The Big White Farmhouse | intentional living, little by little

May 26, 2020

No.404: 52 Weeks, 52 Letters Project // Weeks #18-21

This post contains affiliate links.

One of my big goals for 2020 is to send at least one piece of snail mail out every week. Keeping track of my progress here on the blog will help keep me accountable and I’ll also get to share with you some small stationery businesses. Maybe it will even encourage you to join in on the fun!

WEEK 18 (Apr 27-May 3)

I was finally able to use this old card from when A Beautiful Mess had a “Happy Mail” subscription program. Sadly, it looks like they have discontinued it!

WEEK 19 (May 4-10)

This week, I went Mother’s Day card crazy! I wish I could have done more. The two “You Are an Amazing Mother” cards are from Sarah Hada Art, the two watercolor cards are from Pink Bathtub Designs and the Goldilocks and Mama Bear card is by FellowMade. The purple floral watercolor one is from Michelle Mospens and the Mama Bird and the Nesting Dolls came from Love Light Paper.

My baby sister was supposed to be attending her college graduation this week and sadly, that’s all been cancelled due to the lockdown. I mailed her a congratulations card from Champaign Paper to let her know that we’re still celebrating her achievement from afar. We’re so proud of her!

WEEK 20 (May 11-17)

I did not send out a single thing! It was a weirdly busy week and I was in a funk.

WEEK 21 (May 18-24)

Sent a quick note to a friend who is struggling a bit right now. I just bought a pack of these cards from Providential Co. and I want to send them as a reminder to everyone I know!

CURRENT SNAIL MAIL TOTAL: 56

P.S. Need a little sunshine in your mailbox? Sign up here to get on the list!

May 25, 2020

No.403: Our Extraordinary Ordinary Life // COVID-19 Lockdown Week 10

HIGHLIGHTS FROM THE TENTH WEEK OF COVID-19 LOCKDOWN

Week ten: when I lost my way and fought to find it again.

I just finished Know My Name by Chanel Miller and while I have thoughts on so many parts of that book, one section spoke to me in my own, completely different, time and space:

In Fearrington, North Carolina, my grandparents had lived by a pond, where geese plodded around with those curved black necks, squeaky honking. My Grandpa Miller explained that during migration, birds flew in V formation. The bird at the front, the tip of the V, had the hardest job facing the greatest amount of wind resistance. The air coming off the leader’s flapping wings lifted the birds flying behind it. Being the leader was grueling, so the birds took turns. When a bird exhausted itself, it trailed to the back, where it wouldn’t have to flap as hard, riding waves of wind that have been broken down by others. It saved its energy so that it could lead again. This was the only way to make the journey, to escape winter and make it to warmer places. I had spent two weeks pumping my wings, keeping a calm face, to protect my flock from brutal conditions. But resilience required rest. (14%)

I’m your typical ISFJ: the caregiver, the eternal behind-the-scenes cheerleader and I’ve been on overdrive since the beginning of this lockdown. I wanted to stay positive for my children, be a beacon of light among the fear and anxiety and chaos. “But resilience required rest.” I could tell something was wrong when I had not written a single letter all last week because I just didn’t have anything positive in me to say. Some internal part of me was waving the white flag, needed someone else to do the caring and cheering for a little while. So I rested. Mark and I had long conversations where I unloaded each and every tab in my brain. I prayed and cried and slept in late. By Thursday, the fog lifted and I was ready to start again.

I’m glad I took a picture of those California Poppies because Lucy later ran through the beds and completely ripped one of the plants out of the ground. Deep breaths, deep breaths, deep breaths.

Sourdough experiment of the week: a spinach artichoke braid

Biggest highlight of the week: P finally decided to potty train! He is so stubborn that all of our previous tries were met with a hard no. But we were down to our last diaper on Monday and I declared, “Welp, we’re in this for better or worse!” and thankfully he cooperated. After almost 14 years, we are a diaper-free house. Wild.

May 22, 2020

No.402: 2020 Gratitude // 21

A new series for 2020: if I record 20 things every week, I’ll have over 1,000 items by December 31.

That’s a lot to be grateful for.

pick up baseball games in the back yard

cool breezes in open windows

ham and tomato sandwiches on bread I made

that almost all of my beans have sprouted and are growing quickly

my bright green raincoat

when Lucy sits and watches the birds out the window

successful potty training (finally!)

working on crossword puzzles with M

bright orange California poppies

watching our neighbor horse in his warm coat

four great results on standardized testing

good books that keep me up late reading

flip flop tan lines

another week without having to turn on the air conditioning

when the kids clean the kitchen after dinner

a better organized emergency closet

honest conversations with my oldest boys

hard days and cleansing tears

chances to start again

“Oh Jesus, with all my heart I cling to Thee.”

May 21, 2020

No.401: A List of May’s Frugal Accomplishments

MAY’S FRUGAL ACCOMPLISHMENTS

My Goal: Use it up, wear it out, make it do or do without.

And if you have to spend money, do it with intention.

+ We’re following the square foot “method” for our garden, but wanted to save a little money by skipping the cross-hatch pieces that make the squares. Instead, I constructed a temporary version out of strips of cardboard. I use it when I plant and then keep it in the garage until the next time.

+ My front door rug was moving everywhere and bunching up, which was driving me crazy. I cut up an old unused rug pad to fit underneath and now it stays in place! I can’t believe it took me this long to make a two-minute fix.

+ I planted wildflowers from seed kits that never sold from the old Big White Farmhouse shop. I found them tucked away this winter and couldn’t wait to put them to good use in the front flower beds. I didn’t know what to expect since they were over three years old, but the germination rate still seems to be good! I have little sprouts everywhere.

+ We’re getting a 15% credit on our auto insurance policy due to being stuck at home during the outbreak.

+ As of this writing, we’re still going strong without having to turn on our A/C! I’m grateful for this weirdly cool spring.

+ Our sourdough starter has saved us quite a bit of money since we can make our yeast stretch further.

+ We had a bit of an ant invasion near our side door. I made a homemade ant killer, which was equal parts vinegar and water in a spray bottle, and that helped kill the ones in the house. For outside, I made a concoction of equal parts powdered sugar and baking soda in a small, shallow container and it worked within hours.

+ Mark has been chopping down dead/dying trees around our property and cutting them into firewood pieces.

+ We’ve become even more cognizant about our food consumption, especially as prices seem to be slowly rising. Regular “Refrigerator Cleanout Nights” have helped us have very little waste.

Your turn! What did you do to save a little money this month?
P.S. I pin frugal ideas to this Pinterest board if you need some inspiration too!

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Previous Frugal Accomplishments:

2019: JULY // AUGUST // SEPTEMBER // OCTOBER // NOVEMBER
2020: JANUARY // FEBRUARY // APRIL