Friday Favorites, 7.3.2026.

 

Happy Friday, friends! I hope all of you had a great week; I want to hear about it at the end of this post, so stay tuned. Here are some favorite things and moments from this week...

This body butter from Trader Joe's is a favorite! I had three tubs; I'm down to two now since I emptied this one yesterday morning before work. I use this as part of my morning makeup/getting dressed routine. I always start with brushing my teeth, then I wash my face, moisturize, put on foundation/sunscreen with SPF 50; while all of that dries, I use this body butter and liberally apply it to my dry skin. Do you moisturize your body each day? It's part of my skin routine, and Mom always told me to take good care of my skin. 

I'm staying at my friend's house to watch her dogs this weekend, and her pool is my favorite! I love the material on the bottom and edges of this pool, I love the color of the material (concrete?), and I love that it makes the water this shade of gray.

Sitting and catching my breath at work yesterday was a favorite; I love my job, but I am worn out at the end of every day! I never stop going from the time I get there at 7:40 a.m. until I eat lunch at 12:40; then I run again from 1:10 until 3:00. It's fun and fast, but it's also exhausting.

Not only are these pens my favorite, they're also the favorite of my little student! We color with them everyday during her recess time.

Rocket has been on the war path again and has been chewing up things at home; because of that, I've had to do some rearranging on the bookshelf that Chris put together for me a few weeks ago. I don't mind this rearranging part! Decorating spaces in my home will always be my favorite. 

Twizzlers are my favorite guilty pleasure!

This was a favorite from the week; this was something I read about women loving the color pink. Pink is still my favorite color!

Happy mail is my favorite!

Drawing at work all week has been my favorite; it's been M's favorite as well! 

These were my favorite graphics from Instagram this week; I really love these last two about God given ways to regulate your nervous system. 

What was a favorite thing about your week? I'd love to hear from you! Thanks for reading my blog today, friends. Love to all!

Jen 🩷❤️💜

weekly happies

 

Happy Thursday, friends! I'm talking about my weekly happies again today, because I need more intentional gratitude in my life. I'll jump right in!

Can you believe it's already July? I'm always grateful for a new month! I love a fresh start; God's mercies are new every morning. Great is His faithfulness! This passage out of Leviticus is why I love fresh starts; they remind me of God's faithfulness...this could be a new day/week/month/season/year. Do any of you like fresh starts? Why? I'm just curious.

I am grateful for the people I have in my life; I'm grateful for my sons, Chris, Mom and Bill, my sisters, my friends, my co-workers who are also my (work) family. 

I loved this graphic from Instagram; I am thankful for inspiring/encouraging accounts to follow there. We all need this reminder, right? I am so grateful to live in a country like ours, where we have so many freedoms. I don't ever want to take this for granted!

 

I love it when it's this time! I'm always thankful to be thought of, which is what this means. I like to take a picture of it and send it to Chris.

I'm so thankful for the generosity of others! A sweet parent sent a gift card to me yesterday; this kind of thing is never lost on me. I was humbled when she gave it to me as she dropped my little student off. 

Quotes like this one make me so happy! I am still in love with the color pink; have you read about women who love this color? Women who love pink:

• have a tender heart; they value kindness, compassion, and making other feel loved.
• see beauty in the little things. Fresh flowers, handwritten notes, sunsets, cozy blankets, and quiet moments may bring them genuine joy.
• are hopeful. Pink is often connected with optimism and believing that brighter days are ahead. 
• have a romantic spirit. That doesn't necessarily mean they're focused on romance—it can also mean they appreciate meaningful relationships, thoughtful gestures, and emotional connection.
• enjoy expressing themselves. Whether through clothing, decorating, writing, or creativity, they often like bringing beauty into the world.
• are resilient. Many women who love pink have discovered that gentleness and strength can exist together. Being soft doesn't mean being fragile.

Here are couple of things I was reminded of as I read that again: a song titled Brighter Days by Blessing Offor, and this picture I colored for my little student on Wednesday. 

I still love my front door color; that being said, I'm ready for a change. Stay tuned! A new colorful front door will be coming toward the end of August. If you have color recommendations, send them my way; I don't want white, black, or red, so keep that in mind if you think of a color for me.  I am grateful that I have the freedom to change my door color as often as I want.

Here it is now; I gave you these as references so you can see the whole house and color scheme.

I am so grateful for my home, and for the nights I have here. I truly love my home! 

Tell me something happy from your week, please; I'd love to hear from you! Thanks for being here to read and encourage me today, friends. Love to all!

Jen

currently hodgepoding

 

Happy Wednesday, friends! For the first part of today's blog post, I'll be linking up with Amy and Marsha. For the latter part of the post, I'll be joining Joyce! 

sparkling: I love sparkling drinks! 

I couldn't find any pictures with actual sparklers. 

grilling/cooking: I've been eating the chicken that Jonah has been grilling! 

He is a master griller! I've also been eating the delicious food that Chris has been cooking. ❤️

heating up:

It's heating up here this week, so I've been in the water a lot lately!

using: I've been using my new clutch that I bought while I was in Louisville; I love it so much!

celebrating: I'm about to be celebrating Chris's birthday! He turns 43 on July 12.

I love him so much; clearly, we never have any fun together, as you can see from these pictures. I can't wait to spoil him a little. 

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1. What do you love most about your country? The thing I love the most about our country are the freedoms that we have. I don't ever want to take for granted these things that I often do: speech, religion, etc. Our country is not perfect, but I am so grateful to live here. 

2. What's your favorite patriotic song? I have always loved My Country 'Tis of Thee.

3. Red, white, or blue? Stars or stripes? Something you own besides a U.S. flag with some combination of these colors or decorations as part of its design? I don't love to wear the three colors together, but I love all of these colors separately and wear them pretty regularly! I would choose stripes over stars, and I have a new dress with them that I've only worn once. The only thing I own with this design is a flag.

4. What's one thing you want more of this summer: fun, rest, adventure, connection, quiet, or confidence? Elaborate. Without a doubt, the one thing I want more of is connection. I love people and I love being with all of mine!

5. What was your ultimate go-to summer activity when you were a kid? Do you still do any version of that today? If you answered yes, does participating in this activity as an adult make you feel like a kid? My favorite activity in the summer as a young girl was sleeping over with friends or having them sleepover at my house. I still do this today, with friends when I trave l with them, and every single time, I feel like I'm young again. It's the best!

6. Insert your own random thought here. See pictures below.

I've spent some time drawing this week; my little student can't go to recess when it's this hot, so we sit and either read or draw. I love doing this! 

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

Jen ❤️🩷