Weekend Traffic Jam Reboot June 27 (In memory of Patrick Weseman)

On June 26, 2025June 27, 2025 By Lisa R. HowelerIn Weekend Traffic Jam6 Comments

Welcome to the Weekend Traffic Jam Reboot, where we offer a place for bloggers to link up and get a fresh set of eyes on their posts. We also feature one blog a week, letting our readers know about the blog and providing a link so readers can learn more about it. Please feel free to post new blog posts or old ones you want to bring attention to again.

Look for the post to go live about 9:30 PM EST on Thursdays.

We had a crazy heatwave for four days last week! Yuck! I locked myself inside but our small portable air conditioners (we have windows that roll out and not many other options for AC) couldn’t keep up so it was still fairly hot inside. My daughter and I froze wet washcloths and laid them on the backs of our necks, drank a lot of drinks with ice (not those drinks!), and took cold showers to keep cool throughout the week.

How was the weather where you are? Were…well, you know what I mean!

Now, let’s introduce our hosts for the Weekend Traffic Jam Reboot:

Marsha from Marsha in the Middle started blogging in 2021 as an exercise in increasing her neuroplasticity. Oh, who are we kidding? Marsha started blogging because she loves clothes, and she loves to talk or, in this case, write!

Melynda from Scratch Made Food! & DIY Homemade Household – The name says it all, we homestead in East Texas, with three generations sharing this land. I cook and bake from scratch, between gardening and running after the chickens, and knitting!

Lisa from Boondock Ramblings shares about the fiction she writes and reads, her faith, homeschooling, photography and more.

Sue from Women Living Well After 50 started blogging in 2015 and writes about living an active and healthy lifestyle, fashion, book reviews and her podcast and enjoying life as a woman over 50. She invites you to join her living life in full bloom.

We would love to have additional Co-Hosts to share in the creativity and fun! If you think this would be a good fit for you and you like having fun (come on, who doesn’t!) while still being creative, drop one of us an email and someone will get back with you!

WTJR will be highlighting a different blogger each week this year! We invite you to stop by their blog, take a look around and say hello!

UPDATE This week we are spotlighting: Adventures in Weseland and it is fitting we are doing so because we were heartbroken to learn early Friday morning (after we posted his spotlight) that the author, Patrick Weseman, passed away this past week. Shelbee on the Edge has written a wonderful tribute to him here: https://shelbeeontheedge.com/in-memory-of-patrick-weseman-spread-the-kindness-link-up-on-the-edge-762/

A little about Adventures in Weseland: IJust me and my adventures in life. Life is an adventure and I try to have fun. I love being out in the world, taking pictures and being able to share them with people who come across my little space on the internet. Thanks for stopping by and peace be with you.

Thank you so much for joining us for our link-up, Patrick. You will be missed and our hearts go out to your family during this difficult time. I wish you were here to see the outpouring of love for you.

And now some posts that were highlights for me this past week:

Love these layered dresses by Kathleen

(Loved these tips by Real Food Blogger on eating healthy on vacation.)

(Interesting Thoughts Here by Pam from A New Lens)

So many fun activities for kids in this post from Our Grand Lives!

and an extra one this week because there were too many good posts!!

What a beautiful sunset by Selep Imaging!

Important things to know:

You may add unlimited family-friendly blog post links, linked to specific blog posts, not just the blog.
Be sure to visit other links and leave a kind comment for each link you post (it would be too hard to visit every link, of course!)
The party opens Thursday evening and ends Wednesday.
Thank you for participating. Have fun!

*By linking to The Weekend Traffic Jam Reboot Link Up, you give permission to share your post and images on the hosts’ blogs.

Lisa R. Howeler is a blogger, homeschool mom, and writes cozy mysteries.

You can find her Gladwynn Grant Mystery series HERE.

Weekend Traffic Jam Reboot June 20

On June 19, 2025 By Lisa R. HowelerIn Weekend Traffic Jam9 Comments

Look for the post to go live about 9:30 PM EST on Thursdays.

Summer is finally showing up in our neck of the woods and I’m not too happy about it. I am not a summer person. My body just doesn’t handle the heat well at all. I feel very sick in it so I spend more time inisde than out during the summer.

