Small Things - Last Saturday of August 2025The days are getting shorter!

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.

1. Discipling the Home

I just discovered Kate's lovely Instagram account this week. Such a soothing place to stop and reflect.

2. 7 Simple and Natural Ways To Make Your Home Cozy for Fall

I'm always inspired by Katie at Heart's Content Farmhouse, and since I've been decorating for autumn this week (sounds so much prettier than fall!), I enjoyed this post.

3. Vanilla Hot Cocoa Mix

I don't usually sip hot cocoa until it gets colder, not sure why, it's just always been more of a December, winter beverage for me. But when I came across this recipe for vanilla hot cocoa this week, I was intrigued. I've got the ingredients on my grocery list. I'll let you know what I think when I make it!

4. Fire Roasted Chocolate Chipotle Chili

Thinking of adding this to my autumn menu.  Cincinnati chili has chocolate in it and I love it!

5. September Garden Tasks

 I love these monthly garden tasks I found on Pinterest. I saved all twelve months to my Garden board.

6. 19 Autumn Carols to Keep You Cozy This Season

What a lovely post, and an even lovelier site! Going to spend more time here in the very near future!

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Small Things - Fourth Saturday of August 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 things that inspired me this week.

1. Marinated Flank Steak Tacos

Loving the look of these tacos. Might be a nice meal to finish out the summer, which in our house, is Labor Day. :)

2. The Cozy Burrow

I always enjoy the time I spend with Katie at The Cozy Burrow. I love that her life's ambition is to become Mrs. Weasley or Beatrix Potter. Same!

3. Crocheted Rustic Pumpkin Garland

I made about a dozen of these up a few seasons ago. They are quick and easy and turn out so cute! If you crochet and are looking to add some sweet simple touches to your decor, you should try this pattern!

4. Kitchen Essentials Checklist

I'm putting together a little recipe binder for my newlywed daughter to take her when she moves in September (only three hours away!). I think I'll include this checklist, although, if you know me, I'll probably re-do it to suit!

5. How To Host A Soup Swap

With Autumn on the horizon, I love the idea of hosting a Soup Swap!

6. The Ultimate Sunday Driving Playlist

We've been taking a lot of Sunday drives over the summer, and I hope to carry it into Autumn. Looking forward to trying out this playlist.

The Past Week Has Been A Little Busy

Our youngest daughter was married in a private ceremony yesterday evening, and as such the past week has been a whirlwind of preparations.  We are so happy to welcome Cooper into our family! I'll be back soon, ready to move into autumn! I'm decorating next week! How about you, are you ready for autumn?

Small Things Second Saturday of August 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. Forever Young: A Memoir by Hayley Mills

Not sure how I managed to miss this one, it was published in 2021. I discovered this week as I was blog hopping, and immediately checked to see if it was available on Hoopla. Sadly, it isn't, but our library system does have a physical copy, so I placed it on hold.  Can't wait to dive in! I love a good memoir, and I love Hayley Mills!

2. Easy Black Bean Soup

The 'ber months are quickly approaching, and with that changes to my menu.  I'm actually working on a seasonal meal rotation plan that I hope to finalize this coming week. I'll be sharing it here, so if you like that sort of thing be sure to watch for it. I thought I had all the soups / stews I want to try, and then this one came across my screen. But honestly, once the temps drop, can you really have too much soup?

3. 15 "Feel Better" Home Remedies

With the arrival of the 'ber months,  my seasonal allergies typically follow, which often leads to other illnesses. I do take allergy medicine this time of year, but I've leaned toward more holistic methods for awhile now. I'd love to find a combination of things that would help me elimintae the OTC solution altogether. I briefly skimmed some of her suggestions and plan to research them more. 

4. Give Me A Cozy Sunday Diffuser Blend

I love everything about this, the scents, and especially the name!

