Weekend Traffic Jam Reboot for February 6

February 5, 2026February 5, 2026 / Lisa R. Howeler / 10 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.

Yes, it is still very cold and snowy where I live.

I don’t want to talk about it anymore. Ha!

Seriously, though, the sun was hitting the snow just right this morning and there were all these beautiful sparkles which was much prettier to me than what our backyard looks like without snow. So, I am enjoying how pretty the snow is. I am just not a huge fan of the severe cold, which we are getting more of this weekend.

In cat news, I came downstairs this morning and found our old cat actually laying near our “new” kitten (who we’ve had since the end of October when someone dropped him off at our house or he wandered here, or I don’t know….). The cats traditionally hate each other – all three of them – so to see our old cat tolerating our kitten was quite a surprise.

I had to get photographic proof!

I hope you are all doing well and are either warm or cool enough to be able to function right now. Hang in there and enjoy the warm or cool days while you can!

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: Wisdom and Wrinkles

A little about Laura:

I’m Laura , a 46-year-old recovering helicopter mom learning to fly solo as my nest gradually empties.

After 18 years of blogging about the chaos of raising four kids, I’m now navigating the unexpected adventures of midlife with hot flashes, reading glasses, and a whole new perspective.
These days, you’ll find me working from home alongside my husband (yes, we’re still talking!), managing a household that’s somehow both quieter and louder with just two kids still under our roof. I’m documenting this grand adventure of reinvention – from surviving menopause with my sense of humor intact to redefining my role as mom to young adults, while discovering who I am beyond the chaos of kids in school.
Join me as I share the laughs, tears, and unexpected wisdom that come with embracing this next chapter. Because while my wrinkles might be multiplying, so are the reasons to smile.

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

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

|| When Hope Is Out of Focus by A New Lens ||

|| Snowmen and Cardinals for Winter in the Kitchen, 2026 by Debbie Dabble Blog ||

||When Is the Last Time You Had Fun by Coffee and Cocktails At the Casa ||

|| Creating My Photo Gallery Walls by Crafty Gardener ||

|| Handmade Valentine Cards and Toilet Paper Roll Valentine “Love Bugs” by Amy’s Creative Pursuits ||

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.

Weekend Traffic Jam Reboot For January 30

January 29, 2026January 29, 2026 / Lisa R. Howeler / 11 Comments

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

Negative 10, people!! Negative 10! Fahrenheidt! That is how cold it is supposed to be overnight tonight. I am ready for these arctic temps to go away already!

Tomorrow our high is 7. SEVEN! AGAIN!

On Monday our high is going to be 26 and I can’t believe I am saying this but I can’t wait for it to be 26F! Ha!

I hope you are all doing okay wherever you are!

Now, let’s 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: Honey Bears and Sydney Beans

A little about Kristin:

I’m Kristin! I am a Mom to a 15 year old, HoneyBear & a 11 year old, SydneyBean. I am married to a supportive & amazing man who loves me despite my crazy gene! Together we have a Couples Podcast called How Was Your Week, Honey?

I am learning to live without my Mom, who passed in 2013 and the ups and downs of being pretty newly diagnosed with Multiple Sclerosis. I love cooking, reading, crafts, and all things beautiful. I am an ally to the LGBTQ+ community and I go by she/her pronouns.

I enjoy politics, music, pop culture and sports. As a family we love to explore, adventure and learn about what we can do to love and care for our community!

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

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

|| 34th Anniversary and more by Nancy’s Fashion Style||

|| Old and New: Denim on Denim by It’s All Fine Whatever Tickles the Fancy ||

||Our Cozy Little Life – Wintering by Still Life, With Cracker Crumbs ||

|| || Our Favorite Faux Pho! by Scratch Made Food For Hungry People || ||

|| A Fall Hike In Irvine Park and Hoffman Hills by Amy’s Creative Pursuits |||

|| Postcards from Canada by Deb’s World ||

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.

