the Wednesday hodgepodge

 

Happy Wednesday, friends! I'm here with Joyce again today for the weekly hodgepodge...this is a post that I dearly love; thank you, Joyce, for your inspiring and thought provoking questions each and every week! I'll jump right in! 

1. It's a big week in the USA...do you do your own taxes? What's something you felt was "taxing" lately? I do my own taxes, which started last year. Something that always feel taxing is having to deal with difficult people. I'm at the age of not having much of a poker face; this is not always a good thing, friends. There are certain people in my life that I'm talking about here, and I know you're picking up on who I'm talking about...but there are also people/situations at work that are difficult. I detest drama and try to stay as far away from it as possible, no matter the cost. I am a huge fan of protecting my peace. 

2. When it comes to travel, are you a last minute packer or a lay it all out a week in advance type? Do you struggle to pack light? Share a packing tip that has worked for you. I am definitely a last minute packer. I watch the weather the week that I leave, then I'll pack the night before, excluding any last minute add-ons like toiletries and such. I do struggle to pack light, like most other women. I'm getting better with each trip, though! I don't know that it's a packing tip, but I try to take only two pairs of shoes: one to wear and one in the suitcase. On that same side, I'll pack my toiletry bag, pajamas, and my brush. On the other side, I pack the clothes I'll wear when I'm gone. I don't fold things too tightly, but I layer the outfits, and I pack by outfit. 

3. April is National Grilled Cheese month. Hmmm...who knew it got its own month? Do you like a grilled cheese sandwich? What ingredient do you add to take yours to the next level? I was today year's old when I found out this sandwich had its own month. I love grilled cheese sandwiches, even if I rarely eat them. When my dad was alive, many Fridays found us eating a grilled cheese with tomato or tomato/roasted red pepper soup to accompany. They're delicious! I don't really add other ingredients than cheese to mine, but I like go fancy it up by using good cheese, or even a variety of cheeses! Add an avocado to the side as garnish, and that is a scrumptious meal! 

What I wouldn't give for another Friday with Dad! 

4. There's a well known quote that says:

'A ship in the harbor is safe, but that's not what ships are built for.' John A. Shedd

Is constant growth necessary or do you think it's more important to prioritize stability and peace in your life? I think a healthy balance of both of these things is good for us all. I definitely lean toward growing continually...I think that we all need to keep our minds healthy and active by keeping it engaged. Working has been good for me this year! I've learned a lot in the last seven months from the amazing women that I work with. On the flip side of this, I think it's good to be in a state of learning to be content. That can be done by resting and disengaging from work to give our active minds a rest. I think this is also dependent upon the life stage that one is in. This all rings true for me at the moment, though. 

5. Let's wrap this up with a little spring 'this or that'. My answers will be in pink.

daffodils or tulips

lemonade or iced tea

gardening or hiking

ladybugs or butterflies

umbrella or raincoat

floral patterns or polka dots

6. Insert your own random thought here. I'm making changes at home once again! I bought a new rug for my dining room this week and am in love with the way it changed up that space. I also bought curtains for my house, along with rods, and Jonah installed them for me Monday night. 

I don't know if anyone is in the market for such things, but I'm including links for both of these. Here are my curtains, and here is the rug that I bought. I made the decision to do away with the blinds that I had downstairs; I think they dated the rooms. I don't regret getting rid of them! Doing that really opened up the space in here and it gives it a very clean, modern look. Do you have thoughts on these changes? 

I can't wait to read your answers to these prompts! I'll see you back here tomorrow, friends. Love to all!

Jenn 

simply Tuesday

 

Happy Tuesday, friends! I thought I'd talk about a few things that are kind of random here on my blog today. I had this idea when I was looking for a picture on my phone recently and found all these pics I'd taken for my blog, but then never shared. I hope you enjoy this kind of post today! 

I found this on socials last week; I feel like this is such a profound truth. Even though I loved this when I saw it, it instantly made me sad. It's not a great feeling to have been given up on; it's always in the back of my mind, me wondering if it'll happen again. Starting over in life in your late forties is both humbling and terrifying. 

These are a few of my favorite things, except for the one about enjoying a clean home that I didn't clean. I have only experienced that once or twice in my life, but honestly? I enjoy cleaning my own home. I take pride in it, and I love the structure and routine of putting it all back in order and then the task of keeping it tidy. And then there are other days when the same things sit on the kitchen counters for days on end, but life is about balance, right? 