- 3 drops cinnamon

- 2 drops clove

- 2 drops vanilla 

5. The Charm of Home

I bookmarked Sherry's blog at some point, and came across it again this week as I was filtering through the endless links I have saved! I'm trying to get better at not only bookmarking things, but putting the information to use or organizing it into a more manageable system (whatever that is!). Anyhoo, I definitely got a little side-tracked when I clicked on the link to take me to her blog and spent a good amount of time there. The pictures of her garden are just lovely and are inspiring me to add some new plants to the landscape next Spring!

6. 70 Movies Based On True Stories

Just as I love a good memoir, some of my favorite movies are based on true stories. In fact my hands-down, all-time-favorite movie is October Sky, if you've never seen it, you need to! So when I found this list I was instantly intrigued, and discovered some I've never seen and added them to the list, including, 

One Life, The Keeper and The Highway Men.

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End of Summer Reading Challenge- The Trolley Car Family by Eleanor Clymer

I mentioned in my last post that I had set a rather ambitous goal of reading one vintage children's chapter book each week in the month of August, and that I was beginning with The Trolley Car Family by Eleanor Clymer. I started reading this on Friday night, and enjoyed it so much I finished it on Saturday!

The story follows the Parker family, Pa, Ma, Sally, Bill, George and Peter as they convert a trolley car into a home for the summer, and even invite their cranky next door neighbor, Mr. Jefferson, to come along! Once their they meet their neighbors, Aunt Hannah and Tom and Martha Perkins, who teach them all about milking cows! Along the way they discover and old barn with a couple of chickens, plant a garden, and learn how to live off of the land, among many other grand adventures! It is truly a delightful read, just perfect for summer!

In this day and age converting van and buses into homes is a pretty common thing, as are tiny houses. But this book was first published in 1947! And perhaps it is precisely because my husband converted a van and traveled up the east coast back in 2021, that I found this book so appealing! 

I don't want to give away the story, so I won't elaborate further about the details, because honestly, if you enjoy children's literature from the golden age, you simply must read it for yourself!

For my next selection I've decided to read Betsy's Busy Summer by Carolyn Haywood.  The Betsy books are dear to me, and this one seems like a perfect fit. After that I'm learning towards Just Plain Maggie by Lorraine Beim and then I'm going to finish out August with Gone Away Lake by Elizabeth Enright, and if I have time, Return to Gone Away Lake.  

Have you ever read The Trolley Car Family, and if so, did you love it as much as I did? I would love it if you would join me, in reading one or all of the others! I'll be posting as I complete each title, so if you do decide to join in, or if you have suggestions for other vintage chapter books with a summer feel, please leave a comment! 

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Small Things First Saturday of August 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. Our Kin Home

This week I discovered Mary's lovely home on the web. Such a sight for the eyes! So often when I happen across these lovely sites I get the itch to revamp my own, but . . . . I'm cheap, and so long as Blogger remains free, I'm happy with what I've created here. I'm getting off track here, but if you have the time you really should visit Mary! I was especially intrigued by some of her recipes, in particular her Orange Cardamom Latte, and Vanilla Bean Simple Syrup. I've been menu planning and preparing for Autumn this week, thus the reason for my absence here, and these both sound delicious!

2. 15 Cozy Life Tips That Will Make You Feel Like A Cute Character

I just like the sound of this one when it came across my feed. I'm all about living a cozy life, and that cute character bit, I'd be ok with being known as a "cute character". :)

3. Tiny Happy Things

This cute little diddy caught my eye on Pinterest this week, "that first sip of coffee", "new pens", "starting a book and realizing you love it". Yes to all of these!  

4. The Word "Diddy"

I used the word diddy and then wondered 1.) if it really was a word, and 2.) If I was using it correctly, and this is what I discoverd when I looked it up.

d i d d y - as a small thing

In a less formal context, "little diddy" can be used to describe something small and inconsequential, sometimes with a touch of affection or humor.

So me!

5. The Trolley Car Family

I've set a rather ambitious goal to read a vintage children's book once a week in August. I LOVE to read, but sadly find hat so often other things take precidence over it.  Things will be gearing up quickly come September, so August is the perfect month to try to get a few in, and I'm beginning with The Trolley Car Family. Care to join me? It's available at the archives!