Still, I’ve really enjoyed seeing the flowers in my yard bloom, including the wild roses and the peonies and since the weather hasn’t been super hot I’ve been able to go out and get a few photos of them.

I hope you have all been having a nice summer.

If you are interested, I am hosting a monthly blog link-up for anything related to books. This can be posts about books you’ve read, want to read, are collecting, have found, etc. Etc. If it is related to books, it is welcome this monthly link up.

June’s link-up can be found here: https://lisahoweler.com/2025/06/08/a-good-book-a-cup-of-tea-june-2025-party/

Now, let’s introduce our hosts for the Weekend Traffic Jam Reboot:

Lisa from Boondock Ramblings shares about the fiction she writes and reads, her faith, homeschooling, photography and more.

WTJR will be highlighting a different blogger each week this year! We invite you to stop by their blog, take a look around and say hello!

This week we are spotlighting: I do declare

A little about Laura: I’m Laura and I started I do deClaire way back in 2013 a few months after our first daughter, Claire was born. After I became a mom for the first time I didn’t want to lose my love of fashion and clothing. I started blogging as a way to hold myself accountable and show others that fashion doesn’t have to be time consuming, expensive, or uncomfortable. It’s all about finding what you love and what you feel best in. And you can do it all on a budget!

Thank you so much for joining us for our link-up!

And now some posts that were highlights for me this past week:

Love these beautiful red outfits!

(More red from Chez Mireille Fashion Travel Mom!)

(Kate’s Dino Garden is so cute from Two Chicks and a Mom)

Important things to know:

You may add unlimited family-friendly blog post links, linked to specific blog posts, not just the blog.
Be sure to visit other links and leave a kind comment for each link you post (it would be too hard to visit every link, of course!)
The party opens Thursday evening and ends Wednesday.
Thank you for participating. Have fun!

*By linking to The Weekend Traffic Jam Reboot Link Up, you give permission to share your post and images on the hosts’ blogs.

Lisa R. Howeler is a blogger, homeschool mom, and writes cozy mysteries.

You can find her Gladwynn Grant Mystery series HERE.

Saturday Afternoon Chat: Visiting a cute bookstore and enjoying Memorial Day

On May 31, 2025June 5, 2025 By Lisa R. HowelerIn Saturday Afternoon Tea8 Comments

Saturday Afternoon Chat is what it sounds like — a post to chat about what’s been going on or, well, anything I and you want to chat about. You can also feel free to leave links to similar posts or to a post you want to get some extra eyes on at the bottom of this post.

Welcome to our Saturday Afternoon Chat. So glad you are here to chat with me because during the week I mostly chat to my pets and my 10-year-old daughter and sometimes neither of them respond to me. Huh.

Well, anyhow, it’s nice to have some adults to chat with.

Last Sunday The Husband, Little Miss, and I traveled to a small tourist town year us after we found out there was a small, used bookstore there.

The store ended up being bigger than I thought and it was extremely cozy and inviting.

I can’t believe we have lived here for five years and I had no idea the store was there!

The town it is located in starts to get active in the spring and summer because most of the residents have summer homes there along the lake.

Our county is made up mainly of state game land that is full of cabins and hiking trails. This town was built probably 100 years ago as a getaway for residents of the city. Yes, many of those residents are fairly wealthy, so there is definitely a different feel to this town than others in our county.

There is a beach along the lake in the town, but it is only accessible to members or those who stay at the local inns in town, so, yes, it is an exclusive beach.

The bookstore was not exclusive to members, though, so we were free to visit it, look through the books, and even buy some.

What drew us to the store this past weekend was the beginning of summer sale where the owner places select books out front and in a room in the back and marks them at either $1.50 or $3.

There were plenty of books to choose from in those sections but there were also very many reasonably priced books throughout the three rooms of the store.

Of course, the section that most excited me was the children’s section because this is where she had a nice, small selection of Nancy Drew books. I only owned one or two of them and wanted all 17 of them, but we (okay The Husband) had established a budget for all of our purchases so I ended up only grabbing one. The newer editions, and even some of the older ones, were about $5 each, with the larger reprints of the original text priced at $8.50.

