The Big White Farmhouse | intentional living, little by little

February 26, 2020

No.358: The Wednesday Five #07

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Happy Wednesday!

A QUOTE

Consider it all joy, my brothers, when you encounter various trials, for you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance. – James 1:2-3

A BOOK

I’m currently reading Roots & Sky: A Journey Home in Four Seasons by Christie Purifoy. Her writing is very descriptive and lyrical, which is a writing style I sometimes struggle with, but I’m actually really enjoying it so far.

OUR LATEST FRUGAL INVESTMENT

I’ve been on the lookout for a way to use less plastic in our kitchen. Reducing food waste is always a big thing for me too, so I was thrilled to find a company called Swag Bags! They make machine washable, breathable bags for fruits and vegetables and claim that your food will stay fresh for at least two weeks and you’ll be able to reuse the bags again and again without the need for plastic. I purchased the Twin Pack with one Long and one Small (trimmed in different colors) and I love them! We use the big one for new produce and the small one for random half-used bits.

TWO RANDOM RECOMMENDATIONS

My oldest son just started playing the guitar and is taking “lessons” from Justin Guitar. It’s completely free and I’ve been so impressed with the professionalism of the videos. M is loving it and has learned so much already.
My latest success in the kitchen: Pretzel Bread, started in the bread machine! SO good.

A CROWDSOURCING QUESTION

Have you ever line dried your clothes? I’m intrigued by the idea, but hesitant about execution. Does it really save a lot of money? Can you even line dry in really humid spring/summer weather?

February 25, 2020

No.357: 52 Weeks, 52 Letters Project // Weeks #5-8

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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! (You can find the first post here.)

WEEK 5 (Jan 27- Feb 2)

I had ambitious plans for this week, but ended up only mailing a birthday card to my cousin. I love the gold foil detail on this card from 9th Letter Press.

WEEK 6 (Feb 3-9)

This week was Mark’s birthday! I looked through dozens of choices on etsy, but we ultimately decided to make him something more personal. We recreated a card that the kids made for him years ago (when we had half the amount of kids!) and it turned out so sweet.

WEEK 7 (Feb 10-16)

I sent out a note to a blog reader (hi Alicia!) and finally used a notecard from Meyer Market Designs that I received in a conference swag bag back in 2017! I like to add a few cards and tags (I even cut down a page from this adult coloring book) because they’re fun, but also practical. You can jot down your grocery list or add them to a gift. I also mailed a card to a friend who is pregnant with her fifth baby. Yay for babies! This letterpress card is from The Grits and was made on a machine circa 1880. How cool is that?!

WEEK 8 (Feb 17-23)

Eight weeks in, I can’t believe it! I continued to use up some of my snail mail “stash” and chose a beautiful postcard (leftover from my Springtime Postcard Project two years ago) to send to another blog reader – hi Donna! It comes from the Birds of Land, Sea, and Sky set, illustrated by David Allen Sibley. They are all gorgeous and worthy of framing.

CURRENT SNAIL MAIL TOTAL: 24

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February 21, 2020

No.356: 2020 Gratitude // 08

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.

a much needed three-day weekend
surprise books in the mail (thank you so much, Shelly!)
sibling picnic lunches under the dining room table
our “tree guy” who has taught us so much about caring for our property
warm, thick socks
the high quality work that my oldest boys produced for their short story projects
Audrey Assad’s version of Be Thou My Vision
using my rusty Spanish skills again with Duolingo (and a 12 day streak!)
chirping birds
the clay ladybug that J created for me
that Lucy is back to good behavior after a stressful few days
P’s “cheese” face
big bear hugs
when Lucy happily sunbathes on the side porch
being all caught up on laundry
seeing Orion’s belt

“Head and Shoulders, Knees and Toes” on repeat
passing on outgrown kids clothes to someone who needs them
P’s interest in potty training (FINALLY)
the very first tiny signs of spring

February 20, 2020