The Big White Farmhouse

A collection of our ordinary days, recorded every week.

Around here, I have been:


experiencing Braxton Hicks for the first time ever, which is catching me off guard! Typically only around dinner time and once or twice a day, but definitely crampy enough to make me stop and notice.  Six weeks to go – the end is near!    


getting started on Christmas shopping.  We’ve decided to make things SUPER easy for us this year.  We typically only do three presents and stockings for each child, but this year, we’re doing two individual gifts each and then a gift for all of the kids collectively (and simple stockings too, of course).  The idea of shopping after giving birth really stresses me out, so I’m hoping to get most of it accomplished in the next few weeks.  And the extended family may all be getting IOUs!  Apologies ahead of time, family.

laughing at Sophie and her 4-year-old shenanigans. Almost every morning, she brings a lunchbox and flower girl basket full of random stuff to drop off the boys at school.  She’s suddenly really into makeup and has been “painting” her nails with pink crayons.  She’s declared M to be her favorite brother because “he is just so nice to me and he keeps me safe.”  Three words she says incorrectly and I don’t want to forget: “brabo” (bravo), “pla-nano” (piano) and “syr-ee-up” (syrup). 


watching The Chase, a game show we found on Netflix.  Mark and I try to keep up with the trivia until our heads start spinning, hah.


collecting non-perishables for the St. Lucy Project at church.  I’m so grateful for projects like these because they are so easy and family-friendly.  We talk a lot to the kids about taking care of our friends who may be going through a hard time and it’s so beautiful to hear their innocent reactions.  It typically starts with a sad “I can’t believe that…” which quickly turns to “Well, we have more than enough!  Let’s give them this and this and this…”  The kids each picked a few things to include in our bag (which I ordered on Jet, along with our other groceries) and they are so excited to lug it back to church next week.

finding a few postpartum items on ThredUp (as part of 100 Little Things #85).  I also picked up these dishcloths and love them.  They reminded me so much of the one’s my Gram used to make and I know they’ll get tons of use.  (I was also tempted by Theresa’s storage baskets and doughnuts for Sophie’s kitchen…be sure to check out all she offers!)  


(finally) figuring out the dresser dilemma!  Poor Mark…he’s heard me talk about this dresser for months now!  In the end, after months of thrift store browsing, Craigslist and FB group searching and coming up empty, we decided to go in a totally different direction.  The three big boys had been sharing (and quickly outgrowing) one dresser, so we took that for TJ and the new baby and are creating a closet system for the boys’ room instead.  Surprisingly, in the end, it was actually cheaper too.


reading My Grandmother Asked Me to Tell You She’s Sorry.

mailing gratitude postcards to our Big White Farmhouse 2016 customers.  With a million different stores to choose from, we are just so thankful for everyone who supports ours and we really wanted to tell our customers how much we appreciate their role in making 2016 our best year in business yet!  

listening to the boys share about their fun-filled days at school.  D had a field trip and is working on a pumpkin book report project (Batman, of course).  J had a community helper parade and chose to be a firefighter.  M is in a classroom book club and is reading a book where he found a cuss word.  He was shocked and definitely not expecting that in a fourth grade novel (“and recommended by a teacher even, Mom!” he said, hahaha), but it was a good opportunity to chat about not-so-nice words that we probably should avoid saying.  Life lessons.


baking Oatmeal Toffee Cookies (minus the coconut).  They looked pretty terrible (like flat hockey pucks), but were still delicious.  I also brought out the bread machine again and timed it for an “as fresh from the oven as it’s going to get” after-school snack.    

A collection of our ordinary days, recorded every week.

identifying with these words from Elizabeth Foss that describe me to a T: “This journey to silence the voice has been an arduous uphill climb. Through the perfect storm of nature and nurture, perfectionism and self-recrimination are hardwired into my psyche. I’ve been one to try too hard, move too fast, produce too much and reach too high for as long as I can remember. All my life, I have lived with the exhaustion and utter despair of never measuring up to my own perfectionistic standards.”  The past few weeks have been difficult because I feel like I physically can’t keep up with my brain!  There are so many things I want to accomplish, but the exhaustion is unreal.  I’ll wake up in the morning ready to take on the world, but will have to lay down a bit on the couch by 11am.  I’ve been trying to be okay with a little more clutter than usual, a little more television watching than usual and a lot less checked off my to-do list.  To everything there is a season and this is the season to start slowing down, no guilt allowed.  God always uses pregnancy to work on my heart…how quickly I forget every time.