Weekend Traffic Jam Reboot August 7

On August 6, 2026August 13, 2026 By Lisa R. HowelerIn Weekend Traffic Jam9 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.

My daughter and I are slowly starting homeschool lessons for this upcoming school year and part of our lessons include classes throught Outschool. These are live classes through Zoom. Today we had our first US Geography/History class (it will meet once a week and I’ll be filling in with other history lessons throughout the week). I loved the teacher because she seemed so excited about her topic (even though it was just about Delaware. Sigh. *wink*). Then, after the class….I’m so giddy as I type this … she sent additional resources. She sent two more videos and a link to a game with questions about Delaware. Squeeeeeeeel! More resources that we can draw from and learn from! I announced this exciting development to Little Miss and … I don’t know how to say this… she was NOT excited. What?! Well, she’s just going to have to get old to be excited about having extra resources to learn from I guess. That and new appliances.

Anyhow…. Let’s introduce our current 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.

Cat from Cat’s Wire is a bookworm, movie fan, crazy cat lady, armed with beads, cabs, wire and a very jumpy brain which loves to go down rabbit holes!

Rena from Fine, Whatever writes about style, midlife, and the “fine whatever” moments that make life both meaningful and fun. Since 2015, she’s been celebrating creativity, confidence, and finding joy in the everyday.

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!

This week we are spotlighting: Taking the Long Way Home

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

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

I loved Joanne’s botanical garden tour!

I love this spray bottle fun from Our Grand Lives!

Oh my gosh cinnamon griddle cakes from Eseme Salon

Loved the photos Life Captured of these geese crossing the road

I also enjoyed Pam’s look at God being in every detail of our life and life in general

Important things to know about the link-up:

This link party is for blog posts only. All other links will be deleted.

Please link only blog posts you created yourself.

Please link directly to the URL of your post and not the main address of your blog.

Please do not add links to videos, sales ads, or social media links such as YouTube videos or Shorts, Instagram or Facebook Reels, TikTok videos, or any other “social media” based content.

But do visit other blogs and give the gift of a comment.

Notice: By linking with Weekend Traffic Jam Reboot, you assert that content and photos are your own property. And you give us permission to share said content if your post or blog is showcased.

We welcome unlimited, family friendly content! This can include opinion pieces, recipes, travel recaps, fashion ideas, crafts, thrifting, lifestyle, book reviews or discussions, photography, art, and so much more! Thank you for joining us!

Hello! Welcome to my blog. I am a blogger, homeschool mom, and I write cozy mysteries.

You can find my Gladwynn Grant Mystery series HERE.

You can also find me on Instagram and YouTube and Facebook.

Sunday Bookends: The Husband’s acting bug continues, watched a lot of movies, and …will my daughter and I ever finish reading Heidi?

On August 2, 2026 By Lisa R. HowelerIn Sunday Bookends, Sunday Salon14 Comments

It’s time for our Sunday morning chat. On Sundays, I ramble about what’s been going on, what the rest of the family and I have been reading and watching, and what I’ve been writing.

My husband has been rehearsing for a couple of months now for a community theater production of Little Shop of Horrors and yesterday the kids and I were able to see the result of his and the cast and crew’s hard work.

He did an amazing job as Mr. Mushnik, the shop owner, if you are familiar with the play/movie.

Everyone else did as well. The singing, acting, the effects, and the Audrey II puppet made by a local college student. Most of the cast were college age, except for my husband.

This was the play version so the ending was quite different than the movie ending (different = sadder), but it was …. Sort of okay.

I got attached to the girl who played Audrey and, let’s just say, I shouldn’t have.

The girl who played Audrey is so talented.

You can see her performance (complete with my horrible videography) here:

And I hope my husband doesn’t mind but here he is performing his song, which he was so nervous about doing.

This is now the fourth or fifth production he’s done with the local theater group and he gets better every time.

What I/We’ve Been Reading

Just Finished

I finished Travels with Charley in Search of America by John Steinbeck earlier in the week and will have a review for it later this week.

