From The Archives: My Favorite Summer Movies

Last summer my husband and I worked 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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Homemaking Monday: The History of the Homemaker's Apron

Most people don't think much about an apron anymore.

If they do, it's usually as a charming decoration hanging in a country kitchen or a vintage piece found at an antique shop. Somewhere along the way, the humble apron became little more than a symbol of nostalgia.

For centuries, though, it was one of the hardest-working items a homemaker owned.

Long before washing machines, stain removers, and inexpensive clothing, women tied on an apron each morning because it was as essential as a good broom or a well-seasoned cast iron skillet. It protected precious clothing, carried the tools of daily work, and quietly became part of the rhythm of home.

The history of the apron is really the history of homemaking itself. As homes changed, aprons changed with them. Yet despite all the conveniences of modern life, I believe they still have something to teach us about faithful stewardship, hospitality, and finding joy in ordinary work.

For centuries, it was one of the most practical and indispensable tools a homemaker owned. Long before modern washing machines, inexpensive clothing, and stain removers, an apron protected dresses that had taken weeks to sew and were expected to last for years. It shielded fabric from flour dust, soot, grease, and garden soil, allowing a woman to work hard without ruining the clothing beneath it.

The history of the apron reaches back much farther than many people realize. Ancient Egyptians wore simple linen coverings while working, and throughout the Middle Ages, tradesmen and craftsmen of every kind wore aprons suited to their work. Blacksmiths favored heavy leather, while bakers, butchers, and merchants often wore linen or canvas.

As the centuries passed, the homemaker's apron developed into something uniquely its own.

By the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries, many women owned several aprons, each with a specific purpose. There were sturdy work aprons for laundry day, gardening, preserving food, and tending livestock. Cleaner aprons were worn while preparing meals or welcoming visitors, and some women even reserved beautifully embroidered aprons for Sundays or special occasions.

An apron was much more than protection for a dress.

Its pockets carried clothespins, scissors, seed packets, handkerchiefs, and recipe notes. The wide skirt became a basket for gathering eggs, apples, beans, or freshly picked herbs. It served as a potholder, a towel for drying wet hands, and even a place for a tired child to hide his face after a difficult day.

In many ways, the apron became a symbol of hospitality.

When family arrived at the back door and found Mother wearing her apron, they knew supper was on the stove. The smell of fresh bread, simmering soup, or warm cinnamon often became forever connected with the sight of those apron strings tied neatly at her waist.

As household technology improved during the twentieth century, the apron slowly disappeared from everyday life. Ready-made clothing became affordable, automatic washing machines made laundry easier, and many women simply found they no longer needed one as often.

At the same time, the apron began to be viewed by some as a symbol of an outdated way of life.

I think that's unfortunate.

An apron never represented weakness. It represented work.

It spoke of meals prepared from scratch, gardens carefully tended, children comforted, and homes cared for with diligence. It reminded us that the countless small tasks of homemaking matter because the people we serve matter.

That is why I still enjoy tying on an apron before I bake bread, preserve vegetables from the garden, or spend an afternoon in the kitchen. It doesn't make me a better homemaker, but it does remind me to approach my work with intention. It marks the beginning of caring for my home in much the same way generations of women have done before me.

Perhaps that's why the apron has endured for so long.

It isn't simply a piece of fabric with pockets.

It is a quiet reminder that the ordinary work of home has always been extraordinary in its importance. While fashions change and household routines evolve, the calling to create a place of warmth, nourishment, and welcome remains much the same.

And maybe that's why the humble apron still has a place in our homes today.

 

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Homemaking Monday - A Familiar Favorite: Home Sweet Home

Today we'll pause to reflect on a familiar favorite, perhaps you know it, or at least the opening line?  But in case you've never read the complete work, I though it might be fun to share it with you today.

John Howard Payne wrote the lyrics to "Home, Sweet Home!" in 1822 while living in London. It was first published and publicly debuted as a song in May 1823 as part of the operetta Clari, or the Maid of Milan at the Covent Garden Theatre.  You can listen to a performance of it, here.

The song's American premiere took place at the Winter Tivoli Theatre in Philadelphia on October 29, 1823, and was sung by "Mrs. Williams." In 1852, Henry Bishop "relaunched" the song as a parlour ballad, and it became very popular in the United States throughout the American Civil War and after. The song was reputedly banned from being played in Union Army camps during the American Civil War for being too redolent of hearth and home and so likely to incite desertion.

