Small Things - Last Saturday In July 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. Cottagecore Coloring Book For Women

I've loved coloring since my childhood, and even now I often find it to be a relaxing pastime. So when I came across this beauty, I was immediatel intrigued! There are a couple of examples on some of the pictures in another image, and they just look lovely.

I've had a few others on my wish list for awhile now;

- Brambley Hedge Nature Coloring Book

- Restful Retreats: A Beatrix Potter Inspired Coloring Book

Of Cozy Animal Naps

There are so many varieties of coloring books for adults, I was actually a little surprised! A quick search in Google or on Amazon will provide you with a plethora of choices.

2. Vanilla Bean Pear Butter

I have been making a lovely Vanilla Pear Jam for a couple of years now and absolutely love it! But this recipe caught my eye this week, and I think I might give it a try.  I'm looking forward to the outdoor tasks that summer inevitably brings to wind down, and to spending more time indoors and in the kitchen. 

3. Ideas For Christmas Crafting

Is it too early to begin thinking about Christmas gifts and crafting? My eyes were feasting on a number of images on Pinterest this week. There's just no other time of year like it!

4. Our Little House In The Country

Clara's site is new to me, and I've really enjoyed perusing her offerings. In particular, Slowing Down In August, can you believe it will be upon us by the end of this coming week? I also liked the sound of Our Little Friday Letter, which is a weekly offering, much like Small Things, I suppose?

5. I Miss My Library

I don't recall exactly what put me on to this site, and to be honest, I'm not even sure it's something I would utilize. But the objective is to provide the user with a virtual space designed to evoke the feeling of a library, and also provides a customizable to-do list to enhance productivity and focus. And if libraries aren't your thing, try I Miss My Cafe.

6. 30 Best End Of Summer Quotes

Though technically summer is still with us until near the end of September, in our home it ends on August 31. That means there are roughly five weeks of summer tasks to complete, and while there will still be outdoor/garden tasks through September, that is when I begin to pull back a bit and begin focusing more on our home and beginning early prepartions for the upcoming holiday season. I was particularly moved by this quote.

"Summer will end soon enough, and childhood as well."

- GEORGE R. R. MARTIN

I read an article recently that said we get only 18 summers with our children, and expressing the importance of cherishing those days. I don't know about how many summers we get, not only with our children, but with our parents, our spouse? I think the important thing is to do our best to cherish every moment of life, because things can and often do change so quickly.

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Wayback Wednesday - The Summer Movie Edition

This summer my husband and I have been working our way through my boxed set of beach movies. Every Monday night is "Old Movie Monday" at our house, and even though we had watched a few of these before, we decided this summer to watch them all, and in the order they were released. So far we've watched

- Beach Party (1963)

- Muscle Beach Party (1964)

- Bikini Beach (1964)

and 

- Ski Party (1965) which is technically not a beach movie, but it is included in the box set, and is actually one of my favorites.

These movies are campy, but I love them! I actually have very fond memories of watching them with my mom. Her favorite was How To Stuff A Wild Bikini and Pajama Party, which, sadly, is not included in the box set.

If you've never seen them, or you just want to take a little trip down memory lane, you can watch them online, most of them for free!

- Beach Party

- Muscle Beach Party

- Bikini Beach

- Pajama Party (only available on Prime)

- Beach Blanket Bingo - one of my personal favorites!

- Ski Party - another favorite!

- How To Stuff A Wild Bikini - and yet another favorite!

There are also two movies in the boxed set that I couldn't find free online, Thunder Alley and Fireball 500, both of which are about racing, which makes them less desireable to watch, at least for me.

Another movie with a beach theme that I love is Summer of 42, which is the story of a young boy who develops an innocent love for a young woman whose husband is in the military. It stars a young Jennifer O'Neill, who has always been one of my favorites. I especially remember the Theme From Summer of '42, which was sung by my mother's favorite crooner, Andy Williams, and I absoutely love this instrumental version. 

There are a number of movies with a summer theme or setting, such as;

- American Graffitti (Netflix)

- The Parent Trap (1961) - (Disney)

- Rear Window  - my all time favorite Alfred Hitchcock! (Netflix)

- To Catch a Thief - summer on the French Riviera! (Pluto)

- A Summer Place - Part 1, Part 2, Part 3 (Daily Motion)

And then there's always my favorite summer movie, Gidget, which I wrote about, here.

