Share 4 Somethings, January 2026

 

Happy Saturday and bonus blog post day, friends! I'm so glad you're here with me today for this month's Share 4 Somethings. I've created a graphic that you're welcome to use, but if you don't want to, it's not a big deal. One thing I will ask is that you visit a new blog each month! Consider leaving a comment on the blog before you; I've gained new readers in doing this, and I have found some of my favorite blogs on the internet. Also, who doesn't love blog comments?! Here are the prompts that will stay the same each month in 2026; on the last Saturday of the month, we will meet here to talk about something we loved, something that sustained us, something we're carrying forward from this month to the next, and something we're making space for.

I'll jump in on that note! 

Something I loved this month: I loved being back at work after winter break. I was sick a lot over break, so it kept me home more than I'm used to. Of course then I went back to work and the second week back, I was diagnosed with flu A. I recovered from that, then the sky dumped tons of ice in my area. 

These are my friends and coworkers that I eat lunch with everyday; we call ourselves The Lunch Bunch. Talking about them is making me miss them as I write this! I haven't seen them since a week ago yesterday. The icy roads kept us out of school all week.

I loved that one of my friends pictured above made us each coloring books to bring home with us in case we got bored! This was my contribution; my son Jonah's dog Stella made the book and Lindsay created this AI generated image of her in an igloo. The students loved this coloring book and were all begging for one by the end of the week!

I loved this thoughtful gift from Graham! It took it forever to come in, so he brought it over the day it arrived. I love this so much and I feel super fancy using it on my books. It says, "From the library of ___", and then it has my name. It came with gold stickers that I can use with it, and then the stamp will be on the gold sticker. 

I love that Chris got a puppy this month; he got her for his dad, but then his dad changed his mind about wanting a dog. I named her Reese, because she looks like a Reese's peanut butter cup. We call her Reesey. She's really smart and such a sweet baby girl. She's growing like a weed! She'll be a big girl.

I loved that Chris decided to make my church his church; he loves my Pastor and comes with me every Sunday. He asked me how I felt about this, and of course I didn't mind. He lives in a very small town, so the churches near him aren't quite what he was looking for after moving to the area back in the fall.

The first week he came that I sang on the praise team is one that I'll always remember. We got into his truck afterward and were driving to lunch, and he was excitedly telling me how proud of me he was as he saw me singing on stage. I remember laughing when he said this, because of how excited he was about this and the way he was saying it, but what sticks out to me is what he said to me and knowing that he meant it from the bottom of his heart. Somehow I've managed to meet and keep this wonderfully sweet, kind, gentle, and beautiful man. I call him beautiful because of his heart, but I find him extremely attractive. 

Something that sustained me this month: My friends definitely sustained me this month. I've been home a lot because of the sicknesses I mentioned, so being out with them on different nights has been life giving. I've done girls nights out and dinner, and I've had Bunco. It's all been amazing. 

I'm so grateful for my friends and my people! I literally couldn't go through life without them. I was praying Thursday and thanking the Lord for the many people that He has given me in life: my parents, siblings, other family members, my amazing sons (and many bonus kids), and my friends. James 1:17 says that every good and perfect gift comes down from the Father of lights with Whom there is no variation or even the slightest hint of change. His good gifts to me are in the form of people. He has been so good to me, friends; He is good because He is God! His goodness is never based on circumstantial things in life, but is actually a characteristic of Him.

I haven't asked this in a while, but do you know Him? If you ever want to talk more about this, please email me at allboys@gmail.com. I would love to talk to you more about Him, and if you need a Bible, I'll send you one. Please reach out; we are never guaranteed tomorrow.

Something I'm carrying forward from January into February: I'm carrying forward time and the gift that it is. I've been guilty of taking my time for granted; once I started working full time again, it became more valuable to me. This just means that I'm very particular about how I spend my weekends. It's one of the only times during the week that I can get a lot of things done at home that I don't have the energy for during the week; it's one of the only times that I get to spend quality time with Mom and my sister Trish, and it's one of the only times that I can spend quality time with Chris. I try to divide these things into segments of time that is fair to everyone I mentioned. It's not always easy, and sometimes I'm terrible at it, but I try my best. 