I enjoyed it and thought the last two or three chapters when he was down South witnessing the desegregation of schools was the most well written and interesting of the whole book.

In Progress

I am slow reading Stillmeadow Daybrook by Gladys Taber. Since each chapter is a month, I plan to read a chapter a month for the rest of 2026 and into 2027. I’m also reading Mere Christianity by C.S. Lewis.

I am reading two D.E. Stevenson books right now — Celia’s House and Miss Buncle Married.

I am doing a buddy read of Miss Buncle Married with Cat from Cat’s Wire.

Miss Buncle Married is the sequel to Miss Buncle’s Book, which I thoroughly enjoyed.

I’m focusing on these two books only for now and expect to have Celia’s House finished halfway through this week.

Up Soon

I’ll be reading By The Pricking of My Thumbs by Agatha Christie after I finish the Stevenson books, for the August pick for the 2026 Christie Reading Challenge.

What The Family is Reading

The Husband is reading Tell Me What You Did by Carter Wilson.

The Boy is listening to The Flight of the Eisenstein by James Swallow.

Little Miss and I … well, still reading Heidi because we’ve been distracted by other summer things. I hope to have it finished this week so we can jump into our reads for school, which I am starting in two weeks.

New arrivals to my bookshelf

Recently, I added Cagney on Cagney by …. yes, James Cagney, The Adventures of Tom Sawyer by Mark Twain, Miss Buncle Married by D.E. Steveson, Nancy Drew: Mystery of the Moss Covered Mansion, Nancy Drew: The Message in the Hollow Oak, and Murder, She Wrote: The Queens Jewels by Donald Baine (and Jessica Fletcher).

What I/We’ve Been Watching

This past week I watched a few movies including: Without Love (Katharine Hepburn and Spencer Tracy), The Mark of Zorro, It Should Happen to You with Jack Lemmon and Judy Holliday, Love Crazy (Myrna Loy and William Powell), The Fortune Cookie, and Little Shop of Horrors (1986).

What I’ve Been Writing

I worked on Gladwynn Grant Goes Back to School this week and was able to write quite a bit! I’m excited to keep moving forward on it.

This past week on the blog I shared:

Some Housekeeping

Erin (Still Life, With Cracker Crumbs), Cat (Cat’s Wire) and I host a monthly bookish link party called A Good Book and A Cup of Tea. This link-up is for book and reading posts or anything related to books and reading (even movies based on books!). Each link party will be open for a month. You can find that link up for this month here.

Each week, I host the Weekend Traffic Jam Reboot with some great hosts. It goes live Thursday night, but you can share any kind of blog posts (family-friendly) there until Tuesday of each week. You can check my recent posts on the sidebar to the right for the most recent link party.

Now It’s Your Turn

What have you been doing, watching, reading, listening to, or writing?

This post is linked up with The Sunday Post at Kimba at Caffeinated Reviewer, Deb at with Deb at Readerbuzz, and Book Date: It’s Monday! What are you reading hosted by Kathyrn at The Book Date and Stacking the Shelves is hosted by Reading Reality.

Hello! Welcome to my blog. I am a blogger, homeschool mom, and I write cozy mysteries.

You can find my Gladwynn Grant Mystery series HERE.

You can also find me on Instagram and YouTube.

If you would like to be the first to get news about my books or just have access to special posts for supporters, you can do so here for $2.99 a month https://lisahoweler.com/support-my-writing/

Weekend Traffic Jam Reboot July 31st!

On July 30, 2026July 30, 2026 By Lisa R. HowelerIn Weekend Traffic Jam15 Comments

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

It’s weird how grief can hit you years later, isn’t it?

This week my daughter heard a noise in one of the upstairs bedrooms of my parents’ house. My parents don’t really use the upstairs because they can’t climb the stairs anymore.

