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! (And if this meme offends, I'm sorry, but I saw it on socials yesterday and about cracked up laughing. It's true!)

1. What's something recent that had you "tickled pink"? Besides my front door? Kidding, kidding. I would say something that had me ticked pink was when I went back to work on Monday. I got one of my favorite little first graders out of the car that morning in the car line and when she saw me her face lit up like fireworks. She literally jumped into my arms and told me how much she'd missed me, and wanted to know where I had been. I can't explain just what this does for my heart! `

I adore this kid. She has no idea what her words and hugs mean to me! I'm so proud of her and how far she's come since I've known her. She's reading like a little champ! 

2. A bed of roses, everything's coming up roses, every rose has its thorn, stop and smell the roses, rose-colored glasses, a rose among thorns...which rosy expression might currently be applied to your life in some way? I would say at this present moment, that everything is coming up roses in my life. I hesitate to say that, because I don't want to jinx anything. Yikes! 

3. What makes you feel loved and appreciated? I feel loved when someone hears me. An example of this would be a practical gesture or gift, like if I say something in passing, and my person or friend does just that. Two people came to mind as I wrote this: Chris and my friend and co-worker Karen. They're two of the most thoughtful people I've ever met! I feel appreciated when someone thanks me for something, or when they offer to help me. 

I asked Chris this question and here's what he said: he feels loved when his person spends quality time with him, and he feels appreciated when someone tells him thank you. He was here one night recently for dinner, and right when we started cooking, I got sick to my stomach and had to go upstairs to my room. I ended up taking a quick cool shower, because I was literally about to be sick physically. I texted him to tell him sorry and that I would be back down as soon as possible. I came downstairs twenty minutes later, and dinner was finished, and he had hand washed the dishes. Dinner was amazing! When I thanked him and hugged him for this, I remember him getting a really funny look on his face, like he was gazing at me so lovingly. Now I know why. He said he fell a little more in love with me that night.

4. A box of chocolates or a bouquet of fresh flowers: what's your pleasure? Any special plans for Valentine's day? Can I say both, please? I would pick fresh flowers, probably, because they're beautiful to look at. I do have plans for both Galentine's day on Friday night the 13th, and for Valentine's day with Chris. On Friday night, Kendra and I are going to Marilyn's house for a fun, girls only party. On Saturday night, Chris and I will eat dinner at my house and then go listen to live music at a local hang out here in town, called Nashoba. I'm excited for both!  

5. Share a favorite quote, Scripture, or song lyric relating to love. There's a song that I recently came across by Sarah Bareilles called I Choose You; there's a line (stanza?) in it that I can't stop thinking about. I'll write it out below. 

We are not perfect

We'll learn from our mistakes

And as long as it takes

I will prove my love to you

I am not scared of the elements

I am under-prepared, but I am willing

And even better

I get to be the other half of you

Tell the world that we finally got it all right

I choose you, yeah, I choose you

6. Insert your own random thought here. Here are a few random things from life lately.

I'm so proud of my school! Not only are we a National Blue Ribbon school (Google it), we recently were given this award as well. 

I loved this from Instagram this week! 

Right? Life is short, friends.

I can't wait to read your answers to the prompts later today! Thanks for being here to read my blog, friends. Love to all!

Jenn 

ten things I hate to love

 

Happy Tuesday and bonus blog post day, friends! I'm linking up with Marsha for today's bonus post on ten things I hate to love. I'll jump right in!

10: Trashy TV shows. I don't mean things that are rated M or anything, but the more drama, the better! One example of this is The Bachelor/The Bachelorette, even though I've not watched either in a long time. 

9: Drama! I hate it for myself, but I seem to be drawn to it at work or in other circumstances. Here's something about me, though...if you ask me to not say anything to someone, I won't. I have issues with not being able to trust people that I'm close to with things I confide in with them. I've had my trust betrayed one too many times. That'll burn you for sure, so I've learned to keep it all inside or to only tell my best friend. 

8: Bread! I'm a bread girl; give me starch over something sweet any day. I am glad that I make sourdough; it's almost guilt free! It's the only bread you can eat that won't raise your blood sugar level.

7: Social media! I really do dislike it a lot of the time, but I sure do love to scroll! I hate that it causes me to play the comparison game; I never want to do that. 

On the flip side of things, I love it when it's used for good, which is what I try to use mine for. I follow plenty of people who are encouraging and uplifting; I hope I am that way as well.

6: Dogs! I love them, but they sure do make a mess. I'm officially over them; I'm writing this as I'm still dog sitting for Graham. His Jack is obnoxious. 

5: Blogging! I love it so much; but man it takes a lot of time and often feels like a part-time job. That being said, I'm so grateful to have been here for the last nineteen to twenty years and for all the friends I've met here who feel like I've known them for ages. 

These are my blog-turned real life- friends! I can't wait to see these ladies again in April when we take our third annual bloggers retreat together!

