The World We Make

Good Monday morning, my dear friends! I had not anticipated that two weeks ago when I posted to wish you a Happy Easter  that I would be away as long as I have, but to be honest, I desperately needed it!  I won't go into a lot of detail, only to say that shortly before Easter I received some difficult news and it's taken me a bit to process my emotions surrounding it. That, and I also ended up making an unplanned trip to spend a few days with my daughter and her husband that turned into a 10 day trip, and well, there you have it!  All that to say, I feel the fog is finally beginning to lift and I'm ready to rejoin you in this space!

One thing I did want to say is that I think I have finally come to the place where I am able to admit that setting up any sort of reading challenge or reading schedule here at my blog NEVER works out! There, I've said it! It always sounds so good on paper, but then . . . . life, and before I realize it I've fallen behind and I find myself struggling to keep up with the weekly posts and recaps, so unless I can ever truly get my act together, you'll never see me hosting another read-along in this space again, at least not one with any regularity!  That's not to say I won't be reading or sharing about what I read with you here, but inviting you to join me and thinking for a moment that I can actually keep some sort of schedule, it just never works!  I also did not sense much enthusiasm for my suggested summer read along of the Beatrix Potter Mystery series, Cottage Tales and watching Marple, so I've decided against it.  If you were one of the two enthusiastic souls that were looking forward to, I encourage you to spend your summer thus engaged, and perhaps, so will I, I may even write about it here and there, just don't hold me to it! :) However, I do plan to continue with my weekly series Homemaking Mondays, which will begin on Monday, May 4! 

Which brings us to today, and today I thought I would leave you with this lovely poem I recently came across.  I hope you will enjoy it! :)

❊ The World We Make

We make the world in which we live

By what we gather and what we give,

By our daily deeds and the things we say,

By what we keep or we cast away.

We make our world by the beauty we see

In a skylark’s song or a lilac tree,

In a butterfly’s wing, in the pale moon’s rise,

And the wonder that lingers in midnight skies.

We make our world by the life we lead,

By the friends we have, by the books we read,

By the pity we show in the hour of care,

By the loads we lift and the love we share.

We make our world by the goals we pursue,

By the heights we seek and the higher view,

By hopes and dreams that reach the sun

And a will to fight till the heights are won.

What is the place in which we dwell,

A hut or a palace, a heaven or hell

We gather and scatter, we take and we give,

We make our world — and there we live.

- ALFRED GRANT WALTON

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Happy Easter!

 Good morning, friends! I've been taking some time this week to reflect on Holy Week, which is why things have been a little quieter the past few days. I'm going to extend this through the weekend to spend time with my family and celebrate the glorious resurrection of our Lord and Savior! I'll be back next week and look forward to visiting with you again then!

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A Holy Reordering: Recovering Peace Room By RoomHoly Week: Rest In What You've Cultivated

There is a quiet that comes at the end of tending.

Not the kind that feels empty, but the kind that settles in gently—like the last light at the end of the day, soft and sufficient. This is where we find ourselves now. After moving room by room, after noticing and releasing, after choosing presence again and again, we arrive here—in a home that has been touched with intention, and in a heart that has, slowly, been reordered.

Holy Week invites us into that same quiet.

Not a hurried preparation. Not a final push toward perfection. But a sacred pause.

As I walked through my home this morning, I noticed something different. The rooms themselves have not changed drastically. There are still dishes to wash, blankets slightly out of place, the ordinary rhythms continuing as they always do. But the atmosphere has shifted. The spaces feel… settled. Not because everything is done, but because I am no longer striving within them.

And I think that is the work Lent has been doing in us all along.

We did not set out to create perfect homes. We set out to create space—space to breathe, to notice, to welcome. And somewhere in the quiet clearing of surfaces, in the folding and releasing and rearranging, the deeper work was happening. Our hearts were being softened. Our attention was being gently redirected. We were learning to live inside our homes, rather than performing within them.

This week, as we walk toward the Resurrection, I find myself moving more slowly again.

Not to accomplish anything new, but to simply be present within what has already been tended.

I run my hand along a table that has been cleared. I open a window and let the light fall where it may. I sit in a chair that was once crowded by distraction and now feels like an invitation. And in these small moments, there is a quiet awareness: this space has been prepared, yes—but so have I.

“Do everything in love.”

It has followed us through each room, and it meets us here again.

Because this is what remains when the organizing is finished. Love in the way we move through our homes. Love in the way we receive the people within them. Love in the way we hold even the unfinished corners with grace.

There is no need to rush ahead to Easter morning.

Holy Week is meant to be walked slowly.

So today, I am simply walking through the rooms once more. Not to fix or change, but to remember. The kitchen where provision became gratitude. The bedroom where rest was reclaimed. The living spaces where presence replaced pressure. Each room holding a quiet testimony of what God has been doing—both in the home and in the heart.

