Friday Favorites ~ January 16, 2026

 Happy Friday friends!  How has the week been?

Here is a quick re-cap of my week....

Monday, I did a little work from home and then ran some errands.  One errand was touring some apartment complexes.  I will be moving again in the late spring so I am beginning to get an idea of what options are out there for me.  I love where I am living now, but this is temporary.  Unfortunately, I haven't been left in a good financial position post divorce, so I can't buy another house, but I am excited to make an apartment my new home!

Later that evening, I brought dinner to Jenn's.  We also had a little mixed drink to accompany our dinner. Any time with Jenn is a favorite!

I left my house around 7am Tuesday morning and got home around 9:30pm that night.  It was the day I needed to be out of the house.  Unfortunately, there are still some marker days, but I have learned to be pro-active.  After work, I got a massage.  I met a friend for a walk and dinner.  After dinner, I called another friend and we met for an impromptu yogurt date. A massage and time with friends are definitely favorites!

My new glasses came in the mail this week and they are a favorite!

After a day of working at home Wednesday, my co-worker and I went to the University of Memphis Tigers basketball game and met up with a friend.  We had great seats! The 3 of us had so much fun and I am wearing my new glasses here.

A favorite of Thursday was a quick visit with Jenn before I went to dance class. I hadn't done that in a while.  I learned the Foxtrot again.  It was a slow start with my dance partners, but I was able to end the night on a fun note with my previous dance teacher.

It has been a good week of little favorites so far and wishing you all a good weekend.

Thanks for reading!

Hodgepodge ~ January 14, 2025

 Hi and Happy Wednesday!

1. What kind of winter person are you-snow lover, fireplace snuggler, winter adventurer, or indoor hibernator? Elaborate. 

I do enjoy watching snow fall.  However, I don't want to be snowed in alone for days. I love sitting around a fireplace & the thought of having someone to snuggle with would be nice. I am not much of an adventure person in the winter or summer, ha!

2. The Pantone color of the year is cloud dancer, described as a gentle, billowy off white shade. The color symbolizes 'peace, clarity, quiet reflection, renewal, and a soft reset'. Of the terms just listed which do you need most in your life this winter? 

All of the above please :).  Actually, renewal and clarity sound nice.  I need a reset too, but more of a hard reset and not soft, ha!

3. Every cloud has a silver lining, on cloud nine, head in the clouds, storm clouds gathering, or cloud of suspicion...which 'cloud' idiom do you most relate to currently? Explain. 

I lean towards storm clouds gathering or cloud of suspicion.  I seem to still encounter some storms and when it's not stormy, I am suspicious!

4. coconut, cauliflower, cottage cheese, mayonnaise, onions, ranch dressing...of the white foods listed, which would be the hardest for you to give up? Do you like all or any of the foods on the list? 

Cottage cheese since it is the one I incorporate into more foods these days.  I also really like a grilled onion, but I don't eat them that often.  I don't like coconut, cauliflower in its raw form, mayonnaise or ranch dressing.

5. Thomas Wentworth Higginson is credited with this quote-

"How many lessons of faith and beauty we should lose, if there were no winter in our year." 

Agree or disagree? Tell us why. 

Agree.  I think that there is a season to everything.  We sow and reap and things grow and bloom after winter.  Winter is a beautiful time to see more things clearly, just as the trees are bare and we can see more.  

6. Insert your own random thought here. 

I am so thankful to have friends I can text/call.  Yesterday was a day I didn't need/want to be alone at home.  I walked with a friend and we got dinner.  Since we ended around 7:30, it seemed too early to go home so I met up with another friend for frozen yogurt and it was good to catch up with her too.  I am so thankful for both of these women who also go to my same church.  

Have a great day!

Talking About it Tuesday ~ Dollar Tree & Other Beauty Shopping

 Good morning!  Today I am highlighting some products I bought at Dollar Tree over the weekend & also some of my other recent beauty products I have purchased and used.  

Here are some highlights from my basket:

I like the shape of this door mat.  As you know, nothing at Dollar Tree is a $ anymore!  This mat was $7.

I bought a new lighter to use for my outside fireplace.  I usually use my re-chargeable lighters for my candles inside.  I bought some candy for my greats, tissue, makeup wipes and some beauty items.

