The Big White Farmhouse | intentional living, little by little

November 14, 2018

No.197: Safe Skincare // My First Experience with Beautycounter

I received free product in exchange for a review, but as always, all opinions are my own.

UPDATE: This week Beautycounter’s Black Friday Sale is 15% OFF sitewide, and FREE shipping on orders over $50. It’s a great time to try clean beauty for yourself or gift to a loved one! My friend Stephanie is offering my readers an additional $10 coupon on top of the Black Friday sales when you shop through her website! Happy shopping!

I blame my dear blog friend Stephanie for my latest rabbit hole. She recommended a book called Estrogeneration and oh my word, it’s both fascinating and slightly terrifying! I’m working through it in small chunks, but it’s already made me very conscious about what products I’m using and what I choose to buy going forward. (This is a separate, but good article that touches on some of things I’m learning in the book.)

Anyway, Steph recently became a Beautycounter Consultant and offered to let me try a few of their most popular products. With my new knowledge of the dangers in American skincare from Estrogeneration, I jumped at the chance to try! I was also excited because with all of the hormonal craziness going on with me right now, my face is a mess. I have faithfully used the products for the past three weeks and I’m already a fan. I tried the Cleansing Balm, the Adaptive Moisture Lotion, the Brightening Facial Oil and the Balancing Facial Mask. While it hasn’t taken away all of my acne yet, I do see an improvement. And my skin is so soft! I’m impressed.

A few other interesting things to note about Beautycounter:
+ They are a full disclosure company and every ingredient is on every label.
+ Over 1,500 chemicals and toxins have been banned from their products.
+ The company’s ultimate goal is high performance without compromise. They stand by the promise that their products really work!

The four products I tried are all paired in a Holiday Kit for a limited time and would make a gorgeous gift for Christmas. (Or put it on your own Christmas list!) The bottles are beautiful and because you only use a small amount each time, they last for awhile. Definitely worth the investment.

One more thing: if you mention The Big White Farmhouse sent you, Steph will give my readers a shipping refund on your first order. You can shop here. I can’t wait to hear what you choose!

November 8, 2018

No.196: Around Here in November

This post contains affiliate links.

WEARING // my cool weather favorites on repeat, now that Virginia finally has a chill in the air: my L.L.Bean pullover, Athleta hoodie and J.Crew quilted vest.

MAKING // new soups or stews for our weekly Soup Night. The original idea was that it would help with the grocery budget, which hasn’t really happened. Silver lining: there is something so cozy about having Mark and the boys come home from activities to something warm on the stove.

BRAINSTORMING // presents. We have six birthdays in the fall, so I generally have to dig deep for good Christmas ideas afterward. I sat down the other night and got a good start on the kids, but could not come up with quality ideas for extended family members. I have to get my act together!

READING // Being Mortal (SO good!), Don Quixote (humorous and easier to read than I expected) and Estrogeneration (both fascinating and terrifying).

STARTING // a 30-day running streak on a whim. Five days later, I’m having second thoughts, hah! My main concern is injuring myself with the increased load, so I think I’m just going to it play it smart and go by feel. The end result may not be exactly how I envisioned it, but I hope it helps me get back into a routine in time for winter (when I usually hibernate).

SELLING // my 75th piece of clothing on Poshmark! I’m really enjoying this little side biz, even though sales have suddenly dropped to a trickle.

LISTENING // to Up and Vanished, although Season Two is a little less exciting to me than the first one. I just found a new podcast called Someone Knows Something that I hope to start soon. Cold cases are fascinating to me.

ADMITTING // defeat as I finally concede that the past few months have totally kicked my butt. The breaking point was yesterday when I received an email from our photographer, letting me know that the memory card holding all of our family photos was corrupted and she lost everything. It’s not really her fault and they’re just photos, but it hurt and I cried. I’m waving the white flag. Fall, you win! Looking forward to slower days ahead.