My aunt lived for 8 years in the room she was in, and we had a good laugh about how it might be her ghost making the noise. I assume it’s just a racoon in the crawl space, but I told my daughter that next time she hears the noise to tell my aunt how much I miss her and when I went to say it, all prepared to laugh, I burst into tears and began to sob.

My aunt died on Dec. 29, 2017.

I also intensely miss my grandmother, who lived in that house when I was growing up, and who I lived with there from 1996 until she died in 2003 so I cried for her too.

My mom says that remembering those we loved who are gone keeps them alive so even though I cried from the pain of missing them, I’m glad I took the time to pause and remember them. Is there someone in your life you lost years ago but still find yourself feeling the loss like it was yesterday?

Now, let’s cheer this up a bit and introduce our current 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.

Cat from Cat’s Wire is a bookworm, movie fan, crazy cat lady, armed with beads, cabs, wire and a very jumpy brain which loves to go down rabbit holes!

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: Homemade on a Weeknight

A little about Homemade On a Weeknight:

Making homemade meals on a weeknight does not have to be a daunting task. You can make easy, delicious meals from fresh ingredients and whole foods any day of the week. The Homemade on a Weeknight Cookbook is just what you need to plan your meals! Come back often for new recipes that are family-friendly and full of flavor!

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

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

I loved checking out Amy’s garden

It was fun to see Shelbee’s thrifted jumpsuit

Serenity You has some great choices for picnic food

I enjoyed amalia’s poem and art about an art exhibition

It was fun to read about Living on the Sunny Side’s Trip to Rome

Pamela’s post about how to know which shade of pink is for you was fun too!

Important things to know about the link-up:

This link party is for blog posts only. All other links will be deleted.

Please link only blog posts you created yourself.

Please link directly to the URL of your post and not the main address of your blog.

Please do not add links to videos, sales ads, or social media links such as YouTube videos or Shorts, Instagram or Facebook Reels, TikTok videos, or any other “social media” based content.

But do visit other blogs and give the gift of a comment.

Notice: By linking with Weekend Traffic Jam Reboot, you assert that content and photos are your own property. And you give us permission to share said content if your post or blog is showcased.

Hello! Welcome to my blog. I am a blogger, homeschool mom, and I write cozy mysteries.

You can find my Gladwynn Grant Mystery series HERE.

You can also find me on Instagram and YouTube and Facebook.

Top Ten Books I HAD to have But Still Haven’t Read

On July 28, 2026July 27, 2026 By Lisa R. HowelerIn books and reading, top-ten-tuesday14 Comments

Top Ten Tuesday is hosted by That Artsy Reader Girl.

If you are new to my blog, I just wanted to share with you that I co-host a monthly bookish link party called A Good Book and A Cup of Tea (no, you don’t have to drink tea to participate) with Erin (Still Life, With Cracker Crumbs) and Cat (Cat’s Wire). You can find a link to it at the top of the page. The link party is for all book-related posts from reviews and recommendations to …well, anything related to books at all. Including Top Ten Tuesday, if you want to link your top ten there too!

Today’s Top Ten Tuesday prompt is: Books I HAD to Have Immediately but Still Haven’t Read (this is a throwback topic from 2022)

Note: I read a lot of older books, so I don’t necessarily yearn to have new release books. That’s why this list will include older books, which will probably confuse some of you. Yes, I desperately want older books and then don’t read them when I get them, which my son scolds me about.

So here are ten books I wanted and bought (used of course) but still have not read.

A Tramp Abroad by Mark Twain

I was very excited for this one and planned to read it this summer. I’m not so sure that is going to happen.

Bombs on Aunt Dainty by Judith Kerr

I read Judith’s first book in this series, When Hitler Stole Pink Rabbit, and was excited to find this one on Thriftbooks. I also planned to read this one this summer. It’s also not happened yet. Just distracted by mysteries.

The Hiding Place by Corrie Ten Boom

I know this one is going to be hard to read so I want to read it but I’ve put it off a bit.

Agatha Christie: An Autobiography by Agatha Christie

I’ve been so busy reading her mysteries, I haven’t gotten to this one yet.

