• Home
  • Making a Home
    • Farmhouse Diaries
    • Homemaking Notes
    • Frugal Accomplishments
    • In the Kitchen
    • Decluttering
  • The Farm
  • Goals
  • Books
    • The 20th Century in Literature Challenge
    • Reading the Alphabet Challenge
    • WILLA Literary Award Winners Challenge
    • The 10 Year Reading Plan for the Great Books of the Western World
    • Daily Spiritual Reading Challenge
  • Projects
    • Summer I.H. Program
    • Five Good Things
    • The Wednesday Five
    • Extraordinary Ordinary
    • One Hundred Beautiful Things
    • Small Biz Showcase
    • Snail Mail

The Big White Farmhouse

intentional living, little by little

September 20, 2017

No.33: A Peek into my Commonplace Book vol.02

With all the busyness that September brings, I’m happy to say that I’m still writing in my commonplace book.  It definitely helps when you are working through such an inspiring book!  Have you heard of Fulton Sheen?  I admit, before reading Bonnie‘s story, my knowledge of him was minimal.  I finally got a copy of his autobiography and wow.  I’m learning so much.    


Current book: Treasure in Clay: The Autobiography of Fulton J. Sheen
Favorite quote so far (God never gives up on us!):
“The effort of restoring love succeeds even when’s God’s original plan is frustrated by the material with which He has to work: ‘Where sin did abound, grace does more abound.’  At the close of life, one can well see the potter’s intention to make a saint.  But God has not given up, so that if the vessel is not fit to hold the rose, it can at least settle for being a tin can for a geranium.  The Divine Potter can change the circumstances of the human clay, maybe adding a little suffering here and there.  If we refuse to be molded into the original shape meant for us, namely, holiness and perfect imitation of Christ, He molds us into useful pitchers from which He can pour out His Divine Grace.  God does not make anything with the purpose of destroying it.  There is no waste in life.”
— page 35 

September 18, 2017

No.32: Intentions for the End of September

Where in the world has this month gone?  The days seem to be flying by!  School is finally going smoothly and I’m hoping I can get the rest of my life in order soon.  (I’m looking at you, laundry!)  
  

INTENTIONS FOR THE END OF SEPTEMBER:

______________________________________________________________________________________________________________

  • Habit of the Month: KINDNESS
  • finish up letters/care package and mail
  • close out Big White Farmhouse bank account
  • make a plan for #write31days and jot down some notes/ideas
  • wrap Sophia’s birthday gifts
  • wrap baptism gift
  • go through P’s outgrown clothes to pass on 
  • donate my clothes that are too big
  • sell book on CM B/S/T Facebook page
  • schedule S & TJ well check appointments
  • send hair off to Pantene Beautiful Lengths (I chopped off 8+ inches last weekend!)
  • clean my makeup brushes (100LT #44)
  • find my Garmin running watch
  • show up to every run – 4 weeks to go (!!) before my October 10K
  • find Sophie’s princess cross-stitch
  • price out bricks for front garden bed project

PREVIOUS INTENTIONS:

______________________________________________________________________________________________________________

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

  • Habit of the Month: KINDNESS
  • mail three letters
  • send a little care package to my sister in college
  • invite someone to Sunday dinner
  • leave an actual comment on at least 1/3 of the blog posts I read (closer to 75%!)
  • finish Anne of Green Gables & start Anne of Avonlea
  • finish The Way
  • close out Big White Farmhouse bank account
  • finalize shutting down Big White Farmhouse’s website (so surreal)
  • decide on topic for #write31days in October
  • wrap TJ’s birthday gifts (he’s getting this and this!)
  • schedule S & TJ well check appointments
  • decide on paint color for house shutters
  • research how to re-do front flower beds
  • buy one piece of clothing for my fall capsule wardrobe (I bought this top – love)
  • clean my makeup brushes (100LT #44)
  • sign up for the Turkey Trot 10K in November (running with my dad and my siblings!)
  • find my Garmin running watch
  • keep up with homeschooling Instagram account (one photo every school day)
  • finish reading Mouse and the Motorcycle aloud to J and watch the movie together
  • pull out Sophie’s princess cross-stitch and do a few stitches
  • make a list of clothing needs for the entire family

______________________________________________________________________________________________________________

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

September 15, 2017

No.31: Our Farmhouse Schoolhouse in Photos (Week 04)

This post contains affiliate links. Thank you for supporting the BWF!

Since moving to this house, I tend to think of things in terms of “firsts” – the first summer, the first school year, etc.  This week, we added two more firsts to the list: my first illness (a head cold and sore throat) and the first time we saw a bear!  Mark and I were chatting while he was getting ready for work and I casually looked out the window only to see a BEAR on the porch.  My first reaction was, “Hmm, someone’s hairy black dog must have gotten loose.”  Oh no no.  We think it was a “yearling” (says two clueless people who have to Google these things because we’re fresh from suburbia) and he must have jumped up quickly on the porch before running off for the woods.  So crazy.


