Tag: writing

Weekend Traffic Jam Reboot April 17

On 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.

This week we’ve had warm weather and I have not been enjoying it! It’s been too warm for spring, but I have enjoyed the sunlight and the leaves coming out on the trees! If this warm weather is any indication of what our summer will be, I am not interested! Ha! But I will make do.

I hope you are all enjoying the weather where you are and aren’t getting any of the extreme weather.

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: From Bay to the Beach

A little about Susan:

If you love interior design and California coastal style, you’re in the right place! I’m a native Californian, and I am privileged to call two of the most beautiful places in California my home – the San Francisco Bay Area and coastal San Diego County. So whether you love wine country or the coast, or everything in between, you’ll find something to love here – From the Bay to the Beach.

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

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

Gail is springing into spring with style

Love this driftwood starburst

Shelbee’s showing off her beautiful Easter outfit

Lovely denim jackets Chez Mireille

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! 

You are invited to the Inlinkz link party!

Click here to enter
https://fresh.inlinkz.com/js/widget/load.js?id=c0efdbe6b4add43dd7ef

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

Sunday Bookends: Gladys Taber, Heidi, and other relaxing books and Bette Davis movies

On By Lisa R. HowelerIn Sunday Bookends, Sunday Salon11 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. Some weeks I share what I am listening to.

This past week was semi-eventful but mostly errands and trips to pick up either glasses or medicine for the kitten who was sprayed by a skunk and then developed an eye infection. I wrote about that in my post yesterday.

There were a couple trips to my parents as well, mainly to help my mom while my dad went to various appointments and to clean the house a little. My parents live about seven minutes away, so it wasn’t too much of a drive at least. The weather was also very nice yesterday when we went to visit, if not a little chilly.

Little Miss had a friend over to visit, and they had fun dressing up in the same outfit since they both have similar-looking glasses now. They also had a lot of fun jumping off the railing of my parents’ deck, and I just hoped they wouldn’t break anything. Luckily, they did not.

I have not broken my book-buying ban for this month but I am in possession of two new Nancy Drew books. My husband found them at a local thrift store. They are from the Nancy Drew Girl Detective series from the early 2000s and are written in the first person. Not sure what I’ll think of them, but I have a lot of books ahead of them to read first.

What I/We’ve Been Reading

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. I am, of course, in April now. The book starts with April and my copy (used and in good shape) arrived two days before the beginning of April. I thought that was great timing!

I’ve already marked so much in the book that I have enjoyed.



I am also continuing to read Damsel in Distress by P.G. Wodehouse and Heidi by Johanna Spyri. I will finish both of them this week.

Up Soon

 Up next, I am reading A Caribbean Mystery by Agatha Christie as part of the Christie Challenge for 2026.

I am also looking forward to a Murder She Wrote book, Aloha Betrayal, sometime in April, but then I also remembered I wanted to read The Enchanted April this month so we will see which one comes first.

What The Family is Reading

 

Little Miss and I started Heidi this past week and I think she will like it.

What I/We’ve Been Watching

This past week I watched the British sitcom from the 70s, Two’s Company with Elaine Stritch and ….. some British guy I don’t know the name of. Okay. I looked it up. It’s Donald Sinden. It’s such a funny and entertaining show.

I also watched the 1937 movie It’s Love I’m After with Bette Davis, Leslie Howard, and Olivia De Haviland. It was so funny. I am so glad I found it while looking for Bettie Davis movies to watch this spring. I was going to watch mainly her well-known movies but decided to watch some lesser-known ones to start, ones where she was just starting out, and I am glad I did. I also watched another one called A Working Man from 1938 and it was great too. I’ll be writing about both later this week.

I watched one called Payment on Demand with Bette Davis earlier in the week and didn’t enjoy it. I don’t think I’ll be writing about that one.

I watched a ton of Bluey with Little Miss and her friend last night.

What I’ve Been Writing

Last week on the blog I shared:

What I/We’ve Been Listening To

I’ve been listening to the Jack Benny Show when I go to bed at night.

Recent Blog Posts I Enjoyed

What Are Your Reading Habits & Quirks?
Words for Wednesday: spring in my heart
THE SEEN VS THE UNSEEN

Photos From Last Week

Some Housekeeping

Erin (Still Life, With Cracker Crumbs) 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. Sunday Bookends with Boondock Ramblings 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.

