quiet time ideas and resources

 

Happy Sunday! Since it's the Lord's day, I thought I'd spend time talking about a few things I use and do for my quiet time. I'll jump right in! 

I have to rewind a bit first...for years I have read the Bible for my quiet time, even reading it from cover to cover. And then life happened, and something began to happen to my attention span. I've read that trauma does this to your brain, and I've had a series of traumatic events happen, as you know. I've tried and tried to get back to reading consistently, or at least listening consistently, but it just hasn't happened yet. So, my quiet time started to change. I've gone from not having it to using devotionals to just spending a few minutes praying. I'm glad that the Lord doesn't have a set of requirements for me to spend time with Him, He just wants my heart. 

Then I remembered my love for writing out Scripture, so I started doing that just this month. I've got a full binder of pages that I've written out and I am so happy to be doing this again. By this time I've been going long enough that it's become a habit again. So that's what I do each morning when I first get to work, because my mornings at home fly by and also because I usually leave my journal at work accidentally, so...

Here are a few ideas you can use, if this is something you struggle with.

Get a Bible you enjoy reading! I recommend a familiar translation with room to underline or make notes. A few well-loved passages can be a wonderful place to begin! I personally love the Christian Standard Bible translation (CSB); the last time I checked, it was the most accurate translation of the ancient passages (originally written in Hebrew and Greek) that's also the most readable. 

Here's what mine often looks like; my Bible is the She Reads Truth Bible, and is my third or fourth copy. I like to change it out every few years.

You need a plan to have quiet time whether it's a Bible reading plan, a devotional, or some Scripture to write out. I always love reading in the book of Psalm, but another great place is the Gospels (Matthew, Mark, Luke, or John).

I love the short, Scripture centered readings that my beloved devotionals offer. A favorite is New Morning Mercies by Paul David Tripp.

You need a journal and a pen. I love to write out prayers, lists, questions, or verses in mine as I read.

I think it's good to keep a list of things to pray for in your journal.

Play some worship music or instrumental hymns as you spend time with God each day! I use Spotify for this and you can just type it into the search bar.

A quiet spot is key. For me, it's my kitchen table so that I can spread out. I usually do this while nobody is awake yet, and I love to light a candle during this time. It just makes it more cozy. My favorite time of year and place to do this is at Christmas time in my living room with just one or two dim lights turned on and the lights of the tree shining. 

These are things that help me settle in for priority time with the Lord, but I'm also learning that I don't need a perfect setting or even an uninterrupted hour. I can open my Bible, bring to the Lord what's on my heart, and begin right where I am. If you're a believer, how do you spend time with God? I always love to hear other people's versions of this. Of course not all of my days go like this, and sometimes days in a row pass without me doing this at all! On those days I just pray, and that's all I have to give because life can be hard, friends. 

Thanks for reading today, friends. Love to all.

Jen 

things I'm making room for

 

Happy Saturday, friends! Today I'm thinking about the things I want to make room for in my life and how easily the days are filling up before I've even given them thought. Some things get space because they're necessary (the laundry, the errands, the responsibilities waiting on me)...but there are other things I miss if I don't leave a little room for them. Here's what I've come up with so far...

• early wake ups so I don't have to rush
• time to spend at home so I can focus on my home 
• enough sleep to get me through the work days
• time with friends
• time to read
• time to write
• time spent outside, especially as the sun makes it first and last appearances
• conversations that run long
• laughter around the table and dinner spent with whoever is here at that moment
• ordinary moments I'm glad I said yes to
• honest prayer as I still sort through things in my brain and on my heart
• time with my sweet little family, whether it's in person or a phone call

As I wrote this post, I realize yet again that a lot of what I want is already here: books waiting to be read, people to spend time with, a journal with empty pages...making room may begin with paying attention to that and giving these things a little more of my day. 

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

Jen 

Friday Favorites, 10.23.2026,

 

Happy Friday, friends! I hope your week was good; mine went by really fast. I have some favorites from the week that I thought I'd share today! 

This night of dinner was my favorite! It was shepherd's pie and cornbread. YUM!!

A pretty sunset walk will always be a favorite for me.

It was my favorite that my little student gave me a present on Monday; I gave her a few presents as well! It's always special for me when she writes her own name and draws me something, and I love that she wanted us to be twins with our bag tags, which are all the rage in elementary schools. Lol. My sister Debi had just given me the blue whale, and Mandy brought me the Disney bubble tea to match the one she picked for herself. I love that she wanted to be twins with me and that we call each other Bestie. 

Speaking of M, we love to color together! I bought her a coloring book about a month ago, and bought this one for myself. It's my favorite!

  

Every once in a while I get a hankering to wear my favorite dark lipstick; Tuesday was that day! I loved my outfit on this day: brown leggings, this new denim shirt/jacket, burgundy sneakers, brown Mac brand lipstick. I had several compliments on all of it as I stood greeting students that morning from both the young people and the older people in the building! 

