Monthly Musings (August, 2026)

 

It's a bonus blog post day! I forgot about this one and wanted to participate in it, because I love the theme. 

1. Are you good at managing the weekly laundry at your house, or do you need help? Share tips if you're good at this. Well, I only do my laundry, and I only have to do it once a week. This is vastly different from when I had four kids running around underfoot. My biggest tip in those days was to complete one full load of laundry everyday; by doing that, I was able to stay on top of it all.

2. Best tips for containing the kitchen dishes and chaos? I clean as I go! I put things up fairly quickly, and rarely go to bed with a messy kitchen. I save the dishwasher for all the smaller things and wash the larger things by hand. 

3. What grocery items do you always have on hand to make a quick meal? Feel free to share the recipe. I almost always have some sort of meat and side on hand to make a quick meal. Often times, Jonah will grill and I'll do the sides. I like to keep the ingredients on hand for soups that I love in the fall.

4. Best tips for saving money on groceries? I shop online! I definitely spend more money in the store than I do when I order online. Most of you know that I joined Walmart + when I started working full time again; it's worth the $100 a year it costs to have them delivered.

5. Cleaning service...DIY or is house cleaning overrated? I have always done this myself, but I have friends who outsource for this. I had my house deep cleaned the weekend that Chris died; Trish is a pro at this and she got busy to help me since so many people kept coming over. 

6. Favorite cleaning products? Mrs. Meyer's all purpose cleaner is my favorite! I love buying their seasonal scents. I can't wait until the fall ones come out again! I also keep on hand glass cleaner (not the Windex brand, but a foam spray), 409, Pledge, Comet, and plenty of dusters. I also use old towels to clean with; I don't buy paper towels.

7. Do you use "green" products in your house? Since mine have been around forever, I'll say no, maybe with the exception of the Mrs. Meyer's.

8. Do you schedule certain tasks for certain days of the week? I really don't; but I need to house vacuumed every other day. We take turns. Cleaning happens on the weekends nowadays, though, whereas I used to do this every Monday and Friday.

9. What is the most overwhelming part of your week that you need help with right now? I need help with the vacuuming. They're not my dogs, so it shouldn't be my problem, but somehow it always ends up being me who does the majority of the vacuuming. I'm rolling my eyes. The dog hair is ridiculous.

10. What part of your week do you think you excel at? I excel at keeping things picked up; my house always appears to be clean, even if it's not. 

These were fun! Here's the link party where you can join in if you want. See you back here tomorrow! 

Jen

weekly happies

 

Happy Thursday, friends! I love this blog post day; I base it on what I do at work each day. I keep a running list of good things from my week at work and pull it out everyday while I'm there to add things to the list. It's good for us to be thankful in all circumstances, because it shifts our perspective from self to God (if you're a believer). It also helps me to see the good in most everything, and it's become part of who I am. Do you do this? This is my PSA to encourage you to try this for yourself! I'll jump right in.

I'm still receiving meals from my friends, y'all. This has been life giving! We have had some amazing dinners, and it's been wonderful to not have to think about that part of my life. I'll be in for a huge reality check when I have to start cooking again and figuring out my own food! 

It's been nice to have after work plans this week. It's made the week feel more normal than last; even on the nights when I'm receiving meals, I'll just eat it the next night or for lunch at work. I am grateful for this! Too many nights at home doesn't feel great, so this has given me things to look forward to each night. This week is busier, but that's okay. I've still been home early enough to able to go upstairs super early and shower, then read in bed. 

It's been so good to be able to get up and get dressed each day. Some mornings are harder than others to get out of bed, but even so, I am grateful to have a reason to get up and get going. Work is fun and I love being social. I love all the inside jokes I have with friends nearby, thanks to something a student said or did. These are all things that make the days fulfilling.

I'm so grateful to be in a fourth grade classroom; my job is a lot easier this year, and the Lord knew I wouldn't have the mental capacity to pull out a grammar or math lesson for students this year. I love that I'm a supporter of just one student. I help her (probably way more than I should) with every little thing, and it's made us be very close. I love this, and our sweet relationship; I also love that we tell each other we love each other everyday before she goes home. Her mom had a meeting at the school yesterday, and my friends in the meeting told me how much she sang my praises. This makes my heart so happy, but also, they've been a tremendous blessing to me the last few weeks. I am so glad that I get to be with this precious little girl each day! God knew I would need that this year. 

