Welcome to the Week in Rewind with Midwest Life and Style. Get a cup of coffee, and join me to look back at the weekly happenings here at MWLS. In each recap, I’ll share my most recent posts, favorite finds, and a collection of ideas, tips, and inspiration I have found from other bloggers around the web.
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Week In Rewind With Midwest Life And Style
Happy weekend, friends, and welcome to the first week in rewind of the new year!
I hope you enjoyed a restful and relaxing holiday with your loved ones. Since I took a short break to soak up the magic of the Christmas season with my family, this is my first recap post in almost three weeks.
We have a lot to catch up on!
So pour a cup of coffee or tea, get cozy, and join me to hear about everything that’s happened lately here on MWLS.
Tidbits From Home
Five days before Christmas, I caught the plague…again. This time in the form of influenza A. And I thought I was sick over Thanksgiving. Ooph!
Luckily with the help of some antibiotics, we were still able to spend a bit of time with my family. I slept through most of Christmas day but I was finally feeling well enough the day after to snap our annual family jammie photo.
Since returning home, I have been busy packing away Christmas decor and styling our home for winter.
And My Biggest News…
And that’s not all. The first few days of 2023 I spent prepping for surgery!
After suffering from severe endometriosis for most of my adult life, I was extremely thankful to find a physician who was finally willing to help me do something about it.
I shared a bit more about my experience on Instagram and have been overwhelmed by the outpouring of love, support, and prayers. I have also been surprised by the number of women who have shared their own experiences with this disease.
Hearing their success stories have given me a great deal of hope. I look forward to a better quality of life in the future and to being pain-free for the first time in a long time.
My surgery was on Wednesday, and after a brief stay in the hospital, I am now home recovering. I am lucky to have the best crew to take care of me (including some great furry snuggle friends).
Since I will be recuperating for a few weeks, I am looking for suggestions for shows on Netflix, Hulu, etc. If you have a can’t-miss show you love, let me know! I would love to find something to binge to help pass the time.
While I recover, you may also notice fewer posts here. I tried to work ahead on some round-ups and a few projects. I hope to share some new content with you as soon as I feel better.
My Favorite Finds
I’ve been living in these joggers since my surgery
I love this cozy throw and it comes in several colors
We have these in our pantry to help keep cereal fresh
These knit sweaters can be dressed up or dressed down
These are perfect for organizing extra bedding and sheets
Latest Loves on Amazon
During the break (and pre-surgery) I worked on some long-overdue cleaning and organization projects around the house. And I’ve rounded up all the best affordable products for you in one place!
Stop by my Amazon storefront to see my favorite organization finds for each room in your home.
This Week On The Blog
Before the holidays, I joined some friends to share a candlelight Christmas home tour.
I love how our home glowed and felt so cozy at night with all the twinkling lights. I may have to share a candlelight home tour again next year.
Since the holidays, I shared one other post. Did you see my countdown with the top ten posts of 2022? It’s so fun to look back on the year and see which DIYs, recipes, and decorating tips you loved the most. There were even a few surprises!
If you missed it, stop by to see if your favorite made the list.
On The Menu This Week
You know how much I love to share easy-peasy recipes with you here on the blog. So for the new year, I decided to add a new section to the weekly recap. (Thanks to my friend Coco at The Crowned Goat for the idea!)
Part of our weekend ritual is to create a meal plan for the week ahead.
Do we always stick to it?
No.
But, with our super hectic schedule, it helps to know what’s on the menu for dinner each night.
No guessing and no stressing!
The Week of January 9 – 13
This week’s menu includes several pre-made freezer meals and meals provided by some of my awesome co-workers (because…surgery). But I hope that this gives you a few ideas of dinners you can make for your family.
So, without further ado, here’s what’s on the menu this week.
- January 9 (Monday) – Crockpot Chicken Enchilada Soup
- January 10 (Tuesday) – Meal Train (Surprise)
- January 11 (Wednesday) – Meatloaf and Scalloped Potatoes
- January 12 (Thursday) – Meal Train (Chicken Soup)
- January 13 (Friday) – Turkey Pot Pie
Coming Next Week To MWLS
Next week the plan is it lay (mostly) low as I continue to recover. But I hope to have the energy to share a few new posts.
Join me on Tuesday for a round-up with some of the best storage and organizing finds. Then stop by later in the week for budget-friendly winter decor ideas.
More Tips, Ideas, And Inspiration From Around The Web
Winter Decorating Ideas
Have you packed away all of your Christmas decor? If you need some inspiration for how to decorate between the seasons, my friend Cindy at County Road 407 shared a round-up of some pretty winter decorating ideas.
Go to Cindy’s blog to see more of her winter mantle and post-holiday decorating tips.
Mexican Lasagna
If you love Mexican, you’ll love this recipe for Mexican lasagna from my friend Sammi at Happi Homemade.
Sammi’s blog is full of delicious (and healthy!) recipes, so stop by for more yummy dinner ideas.
Garage Drop Zone
We don’t have a traditional mud room in our home, so this amazing DIY garage drop zone from Anne at Simply 2 Moms is giving me all the heart eyes.
Stop by their blog to see how Anne transformed this underutilized space into something that’s both pretty and functional for her family.
More Ideas To Inspire You
This pretty winter basket decor idea
These tips to create a cozy reading nook.
This easy Asian-inspired recipe
This adorable Valentine’s Day DIY
These budget-friendly spring decor finds
Week In Rewind With Midwest Life And Style
As always, thank you for stopping by. I’m thankful for your support, and it means so much that you choose to spend some of your time each week with me here at MWLS.
What inspired you the most? I’d love to know what DIY or recipe was your favorite, so don’t forget to say “hi” and leave a note in the comments below.
Xo,
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Let’s Be Friends!
Follow along on my other social channels. Join me on TikTok, pin with me on Pinterest, chat with me on Facebook, or catch up on all of the behind-the-scenes happenings in our home over on Instagram.
Hope you are still on the mend with no complications and am excited for you to be pain free! I’m praying for you. Thank you for featuring my winter decorating ideas. I really appreciate it! Cheers to a new year, new YOU and much more fun in the blogging world. Hoping for less stress and more family time! Big hugs.
Thank you, Cindy, for the well wishes. It’s a slow process, but I’m looking forward to feeling better in a few weeks. Hugs to you. I hope 2023 is the best year yet!
I hope you feel better soon. Hugs and blessings to you.
Thank you, Renae!
Feel better Jen! Hoping to have a speedy revovery. Thanks for sharing our blog post this week.
You are so welcome. And thank you! Taking it day by day and hoping to be back to 100% soon!
I love that you’re going to be sharing your meal plans for the week, what a fun idea! Feel better and thinking of you!!!
Thank you, Heidi. Since we do it weekly, I only thought it made sense to share it here as part of my round-up. I know sometimes we struggle with what to make for dinner each week, so I hope it helps others with some meal ideas.
Taking recovery one day at a time. Hoping to feel much better soon. Thank you for the well wishes!