This month has given me a lot of time at home, and I'm grateful for this. I want to carry this forward into February and use the time I have wisely. I love my job and I'm so thankful to have one that I love so much and that I feel like I'm making a difference in the lives of little people. I didn't plan to go back to work full time in my late 40's, but I also didn't plan to be divorced either. Life gives you lemons sometimes; it's what you do with the lemons that matters. Even though I didn't ask for either of these situations, I'm grateful that I get to live a life that I genuinely love.

These are just a few reasons why I'm grateful for my job and why I shared what I did about carrying forward the gift of time from this month into next. 

Something I'm making space for this month: I'm making space for free time this month. I'll do the same next month! Most of you know how much I love to read and how I haven't been able to focus on a book, movie, or tv show since my ex-husband left in July of 2024. I have tried and tried to keep reading, but to no avail. And then January 2026 happened, and guess who finished four books this month? I'm the girl! Because of this, I'm going to continue to make space for free time each month, because when I have free time, I am able to read. I'm glad I never gave up on trying to keep reading; I've been a bookworm for 44 years and I always will be. 

 

Speaking of books, and these two that I'll be reading next, keep reading and go to the bookish blog post under this one that I published late Friday night.

Thank you for being here to link up with me today! Don't forget to look for a new blog to comment on today after you share yours in the link party below. I'll see you back here on Monday for my weekend recap/Hello Monday blog post. Love to all!

Jenn 🩷

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Friday Favorites, 1.30.2026

 

Happy Friday, friends! How has your week been? Mine has been great, terrible, short, long, freezing, warmer, and icy. That's a lot of opposites, right? I've actually enjoyed being at home; I've been able to stay caught up on the chores that I only ever have time to do on Saturdays. I've also enjoyed writing blog posts this week! Speaking of that, check in tomorrow morning; I'll have a bookish blog post that will post late tomorrow night, and the Share 4 Somethings post will publish at twelve a.m. Saturday morning. I hope you link up with me! Stay tuned for details on that at the end of this post. As far as favorites go, I have lots from the week...

These are my favorite gummy bears of all time! These came from Target, but you can buy them at the Dollar Tree as well. 

I bought these adorable measuring cups from Target yesterday; hearts are my favorite! 

Their Valentine's day themed clothing is adorable...this may or may not have been Marilyn's favorite.

Speaking of Mare...this picture of her with this mug is my new favorite!

And this one is too! This was us at Tony's Trophy Room Wednesday night; please note the "please do not bring any food or beverages in" sign, and then notice that she had both in her hands. 🤣

This picture of me is terrible, but laughing is our favorite!

We were posing with this picture I have of Amy on my phone; we're both sad that we won't be seeing her anytime soon. 

Dinner out with the girls Wednesday night was a favorite for all of us! It was our first time out since Friday night before the ice came. 

Seeing Chris at the same time Wednesday night was also a favorite! He picked Marilyn and me up after work and drove us to dinner; after we left, he drove Marilyn home and then he brought me home.

Being at home and in cozy clothes all week was my favorite!

And so was this day when Jonah's friend Olivia stopped by the house. I love this girl so much! She's one of my (many) bonus kids who considers me another mom. 

Chris came over after work Tuesday and cooked dinner for me and Jonah! A man who cooks is my favorite; bonus points if the food is complicated and delicious. Both of those cases are true.

Card games have been a favorite this week!

Riding a four wheeler for the first time in 35 years was also a favorite this week! I was glad that Chris was able to come over after work a few times. He helped cure my boredom, and it's nice that he gets off early everyday. 

Last, but not least...

Busting out of the house midday with Marilyn yesterday was my favorite. We walked around Target for two hours. I kid you not. It was amazing, and this was me being thrilled at the thought of being out among civilization again.

What was a favorite of yours this week? I'd love to hear from you! Thanks for reading my blog today, friends. I'll see you back here tomorrow...I'll have a bookish blog post that will be published late tonight, and tomorrow is Share 4 Somethings, with the details below. Love to all.

Jenn 🖤

P.S. Don't forget that it's almost time for Share 4 Somethings! Each month on the last Saturday of the month, we will meet back here to talk about something we loved, something that sustained us, something we're carrying forward, and something we're making space for. I hope you make plans now to join me Saturday!

a bookish blog post

 

Happy Friday, friends! I'm going to start sharing bookish blog posts again in 2026. I don't know how long I'll keep up with reading books like I did this month, but I'm going to keep trying and am determined to start reading again regularly. I hope you enjoy this post and are inspired to read! 

