The Big White Farmhouse | intentional living, little by little

December 11, 2023

No.786: Last Week at the Farmhouse // Advent Abundance

I’ve been thinking a lot about the past year, what I’ve struggled with and where I’d like to improve in the future. I’ve already shared quite a bit about putting myself back together after falling into the hole of high cortisol/out-of-control stress. (I apologize to everyone who has had to read those depressing ramblings!) Needless to say, even though I am a mother who is spinning more plates than she feels ready or qualified to spin, my health demands a change. Not only in physical health, but also in perception. I have to become a better version of myself in mind, body and spirit.

So as I’ve brainstormed ways to achieve this in the new year, one word continually came to mind: abundance. Spoiler alert: I think this is my one little word for 2024 and I’m breaking it out early! I want to battle the overwhelm and disappointment of life with the idea of abundance. I already have so much! Even when things go sideways, finances are strained and the world is dark, I want to remember there is good where you seek it. I’m determined to start looking in every nook and cranny.

Around here, abundance looks like…

+ watching our town’s annual Christmas parade. I felt full to bursting seeing the streets lined with neighbors, all watching and cheering for people in our community. We’re a tiny town and everyone from the volunteer fire department to the high school band to Johnny’s Towing showed up to drive down Main Street. Such a great way to begin the season.

+ free cross stitch patterns created with leftover linen and thread. (The website is chock full of patterns that she created for free – what a blessing!) The plan is to turn them into ornaments.

+ used bookstore Christmas records for 99 cents each. The Nutcracker one is from the 70’s and its hippie vibe is so cool. Another interesting find was the 1984 Christmas choir music from a Croatian Catholic Church in Kansas. I’ve never heard traditional Croatian carols before!

+ wrapping gifts with last year’s clearance paper.

+ reading the same Advent devotional for the fourth time and still finding new nuggets of wisdom throughout.

+ the most generous donation and comment on my Ko-fi site that made me tear right up. (Thank you, Natalie! I appreciate you more than you know!)

+ making dinner using random leftovers that miraculously came together for a chicken pot pie.

+ finishing my first four week exercise program. I don’t have much to show for it – no huge gains or weight loss – but I didn’t give up! That means something and I’m going to keep going.

December 7, 2023

No.785: Five Good Things // Vol.20

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1 // A NEW ADDITION TO MY WALLS (FINALLY!)

On Black Friday 2022, I purchased a beautiful art print from Maris Home called “Meadow.” And for the past year, it has been tucked underneath my dining room sidebar! In my mind, I wanted a vintage, warm wood frame…but alas, I never found the perfect one. Last week, I decided I was being ridiculous and picked up a relatively inexpensive frame from Target. Project done!

2 // A FUN CRAFTY PROJECT USING JUNK MAIL

I loved this tutorial showing how to create Christmas house pockets from junk mail! So creative. I think I’m going to try to make one with my daughter.

3 // THIS QUOTE FROM MY ADVENT DEVOTIONAL

Instead of…self-pity, there is gratitude: to be so grateful that God thought of creating me; that God thought me worth redeeming; that God actually called me to this very rare vocation. Gratitude and self-pity are utterly incompatible. They will not be roommates. They will not abide at the same time in one heart. – Come, Lord Jesus: Meditations on the Art of Waiting, p.42-43

4 // A COOL LOOK AT HOW “I SPY” BOOKS ARE MADE

We love these “I Spy” books at our house (we have I Spy Christmas and Can You See What I See? Toyland Express) and this video was so interesting!

5 // A CLEANING PRODUCT I LOVE

Have you ever used Bar Keepers Friend? I’m way late to the party, but this stuff is amazing! We have hard water and it creates discoloration/stains in our sinks over time. I’ve never found a product that works well enough…until now. So great.

December 4, 2023

No.784: Homemaking Notes on a Monday // Vol.49

This post contains affiliate links, which means I may receive a commission of any sale made at no extra cost to you.

The weather outside is //

As I look outside my window // We’ve had a ton of rain lately. There’s nothing more uncomfortable than doing morning chores in the cold, pouring rain but I’m also so very grateful. We had a pretty significant drought this summer and our pastures were bone dry. So this rain is good! It’s even better when we can stay warm and dry inside by the fire. 🙂

As I look around the house // it’s beginning to look a teeny bit like Advent! We decorate slowly throughout December and I love how that simple action increases the Christmas anticipation. So far, we’ve put up the Nativity scene, window candles and a few twinkle lights. The tree will go up as soon as we can figure out how to keep Samson away from it! (He has a tendency to mark his territory on trees…ahem.)

Excited about // some fun surprises up my sleeve for Advent School this year. I bought this perler bead gingerbread house kit, this Countdown to Christmas advent activity book, and this Christmas watercolor book. We’ll also be checking out the Advent videos on Formed.

