The Big White Farmhouse | intentional living, little by little

September 16, 2019

No.293: Intentions for the End of September

“I think, at a child’s birth, if a mother could ask a fairy godmother to endow it with the most useful gift,
that gift would be curiosity.”
― Eleanor Roosevelt

INTENTIONS FOR THE END OF SEPTEMBER

use up the zucchini in the freezer (make bread?)
schedule eye exams for M and D
call for a consultation with Invisible Fence
start buying birthday presents for D
shop around for better car insurance
buy batteries for the emergency closet (fun fact: September is National Preparedness Month)
change the filter in the attic
go at least 7 days without spending money
redo Sophie’s phonics/reading plans to accommodate possible dyslexia
make a reading reward chart
replace our old American flag (100LT #30)
start a decluttering challenge

PREVIOUS INTENTIONS

If you’re reading on your phone or in a reader, be sure to click over to see what I checked off the list!

~~do some research to see if I can find a local Civil War reenactment~~ (I found a semi-close one happening in October!)
~~embroider Sophie’s name onto her new lab coat~~ (one of her birthday gifts!)
~~make a running list of needed fall/winter clothes~~ (still need to buy socks, shoes and a few winter coats, but I made a good dent in the list)
schedule eye exams for M and D
call for a consultation with Invisible Fence (the previous owners installed one on the property, but we have no idea where it is)
~~go apple picking~~
make apple butter
make blueberry freezer jam
~~preorder supplies for December Daily~~ (really excited to do this project again this year)
~~list a few new things on Poshmark~~ (added a delicate merino wool sweater, a like new Athleta tank, and a few skirts perfect for the upcoming season)

September 13, 2019

No.292: This Week at the Farmhouse // vol.04

This post contains affiliate links.

WHAT WE LEARNED

+ New read aloud: Where the Mountain Meets the Moon. This is a middle grade fantasy based on Chinese folklore. It’s a little outside of our comfort zone, but so far, so good!

+ New country in Around the World: Japan! We read Crow Boy and had a really great discussion afterwards.

+ We learned how (and tried!) to make clouds come out of our mouths.

+ Highlight of the week: we had our first Family Adventure Field Trip of the school year! Mark took the day off and we drove to our old hometown and went apple picking. We always seem to plan outings when it’s boiling outside (that day had record-breaking temps in the 90s!) but between the breeze and the shade of the apple trees, we still had a fun time.

TEN THINGS I’M GRATEFUL FOR

Sophie’s toothy grin (another tooth lost this week!)
falling leaves
watching D teach Lucy a new trick
a new year of Trail Life for the boys
the taste of a crisp apple straight from the tree
reminiscing about memories from the early years of parenthood
finally getting some clear answers about why our lawn mower keeps breaking down
a good veterinarian
a successful surgery for Lucy
big bowls of popcorn

IN THE KITCHEN

+ On the menu:

M: Mark and the big kids ate out between activities, the little two and I just had cereal at home
T: cheesy beef enchilada tortellini skillet (not linking because the recipe needed too much tweaking to be worth making again)
W: Mark brought home fast food
Th: we had a huge lunch while we were out apple picking, so just snacked on popcorn for dinner
F: breakfast for dinner – eggs and homemade biscuits

+ D is for Donuts, using a funfetti cake mix and this pan

+ How much I spent on groceries this week: $220.40

GOOD THINGS

+ I love the idea behind these pencils
+ so excited to find this website

September 9, 2019

No.291: A New Cookery Challenge // Month One: Apples for Jam

I discovered the Calendar Cookery Challenge idea from Gillian at Tales from a Happy House who got it from Penny at The Homemade Heart. Here are the rules: “The challenge is simple: the first week of every month, select a cookery book from your shelf and over the course of the month, cook two new recipes from it. The book can be one you have owned for ages but never cooked from, or a new book, or one that you tend to use for the same recipes each time, and have never explored further. You can use the same recipe book as many times as you wish for the Cookery Calendar Challenge, as long as you choose two new recipes from it each time you use it.”

I love cookbooks and own many, but I always seem to forget about them when I’m meal planning. I think this challenge will lead me to be a more intentional consumer of the things I own, while also adding a little life to my uninspired dinner plans. I’m excited!

For month number one, I chose Apples for Jam by Tessa Kiros (affiliate link). I’ve had this cookbook since my oldest two were babies and I don’t think I’ve ever made anything from it!

For my first recipe, I chose the Berry and Buttermilk Cake (page 55), with an added dash of nutmeg to keep things interesting. There is only a 1/2 cup of sugar in the entire recipe, so it’s not too sweet and would be perfect for breakfast with a cup of coffee. The kids thought the sugar amount needed to be doubled, but consider the source on that one, hah.

I still had buttermilk leftover, so I decided to try the Fried Buttermilk-Marinated Chicken (page 231) next. (No wasting – a mini frugal accomplishment!) The recipe calls for a whole chicken cut into pieces, but I just used tenders since that was what we had on hand. Add a handful of french fries from the freezer (#keepingitreal) and we had a great post-football game meal.

The last recipe I chose was Penne with Shrimp, Cream, and Tomato (page 152). It came together quickly, but I think it needed a few more spices to really make the ingredients pop. A little too simple and bland for our taste.

Final thoughts: While this cookbook is visually beautiful and fun to browse, the recipes were mostly just so-so for me. I may give it one more chance before it heads to the donation pile.

September 6, 2019

No.290: This Week at the Farmhouse // vol.03

This post contains affiliate links.