Will my Flair felt tip pens ever not make me happy? The answer is no. 

I ordered these new Reef sandals recently and tested them at work last week. They're wonderful! Here's a link if you'd like to check them out. I wasn't sure about the cream color, but I really like them. I love that all the straps are adjustable and that the bottom is cork. 

I've been on the struggle bus a lot lately with feelings and emotions. I think it's partly because of the impending date of my ex-husband marrying the woman he left me for. Can I be candid for a minute? I don't want him back, but I also kind of hate the thought of him being so "happy" now. I said that word with quotations because even if he thinks he's happier with her, I know that deep down, he isn't. He has a God-sized void in his life that he's trying to fill; she'll be a fix temporarily or permanently, I don't know the time frame, but I know that unless he finds God, he will never be content. She suits him, because she was also married when they began their affair. And then about a week after our divorce was official, they began living together. Something so illicit usually doesn't last; I know all this, but still the struggle is there. These are the thoughts that keep me awake a lot at night, and I've been having vivid dreams involving them lately. That happened a lot at the beginning, too. All that to say, I could use some prayer, if you're the praying type. Thanks for always letting me be so vulnerable here; I really do feel as if this is a safe space. 

Needless to say, a lot of what I've written above is still me mourning what was, even if that was an illusion on my part. I still experience the death of my hopes and dreams in life daily, and this reminder was such a beautiful part of my morning one day recently. 

And just because now we all need to laugh a little after the serious turn this took, these two things above made me laugh so hard when I saw them on IG. 

I love my little town so much. I love that Marilyn lives here now and that I randomly bump into her. I feel fortunate to live in such a pretty place; I love taking walks around the town square, which is what I was doing the day that I took this picture. 

I have thoroughly enjoyed having season tickets to Broadway plays at The Orpheum this year! I've given away two now, and am giving away a third one the week I go out of town with Chris. This one above was my favorite to date! 

Pardon the curse word, but these daily reminders are necessary!

I loved this one, too. I need this reminder constantly! 

Do you have thoughts about any of these things? I'd love to hear from you! I'll see you back here tomorrow, friends. Love to all!

Jenn 

Hello, Monday.

Happy Monday, friends! I hope you had a great weekend! I can't wait to hear from you at the end of today's post. I'm linking up with Holly and Sarah for today's blog post. I'll jump right in!

 

If you remember, last week I told you I wouldn't be here today. But then Thursday happened, and well...just keep reading. 

I started feeling kind of bad on Wednesday afternoon; I didn't really ever feel up to eating dinner, but I did eat a little, just because I knew I needed to. Then Thursday I started the day feeling okay, but by the time I got to school, that was no longer the case. I was really trying to rally and tough it out, but at 12:45, my co-workers unanimously kicked me out of the building and forced me to go home. It seems as if I caught a stomach bug for the second time in four months. I tried so hard to feel better that night, but I just kept feeling worse and worse, so at nine p.m. I called Mare and told her I had to skip the blogger's trip. I was so bummed about this, but at that moment I felt so bad that I didn't even care! And I made the right decision; I would not have been up for a long drive the next day, because the next two days found me pretty lethargic, though I did feel better with each passing day. 

What a bummer, though, right?! I tried not to dwell on it too much, and I was grateful that I had Chris here with me while I was sick. He took really good care of me Thursday after work and kept forcing me to drink a little bit of water. And then I enjoyed the weekend with him once I felt better, so I'm glad for that! Here's what the rest of the weekend looked like...

Little Reese kept me company on Friday while Chris worked; we took lots of naps together that day. I finally got up to shower and move around a little bit, but it was an easy day. That night I was hungry, so we went to our favorite little Asian place and all I wanted was dumplings with soy sauce and steamed white rice. It was so good! 

We came back to my house and settled in for a movie night; Chris ordered pizza for us at some point since we ate kind of earlier in the afternoon. We got Domino's delivery; it was a nice treat to have while we watched the Karate Kid: the Legends movie. 

