Friday Favorites, 4.3.2026

 

Happy Good Friday, friends! I'll never forget my son Noah asking me why this day was considered "good" when he was little, when it was the day that Jesus was crucified a few thousand years ago. I remember kind of being flabbergasted by his question; all I knew to say was that it was good for us now, because Jesus didn't stay dead. And this would still be my answer today! I'm so thankful for Jesus; He offers the free gift of salvation that is ours for the taking when we believe in Him. He offers hope to a lost and dying world; He extends His love, grace, and mercy to us everyday that we're alive. While I was praying one day this week, I told Him that I couldn't imagine a life without Him by my side. I certainly don't get this Christian walk perfectly right, but each day I spend time with Him and He sanctifies me along the way. And like a worship song that I love says, all my life He has been faithful. 

I love this little blog world and all the fun, frivolous things we talk about, but I would be remiss if I didn't say one thing today: if you don't know Jesus in this way and are interested in learning more, please reach out to me. My email address is allboys@gmail.com; I would love to talk to you more about this! If you need a recommendation on where to begin reading in the Bible, I can help you with that, too. I can share what I do to remain close to the Lord and we can stay in touch if you ever want to talk. 

I'm always grateful to be able to talk about this here, and for the weekend and what it represents. 

On a much, much lighter note, here are some favorites from the week.

Marilyn is and forever will be a favorite part of my week. I was so glad we had an afternoon and night to catch up this week! 

These two sunsets and a sunrise were a favorite from the week. The sky has been spectacular lately! 

New nails will always be a favorite! This is a fun color that matches my toes. 

This was a favorite sight Wednesday night! We had an extended choir rehearsal this week, due to it being Good Friday and Easter Sunday. I love seeing a full orchestra pit and choir loft! 

Getting dressed is my favorite! I had an outfit change on Tuesday, because...

...my friend and co-worker Lindsey invited me to the University of Memphis softball game after work! It was so much fun, and the weather was perfect. 

My new watchband is my favorite! Here's a link in case anyone is interested. 

Doodling at work is always a favorite! I wrote out a list of good things that Chris was quick to point out he wasn't a part of. Ha! Of course he's one of the best things in my life right now. 

Last, but not least...

It's Drew's birthday! He's 26 years young today. I love this handsome fella so much and cannot wait to celebrate him this weekend! 

What was a favorite from your week? I'd love to hear from you! Thanks for reading my blog today, friends. I'll see you back here on Monday, but until then, enjoy your weekend! Love to all. 

Jenn 

April goals

 

Happy Thursday, friends! I can't remember if I ever shared or talked about goals for the winter or spring, but I love the thought of doing a monthly goals list. I do this kind of thing at work all the time when I don't have much going on; I usually just use notebook paper or my journal that I keep with me in my backpack. Do you do this? Anyway, here are some things I'd love to do in April. 

• rearrange my bedroom and clear out from under the bed
• look for new nightstands
• buy and hang curtains in my living room, dining room, and bedroom
• update my wardrobe for the warmer months
• add some sandals to my closet
• explore new places 
• watch more sunsets
• enjoy a picnic on a cooler evening
• do a DIY project at home one evening
• journal more
• work on/finalize some summer plans
• go to a farmer's market on a Saturday with Chris
• work on the closet in what will be Noah's room

I could probably add more, but I need to be realistic. Do you have thoughts on any of these? Do you make monthly goals? I'd love to hear from you! Thanks for reading my blog today, friends. 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. March has rolled right out of here! Sum up the month in ten words or less. 

March was full of Chris...

...family moments...

...Colorado and Spring Break...

...Marilyn...

...and spectacular sunsets. I feel so fortunate to be able to say all of this!

2. Are you afraid of heights? When was the last time you found yourself dealing with a height, and did it make you nervous? I am afraid of heights. The last time I dealt with this was when I flew to Colorado; yes, I consider flying facing my fear of heights. I get nervous every time the plane leaves the  ground and I always sigh with relief and a "thank you, Lord" every time I land. 