Life has felt very normal this week; I am back to all of my normal routines. I'm writing in my journal a lot at work when I have downtime, and I have started keeping lists of things that bring me joy each week both at work and in my normal life at home. I've had students ask me what I was writing, and it's always fun to share how life changing it is to keep a list of things that I'm thankful for or small moments that have made me smile. 

I'm so grateful that I stopped by a friend's house on my way home from dinner last night. She and I had been having a big misunderstanding of sorts, and it had been months since I'd seen her. I was driving home and went right by her apartment; I cold called her and she answered! I stopped by and I stayed an hour or so. It was good to hug her, catch up, and make plans to get together soon. I've missed her! 

Lastly, I'm so grateful that my friend at work introduced me to a new devotional put out by The Worship Initiative with Shane & Shane. You can go online to sign up and enter your phone number; each morning, you'll be texted a devotional. 

It looks like this. The reason I love it so much is because it's based on singing; there's always a passage to read and that they talk about, then they put it with a song and you sing along. It's been so good this week! I need this in my life. 

What's something you would consider a happy from the week? I'd love to hear! Thanks for reading today, friends. 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. How do you feel about the transition from lazy summer days to a busier fall routine? Well, given my current life, I am so thankful to have a busier routine right now. I love the summer and having time off, but I also thoroughly enjoy my job. It feels fulfilling right now, which is what I need. My fall routine isn't that busy, though. I anticipate doing things with co-workers and going to some Friday Night Lights (when I'm able to go and not sweat half to death). 

I can't wait to reunite with my sisters in a few weeks! 

2. Your favorite cookie? Can you beat a homemade chocolate chip cookie? I think not.

The ones from Chick Fil A are my favorite.

3. What's something you've learned from a culture different from your own? While in Iceland, I learned that people don't have last names; they're known as so and so's daughter or son. For instance, our friend Gudny had a son, and the last name of that young man was Gudnyson. I found that interesting! I also learned that people don't tell people happy birthday there; they congratulate the mom instead. 

4. Food critic, film critic, book critic, art critic...which hat would you like to wear? Tell us why. I would definitely choose the food critic hat! I'm such a foodies and thoroughly enjoy good food. I love figuring out new things that I love and experiencing different types of cuisines. It would be a bonus if I could write about it as well! 

5. What's a small, random thing from your childhood that you still remember clearly? The feeling of a new school year with new supplies and the smell of the stuff they put on the floor when a kid vomits are two things that are ingrained into my head from now until the end of time.

6. Insert your own random thought here. Remember when my life changed drastically and I couldn't focus on reading? Well now I can't focus on TV, so I'm reading. Or I'm watching Grey's Anatomy all over again. Isn't trauma weird? Well, so is grief, for that matter. Also, while I didn't cry on Monday, I cried a few times yesterday. It's so humbling. 

Thanks for reading my blog today, friends. I'll see you back here tomorrow. 

Jen 

p.s. I mentioned it yesterday as well, but this Saturday it's time for Share 4 Somethings once again! I hope you make plans to join!

fashion files

 

Happy Tuesday, friends! I'm linking up with Amy for the weekly Fashion Files. I started documenting what I wore to work again last week so that I would have something to share here today. I'm trying to get back into my everyday, normal habits. 

First up, please note the picture at the top of this post! Did you know that OPI has come out with a new line of old polishes? It's called Every Month is Oktoberfest, and it's a collection of favorites from the vault of colors they have that are older. It's hard to believe that one particular color (Oktoberfest) first came out in 2012. It's been a favorite of mine just about ever since! Other fall favorites are Black Cherry Chutney, My Private Jet, Russian Navy, Less is Norse, and Vampsterdam. 

Onto my outfits from last week...

It was so hot here last week! I wore the gauze dresses all week long, except for Thursday, when rain was predicted. I didn't want my legs to get wet if it rained during my afternoon dismissal, so I wore leggings, a button down, and sneakers; I sweat half to death in this all day long! I will still be living in dresses until the air is breathable once again. I wore a denim dress to church on Sunday, but I didn't take a picture since I was running late to church. 

What have you worn lately? I'm not doing any shopping anytime soon, but I'm excited to start wearing clothes that are more fall like soon. I remember not really getting to do much of that until October of last year, because September is still pretty warm here for us. This is when I think it'd be nice to live in a different part of the country. Ha! I forgot to mention this in yesterday's post, but it's time for the August edition of Share 4 Somethings this week! I hope you make plans now to join us for this fun post.