Pondering // this little paragraph from Come, Lord Jesus (this is my fourth year reading this book for Advent, I think?):

I love to recall the word of the poet Sister Madeleva that I find ineffably dear: “In Advent I always feel that I should walk on tiptoe.” Indeed, in the wonder of Advent, we should spiritually walk on tiptoe, full of expectancy, full of wonder.” (p.22)

Working // on so many creative projects and it feels so good. I’ve started on my “December Daily” junk journal. After more than a year (!!), I also pulled out my quilt and my cross-stitch sampler again and have been stitching on both. (I had not made much progress since I shared them back in this post.) In other crafty news, I fell down a new Youtube rabbit hole. Did you know there is such a thing as Flosstube? What “booktube” is for readers, “flosstube” is for cross-stitchers! They are arguably the most wholesome, lovely group of women on the Internet. Their videos are like a grown-up show and tell…I love it.

On this week’s to-do list //
– dry orange slices for decorations
– mail gifts for faraway relatives
– wrap a few presents
– work on Christmas cards
– celebrate St. Nicholas Day and the Feast of the Immaculate Conception

Currently reading //

Fiction: Light Changes Everything by Nancy E. Turner
Nonfiction: Cobalt Red: How the Blood of the Congo Powers Our Lives by Siddharth Kara and The Ditchdigger’s Daughters by Yvonne S. Thornton, MD
Religious: Come, Lord Jesus: Meditations on the Art of Waiting by Mother Mary Francis, PCC and The Practice of the Presence of God by Bro. Lawrence

On the menu this week //

Monday: hearty slowcooker beef stew
Tuesday: chicken pot pie
Wednesday: pasta with homemade bolognese sauce
Thursday: Refrigerator Clean Out Night
Friday: bean and cheese tostadas

November 30, 2023

No.783: What I Read in November 2023

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#81. THE HOLLOW by Agatha Christie // ★★★☆☆
(amazon // bookshop // better world books)

First line: “At six thirteen a.m. on a Friday morning Lucy Angkatell’s big blue eyes opened upon another day and, as always, she was at once wide awake and began immediately to deal with the problems conjured up by her incredibly active mind.”

Possibly my least favorite Agatha Christie so far? Hercule Poirot was in the story very little and the cast of characters was quite unlikable. I’m not sure how to describe it, but…it was just kind of weird. 2.5 stars, rounded up.

#82. THE REPORTER WHO KNEW TOO MUCH: THE MYSTERIOUS DEATH OF WHAT’S MY NAME TV STAR AND MEDIA ICON DOROTHY KILGALLEN by Mark Shaw // ★★★☆☆
(amazon // bookshop)

First line: “Any re-investigation of Dorothy Kilgallen’s death begins where a crack detective would start – with a background check of the deceased.”

I heard about this one when the author was interviewed on a podcast…and you know me! I’ll read just about anything! The book is about Dorothy Kigallen, most well known for her tough reporting as well as her time on the TV show, What’s My Line? Shaw believes that she was on a mission to discover what really happened with the JFK assassination and that eventually got her killed. I found his hypothesis and defense very interesting, but the typos and redundancy of the information made the reading experience less enjoyable. (I also read this for my Reading the Alphabet Challenge.)

#83. THE TRAITOR by Ava Glass // ★★★☆☆
(amazon // bookshop)

First line: “He was exhausted.”

I really enjoyed the first book in this series, Alias Emma, so I couldn’t wait to dive into this one. Emma Makepeace, a spy focusing on Russian infiltration in Britain, goes undercover as a yacht stewardess. Her mission is to figure out why a low-level MI6 “number-cruncher” agent was killed with a chemical weapon and that leads her into the shadowy world of Russian oligarchs. The story was quick moving, but not as engaging as book one. I guessed the traitor early on, so I wasn’t surprised by the reveal at the end. Solid three stars. (And thank you to Netgalley for the opportunity to read this book! The Traitor was published in September 2023!)

#84. CATCH ME IF YOU CAN by Frank W. Abagnale // ★★★☆☆
(amazon // bookshop // better world books)

First line: “A man’s alter ego is nothing more than his favorite image of himself.”

Well, this was a wild ride! I can’t believe that Frank Abagnale was able to deceive so many people for so long. So many gigantic lies about everything from college degrees to career experience. I think I should watch the movie next.

#85. THE APPEAL by Janice Hallett // ★★★★☆
(amazon // bookshop // better world books)

First line: “Sandra, please deliver to Femi and Charlotte.”

I really enjoyed this one! It’s a British epistolary murder mystery told through texts and emails. I was invested and finished the 400+ page book in days.

#86. THE CATHOLIC MASS: STEPS TO RESTORE THE CENTRALITY OF GOD IN THE LITURGY by Bishop Athanasius Schneider //★★★★★
(amazon // bookshop)

First line: “The Mass is prayer.”

Such an excellent book. What a gift we have in the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass.

MY UNREAD SHELF PROJECT

Unread Books as of January 1, 2023: 207
Books Finished in November: 6
Finished Books Donated/Sold in November: 1
Books Added: +4
Unread Books Remaining: 203