Friday Favorites, 7.10.2026.

 

Happy Friday, friends! I hope all of you had a great week; I want to hear about it at the end of this post, so stay tuned. Here are some favorite things and moments from this week...

Doing Bible study used to be a favorite thing to do for me, but it's been about three years since I've done one. I stopped participating in them at church when I started running the bookstore, and then in the last year, I've been busy adapting to working full time again. I came across this one that I purchased a while back on Sunday as I cleaned out a cabinet, and I started it this week! Ruth Chou Simons is one of my favorite authors/artists!

Tuesday was my favorite day, and so was doing this! I'm determined to finish this book today.

I found this blog notebook that I used to use; I haven't picked it up in a couple of years. I found it this week as well in that same cabinet, and I decided to start using it again to help inspire me with ideas for new posts. Do you use a system like this? I love doing this, and I turn the pages down after a month to help me find the current month more easily. Blogging and keeping up with the posts in this notebook has been a favorite for several years, and I'm excited to start using it once again!

Rocket's hair isn't my favorite, but he is! He's the sweetest, most gentle dog who has some major separation anxiety. He ate my Bible, some books, and a sign recently, but look how handsome he is. It's a good thing I love him! 

Once again, drawing at work was my favorite this week. My little M and I read a book on Monday titled Bonjour Butterfly (a Fancy Nancy book), and it inspired us to draw butterflies (I drew them and we colored). I also made this little girl holding balloons for her...she said it reminded her of herself. ❤️

It's my favorite thing to repurpose things in my home; I brought this hanging basket down from my room this week and added the bright flowers before hanging it on the door. I love it so much! I also love this little corner of my kitchen with this piece of furniture. 

I snuck this picture in church last week to capture that quote on the screen; going to church here on Sundays has been a favorite! It's so different from anything I've attended in the last thirty years, which is why I love it so much. I love the pastor; his name is Gib, and he's close to my age. I love how small it is, I love the music, the preaching, how they put everything on the screen, and I keep running into people I know who go there! Last week was one teacher, but since then I've come across two more friends from work who attend there as well. I love this! 

(Please note the inside cover of this book and what it says about someday being made up of right nows; it goes along with the Emily Dickinson quote that I loved...it might be a kiss from the King! That's always a favorite thing for me.)

These were my favorite graphics from Instagram this week. Do you follow me there? Here's a link if you don't and would like to; I love to share uplifting things there. 

He's my favorite. 

She's my favorite, too! I adore this child; we tell each other we love each other everyday when she leaves now, because it's true for us both. 

This pizza was delicious; it's called The Popeye, and it's from my favorite local spot, Lost Pizza. Like I said, this was good, but my favorite night of dinner was Monday night when Chris smoked chicken for me, Jonah, and Noah. It was delicious! We served it with corn and macaroni and cheese.

Do you like to take notes if you're listening to a sermon or podcast? I do; it's one of my favorite things to do, actually. I didn't have a notebook or pen on Sunday at church, so I used the notes app on my phone. When I had some free time at work on Monday, I wrote everything down on notebook paper. I actually wrote it out twice; a co-worker friend saw this and I ended up giving her the first copy. I love to write, both here on this blog, and the actual art of handwriting. I've been like this since I was a young girl. 

What about you...what was a favorite moment or thing from your week? I'd love to hear from you! I hope you enjoy your weekend, friends. Thanks for taking the time to read my blog today; I'll see you back here on Monday. Love to all!

Jen 🩷

weekly happies

 

Happy Thursday, friends! I'm talking about my weekly happies again today, because I need more intentional gratitude in my life. I'll jump right in!

• I am so grateful for this life that I get to live; I love what this graphic said in a quote by Emily Dickinson. It's true! Forever is composed of right nows. 

I loved this one, as well and agree; life should be lived and enjoyed. I have to remind myself of this all the time: someday I will look back on today and miss the time I was living in. My floor won't always be covered in dog hair; I won't always have Jonah and Noah at home with me. But for now, instead of focusing on how dirty things are, I should be grateful for today and embrace this current moment/phase in life. 

• I know I always say this and will risk sounding like a broken record, but I am so grateful for how my life has turned out. I say it so often because everyday I wake up thanking God for today, a day in my life that I get to live and love.

• I am grateful that I get to go to a job that I love everyday.

• I am grateful for my people! Chris, my sons, my parents, my siblings, and all of their kiddos, and my friends...these are my people. 

• I am grateful to live in a home that I love. I won't be here forever, and I'm okay with that, but I'm grateful that I was able to stay here after my life changed. By staying here, I had time to get my bearings, so to speak and to allow time for my head to stop spinning. I still love my home today, but it's because I've made it mine. I have memories here, lots of old ones that are good. I will be ready to move on from this home to another smaller one in the next couple of years, though. I would love a smaller one story home for my next one.