Hopefully I've listed at a least a few that may be new to you that you can enjoy as hot days of summer amp up. What about you? Do you have any favorite movies you watch in this season? I'm always looking for new recommendations!

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The Homekeeper's Commonplace: An Old World Creed

AN OLD WORLD CREED

I believe in all things beautiful,

The beauty of simple things.

I believe in music,

Where melody is quickly found;

And in poems, that sound like song.

I believe in books

That hold lovely thoughts.

In pictures, that rest the eye 

and soothe the senses.

In plays that keep the heart young.

Little things delight me,

A sunbeam on a blade of grass,

A dewdrop in the heart of a flower,

A daisy with a rosy frill.

I believe in joy,

and quick laughter;

In sentiments, in love,

in reverance.

I believe in all things beautiful.

I believe in God.

- MINNIE AUMONIER

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Small Things - Third Saturday in July 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. Seven Old Fashioned Summer Activities

My parent's had a croquet set when I was little, what a fun game! Also, check out their publication Parcel & Post Summer Edition. Available for purchse or free to members on the app.

2. The Lost Art of Inviting People Over

Stress free tips to make people feel welcome. I really enjoyed this articles, it reminded me that it really is so simple, all you need is a plate, a cup, a napkin, a snack a flower, and of course, a friend.

3.The Dandelion Vase

The perfect baby shower gift for new moms! I see these little vases at thrift shops all the time and pass them over, but I absolutely love this idea! I would make the card a little prettier, but what a perfectly sweet idea!

4. Gladys Taber - July

Passages from the writings of Gladys Taber on July.

5. Coke Bottle Flower Vases

I came across this image on Pinterest this week and found it so cute and practical! Coke bottles, flowers, and flags make a cute patriotic decoration. I have a small collection of vintage coke botttles that I think I'd like even better! 

6. Signs You Are A Homebody

- Love when plans get canceled.

- Weekend - blanket + no plans.

- Favorite mug you use daily.

- "Going out" = a trip to the mailbox

- Same shows on repeat.

- Rainy days feels magical.

- Fresh sheets are the best feeling!

I am definitely a homebody, how about you?

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From The Archives - The ODST Slow Summer Days Playlist

Nice n' Easy

FRANK SINATRA

Solitude

BILLIE HOLIDAY

It's A Lovely Day Today

ELLA FITZGERALD

Summer Is A Comin' In

NAT KING COLE

 A Sunday Kind of Love

ETTA JAMES

Someone To Watch Over Me

ELLA FITZGERALD

I Love You (For Sentimental Reasons)

NAT KING COLE

Time After Time

MARGARET WHITTING

A Kiss To Build A Dream On

LOUIS ARMSTRONG

It's Impossible

PERRY COMO

Remember 

ANDY WILLIAMS

Come Rain or Come Shine

RAY CHARLES

Dream A Little Dream Of Me

DORIS DAY

In The Wee Small Hours Of The Morning

FRANK SINATRA

Catch a Falling Star

PERRY COMO

Summertime

ELLA FITZGERALD / LOUIS ARMSTRONG

As Time Goes By

BILLIE HOLLIDAY

On The Street Where You Live

DEAN MARTIN

S'Wonderful

TONY BENNETT

You can listen to it, here.

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Small Things - Second Saturday of July 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

1. Sit Spot - A Sacred Place To Observe The Rhythms Of Nature

I remember sit spots from my years as a Camp Fire Girl. Maybe I'll give it a try!

2. Potting Sheds

, and especially this one (pictured). I just love the

framed ads! 

3. 4 Habits That Kept Homes Peaceful For Centuries

I love this post from @themillionairehomemaker

". . . our grandmothers knew something we’ve forgotten: Peaceful, productive homes weren’t built on hustle.They were built on rhythm, on routine, on reverence for the little things."

4. The Spiritual Habits

From Reclaim Today. This autumn I'm going to do a year long series of posts of my spiritual journey and Rule of Life. If that's something that interests you, I hope you'll join me!

5. No Churn Chili Chocolate Ice Cream

Chili and Chocolate are two of my all time favorite combinations, and this no church recipe, sounds like a winner!

