Small Things - Second Saturday of June 2025

"Life is not, for most of us, a pageant of splendor, but is made up of many small things, rather like an old fashioned piecework quilt. No two people have the same, but we all have our own, whether it be listening to Beethoven's fifth with a beloved friend, or seeing a neighbor at the back door with a basket of white dahlias. Or after a long, hard day, having the family say, "That was a good supper."

- GLADYS TABER

In no particular order, here are six small things that inspired me this week;

1. Summer Magic

We watched this classic Disney film this week, one of my all time favorites. Did you know it is based on the book Mother Carey's Chickens? I love just about any movie with Haley Mills. 

2. My New Growth Roots Journal

Last year a dear friend introduced me to Growth Roots Journals, a yearly journal for recording all that you learn in your walk with the Lord. I loved it so much, that this year I ordered a new one which I'll begin in July. Last year I had so much I wanted to document that I actually ran out of room and continued it on into several other spiral notebooks, which to me, was not ideal. So this year I'm going to take one verse and make it my theme and hopefully I can keep it all contained within this one journal.  The verse I've chosen is;

"Make it your ambition to lead a quiet life. 

To mind your own business and work with your hands."

- 1 THESSALONIANS 4:11-12

I also ordered this journal to use as prayer journal, this shade of green is my favorite.

3. The Liesborn Prayer Wheel

I was first introduced to the Prayer Wheet @belampstands which led me to this article on the The Liesborn Prayer Wheel. I'm interested to learn more and see if this is something I want to incorporate into my Rule of Life.  I'm looking at purchasing this book The Prayer Wheel: A Daily Guide to Renewing Your Faith with a Rediscovered Spiritual Practice  (Affliate Link)

“Sometimes returning to ancient sources is exactly what we need to renew our spiritual lives.” 

—PAYTON DODD 

4. The Summer Slowdown from Practicing The Way

A guide to help you slow down and savor the goodness of God this July.  I've already taken a break from Facebook during my sabbatical, but I may extend it through the end of July and glean from this guide.

5. Sacred Rest (Affliate Link)

Looking forward to diving into this book, alongside the book I mentioned last week, The Sabbath Way. Do you see a theme here? Slow living, rest, Sabbath, ancient practices. Both of these titles are on Hoopla if your library participates.

6. As The Season Turns Podcast The June edition is up! This is one of my favorite monthly listens!

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Two Sweet Ideas For Summer

"I am beginning to learn that it is the sweet, 

simple things in life which are the reals ones, after all."

- LAURA INGALLS WILDER

We went to the most lovely garden center today, and the hydrangea bushes were so beautiful! I've always dreamed of having a white hydrangea bush in my yard, and it's something we will be adding, eventually. The problem now is, which variety will I choose? I'm not sure I knew there were so many, and I loved them all, so now I'm thinking . . . maybe three? They also had some beautiful butterly bushes and lilacs,  the scents were just heavenly!

And speaking of . . .  one of the things I like to do to make our home cozy year round is diffusing seasonal essential oils! I've tried a few over the past couple of weeks, and here are two I've really enjoyed, Sweet Summer is especially nice!

❊ SWEET SUMMER

- 4 drops tangerine

- 2 drops lavender

- 1 drop lime

- 1 drop spearmint

❊ SUMMER NIGHTS

- 4 drops juniper berry

- 2 drops grapefruit

- 2 drops bergamot

- 1 drop ylang ylang

You can also find floral scented oils to use in your diffuser, as well. Two that I like are lilac and peony! (Affliate Links) I just diffused peony yesterday and the whole house smelled as fresh as a summer day!

Another thing I like to do as the days grow warmer, is to make up a pitcher (or in this case, a jar) of iced tea!

And did you know that tomorrow is. . . .

