Wednesday, July 15, 2026

the Wednesday hodgepodge

 



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


1. "Deep summer is when laziness finds respectability."—Sam Keen


Do you feel less guilty relaxing in July than you do in January? Elaborate. Yes! When January rolls around each year, I am always highly motivated to get things done. I'm ready to use my new calendar that I have hanging in my kitchen, I'm ready to be healthier, I'm ready for all of the things and goals to be accomplished. When July rolls around, I'm in survival mode because of the time of year. I barely cook, I do as little as possible physically outside because of oppressive heat, and I don't really care about things/goals being accomplished.











I'm not complaining, I promise! As much as I may dislike being hot, I love the summer. I don't ever want to be too old to enjoy a summer, you know? 



2. What's a telltale sign you're upset? Without a doubt, I thought of being upset and going silent. I might also start stress cleaning something. The reason I go silent is because my mom always taught me if I couldn't say anything nice, to not say anything at all. 




When I clean, I love a good smelling cleaning product!


3. July 16th is National AI Day. What are your general thoughts/experiences regarding AI? Have you purposely used it? Does it excite you, scare you, or worry you? What do you see as a benefit? How about something relating to AI you see as a negative? I've had a great experience with AI and use it pretty often. I ask Chat GPT for help with things like why my plant keeps wilting, what to do with an area of my yard that won't grow grass, decorating help, and prettying up something I've written for an email. 


If I'm being honest, it excites me, scares me a little, and worries me that as a society, we rely too much on it already. I think it's great for people who use it for work related purposes. I was talking about this with my friend Marcia on Monday; she's a Realtor and uses it all the time to help her stage homes. I think that's great! I use it for good, but it's used for bad way too often. It scares me that it can create images of me being some place I'm not. 


As with the use of a lot of technology, it bothers me that it's making all of society a bit dumber, so to speak. What I mean by that is that we no longer rely on the rules of grammar we all learned; we don't have to know how to spell anymore, either, which is also because of technology. Spelling tests are no longer given in school! I didn't know that until I started working in a school again. For me, I enjoy using the technology we have today; I'm going to use it for good and not think about the flip side of things.




4. You're invited to a summer potluck and asked to bring an appetizer, salad/side, or a dessert. Which category do you go for and what are you bringing? I'm bringing pasta salad or another summer staple salad, like the corn salad I made for Bunco a few weeks ago. I will always choose something savory over something sweet. 





5. It wouldn't be summer without that afore mentioned oppressive heat




It's really hot when I wear shorts. Ha! 


6. Insert your own random thought here. As I write this, I'm listening to Meghan Trainor radio on Spotify. Are you a fan of her music? When I need to be motivated to get up and be productive, I love to turn this on.





I'm loving the clear acrylic drawer organizers from the Dollar Tree! I have six of them this week, along with four more for my bathroom drawers. I'm on a mission to organize and purge! You wouldn't believe the junk and old stuff I've thrown away since Sunday. Do you enjoy organizing your spaces like I do?


Thanks for reading my blog today, friends. I'm excited to read your answers to the prompts. I'll see you back here tomorrow; love to all!


Jen







Tuesday, July 14, 2026

(even more) summer things, Fashion Files, & Tuesday talk



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


Here are some easy summer things that I'm loving at this moment in time: 


  • easy mornings that feel luxurious
  • iced coffee while reading blogs
  • using my living room fan
  • fresh flowers in my home
  • using the most adorable cup that Drew's girlfriend Mallory brought home for me from the beach


  • afternoon drives around town
  • finding beautiful flowers to look at
  • saying yes to lunch with friends
  • staying home in the evenings after a full day
  • pool time while I keep the dogs of my friends and neighbors (this is happening again starting tomorrow and going through Sunday)
  • a full house and kitchen table of my sons, a girlfriend, and the mom of Mallory (her mom is also Jennifer) and her mom's best friend (Tammy)
  • reinstating family dinner night once a week and having most of them show up for the first installment
  • more time with Chris that feels like a special treat
  • sunset watching
  • unwinding after a full week of work






And now for the fashion files portion...






I'm currently in love with chunky gold jewelry; I actually have been for a long time now, but I'm showing you pictures of what I've worn and loved recently. I'm getting into the habit of wearing a ring again...but I'm not wearing that one on my left hand. I like to wear a ring on my right hand, and this one is my favorite; it was my grandmother's wedding band, and I love the simplicity of it and that it's vintage. When I marry again, I want something simple and similar to this. I recently bought these chunky gold bracelet stacks, but had to return them when they turned my arm. 


Do you have any recs that you can send my way? I am big boned, so they need to be stretchy. I hate things that are tight! I also love the bronze colored knock off Buddha bracelets that you see pictured. These are a few years old and were purchased from a local boutique. I also have them in pink! 





I need your help with something: I tried these two dresses on virtually over the weekend; what do you think of them on me? I'd love your honest opinion. I'm looking for a new long dress for a formal wedding I have coming up in August; I am looking at this dress in one of these color options above, and I'm also looking at another dress in a magenta color, which is my favorite. Help me out please, and send me your advice! 


For the last part of today's post, here are a few things I did this weekend:














  • enjoyed an Amy-inspired progressive dinner at a new to me sushi place, then Salad Station after
  • watched the sunset from my favorite park in Memphis with my guy
  • drove around to look at and dream of homes that I'd love to live in when I sell in a few years
  • admired the little free libraries I kept seeing and dreamed of having one of my own
  • set up the new Bible I bought for myself to replace the one Rocket ate



It's a good thing he's cute.

  • added tabs to my new Bible
  • wrapped Chris' birthday gifts
  • spoiled him on his birthday that was Sunday the 12th
  • attended church at Living Hope for the third Sunday
  • went to my favorite bookstore in Memphis, Novel
  • bought a couple of book related things
  • admired the motorcycle that Chris built for the upcoming race we're going to for him to enter into in St. Louis at the end of the month
  • enjoyed a new flavor of a soft serve margarita (mango and strawberry)
  • made breakfast on Saturday (scrambled eggs and air fried pork chops)
  • enjoyed seeing all of my sons on the same day for the first time in a while

What are your thoughts about all of these things I mentioned today? I'd love to hear from you. Thanks for reading my blog today, friends; I'll see you back here tomorrow. Love to all!


Jen 🖤

p.s. I wrote a bonus blog post yesterday! Here's a link if you want to check it out.





Monday, July 13, 2026

everyday images

 


Happy bonus blog post day! If you're here reading this, I also shared a blog post earlier this morning called Share Our Lives, in case you want to check that one out after this one. For now, I'm linking up with Kym for this edition of everyday images. 


Our topics this time are at home, who I'm spending time with, what I'm working on, where I'm going, when I'm taking a break, why I'm happy today, and signs.


at home





who I'm spending time with




what I'm working on





(Bible study and eating healthier again...)


where I'm going






(I'm going on a road trip with Chris the last weekend in July! We're going to St. Louis for a race he's entering into; in case I haven't mentioned it before or in a long time, he builds and races motorcycles. The one pictured above is the one he'll be racing that weekend; we're camping for this! He has a small camper that we'll be taking, and I cannot wait.)


when I'm taking a break



why I'm happy today



signs





Thanks for reading my blog today, friends! This is my second post today, so if you have some time, I'd love for you to check out the one below this one. 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. "Deep summer is...