I didn't sleep at all Friday night, because Jonah had left at 12:30 Friday afternoon to go pack up Noah and bring him home from Dallas. He got there by seven thirty, they packed him up and loaded it all in the trailer in about half an hour, then they grabbed dinner and started the long drive back home! I woke up to them back in the house by six that morning, and never have I been so relieved that they made it back safely. It always makes me nervous when they drive all night like that! 

This is such a happy sight to me! Drew came over Saturday morning and cleaned my AC units for me; he found a broken piece on the big downstairs unit, so he was able to replace it with something he had on his truck while he was here. What a blessing to have a son in the HVAC industry! He was on call this weekend and was nearby, which was why he stopped by. After about two hours, I fixed him up with some iced coffee, then took him to lunch along with Chris. We enjoyed Mexican for lunch, then we parted ways. We stopped by Lowe's to get some bolts so that Chris could make a repair for me, then we came back to my house so that I could finally hug Noah. They'd just woken up and started moving things in when we got here. I started on laundry for Noah, then before long, he was set back up as if he'd never left. 

I shared this picture on socials last night; here's what I said: 

It’s hard to caption a picture like this…the words are few, but my heart is so full I can barely take it. A lot has happened in two years (A LOT), but of all the good things that came from ashes, this is yet another one: my Noah is back at home in the 901! I will never again take for granted having all of my sons in this area, and I’m confident that Jonah hasn’t been this happy since the day he moved in May of 2024. My home is fuller now, we’ve added another dog to the mix (Rocket isn’t pictured here, but Jonah’s two Golden Girls are), and my heart is close to bursting. Life isn’t perfect, but this? This is good. I’m thankful to the Lord for His perfect timing in getting Noah back home.

Truer words have never been spoken. There's a bit more of a backstory regarding his move home, but it's not mine to tell. Just know that I'm thankful to have him here again! For the rest of the day, we just kind of relaxed and watched TV. I took a nap, because I still didn't have a lot of energy; for dinner we went to The Skybox and then to Ulta for me to pick up a few necessities. 

We met for breakfast on Sunday; I missed church since I was supposed to be out of town. After that we came back to my house again and rested before he went back home. I always hate saying goodbye to him when he leaves! We had lots of serious talks this weekend, because he was offered a new job, but we're scared it'll change the dynamics of our relationship since it'll make everything the opposite of how it is right now. I feel like I'm puffy here, because I cried some while we talked. And we're fine, by the way, but it's scary thinking of what could change if he accepts the position. Things are so good with us right now, and I just genuinely love this man and don't want things to change. 

For the rest of the day, I put the house back in order after a busy weekend. I did laundry, cleaned, rested, and watched Mike and Molly. I took my car to get it washed, donated a bag of things to Goodwill, then came home to watch TV and write this blog post. I had planned on being out of town still today, so even though I'm not, I decided to keep my planned day off the same and I took advantage of another day off. This will be my last until school is out for summer break! We have some busy weeks ahead of us for these last six weeks of school. I felt like I needed today off as a mental health day, and I have zero regrets.

All in all, even though the weekend changed so drastically for me, it was a great weekend. I'm glad I was home to help Noah, and I do believe that things happen for a reason. So though I was sad about not going, I easily accepted it and thanked God for His plan that always prevails. What'd you do this weekend that you loved? I'd love to hear from you! Thanks for being here today to read my blog, friends. I'll see you back here tomorrow! Love to all.

Jenn

Thankful Thursday

 

Happy Thursday, friends! It's been a while since I've shared a gratitude list here, so I thought that would be what I'd talk about today. I have started making and keeping these lists with me at school; I use notebook paper and colored pens to keep a running list going while I'm at work and not busy. Here's one I did last week...

I love doing this, and I've been able to share some of the reasoning as to why I do this with the students that I see. I'm always asking them about the good things in their lives, and usually they will share them with me in the course of a day. I'll let this be the first thing I'm thankful for this week!

I'm thankful for the students that I have in my life. I loved having young people to pour into to when my sons were little; my philosophy here at home was the more the merrier. I always welcomed their friends into our home, because I loved them too. It's been amazing to see a few students make amazing progress this week, thanks to simple things like earlier bedtimes and the medication they need to treat severe ADHD and Dyslexia. Insert mind blown emoji here. 

I'm thankful for the hope I have in Jesus. Celebrating His death, burial, and resurrection this weekend is always one of my favorite things. I'm saying that here, but I shared about why that day wasn't great for me for other reasons earlier this week. If you want to check that post out, here's a link. 

