Friday Favorites! 10.9.2026.

 

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! 

Their trip isn't mine to share, but getting pictures like this of Dew and Mallory on vacation in Gatlinburg, Tennessee this week have been my favorite! I love that Mallory has been texting me and her mom all week long. This makes my mama heart incredibly happy!

Writing Scripture is still my favorite thing to do every morning. I run out of time while I'm at home, so I end up doing this with the free morning time I have at work before I have to report to my arrival duty each day. 

Seeing this neighbor go all out in my neighborhood is my favorite! They add to it daily during the month of October, which is so funny to me. It's not long that they leave it all out before they pull it down again and start on the Christmas, which isn't nearly as much. 

Seeing this sweet bestie for dinner on Wednesday was a favorite for me! We go way back...to the year I started homeschooling Jonah and Noah in their fourth grade year. I'll never forget meeting her the first time; I sat down at her table with her as my small group leader for Bible study, and it was an instant heart connection. We've never looked back since! 

This day of my daily Sing devotional was my favorite; the hymn was Be Still, My Soul and they had Joni Erickson Tada on there as a guest speaker/singer. I love her so much! 

Y'all. Season 4 of Ted Lasso has been the best ever; I have cried in every single episode, and by this moment in the show that I watched this week, I was bawling my eyes out. I've wondered about this and why it has such an effect on me; I think it's because of how Ted responds to the people in his life. He's such a kind soul (yes, I know he's just a character in a show)! There was an episode where his assistant coach was going through something, and rather than try to talk it out with her, he just went next to her and sat down. He breathed alongside her, taking deep breaths until her breathing matched his. I have this in my own life, so I think it just resonates within me. Also, can I please find a man that's just like him? I'm kidding. Kind of. 

I'm going to wrap up this week of favorites with that one, but I'll be back all weekend, so come back and visit! Thanks for reading today, friends. Love to all!

Jen 

weekly happies

 

Happy Thursday, friends! I'm here to talk about my usual list of weekly happies from the days leading up to today. I hope you enjoy!

I'm really loving the beautiful mornings we've been having. There is that crispness to the air that feels so good each morning when I walk outside. I love my walk into my school building, as well! I feel like it wakes me up really well before starting the day.

My work people make me so happy. I had a hard day Monday, and I was in the library with my student and the two women that are in there all the time when I broke down crying. My friend Bronwyn came out from behind the desk and just immediately hugged me. I so appreciated it in that moment, and once again was reminded me how fortunate I am to be able to have the job that I have. 

Nights at home this week have filled my tank and have brought immense joy. I was out with my friend last night, I'm out tonight, and tomorrow night I'll be at home packing before flying out to Denver on Saturday. Well...I think I'll be home, but that's also likely to change if a better option comes up. Ha! 

Sweet hugs have made me happy this week. I love getting hugs from students all day long! It's the very best part of my job, and I need all that I can get right now. I'm so hug deprived! 

The fact that medicine works and is something I have here at home to take when I'm under the weather has made me happy this week, because it works on my behalf to help me feel better. The weather change is making my sinuses go a little crazy at the moment; this started Sunday overnight and has continued through till now. I'm grateful it's just a sinus thing, though! I know it is, because the medicine works.

Halloween decorations have made me happy this week, both at home, in my neighborhood, and at school. 

Finally meeting my (not so new) neighbor Josh made me happy this week; I thought he was a jerk, but it turns out he's a great guy. He forgot my name no less than four times when we talked on Tuesday after work, but it's okay. I suck at names, too. 

I'll wrap it up with that one! Thanks for reading, friends. See you back here tomorrow! Love to all.

Jen

currently hodgepodging

 

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

First up I'm talking about what I'm currently falling for, scaring (me), working on, loving, and entertaining (me). 

I'm currently falling for all things autumn! I'm thoroughly loving the cooler mornings and evenings, the opportunity to wear different clothes, and all the fall and Halloween decorations. It's such a fun time of year!

All of these things make my little heart incredibly happy. 

Something that is currently scaring me...

...is how well Chat GPT knows me. I was bored one night and kept having a conversation with her just to see how good at conversation she was. I was surprised; she's clever! Anonymous, please don't come at me over this. I know it's AI and not a woman, but I'm calling her a she. 

Something I'm currently working on...

Something I'm currently loving...

...my nail polish, Lincoln Park After Midnight and patio weather! 

Something that is currently entertaining me is writing so much! I'm thankful for this. I've loved using it more as an outlet lately; I can see that the 31 days are going to challenge me, though. I'm not scared of that! 

Switching gears now to the hodgepodge...

1. Let's embrace it, shall we? What's something you recently forgot to do? Is your memory these days more like a sieve or an elephant? I recently forgot to post the Share 4 Somethings post on a Saturday! I've been doing this for years now, but I just totally didn't even think about it for that day. I think that in this current phase of life today, my memory is like a sieve, but because of trauma and grief. 