For reference, here's the whole outfit. 

Spending nights like this have been a favorite this week! I've been tired at night. 

This was a favorite from the week! They wanted to buy pumpkins and carve them. They're so cute together!

Wednesday night at Rotolo's was my favorite! There was a big group of us, and we had the best time. 

What about you? What was a favorite for you this week? I'd love to hear from you! I'll see you back here tomorrow, friends. Thanks for reading my blog today! Love to all.

Jen

good things from the week

 

Happy Thursday, friends! I thought I'd talk about some good things from my week. I'll jump right in!

It's been great being back at work, even if the early wake ups have been a little difficult. I'm also having issues with falling asleep too late, but I'm making it through the days.

I was so glad when my friend and chiropractor fit me in for an appointment after work yesterday! My back needed some attention. 

I was so glad to see my little student at school! I love her so much and sincerely missed her. I love that we brought each other presents back from our trips. 

The weather has been amazing! I'm loving the cooler mornings and evenings.

I loved hearing my sons and a friend laugh at the kitchen table one night this week while they carved pumpkins.

It was so nice coming home to a vacuumed home Tuesday! I noticed immediately and thanked Noah.

I enjoyed having a day that was different on Wednesday; my little student was out that day, so I hung out/hid in my friend Karen's room for the day to help her. I'm probably not supposed to do that technically, but I was told from the beginning to not go looking for more work, because it will be found for you! My days are mentally draining, so this was a great little respite from that. I miss Karen! I see her everyday, but I genuinely miss being with her so much. I will always treasure those memories from last year! 

I missed my little fourth grade friends! They crack me up; I also missed my friend and the teacher whose room I'm in. I love her sense of humor and teaching style! She's so young and vibrant; she is the age of my sons. I love young people so much! She's got her whole life stretched out in front of her. 

I loved meeting up with friends after work on Wednesday! It was the perfect patio night. 

I love that it's Thursday and that I have a date after work. I love that I don't have to figure out food for tonight again because of this! He asked me to go with him to a barber to get his beard trimmed up; he's not from here, so he needed some help with this. We'll eat dinner after that.

What are some good things from your week? I'd love to hear them! Thanks for reading here 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. This week's hodgepodge lands on Back to the Future Day...October 21, 2015 waw the date the movie characters Marty, Doc, and Jennifer traveled to in the future in the 1989 film Back to the Future Part 2. Did you see the movie? Tell us something you were doing in the fall of 2015. I did see the movie, but I don't remember much from it, honestly. Those weren't my favorite movies, but I did always love Michael J. Fox! 

When I typed in the year 2015 into my Google photo search bar, this is the picture that popped up. I was enjoying a bonfire with these friends at another friend's house, the mom of my friend Laurie here in the red coat. This was taken at her mom Barbee's house; you've heard me talk about Barbee. I was in the throes of raising teenage boys in the fall of 2015; they would have been 15, 14, and 11. I was a youth leader for teenage girls and attending all the bonfires and pumpkin patch excursions. Graham had his first girlfriend the next year, but he'd had his eye on her for a while. Drew was "dating" this friend Laurie's daughter Emma, and Jonah and Noah were loving being at their ages in middle school and hanging out with friends. Those were the days! 

I'm still friends with these people, fyi. Kim on the left is who rode with me a little over a year ago when I had to take something to my ex-husband...I needed someone with me and she jumped into helping me when I reached out to her. Young Lindsey is still someone I see, too and I just ran into her in Old Navy on Saturday! And then Laurie has been around for ages, though we don't ever hangout. I love these women! 

2. Which b-e-r month is your favorite? Explain why. I would say October is my favorite month ending in b-e-r. It's the month when the weather finally catches up to the calendar; it's fall break month, and the leaves just ever so slightly start to change from green to the brilliant colors we see each year. Leaves begin to fall off the oak trees in my neighborhood, and the air carries with it a sense of change. 

3. Red, yellow, orange, bronze...your favorite fall color to wear? To eat? To see in nature? Of these, my favorite color to wear would be a taupe/bronze color. I have two tops that are this color, and I love them both. To eat? I'll say yellow, because I love squash at this time of year. I think I most love to see red trees in nature. 

4. What do you miss about being 20? I'm not sure I miss being twenty; I knew nothing then, and now I know so many things. I have gained wisdom, discernment, and how to be a better judge of character. I've learned how to say no to things that don't bring me joy. I've learned how to guard what is mine: my peace, my time, and the people I keep close. On a lighter note, does anyone remember what it feels like to not be so achy?! I miss that, for sure! 

5. We're roughly three quarters of the way through the year. What's one goal, habit, or mindset you want to purposely carry into the final weeks of the year? Elaborate. I want to keep writing in my journal. I want to read more. I want to spend time reflecting on what this year has meant to be and hope for all that is to come in 2027. 