I have mixed these bronzer drops with my sunscreen foundation and it gave my face a glow.  This lip oil was hydrating and a good top coat to lipstick.  I haven't used the chrome nail polish yet, but I am intrigued.  It is a powder you put over your gel nail polish.

This lip pencil has a liner on one end and a fill color on the other.  It comes with a sharpener too and I like this product!

This is a lip kit I got for my birthday from Sephora as one their birthday rewards.

This is a serum I will use in the mornings.

This is a eye liner pencil.

This next product is one I ordered online from a company called Luxe.  It is a color changing foundation that adapts to your skin.  It goes on white and then changes color as you rub it in your skin.

I bought some derma plane blades and loved using this product!

I use this neck cream several times a week.

This is an under eye concealer I use most days and is one of my favorite products.

This has become one of my favorite mascaras!

I bought this a while back and need to use it more frequently on my nails. I do like the texture of this.

This is my favorite brow pencil. 

I sometimes alternate which cleaning balm I use, but this is the one I am currently using.

I also alternate often with different serums, most of them being a variety of Vitamin C for brightening.

The last product I am highlighting today is this face mask.  This face mask is unusual in that you sleep with it and peel it off the next morning.  I did this last night and it feels so good!  This was originally recommended from the Big Boo Podcast.

Thanks for reading along today!

Hello Monday ~ January 12, 2026

Happy Monday friends!  

Friday night, Jenn came over and we watched the new movie, "People We Meet on Vacation".  

It is such a cute movie!  But don't get me wrong, I teared up and then later on cried and Jenn was holding my hand as I cried on the couch.  It just really made me miss having someone who truly cares about me and I'm not 2nd to a younger girl. Anyway, watch this movie!

Saturday morning, I made this breakfast for me.  It was yummy!

I set up an Amazon Fire Stick & took this fuzzy picture of me listening to Kelly Clarkson's "Since You've Been Gone" on Spotify.  I found myself kind of belting this one out loud!

Jenn and I went out to run some errands Saturday, which we have rarely done, if ever, on a Saturday. One of our stops was Hobby Lobby. This Proverbs 31:25 is something I am probably not doing this year (in theme with the 10 things on the 10th post over the weekend)!

One of our stops was Dollar Tree.  It was quite fun looking at all the items new to us there!  I am going to do a Dollar Tree post tomorrow, with a few other purchases highlighted.

I went to church Sunday and then to a birthday party for one of my greats.

I came home and watched a few episodes of Emily in Paris.

If felt good this weekend to not eat out any and eat from my freezer. This is a 2026 low level goal for me! Overall, my weekend was pretty low key, but okay.

Hope you have a great Monday!

 

Friday Favorites ~ January 9, 2026

 

Well, it's 2026 and not much has changed...I am still listening to Darius Rucker most days.  Just having a little fun with Chat GPT, ha!

'

Monday, I was thankful to help my parents take down some Christmas decorations and then I met a friend for dinner.  Tuesday after work, I made these pepperoni rolls to take to Jenn's house.  It was fun to share dinner & we hope to do this again soon.

Wednesday, I took my great niece out for her 9th birthday celebration.  We went to Jason's Deli for lunch and then to Target.  I can't believe this sweet girl is 9! It seems like yesterday....

After our shopping date, I stayed with the older 4 while my niece took the new baby for a well check up.  These 4 are so fun, but I was tired afterwards!

Thursday was work and then I met my co-worker for yogurt afterwards.  I was going to go to a dance lesson last night, but have still been feeling tired from my cough and just stayed inside.

I am not sure what my weekend will hold yet.  It looks to be a rainy weekend.  Last weekend, I enjoyed making sourdough bread, having a fire and enjoyed some huckleberry moscato!

Enjoy your weekend friends & thanks for reading!

Currently Hodgepodging ~ January 7, 2026

I hope 2026 is treating everyone okay.  Mine has had some ups and downs, but upward and onward starting with the first 2026 Hodgepodge with Joyce!