2. Share a trick/strategy you have to help you remember things you need to remember. Post-It Notes! They're my best friend. I'm also always setting an alarm on my phone with a label to it to help me remember something. These things help me keep my stuff together, at least somewhat.

3. What's your favorite fall vegetable to cook with? Do you prefer your fall veggies roasted, blended into a warm soup, or fresh in a crisp autumn salad? I don't eat a lot of squash, so the only one I can think of is a sweet potato, but I eat those all year. I love roasted vegetables, though! I would definitely prefer anything that way. I did see a soup recipe on TikTok that requires roasting, then blending some fall vegetables into a thick, creamy soup.

4. October 5th was national Do Something Nice Day. Did you? If so, tell us about it! Or maybe someone else did something nice for you, and if that's the case, please share. I did a lot of nice things on Monday at work; I work in an elementary school where kids are always needing help with something, so yes. I did a lot of nice things at work on Monday! One specific thing was helping kids in the cafeteria at lunch. I'm always helping them open packets of something. 

5. Nathaniel Hawthorne is credited with the quote, "I cannot endure to waste anything so precious as autumnal sunshine by staying in the house." Do you tend to spend more time outside this time of year? Do you actively pause to soak in fleeting moments of beauty in your daily routine? Elaborate. Ideally, my answer to this would be yes. But after work, I'm often so tired that I don't care about being outside. I do love and agree with this quote, and if the weather is nice and there's a patio, know that I'd much prefer to eat there rather than inside. I do try to pause and soak in the fleeting moments that make up my daily routine. I love the moments I'm at home, and greatly appreciate the beauty in the mundane.

6. Insert your own random thought here. This is my favorite way to start my days. How do you start yours? 

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

Jen 

fashion files

 

Happy Tuesday, friends! I'm linking up with Amy for the weekly Fashion Files. I'll jump right in!

I've had lots of dress down days at work, which has been nice. I've loved wearing things other than dresses since the weather has cooled off again! I've loved wearing leggings with button down shirts, and I even loved putting on a pair of jeans Saturday night. I've pulled out my dark colored sneakers and long sleeved shirts. I need to do some more digging in my closet to find more fall colored things to wear, and I may even need to do a big try on session. 

And I know I mentioned these yesterday, but I really love my nail color, Lincoln Park After Midnight by OPI. What say you? I'm open to outfit ideas and suggestions!

Thanks for reading today, friends. 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. 

Before I start, I'm writing posts everyday this month! Here are the ones I wrote over the weekend, in case you missed out. Here's Saturday's post (things that are making my life more enjoyable), and this is Sunday's (some fall things I'm looking forward to). Now onto the weekend!

These were my Friday night plans. I'm talking more about this particular night next Saturday, so stay tuned! I loved this night; it ended with a house full of people, and Marilyn. It was just what this tired woman needed after a busy week!

I met up with Mom and Trish on Saturday! We had lunch, went to John Mark's, then ended at Ulta. Look at this gorgeous butterfly he made to honor Dolly! I got my nails done after I left them.

I love them! This is Lincoln Park After Midnight by OPI. 

I came home soon after my nail appointment and laid down for a bit before changing clothes and leaving again. I met Mallory, Meredith, and Marilyn at Rotolo's. It was perfect patio weather! This was a fun night. We went to Marilyn's apartment after all of these shenanigans, but I didn't last long. I was tired from a full day!

Sunday morning dawned bright and early for me! My friend Rachel from work invited me to go with her to Tiptonville (a town two hours away) for a fall arts and crafts festival. I said yes, because yesterday would have been my 30th wedding anniversary, and I wanted to be out of my house for the whole day. I was!

This was fun! It was also a little painful, because this was where I went with Chris for a weekend getaway in April of this year. I have a picture of the two of us standing right there by that water that you see pictured. I felt some pain over this, because it still hurts to think about the fun times we had; it was painful, but it was also sweet to think about. 

I'm grateful for a full weekend! What did you do that you loved? I'd love to hear from you! I'll see you back here tomorrow. Love to all!


Jen

some fall things I'm looking forward to

Happy Sunday, friends! I thought I'd talk about a few things that I'm excited for in this wonderful season that I love. I'll jump right in!

• sweaters and hoodies
• conversations around the new fire pit I just bought
• cozy meals shared with my sons and the bonus ones
• traveling
• watching fall themed movies
• decorating my home with things I love
• writing
• continuing on in the school year
• enjoying all the patio weather I can get while the weather is good
• hanging out more with my co-workers

Is there anything in particular you're looking forward to this fall? I'd love to hear about it, if so! Thanks for reading here today, friends. Love to all. 

Jen