The Big White Farmhouse

intentional living, little by little

No.365: 2020 Gratitude // 11

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.  Affiliate links ahead!

warm days that feel like spring
that the mechanic was able to patch our tire after finding a nail in it
that most of the kids are feeling better after a week of the flu
M’s slow recovery after seemingly falling ill twice
cough medicine that helps him sleep
how hard Mark works for our family
catching up on laundry and chores
watching P swing on his belly
little bits of green popping up around the property
the time and effort that J and S put into their game board projects
how much P loves Do-A-Dot markers
lists upon lists of exciting spring projects and to-dos
frozen pizza
finding brand new sneakers for Sophie for less than $20
short sleeves and bare feet
finishing another adventure in Narnia
loaves of banana bread
complicated train track configurations
reading in bed at the end of the day
surviving Daylight Savings Week

No.364: 2020 Gratitude // 10

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.

warm, sunny days to play outside
passing along outgrown clothes to people who need them
“cooking class” with Sophie
pumpkin muffins with a hot cup of coffee
seed packets arriving in the mail
have the school year finish line in sight (8 weeks to go!)
tissues and cough drops
a few days of doing absolutely nothing (thank you Influenza A for spreading through the whole family)
Mark’s understanding employer
how the healthy kids took care of the sick ones
lots of time to read and blog
cuddling with P
a rare afternoon of absolute silence (everyone was asleep or reading)
hot showers
that the feverish part of the illness passed through us quickly
a breeze through open windows, if only for an hour
my washer and dryer
sunsets that look like a watercolor painting
two sales on ebay
that the big boys are (hopefully) on the mend enough to attend their competition and tryouts this weekend

No.363: Five Reasons to Send a Letter in March

This post contains affiliate links.

If you’ve read here for any length of time, you know that I am a passionate supporter of keeping snail mail alive!  This is a monthly series that I hope will inspire you to start putting thoughts on paper.  There’s nothing like finding a handwritten note among the piles of bills and junk mail.   

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MARCH 6 // DENTIST’S DAY

Do you have a kind and patient dentist?  This is a great time to share how much you appreciate them!
A few cards created by small businesses:



MARCH 14 // NATIONAL PI DAY
What better day to celebrate with your nerdy math friends than Pi Day?  If you’re feeling extra creative, maybe make a pie to go with your card! 
A few cards created by small businesses:


MARCH 17 // ST. PATRICK’S DAY
Saint Patrick’s Day is in honor of one of my favorite saints!  It is also a day for celebrating Irish heritage and tradition.  Even if you’re not Irish, you can still get into the fun: how about sending the luck of the Irish to a friend with a few scratch tickets and a penny?
A few cards created by small businesses:



MARCH 19 // FIRST DAY OF SPRING
Even though this day may not always look like spring, we can still get excited for what’s to come.  I am planning to mail wildflower seed packets to some family and friends.
A few cards created by small businesses:

MARCH 31 // NATIONAL CRAYON DAY
To finish off the month, how about something special for kids?  Mail the little buddies in your life a brand new coloring book and a pack of crayons for National Crayon Day.  Is there anything better in life than a fresh pack of sharpened crayons?  Fun fact: Crayola makes over 3 billion crayons every year. 

No.362: The Wednesday Five #08

Happy Wednesday!  Looking back at February with my five today:

A QUOTE ON GRATITUDE

Gratitude unlocks the fullness of life.  It turns what we have into enough, and more.  It turns denial into acceptance, chaos to order, confusion to clarity.  It can turn a meal into a feast, a house into a home, a stranger into a friend.  Gratitude makes sense of our past, brings peace for today, and creates a vision for tomorrow. – Melody Beattie

FEBRUARY HIGHLIGHTS 

+ Celebrated Mark and our dog Lucy’s birthdays!

+ The weather this month seemed to be full of cold rain followed by a few days of warm sunshine that had me itching for spring.
+ I decided to take a break from reselling as a side gig.  I still need to sell off my current inventory and will continue to sell our unwanted items as I declutter, but will no longer be seeking out product for now.  My biggest complaint about Poshmark is the amount of time it requires for you to be on your phone and I was starting to resent it!  A lot of peace and mental clarity came from this decision, so I know it’s the right thing to do.
+ Regular bread making resumed.
+ Lots of guitar playing in the house!  M bought himself an electric guitar and is learning so much.
+ Mark made dietary changes to help with some digestive issues and is feeling a lot better.
+ Lent begins!

FAVORITE RECIPES FROM LAST MONTH

  • Chicken Fried Rice.  This recipe satisfied our craving for Chinese takeout.  We served it with eggrolls from the freezer. 
  • Pretzel Bread.  My favorite bread of the month!  Because the bread machine does all of the mixing and rising, the hands-on time is only minutes.
  • Cinnamon Applesauce Muffins.  Thank you to my dear friend Tabitha for this one.  I had D makes these on his own and he’s made them about six times!  The recipe calls for 1/2 cup of sugar, but we’ve reduced that to almost 1/4 without any complaints. 

2020 GOALS UPDATE

  • ✔ I want to spend time with God everyday.  I’m still working through the Bible (as of Feb 29, I was on day 234/365) and haven’t missed a day.  I also watched the first six segments of The Wild Goose series on the Holy Spirit.  I’m really enjoying them and recommend it.  It gave me a lot of clarity as I struggled through the roots of my latest bout of stress/anxiety.  
    • ✔ I want to keep on, keepin’ on with our debt freedom journey.  We used most of our tax refund to pay a big chunk off of our car loan.  The end is near!
    • ✔ I want to hand write 52 pieces of mail.  I didn’t have anywhere near the numbers I pulled in January, but I’m still on track!  I sent out 5 pieces.  (Here is the post.)  Current total = 24 pieces
    • ✔ I want to write 150 blog posts.  I hit a mini writing slump at the beginning of the month, but still managed to post 14 times.  Current total = 34
    • ✔ I want to read 52 books.  I read 6 books. (Here is the post.)  Current total = 14
    • ✘ I want to take the first steps for postpartum doula certification.  Still nothing.  
    • ✔ I want to create a family culture of generosity.  Another successful month with our 20/20 Giving:
      • February’s $20 Donation // We learned about a holy priest who has recently been diagnosed with ALS.  We donated to help him with expenses that are not covered by insurance and for the eventual need of assistance as the disease progresses.  
      • February’s 20 Minutes of Time and Talent // leading a men’s group at church, altar serving, baking cookies for the first Lenten Supper, helping out at a children’s retreat

      FEBRUARY 2020 IN NUMBERS

      I thought it would be fun (and eye-opening) to keep track of how many loads of laundry I do in a month.  In the 29 days of February, I washed 49 loads.  INSANE.

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