6. Sunflower blooms,

thunderstorms roll in, 

lazy afternoons on repeat, 

what day is it again?

air conditioned naps, 

crips, cool bed linens,

homemade ice cream,

berries galore,

a hint of fading sunlight,

summer, please don't end!

@unhurriedfarmhouse

Autumn is my favorite season, but I have to say, other than the extreme heat we've been experiencing lately, since we moved to Virginia 25 years ago, I've learned to love summer, especially the endless sunlit days! 

Photo Credit: Joy Solomon

Joy and her husband Manny are missionaries with the Every Heart Movement. They've been married a little over a year, and are traveling the globe spreading the good news of Jesus Christ! If you're looking for a ministry to support, please consider helping to fund them as they continue to be the hands and feet of Jesus!

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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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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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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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The ODST Summer Bingo or Tic Tac Toe Challenge

You might recall that last year I created a Summer Bingo Challenge to aide me in being intentional with how I spent my days. In each square I listed an activity that I wanted to be intentional about doing over the summer season, with the goal being to at least score a couple of bingos. I wasn't very good about updating my achievements, and to be honest, I'm not even sure I scored a bingo, but I will say that having it there on the refrigerator did help me to be more successful with intentionally savoring the days of this beautiful season.

This year as I was contemplating repeating the idea, it occurred to me that it might be fun to create a Summer Tic Tac Toe, a similar concept, completing three activities that make tic-tac-toe and having some fun in the process. If bingo is too intimidating, tic-tac-toe might be a little more doable.

I'm sharing both of them here with you today! You can find the links for each one below. 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 or tic-tac-toe, 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 week, my friends!

SUMMER TIC-TAC-TOE

SUMMER BINGO

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Small Things - Third Saturday In 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. Bella Grace A Romanticized Life

I received my copy of this beautiful magazine this week! Bella Grace never fails, it is absolutely the most beautiful publication.  Here's a snippet from the website, describing this new annual publication.

"A Romanticized Life will guide you though romanticizing all areas of your life, sharing tangible ways to infuse magic into even the most mundane tasks."

Do you read Bella Grace? If not, I highly recommend it!

2. How To Propogate Orange Mint

Mint is one of my favorite things to grow in the garden, and so easy. Chocolate mint and orange mint are my favorites, but I have a harder time getting my orange mint to last more than one season. Last year I had spearment, buttermint, chocolate mint and orange mint, and all of them came back strong except the orange. It can be a little hard to find, but I did finally find a few little pots at my favorite nursery this week. My plan is to divide one of them up and try to start several new plants from it. If you're local and in the LYH area, be sure to visit Hucklberry Knob Nursery.

3. The Faded Page

Through a vintage children's book group I belong to on FB, I've recently been introduced to The Faded Page. Much like the Internet Archives (though on a smaller scale), The Faded Page provides access to hundred of oop books. I was delighted to find many of Enid Blyton's works available there.

4. Little Life - June

I love these little art journaling prompts that Rae post's each month.  Though I haven't participated, I do love to sketch and I just happen to know right were my sketchbook and pencils are, so maybe soon.

5. The Self-Care Year

I find these monthly focus topics to guide you in the natural flow of the seasons so helpful! The focus on "self" and phrases like "self-care" have flourished over the past several years, and taken some hard criticism, as well. While I am not an advocate of focusing on "self" above all, I do find that Jesus himself left us examples of taking time to be alone and care for himself. It's all about balance, and I find that simple rituals, like a focus topic for the month, encourages me to be intentional about caring for my mind and body. There's an old saying that holds a lot of truth, "You can't draw water from a dry well." There's nothing wrong with filling yourself up!

6. Creeping Jenny

And finally, this little plant that was part of a variety pack we picked up recently at a local nursery. This pot sits in the center of our outdoor table, and it just brings me such joy! I identified it yesterday and discovered it is called Creeping Jenny lysimachia nummularia and is part of the primrose family. Apparently it propagates easily, but can also be highly invasive, so we'll probably limit it to pots here and there. Last year we struggled to keep our plants alive, but this year (so far), they all seem to be flourishing.