November 5, 2018

No.195: Intentions for the Beginning of November

My oldest ran his first 5K with me yesterday and we had so much fun. I wasn’t feeling great, but managed to keep up and only lost to him by 30 seconds. We’re both excited to run another one together in the spring. There’s nothing like a race to reignite my passion for running! With my hormonal issues and fall just being a crazy season, running felt like a chore and I started to dread it. I’m thrilled to get back into it – I feel more like myself already.

INTENTIONS FOR THE BEGINNING OF NOVEMBER

vote!
keep up with a 30 Day Running Streak
order birthday gifts for M, J, and P (and then we’re done for another year, whew!)
start ordering gifts for Christmas
start thinking about what to do with the kids for Advent
catch up on snail mail correspondence
make 10+ sales on Poshmark
organize all of the kids’ summer clothes and put in their appropriate bins
decide on a cookie for the co-op cookie exchange party
organize Sophie’s closet
make homemade granola
finish reading Estrogeneration
read 50+ pages in Don Quixote

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!

~~finish painting the headboards~~ and add the topcoat
decide on a rug for the front hallway
~~send out Halloween packages~~ (I sent books to my two littlest buddies)
finish reading Estrogeneration
get the generator serviced (at over $700, this one gets pushed to the back burner until after Christmas. Fingers crossed we don’t have a blizzard anytime soon!)
call to have someone look at the dishwasher (we had the septic tank serviced instead)
~~increase Poshmark inventory to 85+~~
take out and work on my quilt using Memere’s fabric (100LT #13)
~~buy lightbulbs for the dining room chandelier~~
~~look into supplements~~ (I ordered magnesium and have a list of others to consider too – thanks for all of your help, blog friends!!)
give myself lots of patience and grace as I continue to fight through this hormonal mess (a work in progress, but I’m feeling better)

What about you? What do you hope to accomplish in the next two weeks?

November 2, 2018

No.194: What I Learned in October

This post contains affiliate links.

1 // THERE ARE SEASONS OF PRODUCTION AND THERE ARE SEASONS OF REST.
I am definitely a do-er. I like being productive and feel most like myself when I’m juggling multiple balls in the air. (#crazylady) But for whatever reason, I’m in a season of rest, of just trying to keep my head above water. I’m fighting for my physical and mental health. I’m in a season of quiet. It’s not my favorite, but I know it’s necessary.

2 // MAGNESIUM IS AMAZING.
Magnesium was recommended to me to help with my hormonal issues, so I bought this stuff. My new evening routine is a teaspoon of magnesium with a Nuun tablet (which helps with hydration and electrolytes), mixed in cold water. I can feel a huge difference already! I’m less agitated, my heart races less and it’s made PMS symptoms almost non-existent. Incredible.

3 // PICKING OUT CHRISTMAS PHOTO CARDS IS FUN.
It’s that time of year again! I had so much fun choosing photo cards for my Basic Invite post and I’m anxious to pin one down once we get our family photos back from the photographer.

4 // BIRTHING SIX BABIES HAS GIVEN ME WEAK HIPS.
As I have improved in my running and picked up speed, I’ve also noticed an occasional ache in my groin/thigh/bum muscles. After a little research, I believe the issue stems from my hips, which is crazy because who gets a runner’s injury in their hips?! Apparently this gal. I need to be better about adding specific exercises to my routine every week.

5 // IT’S FUN TO DREAM, BUT LIFE HAS A WAY OF BRINGING YOU BACK TO REALITY.
I’ve been in homemaking mode around here, dreaming about decor and improvement projects, making mood boards and wishlists. And then reality sets in – we had our septic tank serviced ($$$), we got a quote for the generator repair ($$$) and we have some dental work ($$$). Throw in six birthdays and Christmas and all those home decor dreams went up in flames, hah! Oh well.

6 // CHALK PAINT IS FOOLPROOF.
The little boys have my childhood headboards in their room, but they were looking pretty beat up. I bought this chalk paint and have been slowly working on them (I just have the sealing left to do!) all month. I’m hooked! The paint is so easy to apply, washes off with soap and water and doesn’t stink. If a coat looks streaky, you just add another layer. So easy!

7 // TWEEN BOYS EAT A LOT. AND IT’S ONLY GOING TO GET WORSE.
Enough said. I’m afraid for my grocery budget.