I am so proud and happy to say that I read four books in January!

Have you ever read a book by Fiona Ferris? If your answer is no, you should consider adding a book of hers to your TBR (to be read) list. I love every book she's ever written, and I've read a lot of them! No matter what the title of the book is, I always walk away feeling inspired. I love reading books that inspire me! 

I heard about this book on Instagram; I follow Case Kenny and loved the thought of this book. It was okay, honestly, but you should definitely follow him on IG (I included a link there to his IG profile)! His account is one of my favorites. This book was full of relationship advice, and while I loved some of the quotes, I didn't love the writing. I realize that sounds harsh, but I need chapters to be short, not thirty six pages. I'm being facetious when I write that, but each chapter was too long. I can't recommend this one because I didn't love his writing, but I do suggest that you follow him on IG.

I loved the quotes pictured above from his book.

I loved this book titled Awake by Jen Hatmaker. I haven't read anything by Jen for years; truth be told, I stopped buying her stuff, because she kind of went off the deep end. She was considered a Bible teacher and some of her books were considered Bible studies, but I disagreed with both. I believe and hope that deep in her heart, she loves Jesus, even if her view point on how He works might be a little twisted/warped and despite the fact that she cussed a lot in this book. (The same has been true of me the last year and a half; I love Jesus, but I cuss a lot sometimes depending on circumstances I'm walking through. I don't mean to be like that, but it comes out. And guess what? Jesus knows my heart and how much I love Him.) 

Back to the book: I love Jen as a person, though, and this book is one I could have written myself. It was raw, vulnerable, and brutally honest as she openly shared about her unwanted divorce. Her husband was a pastor in their church, not that this fact excuses him from bad behavior. It was a shocking scandal at the time when she went through this; I remember hearing about it in real time as the truth about him came out. I am sad to say that I had what I now know is a typical reaction of hearing that a couple divorces: I wondered what she might have done to push him away. I haven't ever thought about that until I started writing this. I think many people think like that, wondering what the wife did to push the husband away, as if it's always all only the woman's fault. I think this thinking comes from old fashioned beliefs in the church, and what I was taught since I was a young girl. 

This is a terrible way to think, though. I know this now, because I've walked through my own divorce. I know that people probably thought that about me when my ex left me for another woman, one who is younger than me. I might not have heard them say those words, but I felt them. I could see it in their eyes. I felt shame a lot when I first started walking the path of divorce, but now I feel no shame whatsoever. I was never a perfect wife, but I was a really good one and I gave him my very best. Was it enough? No. Was him leaving me for another woman my fault? Hell no. (Sorry for that word, but I'm feeling strongly about this at the moment.) We both made mistakes in our marriage, but I was faithful to him for almost twenty-eight years. He cannot say that.  

This book unleashed something in me, maybe because almost every word she wrote resonated so deeply within me. It was a heartbreaking read, honestly, but I realize that it was like free therapy for her to write this out. I've considered doing this same thing; I don't know that I'll ever write a book about it, but it's one of the reasons I write here on my blog everyday. It's free therapy. I have been open about my divorce and my feelings, because I want to be real and vulnerable here. My life is nowhere near perfect; I have my good days and I have my bad days.

The book had three parts: the end, the middle, and then the beginning of when she started her life all over again. I loved that the chapters were short and that she included poetry. I love that she drew me into her story with the first sentence of the book. I started reading this on a trip last year, but I didn't pick it up back up after I returned home. Once I picked it back up this month, I couldn't put it back down.This one might be my favorite book of 2026...it'll be a hard one to top, because of how powerfully deep her words were. It felt like validation.

I loved these "chapters" and their titles. 

I finally finished The Let Theory by Mel Robbins. This is another book whose author I love; her Instagram and podcast is one of the best, in my humble opinion. I didn't need a whole book about this theory, though. I felt like a lot of it could have been said quickly, and in shorter chapters. I would recommend following her on IG (click that link) and maybe listening to her podcast; I don't feel like I can recommend this book based on how I felt about it droning on and on.

What did you read this month that you loved? I have learned that I am in a nonfiction phase of reading for the moment. Do you have any recs that you can send my way? I'd appreciate it, friends! Thanks for reading my blog today...come back tomorrow morning for the January 2026 edition of Share 4 Somethings. I'll see you then, and if not then, I'll see you Monday morning. Love to all!

Jenn 🖤