Saturday, June 28, 2025

Share 4 Somethings

 


Happy Saturday, friends! I'm glad you're here to link up with me today for Share 4 Somethings, when we talk about some things we loved, some things we learned, some things that went well, and some things we let go of this month. I'll jump right in! 


I loved






...time with friends!




...running into one of "my" girls from my youth leader days. This is sweet Emma, who dated my Drew all through their high school years. 





...this concert with J! 




...pool time!





...live music with Mar!




...this meal that Jonah made!




...getting back into reading once again!



...these new Reef sandals I purchased.




...I loved spending time with all four of my sons!


I learned:




...the truth of this statement. Things happen for a reason, and things don't happen for a reason. God is sovereign, and He is in control of all things in my life! Not one thing that I've gone through in years past has taken Him by surprise; knowing this, how can I be upset if He's the one in charge? I can't. I can accept things for what they are and move on. 


Some things that went well this month:





...my turn at hosting Bunco! I hosted at Karen's house, who is pictured above. I shared this pic of my little travel friend again, because I like to fidget while I drive sometimes, and he's a squish toy. Something else that went well was the repair work I had to have done to my car after my wreck two weeks ago! I got my car back late Thursday afternoon; I've never loved my car so much in the years I've had her! It's funny what we take for granted when something changes, you know? 


Some things I let go of this month:


I don't have a picture for this one, but I keep letting go of control or being the one to figure out all the things. Case in point: with Noah home this week, I wanted to have all the guys over for dinner one night for a family dinner. When I mentioned this to them, they were all agreeable, but Graham texted me back privately, offering to be the host and do all the cooking. So I let him do it, y'all. Sometimes I think it's not the easiest for them to be at my house, because of all the memories; maybe that's true, and maybe it's not. Anyway you spin it, dinner at Graham's house Thursday was delicious and fun. I was so glad to not be the one cooking and cleaning, but I did help with the clean up process. I've never been so proud of one of my sons in all of my life! He did this with zero hesitation and whipped out dinner for six of us like it was nothing. 


I can't wait to read your posts later this week! I'm glad you're here to join in with me for this link party again, friends. I hope you enjoy every second of your weekend! Love to all. 


Jenn 💜


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Friday, June 27, 2025

Friday Favorites, 6.26.2025.

 


Happy Friday, friends! This is heavy on pictures, so I'll make it light on words. I'm writing this on Thursday night, and I am tired! I want to go to bed, and I forgot about this until now. 





These are my favorite things that I saw online this week! 





Finalizing work stuff this week at Collierville Schools was a favorite! And so was this good hair day I was having. 🤣




Meeting Mar for lunch after church on Sunday was a favorite; she didn't want me going home alone right after church on this day. 




Packing a bag to take with me to Jerry's was a favorite; I was going for the day and thought we'd swim, so I had that, and comfy clothes for after...but we never swam since his pool was having issues. He just told me it's fixed now, and that we can swim this weekend. 




Swimming will always be a favorite!




Noah's car at home is my favorite; I will miss this when he leaves tomorrow.




Friends who recommend books are the best! 




Hugs are my favorite!



Coffee at Jojo's this week with Stacie was a favorite! 




Seeing all these grands with my mom and Bill is a favorite!





Favorite views this week... 😉




Him calling me baby girl is definitely a favorite!








Retail therapy on Tuesday with Christa was a favorite! 




Country drives are a favorite!








Last night with my boys was my favorite of all this week! These nights are way too few and far between; they do my heart so much good when I get to see them all at the same time! 




Tonight's plans are my favorite! I can't wait to see this group; it'll be hotter than Hades, but I hope it'll be worth it in the end. I'm going with Jerry and will update you on Monday. 


Thanks for reading my blog today, friends! What was a favorite of yours from this week? I'd love to hear from you! Love to all.


Jenn ❤️

Thursday, June 26, 2025

when the days are hard

 



Happy Thursday, friends! I thought I'd talk a little about my Tuesday, how the day went, what set me off, how I handled it, and a podcast I listened to twenty-four hours after the fact. 


Do you ever have those days when you wake up and you just know it's going to a day? I woke up knowing this Tuesday morning, and sure enough, I was right. I can't really explain why I had this kind of a day; can any of us ever really explain something like this? I'm partially blaming the time of year that it is and a lack of good sleep at night. I was feeling emotional, vulnerable, and needy all day long. I cried a lot, I got hugs from people at work, I had a teary phone call with Marilyn, and I eventually came home and took a nap. When all else fails, right?? 


I have a few things I do when I'm having a day like this. I'd love to know how you handle your bad days at the bottom of this post, so comment and tell me all of your ways. 


  • I listened to my Bible, even though I wasn't necessarily "feeling it" that morning.
  • I turned on worship music.
  • I prayed, but my prayers were of the variety that were a whisper through tears, "Lord, You know my heart. I need You to draw me close."
  • I accepted hugs from the people who offered them.
  • I wrote a lot in my journal.
  • I drank water and had a snack, in the hopes that it was a blood sugar issue; it wasn't. 🤣
  • I talked on the phone with Marilyn for at least a half hour and heeded her wise counsel.
  • I reached out to my friend Christa to see if she was free to meet me that night; she was!
  • I took a nap when I got home.
  • I let Chloe be my emotional support dog, little love that she is.
  • I finished a blog post for the next day.
  • I enjoyed some retail therapy with Christa that night when we met, and was completely candid with her as to why I was struggling so much. She offered to come home with me! I assured that I was okay, though, and had plans to shower and read in bed after.
  • I did just that: I took a cool shower, washed my hair, and read in bed for an hour.

Ironically, yesterday I listened to that podcast I mentioned, and it was similar to what I'd experienced the day before! I wasn't necessarily just in a bad mood, but I was just having a hard day. It was interesting hearing her offer suggestions of things to do to combat that kind of a mood, knowing these were things I actually put into practice yesterday. I'll share them below.




Why do I never journal anymore? This is me doing that as often as possible, moving forward.

Here are the podcast notes that I talked about.


7 Things to remember when handling a bad mood


1. It starts with me. I can choose how I respond to someone's bad mood. Who am I going to be when I'm in a bad mood? What about when it's someone else who's in a bad mood? How will I respond to them?


2. Stress needs a way out! Ways we can move the stress out of our bodies: 


  • move your body
  • pray
  • breathe
  • laugh
  • hug someone
  • create


3. Kindness is hard. It's not only hard, it's impossible sometimes. This is when we need to rely on the power of the Holy Spirit. 


4. The basics help! Am I hungry? Am I thirsty? Am I uncomfortable? Disconnected? Recognizing this in myself or others helps us to extend patience to them if it's them that are the ones in a bad mood. 

5. Change the scenery. Even if this is something you have to force yourself to do, it's a good thing in the end. Things you can do to accomplish this are playing music, going to get a fun drink (Sonic), get quiet, or redirect your thoughts.


6. Be nostalgic! She equated this one with being irritated with your kids; scrolling through old pictures of them when they were innocent and cute is helpful when you want to smack them. 🤣

7. Remember that we're all practicing. 





(I didn't buy this, but I snorted, I laughed so hard, because I need this in my life!)






This is my Christa. I'm so thankful for her friendship!


Do you have anything to add to this list of things? I'd love to hear them! Thanks for reading today, friends. Love to all!

Jenn ❤️

Share 4 Somethings

  Happy Saturday, friends! I'm glad you're here to link up with me today for Share 4 Somethings, when we talk about  some  things we...