spring & summer things I love wearing right now

 

Happy Thursday, and happy bonus blog post day! For today's post, I'm linking up with Jill and Kellyann for Fashion Files. I know for many of you that this is not your thing, so you can either read my other post for today or make plans to come back tomorrow. As usual, I've been writing lots lately, so there's plenty of other material to keep you entertained. 🤣

Some things are linked below, for anyone interested. 

I bought this dress before Easter Sunday; I actually bought two, I loved it so much! This was the second one and I recently wore it to work. I bought these on Amazon, and I have been impressed by the quality.

I have this black dress that I bought last year and still love. I love the pockets! 

I've loved wearing neutral nails recently! I hope to go later today to get them done, though, this time in a color almost exact opposite. (And not neutral!) 

I love wearing these jeans on days when it's a little cooler. And I still love all neutral tops!

I love this one, speaking of that. I bought this one at a boutique that I visit pretty frequently; it's that Umgee brand that I love! 

I am still loving this top that I bought from Walmart last year. It's thin and gauzy, and it has pockets! It was described as a dress, but it's definitely not a good dress length for a middle aged woman. 🤣 I love it with both black and white pants, though! 

I recently purchased this cover-up that can be worn as a shirt...

...and this swimsuit...

I love these Old Navy button down shirts that are the boyfriend style...

And I loved that cover-up shirt so much that I bought another one in a pattern.  I wore this outfit to church on Sunday! 

I recently bought myself two pairs of pants from J. Jill; one is charcoal gray and the other is white. They don't really look wide legged right here in this picture, but they are. 

I'm still loving this bright shirt from Walmart from last year...

And just this week, I bought another black dress to replace the ones that are similar to this style that are older and becoming faded. As I wrote this, I bought the same dress in hot pink and in turquoise. 

What are you wearing and loving right now? I'd love to hear from you! Thanks for reading my bonus blog post today, friends. Love to all!

thankful Thursday

 

Happy Thursday, friends! I hope you can say that you've had a great week; I have, and I'll share about it throughout this post. I'll jump in with my list that comes straight off the pages of my gratitude journal. 

I am thankful for:

• a new day, a new week and the new mercies of the Lord
• the excellent sleep I've been getting, thanks to our new mattress
• the fact that the Lord has been waking me up at 4 a.m. every morning since Saturday
• When Calls the Heart on Hallmark Movies Now
• my people being safely home
• a Monday (mostly) at home
• extra energy, thanks to that great sleep I mentioned
• being able to stay caught up on household chores
• the moms in our life
• the fact that I accidentally called Dad yesterday and had a ten minute conversation with him
• being able to productive both at home and at work; I got a ton of things done yesterday in the bookstore
• the fact that I had lunch with Mom and two of my sisters yesterday after work
• the gift of laughter
• dogs that do their job barking at stranglers 🤣
• blooming hydrangeas that we thought for sure were dead

I mentioned having a great week; it's because I've been waking up at 4 in the mornings! Don't think for a second that I'm complaining, I promise I am not. I love the early morning hour and I've enjoyed the extra time that it's given me to be productive. Two mornings in a row last week, I had to be at work at 6 a.m. to get a start on my day and making coffee for that big event we had at church. I think that's what started this early wake up time for me, because even on Saturday and Sunday, I was up by four in the morning! This is also a reflection of the new mattress that we've had for one week today; I am not hurting anymore, thanks to the fact that we now have a more firm mattress (we had a memory foam one), and I am sleeping all night without waking up and then waking up in the mornings feeling rested and refreshed. It's amazing and feels miraculous. 🤣 I am so thankful for this!

What are you thankful for this week? I'd love to hear from you! Thank you for linking up with me here each week, friends. Love to all!

You are invited to the Inlinkz link party!

Click here to enter

weekly Wednesday hodgepodge

 

Happy Wednesday, friends! I am linking up with Joyce today for the weekly Wednesday Hodge Podge. 

