Encouraging Hearts and Home: Month 1 done!

 And just like that the first month of the new year is over.  It sure went by fast for us even though nothing much seems to have changed.  Our school year is half- over too!  

Our days have fallen into a routine and the boys are all doing so well with school (you can read our mid year updates on 7th grade & 11th grade ). Alec finished his second semester with high honors (with 100 averages in more than 1/2 his classes!).  He's finished up with Freshman Algebra and moved onto Sophomore Geometry so he's adapting very well to public/ hybrid schooling. 




And Now, It's Time for This Week's Encouraging Hearts & Home Blog Hop!  

 

Join your Encouraging Hearts & Home Co-Hosts each week for encouragement and support for your heart & your home. We hope to provide a space that builds each other up and lends a helping hand along the way. With all the negativity in the world, let's shine a positive light!


The Posts with the most views from last week:

The Thrifty Six in Leather by Shelbee on the Edge



Some of my favorites from last week:






Valentine Bears by Craft Attic Resources



Use the form below to share your family-friendly posts this week, and please consider these nice things you can do:

  • Follow and/or subscribe to your host's blog.
  • Visit a few other bloggers and show them your support. We all love getting comments, and who knows what inspiration you may find? Be sure to share the love--that's what a blog hop is all about!
  • Check out our Encouraging Hearts & Home Pinterest board where each host pins her 10 favorite posts each week.
  • Join us every Thursday!
  • If you are interested in co-hosting, contact Linda at Apron Strings & Other Things!


You are invited to the Inlinkz link party!

Click here to enter
Linking Up With:

Comments

  1. Shelbee on the EdgeJanuary 28, 2021 at 5:19 AM

    Oh wow, Joanne, thanks so much for featuring my Thrifty Six in Leather post! That was a pleasant surprise this morning! I cannot believe the month of January is nearly gone either. Time certainly can still fly by even as it feels like it is standing still!

    Shelbee
    www.shelbeeontheedge.com

    ReplyDelete
  2. HollyJanuary 28, 2021 at 5:40 AM

    Yes! One month of winter down! One month closer to spring :)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Joanne January 28, 2021 at 4:10 PM

      That's how I think of it too! Evan and I were just talking about how many more weeks/months 'til spring when we saw sandals, flip flops, and bathing suits out at Kohl's today.

      Delete
  3. Abby @ That’s Life For YaJanuary 28, 2021 at 5:46 AM

    Thank you for hosting, Joanne!!

    ReplyDelete
  4. Ella WilliamsJanuary 28, 2021 at 6:43 AM

    Thank you for hosting this linkup!! I look forward to it each week!!

    ReplyDelete
  5. Michele MorinJanuary 28, 2021 at 6:45 AM

    Glad to hear that your family is doing so well. The schools where I sub are trying to find ways to get kids back together again.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Joanne January 28, 2021 at 4:11 PM

      Our school is definitely trying too.. in the meantime we'll keep on keeping on and enjoy a slightly work load than Alec would normally be getting with all honors courses.

      Delete
  6. Handmade in IsraelJanuary 28, 2021 at 7:01 AM

    Amazing school grades! My son got his report this morning. He also seems to be managing okay with Zoom school. Thank goodness! Love those Valentines Bears :)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Joanne January 28, 2021 at 4:12 PM

      It seemed pretty touch and go at the beginning but once we got the hang of all the different computer programs each teacher used it was a bit easier to help him manage the work load. His teachers are real great about touching base with the kids daily too and reminding them of any outstanding work and seeing if anyone is struggling at all.

      Delete
  7. Dee | GrammysGrid.comJanuary 28, 2021 at 7:32 AM

    Thanks so much for hosting! I’m linking up with TOP 10 POSTS OF 2020 AT GRAMMY’S GRID. I’m also hosting some link parties. Won’t you drop by and link up?

    ReplyDelete
  8. Amy JohnsonJanuary 28, 2021 at 8:51 AM

    Winter can always fly by as far as I'm concerned. I'm looking so forward to spring and warm weather again. Thanks for the party.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Joanne January 28, 2021 at 4:13 PM

      Ha! Me too!! I want sunshine and flip flops... I'm even OK if it's jeans with my flip flops and not necessarily shorts but sun and warmth are my favorites!

      Delete
  9. Julie's Creative LifestyleJanuary 28, 2021 at 9:34 AM

    I like all of your features. Thanks for hosting the fun and enjoy the rest of the wek.

    ReplyDelete
  10. Debbie-Dabble Blog and A Debbie-Dabble ChristmasJanuary 28, 2021 at 10:22 AM

    JoAnne,
    Thanks so much for continuing to host each week!! It is greatly appreciated!! Stay safe, healthy and happy!!
    Hugs,
    Debbie

    ReplyDelete
  11. Maya KuzmanJanuary 28, 2021 at 5:10 PM

    Joanne, my heart skipped a beat when I saw my post being featured! Thank you so, so much!