Here is the poem, I hope you'll enjoy it!

❊ HOME SWEET HOME

’Mid pleasures and palaces though we may roam,

Be it ever so humble, there’s no place like home;

A charm from the skies seems to hallow us there

Which, seek through the world, is ne’er met with elsewhere.

Home! Home! sweet, sweet Home!

There’s no place like Home! there’s no place like Home!

An exile from home, splendour dazzles in vain;

O, give me my lowly thatched cottage again!

The birds singing gayly that came at my call—

Give me them, and the peace of mind dearer than all!

Home! Home! sweet, sweet Home!

There’s no place like Home! there’s no place like Home!

How sweet ’tis to sit ’neath a fond father’s smile,

And the cares of a mother to soothe and beguile!

Let others delight ’mid new pleasures to roam,

But give me, oh, give me the pleasures of Home!

Home! Home! sweet, sweet Home!

There’s no place like Home! there’s no place like Home!

To thee I’ll return, overburdened with care;

The heart’s dearest solace will smile on me there;

No more from that cottage again will I roam;

Be it ever so humble, there’s no place like Home.

Home! Home! sweet, sweet Home!

There’s no place like Home! there’s no place like Home!

Even the humblest home carries God’s presence. Your daily tasks—sweeping, cooking, arranging flowers—are small acts of worship. The love you pour into your home sanctifies it.

"By wisdom a house is built, and by understanding it is established; by knowledge the rooms are filled with all precious and pleasant riches." 

– PROVERBS 24:3–4


Lord, help me to see my home as a place of sacred rest, where Your love dwells in every corner and every act of care I give.

❊

My Favorite Summer Movies - Summer Magic

As many of you know, I am a HUGE Old Movies fan. I would even dare to say that 90% of what I watch on a weekly basis was released in the late 40's, 50's, 60's and some 70's. Occassionally you might even find a few titles from the 80's thrown in there, but it is s-e-l-d-o-m that I watch anything made after that, with the exception of period pieces from PBS.

It is pretty common to have a longer list of movies that you enjoy watching during the Christmas holidays, but being a seasonal soul, I have movies that I watch in almost every season, and summer is no exception.  And, since one of the squares in the Summer Bingo Challenge is to watch a movie with a summer theme, I thought it might be fun to share some of my favorite summer movies with you over the next few weeks, and we'll begin today with . . .

❊ SUMMER MAGIC
with Hayley Mills 

Oddly enough, though it's my first choice for this series, Summer Magic is, traditionally, a movie that I watch closer to the autumn equinox. A bit of a nod, if you will, to the slowly dying days of summer. .

Based upon the book, Mother Carey's Chickens, Summer Magic and depicts the life of the Carey family. When Margaret (Dorothy MacGuire), a Bostonian widow and her three children fall on hard financial times, Nancy Carey (Hayley Mills), works with Postmaster Ostia "Osh" Popham (Burl Ives) to move into a run-down old house in Maine. But isn't long before they learn that the house is actually owned by the mysterious Tom Hamilton (Peter Brown), who Osh assures them, never comes around. But when snooty cousin Julia (Deborah Walley) moves in, and  Mr. Hamilton makes a surprise visit, the fun and adventures begin!

I have loved this movie since the first time I saw it in elementary school. Every year on the last day before Christmas break, the entire school would assemble in the auditorium and we would watch a movie. There was always popcorn and soda and the teachers would usually have candy waiting for us on our desk, as well. It was always a highlight of the holiday season, knowing that Christmas was coming and you didn't have to go to school for two whole weeks! One year, I think when I was in about 3rd-4th grade, this was the movie that was featured.

I have long loved Hayley Mills, but I'm fond of Deborah Walley, too, especially in this role. She became a bit of a beach movie queen during the 60's, and I'll actually be sharing a post soon that will feature some of those movies. But her depection of Julia, the uppity cousin who turns out not to be all that she appears, is charming.

I also like the music featured in this movie. It's dubbed a musical, and I guess if I really think about it, it definitely is, but somehow the music seems to flow a bit more seamless than you typically find, at least for me. Some are also not a fan of Burl Ives when it comes to singing, and granted, he would have never made it in today's world. But I personally find him charming. A few of my favorite songs from the movie are;

- On The Front Porch - My absolute favorite!