4: Snacking; I hate a love/hate relationship with this. I don't think there's anything wrong with snacking in general, but I just have to be careful. If I don't eat the right type of snack, I'll often want something else right after. I prefer to not snack unless I absolutely have to; if I eat enough protein, I won't get hungry to snack between meals. 

3: Books. I love them so much; I just hate buying them. I try to refrain from buying books these days, but I've been known to purchase the ones I think I'll read again. I really enjoy buying nonfiction books, because I think they're good to glance at a second time every now and then. Plus I use them to decorate my home with, so I can justify this, right? 

2: Clothes/shoes shopping. I really try to only purchase things when I need them; I have so many clothes in my closet that I haven't worn in a long time. I discovered this when I cleaned out my closet last month! I try to not re-wear things too often, excluding pants. I always have more tops/dresses than pants. I love getting new things, but I hate having to buy something. 

This is one of the last tops I bought from Amazon, and my favorite jeans are from Halara. 

1: Having a boyfriend...I have missed having a man in my life for companionship. While I mention him here, I'm also extremely grateful that Chris is in my life, and I don't want to take that for granted. I just hate that I love it so much, you know? I'm all tied up in him and his life, and he's all up in mine as well. I get scared thinking of that sometimes, how attached and invested we both are. What if something happens? What if things change? What if the newness wears off and we find out we're not meant to be? It's a conundrum. I'm trying to just take things one day at a time and enjoying having him in my life for however long he'll be in my life. I'm trying to not overthink anything! We are definitely making future plans, though, which is so much fun.

I can't wait to read your prompts! This is my bonus blog post today, so if you want to read more, check out the next post about ways we can love ourselves. Thanks for reading here today! Love to all. 

Jenn 

inspired writing Tuesday--ways we can love ourselves

 

Happy Tuesday, friends! Once again, I'm talking about something here today that I was inspired to share based on a book I'm reading. Have you read Midlife Battle Cry by Dawn Barton? The subtitle is: Redefining the Second Half. 

Here's her Instagram account if you're interested; she's about to release another book soon.

This is a great book! I loved this one particular chapter that inspired today's post, one titled "The I Love Me Challenge". She uses this challenge every year on Valentine's day, so it's fitting to be talking about that this week. Before I start, I have always struggled with the thought or act of "self care" or "self love"...but then I got divorced. While I definitely think we should not focus too much on ourselves, I do think that if we don't love or care for our own selves, than nobody will. Nobody knows what we need like we do, right? So keep this in mind as you read. She challenges to read the prompts and think about them as you move about your day. Here are the prompts to think about: 

• What colors make you happy?
• What music stirs your soul and makes you feel alive as you listen?
• What  fragrance makes you stop, close your eyes, and breathe it in?
• What is a favorite spot, whether in your home or out in town (a coffee shop, bookstore, etc.)
• What songs make you want to dance?
• What is your favorite facial feature?
• What is your favorite feature on your body? We should thank God for the bodies He gave us.
• What books take you away?
• What is your favorite or best time of day?
• Who needs to hear that you're thinking of them?
• How can you up your hair and makeup regimen today?
• What would an ideal day look like to you?
• Think about purchasing new under things.
• What is your favorite way to move your body?
• What's your go to outfit to make you feel fabulous?
• Who fills your cup?
• What's your favorite meal?
• Where would you like to travel?
• Do you know what makes you feel loved?
• What are your gift? (Consider searching spiritual gifts for this one.) 

Here are a few of my answers to these:

Color makes me happy! I used to love to have color painted on my walls at home, but not anymore. I love for everything to be neutral, as far as paint, and then I add pops of color around my house.

I love to dress in color as well! Once January comes, I'm ready to be bright and colorful everyday that I can. 

I don't dress to impress others; it's taken me 49 years to get to the point of having my own, unique style, and I love it so much. I dress in things that I feel confident in; one reason I wear leggings a lot is because I love my legs and consider them my best body feature. I also dress for comfort while also wanting to look put together and cute. I wear jewelry all the time, I always have on at least a little bit of makeup, and I consider shoes part of the package. I usually reach for platform sandals in the summer or sneakers when it's cold.

Regarding fragrance, do you have one that you love or that's a 'signature' scent? 

I have two signature scents: one smells like summer and gets worn in the warmer months; the other is vanilla/sandalwood/pistachio based and gets worn in the fall and winter. I have one expensive perfume, and it's the small bottle above with the gold filigree on the front, by Dolce & Gabbana. Sometimes when I don't want to wear perfume, I'll wear the hair perfume by Kitsch. I love this stuff, and get complimented on it a lot. I also get complimented on the other perfumes I mentioned; the STTS ones pictured above are from Amazon and are very inexpensive but yummy smelling. Here's a link.

The things I talked about today are things that make me happy, making them ways I can love myself. I think this is something that's important for all of us...especially as our lives change with age and an empty nest.

Of the questions listed above, how do you love yourself using those prompts? I'd love to hear from you! Thanks for reading my blog today, friends! Love to all. 

