The Big White Farmhouse | intentional living, little by little

November 6, 2017

No.49: Intentions for the Beginning of November

A new month, a new habit! I’m reflecting on this quote from Melody Beattie this month: “Gratitude turns what we have into enough, and more. It turns denial into acceptance, chaos into order, confusion into clarity…it makes sense of our past, brings peace for today, and creates a vision for tomorrow.”

INTENTIONS FOR THE BEGINNING OF NOVEMBER:

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Habit of the Month: Thanksgiving
begin sharing our daily gratitude as a family at dinner
finally complete the summer/winter clothes switch for the kids
put flannel sheets on all of the beds
finish purchasing gifts for M’s birthday and wrap
start making a list for Christmas
begin wrapping picture books for Advent
finish reading Anne of Avonlea
get back into my Jackson Pollock book and read two chapters
buy a new candle
bake a cake (100LT #90)
get in all my training runs for the Turkey Trot 10K (less than two weeks to go!)

PREVIOUS INTENTIONS:

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If you’re reading on your phone or in a reader, click through to see what I crossed off the list!

~~buy stamps~~
buy or borrow a weed-wacker (it wasn’t in the budget this time, but hopefully soon)
~~pick pumpkins~~ (we were super lame and got them at Walmart, but whatever works, right?)
~~start jotting down ideas for Term Two~~
~~bake a new quick bread (100LT #6)~~ (we made easy pumpkin bread for teatime)
~~make a list of Christmas picture books to look for~~
make a homemade muffin or brownie mix for J to bake independently (I found this recipe and just need to buy the cocoa powder)
finish Dorothy Day’s The Long Loneliness (100LT #82) (still chugging along on this one)
order new foundation and blush (I’m stuck between buying old faithful or trying something new!)
clean my makeup brushes (100LT #44)
learn a new card game (100LT #33)
~~send hair off to Pantene Beautiful Lengths~~
~~start training plan for November 10K and “complete what you came to do” (my running motto)~~
start four weeks of No Sugar (MAJOR fail – I’ve instead decided to focus on quality vs. quantity. Baby steps?)

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What about you? What’s on your to-do list for the next few weeks?

November 3, 2017

No.48: Our Farmhouse Schoolhouse in Photos (Week 11)

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What a whirlwind of a week! The highlights include a fun Halloween celebration, All Saints Day mass and coming thisclose to hitting a deer on the way home (talk about adrenaline!), and meeting a friend’s brand new baby girl. My house is looking a little rough and the laundry pile is high, but some weeks are like that, right?

Notes and highlights:

HALLOWEEN SCHOOL

+ Halloween is never a huge deal around our house, but we do have certain years where we go big and other years where it’s a little lean. Financially, we’re on the lean side this year and couldn’t swing decking out five kids with new costumes at the store. So instead, Mark suggested that we all come up with costumes that we can make from the dress-up box or around the house. The kids were all about it! To make the day extra special, we decided that instead of trick-or-treating (since we’re in the middle of nowhere with miles between houses), we would have “Halloween School” and a big family party.

+ We had ghost pancakes for breakfast, already dressed in our costumes. We played a couple of fun games I found through Pinterest: a Roll a Pumpkin game and one that had you drawing with your eyes closed. (We only had one kid crying, so I call that a success, hah.) We also made a pumpkin pinata and lots of spooky crafts to decorate our dining room. After a dinner of chili and cornbread, we knocked down the pinata and had a blindfolded candy taste test. It was a full day, but so so good.

HISTORY

+ The little kids started Pocahontas this week. I’m embarrassed to say that I remember very little about her (and most of it probably comes from the Disney movie) so it’s been fun for me to learn along with them.

+ M is finishing up his Civil War unit with a small study on slavery and the Underground Railroad. I feel like we only hit the tip of the iceberg, but it was a strong start. He read Dear Austin: Letters from the Underground Railroad, Barefoot: Escape on the Underground Railroad and Sweet Clara and the Freedom Quilt.

Current 1000 Books Project Total: 59/1000
Poetry Teatime Treat: Candy Bar Cookie Bars

MOTHER CULTURE & SELF-CARE

+ Health: Running and a new kettlebell workout I tried for the first time – I was sore everywhere for days!
+ Reading: not much…I’m in a reading funk!
+ Fun: Instead of reading, I’m spending any free time watching super old episodes of The Amazing Race. So random, but fun to watch a show that I remember from high school. There are 20-something seasons on Amazon Prime!