3. What's a word you struggle to spell on a regular basis, and sometimes need to double check before writing it down? Use that word in a sentence telling us about your April calendar. I always struggle with remembering how to spell Caesar (I JUST did it!), and every time I go to write/spell the word, I have to click on the squiggly line underneath it to spell it correctly. 

Caesar reminds me of salad, and in April, I plan on going back to Salad Station with Mare. It's been ages since we've been there! We were just talking about this Sunday night when we were together. 

 

Just looking at this older picture makes my mouth water.

4. Love 'em or hate 'em, with Easter comes the sweet treats known as Peeps. So...do you love 'em or hate 'em? Speaking of Peeps, what's your favorite way to have chicken? I hate Peeps. Peeps makes me think of my friend and co-worker Tara whose last name has to do with Peeps; that's the name of her classroom. She has huge Peep props all over her classroom, and it's adorable. 

My favorite way to have chicken is a dish that I love that my stepdad makes really well: chicken piccata. It's delicious with it's lemon juice/zest and capers. I love a briny flavor! Bill...I know you're reading this, so please make this soon and invite me over. 

5. This week's Hodgepodge lands on the first of April, which happens to be National Poetry Month. Do you like poetry? Share a favorite line or two from one of your favorite poems. What makes this one a favorite? I like this modern day poet that I found on Instagram a while back, because of Sophie Hudson. His name is David Gate, and while I don't agree with everything he writes and stands for, this one spoke volumes to me.

I love this because it's a great reminder to be kind at all times. Kindness is everything to me. 

6. Insert your own random thought here. I'm tired! I had a long day; I went to work, then I came home to change, and left again to go out with a friend from work who invited me to go do something. It was a fun night! I came home and took a shower and wrote this post, then went to bed.

Thanks for reading my blog today, friends! I can't wait to read your answers to these prompts. Love to all!

Jenn 

Currently, April (one day early) 2026

 

Happy Tuesday, friends! This is coming at you a little later in the morning, but I have plans after work today, so I thought I'd share this now since my time will be cut short tonight after my plans. Stay tuned to find out what those are! Thanks to Amy for hosting us for Currently each month. I'll jump right in!

planting/hatching

I'm not a gardener, but I wish I was! I kill things like succulents and ferns, both of which are known for being hardy. For years I wasn't the one who did such things here at my house, but now? I guess we'll wait and see how things turn out now that I'm living on my own. Ha! My beds in front of my home are pretty low maintenance, thankfully! I hope to get some potted and/or hanging plants for the back deck soon. 

I'm hatching plans for an impromptu weekend trip with Chris! I had a revelation Sunday night while I was at dinner with Marilyn, and that is that I do not want to be home the weekend of April 24th. That's the weekend my ex-husband is marrying his mistress-turned fiancé, and my sons asked me to keep the dogs for them. I didn't want to say yes, but I did, because what else does a good mom do while her sons watch him marry the woman he destroyed our family for? With the whole fam damily, nonetheless? His parents are going, too! This feels like multiple layers of betrayal from my ex, my sons, and I'm having a hard time dealing with the feelings. I'm not expressing this to my sons, or I've tried not to, but last night I let some of these things fly from my mouth to their ears. 

I digress. So on Sunday night after a margarita and a heartfelt discussion with Marilyn, I made the decision to tell my sons that I won't be keeping the dogs while they leave town. Chris has been trying to talk me into a trip for that weekend since I found out the date of this, and I finally said yes. What a great man, right? He wanted to get me out of town this whole time! I can't wait to travel with him. So now instead of dreading that weekend, I'm looking forward to the time away! We're going somewhere close by, so we have a couple of destinations in mind that are about two hours away; we'll leave Friday immediately after work, and return home Sunday afternoon. Stay tuned! This puts me out of town two weekends in April, but I'm good with this!

cleaning (spring)

I'm gearing up to spring clean my bedroom this weekend, and Chris is coming to help me! I'm rearranging it and will be purging a lot of what is there now. I'm looking for new nightstands and will probably be selling a lingerie chest of drawers (it's slim) on FB marketplace to get the money for the new nightstands and artwork. Stay tuned! 

