My Week In Review posts are just that: a review of my past week. I can’t believe my last one was all the way back in November! I hope to post an update here again every Monday sharing some tidbits of my previous week as well as an accompanying photo recap with selections from my Instagram feed. Here’s the buzz from my week:
While I traditionally recap from Monday through Sunday, I wanted to include a few of my photos from last Sunday, otherwise known as my husband, Don’s birthday. And Super Bowl Sunday. And blizzard Sunday for my fellow Chicagoans. We spent most of the day trying to keep our driveway clear for our crazy friends who decided to travel from not-so-near distances in the not-so-safe weather despite our protests to spend the evening with us in celebration of Don’s special day and football fun. Luckily, they all made it to our house and then back home safely, although I still feel worried just thinking about it! I had offered to put out a spread for Don’s celebration, but he insisted he wanted to make his amazing homemade chicken nachos. We didn’t put up a fight! Did I mention Don’s nachos are AMAZING? While Don no longer films cook nooks for YouTube, perhaps we can figure out a way to share his recipes here in the future. This one would definitely be top on my list to share!
Looking back over my Instagram feed last week, I now realize I went a few days without posting, which is kind of unusual for me. You may have seen my post here last week about Recent & Upcoming Changes, in which I talk about combining my YouTube channels back into one channel (or two, depending on what I decide to do with my vlogging and the future of MyHousewifeLife) and embarking on a “rebranding” journey (as they call it in the biz). This, as I am finding out, is not so simple as deciding on a new name, buying the domain, and transferring all of my past content onto it. I am super excited about this new path I’m taking, but it’s also a bit of a nail biter trying to change up my look when I’m already at least somewhat established as Organized Jen. I talk more specifically about my reasons for change in target=”_blank”>this video if you’re interested in hearing more.
I’ve decided to go the whole hog and hire a company that specializes in this sort of thing and can help me bring my vision of a new site and look to fruition, since I don’t have the design and web development know-how to undertake such an overhaul. While this will ultimately save me the time of doing all of the detail work myself, I’m beginning to see it’s actually going to monopolize quite a bit of my time and attention over the next six months (and yes, that is how long it takes. I know, I was surprised, too). I spent more time on the phone last week than I have in the last five years altogether and I haven’t even officially hired anyone yet! (Phone calls stress me out. Am I the only one who really dislikes talking on the phone? I always feel really awkward on the phone for some reason.) I know this is all part of the journey and it’s super important to me that I am fully immersed in it so I know I have put my all into it. Already I feel more confident talking on the phone after just one week, so that’s a bonus! That may seem like a silly thing to celebrate, but it’s actually meaningful to me that this experience is already broadening my horizons and teaching me new things about myself just at the very beginning.
Don’t worry, I won’t bore you with the details of this every week. I’m just especially excited right now since it is the very beginning of this journey for me! I will do an in-depth process post when all is said and done (six months from now?) if there is interest.
In short, I basically spent the bulk of my time last week brainstorming with people (like you guys! Thanks for your input on my video). I am delighted by the openness to share and enthusiasm about my branding facelift I have encountered in the past week alone. It warms my heart when people are not only willing but genuinely excited to share. That’s one of my biggest joys in life and I get so giddy when I see it in others as well!
I wrapped up a busy week with a relaxing weekend spent with loved ones. On Friday we joined Don’s family for a belated birthday celebration at our favorite local sushi place, Blu Fish. We hadn’t seen everyone since our return from Utah late last month and it was so nice to be reunited again! Don and I went downtown Saturday night for dinner at Sixteen, our current favorite Chicago restaurant located at the Trump Hotel. We’ve gone to Sixteen once every quarter over the past year or so to enjoy their innovative and fresh seasonal menus. The winter menu is a stunner! It focuses on blending old culinary techniques with newer trends.
We happened to stumble across a Wonut stand in our travels over the weekend and decided to pick one up to try as a special treat on Sunday morning. If you’re unfamiliar, a wonut is a cross between a waffle and a donut. I’m a big donut lover but not a huge waffle fan, so I wasn’t sure what to expect. To me, it tasted like a traditional waffle, but one that was deep fried, glazed, and garnished. It was pretty tasty, but a good ol’ donut still reigns king in my books!
That sums up the highlights from my week. I’d love to hear from you about your week if you care to share!
Take good care…
* This is not a sponsored post. All opinions are genuinely my own. *