Jenn

share our lives, February 2026

 

Happy Monday and bonus blog post day, friends! I'm linking up with Jen and friends for this month's version of Share Our Lives. I loved the topic...it's binge worthy shows. I have so many, so I'll jump right in.

Prime:

The Summer I Turned Pretty is an all time fave!

Army Wives

Parenthood

Beverly Hills 90210

Netflix:

His & Hers (I watched this with Chris and was freaked out half the time, but the end? Mind blowing!)

Nobody Wants This

Emily in Paris

Gilmore Girls

Younger

Grey's Anatomy

Home Improvement

Love is Blind (U.S. version)

Reba

Brooklyn Nine-Nine

(I've not watched all of these listed above, some are on my to-watch list.)

Hallmark+:

When Calls the Heart

The Way Home

Chesapeake Shores

The Good Witch

Apple TV:

Ted Lasso

Shrinking

I loved the show Friends and feel like it was the soundtrack of my youth. I go through something sad or funny, and I think of an episode of that show. I would say that of all the shows I've watched, that one is my favorite. Do you have a show like that, one that is comforting? I can put it on and be busy while it's on in the background. All my sons loved The Office, but I never got into that one. These days I honestly don't have a lot of extra time for TV; when I do sit down to watch something, I tend to watch something I've already seen. I often don't have the capacity to sit and watch something new and pay attention. Over the weekend, every time Chris and I were together, we started Ted Lasso. I'll only watch it with him and won't watch it on my own. I like to have something for us to watch like that together; we finished Landman recently together, though he'd seen it before. 

Thanks for reading my bonus blog post today! Keep scrolling and you'll see my weekend recap post under this one. Love to all!

Jenn 

hello, Monday.

 

Happy Monday, friends! I hope you had a great weekend! I can't wait to hear from you at the end of today's post. I'm linking up with Holly and Sarah for today's blog post. I'll jump right in!

Friday: I was on my final snow day (#10), and Chris was off, so we met up and decided to run errands together. While I got dressed, I talked to Amy on the phone. 

She helped me find something to wear for two days in a row! This was Friday, and here was Thursday's outfit below.

I stand corrected on the scarf issue, friends. I told Amy I didn't like them, but she pretty much forced me to try one on, and guess what? It turns out she was right. I have two that my dad gave me; this one is from Israel, and the other one was a Christmas gift. It doesn't match, technically, but do we do matchy-matchy still? I don't. What are your thoughts on that? Anyway, moving on with the weekend...

Chris had to run to the DMV to get his license updated, so we did that first. After that, we made a Starbucks run (egg bites with bacon for me, iced coffee for him), then we went to his dad's house. We had lunch with him and we took him grocery shopping. This was the first time I met Joe! It went well. 

We came back to my house after all of that, then we left again around 3:30 to get Graham's baby dogs for the weekend. They stayed with me while he was in Nashville for work; while we were in the area, Chris convinced me to have Chinese takeout for dinner. It was delicious! 

We ate, I got comfy and cozy, then we parked ourselves on my couch to watch the opening ceremonies for the Olympics. I thought this part was cool, and I always love seeing the rings lit. We said our goodbyes, and I crashed hard. 

Saturday:

Saturday was more of the same! I grabbed breakfast and we met at his house. I helped him get some things cleaned up from having no power, then he followed me back to my house for the rest of the day. We grilled steaks for dinner and shared a meal with Jonah. He cooked his, Chris cooked ours. We added some fried rice and steak to ours, and shared that with Jonah as well. It was so good! 

(Look how sweet Reese is when she sleeps! She was worn out from exploring.) This picture is from his property, with the barn that collapsed under the ice. He knew that was going to happen, because it was old and leaning, but seeing it down is sad to me. To him, too! 

Dinner was amazing! We had steak and then fried rice with steak from our dinner the night before. After dinner we sat and watched Ted Lasso before saying our goodbyes until Sunday. I love days like Saturday, when we spend the whole day together. The time never feels long enough! 

Sunday:

Chris came here and picked me up for church; after church we came back to have lunch since I had leftovers, then he went with me to Graham's house. Graham was in Nashville, but he's having his house appraised this week, and he asked me to help him clean. Rather than wait until today to do that after work, I decided to tackle it after lunch on Sunday. Chris went with me to help/hang out, then we came back here before going to Mom's and Bill's for the Super Bowl. I love that Chris was also more interested in the food than the game. 🤣 

(Church outfit, Graham's bedroom, and his bathroom...I love that he got to come home to a clean house last night. I cleaned, I straightened things up for him, and I made it smell really good in the whole house. I also might have accidentally rearranged his kitchen to make better use of the space and the gorgeous counter tops.) 

As you can see, we clearly never have any fun together. I love this man!

What did you do this weekend that you loved? I might need some prayers today as I reenter work after two weeks of being iced in! I expect to be exhausted when I get home this afternoon, but I'm staying home and not doing anything both tonight and tomorrow night. Thanks for reading my blog today, friends! I'll see you back here tomorrow. Love to all!

Jenn ❤️