Little Miss chose the one I purchased, The Clue of the Velvet Mask.

It looks like the blob is coming up behind Nancy.

I really hope to be able to head back there soon and snatch up a few more.

She also had some vintage books, lovely collector’s editions, new books, history books, art books, mysteries, and so much more.

I could have spent the entire afternoon in there simply exploring.

After we left the bookstore, The Husband and Little Miss grabbed an ice cream cone at the Sweet Shop, a small restaurant and ice cream stand in town. From there we headed to the boat launch of the lake and took a few photos.

We drove by the beach area of the lake, but, again, since we were not members, we were not allowed to visit it.

On the way out of town, we stopped at the reserve, which features a walking trail and a 18th-century log cabin. During other times, the cabin is open and features a mini-museum and local historical information.

The rest of last weekend was spent with family, including a friend of The Boy’s, to celebrate The Boy graduating from technical school.

On Monday, we spent the day at my parents, reading books on their porch/deck, eating chicken spiedies, and the kids took a golf cart ride over the hill with my dad.

The rest of the week was fairly uneventful and not worth writing about. Yesterday we drove to pick up groceries. Ooh…so very exciting. Ha!

Tomorrow Little Miss will start attending a VBS about 20 minutes from our house. It’s going to be going on each evening for five nights.

How was your week last week? Do anything exciting? Go anywhere fun? Let me know in the comments.

Come back tomorrow for Sunday Bookends, where I chat about what I’ve been reading, watching, listening to, doing and share some favorite photos and links from around the blog community.

Weekend Traffic Jam Reboot! Come link up with us!

On March 27, 2025March 27, 2025 By Lisa R. HowelerIn everyday musings, Weekend Traffic Jam6 Comments

Welcome to the Weekend Traffic Jam Reboot where we offer a place for bloggers to link up and get a fresh set of eyes on their posts. We also feature one blog a week, letting our readers know about the blog and providing a link so readers can learn more about them.

Look for the post to go live about 9:30 PM EST on Thursdays.

I am going to have to be short and sweet today because I spent all day watching the tree cutters remove a 200-foot tree from in front of our house today and almost forgot to finish my post!

Watching the tree be cut down was bittersweet. I loved that old tree, but it was getting a bit old and we didn’t know if it could topple on to our house or our neighbor’s house so the neighbors (who are amazing) paid to have it removed. Watching it be cut down and up was so cool and I’ll be writing about it on my blog for Saturday. They are, in fact, still finishing up as I write this.

Your hosts for the link up:

Lisa from Boondock Ramblings shares about the fiction she writes and reads, her faith, homeschooling, photography and more.

WTJR will be highlighting a different blogger each week this year! We invite you to stop by their blog, take a look around and say hello!

This week we are spotlighting: Moo is Van Me

Here are some posts I enjoyed this week (though I really enjoy so many posts from this link up!!)

|| How I Did With My Winter Bucket List by My Slices of Life ||

|| Eye of the Storm Photos of Paul McCartney by Adventures in Weseland ||

|| Exciting Things to Do Before Turning 65 by Deb’s World ||

|| A Drapery Trick: More Stock Up On What I have by Debbie Dabble Blog ||

Thank you so much for joining us for our link-up! Please remember that this is a link-up where you can share posts from the previous week or posts from weeks, months, or years ago. All we ask is that they be “family-friendly.”

Weekend Traffic Jam Reboot! Come Link Up With Us!

On March 6, 2025March 6, 2025 By Lisa R. HowelerIn Weekend Traffic Jam8 Comments

Look for the post to go live about 9:30 PM EST on Thursdays.

Your hosts for the link up:

Lisa from Boondock Ramblings shares about the fiction she writes and reads, her faith, homeschooling, photography and more.

WTJR will be highlighting a different blogger each week this year! We invite you to stop by their blog, take a look around and say hello! This week we are spotlighting:

A little about the blog and its author Jill:

Doused in Pink is a fashion-focused lifestyle blog where you’ll find posts about fashion, non-toxic beauty, healthy lifestyle articles, DIYs, and decorating ideas. I want to inspire other women to embrace their personal style, feel confident, and love what they wear. I started Doused in Pink in 2014 as a creative outlet to document my everyday outfits when I needed some inspiring myself.

