Monthly Good Things List: Summer Adventures, Smart Home DIYs & Captivating Reads

A curated monthly selection of delightful activities, smart purchases, engaging books, and entertaining watches to enrich your life.

Some links in this article are affiliate links. If you click on them and make a purchase, I will receive a small commission at no extra cost to you. This helps support my work and allows me to continue sharing valuable content.

Hello and welcome to another edition of our monthly Good Things list! I sincerely hope your summer has been filled with joy and sunshine. For me, the warmth and bright days are truly my favorite, and this summer has been particularly rewarding, especially as we’ve finally gained some control over our persistent ground squirrel issue (with 16 caught to date!). This has, thankfully, allowed us to begin harvesting some of the much-anticipated vegetables from our garden, which I’m excited to share more about below.

While we had a fantastic summery vacation in June, the weeks since have felt like a blur of everyday routines. It’s easy to feel like summer is slipping away without fully savoring its precious moments. Do you ever experience that sensation?

To combat this, my husband Brian and I recently made a deliberate pact: every Sunday afternoon we are home, we commit to either hiking or kayaking somewhere beautiful and close by. The goal is to spend about three hours immersed in nature, truly taking advantage of this golden season before the colder, wetter days inevitably return. It’s now firmly on the calendar, which means it’s officially happening!

How about you? How are you making the most of your summer? Of course, depending on your geographic location, “taking advantage” might mean seeking refuge indoors from extreme heat, perhaps eagerly awaiting the arrival of autumn’s cooler embrace, and that’s perfectly understandable!

Oh, and make sure to scroll down to the book reviews! I discovered some truly captivating reads last month that I can’t wait to tell you about.

Good Things List: Discovering Joy in Everyday Moments and Smart Upgrades

Eugene River Walk & Owen Rose Garden: A Perfect Summer Date Night

Each summer, Brian and I cherish a special date night ritual: a serene stroll along the Willamette River path in Eugene, which beautifully incorporates a visit to the Owen Rose Garden. It’s a truly picturesque and remarkably peaceful setting, always a pleasure to witness others enjoying this communal space alongside us.

Sometimes we pack a delightful picnic to enjoy amidst the beauty, but on this particular occasion, we opted for dinner first at Mod Pizza – one of our absolute favorites! If you haven’t tried it, I highly recommend it. We typically split a Mod pizza and a salad, and it’s always incredibly satisfying. Afterward, we simply relished the leisurely walk, soaking in the evening atmosphere.

While August isn’t typically the peak season for roses here in Western Oregon (June usually holds that title), there were still plenty of beautiful blooms to admire. If you cultivate roses in this region, you’re likely familiar with the challenge of blackspot, and even official rose gardens like this one are not entirely spared, as you can see in the photos. This sight, surprisingly, makes me feel much better about the roses I’ve lovingly grown in my own garden!

The stunning bi-color rose on the left of the image above is aptly named ‘Summer Festival,’ a perfect moniker for this time of year. I regrettably didn’t catch the name of the charming old-fashioned rose on the right, but it embodies the classic style I adore most, strongly reminiscent of a timeless David Austin rose.

For anyone local to Eugene or those planning a visit, I wholeheartedly recommend experiencing the tranquility and beauty of the riverfront park and the exquisite rose garden. It’s a wonderful way to connect with nature and enjoy a peaceful outing.

Affordable & Stylish: Our New Gooseneck Kitchen Faucet

A few weeks ago, the kitchen faucet in the manufactured home we’re currently residing in – while remodeling our farmhouse – unexpectedly decided to give up. Since we’re committed to allocating our renovation budget strictly to the farmhouse, spending a fortune on a temporary residence fixture was simply out of the question. My search began for a highly-rated, budget-friendly, no-name brand on Amazon. I’ve had positive experiences with off-brand fixtures before, notably the bridge faucet I purchased for our cottage’s kitchen makeover, which even came with excellent customer service when the spray trigger eventually broke; they completely replaced it without hesitation!

I ultimately settled on this sleek gooseneck faucet. Its clean lines, attractive price point, and consistently glowing reviews – particularly highlighting its ease of installation – were the deciding factors. And let me tell you, this faucet is a wonderful example of not always getting what you pay for, in the best possible way! It feels incredibly well-made, surprisingly heavy-duty, and Brian can personally vouch that its installation truly took only about 30 minutes, a testament to its user-friendly design.