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Summer Is Here!

S U M M E R

There is burgeoning growth all around.

Joy fills the air as all thngs celebrate life.

Sap has well and truly risen, and the garden appears

to be bursting with a kaleidoscopic of color. Solstice marks 

the high point of the year when all around seems full 

of exuberance and gratitude. The warming rays of the 

sun on our backsfill us with blissful contentment.

Amid all the frantic activity, we find time to pause, 

and give thanks. Abundance beckons.

Today is the summer solstice, though it does not officially arrive until 10:42 p.m, which I think means that Saturday will be the longest day of the year, but to be honest I'm not really sure how all of that works.  All I do know is . . . summer is here! 

I'll be back soon, with ideas and inspiration to savor every moment of this beautiful season! But for now, here's a lovely recipe for . . .

SUMMER SOLSTICE TEA

1 quart sized mason jar

2 green tea bags

3-5 sprigs of mint

3 peach slices

Filtered water to fill the jar

Place all ingredients in your jar and fill with filtered water. Cover with a lid and place in a sunny spot. 

Fuse in the sunshine for about 3 hours.

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In The Garden

"Everything that slows us down and forces patience, everything that sets us back into the slow circles of nature, is a help. Gardening is an instrument of grace."

- MAY SARTON

We've been working in our yard/garden all week, and things are really beginning to shape up!  

There is a hill leading up to the woods in our back yard that until this week had become a bit overgrown with weeds. I'm not one to dig up a good weed, especially if it has a pretty bloom, and so many "weeds" are actually medicinal, so I'm slow to throw them off.  This week we walked through square every inch of that overgrowth and identified what was there to decide what was worth keeping, and what wasn't. We had an overgrowth of a few things, so we strategically kept a few and dug up the rest. If it is medicinal it went into a plastic tote that I'll be processing over the next few days, drying and preparing them to store. It's been so nice to see it start to take shape  and it's nicer still that now it's easy to identify the plants we're keeping, so we aren't just haphazardly weeding out perfectly good plants.

We've been spending a lot of time on Pinterest recently, dreaming about some features we'd like to add, especially if they could be functional, as well. Here are some ideas that we hope to incorporate over the summer.

(l-r) I've asked my husband if he could build this simple trellis as a decorative feature in my herb garden. I'm not sure what kind of vine I'll grow yet, but I'm sure I can figure something out.

We recently had to have a tree taken down on our property and we have a ton of logs, branches and tree stumps that we are going to use for various projects.  One of those is building a taller fence around the garden extension, and some smaller ones along the hillside. 

And finally, we plan to cut a path across the top of the hill and one leading out into the back of the woods and we'll be using various logs and tree stumps to form the natural curve of it. We'll place a few stumps here and there and set potted plants on top. I can't wait to see how this turns out!

We love using various decorative elements as planters, like the old tool box in this picture and we're looking to add more. I've got my eyes out for an old dresser. We went to a yard sale last summer and one of the houses we visited had one on the front porch with the drawers partially opened and used as planters for various flowers and they had set potted plants on top. I knew right then and there that one day, I would do the same. My husband found an old desk for free on marketplace, and my plan is to use the drawers as beds in our garden extension, and the rest I'll use in my work station. We also have plans to go to an estate sale this Sunday, so I'm hoping we can pick up some interesting things there.

I'm excited to see how it all comes together and I'll definitely keep you updated on our progress. Yard work has always been hard for me, because I struggle to find the balance between what needs to be done outside and other things like cooking, laundry, and house cleaning. But knocking some of these projects off of our to-do list is important, so I've decided to lower my standards a bit. The house probably won't be as clean as I would prefer, and I'm keeping our meals as simple as possible. 

What about you, do you have any big outdoor projects you're tackling this summer? How do you balance inside vs outside work during this season? I'd love to hear your suggestions! Meet me in the comments. If you're looking for ideas and inspiration for your own garden, visit my Pinterest board!

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