1. Did you watch the Kentucky Derby this past weekend? Have you ever been to a horse race? Ever ridden a horse, and was it something you enjoyed? Have you ever been to Kentucky? Do you like Bourbon? I didn't watch the Kentucky Derby this past weekend; truthfully, I kind of forgot it was happening. I don't watch live TV anymore, so maybe that's why? I don't really care for horse racing, because I don't like the thought of animals racing; I've read many articles saying how cruel and grueling such events are for horses, and it's why sometimes a horse will drop dead after racing. Though they're strong and made to run, the racing is too strenuous for them. *It's also for this reason why I'm not wild about animals in a zoo; though I love our local zoo, I hate the thought of animals being taken out of their natural environment to live a life of captivity. I feel like this is a spiritual picture for me and why I feel strongly about this. Anyway...I hope we can still be friends now that you know this about me.

I used to have a horse named Dolly, and I loved riding horses in general! That being said, I did not love to ride Dolly, because she was the most stubborn horse known to mankind. She would puff out her stomach when I went to saddle her, and I'd start riding and the saddle would start shifting to the side. Also, I'd tell her to go right and she'd go left, and vice versa. We did go to Kentucky last year, and I loved it! There is excellent food to be eaten there, and we enjoyed every bite. I don't like bourbon, but Todd does, so we hit up part of the bourbon trail while we visited. 

This was when I met Amy, one of my very favorite bloggers.

This was such a fun trip!

2. What's something you wish you'd placed in a time capsule fifteen years ago? I'm not really sure how to answer this one...I would say something that was considered trendy in that time, like a piece of clothing or jewelry. I always wish I'd held onto something when it becomes popular again in ten or fifteen years, though. Have you noticed that in your life? 

3. Are you adventurous? Elaborate. I would not consider myself an adventurous person, as in the actual physical meaning of the word. Even if that is the case, I will say that I am an adventurous eater and will try anything. Last year Todd and I started eating Vietnamese food, and it's one of our favorite things to eat together to this date!

4. What is something you want to make this year? It can be a new recipe, a craft or DIY project, a milestone you've set for yourself...anything at all. Todd and I were talking on Monday night about how we need to repaint inside of our house. I hope we can make that happen! I need to finish one area first, then we'll move on from there. I've been rearranging and redecorating the common spaces, and I see a lot of holes that need filling in from where old pictures hung. I also want to update the colors inside our house, still sticking with actual color, but maybe going with softer shades. Here are some examples below. 

That first one is our kitchen, which is bright yellow. I still love it, honestly, but we need to patch, fill in holes, and take out the phone jack that is on one wall. The second one is our living room; I still love this color as well! Again, we'd like to fill in the holes, and give it a fresh coat of a slightly softer shade. 

5. Cinco de Mayo was also celebrated this past weekend...do you like Mexican food? If so, what's your favorite dish? Have you ever been to Mexico? Margaritas—yes or no? Do we like Mexican food? 

Obviously, Todd and I detest margaritas as you can see. 

Honestly, I like all Mexican food equally, but I'm having a moment with street tacos at our favorite local place. We each get two street tacos with a blend of chicken and chorizo, and we drizzle salsa Verde on top. We love guacamole, queso, salsa, and everything else related. 

I have been to Mexico several times, but none of those times are recent. I love it there, but I don't really have a desire to go back. 

Do you agree or disagree with some of my answers? I'd love to hear your thoughts in the comments! Thanks for reading my blog, friends. Love to all!

Jenn 🩷

mighty oaks and streams of water

Happy Tuesday, friends!  I thought I'd talk about one of my favorite Psalms today and pick it apart. I'll tell you why I love it so much and what it reminds me of closer to the end, so stay tuned. 

Have you ever read this Psalm before? If you haven't you should read it really quickly! I love it so much. (It's in italics below.)

How happy is the one who does not walk in the advice of the wicked or stand in the pathway with sinners or sit in the company of mockers!

Instead, his delight is in the LORD's instructions, and he meditates on it day and night.

He is like a tree planted beside flowing streams that bears its fruit in its season, and its leaf does not wither. Whatever he does prospers.

The wicked are not like this; instead, they are like chaff that the wind blows away. Therefore the wicked will not stand up in the judgment, nor sinners in the assembly of the righteous. 

For the LORD watches over the way of the righteous, but the way of the wicked leads to ruin. 