I am hopeful, and these verses are some of my favorites right now that I've been leaning on the last couple of months.

6. Insert your own random thought here. I need to make a festive nighttime trip to the square sometime soon. All of this will be gone soon, and replaced with Christmas!

 

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

Jen 

fashion files & more random thoughts..

 

Happy Tuesday, friends! I'm talking about more things I'm saying yes to this week. I'm also linking up with Amy for the weekly Fashion Files and Joanne for Tuesday Talk. I'll jump right in!

I didn't take any outfit pics while I was in Colorado last week! This was the first one I took all week, on Saturday, when I met my mom and Trish for lunch and errands. I have had these jeans forever; I think they're the Westbound brand that I loved from Dillard's that are a few years old. I like how they flare out a little at the bottom! It was cold on this day, so I paired these with a sweatshirt. 

 

And this was my outfit from yesterday. I'm loving the fall like weather! 

I will say that I have recently bought a few things; I needed some more jeans, and I needed some more leggings in different colors. Here's what I bought!

I love these leggings! I love the faux leather strip that runs down the outside of each leg, and I love the colors I picked: wine and this taupe color.

Here are the tried and true jeans that I love so much. All of these things are from Halara! I think it's good to size down one size, because most of their pants grow with wear.

I also recently ordered this cardigan! I love it and I'm contemplating ordering it in more colors. I love it with a fitted tank top and leggings! 

Same leggings and tank top, and the denim shirt/jacket I bought from Old Navy on Saturday! I love it unbuttoned with this tank, but I could also wear it open with a graphic tee that's fitted underneath. 

Lastly, I ordered this sweatshirt from Shein last year, and I thought I was buying it in black; imagine my surprise when it showed up in hunter's orange. Chris loved this shirt, y'all, and it works out well since Wednesday is kindness day and we're all dressing in orange. His favorite color was orange! I hate this color, but it's fun and bright and says, "happy to see your face". The students love it as well, which is what it's all about! 

I ordered a few more tops from Amazon yesterday, but stay tuned for those on next week's post.

And now for today's random thoughts...

It's hard to write blog posts everyday! This may be the first and last time I challenge myself to one post each day of the month. What are your thoughts on this? Have you enjoyed the extra posts, or do you just feel kind of meh about it all? You can be honest.

Anonymous needs to take a hike. I'm so over the rude comments on my blog and on your blogs. I kind of told her off yesterday, when she piped in on me having a date this weekend. I'm not asking for thoughts and opinions on that, and she was quick to chime in. Imagine that! 🤣

Kind of on that thought...I forgot I'd come up with a word of the year for 2026. I don't remember if I ever talked about it here, honestly, because it wasn't something I'd expected to do since it's been ages since I've done that. I still love the thought of it, I just stopped doing it along the way. I'm adding a link to this blog post, because it turns out that I did write about this. I got chills when I read this! Here's the link if you want to check it out. Back to why I'm sharing this again...my word for the year was allow. I need to remember to be choosy about what I actually allow in my life, and rude comments from someone too chicken to hide behind no name and a computer screen is right up at the top! I don't have to allow meanness, unkindness, or anything less than encouraging. I'm all for blocking certain people on my phone as well, and have one blocked at this moment due to belligerence and argumentativeness. I'm sure you can fill in the blanks on this one. 

On a lighter note, I've been watching the OG Different World on Netflix. I remember watching this as a teenager and still love this show with Lisa Monet. 

Y'all. It's 8:34 and I'm exhausted. Monday was a rough re-entry into reality! I wrote this last night as I watched TV. 

What about you? Do you have any random thoughts you need to share? I'd love to hear them! Thanks for reading my blog, friends. Love to all!

xoxo,

Jen

 

hello, Monday

 

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

I spent Thursday putting my life back together at home! This was wonderful; it felt amazing to sleep in my own bed again. I kind of messed around the house all day, and then I had a date that night! I'm not ready to talk about anything here, though, but it was a great date. 

Friday was more of the same...I ended the day with a view of the sunset and then eating at a new barbecue place we have in Memphis. I had a brisket sandwich and baked potato salad that was to die for. 

I met up with Mom and Trish on Saturday; we had lunch and ran a few errands. I bought myself a new denim shirt from Old Navy!

It's super cute and I can't wait to wear it this week.

I ended Saturday by going to Mallory's parents house for dinner and to sit outside. It was great evening, and I took exactly one picture.

And to wrap up the weekend, I met up with Marilyn. We took a pretty sunset walk around a lake, then hung out at her house for a bit. It was nice way to end the weekend and my fall break!

I'm ready for today! I can't wait to see my girl, and I am ready for the week. What'd you do this weekend? I'd love to hear from you! I wrote two posts over the weekend, just keep scrolling after this one and you'll see them. I'll see you back here tomorrow, friends. Thanks for reading my blog! Love to all.

Jen