Apps & Open Tabs: Where Bloggers Live 08.2026

Morning glories!!  Can you believe we are already half-way through August?  And that Halloween, Thanksgiving and Christmas are just around the corner?  Goodness, where did 2026 go?

Not only is August half gone but it is the second Friday of the month, which means it is time for another edition of Where Bloggers Live.  I believe our prompt for this go-round asks us to share our favorite phone apps and the tabs that are always open on our device/laptop.  

My Google Pixel 9 is acting pretty sluggish lately which leads me to believe I have too many apps taxing it.  Please excuse me just a sec while I delete a few.  Bye-bye "Threads" and "X" and "Nanit" - that one makes me a little sad to delete.  It is an app for watching my grandbabies - none of whom are babies any longer - in their cribs and beds.  Waaaa.  But I haven't used it in at least a year since Declan started sleeping in his big boy bed.  

So, what's left?  Which apps do I like, need, count on most?  Let's see.

Where Bloggers Live

This long-lived blogging series was created by our fearless leader and friend, Bettye at Fashion Schlub.  Bettye explains that “Where Bloggers Live” started out kind of like HGTV’s “Celebrities at Home,” but…with bloggers! Through each bloggers' interpretation of each monthly prompt, we have shared our work-spaces, homes, towns, and thoughts. I kind of invited myself into the group a few years ago and have enjoyed every month's prompt and post.  

And here are the Where Bloggers Live bloggers.  Hope you will stop by to check out their interpretation of today's post.   

Daenel at Living Outside the Stacks

Bettye at Fashion Schlub

Jodie at Jodie’s Touch of Style

Em at Dust and Doghair (on break)

Yours truly

Sally at Within a World of My Own

My Favorite Phone Apps

On different days, I use different apps but these are the ones I use most consistently and every single day.

• camera - self explanatory.  I think we all love having a camera at our fingertips.  I take photos every single day.

• Duolingo - every morning I play one game of Duolingo to practice my Spanish.  I am on Day 640 of consecutive game play.  But have been playing for more than 2 years.  

 

• Facebook Messenger - although I could use this on my computer if it wasn't available in a phone app, I use Messenger on my phone to communicate mostly with my daughter Brennyn and my sister Valerie, and a few friends.

• text messages - use this method of communication for lots of folks, primarily my brother Kevin, my 16-year-old grand Cadence, my best friend Sharon, PC's fam and extended family members.

• Planet Fitness - we have to use the app on our phones to check in when we go to the gym.

• Walmart - we began embracing the Walmart grocery order app during Covid and have not looked back since.  I run into the store when I need just a couple of things, and probably should go in to select my produce, too.  But I love not spending an hour or two wandering up and down the aisles looking for things.  

• Weight Watchers - I have a love/hate relationship with this app.  First because who really wants to keep track of every bite they put into their mouths...or even consider putting in their mouths.  But also because the app is not completely user-friendly.  I do like the ability to scan a food package barcode and get its points value.  And the points for food at many national restaurant chains is also available.  Now, if I would just track my points more consistently.  Weight Watchers truly works.

• WhatsApp - I use this app to talk with Lauren - we have a Clingan-Buendia thread, a thread for Brennyn, Lauren and me, another thread for our writing group, Let's Write.  And this week, Lucia, my second granddaughter got a phone...mostly to uncomplicate things for Lauren and Francisco when it comes to afterschool pick up.  But I have LOVED chatting with her this week.  Have called Cami on Lauren's phone so I can chat with her, too.  And I text pretty regularly with Cadence.

Also like being able to access my Gmail, my Amazon, my bank accounts.  I use the Rover.com app on my phone when doing drop-in visits with my kitty and puppy clients.  Daily, I peruse Facebook and Instagram on my phone so use those apps.  And play New York Times games every morning.  Those would be my must-have apps, I think.  

Link to Windows is an app on my phone that allows me to see WhatsApp and text messages on my laptop.  Always thankful to have access to those apps when I am working on my computer.

My Many Open Tabs

Just as my phone gets bogged down when I have too many photos stored on the device or too many apps downloaded, my laptop gets pretty unresponsive when I have too many tabs open.  Which is often!!  The tabs I have open on my laptop represent just some of the many things I am thinking about...they represent tabs open in my brain.  