6. Cottagecore Brunch Recipes

I love these sweet images which are all over social media right now. I couldn't trace where this on orginated, but I ideas for brunch! I've been craving cottage cheese lately, and yet for some reason I still manage to forget to pick up a carton when I'm at the store! I love the idea of eating it with fruit and drizzled with honey! Sounds like a simple, delicious meal for summer! You can find the recipes in The Cottagecore Cookbook, available from Amazon (Affiliate Link), or

"Rest is not idleness, and to lie sometimes on the grass under the trees on a summer's day, listening to the murmur of water, or watching the clouds float across the blue sky, is by no means waste of time. 

- JOHN LUBBOCK

Recreation: The Use of Life, 1894

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Retro Rewind - .02

 It's time for another edition of Retro Rewind and a look back on memories from my childhood, growing up in the 60's and 70's.

FAVORITE FOODS

Growing up I was literally addicted to Dr. Pepper! And while these days I prefer Coke, in junior high and high school I drank Dr. Pepper like water. while it's still a popular choice today, a lot has changed over the years, and it's fun to see how it has evolved. 

Did you know that Dr. Pepper is the oldest major soft drink made in America? The recipe was created in Waco, Texas by pharmacist Charles Alderton in 1885 and was first nationally marketed at the St. Louis World's Fair in 1904. Today there is an entire museum dedicated to its history. 

The branding has changed a bit over the years, and they've had some unique marketing campaigns as well, like this commercial from 1979, do you remember Be A Pepper? I even had an I'm A Pepper t-shirt. I think I could probably sing the entire song from memory, as well as Hilltop, which was a popular song written for a Coca Cola marketing campaign.Do you remember that one? What was your favorite soft drink from back in the day?

FAVORITE STORES

TG&Y

In my previous Retro Rewind, I shared about going to my favorite store, Kresge, but another favorite we often frequented was TG&Y. The store we shopped at was located in the Haltom Plaza shopping center, which still exists today, though TG&Yclosed many years ago. The shopping center opened in 1959, and the original neon sign is still operational. TG&Y was a 5-10 cent store, and I spent a hefty chunk of my allowance there every week. I also recall my mom often shopped there for Christmas presents. They had a wonderful toy department. We spent a lot of time at other stores in Haltom Plaza, too, shopping for food at Wyatt's Supermarket, eating lunch every Sunday after church at Wyatt's cafeteria, and then going for ice cream at Ashburn's. So many great memories! I also remember getting the absolute best brownies from the bakery at Buddie's Supermarket, which was at another location. We also had a Safeway and Piggy Wiggly nearby, though I don't recall shopping at them as much. In one of the stores, maybe Safeway, there was an area where children could sit and watch cartoons while their mother's shopped. I don't recall my mom every letting me do that, but I always thought it looked like fun. What grocery stores can you recall from your childhood? 

FAVORITE TV SHOWS -  TV GUIDE AND THE BEST FRIDAY NIGHT LINE UP

There as a period of time in the 1970's when the line up of sitcoms on Friday night kept me entertained for hours. The Brady Bunch, The Partridge Family (I had a HUGE crush on David Cassiday), Room 222, The Odd Couple and Love American Style, which, looking back, I can't believe my mother let me watch. It was my favorite night of the week to watch television, and even more fun if I was having a friend over to spend the night, which I often did. Later in the evening we would watch The Midnight Special and listen to our favorite bands. The 50's, 60's and 70's were the golden age of hollywood and television. Even today I rarely find anything that compares with the quality and wholesome goodness of that era. Most of these old sitcoms are still available to stream today, and I enjoy watching an episode or two from time to time.

- The Brady Bunch  - you can watch the first three seasons for free on Pluto, and Paramount has all five seasons, but requires a subscription.

- The Partridge Family - you can watch all four seasons on Tubi.

- Room 222 - I haven't been able to find a streaming service that carries this show, but you can find a few episode on You Tube.

- The Odd Couple - you can watch all five seasons on Pluto for free.

- Love American Style - not available from a streaming service, that I can find anyway, but you can find some episodes on You Tube.

- The Midnight Special - and it's the same for The Midnight Special. This link will take you to an episode, hosted by Helen Reddy, which I don't recall, I always thought it was hosted by Wolfman Jack? 

Back then I kept up with all my favorite shows by checking the schedule in TV Guide. Although our guide came in the Sunday paper, my maternal grandmother subscribed to the actual guide for years and she saved all her old copies for me to peruse. I loved reading the articles and learning about my favorite shows and stars. I wish I'd held on to more than a few of them now, as many of them have become collectors items, and here's a guy who has them all! There is also apparently a book, TV Guide: The First 25 Years that chronicles the history of the publication and highlights some of the bigger issues and articles. I'm not sure I'd want to read it cover to cover, but it might be fun to peruse.

