The Big White Farmhouse

Day ten!  We spent the day planting in the garden and prepping all the things for broiler processing on Monday.  Nothing like waiting until the last minute to take everything out of the box and make sure it works, ha!  I’m sure I’ll have more thoughts later on, but right now, I’m feeling so much gratitude for these chickens that we’ve had the privilege to raise the past 8+ weeks.  We’ve given them the best of us and I believe they’ve enjoyed the sunshine and fresh pasture.  And in the end, they’ll feed my children for weeks to come.  I’m so grateful for the opportunity to do this.

Fighting a Reading Slump with a TBR Jar

I’m having a weird reading year.  I’m reading more than ever, but the quality of the books are just so-so.  I’ve never had so many 2-star reads!  Anyway, I saw the idea of a “TBR Jar” on Youtube and maybe this will help to shake things up?  I came up with about two dozen prompts and pulled five to start (affiliate links ahead):

• A WILLA AWARD WINNER // The Lager Queen of Minnesota by J. Ryan Stradal
• A BOOK THAT STARTS WITH “M” // Meet Me at the Museum by Anne Youngson
• A MIDDLE GRADE NOVEL // The Call of the Wild by Jack London
• A BOOK THAT IS 400+ PAGES // Fatherless by Brian J. Gail
• HISTORICAL FICTION // The Wives of Los Alamos by Tarashea Nesbit

P.S. I made a free printable on my new Ko-Fi site if you want to start a TBR Jar too!

Not Quite a Crazy Chicken Lady, But…

I think they love me!  Every time I visit the hens, they swarm my boots and follow me around as I fill their feeder and waterer.  I never grew up with animals, so this is all so new to me.  I love it.

Two More to Add to the Decluttering Pile

For Week Two, Day Two of the challenge, I found two curtain rod finials.  I don’t have any more windows to curtain and have no plans to change the existing finials, so these can definitely go.

My grandmother used to keep a daily journal and I always got a kick out of the way she noted her more boring days; she called them her “Nothing Days.”  On Friday, I had my own Nothing Day: the weather was cool and gloomy and I was tired!  We all bummed around the house and I cozied up with a hot cup of coffee and a book (affiliate link) for most of the afternoon.  So in lieu of anything exciting to record, I thought I would instead share a favorite pastime here at the Big White Farmhouse: Dad Jokes.  Technically, we should call them “Mum Jokes” because I love them.  The cornier, the better!  Here are a few of the latest jokes I’ve sprung on my poor children:

What do you call a mischievous egg?  A practical yolker!

A man tried to start a fight by throwing dough, shredded cheese, and tomato sauce at me.  So I said, “You wanna pizza me?”

What kind of vegetable do you get when an elephant walks through your garden?  Squash.

A weasel walks into a bar. The bartender looks up and says, “Wow! In all my years tending bar, I’ve never had a weasel stop by! What can I get you?”  “Pop,” goes the weasel.

A man is driving down a country road, when he spots a farmer standing in the middle of a huge field of grass. He pulls the car over to the side of the road and notices that the farmer is just standing there, doing nothing, looking at nothing. The man gets out of the car, walks all the way out to the farmer and asks him, “Ah excuse me mister, but what are you doing?” The farmer replies, “I’m trying to win a Nobel Prize.” “How?” asks the man, puzzled. “Well, I heard they give the Nobel Prize … to people who are out standing in their field.”

First Aid Organization

We live about 25 minutes away from the closest hospital and it recently dawned on me that I probably should keep some basic first aid supplies at home, just in case.  I found this helpful printable on Simple Family Preparedness and have been adding a few things to my shopping cart each week.  I still have quite a ways to go, but something is better than nothing, right?  I also picked up this first aid manual (affiliate link) and need to start learning!  Maybe that can be a summer project…

Decluttering, Week Two

I’m starting Week Two of #28things7days with not one item, but one type of item.  I have so many of those baby hangers and no more tiny clothes to hang on them!  I’m thinking I’ll offer them on Trash Nothing.

Today’s Gardening Project

My potatoes are growing faster than I can hill them!  Really enjoying this new method of growing so far.

Learning a New Skill

Multitasking at its best!  I folded laundry while watching a free canning seminar from Homesteading Family.  The training ultimately led up to her Masterclass (which I can’t afford right now) but it was a great starting point and I’m anxious to learn more.

My Girl, Lucy

This dog loves to bathe in the sun!  She’s perfectly content to relax on the stoop and supervise us while we work with the chickens.

#28things7days Week One Complete!

Today I tackled our kitchen junk drawer, one of those places where we throw random things we don’t know what to do with…and there they stay untouched, ha!  This is probably my most random collection so far.  My items for Day Seven:

• two arm bands that came with the kids’ MP3 players
• a star punch
• a really old typing program that doesn’t work with our computer
• a broken door handle(??)
• a tiny metal scoop
• a charger for a sleep machine we no longer have
• a ceramic box that once held a tiny rosary

An Easy Dinner with Homemade Garlic Knots

Dinner tonight was super easy: pasta with a quick meat sauce, salad and homemade garlic knots using this recipe from Sugar Spun Run.  I skipped the garlic butter topping (those of us with dairy sensitivities needed a break!) but still delicious.