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The seasons around us have always reflected the seasons within us. Each month, The Good Guide is an invitation to slow down, tend what’s in front of you, and find beauty in the ordinary. You’ll find lifestyle inspiration for your home, your garden, your table, and most importantly, encouragement for your heart.

Faithful In Between

July has always been a reminder for me that the most important work often happens in the middle.

The excitement of spring has settled into ordinary summer routines. The seeds have been planted, the vacations are underway, and the garden asks for something quite different now, not another beginning, but faithful daily (and hot) tending. The days are longer, the temperatures are much higher, and growth doesn’t happen because I feel motivated. Because trust me, in this summer heat, I actually have to dig for the motivation most days. But it happens because I keep showing up and I know what is on the other side of persistent faithfulness.

I think our spiritual lives are often the exact same.

I don’t know about you but I sure love the mountaintop moments… the answered prayers, the fresh starts, the breakthroughs that are reminders of God moving. But most of our lives are lived somewhere between the promise and the harvest. Am I right? Somewhere between the, “God called me” and “God fulfilled it.” Somewhere between the planting of seeds in faith and finally seeing and harvesting the fruit.

Maybe that’s where you find yourself today, this week or this month.

Not at the beginning. Not at the finish line. Just faithfully tending what God has already placed into your hands.

And maybe that’s exactly where He wants to meet you.

The scorching days of summer have a way of exposing what has truly taken root. Think about it, shallow roots struggle when the rain doesn’t come. Leaves begin to wilt, growth slows, and what once looked healthy is suddenly tested. But plants with deep roots keep reaching into places the eye cannot see, drawing life from beneath the surface long after everything around them looks dry. The same is true for us. Seasons of ‘heat’, struggle, disappointment, these don’t create our faith, they are what reveals where we are anchored.

Perhaps you are carrying burdens no one else sees. Maybe you are weary from faithfully showing up, pouring into your family, serving others, or tending to responsibilities that seem to produce little visible fruit. The temptation in these moments is to believe that because growth isn’t obvious, God must not be working. But I hope you don’t forget this one truth: God often does His deepest work beneath the surface, strengthening our roots before expanding our branches. He’s cultivating perseverance before abundance, dependence before fruitfulness, and character before calling. The very season that feels like it’s draining you may actually be the one anchoring you more deeply in Him. (Read that again!)

So this month of July, don’t despise the ordinary. Water what God has given you. Pull the weeds of life that don’t belong. Celebrate the small harvests (and maybe even some plentiful ones) along the way. Trust that even when growth feels invisible, God is still doing what only He can do beneath the surface.

Faithfulness has always been beautiful to Him.

“…You will be like a well-watered garden.” Isaiah 43:19

A few things I’m looking forward to this month…

• Picking vegetables before the morning heat
• Watering the garden while the world is still quiet
• Tomato sandwiches on fresh toasted sourdough (on literal repeat!!!)
• Backyard picnics with the boys
• Watching for fireflies after sunset
• Homemade ice cream on the porch
• Fresh flowers cut from the garden
• Watching the boys spend entire days outside
• Finishing at least one project that’s been waiting (The Lost & Found Series)
• Slower evenings and longer intentional conversations
• Preserving herbs and vegetables for later
• Learning to enjoy the middle instead of rushing toward what’s next
• Remembering that growth doesn’t have to be rushed to be real!!!

Read last good guide here!!

1. loving, wanting or eager to try

Love… & need these.. like why didn’t I think of such a GENIUS invention!

Eager to try… 101% I will be making these ASAP 😱

Want… this, even though I recently bought a new one, as a tea connoisseur this is a beauty!!

Love… this reminder as a boy momma 🥰 😂

👆🏽 Recently found these sconces for G’s room after his last ones broke. They are even more beautiful in person. Checks all the boxes: Plug in, dimmable, perfect shade filtering, realistic gold finish!

👆🏽 I have this skirt in multiple color ways. A staple for year round, bump friendly, office approved and a staple to throw on even for errands and sneakers!

👆🏽I must be on a light kick, but I’m on the hunt for a battery operated picture light for our hallway that’s on ‘The Lost & Found‘ list for home projects and this has amazing reviews and is currently 20% off!

2. Summer of sourdough

September is just shy of two months away, but I have some SUPERRRRR fun sourdough things planned. If you didn’t know, Sourdough September was launched in 2013 as a way to encourage people to celebrate, bake, create and realize that Life’s sweeter with sourdough!! And I can truthfully contest, IT IS! I may even go out on a limb and say it has been life changing even!

So today I wanted to challenge you and ask if you have started your sourdough journey? If you haven’t, I am listing below some of my favorite sourdough resources and my sourdough basics that I use weekly. And if you are intimidated by making a sourdough starter, so was I, but it just so happens that I made an entire series on creating a sourdough starter from scratch. You can watch them all here or if you are a reader, you can read my Sourdough Starter blog post here!

Follow along at The Fisher House IG so you don’t miss any of my Sourdough September Series!

Watch YouTube Sourdough Starter Series

My Sourdough Basics: You don’t need much to start but I do use all of these!

Favorite Sourdough Creator: Simplicity and a Starter

I will confess, if I had to choose just one “unnecessary- necessary” sourdough tool, it would be THIS 🙌🏽

3. summer foodie menu

4. links i’m loving

I cannot promise I won’t share this again… WOW. I fully believe this!!

The laugh that just came out of me… I don’t think I’ve used one since grade school 🙄

I feel like someone needs to replay this over and over… Do NOT forget this truth!

This about sums it up in just 9 words….. ☀️

The power of perspective!!!!

What are you gonna pick this month?!? (Tell me in the comments)❤️

To change what you see, start changing what you say!

Fun fact about me… I’ve always wanted to learn to play the guitar!

5. good words

happy July good guide, my friends

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