The Big White Farmhouse

intentional living, little by little

No.882: Last Week at the Farmhouse // A Restful Winter

“Mother and Child” by Eastman Johnson (1869)

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Seasonal affective disorder (SAD) is a common ailment for many people this time of year.  I used to mildly suffer but have recently learned to appreciate – and even love! – these cold winter months.  For me, it’s all in the mindset.  For ten months of the year, farming is my primary focus and I work hard.  Winter is a time for me to rest and get rejuvenated for the growing season ahead.  If winter is necessary for the natural world to thrive, I’d say it’s equally important for me!

My little list of things to prioritize this winter:

+ creativity projects (cross stitch, junk journaling, etc.)
+ lots and lots of reading
+ going to bed early
+ puttering around my home, decluttering and organizing and decorating
+ taking vitamin D supplementation (so important!)
+ daily walks

Need a little motivation to enjoy these January days?
Check out my January little things bingo board!

Hoping to document 52 weeks of good things!

Five Good Things…

  1. Burning a candle in the early morning. // Scent of the week: White Pear & Apple
  2. A new compost bin. // My husband helped me construct a third compost “bin” out of pallets.  I now can start a three-bin system – one to build, one to turn, and one to finish off before using in the garden – and I’m so excited.  Squirreling away all the things to build up my new pile!
  3. Returning to healthy eating. // We feasted like kings during Christmastide and I’m ready to take a break from the treats.
  4. A DIY reading journal. // In 2025, I thought it would be a fun challenge to seek out new ways of making do.  (The idea would be that I saw/wanted this item, but I did this instead.)  So for my first week, I made a reading journal!  My Youtube feed has been full of lovely ladies setting up new reading journals and I was thiiis close to buying this or this.  BUT!  In a burst of creativity, I decided I still had enough supplies in my junk journal stash to make my own!  It’s not perfect by any stretch but it will work perfectly for my needs.
  5. Firewood with next day delivery. // We are supposed to get snow/ice/polar vortex temperatures in the next week and one look at our woodpile had us panicking.  Although we hated having to spend the money, the company was able to deliver the seasoned firewood the very next day and we’re ready for whatever winter weather comes our way.

This Week in the Liturgical Year //

January 2 was the Memorial of St. Basil the Great and St. Gregory Nazianzen, Bishops and Doctors.

To Listen: Gregory Nazianzen: Greatness in the Passive Voice from the Way of the Fathers podcast as well as St. Basil the Great—On the Right Use of Greek Literature

To Read: Basil, Gregory, and the Holy Spirit

To Add to the Library: On Christian Doctrine and Practice and On the Holy Spirit

To Bake: Vasilopita (Vasilopitta, honoring Saint Basil, is a Greek New Year’s custom.)

Frugal Accomplishments //

  • stocked up on coffee during a sale at the grocery store
  • listed a few books on Pango
  • gave myself a little hair trim

Reading //

  • The Rules of Discernment: A Practical Guide – Rule 4 from Megan Hjelmstad at Spiritual Direction
  • Goodness, Like Truth and Beauty, is a Powerful Thing from Father John P. Cush at National Catholic Register
  • Life in the Cyborg Age: A Conversation with Josh Pauling from Aaron Weinacht at Front Porch Republic // “Do we want to become the type of people who push a button to listen to Bach, who have a chatbot write them a poem, who have an image generator paint them a picture? Or do we want to become the type of people who can play Bach on the piano (or maybe even be the next Bach!), who can revel in writing a poem, who can create art with their own hands? Learning entails risk, challenge, strain, difficulty, and it is through such things that you build wisdom, virtue, and patience—that you become a better you.”
  • The Measured Morning from Grandma Donna // “This sounds like a lot of effort to keep our usage down, but once we have it figured out and let go of things little by little we will get a routine and it will simply be just the way we live as those before us did…People live much differently today than when I first started housekeeping. We were brainwashed we needed these things that cost us so much today to purchase, to use, to upkeep and to and needed attachments and filters. And then there is the cost to run them whatever that thing may be.”

New Additions to The List // 

Watching/Listening //

Loving //

from the archives…

WEEK ONE 2024 // The Beauty of Hope

No.881: What I Read in December 2024

This post contains affiliate links, which means I may receive a commission of any sale made at no extra cost to you.

#82. BEFORE THE CHANGE: TAKING CHARGE OF YOUR PERIMENOPAUSE by Ann Louise Gittleman, PhD, CNS // ★★★★☆
(amazon // bookshop // better world books)

I’m so thankful that I found this book!  I need a blood test to officially confirm if I’m actually in this stage yet, but I feel like I have a plan for when the worst of the symptoms come.  I really loved how the author focused on the importance of good nutrition – most of our complaints can be mitigated or reduced simply by making sure our vitamins and minerals are at optimal levels!  A very empowering read.

#83. BAD BLOOD: SECRETS AND LIES IN A SILICON VALLEY STARTUP by John Carreyrou // ★★★★☆
(amazon // bookshop // better world books)

I flew through this book because the story is WILD!  This is about Elizabeth Holmes and her fraudulent company, Theranos.

