Monthly Musings, January 2026

Happy Thursday, friends! I'm joining in today for the Monthly Musings blog post with Patty. I'll jump right in! 

1. Describe your winter so far in one word. Long. 

2. What winter activities have you never tried but want to? I would love to try going down a snowy mountain in an innertube! 

My sister Debi did this last year with some family who came to visit them in Colorado. I would love to give this a whirl someday! I will say that I got on a four wheeler this week for the first time in 35 years. It was so much fun! 

3. Favorite winter beverage? Coffee? Hot chocolate? Iced coffee? All of the above. 

4. Least favorite winter chore? I don't necessarily have "winter" chores. I will say that I shoveled in front of my garage for a solid hour on Sunday. I had a mountain of snow outside the garage, and I was trying to make it flat enough to be able to drive out easily.

5. Soup or chili? Share a recipe if you'd like. I am team soup all the way! 

My favorite soup is chicken tortilla. Here's an old blog post where I shared the recipe. (This post dates back to 2011; I've been blogging for twenty years!) The other soups pictured are taco soup, potato soup, and clam chowder. I love them all! 

6. Dark chocolate, milk chocolate...both or neither? I love milk chocolate the most, but I don't discriminate, either. 

Of these pictures above, my favorites are the frozen yogurt and that cookie you see from Chick Fil A.

7. Share your Galentine's or Valentine's day plans. I have both! For Galentine's me and Kendra are going over to Marilyn's house for dinner, dancing, and a craft we've been talking about. I'm excited! For Valentine's day, I'll be with Chris, but I don't know what we're doing yet. 

8. Do you dress festive for Valentine's day? Is the air breathable? Is January long? Does my hair always look like a rat's nest? (The answer to all of these is yes.) I love to dress up for a theme! Here are a few samples. 

I love to wear pink and red any day of the year!

9. Do you make any sweet treats for Valentine's day? I don't now, but I used to when my sons were little! I used to have a "we love our kids" night each year on that day. I'd make their favorite meal, and then I'd make little individual mini molten lava cakes.

10. What is your love language? My love language is physical touch and quality time. They're equally tied for first place. Chris is great at both of these! I also love others in the way I need to be loved. 

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

Jenn ❤️

P.S. Don't forget that it's almost time for Share 4 Somethings! Each month on the last Saturday of the month, we will meet back here to talk about something we loved, something that sustained us, something we're carrying forward, and something we're making space for. I hope you make plans now to join me Saturday!

snowpocalypse 2026 ~ day one

 

Happy Sunday, friends! I don't know that I've ever written a blog post on a Sunday; I'm usually pretty busy on this day, so that would make sense, right? Here are some things that happened around my house yesterday, day number one of the Snowpocalypse. Interesting reading, right? 🤣 This is me trying to keep myself amused while I'm stuck at home.

I went to bed after Jonah made a fire Friday night; when I woke up on Saturday, there was a tiny ember still glowing, so I moved it around until it reignited again, and added a couple of logs to what was there. I kept this thing going all day! It was lovely.

This is what I woke up to! It was all ice. The snow started overnight as we slept. 

Chloe (on the right) and Stella loved the snow! Chloe really loved it; Stella needed to warm up to it, because it was her first time to ever see the white stuff. By the end of the day, she was used to it and going as crazy as Chloe was. Aren't they cute? 

I borrowed Amy's idea and wrote down my bucket list on paper and then hung it in the kitchen where I can see it everyday. I've really checked some things off! I told her I did this in a text yesterday, and she inspired me to write one for February. I'm such a list maker; the visual keeps me on track with things I need to do (or would like to do). Are you like this? 

Mid-morning view of my beautiful fire!

The fire was dying for a bit, but I got it started again; I'd also turned on a YouTube screensaver for the tv. I love this Highland cow! Stella may or may not have barked at the tv for a full ten minutes before realizing this little cow wasn't going to come and try to kill her. Jonah's baby dogs are very needy and emotionally unstable. 

I put on actual comfy clothes after a quick shower; then I made my lunch.

I made an omelet with freshly grated Parmesan cheese, and a piece of sourdough bread. Speaking of that...

I pulled out my sourdough starter and fed it in preparation of baking some loaves today. I can't wait! 