I’m a budget-savvy shopper and love sharing how to have that put-together look without breaking the bank by building on classic pieces with a few seasonal trends and remixing what you already have in your closet.

Thank you for being part of the Weekend Traffic Jam Reboot, Jill!

Now for some highlights from me taken from our links last week:

|| How to Style Your Home With Colorful Spring Tablescape Ideas by Karins Kottage ||

|| Weekly Snapshots From Our Grand Lives by Our Grand Lives ||

|| Green Sweatshirts and Jeans Style With A Smile by Style-Splash ||

|| Enjoying the Bird Café: Nature’s Morning Show by Thrifting Wonderland ||

Weekend Traffic Jam Reboot: Come Link Up With Us!

On February 20, 2025February 20, 2025 By Lisa R. HowelerIn everyday musings, Weekend Traffic Jam9 Comments

Look for the post to go live about 9:30 PM EST on Thursdays.

I think weather forecasters have just given up on trying to figure out our weather in Pennsylvania. Today we were told we’d have some sun but instead we got half an inch of snow and me driving to my parents with white knuckles. I had borrowed their car and was taking it back with plans for my husband to pick me up after work. My dad ended up driving me back because the tires are better on his car and he didn’t want my husband to get stuck on their dirt road. So, we headed back with Dad driving because I honestly think he loves driving in snow. I, however, hate it and don’t want to drive at all the rest of this winter – especially if these unexpected snow events are going to happen.

Anyhow….on to introducing your hosts for Weekend Traffic Jam Reboot!

Lisa from Boondock Ramblings shares about the fiction she writes and reads, her faith, homeschooling, photography and more.

WTJR will be highlighting a different blogger each week this year! We invite you to stop by their blog, take a look around and say hello! This week we are spotlighting Style Yourself Confident.

Pamela says about her blog, “Hi – I’m Pamela thank you so much for visiting my corner of the Internet.

This website is about LOOKING GOOD and FEELING GOOD about yourself, whatever your age shape or size!

Although most women will tell you that looking good and feeling good generally go hand in hand, each of us has a different agenda for what makes that happen.

Many years ago, I trained as an Image Consultant but I’ve always been reluctant to use the title because it’s so pretentious. We’re overdosed with patronizing makeover shows on TV which have nothing whatsoever to do with real life!

The world as a whole often regards the older woman as invisible but it’s easy to take back control of the way you look and feel with a little fun, flexibility and plain old fashioned common sense.

Let me help you discover a little about the COLORS and SHAPES that nature designed for you because it’s never too late to discover STYLE CONFIDENCE!”

Thank you for being part of the Weekend Traffic Jam Reboot, Pamela!

Now for my highlights this week:

|| Reading is a discount ticket to everywhere by Where The Wild Things Are||

|| Ideas for Styling Stripes and Spots by Is This Mutton ||

|| Friday Morning Catch Up by Still Life, With Cracker Crumbs ||

|| Outfit Inspiration With a Neutral Long Cardigan by Chez Mireille Fashion Travel Mom ||

Weekend Traffic Jam Reboot with new features! Come Link Up With Us!

On January 9, 2025January 9, 2025 By Lisa R. HowelerIn Weekend Traffic Jam5 Comments

Welcome to our first Weekend Traffic Jam Reboot for 2025! With this post comes some exciting changes to this feature.

This is a link-up where we not only allow you to share your past posts, but we encourage it. So, share away!

One thing that hasn’t changed this year is your hosts. Here is a little information about each of us:

Lisa from Boondock Ramblings shares about the fiction she writes and reads, her faith, homeschooling, photography and more.

Now for the change — WTJR will be highlighting a different blogger each week! We invite you to stop by their blog, take a look around and say hello!

This week we are spotlighting Life is Better Lakeside!

Each week we will also share posts each of us want to highlight from the previous week’s links. Those highlights may be the same or different but will be each of our own choices.