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

Jen 

hello Monday

 

Happy Monday, friends! How was your weekend? I'm linking up with Holly and Sarah to talk about mine. 

Once again, I don't have a lot of pictures. I don't know when this will start back up, but I'll share what I can when I finally start taking some again. On Friday after work, I followed through with a hard decision I made about the dog Chris and I accidentally got back in January. Reese was the dog we got for his dad, but then Joe changed his mind about her. When I reached out to him last week, I begged him to take one of Chris' dogs, and he took me up on that. So on Friday, I sobbed the whole way home from work (and throughout the whole day I cried), packed her up, loved on her some more, and then drove her to meet Joe and his girlfriend. It wasn't the easiest thing in the world to do, but I was immediately relieved following this. I had wanted to keep her, but I am just not in a place in life where I want my own dog. I don't know that I ever will again, honestly, but I love other people's dogs! I'm so grateful Joe took her, and think they'll make the very best of companions. 

Immediately following me dropping Reese with Joe and Marta, I met Marilyn for dinner; I'd asked to go out for Mexican and a margarita, since I knew I'd be staying home Saturday night. It was a good decision, since both were delicious! I was super emotional after having dropped Reese off with Chris' dad, so I was so glad to be with a friend. I was okay by the time she got there; after dinner we went back to her house. I stayed until close to nine, then I needed to leave to go let my friend's dog out for her; I dog sat for my friend Heather this weekend. 

I woke up around six thirty on Saturday; I immediately fed dogs, then left to take care of Annie. I came home and enjoyed some coffee, and was entertained by Stella. I had a few phone calls as I sat drinking coffee and having a tv show playing in the background for noise. 

I did a few things around my house, then I went swimming for the day. It was supposed to have been just for a couple hours, but it turned into a whole day when Drew texted me bout coming over with Mallory. I loved this! Jonah and Noah ended up coming as well, and my heart was happy. 

They followed me home, and it was so nice! We ate leftovers for dinner and just sat around talking as it thunder stormed outside until close to nine. I was so tired from all the sun that day, but it was a good kind of tired. 

I went to my new church yesterday! I walked in alone; Jonah had a little accident on his four wheeler this weekend and didn't feel well enough to come with me. I totally understood that and was just fine walking in on my own. That kind of thing has never bothered me. After church, I went to Kroger and got a few things for my lunches, then I came home and piddled around the house. I also took a little nap on my bed, which was decadent. I cleaned, I vacuumed, then I finished laundry. I ate dinner and watched Grey's Anatomy while I worked on my blog for the week, then I got the exciting news that we have a two hour delay tomorrow due to storm damage from Saturday night. I'm thankful that I didn't have any damage, but plenty of people did. 

I was entertained by the dogs for the rest of the night. It was a great Sunday, and honestly the whole weekend felt that way. It was a good blend of being out and being at home with my sons and then alone. I am not sure how my day will feel; I was emotional on Friday, and I feel like I'll be the same way today. Chris' dogs are going to a rescue today, and my friends are taking them for me. I know it's something I have to do, but it doesn't hurt any less. Please pray for them, that they will adjust and be adopted by loving people. And please pray for me to have the strength to say goodbye this morning. This is the final little piece of him that I'm letting go of physically. I'll continue to carry him in my heart, of course, but there's finality with today. 

Thank you! I made myself cry writing that. I'll see you back here tomorrow. Love to all.

Jen 🖤

Friday Favorites, 8.21.2026.

 

Happy Friday, friends. It's been a week! I hope yours has been a good one; mine has for the most part. I feel like I survived a milestone, and I did. I'm proud of myself! I have a few things that are my favorites from the week that I thought I'd share today; this is me trying to resume a sense of normalcy for this space that doesn't feel fake or forced. Today's post feels natural. 

Reading has been my favorite lifesaver this week! I started this on Tuesday; it's so good. I read it in bed each night, which is a gap in time that I'm looking to fill. It's when I would talk to Chris each night, and I cannot scroll on my phone. This is my favorite author of all time; anything she writes is gold for me.

All of these grief accounts are popping up on my socials; this was a favorite that I came across this week.

This is my new favorite devotional that I do each morning; my friend at work introduced me to it on Tuesday. You listen to Scripture, and then you sing the song that accompanies it. It's put out by one of my favorite groups, Shane & Shane. 

