Hello, Monday.

 

Happy Monday, friends! How was your weekend? I'm linking up with Holly and Sarah for today's blog post. 

My weekend was nice, but I don't have a lot of pictures...here are the very minor details. Chris met me at my house Friday after work. We were going to go out for dinner, but we'd done that Thursday night, so when Jonah offered to cook on the Blackstone, we took him up on the offer. He grilled some chicken, and I added broccoli and rice. It was delicious! The four of us ate together, then they left, so we settled in for a movie.

Have you watched Remarkably Bright Creatures yet on Netflix?! It was beautiful. I read the book a few years ago and it was my favorite for the year; I was concerned that I wouldn't like the movie like I did the book, but they did an outstanding job on this adaptation. Sally Fields is always one of my favorites, and she shone brightly as Tova. 

Saturday was breakfast out, then errands and gift shopping.

Is there anything better than a bookstore? I think not. We finished all of our shopping, then settled back in at my house for a show and a nap on the couch while we "watched". Do you have a show you do this with? I have had several over the years, but my current one is Mike and Molly. 

We had a fabulous dinner Saturday night, at a local placed called Wolf River Brisket. This smoked salt margarita was chef's kiss; I tried ordering a strawberry basil one, but they were out of basil. The bartender was sweet enough to give me a half glass of some strawberry that she'd just made, and it was good too! We shared a couple of things...these Irish nachos that you see, with house made potato chips, queso, and brisket, and then some jumbo shrimp with spicy garlic green beans and macaroni and cheese. 

I spent Sunday cleaning my house for most of the morning; I decided to miss church on that morning. There's a story behind that, but I don't want to get into it today. I needed a morning at home to clean and get ready for the week, and it was Mother's Day, after all. We had a small appetizer from our favorite Asian place, and then we all met up at Mom's for a shrimp boil dinner to celebrate. I saw all of my sons in one place for the first time since Noah's been home...and I didn't get even one picture. 

Here are the pictures I made for Mom on IG Sunday morning, though. It was a nice day and weekend...again with the highs and lows, but this is life for now. I was glad to have Chris around the whole weekend. He's such a great man, and he enriches my life so much by his calm and caring personality. He really is wonderful to me and my family; I love how well he fits in with us all...it's like he's always been around. I love this.

How was your weekend? I'd love to hear from you! Thanks for reading my blog today, friends. Love to all!

Jenn

Friday Favorites, 5.8.2026.

 

Happy Friday, friends! How has your week been? Mine has been good...more highs and less lows happened this week. I'm always glad for that! I'm down to two weeks of school left as of today, and only one week left with students for intervention. The last week will be spent packing/purging/sorting/ and getting ready for the next school year. I'll jump in with some favorites from my week!

Reading has become my favorite past time again! I finally finished this book, and I'm almost halfway through another one by an author I love (Cara Bastone). 

I'm reading anytime and anywhere I can; if I have down time at work, I pick my Kindle up. This was me in my car Wednesday morning before work. 

This poster and Teacher Appreciation Week were favorites this week! 

God's word is a favorite; I've been loving being in the book of Psalm a lot this week. I'm looking for a Bible study to do on my own...do any of you have a recommendation? 

This was a favorite day of Bible reading.

Outfits of the week are always a favorite part of my mornings. 

Our high school's mascot here in town is the dragon. Every year in May, we have a Parade of Dragons...these are the students who attended Crosswind when they were in elementary school. Isn't this sweet? It was a favorite moment of the week. 

This moment was also a favorite...we sent off our special needs friends to a fun event called the Dragon Games early one morning. It's like a field day for them, and our students lined the halls to wish them well. 

This is a great online counselor of sorts that I follow on Instagram; her account is one of my favorites! What do you think about this statement? I'd love to hear your thoughts.

I also loved this that I found on another IG account that I love, girlintheyellowtaxinyc. 

Lastly...

...it's always a favorite when I look at my watch at this time. I sent this to Chris. 

Other favorites include, but are not limited to...

• having a one on one dinner with Noah Wednesday night
• sharing laughter with my friends/co-workers
• finally finding out who our new principal is
• a sunny day after two days of rain
• fun games with our kiddos at school
• hearing them laugh and be competitive
• counting down the days until summer
• talking to my sons
• planning a fun mother's day night with my family
• talking to Graham at work after him giving me a heart attack (he always forgets that I work and he called asking for a recipe)

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

Jenn 

everyday images 5.7.2026.

 

Happy Thursday, friends! I'm here today to link up with Kym at A Fresh Cup of Coffee for the twice monthly Everyday Images. This is where I share everyday images from my phone to follow the changing prompts each month. This week's prompts are: Saturday scenery, current project, green, on my plate, miniature, tower, and connected. I'll jump in; I hope you enjoy this!

Saturday scenery

There are few things more wonderful than a Saturday drive in the country.

current project

My current project is keeping up with the endless festivities and end-of-year events at school. This was one of my fifth grader's iPad yesterday; I love this girl for her organizational skills! I will miss (most of) these kiddos next school year.

green

on my plate

miniature

tower 

connected

Me and this little lovebug are forever connected because of all the time we've spent together; at least, that's what it feels like. I love this kiddo! We see each other every morning and every afternoon at school; we always share a hug and the sign language symbol for I love you (🤟). She's one of my favorite tiny humans on this earth! 