In that first verse, you read the word "happy", but in this verse it doesn't mean what you think. The thing that's so cool about the Bible is that you really have to dig to understand what it really means...most of the words that are used in our modern translations today are not the words that we think they are, like this word "happy". In the original language, it translates to a word that means "contentment". When I know what a certain word means, I like to change it up with that word. Here's what verse one would say now that I know this: How content is the one who does not walk in the advice of of the wicked or stand in the pathway with sinners or sit in the company of mockers! Did you know that the Bible doesn't really talk about us being happy? It does talk about contentment, though. Here are some verses that prove that, if you want to look it up on your own: 1 Timothy 6:6-10, Hebrews 13:5, 2 Corinthians 12:9-10, and Habakkuk 3:17-19.

Verse one is essentially saying that we need to be careful with the friends we choose. That's a huge paraphrase on my part, but when we hang out with certain people, their behavior rubs off on us. I used to tell my boys that when they were little, but it's also a Bible verse! 1 Corinthians 15:33 says this: Do not be deceived: bad company corrupts good morals. Also in Psalm 1:1, two different types of people are in contrast: those who are righteous, and those who are not.

I love verse two! The righteous person in this verse takes delight in obeying the law of the Lord. If you're anything like me, don't get hung up on that word law. The original meaning of that word translates to another word that means instruction, teaching, or direction. They think on God's word day and night; it's always on their mind and in their heart. His word is our instruction; it teaches us and it gives direction to our life when we heed to what it says.

Verse three talks about how that righteous person is like a tree planted beside flowing streams that bears its fruit in its season, and its leaf does not wither. Have you ever seen a dead tree or plant? Have you ever forgotten to water your summer flowers? Have you ever experienced a drought? When it doesn't rain, the living trees (plants and grass) die. When a tree is planted beside a flowing stream of water, its roots will never dry out and rot, because they grow deep into the ground. The closer to the water the roots are, the healthier they become and remain. Read that sentence again! 

Additionally, the tree will bear fruit and be beautiful. The same could be said for us when we don't spend time with Jesus; the more time that passes with us not making Him a priority in our lives, the further apart we become from Him. He doesn't move away from us! He is steady and unchanging, a rock. It's you and me that move away from Him, and the more we move away from Him, the further off He seems. James 4:8 tells us to draw near to God and He will draw near to us.

Verse four talks about chaff; do you know what that is? It's like a very fine flour that is easily blown about by wind. That is what unrighteous people are like! They're flimsy, frail, weak, and easily tossed about in the trials of life. Because of that, the wicked won't stand up in the day of judgment; sinners won't stand in the assembly of the righteous. 

The Lord watches over the way of the righteous, Psalm 1:6 says, and the way of the wicked leads to ruin. I need to say something about this verse and the character of God. God isn't a mean God who hates people; the opposite is true. He loves us all, because He is the One who created all of mankind. He loves us all, but we are not all His children. We're only His children if we've placed our faith in Him by believing that we are sinful and that He is a Savior who can save us from a life of eternal separation after we draw our last breath on earth. He wants us all to love Him back, but He also knows that won't be the case. He already knows where we will spend eternity someday; we will either be with Him in Heaven or we won't. Do you know Jesus? If you're not sure, why are you waiting? I'd love to talk to you more about this, if you have questions or want to know more. You can comment here or you can email me at allboys@gmail.com. 

Here's the reason why I love this Psalm: it reminds me of another favorite passage of Scripture that I'm going to share with you. I have always loved Isaiah 61, especially verses 1-3; I'll write it out here below for you, but I encourage you to read it for yourself. 

Isaiah 61:1-3

The Spirit of the Lord God is on me, because the LORD has anointed me to bring good news to the poor. He has sent me to heal the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives and freedom to the prisoners; to proclaim the year of the LORD's favor, and the day of our God's vengeance; to comfort all who mourn, to provide for those who mourn in Zion; to give them a crown of beauty instead of ashes, festive oil instead of mourning, and splendid clothes instead of despair. And they will be called righteous trees, planted by the LORD to glorify him.

Because we bear God's image and because we are like the apple of His eye (that little twinkling of light that makes someone's eyes sparkle and shine), we are like righteous trees planted by Him, to glorify Him. I used to share that with my boys when they were young, but the translation I used called them "mighty oaks" instead of righteous trees; regardless of the wording, Psalm 1 reminds me of Isaiah 61:1-3, and we need to be like mighty oak trees of righteousness, pointing others to Him every chance we get and to bring Him the glory that He deserves. 

Now go be a mighty oak tree! 

Thanks for reading my blog today, friends. Love to all.

