weekending and a link-up

Happy Monday, friends! I'm linking up with Tanya from The Other Side of the Road for this weekly link-up. 

I thoroughly enjoyed every second of the holidays, but once the new year has come, I am so ready for a routine and structure again. That being said, I am ready for a new week! Here are some of my top favorite moments from this weekend.

I love having a freshly cleaned house, when the laundry has been finished and everything is put back to where it belongs. This was when I'd put away the Christmas this weekend and cleaned the countertops. I also repurposed some things, because I can't ever quite remember where I put everything when I decorate for Christmas and also because I usually can't remember how I had things. This forced me to make a trip to Hobby Lobby on Saturday for a new picture for the counter. 

I have plans for this space soon, but I don't want to even mention them now because I am not great at following through. I'll save myself the embarassment for now, but stay tuned! 

Because of where the little mini Google Nest is, I can't center the picture, which is starting to bother me so I may have to find a new home for the speaker in the time being. That'll be another day, though.

I am loving this new yearly Bible for me to read through in 2021. I started this on New Year's day and can't recommend it enough. 

Speaking of New Year's day, I started this book and finished it and one other over the weekend. I started reading my third book (of 2021) on Sunday by my favorite author and look forward to reading it over the next day or two. I may start blogging about books I read each month soon, so again—stayed tuned! 

Penguin Random House sent me this delightful book to read/go through and review on my blog, so consider this that review now. I love this little book already! Each week has one passage to think on and then there's a journaling space to write out your thoughts from the verses. At the very end of the book are pages with each month written at the top and all of the days listed out for you to write out one thing a day that you're thankful for. It's a relatively new company that puts out gifts called Ink & Willow Gifts. You can purchase their products on Amazon for a very reasonable price. (This is when I most miss Lifeway Christian bookstore.) 

I do love a cleaned off mantel after the busy holiday decor. We've been enjoying our fireplace the past few days and on Sunday afternoon, Todd went to load down the back of Drew's truck with firewood that he purchased for $20. (The wood was in stump form, but they came home and chopped it into firewood.) As I write this, he has a fire blazing and it's so nice! I love the look, smell and sounds that come from a fire in the fireplace. 

On Sunday afternoon, I made a big pot full of vegetable beef stew, a first for me, because I'm not normally a fan of it—but it sounded good yesterday, so that's what we had for dinner along with that yummy cornbread you see. I included the recipe in case anyone is in need of some dinner inspiration for the week. (Once I tasted how good it was, I thought I'd better write down what I used to have as a basic guide for the next time, but you can do your own thing and customize it to your own liking.) I also was inspired by my niece in Parker, Colorado to share the recipe after she asked me for it once she saw the Snapchat I sent to her. (Are you impressed that I Snapchat? You should be, I don't understand it very much and my sons have to show me where things are or walk me through how to unfollow someone. 🤣)

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

Jen.