The Big White Farmhouse

intentional living, little by little

No.471: Mother Culture // January 2021

Last fall threw me for quite a loop and I never got my Mother Culture goals up on the blog. A new year is as good a time as any to get back on track, right? I’ve decided to use my monthly Mother Culture list to also help with my larger 2021 goals, so it’ll be a little bit of a hodge-podge.  Here’s what I’ve got for January:

ASSIGNMENT #1: Read The Heritage Guide to the Constitution, pages 1-26.

ASSIGNMENT #2: Finish the outer “frame” stitching on the “Winter” cross-stitch. (100 Little Thing #36)

ASSIGNMENT #3: Finish the Bible Reading Plan. (100 Little Thing #61)

ASSIGNMENT #4: Discover a new musical artist and listen to some songs.

ASSIGNMENT #5: Go through my closet, pull out unneeded pieces, and create seven everyday outfits. Bonus points for listing some of the extras on Poshmark/ebay.

No.470: Homemaking Notes on a Monday // Vol.06

The weather outside is // 
A pretty chilly week!  The kids will be excited to see snow, but I doubt it will be much of anything, let alone stick.

On the breakfast place this morning // I’m the most boring breakfast eater ever.  I always eat the same thing: a bowl of oatmeal mixed with pureed pumpkin and a sprinkle of raisins or walnuts on top. 

As I look outside my window // I see a forest of bare trees and soggy land.  We’ve had a few days of heavy rain, so it’s a little gross out there.  Hopefully the weather will cooperate this week so we can finally set up the new trampoline.  The kids are dying to try it out!

As I look around the house // it’s still in all of its Christmas goodness and I’m okay with that!  We usually keep things up until Epiphany before putting it away.  Thankfully, since most of my decorations are twinkly lights and evergreens from the property, it has a “winter in the country” vibe and I think I’ll leave most of it up for January.

On this week’s to-do list //
– celebrate Epiphany with new books and a big family dinner
– start taking down some of the decorations
– order a new baby gift
– mail thank you cards
– sprinkle ash from the fireplace around the dripline of the apple trees
– make a vet appointment for Lucy

Thinking about // my garden for 2021!  The seed catalogs are coming in full force and I’m so excited to start picking varieties and planning a new layout.  Last year’s production was wonderful, but it was only enough to use with our daily meals and not nearly enough to put away and save for later.  It really was the perfect way to start learning the gardening skillset, but I’m hoping to ramp things up in this new year.       

Currently reading // My nightstand is overflowing!  I’ve got bookmarks in The Thirteenth Tale by Diane Setterfield, The Sermons of St. Francis de Sales for Advent & Christmas, Theology of Home, The Parasitic Mind by Gad Saad, Saint John Paul the Great by Jason Evert, and Mrs. Dunwoody’s Excellent Instructions for Homekeeping by Miriam Lukken.  

On the menu this week //
Monday: chicken pot pie soup with homemade biscuits
Tuesday: roasted chicken with jalapeno popper casserole
Wednesday: nacho taters
Thursday: Refrigerator Clean-Out Night!
Friday: one skillet Mexican rice casserole

No.469: My Goals for 2021

Aspire to live a tranquil life, to mind your own affairs, and to work with your own hands.
– 1 Thessalonians 4:11