1. What are three words you would use to describe your 2025? 

Brave

Travel

Tears

2. I ask this question every January, and I always get comments about how we shouldn't be banning words. This is fun and games so just play along : ) 

Every January 1st since 1976 Lake Superior University has published a list of words they'd like to see banished from the Queen's English. Words may be banished due to misuse, overuse, or just general uselessness (go here to read about how the words are chosen). Here's the list for 2026- 

67 • demure • cooked • massive • incentivize • full stop • perfect • gift/gifted  • my bad • reach out 

Which one (if any) do you use most often? Which one of these words/phrases would you most like to see banished from everyday speech and why? Is there a word you think should have made the list? 

I use perfect a lot to describe my agreement with something. I would say 6/7 is just general uselessness, although the little ones giggle over this a lot!

3. What are your nightly rituals? Is that different from your 'ideal' nightly ritual? If so what's your ideal? 

My nightly ritual is usually looking at my phone.  My ideal nightly ritual would be to have someone to talk to in person and kiss goodnight.

4. January 6th is/was National Bean Day. Do you like beans? Which one is your favorite? Last thing you ate made with beans? 

I do not like beans.  My family was going to make taco soup one night last week, but they said they were going to add beans.  We made spaghetti instead!  I don't like beans in soup, chili or as a side dish.  That includes baked beans and green beans.  I do like lima/butter beans though.  That is the exception.  

5. Are you easily embarrassed? Elaborate. 

Yes.  I was just embarrassed last week.  It is not my favorite.

6. Insert your own random thought here. 

How exciting to join with my friend, Amy, as she begins hosting Currently this year.  Today I am sharing what I have been loving, resolving, planning, eating/drinking and watching /reading.

Loving

I am loving a clean space at my house, yet still have twinkle lights.  I am loving the hope of potentially catching up on a few things I need to do during these winter nights.  

Resolving

I am resolving to eat a little healthier and do better at meal planning.

Planning

This leads me right into planning meals!  One thing I would like to do is organize my recipes. This has been on my to-do list for a while.  I have so many recipes saved on my phone via Instagram or screen shots of ideas I see.  Now the challenge is how to organize these.  Ideas?  Do y'all still refer to pinterest for organizing your recipes?  

Eating/drinking

And this leads me to what I am eating/drinking!  Right now, I am trying to eat food that I have in my freezer.  I really want to eat more from this and then re-stock.  I have plenty of food here to not eat out for a while or grocery shop for things outside of basics. 

Watching/reading

I am not really reading anything at the moment.  I want to watch the new season of Emily in Paris.  I also started watching the new season of When Calls the Heart on Sunday.  

Have a great day friends!

Friday Favorites ~ January 2, 2026

 Happy New Year and 1st post for 2026! 

Last Sunday night, we went to dinner and bowling with our "framily".  It was a fun thing to do and I probably had not been bowling in about 15 years! I was also a little excited because I qualified for the senior discount :). 

Monday, I bought myself flowers. 

My brother and his family were in town so I spent the afternoon with my sister and siter-in-law.  We went to a few stores and then we all gathered at my parents house for dinner. It was so cold!

I had my last night at home with my daughters. I love hearing their laughter and even bickering from time to time. I have a picture of the 3 of us, but didn't get permission to post, so I am keeping this picture private for now.

I purchased this dish towel this week.  I wanted a nice one to hang that I use more as "decor" to replace my holiday dish towels.

I finally de-Christmased my house, but kept my tree up longer than usual.  Actually, the decorations are off, but I will disassemble my tree today.  I moved in the house mid-November, so I haven't lived here without Christmas decorations!

I had a fun New Year's Eve, which looked much different from last year. Both parties I attended were fun and I saw friends at both places which helped going in alone.  

New Year's Day, Brook and I took my great nephew out for his birthday lunch and shopping.  We went to Waffle House and Wal-Mart.  What a way to start the New Year, ha!  

I went to dinner with Jenn at her mom's house and had a delicious meal.  Jenn came back to my house and we caught up on our NYE nights.  After she left, I finished watching one of my favorite movies, The Holiday.  It is a good NYE movie for me to watch.

Today, I am back to work, but thankfully from home.  Next week I return to the office.  

Hope you all enjoy your Friday and weekend, although doesn't every day kind of feel like that this week?