#84. THE MAN IN THE QUEUE by Josephine Tey // ★★★☆☆
(amazon // bookshop // better world books)

A police procedural with an ending I did not see coming!  It took me a bit to get used to Tey’s writing and her love of looong paragraphs (sometimes filling almost an entire page!), but I enjoyed it.

#85. SHOP CLASS AS SOULCRAFT: AN INQUIRY INTO THE VALUE OF WORK by Matthew B. Crawford // ★★★★☆
(amazon // bookshop // better world books)

Equal parts philosophy and real talk from a motorcycle mechanic.  Really thought-provoking.  (I also read this for my Reading the Alphabet Challenge.)

#86. THE HOUSE OF SILK by Anthony Horowitz // ★★★☆☆
(amazon // bookshop // better world books)

A Sherlock Holmes retelling and definitely a page turner!  Unfortunately, the twist at the end was quite sordid and disturbing, which lowered my overall reading experience.

#87. WHY IS IT ALWAYS ABOUT YOU? THE SEVEN DEADLY SINS OF NARCISSISM by Sandy Hotchkiss, LCSW // ★★★☆☆
(amazon // bookshop // better world books)

This book is an interesting introduction to narcissism, both in individuals and in greater society.  Lots of good tips and coping strategies.

#88. ONCE UPON A RIVER by Diane Setterfield // ★★★☆☆
(amazon // bookshop // better world books)

Diane Setterfield has a way of incorporating magical realism into her stories that just straddle the line between enchanting and unbelievable.  This book revolves around a small child that seems to have died, but then returns to life.  Who is she and how did this happen?  I enjoyed this novel but only really got into the story at around the halfway point.  There is a full cast of characters that I struggled to keep straight!  Still a solid three star read.

MY 2024 UNREAD SHELF PROJECT

Unread Books as of January 1, 2024: 209
Books Finished in December: 7
Books Donated/Sold in December: -3
Books Added: +0
Unread Books Remaining as of December 31, 2024: 206

No.880: My One Little Word and a Few Goals for 2025

{via}

Happy New Year!!  Well, 2024 was one for the books.  It was a hard one: we had a ton of financial catastrophes, experienced significant spiritual warfare, lost important relationships and dealt with some scary health challenges.  BUT.  We made it through.  This quote from Elizabeth Foss really resonated:

I give thanks — not in spite of the hard year, but because of it. I give thanks for the growth it has brought, the ways it has first challenged, and then deepened my faith, and the reminders it has offered about the things that truly matter. The moments of joy are sweeter because they’ve been hard-earned. The love feels deeper because it’s been tested. And the grace? It feels all the more precious because I’ve seen it in the places I least expected.

MY ONE LITTLE WORD FOR 2025

Year 13 for this OLW practice!  (My previous words were Intention, Brave, Thrive, Learn, Slow, Roots, Notice, Gratitude, Light, Simple, Endurance and Abundance.)  Each word has shaped me in its own way and I can’t imagine starting the new year without a guiding theme.  For 2025, I went with a word with many diverse definitions: good.

good [adj] // [good]
morally excellent; virtuous; righteous; pious; of high quality; excellent; honorable or worthy; skillfully or expertly done; sufficient or ample; advantageous; satisfactory for the purpose; fertile; rich

The word actually started out as a joke between me and my husband.  Have you ever seen Jocko Willink’s motivational video called Good?  We started saying it to each other last fall when things would go sideways.  Found a leak in the dining room that destroyed the flooring?  Good.  Had a separate home issue that cost $8,000 to repair?  Good.  Need to put our beloved boar down?  Good.  (Tears streamed down my face for that one.)

Anyway, the more I thought about my one little word, the more I knew this is what I needed in 2025.  I need the re-calibration of my mind and emotions to seek out the good, true and beautiful.  I’m also excited to dive deeply into the philosophical understanding of the word; I’m sure I’ll be sharing what I learn as I go.

And let us not grow weary of doing good, for in due season we will reap, if we do not give up. So then, as we have opportunity, let us do good to everyone, and especially to those who are of the household of faith.  Galatians 6:9–10

A FEW GOALS FOR 2025

My goals for the new year ended up being more involved than usual, but I liked the idea of specific goals for the different “plates” in my life.  I am a poor juggler but am hoping this will help me keep the most important things in view.

+ I remain confident of this: I will see the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living. – Psalm 27:13 

+ Virtues to work on:

  1. Fortitude // the willingness to engage the arduous
  2. Perseverance // the virtue by which one persists in the arduous good until the end is achieved
  3. Patience // the ability to suffer evils well or the equanimity in the face of evils
  4. Humility // the willingness to live in accordance with the truth; refraint of the irascible appetite from striving for excellence beyond one’s state; not judging oneself greater than he is
  5. Hope // the virtue by which one awaits beatitude and has confidence in God’s aid

+ Mother Academia // Continue with the practice of pursuing knowledge. 
This will ebb and flow throughout the year (busy times vs. less-busy times) but it’s not about the quantity.  Wrestling with ideas, whether from one book or twenty, is the goal.  On a tangible note: I’d like to continue (and hopefully complete!) my “Read 100 Books Off My Shelves Project.”  So many interesting topics that tend to get buried behind new purchases!