And as I move, there is a gentle prayer forming, not out of obligation, but out of something deeper:

Lord, You have met me here.
In the ordinary, in the undone, in the quiet tending.
Let this home be a place where Your peace rests.
Let my heart remain soft to Your presence.
Prepare me now—not just for Easter,
but for a life that continues to walk in resurrection.

This is the invitation now.

To rest in what has been cultivated.

To receive the stillness.

To let the home simply be held, rather than managed.

Easter will come.

And when it does, it will not arrive in a space striving to be ready, but in one that has already been gently prepared—with reverence, with care, and with a quiet, steady love.

Room by room.

Heart first.

Hollywood Homemakers: What We Can Learn FromSome Of Television's Most Loved Wives and Mothers- Kate Bradley from Petticoat Junction

As we conclude our Hollywood Homemakers series, it feels fitting to end with a woman whose life reminds us that homemaking can be both faithful and ambitious. While television homemakers of the 1960s often displayed grace, order, or nurturing warmth, Kate Bradley from Petticoat Junction shows us that it can also be resilient, multifaceted, and real.

A widowed mother of three daughters and the owner of the Shady Rest Hotel, Kate balances the daily care of her family with the responsibility of running a business. Her home is full, her work is demanding, yet her love, wisdom, and steadfast presence create a sanctuary for her daughters and a welcoming place for guests.

❊ Kate Bradley: Faithfulness in Action

Kate’s life is both busy and intentional. Meals are prepared, daughters are guided, hotel guests are welcomed — often all at once. Yet through it all, she remains steady and deeply present.

Her homemaking is not separate from her work; the two are beautifully intertwined. The Shady Rest Hotel is more than a business — it is an extension of her home, a place shaped by care, attention, and heart.

Kate shows us that homemaking is about stewardship: tending to the people and spaces entrusted to us, regardless of how full our days may be.

❊ Kate Bradley's Strengths

A Devoted Mother
Even with a full schedule, Kate remains involved in her daughters’ lives. She offers guidance, correction, and encouragement — always present, always intentional.

Her life embodies Deuteronomy 6:6–7, teaching and guiding children through the rhythms of daily life. Presence matters more than perfection.

Hospitality As A Way Of Life
Welcoming guests to the Shady Rest Hotel is part of Kate’s daily routine. Romans 12:13 encourages believers to “practice hospitality,” and Kate demonstrates how it can be woven naturally into work and home life.

Her home and hotel alike are places of warmth and care, where others feel known and valued.

Strength and Gentleness
Kate leads with wisdom and firmness, but never loses her gentle heart. Her strength supports her family and her work, while her kindness shapes the home into a safe and nurturing environment.

As Proverbs 31:17 says, “She sets about her work vigorously; her arms are strong for her tasks.”

Faithful Stewardship
Kate embraces her responsibilities fully. Whether it’s managing finances, guiding her daughters, or overseeing hotel operations, she shows diligence and purpose.

Her life reflects Luke 16:10: “Whoever can be trusted with very little can also be trusted with much.”

❊ Lessons From Kate Bradley

Carrying Many Roles
Kate’s full life can feel heavy at times, a reality that many modern homemakers experience as well. Her perseverance reminds us that faithfulness often requires effort and endurance.

Balancing Work and Rest
With her home and business intertwined, rest is precious and sometimes fleeting. Kate’s life invites us to be intentional about rest and care for ourselves, even amid great responsibility.

❊ How Kate Bradley Is Perfect To Wrap Up Our Series

Kate Bradley is the perfect culmination of our exploration of television homemakers.

Aunt Bee taught us nurturing warmth.

Margaret Anderson offered calm, steady wisdom.

Donna Stone reflected joy and engagement in the everyday.

Kate Bradley shows that homemaking can be courageous, capable, and multi-dimensional, thriving even under heavy responsibility.

Her example reminds us that homemaking is not defined by ease, perfection, or a single kind of life. It is about faithfulness, care, and love — no matter how busy, how challenging, or how many roles we carry.

❊ Lessons For Modern Homemakers

From Kate Bradley, we gather these final truths:

Homemaking can coexist with work and responsibility.

Motherhood is about presence and intentionality, not perfection.

Hospitality can be integrated into every part of daily life.

Strength and gentleness are not opposites; they complement each other.

Faithfulness matters more than circumstances.

❊ Reflecting On Our Series

As we look back over our journey through the homes of television’s beloved homemakers, a beautiful pattern emerges. Aunt Bee showed us the power of nurturing warmth and stability. Margaret Anderson reminded us that quiet wisdom can guide a household with steady grace. Donna Stone reflected the joy and engagement that make daily life meaningful, even in its imperfections. And Kate Bradley brings it all together, showing that homemaking can be faithful, courageous, and resilient, even when life is full and demanding.

Together, these women remind us that the heart of homemaking is not perfection, but presence — a daily choice to love, to care, and to steward the life and people God has placed in our care. Whether in calm routines or in the midst of responsibility, homemaking is a sacred, living ministry, shaping not just homes, but hearts.

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