Friday Favorites, 10.10.2025.

 

Happy Friday, friends! It's my much anticipated final Friday before fall break next week. I have so much to do this weekend; I want to see Chris all I can and am spending Friday and part of my Saturday with him, Trish (my sis) and I are going to see a play at The Orpheum, and I need to pack for my 7 a.m. flight Sunday morning. I can do it all, right? Also, speaking of next week, I will not be blogging. I will catch back up with y'all that following Monday the 20th. 

These were my outfits from the week; I don't know if getting dressed will ever cease to be my favorite thing each morning! Do you have a favorite look? I think mine was yesterday's outfit right above these words, or the one with the pink striped sweater. I love wearing sweatery things right now! 

These were among my favorite online things this week. I love fall themed anything! 

It's always a favorite when a bonus son stops by! This is Nick, one of Jonah's friends. He had me cracking up while he was here! 

Wednesday night was one of my favorites; I was going to go to choir, but I ended up staying home to work on some financial stuff that I needed to get done as soon as possible. I wasn't sure how long it would take me to complete the information I needed to fill in online, but I also didn't feel great when I got home from work. It felt good to sit and keep my legs up for a while longer while I did that. I also had to make a couple of phone calls, so it was time well spent. I was still able to meet Kendra afterward! We went with our usual Rotolo's and enjoyed catching up with each other before we go our separate ways this week. Marilyn is also going out of town, so we're heading in three different directions! Mar didn't meet us since she needed to stay home and finish her house things and packing. 

In the Resource S room, we provide tools and manipulatives to help keep students focused to be able to do their very best. These are things that are written into the IEPs, and it works wonders for them all. They all come to us with dyslexia at the least; most of them are ADHD or have high functioning autism. I love that we get to provide things for them like this above to help them perform; yesterday I pulled this thing out so my fourth grade friend could pop them while he worked quietly on his iPad. Also, what does it say about me that I love this thing as much as he does?! 

Lastly, another fourth grade student came in this week with this black Stanley you see pictured next to mine. It's my favorite thing in the world making connections with these students; I love that this kid put his cup right next to mine so proudly. I gave him a hug yesterday, because I love him so much. 

What were some of your favorites this week? I'd love to hear from you! Thanks for reading my blog today, friends. I hope your next week is great! I won't be around here since I'll be vacationing, but I'll see you back again on Monday the 20th. Love to all!

Jenn xoxo 

the Wednesday hodgepodge

 

Happy Wednesday, friends, and happy October! I'm here with Joyce again today for the weekly hodgepodge...this is a post that I dearly love; thank you, Joyce, for your inspiring and thought provoking questions each and every week! I'll jump right in.

1. The apple doesn't fall far from the tree. How does this saying ring true in your own family, either the one you grew up in or the one you made? I immediately thought of two scenarios that this statement rings true, both in the family I made, and the one I was born into. Frist off, Jonah is just like me in so many ways. He's clean, timely, organized, he talks fast, and we share a birthmark/mole. I see so much of me in him when we talk, and I couldn't love anything more! I like to think that my guys all have the best parts of me, and I will take full credit for their charismatic personalities; they're all great conversationalists, they know when to talk and when to stop, they're always smiling, and everyone loves them. 

Secondly, I am just like my mom. I love this and will always be glad that this is the case! I get my love of nurturing from her, my love of cooking, my love of decorating, and my sense of style all come from her. I give her all the credit for the best parts of me! Mom, if you're reading this, thank you! You're amazing and I want to be just like you when I grow up. 

Isn't she gorgeous? People always tell me how much I favor her, and I always say a resounding thank you to this. What a compliment! 

2. Something you're nuts about these days? How about something that's driving you nuts? 

I am nuts about Marilyn and the bond we've formed. Anytime I'm with her and upon leaving, I thank God for her, and that He saw fit to let us go through the same thing at the same time. My only sadness is that she went through it alone for two years before my life fell apart. We always say that we would never wish what we went through on anyone, but how sweet of God to give us each other? I don't like to think of life without her; I sincerely wish she lived next door to me!  

