The Big White Farmhouse | intentional living, little by little

October 20, 2016

{#100daysproject} Finding Joy in my Extraordinary Ordinary: Days 37-54

Part three! Reaching the halfway point with the next 18 photos, from October 2-19:

I feel like I can see into the future as Sophia carefully put on makeup after watching me – so surreal | My two funny boys on their way to CCD | Stepped on Tick-Tock Croc and it made me see stars! I’m going to miss the random toys strewn around the house someday, right? | Convicting reflections in my devotional are hard to read, but so good for my soul | She’s been flying around the house on her scooter, singing at the top of her lungs. It’s awesome to be four | I miss watching M’s creativity in the kitchen. Finally convinced him to make something filling for breakfast and he created a masterpiece | TJ is J’s mini me and just thinks he’s the greatest. I love watching them together | Leftover homemade apple pie after a wonderful afternoon with my mom and sister | Almost 32 weeks!

Red roses, hot coffee and funny cards: little pieces of a perfect birthday | “Sit me, Joe Joe!” Looking at the latest Lego catalog together | Sweet girl has been having some fears about bedtime, so we made a temporary bed for her in our room. Found her asleep with her Mary doll and hands clasped in prayer | Our house and neighborhood aren’t perfect, but today I’m thankful for a warm, cozy place for my boys to come home to | The look of absolute joy and excitement on his face | Mark hung my birthday signs and I couldn’t love them more | Our post school drop-off routine: a snack and a movie (today was Tinker Bell) | Waiting in the school pickup line as she anxiously searches for her brothers: “I just can’t wait to see them, mama!” | Mark and I helped J create his special “J” vest for school. We kept glancing at each other with so much love and pride for this sweet boy. We rarely get to have one-on-one time with just him, so it was such a special treat

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PART ONE OF #100DAYSPROJECT
PART TWO OF #100DAYSPROJECT

October 18, 2016

{shop small} Vol.08: Pops of Orange

As the Creative Director for Big White Farmhouse, I am constantly searching for new products. Our company is passionate about supporting the “little guys”, the ones who are working tirelessly to create a life doing what they love. I love that entrepreneurial spirit and I hope you do too!

Since I can’t carry all of the cool products I find, I like to pop in every so often to share some of my discoveries with you! Volume 08 is inspired by neutral hues mixed with pops of bright orange, the perfect autumn combination! Enjoy.

Fall Campfire Mug by Darling Savage Designs

Apple Cider Pillow by Design Districtt

Three Little Hand Knit Pumpkins by Luna Cab Co

Felt Ball Garland by Mailbox Happiness

Fall Berry Wreath by Elegant Wreath

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And as a shameless plug, we have lots of unique things at Big White Farmhouse too!

October 17, 2016

{book club} The Inspired Readers Book Club: Book Sixteen

After taking a break from the book club the past few months (due to pregnancy and my overwhelming schedule), I’m hopping back in and you should too! The Inspired Readers Book Club has helped me read a range of genres, introducing me to books I’d never think to pull off the shelf. I also appreciate the accountability aspect of the book club; less mindless TV and more reading!

Shelly is leading this time and chose My Grandmother Asked Me To Tell You She’s Sorry by Fredrik Backman. We read A Man Called Ove earlier this year and it was one of my favorites, so I’m anxious to read more from the author!

Our reading schedule will be as follows:
Week 1 (October 24): Chapters 1-11
Week 2 (October 31): Chapters 12-22
Week 3 (November 7): Chapters 23-end

As always, we’ll have discussion questions posted on Monday, so feel free to jump into the conversation whenever you have time. New members are always welcome – we’d love to see you in the Facebook group!

October 14, 2016

{around here} Week 41/52: Week of 10.10.16

A collection of our ordinary days, recorded every week.