Its performance has been outstanding. The pull-down sprayer features a clever weight attachment, ensuring it retracts smoothly and effortlessly with minimal assistance. It’s incredibly easy to operate and, perhaps best of all for a busy kitchen, remarkably simple to keep clean. I am absolutely thrilled with this purchase! Of course, it’s only been installed for approximately three weeks, so I’ll be sure to provide an update if any issues arise in the future. But for now, it feels like a truly smart and successful solution.

If you’re in the market for an affordable yet high-quality kitchen faucet, I highly recommend checking this one out. Its height and excellent sprayer also make it a fantastic option for a laundry room or utility sink. As an added bonus, at the time of writing, there’s a 5% coupon available, making this already economical choice even more budget-friendly!

The $20 Bathroom Makeover: From Drab to Delightful (Before & After)

Speaking of our manufactured home… I had a bit of an epiphany at the beginning of summer. We’ve been living here for a year and a half, with many more months stretching out ahead of us, and I simply could no longer tolerate the master bathroom walls. They had reached their absolute limit of acceptability.

Beyond the truly unidentifiable wall color – was it green? yellow? or perhaps a shade best described as baby vomit? – the previous owners had exacerbated the issue. When they replaced the light fixtures and mirror, they carelessly left the original 1980s floral wallpaper exposed in those areas. (I had already removed the old mirrors before remembering to snap the “before” picture above, so just imagine them hung, revealing all that “lovely” wallpaper underneath.)

Honestly, I’m amazed I endured it for so long. While guests don’t often venture into this particular bathroom, I see it every single day. And, as you know, I often talk about how dedicating a small amount of time and resources to transform your everyday spaces into something you genuinely love can profoundly impact your well-being, fostering a more beautiful and inspired life. It was definitely time for me to walk the talk, wasn’t it?

So, I headed to the store, picked up a ready-to-paint gallon of white paint for under $20, and dedicated approximately five hours one Saturday to prepping and painting. This focused effort also provided the perfect backdrop for me to finish one of the captivating audiobooks I reviewed below!

The Bathroom Transformation: A Breath of Fresh Air

What a remarkable difference, wouldn’t you agree? The transformation is incredible! I not only painted the walls but also refreshed the mirror frames. The dark wood of the original frames simply didn’t complement the newly brightened space, so I gave them a quick coat of silver spray paint I already had in the garage. This simple change instantly modernized their look.

I painted all the walls in the main sink and shower area. Previously, the yellow/green color only extended to the shower, leaving the stall with that dated floral wallpaper above the shower walls. Now, the entire space feels significantly brighter and lighter, which is a wonderful practical benefit – making it much easier to apply makeup and style hair. This quick, budget-friendly refresh has made a world of difference in my daily routine and overall mood.

Repurposed Charm: Our Salvaged Wood Towel Rack

The bathroom’s original towel rack was a rather dated oak and brass contraption from the 80s, and once it came down during the painting process, there was absolutely no question of putting it back up. However, I was determined not to spend any money on a replacement. Enter Brian, who ingeniously unearthed a beautiful piece of salvaged wood from our farmhouse remodel remnants – a piece that had acquired a lovely weathered patina over time. I then rummaged through a bin of extra hardware and found a set of hooks we had on hand.

Ta-da! We now have a truly unique, no-cost (well, at the moment – I did purchase those hooks years ago, but they were already in my stash!) towel rack that I genuinely adore looking at every day. This small, creative touch perfectly embodies the spirit of DIY and repurposing. I honestly can’t believe I waited this long to tackle this mini-makeover!

In Progress: The Great Paint Brush Test (Part 1)

Do you recall the paint brush test I mentioned I’d be conducting way back in February? Well, the recent bathroom renovation actually marked my first significant painting project since then! This provided the perfect opportunity to break out the brushes and begin my methodical testing. As I worked, I meticulously took notes on each brush’s performance.

While I definitely want to test them on cabinet painting – a more intricate task – before delivering a final, comprehensive write-up, I can share some preliminary findings. Can you guess which brush is emerging as the unexpected front-runner so far?

I evaluated them across three crucial criteria:

1. Comfort and Handling: How each brush felt to hold and maneuver during extended use.
2. Precision for Cutting In: Its ability to deliver clean, crisp lines when painting into corners and along edges.
3. Coverage Efficiency: The quality of coverage achieved after both one and two coats of paint.