    ReplyDelete
  12. Bri RundeJanuary 28, 2021 at 6:27 PM

    I can't believe January is over! It FLEW!

    ReplyDelete
  13. Nancy 's Fashion StyleJanuary 29, 2021 at 2:36 AM

    Thanks for the feature!! Have a great day.

    ReplyDelete

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Favorite TV Shows Growing Up in the 80's and early 90's

Image
Do you remember the TGIF lineups on Friday nights? I can remember planning sleepovers and time with friends around TV Show lineups of our favorite shows... or else trying to set the VCR to record our favorite shows if we weren't going to be home. And through the years I had SO MANY favorites! Growing pains aired in 1985 which put me around age 8 and it stayed on the air until I was 15 or so; I'm pretty sure most people in my age group watched mostly for Kirk Cameron and all his antics.  I still have a soft spot for family sit-coms!  The Facts of Life aired when I was just 2  and stayed on the air until I was 11 so I'm sure the episodes I remember so fondly were either some of the later ones and then reruns shown later on when I was old enough to watch from the beginning. I think everyone would have loved an Edna Garret in their lives.   Benson another sitcom that began airing when I was just 2 and was done by the time I was 9 (another one I must have watched mai...
Read more

Things That Make Me Laugh

Image
I loved the challenge of this week's list for our 26 lists link up.  I don't know about you but I really need to laugh more lately.  It's such a great stress reliever. 1.  Books-- I love a good funny book that makes me laugh out loud.  I haven't read one in a while but if you have any recommendations I'm all ears.  The last book I can remember making me laugh was the Un-Honeymooners. 2  The boys being silly. 3.  Watching shows like America's Funniest Videos or Family Feud. 4. My husband.  Most people don't realize it but he's actually pretty funny and often makes me laugh. 5.  Whenever my sisters/ family get together and we get to reminiscing (particularly if my Aunt Elaine is around) we end up laughing so hard at all the old family stories that we are all in tears by the end of the night.  It's fabulous. 6. Movies like Mom's Night Out, Christmas Vacation, and Grown Ups make me laugh out loud. 7.  When my ...
Read more

Making Gift Card and Money Holders Using Scrapbooking and Cardmaking Supples

Image
I don't tend to keep a lot of crafting supplies on hand so when I saw this month's de-stash challenge I wasn't sure what I was going to make.  I finally realized that with so many of my Christmas gifts being cash and gift cards this year that I needed to make up some fun paper crafting/ creative ways to gift them.   I still want my nieces and nephews to have something to open so I pulled out my papers and stamps and made up some cute little money/gift card holders. They were much easier to make than I thought.  The first one I worked on was to hold some oversized Nintendo gift cards.  I made a standard sized card and folded down one corner of the card front.  Then I ran my double sided tape along the bottom an 1/2 way up the side creating a cute little pocket.  Finally I added some cute embellishments and ribbons.   Voila! A simple and easy gift card holder for those larger sized gift cards.  The bulk of the tweens and teens on my list j...
Read more

Making a Sugar Cookie "Gingerbread" House

Image
 Alec really wanted to try making his own gingerbread house this year without using a premade kit.  We talked about how we never really eat the house since they don't taste very good.  Years ago we gave up on the frosting that comes in the kit and began making our own so we thought perhaps we should try making our our house too. Only problem is that no one in the house likes gingerbread.  We talked about trying to make the house using a sugar cookie recipe.  Alec was so excited at that idea since he just LOVES sugar cookies.   He found a recipe online for a simple sugar cookie recipe and mixed up the dough.  He rolled it out an cut it to the size of our cookie sheets-- we had read that it's easiest to cut the house pieces out after the dough has been baked and is still warm and soft because then you don't have to worry about any of the pieces losing their shape while baking. I had picked out a simple cookie cutter set on Amazon and as soon as the ...
Read more

Dollar Store Candy Cane Wreath

Image
Today I am linking up with some fellow bloggers for a Dollar Store craft challenge.  I don't often participate in these challenges since I try to stay away from our local Dollar Stores; I find they can be quite dangerous for me!  I knew this was the perfect time to find some inexpensive holiday decorations though and I just LOVE how my wreath turned out!  I hope you stop by and see what the other hosts are sharing. Meet this month's co-hosts! Across the Blvd | Purple Hues & Me This Autoimmune Life | Our Unschooling Journey Domestic Deadline | Sew Crafty Crochet Stone Cottage Adventures | Sum of Their Stories | Two Chicks & a Mom I bought the candy cane wreath base and a few rolls of mesh (not knowing how many I'd need I bought waaay to many; I only ended up using one white roll and one red roll. Using some chenille stems I already had on hand I attached the mesh to the wreath base trying to alternate the whit...
Read more