The Big White Farmhouse

intentional living, little by little

No.85: Intentions for the End of February

I had completely lost track of my days, so when Mark came home from work on Friday and announced that it was a three-day weekend, I cheered along with the kids!  We had snow falling most of Saturday and the kids were able to play in it Sunday morning before it all melted.  Lots of bread and pretzel rolls and brownies were made.  Lots of reading was done.  Lots of laughter (and only a little bickering) was heard.  Lots of potty-training was accomplished (finally – praise Jesus!!).  If you need me, I’ll be soaking up one more lazy day before reality begins again.    

INTENTIONS FOR THE END OF FEBRUARY

  • Habit of the Month: Patience
  • for Lent: workouts first thing every morning before touching my phone or computer
  • fill up on more green veggies
  • try overnight oatmeal
  • try kombucha (100LT #58) – a little scared about this one!
  • find one last item for February’s Five Favorites prize pack
  • finalize plans for Term Three of the school year
  • start brainstorming Easter baskets
  • make speech appointment 
  • make dentist appointments
  • make eye appointments for the big boys
  • unpack and display my newly inherited china from my grandmother (I need to make the time to do this!)
  • figure out what to do about first floor painting 
  • decide on new chairs for the living room
  • buy frames for living room gallery wall
  • learn how to make baguettes (100LT #50)
  • complete my winter cross-stitch before it’s no longer winter
  • bring donations to Goodwill

    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 something special to celebrate 100 Days of School! (we blew up mini balloons and made homemade funfetti donuts)
    • catch up on blog reading and leave thoughtful comments (I’m so behind – need to make the time this week)
    • wash my used to be white Nike Frees (they still aren’t totally white, that darn Virginia clay!  Maybe I should invest in a special stain stick?)
    • make more big salads for lunch (I did this about three times…)
    • find a bottle that will make it easier to drink more water (a covered cup with a straw is the game-changer!)
    • finish research and make speech appointment 
    • find a dentist in our new town
    • read two chapters in my Jackson Pollock book
    • paint the living room and hallway (what a fiasco!  Mark and I have halted further painting until we decided on a course of action)
    • bring donations to Goodwill
    • unpack and display my newly inherited china from my grandmother (still in the box)
    • buy frames for living room gallery wall
    • finish our taxes (SO glad that’s finished!)

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

    No.84: Our Farmhouse Schoolhouse in Photos (Week 23)

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    I’ve been largely off of social media this week and was so sad to hear of another school shooting.  I just finished reading about Columbine a few weeks ago and the timing seemed eerie and scary.  I don’t have any answers; the issue is so multi-faceted and there are many factors at play. But as a mother, I ask myself: How I can be an example to my children and what can I teach them?  I know I’ll be pondering this for days to come, but this is what I’ve come up with so far: 1) Look for the ones who are all alone, who seem a little different.  Don’t be afraid to say hello.  2) When talking to anyone, everyone from a friend to the cashier at the store to the homeless man on the street, look them in the eye and acknowledge their dignity and worth.  3) Be honest about mental health and supportive of the ones we know who struggle.  Like Mother Teresa said, “Not all of us can do great things. But we can do small things with great love.”  There’s where I hope to start.

    NOTES AND HIGHLIGHTS

    + Week two in our second Sassafras Science Anatomy book!  I wouldn’t use this as our sole source of science instruction, but the storyline is engaging and the kids love it.  I use it as the introduction to the different topics and then we dive in deeper.  The theme this week was the human skeleton and we learned the names of major bones, filling out this worksheet and putting together our new puzzle.

    + We started a new read aloud called The Land of Stories: The Wishing Spell.  I’ve wanted my boys to work on their handwriting and copywork, so this new beginning seemed like the perfect segue. To bring some excitement, I bought everyone a brand new notebook.  And each day this week, we’ve read one chapter, copied a paragraph (my first grader does a sentence) and drawn a picture – me included! It’s been a fun way to practice and they’ve each completed it without complaint – a huge win!

    + Sophie randomly asked if we could start doing a Show and Tell during school.  (I can only imagine she was influenced by Daniel Tiger or another such character.)  She pronounces it so adorably (“Shaun-tell”) so how can you say no?  This week, they shared their latest Lego creations.

    + Our Aftrican studies took us to the teeny country of Malawi.  We read Galimoto,  the story of a little boy who collected discarded pieces of wire to make a vehicle.  It was such an interesting look at how one man’s trash is another man’s treasure! I wish I had thought ahead and saved some of our recycling so we could try something similar.  Instead, we looked up images of real galimotos on Pinterest – amazing!  We also made sweet potato cookies (called Mbatata), which were delicious.  We made two batches and may make a third this weekend.

    + J is thiiiis close to finish All About Reading Level 1.  Just a few more lessons to go!  He has worked so hard…I think we need to do something to celebrate before jumping into Level 2.  


