, bacon, sausage, pancakes, waffles, and fresh fruit. Easy and delicious! Then she opened her gifts, and we watched the movie. Afterward, my girl made a wish and blew out her candles.  

Happy Birthday, my baby girl!

Mommy loves you!

Happy Weekend, my friends!

Billie Jo

Wednesday Wondering

 Today, I am wondering...

- If anyone else has a closet with perfectly good clothing in it, but gets excited about the earlier evenings this time of year because you can put on your Old Navy Christmas pajamas at 4:00.

- Why I was convinced years ago that I absolutely had to have a complete set of matching cookware, when now I literally have one Dutch oven and a frying pan, and am perfectly fine and dandy.

- If anyone else likes peppermint and chocolate, but cannot stand Peppermint Mocha anything, and wishes there was a different flavor for all the holiday coffees. 

 - If someday, people will look back and think how very strange it was that regular people suddenly felt it necessary to use social media to film and share the personal aspects of their lives, like taking a pregnancy test, giving birth, making dinner, pushing a shopping cart through a store, and unloading groceries.

 - If anyone else cherishes these upcoming months of hibernation and family time, by taking our cues from nature, and using winter as a time to rest.

That's all. Just wondering!

(Google)

Billie Jo

Monday Morning Coffee

Good Monday morning! I hope your weekend was just as you planned and then some! That is precisely what our weekend was - what we had planned, and then some! Saturday morning, I started on what I had planned to do, which was to wipe down the counters and other items before we began decorating for Christmas. Well, the kids have a saying around here. They say, "Mom's in one of those moods! She's in the zone!" Meaning, I was in full-on cleaning mode! The more I wiped, the more I saw, and when I reached the stovetop, I decided to remove the filters in the range hood and wipe them off too. 

Oh. My. Goodness. This house is about eight years old. I would bet that those filters had never, ever been washed. The amount of grease on them was unbelievable. I filled the sink with Dawn and water and let them soak. Then, I scrubbed. And scrubbed. And...well, you get the idea. I finally got to the good-enough-for-now point and moved on. Eventually, we got the place clean and the tubs out and spent the remainder of the afternoon decorating for Christmas! When the garlands were hung, the candles lit, and the lights twinkling, I took a long, hot shower, put on my Christmas pajamas, and snuggled collapsed on the couch.

Cleaning those filters got me thinking about some of the grown-up things I never knew until others taught me. Do they teach you in school to remove filters from your range hood periodically and soak them to remove the grease? Here are a few things I thought of that I want to make sure my kids know, which may not be learned through a textbook.

- My mom taught me that in addition to changing or emptying the vacuum cleaner bag, you should take a pair of scissors every now and then and cut off all the gross hair and stuff that is stuck wrapped around the beater bar. Who knew?

- My parents stayed at our house when we were first married, and checked our air conditioner filters. Apparently, we didn't know you were supposed to remove those cardboard filter things occasionally, as they can become clogged with dirt and dust. Again. Who knew?

- When I was first married and teaching, Steve's mum used to come and visit and do my ironing. She was the BEST ironer in the world. She told me something that I still think of to this day when I am doing laundry. She told me in the kindest way ever that if you shake your wet clothes when you take them out of the washer before you put them in the dryer, you will find they don't wrinkle nearly as much. She was right!

- One time, a super nice man I had known all my life, who was an appliance repairman, showed me something that, while gross, is really useful to know! My dishwasher was not working properly, and didn't smell the best. He showed me how to remove the filter on the bottom of the dishwasher and clean it under hot water! I had no idea! Now, I do that a lot, and my dishwasher works beautifully.

Please add any helpful tips you have that people may not know about. I'd love to hear more!

In other, less icky news, today's walk was cold and clear. And the most November day of November days.

November outside. Christmas inside. Turkey day planning and Christmas gift wrapping. These are those days, my friends. Enjoy! 

Cosmo is always the first student in the classroom.

Have a great day!

Billie Jo

Friday

Hello, my friends. And Happy Friday! I am enjoying these cozy November days, and I hope you are as well. This week was sunny and cold, and felt very much like late autumn. We are little by little embracing Christmas around here, and I couldn't be happier. The tree is up, allowing us to enjoy the glistening lights during the early darkness. We are playing YouTube Christmas Ambience and lighting our Christmas scented candles, too. 

This weekend, I will sit by the tree, listening to the same beautiful Christmas music I have listened to all my life, and plan our Thanksgiving meal. We keep it the same from year to year, so it will be pretty easy. Steve and I do the turkey. Nico makes the mashed potatoes, and Rhett and I are on gravy duty. Madison makes the best sweet potato casserole, and Flynn will help with the green bean casserole. Steve and Madison usually work on the stuffing, and Madison has begun making her great-grandmother's pumpkin pies. With real, homemade whipped cream! Kyrstin is ready to help with whatever is needed and whoever needs help. 

This weekend, we will also attend mass and decorate the house for Christmas! Is it earlier than many? Yes, for sure. Is that ok? You bet! Do what makes you happy. Do what works for you and your family. That's all I have to say about that! Before we lug the Christmas tubs up, I will fill a bucket with some cleaner and warm water and quickly wipe things down. I like to convince myself the house is clean before I add Christmas around! 

Well, that is about it for today, my friends. I am going to get some breakfast, throw in a load of laundry, and get ready for homeschool. Have a wonderful weekend, and I will be around to visit this weekend.

I was a little late for my walk this morning. The sun was up before I got started!

Yesterday I was earlier, and things looked like this, first from the deck of the house before Mocha and I got started...

And further down the way, at the boat launch, where I go every day to say good morning to my momma.

Steve and I had a lunch and Christmas shopping date this week! We hope to have the shopping done and organized before hunting starts. Ambitious, I know. LOL. We ate at the cutest little store with a café inside. We both had chicken salad; Steve had it on a croissant, and I had it on a bed of lettuce. And then we had delicious cupcakes for dessert. Steve went with his go-to chocolate peanut butter. I had the chocolate raspberry, and it was amazing!

Lastly, Flynn wanted me to share her latest capture...Cosmo snuggled up with me during Chemistry class. Apparently, charting the ionization energy levels of elements doesn't interest him. 

Have a great weekend! Thanks for visiting!

BillieJo