Something that drives me nuts is the remote control issue I have with my living room television. Jonah's dog ate the old one, so I use the Roku app on my phone, and half the time it won't connect to my living room TV. It's been literally weeks since I've watched anything downstairs! I listen to music all the time instead. This is the type of thing that's way above my pay grade. 

3. What does abundance mean to you? I've learned in the last year and a half what an abundance of family and friends I have; I used to think this was only in terms of monetary value, but these days? I speak in terms of relationships that I've been blessed with in my life. I have an abundance of this, and I am so grateful to God! Please see above pictures, along with the ones below. 

Thanks be to God for these indescribable gifts! (2 Corinthians 9:15)

4. Caramel apple, caramel cake, caramel corn, caramel sundae, caramel macchiato...what's your caramel treat of choice? I'm not in love with caramel, but I will eat it on occasion. I prefer it in a Twix candy bar or in popcorn. And now I'm craving that! 

5. What's a childhood memory that always comes to mind as the leaves start to fall? Halloween! I am not sure why this sticks out so much to me, but maybe it's because I lived in the country and Dad had to drive me around to trick-or-treat. I always went with my best friend Stacy; we always tried to coordinate our costumes each year! 

6. Insert your own thought here. I love to watch people dance, and was an avid watcher of Dancing with the Stars for years. My favorite dancers were always Derek and Juliana Hough; I came across this dance last year on dedication night of Derek and his wife Hayley. It's one of the most beautiful and emotional dances I've ever seen! Here's the video.

Thanks for reading my blog today, friends! I can't wait to read your answers to these prompts. Love to all!

Jenn 

Tuesday Talk: the one about skin care, makeup, and hair products

 

Happy Tuesday, friends! I thought I'd talk about skincare, makeup, and hair care products today. I've had these pictures on my phone for ages, and finally remembered that someone asked for this. I hope you enjoy this and are inspired in some way!

For at least the last four years, I've used coconut oil to remove my makeup each night. My skin is very dry; this works in a way that melts the makeup off my face, and it leaves my skin feeling moisturized. 

I always follow this nightly routine with my favorite moisturizer.

I use Vaseline on my lips each night and every morning as I put on makeup and get dressed.

These are my favorite perfumes, but I recently added a third scent! This is the one pictured above on the left; and here's a link for the other scent that I bought in the same brand. The yellow bottle is more summer smelling while the second one not pictured is more warm vanilla for fall/winter. The small bottle is one I use sparingly since I paid a small fortune for it this summer; it's Dolce and Gabbana. I'm new to the perfume game, friends! I love smelling good and I'm always complimented when someone hugs me; Chris loves how I smell when we're together. All of these are subtle and not overpowering and make me feel put together and feminine.

The same week I bought the two perfumes, I also bought this hair perfume by Kitsch. I love this stuff! I will sometimes just use this alone as "perfume". 

I have a vitamin routine each morning! I take D3, calcium, C, a women's supplement for menopause, turmeric, and over the summer I added this probiotic. I just bought my third bottle last night! I take two each morning after I brush my teeth. 

At my last hair appointment, I bought this detangler from my friend who does my hair. I love this stuff, but I've changed up my routine and won't be using it as much.

This mousse has been great, but my hair had become immune to it recently, so I made a change.

I went from using that Lotta Body mousse to this new gel by Innersense. It's a good bit more expensive, but I think I need better quality hair products than I've been using. 

I occasionally use this oil to tame any frizzies that I have before I leave for the day.

And here are my favorite products that I buy on repeat all the time for my makeup. L'Oreal Lumi Glotion, Sun Bum, mascara, and this eye shadow palette in "cream and sugar". I use a bronzing color of blush and a translucent powder to set it all. I also use brow gel, the one by Elf that looks like a small tube of mascara in a taupe color. My current favorite lipstick is by Morphe at Ulta; I use the liner, the matte gloss, and set it with something clear and shiny. I like the color Dearest...here's the liner, the gloss is the same color, but you will have better luck at Ulta for this. It's all very inexpensive, and it stays put all day long!

And after all of that, here's the finished product. I have all that I've listed above on my face this day, except for the new hair gel. I started using that on Saturday afternoon, and I'm loving the results! 

What's your go-to product/s that I should know about? I'd love to hear from you! Thanks for being here to read my blog today, friends. Love to all!

Jenn