Well, I hope you've enjoyed this little trip down memory lane, and that it's evoked a few of your own nostalgic memories. Did you have a favorite tv show, or Hollywood crush growing up? Let's chat in the comments!

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From The Archives - Sweet Little Note Cards

Bringing this one up from the archives, because honestly, I am still using these to this day and they deserve a little re-boot in case you'd like to use them, too!

While I like post-it notes, to be honest I don't find them all that useful, and those colors!  When I do find a pretty red or green one (can you tell those are my favorite colors?), I practically buy them in bulk.  But most of the time I prefer to make my own supplies, and things like these little 3x5 note cards do the trick, plus, they're pretty! Typically I will print these out on card stock and use them for a variety of purposes.

- Grocery Lists

- Favorite Bible Verses- Favorite Quotes

- Notes of love and encouragement for my family

The possibilities are endless! Anyway, I just wanted to share them with you today, and I hope some of you will find them useful. The card pictured above includes one of my favorite quotes by Laura Ingalls Wilder, but there are actually three cards on the page with three different quotes about the beauty of home. They would make for a nice recipe card tucked into a casserole dish as a wedding gift or when delivering food to those in need. Download by clicking the link below.

~ Enjoy!

Sweet Little Note Cards

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Series Sundays - Christy (1994-1995)

Around our house we are big on themes, and we like to make ordinary days fun, which is why we observe things like Old Movie Mondays (old movies from the 50's, 60's and 70's), Time Warp Tuesdays (videos on You Tube that focus on life in the 50's, 60's and 70'), and Throwback Thursday (1 1/2 to 2 hours of vintage 60's/70's sitcoms). Friday is Family Game Night (newly reinstituted) and we leave a few days open for other selections. We also often don't observe each of these themes every week, but they do sort of serve as a guideline to aide us in the often asked question, "WHAT DO YOU WANT TO WATCH?".

In addition to these, Sundays are reserved for seasonal movies, especially at Christmas. But with the other season's, we often find that there aren't enough movies to fill the entirity of the season, which is why we decided upon Series Sundays, to help fill the gaps. Recently we watched House of David (we actually watched it twice), but last night we began re-watching a series we'd forgotten about until we came across it on DVD at a yard sale, Christy.

Christy is based on the 1967 novel Christy, written by Catherine Marshall, the widow of Senate Chaplain Peter Marshall (who was immortalized by Richard Todd in the 1955 feature film, A Man Called Peter). The novel, inspired by Marshall’s mother’s adventures in the mountains of Tennessee, tells the story of Christy Huddleston, a young woman who goes to Tennessee to help teach the impoverished children of the highlanders. In the television series, which  takes place in 1912 Tennessee, Christy (portrayed by Kellie Martin), is inspired by a visit from Miss Alice Henderson (portrayed byTyne Daly), and against her family's objections, packs up and goes to Miss Alice’s Quaker missionary located in the fictional village of Cutter Gap. There, the naive but strong-willed Christy witnesses first hand the poverty, relative ignorance and superstition of the farmers and miners who work there, but she also falls in love with the beauty of the Smokey

Last night we watched what was the two-hour pilot episode when Christy firsts arrives to teach school at the mission and is immediately faced with obstacles. The church building where school is held during the week isn't completed. There are very few books and they are in bad repair, and she is shocked to find that none of the children are own a pair of shoes. There are ongoing fueds between families which results in bullying, and Christy is shocked at the conditions she finds her students living in when she visits their houses. It's quite the culture shock, and for a brief moment, she almost decides to leave. But then on the very morning when she's about to give up and quietly slip away, one of her young students, Mountie O'Teale, who up to that point had not spoken a word, finds her sewing buttons on her coat and says, "buttons". That is the moment that changes everything for Christy and she realizes that in spite of the hardships, she really is reaching the children and making a difference in their lives. Mountie is probably my favorite of the stidents, but I'm also very fond of two of the little boys, Little Burl Allen, who 'came to exchange howdies with you", and Sam Houston Holcombe, who teaches Christy that in the highlands of the Smokey Mountians, houses don't have addresses, at least, not in 1912.

Another actor I was happy to discover was in the series is Emily Schulman who portrays Ruby Mae Morris. She was in another movie, Caddie Woodlawn as well as Troop Beverly Hills. I've now added both of these movies to my summer movie watchlist.

