Did You Ever

Think this was the very best Christmas present when you were too old for toys?

Get so excited to wear these to school until you found out they were not allowed because of the stairs?

Love this cake, but wonder what that grainy filling actually was?

Search for the perfect pattern to go with the shoes you weren't allowed to wear?

Wonder why all of your friends had these same glasses you weren't allowed to use?

Think the Velcro strip made these sneakers extra cool?

Wear this blouse on the first day of school, even though it was eighty-five degrees outside?

 

Find one of these in your Christmas stocking and wear it all day, but never use it again because you lost it and then couldn't remember if it was yours or your sister's when you found it again?

Or was that just me??

Happy Wednesday, my friends!

And thanks to Google for all the memories.

Billie Jo

 

Monday Morning Coffee Talk

Good Monday morning! I was up earlier this morning than usual, but I didn't mind. I am one of those people who cannot lie in bed once awake. I can't fall back to sleep, either. I have a saying, "When I'm up, I'm up!" It may be conditioning from the years of rising early to go to work, followed by years of getting up early with the kids, but whatever it is, I am here for it. The early mornings, once filled with bottles and babies, cereal bowls and Sesame Street, and morning baths followed by matching play clothes, are now quiet and cozy, filled with coffee cups and prayers, snuggling puppies, and dinner plans. I love the early mornings. I love the start of a new day. I love watching the world wake up and slowly come to life. I miss the chaotic mornings with small children and a husband getting ready to head to work. I miss wiping faces, and rinsing bottles, tying shoes, and brushing hair. But I love quiet mornings, too. I love sitting with my pups, sipping my hot coffee. I love knowing my family is sleeping nearby and will soon meander in and say good morning. This morning, I am at the beach, so I am happy I woke early.

I literally saw the new day beginning. 

Here are a few random pictures of other parts of the weekend.

I love birds. These freak me out a little.

A calm ocean is serene and lovely. And a rough one, majestic and powerful.

Fish at the ocean. The colors are fun. But the original red is the best.

On our way to mass Saturday with fifty percent of my children.

Have a wonderful Monday, my friends! We will head back to the house later, and Flynn and I will do school. I will check the birdfeeders, start some laundry, and be thankful that I always tidy the house before I go anywhere. Oh, and in the interest of transparency, I will most likely take a late afternoon nap! Thanks for visiting!

Billie Jo

Friday Photos~All The Things

 Hello! Happy Friday! I hope you had a lovely week and are ready for an even nicer weekend. Here is a quick peek into our week here.

We have so many visitors these days. Some are old friends like the vibrant Cardinal...

Some are new to me, like these cute little Brown-headed Cowbirds. ( Please let me know if I am wrong! )

Cute puppy selfies filled our phones and group chats.

Madison and I made a delicious dinner together this week! It was so easy, especially with two cooks in the kitchen, and so fresh and good! I bought some bone-in chicken thighs and some carrots at the store. We had the baby potatoes from the Farmer's Market and all the fresh herbs from Steve and Madison's garden! 

This is the finished product, and we all agreed it was delicious. Some of my family are not dark meat fans, but even they loved it. I will link the recipe below. We followed it, except we did not use the baby carrots and added fresh rosemary, sage, and thyme. And fresh garlic, too!

These flowers climbing the trellis on the front porch are absolutely gorgeous. I have only the previous owners to thank, and I absolutely do!

We all miss Peyton, but we keep in touch with her every day through individual texts, group texts, talking to each other about the individual texts, phone calls, and pictures like this one her Christopher sent us while they were on a walk. I told you. She is always smiling! Hi Peyton! ( She reads here! ).

Madison saw we had an abundance of fresh strawberries from the Farmer's Market, so she made some delicious strawberry bread with a lemon glaze. It was so good. There is something about having a freshly baked loaf of breakfast bread on your counter that makes your home feel cozy. It is like my image of the 1950s when your neighbor would drop in wearing a dress, and you would invite her in for coffee. You would have freshly baked bread or cake on the counter and offer her a slice while you drank your coffee and shared all the neighborhood gossip. 