I have never felt so seen in all of my life; our resource officer at school remembered that the blue packets are my favorite to flavor my water with, and he brought this bag he'd been saving for me this week. I could have hugged him right then and there! 

Mornings have been my favorite this week; this is how I've been spending them.

This little emotional support plant has been my favorite this week; it's been a good reminder for me. 

These paintings by my favorite local kiddos were something I loved finding last Friday night when I went to lay down for bed. Abbey's kids painted these for me; this passage is my favorite in Scripture. 

The 100+ degree temps this week have not been my favorite. I'm so ready for fall! 

Lastly, my friend Sandy at church sent me this graphic; it's my favorite! This is a heart with patches added from grief or hurt; with each piece, it becomes more and more of a work of art. 

What was a favorite for you this week? I'd love to hear from you! Thanks for reading my blog today, and thank you for all the kind comments this week. Love to all! 

Jen 

little bits of joy

 

Happy Thursday, friends. I just looked at the bottom of this graphic that still has my old blog name; I need to update some of those on Canva soon! I may work on that this weekend. I have had some little bits and pieces of joy this week that I want to share today...I've had enough of myself being gloomy. (It's not going away fully, but I don't want every post to be that way.) Anyway, here are some things that made me smile this week. 

Being back at work and receiving a ton of sweet hugs on Monday started patching up my broken heart. It was so good to see my friends and co-workers, and to see the smiles of the kids I've grown to love so much. The littles in my class were so happy to see me back; I'm excited to get to know them more in the coming days. 

My friend Karen at work just makes me so happy. Her transparency and genuineness are something to behold. I'll never forget walking out of the ICU the night that Chris died and seeing her sitting there; she took one look at my face and burst into tears the minute she saw me. I think we bonded forever in those moments. Just texting her and knowing she's there are a big reason why I love work so much, even if I don't see her as often as I did last school year. I have a fifteen minute window of time each afternoon that I just go and sit in her room as I transition from when my little student goes home and my dismissal assignment. 

Monday night made me smile because I was so tired after work, in the best of ways. I was sitting with my legs up on my couch working on a blog post for this week, when I heard the front door open. My best friend Missy walked right in and just sat down. She said she "needed to lay eyes on me" after my first day back at work. I love her for this! She doesn't call or text, she just shows up. I love that my sons communicate with her the way they do, too. This is the gift that friendship is, and I am so very grateful for my people. 

I briefly saw Abbey's sweet kiddos this week as well, on the same night as Missy, and that brought a huge smile to my face. They wanted to come in so badly, but they'd been sick and it was slowly moving its way through their family. I remember those days! 

I've had two separate instances in which friends that aren't that close needed to stop by to hug me and to bring me something. I loved this; one of them is a friend I used to pray with when my sons were younger. We were two of the people who started up a local chapter of a prayer group for moms with kids in public schools. We would meet in homes for an hour each Monday, pray, then write letters to the staff members whose names we lifted up. It was a really sweet time in my life, and we hope to go to lunch sometime soon. The other couple who stopped by is from my old church; they brought me fresh baked chocolate chip cookies on Monday night. They are so good, and it was the sweetest gesture. 

Laughing in the fourth grade has been wonderful this week. The teacher that I'm with is hilarious and sarcastic, and all of her quips fall short on young ears, but I'm just always back there laughing. I love her! 

Speaking of fourth grade, we have a field trip coming up that I can't wait to go on! I've not been on a field trip since my kids were young. We're going to the high school in town to see the play, How to Train Your Dragon. After that we'll have a picnic lunch at the school if the weather permits; if not, we'll eat in our classrooms that day. 

Meeting some new friends of my sons this week was something that brought a smile to my face. One of them was a girl! ;) 

I haven't been able to watch tv a lot, so I've spent a lot of time reading and listening to music. I finished a book this week, my one and only of the summer, and started another one that is moving faster for me. It's a favorite author of mine that I love, and it just makes me so happy to read it and get lost in the story. I've also been reading and using some resources that I've been given over the past couple of years; I love it when a book has a part for the morning and evening. These things help me to feel close to the Lord. 

Lastly, it makes me smile that I have a plan in place for church this week; I'm going back to the church that I had started with Chris. I told Jonah this last night when he asked me if I was going, and he said he wanted to go with me. Ummm, okay! That hasn't happened in a very long time, and nothing makes me happier. 

What's something good from your week? I'd love to hear! Thanks for reading today, friends. Love to all!

Jen