Jenn 🖤

(I'm linking up with Joanne for this post.)

Hello, Monday!

 

Happy Monday, friends! I'm linking up with Holly and Sarah for today's post. I hope you had a good weekend! 

Mine was great, but not much tops my Friday night. As all of you know, I worked a lot this week because of a huge event that our church hosted; the bookstore was a hubbub for lots and lots of people during the event. I loved it; and I love seeing people come in and use the bookstore/coffee shop for what it is: a place to sit, have some coffee, maybe read a book or work on your laptop, and catch up with friends. 

So many of those people made their way into the bookstore and sat in the chairs and at the tables. I loved seeing that! That being said, never in my life have I been so excited to come home and not talk. 🤣 I took a cool shower (hello, menopause), got into comfy clothes, and sat for the rest of the night. Todd went back to work with the sheriff's department, and that was the night that kicked off him working something called The Music Fest in the downtown Memphis area all weekend long. I had the house to myself all of Friday night, and I didn't hate it, I'll be honest. I had leftovers for dinner from the night before (veggie pizza from Little Caesar's, two slices) and I listened to podcasts and played around on my blog. It was basically my dream night, and it felt so luxurious! 

Oh, and about last week at work? I worked 42 hours. 42. My usual is work week is 22 hours. 

My lazy night came to an end when Jonah inspired me to rearrange the living room furniture, so guess what I did? I rearranged the living room furniture, which led me to vacuuming, which led me to dusting just a little before calling it quits and sitting back down. I talked to my sister on the phone for no less than three hours that night, too; we have such a hard time talking on the phone when neither of us are busy, so that worked out well for us Friday night. I was up until one a.m.! And I woke up at five something on Saturday feeling very refreshed and rested.

On Saturday morning I cleaned what I didn't get finished the night before, did laundry, then dressed to meet Mom for errands and lunch. I had specific things to do, and I'm so glad to say that I got them both done! I wanted to go to our local Indie bookshop, Novel, and I needed to buy some new household cleaner, preferably the Mrs. Meyers brand. (Mom actually gave me a bunch that she had and wasn't using, which was perfect.)

Mom and I went to J. Jill for her to make a return, and I bought two pairs of pants! I'm so happy with them and have been wanting some wide legged pants. The ones I picked are cropped; I got a white pair and a charcoal gray pair. I'll show them to you this week, so stay tuned!

Mom and I matched again! I made her take another picture with me, because the older I get, the more I value the importance of taking the picture, even if it makes you look silly. Life is short!

Look at these adorable earrings I bought myself from Novel!

I rearranged on Friday night and moved the long couch to the space in front of these doors...and then we ended up putting outside to throw away, because it's broken. We plan on purchasing another recliner for that space when we find one.

I went to Mom's and Bill's for dinner Saturday night! Bill is an amazing cook, and the food was delicious. I always love making a drive out to the country to see them! 

I was at church early Sunday morning dressed in this outfit; the details about this shirt are in my bonus post today, Prime Purchases. 

On the way home from Mom's and Bill's Saturday night, I heard the song I Could Sing of Your Love Forever by Shane & Shane. (I'm including this YouTube video so you can listen.) I used to sing that song growing up; imagine my surprise when during my quiet time on Sunday morning, I kept reading in the book of Psalms about singing to the Lord. It seemed to be a theme that the Lord wanted me to pay attention to, so I wrote out the verses and thanked Him for encouraging me through His word. I'll probably share more about this tomorrow, so come back to read that post. In the meantime, isn't that so sweet of Him? The verse above was one I read in Psalm 89. 

I'll end with these last pictures; you may remember me mentioning that there is a library next to the bookstore at church. When we do the remodel this summer, that space will be turned into a classroom, so all those books are being given away right now. I hit the jackpot!

Books have always been and will always be my favorite!

I'll leave you with this last picture of my youngest grandpups, Oakley and Chloe. I love them so much! What did you do this weekend? I'd love to hear from you! Thanks for reading my blog, friends. Love to all! 

Jenn 🖤

P.S. In case you didn't catch this little tidbit, I did write a bonus post for today that is under this one. It's the May edition of Prime Purchases. I also wrote a blog post on Saturday night, called Dear Senior Mom. I'd love for you to check both of those out, in case you missed either of them!