The Big White Farmhouse

intentional living, little by little

No.425: Five Good Things // No.02

1 // MOLASSES CRINKLES

A few months ago, I was organizing my cookbooks when I came across a little book toward the back of the shelf.  It was given to me years ago by my grandmother (who has now passed away) and was a collection of recipes from members of her church.  I finally took the time to browse through the booklet and what a treasure trove!  So many simple tried-and-true recipes were inside.  I decided to start with a cookie recipe and it’s been a big hit with my kids.  I’ve made it many times since.  Thank you, Martha R, whoever/wherever you are!  Here’s the recipe:
¾ cup butter
1 cup brown sugar
1 egg
¼ cup molasses
2¼ cup flour
2 tsp. baking soda
¼ tsp. salt
1½ tsp. cinnamon
1½ tsp. ginger
Cream butter, brown sugar and egg.  Add molasses.  Mix together dry ingredients and add to creamed mixture.  Roll into balls and dip in sugar.  Sprinkle with water.  Cook at 350° for 14 minutes.
2 // THE BOX TRICK

Did you see this going around the Internet toward the beginning of lockdown?  My kids always seem to rip the cardboard flaps and this has been so helpful to keep food inside their packages.  
3 // SELF RELIANCE MAGAZINE

With all of my gardening and homesteading searches, I think the Internet is starting to predict my interests.  This magazine was an ad, but I’m so glad I clicked through!  Self-Reliance Magazine is chock full of helpful advice, with everything from how to start raising chickens to how to preserve your bean crops to chainsaw care.  It definitely won’t win any awards for beauty (the photos inside are just so-so) but a wonderful resource of information.  I purchased these three back issues and have already referred back to them many times.



4 // THIS QUOTE


While I wouldn’t necessarily recommend this entire book (see my thoughts in this post), this quote made me pause:

In his book Requiem for a Species, Clive Hamilton discusses how attitudes have shifted over the past century.  Hamilton writes about how we used to be a production society, focused on producing goods to meet needs in the marketplace, igniting the investor’s confidence.  But over time we have become a consumer society, focused on the process of acquiring things, igniting the consumer’s confidence.  This causes us all to focus less on what we produce and more on what we own, drawing more of our identity from the latter. – The Year Without a Purchase, p.58

I found it really thought-provoking and it’s made me realize how much I actually crave being a “producer” but often end up consuming, just because it’s easier.  I still need to ponder this in terms of concrete goals, but I’d really like to retrain my brain in this area.

5 // NEW SOAP FROM BORDEN ACRES


New soap!  I think it would be fun to actually buy soap from each artisan on my list, so I randomly chose to start with Borden Acres (affiliate links) in California.  I bought three scents that seemed summery to me: Sweet Tea, Honeysuckle + Citrus, and Grapefruit + Orange.  They smell wonderful and lather beautifully.  I’d recommend them all!

No.424: Intentions for the End of July

When I speak of home, I speak of the place where – in default of a better – those I love are gathered together; and if that place were a gypsy’s tent, or a barn, I should call it by the same good name notwithstanding.
– Charles Dickens, The Life and Adventures of Nicholas Nickleby

INTENTIONS FOR THE END OF JULY

  • order more work clothes for my oldest
  • bake oatmeal raisin cookies
  • catch up on snail mail correspondence
  • work on my new 100 Little Things list (my seventh year!)
  • completely finish the first six weeks of lesson plans
  • start browsing around for a new couch
  • get an estimate on Sophie’s bathroom tile replacement
  • drop off donations at Goodwill (if it’s open and accepting)
  • try to sell off the remaining Poshmark inventory – share my closet at least once daily
  • give my hair another trim
  • pull out the weeds in the brick walkway

No.423: 2020 Gratitude // 28 & 29

that I got a handle on the beetles eating my zinnias and the caterpillars in my tomatoes
my boys and their funny antics
how my daughter watches and imitates me…how humbling
air conditioning on relentlessly hot days
starting the decluttering process again
a few small sales on ebay
watching my scrap quilt grow and grow
podcasts in a wide variety of topics
dreaming about the future with my husband
how an afternoon bath can soothe a whiny preschooler
painting my daughter’s fingernails in “Ballet Slipper,” the palest pink
that I took the time to reorganize/declutter my closet
a morning walk with Mark and the dog
big bowls of salty popcorn
the smell of a freshly mowed lawn
shelling dry beans on the back deck
laughing until we cried at how our “crop” of beans will probably only feed us for two meals
watching the kids play in their new plastic pool
a much needed afternoon with my mom and my sister
a book that makes me cry
when a child giggles in his sleep
how hard Mark works for our family
simple, ordinary days at home
debt freedom

No.422: Around Here in July

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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.

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