+ Faith // Engage with the liturgical year in a deeper way.
I want to dig deeper into the Church’s feasts and fasts, saints days, novenas and prayers.  Our tradition is rich and vast and I want to enjoy that inheritance in an intentional way.

+ Financial // Pay off that debt!
In the fall of 2020, we reached a significant milestone: minus the mortgage, we were completely debt free!  Sadly, the past two years have been pretty rough financially and we’ve found ourselves back in debt.  It’s been discouraging but if we’ve dug out once before, we can do it again!  This will be another year of frugal living and reselling to get us back to that debt-free goal.

+ Farm // Begin again.
Another hard part of 2024 was the failure of many of our farm endeavors.  We had animal death and crazy predator pressure and the breaking of expensive equipment.  A very discouraging and tear-filled year!  In 2025, we’ll concentrate on rebuilding our systems with a special focus on the garden.

+ Physical // Take care of myself.
I’m getting older and cannot continue to push myself to my absolute limit.  I want to focus on good nutrition, getting regular blood work done and taking daily walks.

+ Home // Continue to cultivate a home we love.
This doesn’t necessarily mean buying more stuff!  I’m thinking monthly declutter challenges will be helpful for this.  I would also like to continue our DIY walls project as we have the time and extra money.

+ Creativity // Make things with my own hands.
I would like to prioritize seeing old projects to completion – I have multiple quilts to finish and supplies ready for projects I haven’t even started!  Maybe I’ll even try a daily challenge?

No.879: Last Week at the Farmhouse // The Weary World Rejoices

“The Light of the World” by François Boucher (1750)

This post contains affiliate links, which means I may receive a commission of any sale made at no extra cost to you.

Merry Christmastide!  During this joyous time of year, I’ve been thinking about Pope Saint John Paul II’s 2001 Midnight Mass homily entitled Proclaim Christ Child’s Message Of Hope Throughout The World.  I hope it fills you with hope, joy and peace as it did me.

Like the shepherds, we too on this wonderful night cannot fail to experience the desire to share with others the joy of our encounter with this “child wrapped in swaddling cloths“, in whom the saving power of the Almighty is revealed. We cannot pause in ecstatic contemplation of the Messiah lying in the manger, and forget our obligation to bear witness to him.

In haste we must once more set out on our journey. With joy we must leave the cave of Bethlehem in order to recount everywhere the marvel which we have witnessed. We have encountered light and life! In him, love has been bestowed upon us.

We welcome you with joy, Almighty Lord of heaven and earth, who out of love became a Child “in Judea, in the city of David, which is called Bethlehem” (Lk 2:4).

We welcome you with gratitude, new Light rising in the night of the world.

We welcome you as our brother, the “Prince of Peace“, who “made of the two one people” (cf. Eph 2:14).

Fill us with your gifts, you who did not hesitate to begin human life like us. Make us children of God, you who for our sake desired to become a son of man (cf. Saint Augustine, Homilies, 184).

You, “Wonder-Counsellor“, sure promise of peace; you, powerful presence of the “God-Hero“; you, our one God, who lie poor and humble in the dim light of the stable, welcome us around your crib.

Come, peoples of the earth, open to him the doors of your history! Come to worship the Son of the Virgin Mary, who descended among us, on this night prepared for down the centuries.

Night of joy and peace.

Venite, adoremus!

Hoping to document the abundance around me all year long!

Around here, abundance looks like…

+ attending Midnight Mass.  There is something so beautiful about entering a warm chapel in the middle of a dark, cold night.  Our little Oratory was packed – standing room only! – and I felt waves of gratitude for the ability to celebrate His birth with all of these people right as the clock stuck twelve.  What a way to begin the Christmas festivities!

+ a wonderfully simple Christmas morning.  My kids always receive only three gifts each (along with their stockings), so I try to choose items very intentionally.  Some years are a bust, but I think I did okay this year!  Some hits: a personal Keurig machine, a leather jacket, a wood carving kit and book for inspiration, a wearable throw blanket, an old-school boombox for listening to music and audiobooks, and Legos.

+ picking up next year’s wrapping paper for 50% off.  I needed a few skeins of embroidery floss at the craft store and popped into Homegoods next door to check on the paper.  They still had a decent selection and I found four simple designs that will work for next year!  I saved $8.

+ taking inventory of all of my craft supplies.  I have collected a lot of items over the years and I think 2025 is the year that I use ’em or lose ’em.  I organized my rolling cart with materials and I’m excited to start making beautiful things.

Reading //

New Additions to The List // 

Watching/Listening //

Loving //

  • this French holy card that roughly translates to: “The Christmas Lullaby: with Mary, let us watch over the child Jesus, let us sing His praises, let us admire His beauty, let us contemplate His grace, let us adore His divinity!”

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