November 2, 2017

No.47: New Habits, Little by Little – Cooking at Home (October 2017)

Eighteen weeks of meals! This month, like all the rest, tells a story: cooler temperatures, birthday celebrations, and a renewed enthusiasm for the kitchen. Is it possible to be a cold-weather cook? During the summer, I hate to be in the kitchen, but once that cool air hits? I’m all about those chilis and soups and stews! I’m not sure what they says about me, but I’m going to ride this train as long as I can, hah.

Week 14 (cont.):
Sunday, October 1: stew meat, mashed potatoes, mushroom gravy and salad
Monday, October 2: Oktoberfest sheet pan brats and roasted vegetables (we doubled this recipe and also added a pork tenderloin, #bigfamilyproblems)
Tuesday, October 3: bean and cheese burritos
Wednesday, October 4: white chicken chili and homemade bread in the machine
Thursday, October 5: leftovers
Friday, October 6: frozen pizza for the kids, Home Chef for date night (Tex-Mex ribeye cheesesteak with caramelized onion and oven fries)

Week 15:
Saturday, October 7: slow cooker beef stew
Sunday, October 8: one-pan cheesy chicken, broccoli and rice
Monday, October 9: leftovers
Tuesday, October 10: mexican casserole
Wednesday, October 11: My birthday! After a day of delicious meals and treats, we just ate leftovers for dinner
Thursday, October 12: skillet lasagna (thanks for the recipe, KD!)
Friday, October 13: personal mini pizzas using pocketless pitas

Week 16:
Saturday, October 14: pasta and kielbasa skillet
Sunday, October 15: D’s birthday! pizza at my parents house
Monday, October 16: french onion meatball sandwiches
Tuesday, October 17: tacos
Wednesday, October 18: chicken breasts with Asian salad
Thursday, October 19: roasted chicken thighs and rice
Friday, October 20: popcorn and smoothies for the kids, Home Chef for date night (spinach and artichoke chicken with roasted broccoli and radishes)

Week 17:
Saturday, October 21: steak on the grill, salad and homemade French fries
Sunday, October 22: leftovers
Monday, October 23: frozen pizzas
Tuesday, October 24: tacos
Wednesday, October 25: Refrigerator Clean-Out Night
Thursday, October 26: roasted chicken thighs, salad and Sudanese flatbread
Friday, October 27: popcorn and smoothies for the kids, Home Chef for date night (acapulco steak tacos with pico and queso fresco)

Week 18:
Saturday, October 28: pulled pork tostadas
Sunday, October 29: one pot chicken and spinach pasta
Monday, October 30: slow cooker chunky beef and potato stew
Tuesday, October 31: Halloween! taco spice chili and homemade cornbread

October 30, 2017

No.46: Five October Favorites

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1. LECTIO DIVINA & WRITING DOWN THE SCRIPTURES
Even though this type of praying with the Scriptures is an ancient practice, I am just discovering it! This is one of the (many!) beautiful things about Catholicism – the faith is so rich and there is always something new to learn or discover. Fr. Josh’s explanation on Youtube was simple and inspiring. As a beginner, I wanted a bit of direction (vs. just randomly opening the Bible to random passages) so I’m using this kindness scripture plan. I write out the verse in my notebook and then follow the lectio divina steps. I’m really enjoying it!

2. SPICY PICO OVER GUACAMOLE DIP
This dip was totally an impulse buy at the grocery store. I can only eat a teeny part of the pico and a lot of guacamole at one time, but it’s SO good. Mark, the two biggest boys and I finished an entire container in one sitting!

3. “A SMALL MIRACLE” FROM KALLAH
Like most people, we’re feeling some financial strain in our house right now. Nothing drastic, but enough that I was starting to feel anxious and overwhelmed. And then I stumbled on Kallah’s post, “A small miracle” and it was like God was talking through her right to me. This part has stayed with me in the weeks since: “That’s the whole point of tithing, I think. It’s to give the Lord a chance to remind us that He is the one who gives and takes away; that everything we have is His anyway. It’s acknowledging that we do not control the outcomes of our lives no matter how great we are at planning for the future. It’s thanking Him for providing and an act of trust that He won’t stop.”

4. A FREE PHOTOGRAPHY PHOTO COURSE
I just signed up for a free Snackable Photo Course (delivered to your inbox) from Shlutz Photo School. I’m only a few “Snacks” through, but I’m really enjoying them. Someday I really want to invest in learning how to shoot in manual, but these tips are helpful for now.

5. NEW SWEATERS
My mom surprised me with a little birthday shopping spree – best surprise ever! I got this sweater in two different colors (heather and taupe) and they are so warm and comfy. And with Virginia finally realizing it’s fall, I’ve finally gotten to wear them too!

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