Around here, I have been:

loving this cooler fall weather! It’s finally staying consistently brisk, although the extended forecast predicts temperatures back up in the 70’s soon. WHY?! In the meantime, we’ve been pulling out our “comfy pants” and all the quilts and blankets. The challenge is on to see how long we can go before putting on the heat!

celebrating my birthday – 32! What is it about your 30’s that makes you think about your own mortality? Life is truly so fleeting and more than ever, I just feel so thankful for my health and the life Mark and I have created. My birthday has become just one big day of gratitude.

feeling the nesting urge again. I’m 32 weeks pregnant this week, so only 56 days (or less) to go! For whatever reason, 8 weeks sounds like forever, but 56 days?! That will be here in no time! This week, I took out all of the newborn clothes, took inventory and starting purchasing the missing pieces. As baby boy #5, most of our clothes have had it, so it’s been kind-of fun to start over. I’m finding I’m much more picky than the first few times around. Also! The baby seems to have moved a bit, so the debilitating sciatica has lessened. Thank you Jesus.

wearing lots of striped shirts. I’ve been picking up a few pieces (like these from Gap Maternity and a few lucky finds on Kidizen!) and poor Mark can’t keep up with what’s new or not. But they’re all different! Black with white stripes, navy with light blue stripes, black with grey stripes…hah! I have a problem. Feeling whale-like probably isn’t the best time to wear horizontal lines across your body, but I’m going with it anyway. A few of my other favorite pieces to note: My chambray shirt is getting a lot of use (with a striped shirt underneath of course) and looks semi-pulled together with leggings. I also pulled out my old Minnetonka moccs and love how easy they are to put on and take off. ‘Cause Mama only bends over when absolutely necessary these days.

dealing with Sophie and some sudden fears about having bad dreams. She’s been coming in our bed every night, so we set up a cot on the floor as a compromise. It was meant to be a temporary, last ditch effort, but she seems to think she’s moving in. I found her “bed” made and decorated with all the essentials! (I had a big laugh about the wiffle bat! #preparedforanything)

listening to Fountain of Carrots’ podcast with Anna of In Honor of Design. Such wise advice about juggling motherhood and business.

thinking a lot about the upcoming postpartum time and how to keep my PPD in check. Having had a history of varying degrees with each of my kids (with the exception of TJ), it’s part of the whole “having a baby” business that really takes the most of my focus. I did the same with TJ and the change was really significant. Hoping I can follow the same path with this new baby too.

laughing with the kids as we read Those Darn Squirrels!  The grumpy man reminds me of Ove (from A Man Called Ove): crusty exterior with a sweet spot deep inside. A good reminder to all of us not to judge a book by its cover. J also borrowed The Pigeon Needs a Bath from the school library and I could barely read over the belly laughs. On a different note, I read Angel in the Waters to Sophie and TJ and starting crying about halfway through. They kept looking at me like I was crazy as I tried to make my way through the last half, hah.

reading Father Elijah and getting ready to start My Grandmother Asked Me to Tell You She’s Sorry for book club.

doing a lot of behind-the-scenes work for Big White Farmhouse: SEO, descriptions and titles, etc. Pretty boring stuff, but I’m hoping it will help us a little in the search engines. I also launched a new Christmas section and started adding some product (ornaments, cards, and tags). I know some people are extra on the ball and I don’t want to miss out on those possible sales like I did last year.

getting so excited about the support for our Pajama Drive. At last count, we have 6 donations! New pajamas seem so insignificant, but can be life-changing for a child in foster care or at the homeless shelter. I often put myself in their mamas’ shoes and get all choked up. (Here’s the link again to the Amazon wishlist – we’d love your help too!)

reflecting on an interesting tidbit I heard on the radio this week about listening. The guest made the observation that today more than ever, people don’t really know the art of active listening. Instead of really hearing what the other person is saying, they’re just waiting for that person to finish talking so they can make their own arguments. This behavior is so clearly seen on Facebook statuses and even presidential debates, but aren’t I also sometimes guilty in my marriage and with my children? We all belong to each other. Maybe respectful, active listening is the first tiny step toward more peace and kindness in this world.