- The Ugly Bug Ball - My girls loved this one when they were little!

- Femininity - A cute little old fashioned song. Definitely don't condone "hide the real you"

- Summer Magic

If you've never watched Summer Magic, I highly recommend it. It's a movie the whole family will enjoy and suitable for all ages. Perfect on a cool summer night with the windows open. You could make up a couple of big bowls of popcorn and some fresh lemonade and enjoy spending some time together!  Here the trailer to give you a little more of a feel for it!

As I said, if you've never watched it, I think you'll enjoy it, and please let me know if you do, even if its one you're already familiar with and have watched a dozen times or me, like me! And if you have your own list of favorite summer movies, please leave your suggestions in the comments. It just might be possible I may have missed a few!  I'll be sharing more movies on my list in the weeks to come, so if you enjoyed this post, but sure to come back for more!

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Homemaking Monday - A Poem For Your Summer Commonplace- Barefoot Days

I've decided that in these sweet summer months, to keep my Homemaking Monday posts here simple, a verse, a poem or a special quote that reflects on the season, the home and homemaking.  We'll dive deeper in early September, but in these long lingering days there is much to savor. Let's give that space, and begin the week with this lovely little poem by Rachel Field, perfect for our summer commonplace!

❊ BAREFOOT DAYS

In the morning, very early,
That's the time I love to go
Barefoot where the fern grows curly
And grass is cool between each toe,
On a summer morning-O!
On a summer morning!

That is when the birds go by
Up the sunny slopes of air,
And each rose has a butterfly
Or a golden bee to wear;
And I am glad in every toe,

Such a summer morning-O!
Such a summer morning!

- RACHEL FIELD

Recipes From Grandma's KitchenA Summer Stand-By - Texas Pulled Pork!

If you're looking for a stand-by recipe for all your summer gatherings, this pulled pork fits the bill! Slathered in a spicy chipotle-coffee rub and slow cooked to perfection, when topped with copycat Mission BBQ Texas Twang Barbecue Sauce, it will quickly become a family favorite! Combined with my recipe for potato salad and baked beans (coming soon!), you can't miss with this tastebud-tantalizing trio!

❊ TEXAS PULLED PORK
1 4 lb. pork butt

1/2 cup brown sugar

1/4 cup black pepper

1/4 cup finely ground dark coffee

1/4 cup smoked paprika 

2 tablespoons kosher salt

1 tablespoon chipotle powder

2 teaspoons garlic powder

2 teaspoons cinnamon

2 teaspoons cumin

2 teaspoons allspice

To make the rub, combine the brown sugar, black pepper, coffee, salt and spices. Coat the pork on all sides. Wrap in plastic wrap and place on large plate or cookie sheet. Refrigerate for 8 hours or overnight.

Remove pork from refrigerator and bring to room temperature, about 1/2 and hour. Pre-heat oven to 250.

Place pork in lightly oiled (about 1 teaspoon canola oil) roasting pan or dutch oven and cook uncovered fat side up for 8 hours or about 2 hours per pound.

After the pork has cooked, remove the meat from the oven and let sit for 30 mins to 1 hours. The pork will appear to be black, which is the natural color the rub takes on when cooked. It is not burned! Using two forks, pull the meat into strands being sure to incorporate the black rub in with the meat. and coat with about a cup of barbecue sauce, or as desired. Serve additional sauce on the side. 

Serve on a bun with cole slaw or pickled jalapenos.

Serves 

4 adults with plenty of leftovers

6 adults with comfortable servings

8 adults with moderate servings + sides

❊ COPYCAT MISSION BBQ TEXAS TWANG BARBECUE SAUCE

1 cup ketchup

1/2 cup apple cider vinegar

1/4 cup yellow mustard

1/4 cup brown sugar

2 tablespoons molasses

1 tablespoon worcestershire sauce

1 teaspoon liquid smoke

1 teaspoon smoked paprika

1/2 teaspoon garlic powder

1/2 teaspoon onion powder

1/2 teaspoon black pepper 

1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper (adjust for heat)

1/2 teaspoon salt

Pinch of crushed red pepper for extra bite (optional)

Add everything to a saucepan over medium heat.