I'm thankful for the time I've gotten to spend with Chris this week! I've seen him a lot in anticipation of not seeing him at all this weekend or next. I'm traveling this week, he's traveling next week. Anytime with him is great! I'm always appreciative of how helpful he is when he comes over after work. He'll cook dinner, or clean my kitchen, and he always asks me what he can do to make it easy for me the next day. I love his thoughtfulness! It's still shocking to be with someone like this; I'm not at all used to that characteristic. 

I'm thankful for friends! They're some of my greatest blessings in life, and I can't imagine a life without them. I can't wait to spend the weekend with my blog-turned real life- friends in North Carolina! It'll be Marilyn, Tanya, Joanne, Maria, Joyce (for Saturday), and me this year. This is our third annual blogger's retreat! 

I'm thankful that Noah is moving home very soon. He needs to get out of a bad roommate situation quickly, and Jonah will go to get him moved back this weekend while I'm gone. I cannot wait to get my arms around him! 

I'm thankful for the relationships my sons have with each other. I love the thought of them all being back in the 901 (Memphis area code)! Just a couple of nights ago, Jonah went to a driving range with Graham; they regularly hang out. Drew joins them when he can, and when he's not exhausted from working overtime in the HVAC industry. 

I'm thankful for my amazing family. Not a day goes by when I don't talk to at least two of them. I call Mom on my way to work every morning! I love this about us. And then all through the day, I text my sisters. 

I'm grateful for sunshine! The weather has been beautiful here this week. 

I'm thankful for easy nights at home at the end of a long day. I was so tired last night; I came home and showered, got comfy, then settled in for a quiet night at home watching TV and working on this blog post. I skipped choir rehearsal since I'll be gone this weekend; it was a decision I'm glad I made earlier in the day. At the time that I made decision, I had no idea how much my future self would be glad for that present self.

I'm thankful to have things to look forward to! I don't have to be going anywhere to have something to look forward to; I'm a huge fan of romanticizing my life. This just means that I get excited over everything from trips to the library or a favorite bookstore, to a weekend spent with Marilyn when she moves. Of course I get extra excited when I travel. 

I'm thankful for my home, that I have nobody to answer to, that I get to make all of my own decisions, and that if I don't want to eat dinner, I don't have to eat dinner. This was the case last night; I got home from work and didn't get hungry until almost seven, so I had a couple of small pieces of grilled chicken from earlier this week. 

What are you thankful for this week? I'd love to hear from you! Thanks for reading my blog today, friends. I'll be offline here again until next week...maybe on Tuesday I'll be back. I hope you enjoy the weekend! Love to all.

Jenn 

the Wednesday hodgepodge

 

Happy Wednesday, friends! I'm here with Joyce again today for the weekly hodgepodge...this is a post that I dearly love; thank you, Joyce, for your inspiring and thought provoking questions each and every week! I'll jump right in! 

1. "Egg on your face, putting all your eggs in one basket, a good egg, walk on eggshells, nest egg, or a tough egg to crack"...which egg idiom currently applies to your life right now? Explain. I don't know that any of these resonate with me and my life at the moment, but of the ones listed I've said something about "walking on eggshells" recently. Maybe because that's the life I used to have to live while I was married. 

I loved this quote that I saw on Instagram by Case Kenny! It made me laugh and it's a true statement. Never again will I do certain things! 

2. April 7th is National Beer Day...are you a beer drinker? If so, do you have a favorite? Beer battered fish, beer bread, beer can chicken, beer brats...which one sounds good to you? Have you made any of these? I am not a beer drinker, however, every summer I think it's Busch that releases a beer with apple or peach. Last year when I was swimming with a friend, he offered me a peach one, and I turned him down. I took a drink of his, though, and loved it, so I had one while we floated and talked. I don't count that as "real" beer, though. I love to cook with beer, but I haven't made any of the dishes listed. One thing I love to make for my sons that's a favorite of their is beer cheddar Joe's that I got from Shay Shull. To this day, they love that dish! Of the dishes listed, beer battered fish sounds amazing to me, though I try to not eat fried food. 

I'm so ready for summer! I want to float around and read. 