Weekend Traffic Jam Reboot April 10

On 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.

This week has been a bit crazy. Last Friday the youngest cat was sprayed with a skunk. It was an ordeal to get him bathed and then there is this whole thing with him crying in the middle of the night, waking The Husband, who has a hard time going back to sleep and is tired for work the next day.

On Monday his eye became goopy. On Tuesday we called the vet who said they could give us some ointment without us driving 45-minutes for him to be seen. They agreed to mail it but that didn’t happen until Wednesday.

Today the second eye became infected, so it looks like we have to drive to the vet tomorrow to get the ointment instead of waiting for the one they mailed to arrive. There are pros to living in a rural area but there are also a lot of cons.

Anyhow, without further ado….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: Family Caregivers



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

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

Soma has a tutorial on making notepads and journals

Gail is loving her purple pants

The Cannary Family repaired the attic door and spruced it up

Cat is sharing about her March reads!

Nicole is talking about changes in her writing life

God’s Growing Graden is Sharing 15 Favorite Posts!

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! 

You are invited to the Inlinkz link party!

Click here to enter
https://fresh.inlinkz.com/js/widget/load.js?id=c0efdbe6b4add43dd7ef

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 enjoy the kind of content on my blog and all that goes into it, you can support my writing for $2.99 a month or a single donation. Learn more here: https://lisahoweler.com/support-my-writing/

Weekend Traffic Jam Reboot April 3

On By Lisa R. HowelerIn Weekend Traffic Jam4 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.

This morning The Husband had a tooth extracted with IV sedation and we thought it was going to be a lot worse than it was. The tooth was close to the sinus and broken so it was set with an oral surgeon about 90 minutes from us.

I don’t drive as much as I once did because of my autoimmune conditions (vertigo, weakness, fatigue, aches and pains. All the good stuff.) but there was no one else to take him, so I had to suck it up and do it.

Long story short, the procedure went well and he was only a bit loopy on the way back.

He actually drove us there so I would know the route and then I drove home.

He did tell me three times in the 90-minute drive that they couldn’t find his vein and twice he told me they asked if he wanted a shot to numb him or the IV sedation. They’d told him when he first called that he’d have to do IV sedation so that’s what he got.

He also asked me twice if I had his prescriptions so we could drop it off at the pharmacy on the way into town. I told him both times that I did.

In the early evening, he came downstairs after a long nap to get some food I’d made him (soft foods of course) and said he didn’t even remember saying those things more than once.

Luckily that was about the extent of his loopiness. He did ask about 15 minutes into our drive home if he thought I was really that loopy or if I was messing with him so maybe he was actually repeating his stories on purpose to mess with me.

I don’t think he was, though.

I appreciated the prayers of friends and family because I certainly felt them.

Little Miss has been sick with a stomach thing this week too so I’ve been up with her a few nights which means bedtime can’t come early enough today!

Anyhow, on to our hosts introductions!

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: Ann at Our New Vista



A little about Ann:

Hi – I am a retired School Librarian who loves to read, cook, decorate, travel, and enjoy the good life with my amazing husband of over 40 years! Hope to share my journey of downsizing and enjoying life!

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

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

Shelbee can’t believe her son is 13!

Honey Bears and Sydney Beans is offering up some amazing Easter-inspired recipes in this one!

Style Yourself Confident is sharing a Seasonal Color Analysis

Amy is sharing some very cute Easter cards!

Millie is sharing about a trip to the Colorado Rockies Stadium

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! 

You are invited to the Inlinkz link party!

Click here to enter
https://fresh.inlinkz.com/js/widget/load.js?id=c0efdbe6b4add43dd7ef

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 enjoy the kind of content on my blog and all that goes into it, you can support my writing for $2.99 a month or a single donation. Learn more here: https://lisahoweler.com/support-my-writing/

What I love about writing my books

On By Lisa R. HowelerIn Books I've Written7 Comments

I don’t think I make it clear enough when I share about my books, how much fun I have writing them.

I share about how I am stuck on book four.

I share about not feeling good enough as a writer and a marketer.