• I am grateful for my friends at work; without them, work wouldn't be nearly as entertaining. You should see our text thread!

• I'm grateful for this being a short week for me; Tuesday was a day I spent at home, and it was glorious. I don't say that lightly because it seems like I don't get them all that often anymore.

• I'm grateful for the outlets I have to relieve stress or to stop my mind from working too much; I write here and I draw/doodle a lot at work when I don't have anything else going on. 

• I'm grateful for the years that I got to do exactly what this picture above says. I love having sons the age they all are and I'm excited to think about their futures and what that might look like as they marry and have kids, if that's what the Lord has planned for them. I talk about this a lot with Chris, believe it or not. 

Other happies from this week include: 

• sunshine
• having something to look forward to at night
• phone conversations catching up with friends that I love
• having a clean house
• being able to stay caught up on things at home
• grocery delivery from Walmart+
• happy music
• being off on a random Tuesday
• conversations with each of my sons

What about you? What are some happies that you've had throughout your week? I'd love to hear about them! Thanks for reading my blog today, friends; I'll see you back here tomorrow. Love to all!

Jen ❤️

the Wednesday hodgepodge

 

Happy Wednesday, friends! I'm linking up with Joyce for today's hodgepodge post. I'll jump right in! 

1. What's something you enjoy now that your younger self never would have appreciated? The first thing that came to mind was a memory from being a young girl; every time I went anywhere with my dad for fun, the first thing he had to do was eat. As an adult now, I can appreciate that so much more than ever before, and I understand now why he had to do that. If I don't eat first before spending an afternoon doing something, I will get tired and end up being grumpy. 

2. What was peaceful about today? I starting writing this blog post on Sunday afternoon; as I write, it's 2:49 p.m., and the house is quiet. Jonah's and Noah's dogs aren't here yet; their dad kept them all for the weekend since I was gone and because they were way out at a friend's house all of Saturday. I have the fan on, and I'm listening to my favorite playlist on Spotify. It's cool inside, my home is clean, and I can hear the clothes drying in the background. All of these things make for a very peaceful afternoon! 

I'd just gotten back home on this day from dog sitting at my friend's house all weekend in a neighboring town about thirty minutes down the road. I was so thankful to be at home in this moment to unpack, start laundry, and clean. I don't know if I've shared this portion of my kitchen with the piece of furniture I added last year. I cleaned off this cabinet and decluttered it while doing that; I love how it turned out! I also repurposed that wall basket you see hanging on my door; I had the greenery, but I added the flowers and moved it from my bedroom to this door in the kitchen that leads to the garage. Also, isn't my "love you, bye" sign adorable? This sign reminds me of Marilyn; we say this to each other nearly everyday of our lives. 

3. It's National Blueberry Day (July 8th). Will you celebrate? You can have one of the following right now—a slice of blueberry pie, a warm blueberry muffin, or a stack of blueberry pancakes—which do you choose? Without a question or a doubt, I would choose a warm blueberry muffin. That being said, as much as I love those, I won't be celebrating that holiday this week. 

4. Do you need a break? From what? I do! I need a break from elementary school aged children. I also always need a break from dogs who shed horribly! 🤣

5. What has surprised you most about getting older? I never thought I would get to a point where I just ache a lot. My knees are always aching, or my back is; I don't know if it's from standing a lot at my job or the shoes I'm wearing or the floors I'm walking on, but on any given day, something somewhere on my body is aching. I just automatically take two ibuprofen when I wake up in the mornings. I also never thought sleeping on the wrong type of pillow would hurt my neck, or that I would ever love my bed as much as I do right now. 

All of this made me chuckle, but please don't read this as me complaining. Growing old with aches is a privilege and honor that many are not afforded. I will gladly take all of these little things, because it means that the Lord has given me life at this day and time. I will keep living life and doing things I love, no matter my age or the aches I may (or may not) have. 

I thought of Dad as I wrote this; this was taken in March of 2009 while he was in Israel; he was 76 when he went on this once on a lifetime trip. I want to be just like him when I "grow up"! 

6. Insert your own thought here. This is a song that I came across last week that I love. I made playlist for songs for me and Chris, and I added this one immediately. It's really sweet! I love Blake Shelton and Gwen Stefani...I think she is so good for him, and I love how he adores her.

I can't wait to read your answers to these prompts later today! Thanks for reading my blog today, friends. I'll see you back here tomorrow; love to all!

Jen 🩷