❊ NATIONAL ICED TEA DAY - June 10

Over the weekend I made a little jar of sun tea nothing fancy, just a tea bag, some water and the sun! I'm r-e-a-l-l-y trying to cut back on Coke (I'm addicted!) and tea is my go to replacment, especially in the summer! I've been drinking sweet tea, but to make it even better, now I'm cutting back on that and made the sun tea unsweeted and I actually liked it!

The thing you have to be careful about when making sun tea, is not to create a breeding ground for bacteria.  Tea leaves can carry bacteria, and the process of them steeping for hours in the sunlight raises some concerns. But, that doesnt' mean you can't still enjoy the fun, just do it safely!

1. Make sure your container is clean. I don't make a lot of tea, so I just use a 16 oz. mason jar which gives me 2-3 glasses throughout the day. I run the jar through the dishwasher every night so its ready to be used again the next day. Super simple!

2. Add your tea bags. For my 16 oz. jar, I use 2.

3. Steep in direct sunlight for 3-4 hours. Make sure it remains direclty in the sun, moving it if necessary. Do no exceed four hours, as after that time bacteria starts to breed.

4. Refrigerate immediately. This will slow the bacterial growth and keep your tea fresh!

5. Enjoy your tea! But not for more than a couple of days. Sun tea, especially, doesn't keep it's freshness and flavor as well as boiled tea bags, so best if you drink it quickly!

I like to add flavors to my tea, like blackberries and cucumbers, they are my favorites, especially together. But every now and then I like it mixed with a little pineapple juice, yum! 

I saw a recipe on Pinterest for a recipe for Jolly Rancher Iced Tea, and since someone gave our daughter a bag of them, I thought we might try it a try.  Here's how to make it

Pour water into a saucepan and bring it to a boil

Add tea and jolly rancher to brew

Strain the tea and discard the residue

Transfer to the pitcher and place in the refrigerator

Serve over ice and enjoy

Not the healthiest version you could drink, but it might be fun just to try!

Well, my friends, it's time to close this post! I pray you all have a lovely day tomorrow,

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Small Things - First Saturday of June 2025

"Life is not, for most of us, a pageant of splendor, but is made up of many small things, rather like an old fashioned piecework quilt. No two people have the same, but we all have our own, whether it be listening to Beethoven's fifth with a beloved friend, or seeing a neighbor at the back door with a basket of white dahlias. Or after a long, hard day, having the family say, "That was a good supper."

- GLADYS TABER

In no particular order, here are six small things that inspired me this week.

1. Rocky Hedge Farm

I've been following Sarah's blog for a number of years, but more recently I keep up with her mostly on Instagram. What initially drew me in was following her renovation of their home, but what has kept me coming back are her delicious recipes. I came across a few this week that I've added to my rotation over the next few weeks, such as Pan Fried Buttermilk Chicken Tenders, Easy Homemade Caesar Salad with Caesar Dressing, But the one that really caught my eye and that I can't wait to try is the Blackened Chicken. I can just imagine it sliced up on a toasted bun with some sweet corn on the cob and maybe even a small Caesar Salad. If you don't know Sarah, I encourage you to spend some time perusing her blog or her Instagram account. Her recipe index alone with have you planning out your menus months in advance! 

2. Cultivating Oaks Press

While summer unofficially spans from Memorial Day through Labor Day in our house, in reality, its arrival is later this month, Friday, June 20 at 10:41 p.m., to be precise.  That means that in spite of what the rising humidity has dictated the past few days, we're lingering in the final days of spring.  Cultivating Oaks Press has been producing seasonal e-zines (I suppose you'd call them) for seven years now and I've never missed one.  Their 35th issue for Spring 2025 is still up and the theme is generosity. I love to take a morning here and there throughout the season and select a few articles to read over a cup of tea, and I think you might enjoy it too. And if you want more after reading the current issue, there are sevn years of archives to choose from.