3. Do you have siblings? What's the best thing about being your sibling? If you don't have siblings, what are the pros and cons about being the only child? I have five siblings, one of whom is in Heaven. I'm the youngest out of Paul, Terri, Lisa, Debi, and Trish. I'm going to rework this question a little and not make it about me. I think the best thing about having siblings is the companionship that they offer later in life. Not only are they my siblings, they're my friends. When my sisters and I are together, I can't think of one time that I have more fun than right then at that moment. I love being with them and feel like they feed my soul. How fortunate am I to have such amazing women in my life that I get to see pretty often? I am talking about my sisters only, because I don't often get to see Paul. He lives in Orlando, and since Dad has died, he doesn't have much reason to travel back here. I get that, but we do talk pretty often.

Aren't they beautiful? This was just a couple of weeks ago, when Mom, Trish, and I flew to Denver to see them and to be there for my niece Erika's baby shower. 

And this was us when we went to Kennebunkport, Maine and Salem, Massachusetts for Fall break last October. I love traveling with them! 

4. How do you feel about floral scents in products? Do you have a favorite? I'm not a fan of floral scents in general; they tend to make me sneezy. I prefer scents like citrus or something that smells like I'm near a beach. If I had to pick a favorite floral scent, I would pick either a tuberose, plumeria, or a gardenia. Those are the smells that you might experience when you land on a Hawaiian island and are given in a lei. 

5. What's one thing in your home that begins with the letter G that you would say is a keeper, something you'll hold onto? Tell us why. One thing in my home that begins with the letter G is glassware; I have these pretty glasses that Mom bought me one year for Valentine's day that came from HomeGoods. They're clear with a cobalt blue rim; I love them and will keep them forever because she picked them out for me! Another thing that comes to mind are the games I have that were either mine as a child or the ones that belonged to my sons. Many an hour was spent around a table in this home playing a game from that collection. 

Here's one of my beloved glasses. 

6. Insert your own random thought here. I had such a great Monday off this week; Marilyn and I went to lunch, then we ran errands together. I had a chiropractor appointment that she rode along with me to, then she had a couple of stops to make before I came back home. I love doing mundane life things together! It's my favorite thing to do with friends/significant other. I miss having days like that, when I can spend my morning time any way I want to, and when I can wake up without an alarm. 

I'm still grateful for a job that I love, though, even when I am exhausted at the end of a day. The hugs and sweet words of affirmation are all worth it at the end of each day, and so is the pride I feel when I see a struggling student excel. I feel like a proud mom! I witnessed this yesterday with a fifth grade student that I spend time with each day; he was struggling with the thought of finishing a test, but he did great on it and ended up leading the class discussion on some of the answers. I was so, so proud of him as I sat and listened to/watched him. I was telling that story to my co-worker Karen when another co-worker Heather texted me to tell me how proud she was, too. She loved that I shared the story with Karen. I'll be sad to see this group of fifth graders leave at the end of the year! 

I'm excited to read your answers to these prompts today! Thanks for being here to read mine. Love to all!

Jenn 

Tuesday Talk -- Inspired Writing

Happy Tuesday, friends! I'm back for some deeper writing on this lovely Tuesday. I hope you enjoy this post today!

"Anyone can show up one time. I'm looking for the person who will show up ten thousand times." - Katie Blackburn.

In talking to Marilyn yesterday, she mentioned a podcast that she wanted me to listen to; I did, and was immediately inspired for this post. The quote above is from an author that they were interviewing; Katie has a book coming out soon, and I immediately went to follow her on Instagram. While listening to the podcast, she said a couple of things that resonated within me. One is the quote that you see above. Another one was, "Divorce was never an option until it was." It stood out to Marilyn as well, since she texted it to me as I listened; I thought it was funny that I had just heard her say it, and I paused to think about it for a minute. 

I promised myself (and YOU) that I wouldn't keep harping about my divorce in 2026, but alas, here I am still talking about it in April. I wish that weren't the case, but honestly, when I write about it, it's like free therapy for me. If you're tired of it all by now, I apologize. I don't want you to feel like you have to keep reading about it, and we can still be friends, I promise. But maybe someone enjoys reading about the things I think about pretty often. I'll start with Sunday of this past weekend. 