  1. Spend considerably less time online. With the daily upheaval of 2020, I fell into a lot of bad habits: scrolling frequently, reading all the opinions about all the things, even grabbing my phone the moment I woke up in the morning. It’s so silly how those things can affect my entire day! My family deserves better than that and I need to re-learn what it means to have a healthy relationship with the Internet again.
  2. Continue to cultivate a deep prayer life. When you show up, God meets you there. I want to continue showing up.
  3. Really embrace the homemaker spirit and focus on my vocation at home. This goal is a continuation of one I made last year about being a good steward of my home. I’ve purchased a few books on the subject to further direct me and can’t wait to share what I learn.
  4. Dive into the Constitution and Constitutional Law. I’ve been intrigued by the concept of focused reading since learning about Callie‘s study on WWI. I was struggling to come up with a topic of my own when it suddenly hit me: the Constitution. I think it’s a really important and timely choice.
  5. Get through a lot of my unread books and go on a book-buying fast. Some people got through 2020 with extra desserts or alcohol…I coped by buying books! I couldn’t resist the $3-4 novels on Better World Books…and their sales? Amazing! Needless to say, I am completely stocked up for 2021. I’m also going to make my yearly reading goal at 100 books(!!). Intimidating, but I think if I follow Goal #1 above, I’ll have a good shot.
  6. Explore the art of dressing well. I am a tomboy through and through and have never really been into makeup or “girly” things. But somehow in 2020, I felt a nudge toward the more feminine. (No one is more shocked about this than me.) Some concrete sub-goals for this are to assess my closet and create a functional wardrobe of items that help me look neat and put together. I also want to invest in a few pairs of “grown-up” pajamas to help clearly distinguish daytime and nighttime. I may even get rid of most of my athleisurewear! Pray for me – I’m in uncharted territory here.
  7. Give generously in money, time and talents.  There are so many people who are struggling right now, especially in my own little community.  I want to keep my ear to the ground, ask the Holy Spirit for inspiration/direction, and intentionally seek out opportunities to serve the people around me.
  8. Aggressively work toward our financial goals of Baby Step #3 and #6. I am so pumped about these and am hoping to make a big dent in 2021.  We became consumer debt free last July and have enjoyed the ability to finally purchase some of things we’ve put off.  Now we’re ready to get back to work and hustle!  I’m excited to return to intentional frugal living again.
  9. Get started on our farming dreams and brainstorm how we can make this endeavor work for us, both vocationally and financially. When I was a child, I never would have guessed that I would want to become a homesteader someday. But here we are! We’re excited (and a little nervous!) to enter into animal husbandry this year.

No.468: Thoughts on 2020 & My One Little Word for 2021

2020 has been a year for the books!  It definitely has had its share of struggle and hardship, but surprisingly, it’s also had its fair share of good.  We finally paid off all of our consumer debt, we strengthened our relationships as a family, and we dreamed big dreams for the future of our property.  Our big boys started working and met new friends.  Our “baby” finally potty-trained.  My faith deepened in a way I never expected.  Were there hard days and stressful nights and anxious bits in between?  Sure.  But the good outweighed the bad and for that, I am so, so thankful.  

My one little word, Gratitude, kept me afloat throughout this crazy year.  I started 2020 writing those little things down each week on the blog, but stopped somewhere in the middle because they seemed a little too personal, a little too raw for public consumption.  Instead, I kept those things handwritten and close to the chest, allowing myself the freedom to ponder the goodness around me without sharing with the world.  Both ways are good.  Both ways helped me see.

2020 held a lot of darkness.  In some ways, we saw some of the worst of humanity with deeply hateful speech and actions.  People in positions of leadership let us down, both in society and in the Church.  More than ever, we need to seek the light.  Obviously the light is Christ Himself, but I know I have a role to play here too.  A few ways I’ve been brainstorming to do this:
  • do the hard internal work to make myself a better example of Christ
  • continue to learn more about Him through the Sacraments, the Bible, prayer and religious reading
  • notice the lights in my life and be grateful for them 
  • actively work to be what I’d like to see more of in the world: kind, generous, a listener, life-giving in word and deed (I hope to use this little blog for those means too)

Every week at Mass, we read the last Gospel (the beginning of the Gospel of John) and it’s never been more appropriate: In princípio erat Verbum, et Verbum erat apud Deum, et Deus erat Verbum. Hoc erat in princípio apud Deum. Omnia per ipsum facta sunt: et sine ipso factum est nihil, quod factum est: in ipso vita erat, et viat erat lux hóminum: et lux in ténebris lucet, et ténebræ eam non comprehendérunt. 

“And the Light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.” May we believe it to be so and may I actively try to do my part.

PREVIOUS ONE LITTLE WORD CHOICES

2013: Intention  //  2014: Brave  //  2015: Thrive  //  2016: Learn  //  2017: Slow  //  2018: Roots  //  2019: Notice  //  2020: Gratitude

Less Materialism, More Intentional Living

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