Right now, as I type this post, I have only 11 tabs open.  When it is really bad, the tabs get so tiny that I can't tell what page they are tabbing.  But with 11 tabs open, I am still able to identify each one.

From left to right but in no order in particular (which required me to open a 12th tab because I couldn't remember the wording of that phrase correctly):

• Gmail inbox - I usually leave that open so I can periodically check my emails.  Not that I ever get anything earth-shattering in my inbox.  But if I am corresponding back and forth with someone in a kind of email conversation, I like being aware of when emails come in so I can reply in a timely manner.

• Feedly - is a free platform that collects and updates the posts from all the blogs I follow.  I have the best intentions of visiting blogs regularly but LIFE gets in the way.  Right now I am following 50 blogs on Feedly.  And have over 250 blog posts I would need to read to be caught up with everyone I follow.  Just not enough hours in the day.  I open it everyday and try to catch up here and there when I can.  

• Pinterest - I still pin - a lot.  Do you?  Are we Pinterest buddies yet?  You can find me here, https://www.pinterest.com/onceuponatimehappilyeverafter/.  Pinterest is usually open in the morning when I am trying to decide what in the world we are going to eat for dinner.  In addition to recipes, I pin clothes, art projects, scrapbook layouts, and all things related to holidays and home.

• Facebook - right now I am messaging with my daughter Brennyn about the crazy things my grandson Declan is saying.  Everyday I open FB to catch up on the lives of my family and friends, to connect with my Come Read with Me book club members.  I occasionally add new posts to my blog FB page, here.  And I try to message friends who are struggling using FB Messenger and send birthday and anniversary wishes to those who are celebrating.

• Amazon - it is usually open so I can check my eternal orders, and put things into my cart as I come across them online.  

• Firstlight - my credit union website.  I usually open it first thing everyday but today somehow it came in 5th today.  Before I visit Amazon, I always need to check my bank account.

• Blogger - I usually have my blog editing dashboard open so I can work on posts a little here and there.  

Other Tabs Open at the Moment

The tabs above are my go-tos.  And sometimes YouTube.  Although, lately I have taken to listening to/watching YouTube on my phone because it can be 'piped in' through my hearing aids.  That way when PC is watching something on TV (like The Good, the Bad and the Ugly tonight) or gaming on his laptop, I can listen to my trials in my ears.  

Did you know I started wearing hearing aids this year?  Not exactly proud of it but sure can hear the sweet voices of children much better.

• Texas State DMV - at the moment, I have this tab open trying to help Brennyn find out how to get a copy of her car title.

• The Social Easel - this summer, Christie at The Social Easel painted the cutest crab.  In order to get the tutorial, you have to join her painting club which is much more than I can afford.  I have emailed her - that's why my Gmail tab is open - hoping she will allow me to buy the instructions for just the crab.

• Over the Artsy Moon - Karen is offering a $10 4-day workshop online for painting this adorable pumpkin.  I am thinking of signing up for that course.  But she also has a painting for her club members featuring a pumpkin on a stack of books.  I would rather paint that one than the pumpkin by itself.  Not sure I am ready to sign up for her club, either, though.  Can't really afford that monthly charge.  So, what to do.

Poor PC is trying to watch his movie, I am listening to the Lindsay Clancy trial on YouTube on my phone (through my hearing aids) and I have umpteen tabs open on my lap.  The TV keeps buffering.  Poor Paul.  I guess I better close some of these tabs and call this a post.

Your Turn

What are the most commonly used apps on your phone?  I have so much trouble typing on my phone and reading things on its tiny screen that I don't dare do too much of importance on there.  What tabs do you keep open on your device most days?  Do we have any in common?

Well, the weekend is upon us.  Thank goodness.  We have had an obnoxious number of appointments this week.  Glad to sleep in a little tomorrow and get this house cleaned up.  Then plan to scrapbook.  What do you have going on?

Please be sure to stop by to check out the posts of the other Where Bloggers Live gals.  I will be doing that tomorrow, too.

Enjoy your weekend.  Thank you for stopping by to visit me!! 

Hugs and kisses,