I finished yet another book! I scrolled social media and found this on Facebook, thanks to Chris. I talked to my mom, Trish, my sister Lisa (I talked to Debi the night before), Kendra, and Marilyn. Y'all. I think we talked five times, and one of them we switched over to Facetime so that Chloe could say "hello" to Mare. Chloe literally kissed my screen. 

Jonah was in and out the whole day; at one point Graham stopped by with him, then Dylan, this sweetheart pictured above Olivia, and his cousin Anna Grace also came over. I spent at least twenty minutes catching up with this sweetie. I love my sons' friends, but this one is something special. 

I ate dinner after they left (taco soup), showered and washed my hair, then watched two things: Anyone But You on YouTube TV, and Love is Blind (US), starting with season nine, again thanks to Amy. 

It was a lovely, peaceful day! I anticipate today being the same, plus the possibility of Marilyn coming over. Jonah offered to go pick her up and then take her back home. I also anticipate being bored today, so seeing her will help. I'd love to see Chris, but it just isn't possible, unfortunately. I told him we'd see each other eventually! 🤣 We're supposed to have a wintry mix/snow all of today, and we're not getting above freezing again until after next weekend. Holy snow flakes, Frosty! I feel like I'm already claustrophobic. 

I'm planning on writing here everyday while I'm snowed in, so buckle up! I shared a bonus post yesterday; here's a link if you'd like to check it out! Thanks for being here to read today, friends. Love to all!

Jenn ❤️

a cozy Saturday

 

Happy Saturday, friends, and welcome to a bonus blog post this week! I anticipate a lot of extra blog posts over the course of the next few days/week. I anticipate being bored at home, and when I'm bored, I like to do something constructive. Insert me writing here a lot here. Today I thought I'd share how I like to be cozy when I'm stuck at home from weather or sickness, and then I'm going to ask you a question at the end, so stay tuned.

This is what I woke up to this morning! As I write this post, it's sleeting. For the next twenty four hours, it's supposed to be a combination of a wintry mix and snow. It's not getting above freezing until after next Friday. Yikes! I might be stuck here all week, friends. I was cold when I woke up; I made coffee, let the dogs out and fed them, then came inside to fix my coffee how I like it, then came into the living room to sit down to watch a movie. Jonah made a fire last night at nine o'clock; when I sat down this morning at 6:30, I saw a spark that was glowing. I added a new log to it, and this is my current view.

It's a great fire, right? This is the first thing I love to do while I'm stuck at home.

I also have a thing for having candles lit when I'm at home for long periods of time, so I lit the candle on my coffee table and sat down to watch a new show on Netflix.

That segues perfectly into my next thing: I love to watch movies or binge watch an entire season of a show (or even a whole show). I went to dinner with a couple of friends last night before the Snowpocalypse started, and one of them mention the show His & Hers on Netflix. Have you watched it yet? I started it this morning. It's a limited series, so there's just one season with seven or eight episodes.

Another thing I love to do is to drink something warm. 

I usually only drink one cup of coffee in the mornings, but I'll probably drink a second one today. This is my favorite mug to drink it in; it's the Swig brand, and I even use the lid when it's cold outside so it'll stay warm. 

I like to read when I'm stuck at home, and I hope to read a lot today. I'm working on a Mel Robbins book, but I have lots of things to read on my Kindle. 

I'll talk on the phone a lot; it's not that it's something I love to do, but I do it a lot. I'll talk to Chris, Mom, Marilyn, and my sisters. I'm sure I'll call my sons and check on them at some point as well. 

I like to eat soup; it's extra cozy when it's cold outside! I'll have taco soup for dinner.

I'll take a shower at some point and put on leggings with my hoodie instead of the fleece pajama pants I'm in at the moment. I'll probably wash my hair at the same time, since I'm due for that. 

I'll keep this lovely fire going all day; Jonah will probably help me with this at some point while he's here. I know he will be in and out; something I love about him is that because he has a big truck and is confident about driving in the snow/ice, he loves to ride around to see if people need help. If he sees someone stuck, he will offer to help get them out. He is prepared for this in his truck; he has tow straps, winch cables (I think I'm saying that right?), and other things to be prepared for in case he gets stranded. 