To my complete surprise, a humble, no-name brand brush demonstrated the most consistent and impressive performance across all three areas! Painting walls presents different challenges than painting wood surfaces, so it will be incredibly interesting to see if this dark horse maintains its lead when I eventually tackle a wood-painting project. Stay tuned for the full results and detailed analysis!

A Bountiful Victory: Early August Vegetable Harvest

I simply had to share the delightful bounty from the first week of August in our vegetable garden! After enduring the disheartening loss of all our lettuce, most of our carrots, and then virtually all our kale and broccoli to the relentless ground squirrels, being able to harvest anything at all feels like an enormous and truly satisfying victory. It’s a testament to persistence and adaptability in the face of garden challenges.

Pictured above are some of our earliest harvests: crisp beans, our very first two Cherokee Purple tomatoes – incredibly delicious and sweet! – a handful of everbearing strawberries, and some lovely onions. Beyond these, we’ve also been enjoying a steady supply of zucchini and fresh basil, alongside beautiful sunflowers and sweet peas, perfect for filling vases and brightening our home.

I’ve made a crucial adjustment to our garden watering system, now setting it to water every four days during the intense summer heat. This modification has made a significant positive impact, with everything looking robust and thriving, all while requiring surprisingly minimal effort on our part. What a win!

July Reads: Diving Deep into Fascinating Worlds

Norse Mythology by Neil Gaiman. This was an audiobook Brian and I thoroughly enjoyed together, primarily drawn in by the fact that it was both written and masterfully read by Gaiman himself (do you remember how much we loved his reading ofNeverwhere?). The stellar reviews on Audible and Brian’s keen interest in mythology also played a significant role in our choice. Gaiman’s narration did not disappoint; his voice is incredibly engaging. I was genuinely surprised by how much I enjoyed immersing myself in these ancient stories. He provides a thoughtful and extensive introduction detailing his approach to translating and interpreting the myths, before launching into captivating tales of Thor, Loki, Odin, and many other familiar and lesser-known figures. It was particularly fascinating to learn about the creative liberties Marvel has taken with their cinematic versions of these characters (for instance, Loki is actually Odin’s brother, not Thor’s in the original myths), and to observe how these interwoven stories evolved over time. Be aware: some gruesome scenes are described, but they are entirely in keeping with the ancient mythological source material.

The Hidden Lives of Tudor Women by Elizabeth Norton. This book offered a truly fascinating glimpse into the lives of women during the Tudor era, spanning from infancy through old age and drawing examples from across the social spectrum, from the wealthy elite to the impoverished. It unveiled a multitude of aspects I was previously unaware of, including the unsettling prevalence of infanticides and the desperate measures some women took, such as becoming pregnant to avoid jail sentences. During this period, women exercised very little control over their lives, with their bodies and children often being their only domains of influence. Many had extremely limited choices, a situation often compounded by the widespread fear and accusations of witchcraft that were rampant at the time. If you possess an interest in history, particularly social history, you will likely find this book as compelling and illuminating as I did.

Prayer by Richard J. Foster. The fact that I filled six pages in my Book Notes Journal with poignant quotes and profound thoughts from this book speaks volumes about its impact. I can confidently say this read is not only incredibly insightful but has also significantly enriched my personal prayer life. Two central themes particularly resonated with me:

1. Intentional Time for Prayer: Foster stresses the vital importance of actively making time for prayer, rather than passively hoping it will magically materialize in our busy schedules. He challenges the notion that we can simply “live prayerfully” without dedicated periods of focused communion. To illustrate this, he quotes John Dalrymple: “The truth is that we only learn to pray all the time, everywhere AFTER we have resolutely set about praying some of the time, somewhere.” This hit home for me, emphasizing the discipline required.
2. Community and Sustained Prayer: The book powerfully argues that a vibrant and sustained life of prayer cannot exist in isolation, outside of a supportive Christian community. Without the encouragement and accountability of others, we risk either abandoning prayer as futile or reducing it to a “face-saving, self-justifying monologue.” This insight was a profound, humbling “ouch” moment, highlighting the interconnectedness of faith.

Indeed, this book offers a wealth of profound topics for contemplation. I also found immense value in Foster’s practical guidance on *how* to pray, which sometimes feels elusive. It was incredibly helpful to visualize different types of prayer – understanding that it’s not solely about petition, but can encompass reciting scripture, contemplative silence, or even singing – and to learn tangible ways to integrate these practices more fully into my own life. A truly transformative read.