I share about imposter syndrome and writer’s block.

But I keep forgetting to share how much I love my made up characters.

I love Gladwynn Grant, but I don’t even think I’ve scratched the surface of really getting to know who she is.

I love that Gladwynn and Lucinda (her grandmother) are a mix of my grandmothers.

I love the quirky characters that surround her.

I don’t love that I started a love triangle. That has stressed me out more than the mysteries and is one reason I dragged my feet on book four so long.

I’ll figure it out eventually.

The bottom line is that writing my cozy mysteries has brought me some stress but a lot more joy.

They are not best sellers and this is going to sound weird, but I totally love that too! I love having this little, lovely group of readers who like my characters and like to tell me that.

I need to pause more and share what I love about writing – instead of what stresses me out about it!

If you write book reviews or book-related blog posts, don’t forget that Erin and I host the A Good Book and A Cup of Tea Monthly Bookish Blog Party. You can learn more about it here.

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.

Weekend Traffic Jam Reboot March 27

On By Lisa R. HowelerIn Weekend Traffic Jam7 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.

Hello… let’s start with introducing 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. 

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: huisvlijt

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

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

Beautiful new curtains in the Apple Cottage!

Deb is sharing some favorite reads

A whole new twist on the traditional “veggie tray” at The Copper Table

Shelbee’s showing some lovely style in this one

Thrifting World has started some lovely gardening

Melynda has shared an amazing low-histamine bread recipe

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! 

You are invited to the Inlinkz link party!

Click here to enter
https://fresh.inlinkz.com/js/widget/load.js?id=c0efdbe6b4add43dd7ef

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 enjoy the kind of content on my blog and all that goes into it, you can support my writing for $2.99 a month or a single donation. Learn more here: https://lisahoweler.com/support-my-writing/

Sunday Bookends: Taking social media breaks, finally finished with Return of the King, O’Hara gets a DNF

On By Lisa R. HowelerIn Sunday Bookends, Sunday Salon31 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. Some weeks I share what I am listening to.

I mentioned in my Weekend Traffic Jam Reboot post on Thursday that I am pulling back from social media. This is something I’ve been trying to do for months because I know it will help  my mental health.

I stay on social media (Instagram) because I have fun sharing old movie clips or posts about books but it has started to really consume me and take away from more productive things I could be doing.

It is interesting that the same weekend I deleted Instagram from my phone (not forever but for a few days at least), YouTube suggested a video about scrolling less and experiencing life more.

If you are also trying to break the social media addiction (and I am happy for those of you who don’t have one!), here is a video with some ideas on what to do instead.

You can catch up on what I’ve been up to lately in yesterday’s Saturday Afternoon Chat.

What I/We’ve Been Reading

Just Finished

I finally finished Return of the King by Tolkien. I don’t want to talk about it. The last several chapters were like torture. The book just would not end. Still, I loved the trilogy overall, the friendships, the way the ring was destroyed which was not how people make it out to be, the good writing.

But I felt like the last five or six chapters were a slog.

I’m ready for lighter fare now.

I tossed the Maureen O’Hara book aside. I have thoughts on that one – oh do I. I plan to write a separate review because I got through enough of it that I can write one.

Maureen says in the beginning she waited 70-some years to get revenge on people and boy did she – I think she made up half of what she wrote just to do that.

And she also made sure she came out looking like quite the victim and yet also the savior through most of it.

 I’ll explain my issues with the book further in a future post, but rest assured, I wasn’t the only one who got the same impression.

In Progress

I am reading Crooked House by Agatha Christie and A Damsel in Distress by P.G. Wodehouse.

Up Soon

I will be reading Heidi in April. I also hope to read Thrush Green by Miss Read, Nancy Drew and The Mysterious Letter, and Murder, She Wrote: Aloha Betrayal.

What The Family is Reading

Litte Miss and I are almost done with The Singing Tree.

What I/We’ve Been Watching

Eternally Yours (a 1939 movie with David Niven and Loretta Young), The Mirror Cracked (awful movie from the 1970s based on an Agatha Christie book), and the British Sitcom Two’s Company.