Notes and highlights:

HISTORY

+ The little boys weren’t ready to leave the Vikings yet, so we started reading Viking Adventure.  The chapters are short but engaging.  I love hearing them make connections from Leif the Lucky – it’s encouraging to know that they aren’t totally tuning me out as I read!  D (3rd grade) started working on the coordinating notebook work from Homeschool Share.  I was about to scrap it two days in, thinking it was a bit too much busywork for my liking, but he insisted that he wants to continue.

+ For M’s Civil War studies, he finished reading Iron Thunder (which he loved!) and started The Perilous Road.  He also learned about signal flags from Great Civil War Projects You Can Build Yourself and is making me study so he can send messages to me from their new playset, haha!  

K-3 SCIENCE: ZOOLOGY

+ We started Egyptian desert animals this week: camels and king cobras!  The Sassafras Science book is definitely story-driven and I like how it opens up an opportunity to dig deeper and learn more.  We’ve been poring over the DK Animal Encyclopedia, reading the facts and looking at the photographs.  That book is probably one of my best purchases so far.
Movie we watched with an Egyptian connection: Treasure Buddies on Netflix

RELIGION

+ M (5th grade) and I are completing the Learning with Fulton Sheen curriculum together.  We finished up the documentary, Archbishop Fulton Sheen: Servant of All (we rented and streamed it through Ignatius Press) and it was SO good.  I got goosebumps at least three times.  

AFRICAN STUDIES

+ We traveled further west to Liberia this week.  We read Head, Body, Legs: A Story from Liberia, made smoked ham and green bean jollof for dinner and plantain gingerbread upside down cake (we used bananas we had at home) for dessert.  So delicious.  It’s hard to say for sure, but our African studies just may be my favorite part of homeschooling.

MISCELLANEOUS

+ We worked on our states and capitals by playing Scrambled States of America.  It’s fast paced and fun…except when you have a houseful of crazy competitive players (ahem…my entire family).  There were a few tears, but we ended up relatively unscathed.  

Current 1000 Books Project Total: 31/1000
Poetry Teatime Treat: Chocolate Chip Scones

MOTHER CULTURE & SELF-CARE

+ Health: I had a strong run on Tuesday, but took the rest of the week off when I got sick.  Definitely feeling like it’s one step forward and two steps back at this point.
+ Reading: The Mysterious Benedict Society (at M’s recommendation) and Treasure in Clay.
+ Fun: Making plans to give the blog a little refresh!  I hope to get started on my to-do list next week.  After a lot of prayer (and a little prodding from friends!), I reopened my blog’s Facebook page.  Hopefully, I can spread a little happiness in an often negative space.  Let’s connect!

September 13, 2017

No.30: What We’re Reading in September

“You can never get a cup of tea large enough or a book long enough to suit me.” – C.S. Lewis

ASHLEY

  • Treasure in Clay: The Autobiography of Fulton J. Sheen
  • The Mysterious Benedict Society by Trenton Lee Stewart (at M’s recommendation)
  • How to Teach Your Children Shakespeare by Ken Ludwig
  • Jackson Pollock: An American Saga by Steven Naifeh and Gregory Smith

MARK

  • Hard Sayings: A Catholic Approach to Answering Bible Difficulties by Trent Horn

M (age 10)

  • Fantasy League by Mike Lupica

D (age 8)

  • The Grim Grotto (A Series of Unfortunate Events, Book 11) by Lemony Snicket
  • Viking Adventure by Clyde Robert Bulla

J (age 6)

  • Run, Bug, Run! by Marie Rippel and Renee LaTulippe (part of his All About Reading program)

SOPHIE (age 4)

  • Madeline Says Merci: The Always-Be-Polite Book by John Bemelmans Marciano
  • Head, Body, Legs: A Story from Liberia retold by Won-Ldy Paye & Margaret H. Lippert

TJ (age 2)

  • The Very Hungry Caterpillar by Eric Carle
  • ← Previous
  • 1
  • …
  • 225
  • 226
  • 227
  • 228
  • 229
  • …
  • 419
  • Next →
About Me
Welcome to the Big White Farmhouse!

The 10 Year Reading Plan for the Great Books of the Western World

Popular Posts

No.533: A List of Spring Frugal Accomplishments

No.193: New Habits, Little by Little: Cooking at Home (October 2018)

No.587: Homemaking Notes on a Monday // Vol.17

No.653: Homemaking Notes on a Monday // Vol.28

No.772: Homemaking Notes on a Monday // Vol.48

THE BIG WHITE FARMHOUSE IS A FOR-PROFIT BLOG AND POSTS MAY CONTAIN AFFILIATE LINKS. ALL CONTENT ON THIS BLOG BELONGS TO ME. PLEASE DO NOT USE MY POSTS OR PHOTOGRAPHS WITHOUT WRITTEN PERMISSION.

© THE BIG WHITE FARMHOUSE 2011-2025.

Amazon Disclosure Policy

The Big White Farmhouse is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to Amazon.com.

Archives

Copyright © 2025 The Big White Farmhouse · Theme by 17th Avenue