Whisk until smooth and fully combined.

Bring to a gentle simmer then reduce heat to low.

Cook uncovered 15-20 minutes, stirring occasionally. It should thicken slightly but still stay pourable. This sauce isn't thick.

Taste and adjust.

More vinegar - sharper twang.

More brown sugar - softer, sweeter edge

More cayenne pepper - sharper bite.

~ Enjoy!

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Join Me This Summer For The Summer Bingo Challenge!

 

Well my friends, it's June and summer will officially arrive on Sunday, June 21! To be honest, it's a little hard for me to wrap my mind around that we are nearing the half way mark of the year! And while the "official" first day of summer is still a few weeks away, in our home the summer season is marked by two holidays, Memorial Day in late May and Labor Day in early September.  We've observed it this way for more than a decade now and I still prefer it.

All that to say, a few years ago as these days were approaching,  I realized that if we are not intentional, summer was going to slip by us before we even knew it and we might miss out on some fun seasonal activities and traditions. And though there is always work to do, for me, it's important to keep a balance between work and play. I get burned out quickly if I don't set aside time to engage in more leisurely activities. And so I decided to create a fun Summer Bingo Challenge. In each square I listed an activity that I would like to be intentional about doing over the summer season, with the goal being if not to achieve a blackout, to at least score a couple of bingos. Then, come September, I can look back at all the happy memories we made together!

As before, I thought it might be fun to share it hear with you! I created a personal copy for me, and then another with a few blank spaces for you to be able to write in your own ideas. You can find the link below. If you need some inspiration, just click on the image of my personal copy at the top of this post and you'll be able to see what I included in mine. If you find that some of the activities that I've included add too much going and doing to your already busy schedule, you can choose others that you can do at home. In the end the goal isn't even about getting a bingo, but about being intentional with how we spend our time in this season, and I know for me, having it written down where I can see it is half the plan to getting there!

I hope you have a wonderful Wednesday, my friends! 

Ordinary Days Of Small Things 2026 Summer Bingo Challenge

You also might enjoy my Summer Tic Tac Toe

a little simpler take on the season with fewer ideas!

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Homemaking Monday - A Soft Start For Summer

❊ I HAVE FOUND SUCH JOY

I have found such joy in simple things;

   A plain clean room, a nut-brown loaf of bread,

A cup of milk, a kettle as it sings,

   The shelter of a roof above my head,

And in a leaf-laced square along the floor,

   Where yellow sunlight glimmers through a door.

I have found such joy in things that fill

   My quiet days; a curtain's blowing grace,

A potted plant upon my window sill,

   A rose, fresh-cut and placed within a vase,

A table cleared, a lamp beside a chair,

   And books I long have loved beside me there.

Oh, I have found such joys I wish I might

   Tell every woman who goes seeking far

For some elusive, feverish delight,

   That very close to home the great joys are:

The elemental things — old as the race,

   Yet never, through the ages, commonplace.

- GRACE NOLL CROWELL

Now Available - The Ordinary Days of Small Things Summer Day Keeper

Many years ago, I began creating seasonal planners as a way to be more intentional about making lasting memories with my family. Over time, these planners evolved into what I now call Day Keepers. Each Day Keeper follows the natural rhythm of the four seasons — beginning in Spring with (March, April, May) continuing through Summer (June, July, August), Autumn (September, October, November), and Winter (December, January, February).

Rather than following the calendar year, I chose to begin each Day Keeper in the Spring, a season of fresh starts, new beginnings, and the planting of seeds — both literal and metaphorical. The year then flows naturally through each season, ending in Winter — a time for rest, reflection, and restorative peace. This cycle mirrors the rhythm of life itself, giving space for growth, change, and renewal.

Over time, I began offering the Day Keepers here on my blog, and they quickly became a popular resource for those looking to live more intentionally and savor life’s everyday moments. It has been a few years since I last shared them, but this year felt right to give them a fresh update and bring them back for you.

I have always made these planners available free of charge, and I will continue to do so this year. However, as much of the content is now being reframed and expanded for my upcoming book, What We Keep: Making Time For What Truly Matters, this will be the last year the Day Keepers are available free of charge. In the future, they will likely be offered as a companion piece to the book. So for now, this is your last opportunity to download them without cost.