As far as other cleaning goes, I don't really spring clean, because I do those kinds of things all throughout the year. I will say that my vents need cleaning and I've been on a mission to keep my windows clean, which is near impossible with doggy noses. 

eating and drinking 

I've been eating pasta salad for lunch at work everyday. I love it so much! This week I'm doing more of an adult lunchable that I make. I've been drinking a lot of water, coffee, iced coffee, zero sugar ginger ale, margaritas at Mexican restaurants, and today I'm getting a Sonic drink that I can't wait for! 

reading/watching

I'm reading this lovely little book right now; I'm still trying to get back into the habit of reaching for a book everyday! I've been watching The Connors with Chris on Netflix on weekends; on my own I'm watching Age of Attraction, Mike & Molly, Ted Lasso, and one other show that I can't think of.

loving

• warmer weather and longer nights
• my school environment with its bustling schedule
• my morning routine
• really great smelling laundry detergent that's fancy (a gift)
• knowing that Noah is working at moving back home and securing a job here first
• the Golden (retriever) life and accounts on socials
• my sons and talking to them about all the things
• my life in general
• talking to Chris during all parts of my day
• showers at night
• planning trips
• laughter
• plans after work

I could go on, but I want to get this published. Thanks for reading my blog today, 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, backing up from Friday. 

I rewarded myself with a self-imposed comfy/cozy day at work on Friday; I earned every bit of this! 

I loved this that I saw on socials! That is a love language, indeed. I need someone who will stick around, not run away at the first hint of a problem.

Friday night ended with me and Chris at a Mexican restaurant; it was crowded, so we sat at the bar and ate. This margarita was amazing! 

I loved getting home and talking to Jonah before I went out Friday night. I love this young man so much! 

Me and Chloe had a lazy morning at home on Saturday! I cleaned and vacuumed, then I did all my laundry. My friend gave me some fancy laundry detergent from a local soap company, and it smells divine. I loved using something so bougee smelling for the first time. 

I finally got dressed for the day and met up with Chris. 

We went to a Ramen bar for a late lunch/early dinner, then to Mensi's Dairy Bar on the town square, then back to my house. Chris fell asleep while we watched a show; it was later in the night by then, so rather than stay at my house, we opted for a movie. 

I love that he always lets me pick the movies! I loved this; he said it was okay and just a little different. 

I decided to skip church on Sunday; it was my dad's birthday, and I woke up feeling pretty emotional. I honestly couldn't imagine sitting through a service that already makes me cry, and sobbing, thinking of my dad. It's all still too fresh! I decided to go to breakfast, instead. So, Chris and I went to my favorite place and I got this amazing breakfast bowl.

I'm glad I decided to do this. Later that afternoon, I met up with Trish, and we went to visit Dad's grave.

When we left there, we made a stop for:

...a donut! I had to run a couple errands after this, so she dropped me back off at my house. Later that day I left again to wash my car and to meet Marilyn at her house. We made an impromptu decision to go eat at a Mexican restaurant for dinner. 

Dinner was delicious! We stopped by my house for a minute and then we stopped to admire the sunset from her driveway. It was a perfect ending to a really great weekend. I'm grateful that my day turned around from how it was when I woke up that morning. I know my dad would have loved knowing that me and Trish were together again on his birthday. 

How was your weekend? I'd love to hear from you! In case you shared a post, I did publish the March edition of Share 4 Somethings...I just forgot to broadcast about it here. I'll keep it open for another week and a half if you want to join in! See you back here tomorrow, friends; thanks for stopping by to read my blog! Love to all! 

Jenn