Sunday Bookends: A lot of snow, some cozy reading and watching, and some more snow

January 25, 2026January 25, 2026 / Lisa R. Howeler / 30 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.

As I am starting this post on Saturday night, we had temps — er – temp of 5. In the morning snow is supposed to start and when it all ends Monday night, we are supposed to have close to 18 inches of snow.

I really hope we don’t get as much as they say, though, because the high temp is supposed to be 15 degrees, which I think means this will be a very heavy, wet snow. We live in a rural area so that could mean power outages. We have a woodstove that could keep us warm downstairs but we would have to worry about our pipes freezing since we do not have a generator. I believe that’s something we will need to invest in at some point soon. Our neighbors have generators, which I think they purchased after a tornado hit here on our street about six years ago, wiping out power for several days.

I’m sure many of you, if you are in the Northern and Middle U.S. are facing a similar situation as us. Stay safe out there, everyone.

Since we are going to be snowed in, I have been planning how to get through it all without worrying too much. I plan to watch movies, read books, and sip tea or cocoa.

To keep themselves occupied, Little Miss has been video chatting with her friend and The Boy has been chatting with his friend and playing video games. The Husband has been cleaning the house (he’s much better at that than I am) and reading and doing a little work for the newspaper he is at the editor at.

He expects to be snowed in Monday and will work from home. As long as we have power that is.

Erin (www.crackercrumblife.com) and I held our Crafternoon Zoom call yesterday and it was very nice to chat with people from all over the world. We chat while we craft and if you are interested in taking part, please let me or Erin know. It is just a relaxed time to chat, make new friends, and forget about our troubles. We keep conversations as free of politics or hard stuff as much as we can.

UPDATE:

It is 12:24 P.M. as I am finishing up this post and it is about 10 degrees out (-12 C) and we have about six inches of snow on the ground. The snow is supposed to stop sometime tonight and we are expected to have up to 18 inches of snow when it is all done.

What I/We’ve Been Reading

Just Finished

I didn’t finish anything this weekend.

In Progress

I’ve been reading Miss Read’s Village Diary by Miss Read, The Blue Castle by L.M. Montgomery (a reread), and just started Return of the King by J.R.R. Tolkien.

I’m enjoying all three. Miss Read’s books are such easygoing, relaxing reads.

Up Soon

I hope to finish Miss Read this week so I can add The Tiger in the Smoke by Margery Allingham to my reading line up.

I read the first few pages about a month ago and it intrigued me.

Cat from Cat’s Wire needs to let me know if it is good or not. *wink*

After that I plan to start the February Agatha Christie Read for the Agatha Christie challenge, Mrs. McGinty’s Dead.

What The Family is Reading

Little Miss and I started The Singing Tree by Kate Seredy. We’ve also been listening to Winnie The Pooh on Audible.

The Husband is reading….

What I/We’ve Been Watching

I loved this YouTube video about how to read more classic books.

And this video about how to cut back on buying books you never read.

I watched After The Thin Man, the second movie in The Thin Man series, yesterday, and earlier in the week I watched episode two of season six of All Creatures Great And Small.

Today I hope to watch another old movie, probably a James Cagney, for my Winter of Cagney.

I’ve had to change my schedule of Cagney movies again because I have found yet another movie that is not streaming anywhere and can’t be found for very cheap on DVD. Two movies now, Man of a Thousand Faces and Angels With Dirty Faces, are going to have to be taken off my list as I figure out how to watch them in the future.

The Husband says these movies are most likely no longer in print and have not been licensed for streaming, hence my challenge in finding them. Man of A Thousand Faces costs $40 most places and is mainly on BluRay and Angels With Dirty Faces (a movie with Cagney and Humphrey Bogart) is on DVD but $19.95. I will probably set the aside for another time and slide two Cagney movies that I can find streaming into my list instead.

What I’ve Been Writing

Last week on the blog I shared:

What I/We’ve Been Listening To

David Phelps with Laura Osnes singing a song from The Phantom of the Opera.