Here's my question to you: what do you do to stay cozy when you're stuck at home? What's the weather like for you today? I'd love to hear from you! Thanks for reading my blog today, friends. Love to all!

Jenn

Friday Favorites, 1.23.2026.

 

Happy Friday, friends! How has your week been? Mine has been really good; it's felt both long and fast. Isn't it strange how that happens? I have lots of favorites from this week, so I'll jump right in.

My favorite young mom (and niece Erika) celebrated her birthday on Sunday! I Facetimed her bright and early that morning and talked to three out of her four girls at the same time. That is always a favorite! Every time we talk, we say that we should talk more, yet somehow we don't. I'd love to do this with her more often! 

Sundays with Chris will always be my favorite. I love having him at church with me every week, and I've introduced him to so many people. After church we had lunch at a local restaurant with my Memphis sons; Graham and Drew were at church, and Jonah met us at Booya's. On the flip side of this, goodbyes are not my favorite. I always get so sad when he leaves to go back home after lunch on Sundays. 

Fires in my fireplace have been my favorite lately! I'm so happy to be using my woodburning fireplace again; this week Jonah brought some firewood into the garage in preparation for the Snowmageddon 2026 that is coming this weekend.

Taco soup with Marilyn was my favorite on Sunday night! So is the little icon glass that you see.

Monday was my favorite day of the week! I could get used to having Mondays off. I loved this quote that I found above from Martin Luther King, Jr. I talked about this yesterday with some of my fourth grade students about what this means, and how we all need to walk with integrity. 

These were my favorite things from socials that I saw this week. 

I've talked about Dollar Tree finds that I love lately; here are my favorites. The pictures above are of the most amazing lip oil. I think it may be a dupe to an expensive brand, but I can't say that for sure. I have tubes of this in my car, purse, in my bathroom, and in my kitchen. 

This is a dupe for the Vaseline brand body stick! I love this stuff and have been using it on the dry patches of skin on both my hands.

Before I found the lip oil, this Palmer's lip balm was my favorite.

Someone asked me which nighttime moisturizer I've been using lately; it's this one from Dollar Tree!

I also love these serums from the Pure brand; the one on the left is one I use in the morning, and the other goes on after I put on moisturizer before I go to bed at night. You should try to find some of these products! I've been shocked at how good they are.

Coming home to a goodie on my front porch yesterday was my favorite. This adorable mug is from my sweet Abbey that I talked about this week!

This is Abbey. I talked about her in two blog posts this week! Speaking of blog posts, here are links to the week's other posts that I've made in case you'd like to read them.

Monday was a weekending post.

Tuesday Talk was my first blog post that day, and an Amazon Prime post was my second.

Wednesday was The Wednesday Hodgepodge.

Thursday was my weekly Thankful Thursday.

I got us our favorite pizza last night; this Elvis always makes me laugh.

These ladies are some of my favorites! We call ourselves The Lunch Bunch.

This is a new favorite song I discovered yesterday. It's by Passion, Melodie Malone, and Jenn Johnson.

I had a little girl tell me how much she loves all my earrings yesterday; they're my favorite, too. I have three on each side, and my cartilage is pierced, too. I just don't keep an earring in that piercing.

This is my favorite shirt! I talked about it last week, but it's from Walmart.

My outfits are always my favorite! Do you have one that you like the most? This sweatshirt in the picture above was Chris' favorite; the hoodie is his. He left it at my house, and I told him it's mine forever. 🤣 I feel like a teenager wearing my boyfriend's letterman jacket. 

Wednesdays at Rotolo's are still my favorite!

The pep rally was my favorite this week! And so is this sweet student. I have known him since he was in first grade; he reminds me of one of my sons! 

Spending time with my first grade girl B is a favorite! She is such a hard worker, and I am so proud of her. She's come so far since August!

Artwork in the halls at school is my favorite! I love these lanterns with a snowy backdrop.

My friend Laurie sent me this Wednesday; she said Drew made this collage ten years ago when he dated Laurie's daughter. He told her we didn't look alike, but I would beg to differ! 

Seeing this sweet friend was a favorite this week! Marcia and Brad (her hubby) are dear friends of mine that I've known since my boys were little. I love this sweet lady! She took me out for lunch on my anniversary last year; she and her husband have been so kind to me. 

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

Jenn 🖤