The Big White Farmhouse

intentional living, little by little

{learn goals} Some Goals for November



Things to Look Forward To
– birthday celebrations for M and J
– consistently chilly days (hopefully no more days in the 80s!)
– getting closer and closer to this baby’s birth
– spending Thanksgiving with the entire family
– dropping off the donations from our Pajama Drive

Things to Work On
– Christmas shopping
– choosing outfits to leave the hospital in, both for me and the baby
– creating a warm, cozy space for the boys to come home to after school
– supporting mamas in my path who may need a little extra love and encouragement

Things to Think About
– wardrobe needs for that frustrating postpartum period
– ways to combat triggers that would exacerbate postpartum despression
– a pie to make for Thanksgiving dinner
– exciting, but realistic business goals for 2017


{via}

{around here} Week 44/52: Week of 10.31.16

A collection of our ordinary days, recorded every week.



Around here, I have been:


receiving nerve-wracking news at my latest OB appointment.  My blood pressure is still pretty high (apparently, I have been consistantly on the high side of normal the entire time) and this reading was even a teeny bit higher than my “normal”.  The doctor said that it’s enough to raise eyebrows and would consider the trend a higher risk, but not to worry too much for now.  (This kid and his trust lessons….)  I’ll be back in a week to check again and am seeing my favorite OB of the bunch, so that’s encouraging.  We’ll see what happens.  Good news of the appointment: baby boy is head down, measuring on target, and his heartbeat is perfect.


celebrating Halloween!  This year, we had Batman, Batgirl, a mini Batman (who last minute, refused to wear his costume and instead insisted on his skeleton pajamas), the Flash, and a Marine.  We’re pretty low-key around here and only do one medium-sized neighborhood loop, but the kids love it anyway.  Just enough candy to feel like kings and gone quickly enough that mama’s not always tempted by it.  Oh sugar, I just can’t quit you…  


loving the boys’ new closet system.  There is SO much storage space!  So far, I’ve transferred all of their clothing in and now I’m thinking about toys (specifically: Lego), out-of-season clothing and miscellaneous “stuff” of theirs that’s been scattered around the house.  


finishing My Grandmother Asked Me to Tell You She’s Sorry for book club and starting The Book of Speculation.


making my way through my “Baby Countdown To-Do List” and while it’s still not complete yet, I feel like it’s finally okay for the baby to arrive, hah!  
+ I washed all of the newborn-sized baby clothes (SO teeny!!) and organized the dresser.  
+ Also, finally bit the bullet and invested in some better quality nursing bras and a Bellefit postpartum girdle.  Both were pricey purchases, so fingers crossed they’re as awesome as everyone claims.  
+ I used some of my Kidbucks to snag Christmas Eve outfits for baby P and TJ on Kidizen (have I mentioned how much I love that app?!) – now to find something for the three big boys.


preparing for Big White Farmhouse‘s Early Bird Free Shipping event tomorrow.  (If you haven’t checked out my post from yesterday, be sure to click over for the coupon code.  My blog readers get a head start!)  Andrea and I are big fans of shopping before the rush and we wanted to encourage our customers to do the same.  And who doesn’t appreciate avoiding the dreaded shipping costs? 🙂

this week’s menu:
t: Chick-Fil-A after All Saints Day Mass
w: french onion meatballs with mashed potatoes
th: Mark’s famous chicken fingers and fries
f: homemade pizza 


P.S. Last call for donations for our Pajama Drive, with all pajamas being given to Northern Virginia Family Services!  I just received an email from the Pajama Program that included a letter from a similar organization and this part really touched my heart: “There is something about new pajamas, a sense of comfort and the joy of wearing something new. For a lot of these children, bedtime might have meant listening to a fight between their parents, maybe even having to leave in the middle of the night, maybe leaving their home with nothing but the clothes on their back. This program brings more than just pajamas; it brings comfort and safety.”  Wow. 
Our current total is 17 pairs of pajamas, but we have way more PJs for boys than girls – will you help us even out the numbers?  Find our Amazon wishlist here. 
——————–

This post contains affiliate links – thank you for reading and supporting this blog!

{BWF} Early Bird Shopping (and Free Shipping!) with Big White Farmhouse

Typically, I’m a supporter of trying my best to enjoy the season I’m in.  For the past year, I’ve tried to not look too far into the future and not wish away time.  BUT!  That mentality falls to the wayside when it comes to Christmas shopping.  Working through my list in October and November allows me to choose quality gifts on a relaxed time frame.  And then when Advent comes around, I can spend my time watching our favorite movies, driving around looking at the neighborhood lights and maybe attempting a craft or two.  The weight and stress of finding “the perfect gift” is gone.  


We are heading into the most exciting time of the year, especially for retail shops like Big White Farmhouse!  Today I wanted to share a handful of our favorite products and a few gift ideas too.  Maybe they’ll be a good fit for someone on your list!  And P.S. Look for a coupon code at the end!


We’ve been slowly adding products to our Children’s Room section and have lots of new options for babies and preschoolers, including our popular wooden rattles and vehicles.  Our eco-dough also makes a great stocking stuffer and is easy to separate for multiple children!  