If you’ve been longing for a way to live more intentionally, make lasting memories, and follow the natural rhythm of the seasons, I invite you to download your Day Keeper today and begin your year with intention.

Download the The Summer Day Keeper Here

Download the Summer Quarter 2026 Calendars Here

Download the Summer Phenology Wheels Here

Print one phenology wheel for each month and record daily moon phase, weather, sunrise and sunset, high and low temperature, sketch flora and fauna and anything native to your location. The possibilities are endless!

May this planner guide you in noticing what matters, celebrating the small moments, and carrying intention into every day of your year.

Homemaking Mondays In May: The Theology of Homemaking A Four Part Formation Series — Week Four: Who You Are Becoming Matters More Than What You Do

I think I used to approach homemaking mostly as something I needed to do well.

Keep things in order.

Stay on top of everything.

Create a home that felt peaceful and looked cared for.

And while those things matter, they are not the deepest thing happening here.

Because beneath the routines and responsibilities, something quieter is taking place.

You are becoming someone.

Not all at once.
Not dramatically.
Not in ways the world would necessarily notice.

But slowly, through ordinary faithfulness.

Through the constant opportunities to lay down your own pace, your own preferences, your own expectations for how the day “should” go.

Through the interruptions.
Through the repetition.
Through the small daily choices to respond gently when frustration would feel easier.

And I think this is one of the hidden mercies of homemaking: it reveals us, but it also reshapes us.

It exposes impatience.
It softens sharp edges.
It teaches endurance in places we didn’t know we needed it.

“Suffering produces endurance, and endurance produces character, and character produces hope.”

- ROMANS 5:3–4

There are forms of spiritual formation that can only happen through staying.

Through tending the same spaces.
Through loving the same people over long stretches of ordinary time.
Through embracing a life where much of the work is repeated tomorrow.

And while that kind of life may seem small from the outside, God never treats formation as small.

Because He is not only concerned with what you accomplish.

He is deeply concerned with who you are becoming.

- Patient
- Steady
- Tender-hearted
- Faithful in unseen places
- Strong in quiet ways that no longer need applause to feel valuable.

Your home is not just something you are building, it is a place God is using to build you.

And maybe that changes the questions we carry.

Not:

“Did I get enough done today?”

But:

“Did I become a little more loving?

A little more grounded?

A little more like Christ in the middle of ordinary life?”

Because long after the laundry is forgotten, the meals are eaten, and the rooms are rearranged again, the character formed within you remains.

The work matters.

But who you are becoming matters even more.

If this idea of homemaking as spiritual formation resonates with you, these books pair beautifully with this week’s reflection:

The Life You've Always Wanted — A gentle, deeply practical invitation into spiritual formation through everyday life and ordinary habits.

The Practice of the Presence of God — A quiet classic about finding communion with God in simple daily tasks and hidden work.

Adorned — A thoughtful reflection on biblical womanhood, discipleship, and the beauty of a faithful life lived within the home.

Liturgy of the Ordinary — A beautiful exploration of how God meets us through everyday routines and repetitive moments.

They each remind us in different ways that spiritual growth rarely happens through grand moments alone.

More often, it happens quietly, right in the middle of daily life.

❊

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Homemaking Monday's In May: The Theology Of HomemakingA Four Part Formation Series - Part Three: The Hidden Cost Of A Quiet Life

 Homemaking carries a quiet cost.

Not in a heavy or regretful way, but in a real, honest one.

Because choosing a life centered around the home often means choosing things that don’t always feel easy to name.

Choosing to not always be seen, to not always be affirmed, to not always have something measurable to point to at the end of the day. 

And sometimes, if you’re honest, there is a tension there.

A wondering, a subtle ache to be recognized, to know that what you’re doing matters beyond the walls you’re inside of. And I don’t think that feeling is something to rush past or dismiss.

But I do think it’s something to gently bring before the Lord. Because He never asked us to live for recognition, He asked us to live before Him.

“Your Father who sees in secret will reward you.” 

- MATTHEW 6:4

There is a kind of life that is built mostly in the unseen, and it requires a different kind of surrender.

A surrender of being known in the ways the world measures it.
A surrender of being noticed for what you carry.
A surrender of needing proof that it matters.

And yet…nothing done with Him, for Him, or through Him is ever lost, even when it is never named out loud by anyone else.

