The Weekly Ramble – July 3, 2026

Hello and how are you?! I swear each week picks up more steam and moves at a faster clip than I am ready for.

We’ve got two feet firmly planted in July and I just don’t feel ready for it. The week was a blur.

I think part of my problem is that I’m not choosing to do the hard things. I mean, I’m doing hard things, don’t get me wrong, life is not a picnic!

But, I’m not really leaning into the hard or maybe even my standards have slipped. I’ve got plenty of projects to work on, whether that’s working out and nutrition (previously determined a full time job), recipe development and food photography (obviously a full time job for many), or homemaking (which we all know takes a lot of intention).

Funnily enough as I was looking for that post to link right there ⬆️ I found this post:

Again, my past self giving me good advice in the here and now. I think that I need to “lock in” as the kids say and be more intentional with my work time as well as my rest time.

I’ve been floating a bit now that I don’t have a clear vision for my future, regardless of the fact that there is, indeed, plenty of work to do. It brings to mind Mrs Cohen, an older mom I knew back when I just had babies.

I had been complaining about how I had so much to do I didn’t know what to do. She said, “Go do dishes. There are always dishes to wash. Once you do that, put your hands to the next thing.”

I may not have a clear vision for my future, I’ve certainly got lots of dishes or little piles to deal with. Ha!

Here’s what else I’ve been doing, eating, listening/watching, and/or reading this past week:

What I’m Learning

Injuries are no fun. Not only did a hurt knee from last week set me back, but neck pain and headaches got me good as well.

I was up at 3 one morning searching for this heating pad cape thingy. I didn’t find it until later that morning, but have had to use it quite often this week.

Taking time for recovery is important, but so is avoiding injury. I was overzealous to see progress in my exercise training and then I paid for it.

I’m not quite sure how to pace myself, but it’s definitely on my list of things to learn.

What I’ve Been Doing

Each week this summer I’m going to lunch with one of my people. This week was my baby’s turn. We took a shopping trip to Marshalls and then had lunch at an Italian restaurant where Bryan and I sometimes go on date night.

Their manicotti is amazing. Miss 17 and I were curious about cannoli so we bought one to take home. Unfortunately, we weren’t impressed. The filling wasn’t as delicious as it looked. Any ideas? Is this typical or can cannoli vary widely?

I’ve also been trying to be more intentional with friendships. This week I went to a local retirement “resort” to have lunch with my dear friend Susan. We met in Bible study ten years ago. It was a lovely day talking about quilting and life.

What I’ve Been Eating

I confess I’ve been pretty lazy about making pretty food. We’ve eaten well, but my desire to avoid dishes (remember the thing I said about avoiding hard things?) has prompted a higher than normal paper plate usage at our house.

I’ve also been making really simple meals and not following through with my plan to cook new recipes. Hmmm….

This week we had:

• Burgers for Sunday Dinner – The fam has me dish up first so I’m always at the table first and so no one else is ever in the picture.
• Grilled Chicken, grilled veggies, and rice
• Giant Quesadillas
• Tacos
• Baked Feta, Sausages, and pasta
• Tonight is grilled pizza
• Tomorrow is ribs and pulled pork

These are all variations of The Meals I Have on Repeat This Summer.

What I’ve Been Listening/Watching

At the start of the week Miss 17 and I finished up the Acorn/Hallmark shows since our subscription ended on Tuesday. We ended up enjoying these in June:

On AcornTV

• You’re Killing Me
• The Brokenwood Mysteries
• My Life is Murder
• Irish Blood
• Dalgliesh

On Hallmark+

• Signed Sealed Delivered – they are all really good!
• Private Eyes

However, the best thing I’ve seen in a very long time, now part of my catalog of comfort films next to the Johnny Lee Miller Emma and either Pride and Prejudice is Seeking Persephone. (Will you think less of me if I tell you I’ve watched it three times?! It is that good.)

What I’ve Been Reading

On that note, it will come as no surprise that I finished the entire Lancaster Family series of books. The first one is the best, but it’s fun to see how all the characters grow up and find good matches.

This brings my 2026 total of books read to 39.6 books to date. I’m more than 2/3 done with the Chronological Bible.

What I’ve Been Writing

I’ve not been doing much in terms of writing – but I set up my Q3 journal and have done a lot of reflecting, journaling, and planning. It’s something I haven’t done as much lately and I miss the a-ha moments terribly.

Okay, that’s it for me!