Monday Morning Coffee Talk

Good Monday morning! And just like that, summer is here. The lake that seemingly just yesterday was frozen solid and still, surrounded by barren trees, now looks like this. It is time for swimming, boating, kayaking, and swimming. The latter will have to wait for the temperature to warm just a bit for this old lady!

We did, however, take the boat out for the first time this season on Saturday night, and it was beautiful. Family time is the best time. Our weekend was not all fun and games, though. It also included outside work like weed pulling, boat cleaning, garage organizing, and sweeping. ( Thank you, Steve and Rhett! )

On the other hand, I worked on a new recipe binder, meal plan, and grocery list. I also watched a few too many episodes of The Walking Dead with Flynn. I had seen several episodes years ago when it was first on tv, but I was happy to restart the series with her. And am surprised how much I don't recall! 

We enjoyed eating outside this weekend. Last night Steve grilled chicken breast and vegetables. Do you ever see those vegetable kabobs at the store? They are so easy to grill or sautee, and all the work of chopping is already done. Simply remove them from the skewer, and you are all set! I bought two that had red onion, green pepper, yellow pweepr, two types of squash, and mushrooms. Steve drizzled them with avocado oil and put them on the griddle. They were delicious! We made enough for lunches this week too. 

However, the highlight of my weekend was visiting this lovely woman! Doesn't my mom look wonderful? Steve and I visited with her Sunday morning, and it was so nice. She is happy and pleasant and so grateful. I am thankful for the immaculate, clean, cozy, loving place she calls home. If you have a loved one in an assisted living facility and think that the unpleasant odors, lack of assistance and love, dirty clothing, and such are normal, I tell you they aren't. We saw that firsthand. Advocate for your loved one and get them out of there! Better places exist. Promise.

This weekend, we watched in awe, joy, and inspiration as England so wonderfully celebrated Queen Elizabeth's Platinum Jubilee Celebration. As an American who has followed the Royal Family since I was a child, I felt so many emotions as the country came together to honor its monarch. Congratulations to my friends from across the pond on such a fantastic tribute! There are so many beautiful images from Queen Elizabeth's life, but this one from Instagram is my very favorite.

Finally, while I found great joy in watching the celebration in England, I do not feel the same emotions watching the news here in my own country. I refrain from any political discussion here, so I will just say that seeing so many of the issues here in my beloved country fills me with anxiety and sadness. I have chosen to stay informed without becoming oversaturated. I limit my time watching the news. What can I do, then? This quote from St. Joan of Arc is what I am leaning on these days.

Well, that was a long coffee talk today, my friends. Thanks for making it to the end!

Have a lovely Monday. Thanks for visiting!

Billie Jo

 

Home And Another Birthday!

Home.

There is nowhere else I'd rather be.

And look who turned 22? My Peyton Rose. And to no one's surprise, she prepared her own birthday meal and cake, with help from her hubby! She served sloppy joes, BBQ chicken sandwiches, homemade macaroni salad, baked beans, and corn on the cob. And the cake. Oh, the cake. Sometimes I still see her as a tiny toddler in a purple Garanimals sweatsuit with a small little bow on the top, standing on a chair stirring a big bowl of brownie batter. 

Christopher surprised her with a set of cast iron cookware, and he made her a board to hang them on! She was thrilled!

The Core Four, as Rhett calls them.

( Before I took this picture, I said, "I am responsible for this!" )

Well, have a lovely weekend, my friends. Not much planned here. Some hamburgers on the grill, meal planning, grocery shopping, mass, and hopefully some lake time. Oh, and if you haven't seen this movie yet, you must. It is amazing!! We all loved it, and for different reasons. My kids enjoyed it for the action and storyline. I did as well, but also for so much more. I mean, thirty-six years!! Thirty-six years since I went with my sister and her friend to see Top Gun in the theatre. Seeing Tom Cruise reprise his role without missing a beat and realizing that thirty-six years have passed, even though it feels like yesterday, was unbelievable. And that sixteen-year-old high school junior is now a fifty-two-year-old wife and mother. As my mom always sings, "Life is but a Dream."

Billie Jo 

Well, That Was Neat!

Hello, and Happy Wednesday! In fact, Happy June! We are home safe and sound, ready to enjoy our summer days here in our little house on the lake. I am sure you are tired of hearing about our time at the beach, but I have one more thing to share. You may or may not know that I am an avid fan of beauty pageants. My sister and I have watched The Miss USA and Miss Universe Pageants for as long as we can remember. Back then, a young Bob Barker would host the pageant! We would pick our favorite and watch through the pageant, hoping she would win.

Last week at the beach in Maryland, my brother-in-law, who reads every single newspaper, mentioned that the young woman who recently was crowned Miss Maryland USA was from Ocean City. How neat! He said she actually worked at a restaurant there. When we arrived at our restaurant that evening, we were thrilled to find it was the restaurant she worked at!

Usually, I am quiet and reserved. I did, however, mention to our waitress that we had read about Miss Maryland, and she was so excited to point her out and tell us how proud of her they all were. We continued to enjoy our delicious meal, and before we finished, I simply had to ask if Caleigh could possibly stop by our table and say hello. It was extremely busy, and she had several tables to serve, so I didn't expect her to, and I would have totally understood had she not. Soon enough, however, she came right over and visited with all of us! She was the kindest, most sincere, humble young woman. She spoke to us as Caleigh, a server at a lovely restaurant in Ocean City, who just happened to have recently achieved her dream of becoming Miss Maryland USA, her state's representative in the Miss USA pageant this fall. 

The New Miss Maryland USA, Caleigh is a beautiful, hardworking young woman, unassuming and grounded. She took the time to give us an autograph and pose for a photo. And we promised, as proud residents of Pennsylvania, to cheer for her as well in The Miss USA Pageant this fall!

Have a wonderful Wednesday, my friends.

It has been a while since I have been around.

I will visit soon!

Oh, and if you are ever in Ocean City, the restaurant is The Hobbit, and it is fantastic!

Billie Jo

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