It is still seen.
It is still held.
It is still forming something eternal in you.

If this idea of the “hidden life” resonates with you, these books sit beautifully with this week’s reflection:

Every Moment Holy — Douglas Kaine McKelvey
A collection of liturgies that help you see ordinary moments as sacred ground.

Garden City — John Mark Comer
A thoughtful look at calling, work, and what it means to live faithfully in your actual life.

To Hell with the Hustle — Jefferson Bethke
A gentle pushback against constant striving and the pressure to be seen as productive.

Sacred Rhythms — Ruth Haley Barton
A deeper invitation into spiritual practices that form a steady, anchored soul.

They don’t rush the tension away.

They help you sit with it… and slowly see it differently.

❊

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Recipes From Grandma's Kitchen- A Popular Recipe - Potato Salad

My mom was a good cook in her own right, but after I got married and started cooking for my own family, there was one dish that from thereon she always asked me to make, potato salad.

To be honest, I'm not really sure what it was that she felt made mine so much better, she just said that mine tasted better, and I guess she was on to something, because over the years it has become my most requested dish for pot lucks and parties.  I've even catered a few meals for friends, and it always makes the list of requested dishes.

With the summer season coming up, I'm sure a lot of us will be grilling and potato salad is one of those dishes that always seems to be a good fit, whether you're cooking up burgers or chicken, it's the perfect side dish! So today I thought I'd pass along my take on this classic dish. I hope you'll enjoy it!

❊ KIM'S POTATO SALAD

3 lbs yukon gold potatoes

1 teaspoon salt

3/4 to 1 cup Hellman's Mayonnaise

2 teaspoons yellow mustard

4-6 sweet pickles, diced small

1/2 small onion, chopped small

2 teaspoons sugar

Salt and pepper to taste

Smoked paprika to preference

Serves 10-12

Wash, peel and chop you potatoes into cubes. Briefly rinse the potatoes in cold water to remove excess starch. Place potatoes in a large pot, cover with water.  Add 1 teaspoon of salt to the water. Boil until tender. Drain with cool water then place in the refrigerator to cool. This helps them hold their shape and not become mashed potatoes.

Once cooled add mayo, mustard, sweet pickles and onions. Gently mix everything together until the potatoes are well coated and everything is combined.  Add sugar, salt and pepper and stir gently again. Adjust seasoning as desired.  To finish lightly dust the top with smoked paprika.

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Homemaking Monday's In May: The Theology of Homemaking:A Four Part Formation Series - Week Two: Formation Through Repetition

There are days when the repetition of homemaking feels almost unbearable.

You wash the dishes, and by evening the sink is full again.

You fold the laundry, and tomorrow there will be another pile waiting.

You sweep the floor, wipe the counters, make the meals, straighten the rooms—and sometimes it can all begin to feel like a cycle that never truly ends.

And if we’re honest, I think part of what frustrates us is that we long for completion.

We want progress we can measure.

We want visible results.

We want something we can point to and say, “There. I finished it.”

But so much of homemaking refuses to stay finished, and maybe that is why it forms us so deeply.

Because Scripture is full of rhythms that required daily dependence.

Daily manna.
Daily bread.
Daily surrender.

When God provided manna in the wilderness, He did not give His people enough for months at a time. He gave them enough for that day.

Enough to teach them trust.
Enough to teach them reliance.
Enough to teach them to return to Him again tomorrow.

I think homemaking carries a similar invitation. Not just to complete tasks, but to become faithful in the returning.

Returning to serve.
Returning to nurture.
Returning to tend what has been entrusted to you—even when it feels repetitive.

And over time, something quiet begins to happen in us.

The repetition exposes our impatience.

It reveals our resistance.

But it also slowly builds endurance, steadiness, and faithfulness in places that comfort never could.

“Let us not grow weary of doing good, 
for in due season we will reap, if we do not give up.” 

- GALATIANS 6:9

I don’t think spiritual discipline is formed only in prayer closets and Bible studies.Sometimes it is formed while standing at the kitchen sink again.While making another meal. While tending an ordinary life with consistency when no one is applauding you for it.

And maybe the repetition you want to escape is the very place God is building your faithfulness.