What I’ve Been Writing

This week on the blog I shared:

What I/We’ve Been Listening To

Little Miss and I are listening to Gone Away Lake by Elizabeth Enright. I read this to her last year but we are enjoying listening to it again.

I have started listening to The Adventures of Tom Sawyer by Mark Twain.

Recent Blog Posts I Enjoyed

Reading Through The Hardy Boys by Pages Unbound

Tea Time Kitchen Talk by The Farm Wife Reads

The Double Turn 1956 by Cross Examining Crime.

The Miracle Before Our Eyes by Grace Filled Moments

Some Housekeeping

Erin (Still Life, With Cracker Crumbs) 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. Sunday Bookends with Boondock Ramblings 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 enjoy the kind of content on my blog and all that goes into it, you can support my writing for $2.99 a month or a single donation. Learn more here: https://lisahoweler.com/support-my-writing/

Weekend Traffic Jam Reboot March 20

On 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.

I’m very much over all the AI videos and photos on social media. So over it that earlier today I decided I’m going to start working on living like it’s the 1990s or early 2000s and skip social media much more than I have been.

I won’t being cutting it completely, but I am choosing to make my visits there briefly to sort of reset my mind and nervous system a bit.

I like the connections I’ve been able to make on social media, so I need to make a more concentrated effort to focus on those and less on the weirdness that trends, attention seekers, and rage baiters create these days.

Now, 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: Snapdragon Alcove



A little about Snapdragon:

Just a blogger who loves to write about all things nerdy. Love coffee and long walks wandering off the trail.

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

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

Real Food Blogger shared an amazing Instant Pot Carrot Apple Ginger Soup!

More soup I want to try from The Copper Table!

Chez Mireille is sharing some outfits that show off her inner artist

Can’t wait to try this yummy egg-roll-in-a-bowl recipe from Joanne!

Musings and Glimpses offers us an amazing instant pot chuck roast!

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! 

You are invited to the Inlinkz link party!

Click here to enter
https://fresh.inlinkz.com/js/widget/load.js?id=c0efdbe6b4add43dd7ef

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 enjoy the kind of content on my blog and all that goes into it, you can support my writing for $2.99 a month or a single donation. Learn more here: https://lisahoweler.com/support-my-writing/

Weekend Traffic Jam Reboot March 13

On By Lisa R. HowelerIn Weekend Traffic Jam10 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.

I’m burnt out on everyone being offended by everything.

Yes, I am offended by everyone being offended. Ha!

I know.  How ironic!

I don’t have any specific examples of this, by the way, it’s just everywhere you look these days. Someone is always up in arms about something!

With that being said, stay tuned for my post tomorrow where I share how disgusted I am with — Ha! Just kidding. I just have a book review to share.

I hope you are having a good week. We just found out my husband will need oral surgery for his tooth problems because it is a cavity in his wisdom tooth and is close to a sinus. Umm..yay?

Now, 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: Laura Kelly



A little about Laura:

Laura is a licensed doodle artist, creating thematic collections for products in an array of industries. When she is not busy doodling away with her favorite markers, you will find her creating crafty projects in her studio, her kitchen and her garden. Laura is an active member of the Association for Creative Industries where she designs for several companies and participates regularly in their events and trade shows. Her work is currently licensed with Ellison, Sizzix, Checks in the Mail, PhotoFy, LeapYear Publishing, PaperSalt, ChattySnaps, Therm-O-Web and Ollie Bollie Books. Prior licensing partners include Plaid, Ganz, Thirstystone, Lollipics, Buttons Galore & More and General Fabrics. BUT stay tuned because two NEW licensed collections are in the works!

Thank you for linking up!

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

Gail is talking about Anna Ancher art and I’m here for it.

Natasha has some fun and beautiful spring flower crafts.

Marsha Has Questions

Sandi is showing some beautiful art!

Amy is freshening up her home for Spring!

Style Yourself Confident has ideas for the short women over 50! Whoot!

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! 

You are invited to the Inlinkz link party!

Click here to enter
https://fresh.inlinkz.com/js/widget/load.js?id=c0efdbe6b4add43dd7ef

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 enjoy the kind of content on my blog and all that goes into it, you can support my writing for $2.99 a month or a single donation. Learn more here: https://lisahoweler.com/support-my-writing/