I woke up in a way that I always hate: to a text from my ex-husband. Later on when I discussed this with Chris, he suggested that it was no accident that Todd texted me early on Easter Sunday (he even said, "Happy Easter!" at the end of one of them). It was as if he knew that it would almost ruin my day (or at least try to do this), and you know what? I tend to agree. It's funny how that one little thing can set off a whole trajectory of emotions and thoughts. I confess that my heart wasn't "in it" while I was at church that day, and I hate to even write that. Once the worship started, some of that feeling lifted, and I couldn't help but worship as we sang songs that are straight out of Scripture. How can you not when you sing about the hope that only Jesus offers? But still, it wasn't a great way to start off such a celebratory day. I kind of just went through the motions of that day, but the one thing I kept thinking was how grateful I was that Chris was beside me for every part. 

Because even if my life is different than the hopes and dreams I had at one point, what a blessing it is to have such a wonderful man in my life. I keep seeing things on Instagram and TikTok about protecting your peace, and that's what he reminded me of as the day kind of spiraled and I kept finding out things that set off another litany of emotions. Chris was with me late in the day when I was set off again. He immediately wants to comfort me when things like this happen. I always get kind of embarrassed that I cry so easily in front of him, but I know that's a ridiculous way to think. He came around the kitchen counter (where I was leaning over), and just wrapped his arms around me. He started talking in this really low, calm voice, and it was again in that moment that I realized how much he protects my peace. He reminds me of who I am, and what I managed to get away from. And he's right. 

That's just one of the ways that Chris shows up for me, like Katie talked about on that podcast. He offers a steady and consistent presence every time we're together. He lets me be one hundred percent myself, and for the first time in my life, I feel like this is the most authentic version of me that I've ever been. I'm not stifled or made to feel like my opinion doesn't matter. I don't have to "answer" to him, either; Chris fully expects that I will live my life with him in it or without him. He accepts that I have my quirks; I'm in a great mood a lot of the time, but I also tend to get into what I call a "funk". He loves me through all of the thoughts and emotions, and I do the same for him. He comes with his baggage as well, but I feel like we're so evenly matched there. We are both needy and need constant reassurance and physical touch. We often take each others hands and pull them over onto us; my favorite thing is riding in the car that he's driving with his hand on my leg. 

He protects my peace in the way he listens to me—not to respond or to fix anything, but to understand and hear. There's a softness in him that I've never experienced before, and he invites my heart to unfold without fear of being "too much". Let me tell you: in a world that pulls in every direction, that kind of listening feels like shelter from rain. Peace looks like the way he stands beside me, not in front of me or behind me—just right there. It's the comfort in knowing that I don't have to walk on eggshells with him or explain why a long day often leaves me quiet. He knows, and he honors that space. He honored that space as I took a glass of wine outside Sunday evening and called my sister; I think he would have liked for me to talk to him, but he respects that Lisa is the one person on earth who can talk me off the cliff. 

There's a sweetness in the small things that we share—the easy laughter, the way he notices when I'm off, or when my shoulders seem to sag a little under the weight of life at the end of a long day or week. He can turn a simple moment, like watching a sunset or eating leftovers on the couch, into something that feels like home. And maybe that's the heart of it all: when someone protects your peace, you start to feel at home in yourself again. You feel safe. Seen. Held by something strong yet gentle at the same time. Things aren't perfect in my life or in the relationship I share with Chris, but that's okay, because nothing real ever is. But it's good. It's steady. It's soul good. The kind of good that makes me breathe a little deeper and trust that, yes, I am worthy of calm, of care, of someone who chooses to bring peace instead of chaos. 

People around me notice this now, the way he is with me. My mom, who never comments on relationship stuff, said something to me about this on Sunday when Chris left the table at lunch. She acknowledged how good this man is to me; it's evident in the way his eyes crinkle in a smile when he looks at me, in the way that we are always connected by touch, in the inside jokes we share, the way that we can be together and be content in the quiet, the way that he is quick to respond when he notices that I need something. Being with someone like him is a gift that I don't take lightly. It reminds me that love doesn't just change your days; it changes your pace. It teaches that peace isn't something I have to chase when I'm with someone who protects it like it matters.

Because to him, it does. 

I just had to acknowledge all of this here today, because life felt heavy on Sunday. I need this constant reminder as I walk about my days. Thanks for being here to read today, friends. Thanks for always listening as I pour out my heart through writing. Your encouragement and support are everything to me. Love to all. 

Jenn