Thanks for reading my blog today, friends. Love to all!

Jenn 

the Wednesday hodgepodge

 

Happy Wednesday, friends! 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. What's something you may do? This weekend I may see if me and Chris can find a farmer's market to attend. I mentioned that for last weekend, but it never happened. We also may go see a movie at some point. One thing we will definitely do is enjoy a sunset or two together. I'm excited! 

2. Hola! Hodgepodge day falls after Cinco de Mayo...how do you feel about Mexican food? What's your favorite dish? Do you make it at home or is it strictly a dine out option? Hola! Is this even a real question, Joyce? I'm laughing because we all know how much I love Mexican food; I don't mind it at home, but in a restaurant is my preference. 

My favorite dish is either fajitas or a fajita bowl with a margarita, as pictured above.

3. When the children of today grow up, what do you think they'll say about this time period? What do you most hope they remember? They will probably laugh at our trends and the fashion in which we dressed/did our hair. I think they'll remember us as the ones who didn't know a lot about technology and AI. I hope they remember how to interact with other humans while not looking at a screen. 

This picture was taken Saturday night; Jonah and Noah had friends over, and these people were sitting around laughing and talking. Not one phone was being looked at when I took this! 

4. What advice would you give a new mother? To a new mom, I would say don't listen to all the bad advice. Don't stress about the smaller things. Nap when you can, don't ever say you won't do something or that your kids would never do that (they will humble you, I promise...ask me how I know), don't worry about things looking perfect...they won't remember whether or not everything was Pinterest worthy. Enjoy the moments...they pass by so very quickly. 

5. What's a phrase your mom often said to you? If you're a mom, do you say it to your own children? My mom always gave me the advice of keeping my bed made. I didn't appreciate that in my younger years, but I do now! I've shared advice with my sons that I gleaned from Mom. Mu mom taught me everything I've ever needed to know. I'm so thankful for her! 

6. Insert your own random thought here. I'm currently obsessed with Ella Langley's newest album; all the songs are great, but my current favorite is Butterfly Season with her and Miranda Lambert.

Enjoy!

Thanks for reading my blog today, friends. I'll see you back here tomorrow for Everyday Images. Love to all!

Jenn 

Fashion Files, 5.5.2026.

 

Happy Tuesday, friends, and happy bonus blog post day! I'm linking up with Amy and Marsha today for Fashion Files. Since Spring is in full bloom where I live, so that means that it's dress season! Here are a few that I own. 

I wore this yesterday to work! It's my favorite brand: Umgee. I bought this for Easter Sunday, even though I hadn't had plans to buy a new dress...but sometimes love strikes the minute you see something like this and you have to buy it when it fits like a dream. I had lots of compliments on this yesterday! Umgee is a boutique brand. 

I don't know what brand of dress this one is, but I also bought it from a boutique last summer. I hope I still love it when I try it on again this year! I bought this one to wear to an Old Dominion concert I went to last summer and fell in love the second I tried it on. I love the fabric; it's almost like a linen type of fabric, so it's thin and breathable. 

I bought this dress on the blog trip to Louisville in 2025 at an adorable boutique called Darling State of Mind. It's the Entro brand, which is another one I love.

This one is from Walmart, from three years ago. I think I started wearing it as a shirt, but I decided that I like it best as a dress when I'm tan. (I wear biker shorts under all of my short dresses.)

I still love this dress, and this year will be the third summer that I've worn it; that popped collar is everything! I love the white and black buttons that are in contrast to each other. This is a Shein dress, believe it or not! 

I bought this dress in the summer of 2024, I'll forever remember it as the dress I wore the day my ex-husband told me he wanted a divorce. (It's okay to laugh here.) Don't ask why I still have this, except for the fact that I love it so much. This was the first day of school when students started this school year! This is way cuter on than it is online...if you order, consider sizing up. 

This one's another older boutique dress, from about three years ago. I don't know the brand, or anything, but I have this same dress in black.

This dress is from Amazon! It's about two years old, and I still love it as much as when I first bought it. I love the pockets; I also have this in black, but the fit is different.

This dress is a Target find from three years ago. I wore this to church Sunday!

This dress is from Shein! I bought it in three colors: this one, baby blue, and a faded navy blue.

This dress is two years old, from Old Navy.

Lastly, this is another Walmart dress, from several years ago. 

Many of you have been really kind to tell me that you like how I dress and have asked where I shop. These are the places I shop! I do have some tips for shopping for clothes, though, that I'll share before. Before I start, I think it's important to know your body type. Be willing to know what styles make you feel good, and if comfort is a big deal for you like it is me, then factor that in. I'm a curvy girl, and always have been, so I tend to know my sizes and which fits I like the most. So here are my tips...

• know which styles best fit your body type and lean into those
• know the color palette you want and that look you look best in
• consider the season and the fabric
• if you can, try on before buying, or at least make sure it's returnable
• consider the shoes you have
• speaking of shoes, my pro tip (I'm laughing, I am no pro) is to wear neutral over black
• don't forget to accessorize

And that's all I've got for today, friends! I'll post this later on, but there's another one right under it for today as well. I hope you enjoy the day! See you back here tomorrow for the Hodgepodge. Love to all!

Jenn