My highlights for this week:

|| Gifts of Christmas – Good News by A New Lens ||

|| Gibbs Farm Spectacular Day Trip by Holidays, Hellidays, and the Journeys in Between ||

|| How to Wear Brown and Black Together This Holiday Season by Kathrine Eldridge ||

Last Weekend Traffic Jam Reboot of 2024!

On December 19, 2024December 19, 2024 By Lisa R. HowelerIn everyday musings, Weekend Traffic Jam9 Comments

This link-up is hosted by Marsha in the Middle, Melynda from Scratch Made Food & DYI Homemade Household, Sue from Women Living Well After 50, and me. Look for the link party to go live on Thursdays at 9:30pm EDT.

This is a link-up where we not only allow you to share your past posts, but we encourage it. So, share away!

I can not believe this is the last Weekend Traffic Jam Reboot of 2024! How did this year go by so fast? I believe I’ve been a co-host for this link up for about a year…maybe more? I’ve sort of lost track of the months.

Thank you to Marsha for allowing me to be a part of this link-up each week.

We hope to see you all again January 9^th for the first link-up of 2025.

Look for a new and improved Weekend Traffic Jam Reboot with the new year! We will be featuring a new blogger each week along with our individual favorite picks. If you’re interested in being featured please drop us a line at momssundaycafe@gmail.com. And you will be on our list!

Let’s get to our last “most clicked post” ever:

|| It’s Ok Not To Love Christmas by Is This Mutton ||

And here are a few highlights I chose for this week. There are so many great posts each week that it is really hard to pick a few to highlight so I hope you will take a little time out of your day to go click on a few and tell them you enjoyed their posts.

|| This That December 2024 by The Apple Street Cottage ||

|| Nativity Bracelets. Sharing the Christmas Story with Littles by Our Grand Lives ||

|| Wandering About Wellington by Thistles and Kiwi ||

|| The Bellagio Presents Christmas by Adventures in Weseland ||

|| Top Ten Books to Read in a (Snow) Storm by Still Life, With Cracker Crumbs ||

I’m so glad you are here and participating in our weekly link-up of family-friendly, fun, educational, interesting, crafty, fashionable, and “whatever else” posts. I hope you’ll tell your followers about our link up (free to copy and paste the graphic) and visit the bloggers who participate each week.

Now it is your turn to link up your favorite posts. They can be fashion, lifestyle, DIY, food, etc. All we ask is that they be family-friendly. You can link up posts from last week or even from years ago. You can share up to three links each week.

We are always looking for additional hosts so let us know if you want to help out!

Weekend Traffic Jam Reboot! Come Link Up With Us!

On December 12, 2024December 12, 2024 By Lisa R. HowelerIn everyday musings, Weekend Traffic Jam9 Comments

Welcome to another Weekend Traffic Jam Reboot!

This is a link-up where we not only allow you to share your past posts, but we encourage it. So, share away!

I hope you are having a lovely December as we move into the holiday and Christmas season.

Because I always talk about weather in this post, I will share that we had warm weather in the beginning of this week and then it plummeted back into the low 20s by Wednesday night. We didn’t light the fire for a couple of days but by Wednesday night we had to and today it was roaring to chase away temps that fell into the teens.

Let’s get right to our most clicked post for this week:

|| All is Bright Tablescape by Thrifting Wonderland ||

Before I share my highlights for the week, I just want to say/write that I am blown away by all the incredible posts I see on this link-up each week. Choosing highlights is hard for me because I enjoy so many of the posts. I’ve even started sharing some of them on my personal posts on Sundays where I chat about what I’ve been reading, doing, and watching – simply so more people will see some of the posts I didn’t get a chance to highlight.

This week my highlights are:

|| Winter Outfits with Red Tulle Skirt by Chez Mireille Fashion Travel Mom ||

|| November: Colorful With An 80s Twist by Is This Mutton ||

|| Christmas Wreath Making – Chic & Stylish Linkup by Mumma B. Stylish ||

|| Nostalgia – Chinook by Cat’s Wire ||

We are always looking for additional hosts so let us know if you want to help out!

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