Sidney Chambers and The Shadow of Death by James Runcie

This is the first book in the series that the show Grantchester is based on. I was excited to get in great shape at a used book sale but still have not read it.

Roll of Thunder Hear My Cry by Mildred D. Taylor

I read this one in sixth or seventh grade and have wanted to reread it the last few years but just keep getting distracted by lighter reads. I hope to read it this autumn or winter.

Winter Cottage by Carol Ryrie Brink

This one cost a bit because apparently no old copies exist anywhere and the estate re-released it themselves. I broke down and bought it new and am excited to read it but am holding on to it for winter to read with my daughter.

The Black Dudley Murder by Margery Allingham

I actually have this on Kindle but really wanted to hold an actual paperback copy because I just like reading the Golden Age Mystery writers’ books. It feels like the best way to read them. So now I finally have a copy of it and I haven’t read it yet. In my defense, I did just get it a week or so ago.

The Chosen by Chaim Potok

I’ve had this book on my list to read probably since high school but never seem to get around to it because I got distracted by mystery books and gentle fiction. I think this year might be the year for it!

Emily of New Moon by L.M. Montgomery

I keep saying I am going to read this one, but I’ve also heard it is a little depressing so I’ve been avoiding it. I’ll probably read it this fall or winter.

On Thursdays, I am part of the Weekend Traffic Jam Reboot blog link party. You can find the latest one in the sidebar to the right under recent posts.

Hello! Welcome to my blog. I am a blogger, homeschool mom, and I write cozy mysteries.

You can find my Gladwynn Grant Mystery series HERE.

You can also find me on Instagram and YouTube.

If you would like to be the first to get news about my books or just have access to special posts for supporters, you can do so here for $2.99 a month : https://lisahoweler.com/support-my-writing/

Sunday Bookends: Autumn in Summer, mysteries, and classic movies

On July 26, 2026July 26, 2026 By Lisa R. HowelerIn Sunday Bookends, Sunday Salon26 Comments

It’s time for our Sunday morning chat. On Sundays, I ramble about what’s been going on, what the rest of the family and I have been reading and watching, and what I’ve been writing.

With cooler weather coming in this week, it almost feels like autumn in summer, which stinks for some, but has been so welcome for me. When it is super warm out I like to turn the AC up high for a while and get a blanket and pretend it is autumn already.

The week before last the heat wave, combined with wildfire smoke from Canada, plus some life stress, made me very sick, which is why the cooler temps are such a welcome respite for me.

Luckily it has been still warm enough during the day that we can take our daughter swimming at the YMCA, which is about a half an hour north.

Last Sunday I took her to their outside pool for the first time. I don’t do super well in direct sunlight but they had thin fabric covers over the tables and it was very nice. The Husband has taken her before, but I had never been there. It’s a nice set up and I’m shocked I’ve lived my whole life in the area and never been there. This is one of those old concrete pools and is probably 60 years old.

Little Miss and her friend both took a test to allow them to swim in the deeper part of the pool and were very proud of themselves. I was too.

It wasn’t a super warm day so the pool wasn’t overly crowded either.

The rest of this past week was fairly uneventful.

I started planning for Little Miss’s upcoming school year, visited my parents a couple of times, and picked up groceries from the Aldi pick up on Friday.

Yesterday was a mostly relaxing day with some worrying about aforementioned homeschool year, overthinking the fact that young people today are reading less and therefore not being exposed to the more eloquent and poetic writing of classic literature, watching The Mark of Zorro, reading a bit of my John Steinbeck book, and cooking a self-created combination dish of turkey bacon, brussels sprouts, onions, and sweet peppers.

Rain is being called for almost every day this upcoming week. We do not have any grand plans for the week other than watching Warren (yes, that is The Husband’s real name) in a community play version of Little Shop of Horrors this weekend. After reminding myself of the difference between the play and the 1986 movie, I think I’ll probably leave Little Miss with her friend or my parents.