Kitchen Tool Kit Letterpress Notebook // This book is as gorgeous as it is functional.  A great idea for someone who likes to experiment in the kitchen or enjoys recipes found on Pinterest.  (Fun idea: write out one or two of your favorite recipes on the first pages to get your recipient started.)
Festive Forks // Four different designs to choose from!  My personal favorite is “Pie Time” and I think it would be so cute to tie two to the top of a homemade (or bakery made, no judgement here) pie.
Gather Around the Table Tea Towel & Wooden Spoon Set // Makes an easy hostess gift and I love the sentiment.
Fresh Lemon Soap // I love how fresh this smells.  Perfect for the kitchen.
Meal Planner and DIY Recipe Book Duo // Someone commented on Instagram that this notebook set would be a great gift for a newlywed or bride-to-be and I can’t agree more.  
Grow Tea Towel // Love that silver pop of the watering can!
Wooden Doily Coasters // These are so unique and interesting.  Would be fun paired with a mug and your favorite coffee or tea.
To Market Burlap Tote // A great idea for your friend who loves the farmer’s market.  (Also handy at the library too!)
Our Garden section is perfect for that person on your list with the green thumb.  Our garden markers are always best sellers and make such easy gifts: stick into a potted plant and you’re done!  We also love the herb magnets and tea seed paper & garden marker kits (we have chamomile and lemon mint).
I like to give bath products as gifts because they can be both beautiful and useful.  And bonus!  They typically won’t add additional clutter to your recipient too!  Our collection of soaps smell amazing (every single one, I promise!) and would make a thoughtful gift placed in the hand-dyed rope bowl.  The lip balms are fun stocking stuffers for tweens/teens and that beer soap sampler?  Perfect for guys!
And last but not least…a few special things especially for the season:
Vintage-Inspired Cards // Perfect for penpals and those friends and family members that require a more personal note. 
Gift Tags // We’ve got everything from the always handy parcel tags (in seven colors!) to the fun Christmas-inspired.
Pewter Ornaments // These make beautiful heirloom-worthy gifts.  The elephant or mouse could celebrate a new birth, the two birds in a tree would be perfect for newlyweds!
Reindeer Tea Towels // Adds a fun pop to your kitchen!  Also adorable as a hostess gift.
Christmas-Themed Garden Markers // Made from vintage silverware, these are so cute and are probably the easiest gift in our entire store!  Pop into a poinsettia or other small potted plant and give.  Perfect for teachers, grandmas and neighbors.



——————————-



Ready to get a head start on your Christmas shopping too?  You have been so supportive of our little shop through the years and we want to show our thanks by giving you first dibs on our Free Shipping event!  The rest of our BWF family will get the notice on Saturday, but you can get a two day jump with the coupon code EARLYBIRD.  We’d love to help you cross some gifts off your list this year.

{100 little things} October Review: Blog Post Comments, Marketing Techniques & Homemade Apple Pie

October was a weird month for me.  I had the best of intentions, but no energy for follow-through!  I had a good laugh when I looked at what I had accomplished – with the exception of the pie, everything was done sitting down, hah!  Oh man…I’m definitely just limping along at this point.  On to November, where I’ll hopefully get a little crazy nesting fever back.  Current totals: 9 completed and 9 partial finishes.



#25. Find a dresser to refurbish for the new baby.
After months and months of unsuccessful searching, and unable to pull the trigger on a $400 particleboard version, we decided to go in a totally different direction!  We gave the three big boys’ shared (and quickly outgrowing) dresser to the little boys and made a closet system for the boys’ room instead.  It turned out awesome, creates way more space than two dressers would, and it was actually cheaper to boot.  I would like to repaint the little boys’ dresser eventually, but at this point, I’m just happy to have the storage and cross this project off the list!
#65. Try a new marketing technique for Big White Farmhouse.
I participated in a free seminar from Brilliant Business Moms about Facebook Ads and was excited to try them out.  We tried the Carousel Ad, which shows a few different pictures with a link to our website at the end.  I still have a lot of testing to do, but I think it might be a worthwhile investment for us in the future.  

#1. Read 35 books. (3/35 completed)
After a significant reading drought, I was proud of my two finishes this month: The Gap of Time and Father Elijah.  (Book report here.)

#5. Leave a positive, thoughtful comment on 50 blog posts. (31/50 completed)
One of my small, seemingly insignificant ways to spread a little light in the world.  I appreciate blog comments so much and was unhappy at how passive I had become as a reader.  This was just the kick in the pants I needed!  Below are a handful of the blogs I’ve read and commented on this month:

#42. Make 10 different pies. (2/10 completed)
What’s more perfect for fall than apple pie?  I blindly picked a simple recipe on Pinterest and it was pretty good.  I do think the crust was maybe too flaky (if that’s possible) but still delicious with ice cream and whipped cream.


#52. Watch 15 documentaries. (5/15 completed)
Every Second Counts: The Story of the 2008 CrossFit Games: Really slow moving.  I’d definitely recommend Fittest on Earth instead. CrossFit has come a LONG way since 2008.


#68. Grow Big White Farmhouse’s Instagram followers to 400+.
I had a major (pride) hit this month – for whatever reason, our account has gained and lost about 15-20 followers.  Since our following isn’t exactly huge to begin with, that’s been a little hard to swallow.  None of these accounts were close to being our “ideal” customer and I suspected many of them only followed to be followed back anyway, but still.  With so many other things going on, I definitely haven’t put much time into Instagram and the numbers show.  Still haven’t hit the goal, but we’re a teeny bit closer: we went from 356 to 370 followers.


#83.  Complete an embroidery project.
Remember that cross-stitch project with Disney princesses that I worked on last summer?  With just three princesses left before completion, I put it away and hadn’t touched it since!  On a whim, I grabbed it from my closet and am determined to finish before the baby arrives.  Sophie is thrilled! 

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