Harry Potter & The Sorcerer’s Stone by J.K. Rowling. Believe it or not, this past month marked my very first foray into the magical world of Harry Potter! My children and Brian avidly read the entire series as each book was published, but at the time, it just wasn’t something that captured my interest. I vaguely recall watching a couple of the movies with them, but that was the extent of my exposure. However, I’ve often felt like I missed a significant cultural moment, so when the audiobook popped up on my library app, I downloaded it without hesitation. I listened to it while happily working in the garden, and of course, it’s truly quite brilliant. The narration made it incredibly easy to listen to, and I finally, *finally* understand all those references my kids used to chatter about – Quidditch, the golden Snitch, and so much more! I’m genuinely looking forward to listening to the rest of the series. What about you – have you read or listened to these beloved books?

The Unhoneymooners by Christina Lauren. The premise of this book immediately caught my eye: two individuals who strongly dislike each other are forced to take a luxurious honeymoon trip when their siblings, the newlywed couple, fall ill and can’t go. It sounded like exactly the kind of fun, lighthearted romance I occasionally crave. And indeed, it delivered! It was a thoroughly enjoyable and breezy read. While, like many contemporary “chick lit” novels, it contains its fair share of strong language and making-out scenes, I would categorize it as a “closed door” romance, as it doesn’t delve into explicit detail, and the language isn’t excessively gratuitous. Some of the situational comedy is genuinely laugh-out-loud funny, even though it was clear from early on that their mutual ‘dislike’ was predominantly fueled by amusing misunderstandings. A fun fact about the authors: Christina Lauren is actually the pen name for two friends, Christina Hobbs and Lauren Billings, who collaborate on writing novels. Wouldn’t it be an interesting creative endeavor to write a novel alongside a close friend?

The Secret Wife by Gill Paul. I stumbled upon this historical fiction gem as an audiobook from the library, and its intriguing premise immediately hooked me. This novel delves into the gripping story of one of the daughters of the last Russian Czar, the infamous Romanov family, who were tragically executed during the revolution. Or were they? History is rife with theories that some may have miraculously escaped. Gill Paul masterfully weaves a fictional narrative using genuine details from one of the Romanov daughter’s journals – specifically, the name of a guard she mentioned. This forms the foundation for a compelling tale of their romance and his daring efforts to aid her escape from the revolution’s clutches.

I don’t want to reveal too many details and spoil the major plot points, but I can assure you it was an exceptionally well-crafted and engaging story. The blend of historical facts with a captivating fictional romance makes it a truly immersive experience. If you are a fan of historical fiction, I wholeheartedly recommend this book. I am certainly eager to explore more of Gill Paul’s other works in this genre now.

Watching: Our Latest Screens & Stream Favorites

TV:

Hulu:

Parks and Recreation. Our daughter recently started watching this beloved old show, one that Brian and I never truly followed during its original run. We’ve since joined her, watching episodes together, and it has become a source of genuine laughter in our home. We’ve found ourselves laughing out loud at countless moments and have come to fully appreciate that it’s a truly fantastic show, especially after its first two seasons when it really hit its comedic stride. While occasionally a bit over-the-top, its endearing and highly likable characters make it simply delightful and fun television to unwind with.

Netflix:

Dead to Me. Okay, this one was a bit of a miss for us. We honestly tried our best to get into it, making it about halfway through the season before ultimately deciding to give up. While I know it has garnered a considerable number of positive reviews from many viewers, it just didn’t manage to consistently hold our interest, and we found ourselves simply not caring enough about the characters or the unfolding plot. We felt the pacing was a bit uneven, and the character motivations didn’t fully resonate with us. Did anyone else feel similarly?

Movie:

Toy Story 4.

While perhaps not quite reaching the iconic heights of the first three installments, our family unanimously agreed that we still thoroughly loved Toy Story 4. What more can I say about this beloved franchise? It’s truly like cinematic comfort food – sweet, heartwarming, and filled with all the cherished characters we’ve known and adored for years. It delivers that perfect blend of nostalgia and fresh adventure that keeps us coming back for more.

That concludes another exciting addition to our Good Things List! If you’re eager to discover more of my favorite finds and recommendations, you can explore all the previous Good Things Lists here. I’d absolutely love to hear your thoughts – whether you’ve tried any of these recommendations yourself, or if you have some wonderful things you’d recommend to me. Please share your insights and recommendations by leaving a comment below!

Disclosure: Affiliate links in this article may earn a commission based on sales, but this will not change your purchase price. Click here to read my full disclaimer and advertising disclosure for more information.