In the series Ruby Mae is an orphan who lives and works in the kitckitchen at the mission. and Christy's influence transforms Ruby into a lovely and capable young woman.

There are also a couple of love interests, Rev. David Grantland, who is  based on Catherine Marshall's husband, Peter, and Dr. Neil MacNeill, who has lived with this community almost all of his life with the exception of a brief period when he went to school to get his degree. Christy is non-committal in the series, likely because it unfortunately didn't last long, but there were three additional movies made after the series ended (Christy is portrayed by Lauren Lee Smith), and in one of them she marries Neil. I've never seen those movies. I was disappointed that Kellie Martin didn't reprise her role, but many of the other cast members did, so perhaps it's worth giving them a try.

If you are interested in the series or the other movies, you can find them linked below.

Christy - pilot episide and complete series, albeit a bit chopped up on You Tube.

Christy - complete series on DVD (Affliate Link)

NOTE: Kellie Martin does not portray Christy in the next three movies. 

Christy - Return to Cutter Gap - on DVD (Affliate Link)

Christy - A Change of Seasons - on DVD (Affliate Link)

Christy - A New Beginning - on DVD (Affliate Link)

Have you ever watched Christy? If not, I highly recommend it. It's appropriate for all ages, we first watched it in 2008 when our daughter was 7 and she loved it. Maybe try the rather cut-up version on You Tube, and if you like it well enough you might consider adding it to your collection. The Amazon prices are a little pricey. We got our copy at a yard sale, but you can also check out the third party sellers on Amazon to get a better price. If you do watch it, let me know what you think, I'd love to hear!

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Small Things - First Saturday In July 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

1. A Slow Summer In Real Life - Creating Realistic Summer Rhythms That Actually Work

This summer we've been working feverishly transforming our backyard into a beautiful garden of primarily native flowers and extending our vegetable garden (which consists of only tomatoes and peppers this year due to getting a very late start), into an area which will be used more for container gardening. With the longer days, I find myself wanting to push myself past the point when my body is already signaling, it's time to quit, and as this article states, I "want to do everything".

I particularly loved her idea of building "touchpoints of calm and consistency" into our days, and beginning our mornings with "one calm moment".  I used her Gentle Summer Rhythm Planner this week to remind myself to take one a picture of a moment every morning, before the busyness begins, and to remind myself to take a mid-day pause to hydrate and refresh before wrapping up our outdoor tasks. It's been so helpful! I'm looking forward to reading more of her offerings.

2. Cultivating Oaks - Cultivating Summer: Merriment

Cultivating Oaks press just released their summer edition and the theme is "Merriment", which I just love!

3. Slow Living July To-Do List

There are so many lists/articles like this out there that at times even they begin to feel like one more thing to do, but I do like it when I begin to see similarities and recurring themes as I come across them. Kind of like a little reminder, oh yeah . . . I wanted to do ____________ this summer. :)

4. Country Living UK - July Edition

I've been slowly reading through the July edition of this lovely publication! If you haven't discovered it yet, the UK edition is soooooo much better! It's included with my Kindle Unlimited subscription, so I read the digital edition every month. Not the same as print, but I typically peruse that whilst on a jaunt to Barnes & Noble, and it saves storage space at home. They also have a website with a number of lovely articles as well.

5. Movie Night!

I've saved so many suggestions for movies I haven't seen, well, most of them anyway. on my Movie Night board.  I've decided that in August I'm going to try to watch at least two or three of them. I'd love for you to take a look through them and see if there are any that you've seen and would recommend!

6. A Prayer For The Month of July

@faithfilledparenthood posts these monthly, and I just love them! @smallestlight also posts these monthly defintions of the months, of sorts. I look foreward to both of these posts every month.

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Happy Fourth of July!

We're spendng the day with our soon to be son-in-law's family at the lake today, but I didn't want to let the day pass witout wishing you and yours a blessed Independence Day!

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The Homekeeper's Commonplace - Quaint

Quaint

is a small wooden cottage

filled with snuggly nooks

a tablecloth your grandma sewed, 

dusty, well-loved books.

Quaint

is a candle-lit dinner

quilts on a canopy bed

an arch of blooming roses

high above your head.

Quaint

is charming, old fashioned

an echo of days gone by.

Modern life is convenient

But quaint should never die.

- AMY LUDWIG VANDERWATER 

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