If you’d like to explore this topic more deeply, these books pair beautifully with this week’s reflection:

Liturgy of the Ordinary

The Common Rule

Habits of the Household

Domestic Monastery

Each one offers a gentler way of seeing the rhythms, repetitions, and sacred routines of everyday life.

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Homemaking Monday's In May: The Theology of Homemaking:A Four Part Formation SeriesWeek One - Homemaking Is Not Small Work

I used to think homemaking felt small because it was small.

Small tasks.
Small moments.
Small, ordinary days that seemed to blur together.

But I’ve been slowly realizing, it isn’t small, it’s just hidden.

The world has trained us to measure significance by what can be seen, applauded, or scaled. But the Kingdom of God has always worked differently.

Jesus spent thirty years in obscurity before anyone called His name.

Most of what God does in a life happens where no one else is looking.And somehow, that includes this life too.

The folding.
The wiping.
The returning things back to order over and over again.

None of it feels like it’s “moving anything forward.”

But Scripture quietly tells a different story:

“What you do matters—not because it is seen, 
but because it is done unto Him.” 

- COLOSSIONS 3:23–24

There is nothing insignificant about faithfulness.

Nothing wasted about a life poured out in quiet obedience.

Maybe the problem isn’t that homemaking is small…maybe it’s that we’ve only learned how to recognize what is loud. And this life—this home—it speaks in a much quieter way.

But God hears it.

Every single part of it.

And maybe this is where the shift begins.

Not in changing what you’re doing…but in learning to see it differently.

Because if this work isn’t small, if it actually holds weight in the Kingdom—then the question becomes:

What is God doing in you through it?

What is being shaped in the quiet repetition of your days?

I’m starting to realize…

the hiddenness isn’t just about where this work happens.It’s about what it’s producing.

And that changes everything.

(We’ll talk about that next.)

If you’d like to explore this more deeply, these are a few books that have quietly shaped how I see this life:

The Hidden Art of Homemaking
this one reframes creativity and beauty inside the home in a way that feels both freeing and grounding.

Liturgy of the Ordinary
it helped me see how God meets us in the most repetitive, everyday moments.

The Life We’re Looking For
this one gently pulls your attention back to presence, especially in a distracted world.

Adorned
a reminder that the way we live inside our homes carries a kind of quiet, discipling influence.

None of them are loud.

But all of them will gently change how you see what you’re already doing.

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Small Things - First Saturday in May 2026

Oregon grapes. I don't remember when or where I took this picture, 

it just showed up in memories on Facebook today. :)

 "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 things that inspired me this week.

❊ Grace Filled Homemaking

Focus: from-scratch cooking, natural living, homemaking rhythms
Blends: homesteading + spiritual formation

Emphasis on peaceful, Christ-centered home life

It’s deeply aligned with intentional + seasonal living, encouraging women to “cultivate peace, purpose, and joy” in their homes.

❊ The Hearty Homemaker Podcast

Topics: routines, slow living, biblical motherhood

Focus: simplifying life + creating peaceful homes

Encourages a Proverbs 31 lifestyle without perfectionism

It frames the home as “the soil where your family can grow… in Christ”—which is a powerful discipleship lens.

❊ Homemaking With Lea

Focus: cozy homemaking, motherhood, home rhythms, simple living

Content style: soft, aesthetic, day-in-the-life homemaking visuals

Tone: warm, inviting, gentle—not loud or performative

Leans into what many are quietly craving right now: a slower, softer picture of home life. Centers around “motherhood, cozy hobbies, lifestyle, and home.

❊ Sunshine Valley

Focus: slow living, old-fashioned homemaking, faith-rooted rhythms
Tone: peaceful, grounded, deeply nostalgic
Content: from-scratch cooking, DIY, home rhythms, spiritual encouragement

Consistent in its vision,and it carries a similar slow, seasonal heartbeat, but with  clarity and substance.

What stands out is the intentional rejection of modern chaos in favor of:

simplicity
quiet
and a home that feels like refuge

It explicitly speaks to women who feel God calling them to “less, not more”—which is exactly the tension behind true slow living. 

❊ Just Homemaking

Focus: biblical homemaking, intentional living, encouragement in daily work
Structure: multiple contributors (different seasons of life)
Content: devotionals, practical systems, homemaking encouragement

Moves beyond one voice and becomes a shared discipleship space.