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? Let me know in the comments or leave a blog post link if you also write a weekly update like this.

This post is linked up with The Sunday Post at Kimba at Caffeinated Reviewer, The Sunday Salon with Deb at Readerbuzz, and Book Date: It’s Monday! What are you reading hosted by Kathyrn at The Book Date. 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 support my writing (and add to the fund for my daughter’s online art/science classes), you can do so here.

Weekend Traffic Jam Reboot Link Party: January 23: homemade cleaners, thrifting craft supplies and so much more

January 22, 2026January 22, 2026 / Lisa R. Howeler / 11 Comments

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

I don’t know what the weather is going to be like for you this weekend, but on Saturday our high is going to be 8 and our low -2. Yuck! Then on Sunday, we are getting a snowstorm that could bring anywhere from 2 to 13 inches. Who even knows at this point.

All I know is that I am glad I don’t live in Buffalo. I am convinced that that city is the portal to hell with all the snow they get each year! With Washington D.C. being the other portal for … um…. other reasons.

Let’s get on with this week’s link party before I get myself into trouble. *wink*

Now, let’s 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: Jennifer Lambert

A little about Jennifer:

I’m proud to be Gen X. My parents are older, born in 1942, making them from the Silent Generation, whereas most of my peers have Boomer parents.

I’ve been blogging since about 2005, when there were free little scrapbooky online journals. Those posts are long gone now. This site began on Blogger and I migrated to WordPress in 2012. I’m not a techie, but I manage everything myself. I don’t have an assistant. I like to be in control.

I spent a couple years of almost no sleep, spending way too much money we didn’t have on a blog that makes next to nothing. It wasn’t worth it.

I’m more balanced now. I blog a few times a week about parenting, homeschooling, recipes, our travels, and sometimes military life.

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

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

|| Winter Brights by Is This Mutton ||

|| Snow Kidding Winter Faves by Our Grand Lives ||

||Throwback Tuesdays: Seizing the Day In Our Homeschool by My Slices of Life ||

|| Wonderful Winter White in a Faux Fur Zip Up Sweater by Katherine Eldridge ||

|| Thrifting for Craft Supplies: A Budget-Friendly Guide by Thrifting Wonderland ||

|| Making and Using Homemade Cleaners by Crafty Gardener ||

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.

Sunday Bookends: Calming my nerves is an everyday challenge but reading, worship music helps.

January 18, 2026 / Lisa R. Howeler / 14 Comments

Latey I’ve become even more diligent about calming my nervous system and one way I am doing that is by choosing when I see or hear national or international news.

Previously, if I logged into my Chrome app on my phone headlines popped up at me and I was hit full in the face with some horrible headline about some horrible thing going on in the world.

Two days ago I found a way to change the home screen so there are no news headlines slamming me in my face first thing. I didn’t know I could do that before but it has been so helpful. Now all that pops up are sites I visit the most and none of those are news sites.

If I do visit news sites, I am trying to do it briefly on my laptop and for only about two minutes.

I have also been trying to read more and watch TV less. If I watch TV it is usually All Creatures Great or Small, an old detective show, or old movies.

I listen to light, older/classic books and even childrens’ books (like Winnie the Pooh) while doing dishes or housework.

Worship music a few times a week has been a must lately but I have not always been doing that like I should.

I feel much calmer when I listen to worship music at some point during my day but the earlier the better because then the song is stuck in my head throughout the day and I can sing it when I feel stressed.

I have a couple of devotionals in my kindle I want to start but I also want to get some hard copies of devotionals so I can underline and write in the margins.

This past week was fairly calm with me visiting my parents a couple of times to visit and help clean up and with doing school with Little Miss. Our most productive school day was Thursday because we discussed the end of the Civil War and other historical subjects.

The other days of the week we focused on math, trying to figure out what book we want to read next for Literature, and Little Miss attended the four classes and two clubs she has online.