The Big White Farmhouse

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FEELING // so unmotivated, which is not like me at all.  I tried to sit down to write my intentions post for July and could not for the life of me come up with anything coherent!  Instead of forcing it, I just decided to coast for awhile and pick it back up in August.  One day, one step at a time…


READING // so many books, all at the same time.  I’m almost to the middle of Secondhand: Travels in the New Global Garage Sale, which is seriously inspiring me to return to my decluttering challenge.  I’m also about halfway through The Year of Reading Dangerously, which is not very good at all BUT it did inspire me to pick up Don Quixote again, so there’s that.  For fiction, I’m reading Hannah Coulter, which I am absolutely loving!  So much of it reminds me of my grandmothers.  I already know that I’m going to be sad when it ends.  For religious books, I’m almost finished with 33 Days to Morning Glory (re-consecration day is July 16: feast of Our Lady of Mt. Carmel!) and just a few pages into Consuming the Word.


CELEBRATING // the fact that we’re thiiiiis close to being consumer debt and student loan free!  If all goes to plan, we’ll be able to make our last payment by the end of this week.


PLANNING // for school, little by little.  I have all of our books purchased, but have only been working on lesson plans in fits and spurts.  I need to focus!  I’m thinking mid-August sounds like a good time to start, regardless of what the public schools will be doing.  We have no idea if any of the kids’ extra-curricular activities will be happening in the fall, but I’ll plan what I can.


BAKING // our daily two loaves of sandwich bread along with a rare loaf of banana bread.  Such a treat since fruit normally doesn’t last very long around here.

GROWING // so much in the garden right now.  We have zucchini and yellow squash ready just about every other day, we just picked our first cucumber, the tomatoes are almost ripe, the peppers, the beans… Its so fun to see what’s new every morning!


SEWING // more and more pieces on my scrap quilt and enjoying the process so much.  There’s something soothing about the repetitive nature of stitching and it’s been a helpful distraction with all that has been going on.


DREAMING // about future additions to our property, homesteading skills that I’d like to pursue and practice, animals we’d like to raise…the future is so uncertain, but it sure is fun to dream.