    Current 1000 Books Project Total: 109/1000


    MOTHER CULTURE & SELF-CARE

    + Health: My Lenten sacrifice is to work out first thing in the morning before I use my phone or open my computer.  I managed to fail on day two, but still finished my run in the afternoon, so that’s like half credit, right?  I found and charged up my Fitbit for extra motivation.
    + Reading: Currently reading Happier at Home for book club, An Everlasting Meal and The Sweetness at the Bottom of the Pie.
    + Spiritual: I started Scott Hahn’s Lenten Reflection book on Ash Wedneday.  Today’s chapter from The Imitation of Christ had this advice, which I’ve thought about (and prayed) all day: “Each day we ought to renew our resolves and rekindle the fires of our fervor as if it were the first day of our conversion.  And we should say: ‘O Lord God, help me to keep my good resolution to serve You; give me the grace to begin anew, for what I have done up to now is nothing.'” (Chapter 19, p.24)  It’s been a hard parenting week and I’ve needed grace upon grace upon grace.  Tomorrow’s a new day to start again.  
    + Fun: The week flew by and I can’t seem to think of what to put in the fun category!  I’ll need to work on that.

    No.83: Homesteading 101 // Make Your Daily Bread (Part Two!)

    I live in a farmhouse on five acres in the country.  It’s time for this suburban girl to learn a few things!  
    Welcome to my self-taught Homesteading 101.

    Update on Daily Bread Post #1: I’m getting better!  I try to bake something at least three times a week and I think the consistency is key.  Through lots of trail and error, I’m learning what a properly kneaded dough consistency looks like.  I’m better at handling ciabatta dough (the trick is flouring everything).  Best of all, I’m gaining confidence and my curiosity drives me to try more and more.  Bread has become a surprising aspect of self-care for me this winter.

    Below are four new recipes that I’ve added to the mix:

    • Dutch Oven Bread
      • My first try at learning about bread by sight and feel.  It’s fascinating to me that four simple ingredients can react together to make such a artful product.  
      • Consensus: SO good!  Just fluffy enough and the crust was delicious.  
    • Homemade Cinnamon Bread
      • I made this one with the kids.  I definitely need practice with tighter rolling, but they didn’t seem to mind. 
      • Consensus: Delicious.  Definitely a sweet bread and it made a nice afternoon snack.  I wish it had lasted longer to have toasted for breakfast!
    • Soft Pretzel Rolls
      • Thanks for the link, KD!  My first time boiling dough and scoring the tops.  I loved the whole process.  
      • Consensus: When Mark tried one, he declared that they were even better than Wegmans – HIGH praise since Wegmans is his favorite!  I’ve made them three times since and like them either dipped in cinnamon sugar or as a sandwich with lunchmeat and cheese.
    • French Bread
      • This recipe makes two huge loaves, which is great for my family.  I need to work on my pinching and sealing technique – one loaf ended up looking a little funky.
      • Consensus: A delicious dense loaf that went perfectly with our white chicken lasagna soup.  I think it would be a good pick for sandwiches too.
    Next up: I just got a new sourdough cookbook and am anxious to grow my own starter once it warms up a bit.  What else should I bake?  Share with me your favorites!  

    No.82: Around Here in February

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    WEARING //  When I’m at home, I’m in my L.L.Bean pullover or my Athleta sweatshirt all day erryday.  I try a little bit harder on the days I leave the house.
    READING //  All the books!  Mark and I (quite unintentionally) stopped watching TV at night and I’m able to get big chunks read before bed.  I’m currently at 11 finishes and am in various stages in Happier at Home, The Imitation of Christ, An Everlasting Meal and The Sweetness at the Bottom of the Pie.
    PAINTING //  My living room last weekend and it turned into a huge fiasco.  My entire first floor has textured walls and I had no idea how hard it would be to repaint them.  The two living room walls took TWO cans of paint and hours of work!  And to make it worse, they are still splotchy.  I’m so frustrated and will be inquiring prices from professional painters this week.
    HANGING //  My new master bedroom art!  I bought the art from Caitlyn Connolly and had it framed with Framebridge.  I highly recommend both!  I’m so in love with the result and am now committed to finding special pieces to add throughout the house.  (Obviously there’s nothing wrong with the big box stores, but I love the idea of directly supporting the artist.)
    PLANNING // for our third term in school.  It’s hard to believe we only have 14 weeks to go.  What a beautifully hard and yet wonderful year we’ve had so far.  I wasn’t sure that I wanted to go back to homeschooling, but we all are thriving! 
    BAKING // bread.  I’m obsessed and try to make something every other day.  I just got a new cookbook about sourdough and can’t wait to start.  I also made a blueberry pie.  
    FINISHING // our taxes. Woo!  This was a tricky year with home buying/selling and Big White Farmhouse small business stuff, but I enjoy the puzzle.
    HAVING // a “come to Jesus moment” as I stepped on the scale for the first time in awhile.  I’ve been in a funk since I hurt my hip in January.  Very little exercise and crazy hormones has me gaining more than I’d like…okay way more than I’d like.  So back to the drawing board I go.  More diet tweaks, more water, and finding an exercise routine that works with my crazy life. 
    ENJOYING // the break from freezing temperatures and the first small peeks of spring.  I can’t wait to see green again! 
    PREPARING // for Lent.  My plans are to workout first thing in the morning (something I’ve tried and failed at…mostly because I like my coffee and pajamas) and each day pray especially for a family member or friend.  I’ll also be reading a book from Scott Hahn.  Nothing extreme and actually pretty lame, but I hope it will be enough for a fruitful Lent.  Less of me and more of Him.

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