It explicitly frames homemaking as:

more than cooking and cleaning—but a ministry that shapes hearts and lives 

It emphasizes homemaking as ministry, not just lifestyle

It offers relational encouragement (feels like a Titus 2 community)

It blends practical help + spiritual depth, which many accounts fail to balance

It feels like women walking alongside each other, not just one woman teaching from a distance.

❊ Just One More Page

Storybook Piano & Orchestral Music For Work / Deep Focus

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Wayback Wednesday: A Forgotten Childhood Favorite - Love On A Rooftop

This week, quite to my surprise, I stumbled back onto a series from my childhood memory bank that I had almost completely forgotten—until the moment I saw it again and everything came rushing back.

I’m talking about Love On A Rooftop (1966–1967, ABC).

This short-lived single-season sitcom featured Alias Smith and Jones star Peter Deuel and Laugh-In favorite Judy Carne as a newlywed couple trying to make life work in a tiny top-floor walk-up apartment in San Francisco. Deuel played Dave Willis, an orphaned, working-class architect with a steady, grounded nature. Carne played Julie, an art student from a wealthy, well-connected family who brought a much more impulsive, free-spirited energy into the relationship.

And right there was the heart of it: contrast. Structure versus spontaneity. Practicality versus whimsy. A small apartment, a big city, and two young people trying to figure out how to share a life without driving each other completely mad in the process.

The series was created by Bernard Slade, who denied any intentional connection to Neil Simon’s Barefoot in the Park, the hugely successful 1963 stage play that later became a 1967 film starring Robert Redford and Jane Fonda. But even at the time, comparisons were unavoidable. Industry insiders and audiences alike picked up on the similarities immediately.

And honestly, it’s not hard to see why.

You had the same basic blueprint: newlyweds navigating cramped urban living, a more rigid husband paired with a flightier wife, and the emotional growing pains of early marriage played for comedy. Even the “tiny apartment as battleground and sanctuary” idea feels like it was very much of that creative moment in television.

What’s interesting is that Barefoot in the Park eventually became its own television series in 1970, though it only lasted about six months. In a strange twist, Love On A Rooftop—the earlier and less remembered show—arguably handled the premise with a bit more charm and sincerity. There’s something about its softer edges that feels less theatrical and more lived-in.

And really, this format wasn’t an isolated experiment. Once Barefoot in the Park proved successful, television leaned heavily into this “young couple in the city” formula throughout the late 1960s and into the 1970s. Shows like The Occasional Wife and Bridget Loves Bernie continued exploring variations of the same idea: romance under pressure, identity clashes, and domestic comedy framed through modern relationships.

Despite its charm and a strong cast, Love On A Rooftop never made it past its first season. The reasons were pretty typical for the era—declining ratings, an unfortunate time slot, and the general volatility of network decision-making in the 1960s. ABC, in particular, was struggling throughout much of the decade, often ranking last among the major networks and frequently pulling the plug on shows before they had a chance to find their footing.

Behind the scenes, there were also rumors of tension between Judy Carne and Peter Deuel. Accounts suggested a difficult “love-hate” dynamic at times, with friction reportedly tied to professionalism and punctuality issues. Whether exaggerated by hindsight or not, it added another layer of strain to a show already fighting uphill for survival.

And yet, watching it today—or even just remembering it—it doesn’t feel like a failure. It feels like a time capsule.

There’s a softness to Love On A Rooftop that stands out now, especially in contrast to how fast and fragmented television has become. It captures a very specific kind of optimism about marriage, independence, and city life. Not perfect, not polished—just two people trying to build something together in a space barely big enough for the idea.

Looking back, I think that’s what makes rediscovering shows like this so meaningful. They weren’t just entertainment. They were reflections of what people hoped early adulthood might feel like—messy, funny, slightly chaotic, but still worth building.

And sometimes, that’s exactly what a forgotten sitcom gives you back: not just nostalgia, but a reminder of how many different ways life has been imagined before our own version of it ever began.

Here's the pilot episode, if you're interested.  The quality is not that great, but then . . . that's kind of part of the fun! Ironically the narrator for this episode is  Don Porter, who worked with Deuel prior to this series on Gidget! 

and, if you've never seen the movie, Barefoot In The Park, 

here's the opening credits

if you want to watch the full movie, it's available to rent or buy on Prime.