Well, I hope you have a lovely weekend, my friends. We plan on heading over the bridge and to the beach on Saturday after mass. Some sort of boat races are happening, but I will be happy on the couch with my pups, my coffee, and my laptop catching up with you all! 

Thanks for visiting!

Billie Jo

Sheet Pan Chicken

Glazed Strawberry Bread

Go figure

I can sit inside and enjoy watching birds all day, but I can't stand to be near one on the beach.

I can read a map like Magellan, but I have literally no sense of direction.

I love all things cozy, but I don't watch Hallmark Movies. Ever.

I know our chocolate chip cookie recipe by heart, but I forget where I set my phone three times a day.

I get excited about going to the dentist, but going to the doctor sends my blood pressure off the charts. 

I could eat a bowl of sugar cereal every single day, but I have never finished a bowl of oatmeal.

I could spend all day with a group of preschoolers but a half hour with a bunch of adults.

And finally, I would never waterski or go tubing, but I am the only member of my family who will touch the bottom of the lake barefoot. Who is the adventurous one, now?!! 

That's enough random fun for today, my friends.

Have a cozy Wednesday!

Billie Jo

Monday Morning Coffee Talk

Good Monday morning, my friends! Here we are, the chaotic yet joyful month of May behind us and the slower-paced, more casual summer months ahead. If you live in this part of the world, that is. It is time for mornings on the porch for coffee, sunscreen, sunhats by the door, lighter meals with all the fresh things for dinner, and drippy ice cream cones at dusk. Now, while all that is true, in the interest of fairness, I must add the somewhat more unappealing aspects of this time of year for me. While I see photos and advertisements of happy people frolicking through the lush green grass, I can't help but think of the ticks, mosquitoes, wasps, and bees waiting there to greet me. While so many are anxious to load up and head to the pool or the beach for a day in the sun, I think of smelly, sticky sunscreen, the beating sun on my skin, and the unpleasant feeling of a wet bathing suit stuck to my skin. Have I ever mentioned I am an inside kind of girl? That said, I enjoy these lovely months, even if it is appreciating them from inside or outside in the late afternoons.

Here are a few things I did enjoy from ~ the inside ~ this first weekend of June.

And I also enjoyed some outside time under a large umbrella of shade!

Have a wonderful Monday, my friends!

For the link to the delicious Caprese Pasta Salad click HERE.

Billie Jo

Photos On The Last Day Of May And A Birthday!

Hello, and Happy Friday, my friends! Although summer doesn't officially begin for a few weeks, June 1 will always be summer to me. This week was short but long. Memorial Day seems like forever ago, but yet it's Friday already? That is one of those things I won't ever understand, so I don't even try. Like when you drive past a mountain filled with trees, and you stop to think, if there are that many trees right here, how many could there be in the whole world? And when you sit on the shore and see nothing but water stretching out before you and wonder how big the ocean really is and why the months now pass significantly faster than when you were a junior in high school sitting in Physics class on a Wednesday in January? Anyway, here are some recent pictures from my camera roll to finish off the month of May.

My firstborn and I at Nico's birthday party...

My bestie Heather and her husband Dave came to visit this week!

We visited a spa, went to a tea, and sat on the beach. And it was good.

Meanwhile, Nicolas and Flynn played mini golf, rode bumper boats, and went on a bird-watching hike. Or, as I like to say, enjoyed Eighth Grade Field Trip Day.

The beach is good for the soul.

And in "We are still celebrating birthdays" news...

Today is Peyton Rose's twenty-fourth birthday! My second little bundle of joy is celebrating her birthday today! If you ask me what I did last week, I wouldn't remember, but I remember these moments quite well!

Peyton is a blessing to each member of our family in a unique and special way. She has smiled since that first one; she finds joy in cooking, baking, and serving others; she loves animals, the outdoors, camping, and all things holiday! She also loves her new car.

But she loves sharing her life with her Christopher most of all!

Today marks the first birthday we aren't together, but we celebrated last weekend, and Steve was sure to put candles on her dinner plate! 

Happy Birthday, Peyton Rose!

And happy weekend to you, my friends. 

Enjoy!

Billie Jo