3. Pioneer Woman's Sun Tea

Tis the season for sweet tea! While I enjoy hot tea year round, there is just something about summer that has me craving after a tall, cold glass of sweet tea. Drinking it always reminds me of my daddy, who loved it over just about every other beverage. Recently I recalled my mom often making sun tea, and realized I hadn't made it in years, so long in fact, I wasn't even sure I remembered exactly how it was done. But as with anything these days, a quick search on Google provided the answer, and since you can rarely go wrong with The Pioneer Woman, I'm going to try her method.

4. Summer Sabbatical and The Sabbath Way

I mentioned on my Instagram account that I am on Summer Sabbatical. I kind of unexpectedly took one for the first time last year, intending for it to last a weekend that spanned into six weeks, and yet I came out of the time so changed that I decided then and there to make it a part of my annual rhythm. And while this year it looks a little different as our weeks are dotted with doctor's appointments and physical therapy, the rest I'm seeking is more internal than external, learning to find peace as Jesus did during the storm. That's why I was so excited when I came across this book, The Sabbath Way (Affliate Link), by Travis West, which guides the reader in discovering that radical rest is more than a weekly practice of taking a day off―it’s also a posture, a way of living every day, and since learning to live  "at rest" has been something I've been seeking for a while now, it sounded like the perfect fit. I've only read the introduction and I'm already intrigued. I'll share more about it in the coming weeks.

5. Wonderled Life

One of my favorite accounts on Instagram is Wonderled Life. Johanna's offerings invite me into the rest I am seeking, with her sweet images lifted from the pages of children's literature combined with the sweetest sentiments, and I especially loved this one that she shared earlier this week, because who doesn't love Brambly Hedge and plans for a picnic this summer? If you are on Instragram, be sure to follow her! 

6. The Daily Office (or the Canonical Hours)

Praying at appointed times throughout the day has long been a practice of many followers of the way for centuries. I first discovered it over a decade ago and decided to make it a part of my daily rhythm. While I've failed miserably at times, and even now have fallen out of habit, I recently discovered Northhumbria Community, who provide links to daily prayers.

While I don't pray seven times a day as is common for some, I do try to make it a point to pause at least three times a day, Morning, Noon and Evening (quiet alarms on your phone help immensely!), all of which are provided at this site. I particularly loved the prayer for this morning;

One thing I have asked of the Lord,

this is what I seek:

that I may dwell in the house of the Lord

all the days of my life;

to behold the beauty of the Lord

and to seek Him in His temple.

Call: Who is it that you seek?

Response: We seek the Lord our God.

Call: Do you seek Him with all your heart?

Response: Amen. Lord, have mercy.

Call: Do you seek Him with all your soul?

Response: Amen. Lord, have mercy.

Call: Do you seek Him with all your mind?

Response: Amen. Lord, have mercy.

Call: Do you seek Him with all your strength?

Response: Amen. Christ, have mercy.

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The Sweetness of June

What is one to say about June — the time of perfect young summer, the fulfillment of the promise of the earlier months, and with as yet no sign to remind one that its fresh young beauty will ever fade? For my own part I wander up into the wood and say, "June is here — June is here; thank God for lovely June!" The soft cooing of the wood-dove, the glad song of many birds, the flitting of butterflies, the hum of all the little winged people among the branches, the sweet earth-scents — all seem to say the same, with an endless reiteration... June!

~ GERTRUDE JEKYLL

A follow up to my previous post. I did indeed begin the next series featuring Libby. There are only three or four books and of those only two are available from the archives. I read the first one in the series, Look Alive Libby. I will say, it didn't grab me like the Cathy series, but the setting, Cape Cod in the summer, is the perfect seasonal read (if you love vintage children's literature like I do!). I've decided to forgo the other book the archives has available, Libby Shadows a Lady, for now at least. It's a mystery and I'm not a big fan. Haven't decided yet if I will delve into the Ginnie series just yet, I'm honestly considering re-reading The Moffat series. It was a favorite from my childhood and my children's. Might be a sweet trip down memory lane. Do you have a favorite book from your childhood you like to re-read?

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