The Big White Farmhouse | intentional living, little by little

January 11, 2016

{currently} 20 Things I Love: A Gratitude Journal vol.6

feeling more like myself after a hard couple of months
how Sophie calls TJ “best friend”

sparks of creativity

the sound of Mark’s car pulling into the garage

warm boot socks
cozy twinkle lights above the kitchen cabinets

spontaneous after-dinner car rides for milkshakes

incoming product for Big White Farmhouse on my doorstep

B vitamins

how M’s nose is always in a book
the feeling of accomplishment after a good run

this quote from St. Gregory of Nyssa: “Seeking God means following Him wherever He might lead.”

big cuddles around the neck from J

competitive family card games

fitting work time in the busyness of everyday
D’s creativity
trying new dinner recipes
pouring out my heart and feeling understood
watching our debt total decrease, little by little
steamy hot showers

January 8, 2016

{around here} Week 1/52: Week of 1.4.16 – Round Two!

A collection of our ordinary days, recorded every week.

Around here, I have been:

feeling cold – finally! The temperature has been chilly, but no snow yet.

disappointing the kids as I took the Christmas decorations down. I almost made it to Epiphany, which is a personal record for me.

reading 13 Hours: The Inside Account of What Really Happened in Benghazi, per the recommendation of my husband. Intense. I finished the book in bed and sat wide-awake for another 30 minutes before I could fall asleep. I’m also reading Big Magic for book club and starting The Temperament God Gave You.

cooking healthy meals and trying to get back on track after the holidays. This week’s menu:

m: leftovers

t: chicken with parmesan crusted potato wedges

w: breakfast for dinner, cinnamon rolls

th: kielbasa and pasta bake, salad

f: homemade pizza

researching essential oils. I tend to avoid anything that gets major hype, but curiosity got the best of me this time. I have a few hormonal issues I’m dealing with and with winter colds coming, I’m curious to see if the oils will help us.

working behind the scenes on Big White Farmhouse, in preparation for our site relaunch and second birthday next week. New site navigation, new products and a hopefully improved shopping experience in the works!

January 6, 2016

{five favorites} Vol.07: Swagbucks, Dress Up Skirts & Adult Coloring Books

Welcome to the first Five Favorites of 2016!

I’m so excited to tell you about a new twist I’m adding to the linkup this year. At the end of each month, I’ll be giving away a prize pack to one #5Faves participant! Here’s how it works: every time you link up a blog post, it counts as one entry. So if you link up a post every week, you’d get four entries. I’ll keep track throughout the month and then randomly pick a winner on February 1. I’ve been starting to pick up a few things already and I can’t wait to share!

On to the favorites this week:

{1}

RD Style Poncho Pullover Sweater

(mine came from StitchFix and is similar)

Where do I even begin? In a nut shell, this is a poncho in sweater material with sleeves (I call mine a “swancho”, hah) and it is my cold weather staple this year. So warm! It’s hard to tell, but the sides are open, so you do have to wear something underneath. I like to wear it with either leggings or skinny jeans. It’s really just a slightly more socially acceptable Snuggie, but I’m in love.

{2}
Swagbucks

I use Swagbucks as my primary search engine. They have multiple ways to earn points, which can then be traded in for gift cards. I’m planning to save my points, trying to earn enough Amazon cards to make a significant dent in my Christmas shopping next December. (If you want to sign up, I’d love for you to use my referral link!)

{3}

Melissa and Doug Dress-Up Skirts

I ordered these skirts (per Rosie‘s recommendation) for Sophie’s birthday last fall and they are in heavy rotation around here. She wears at least two daily, even to the point where she’ll change out of her pajamas at bedtime for her “sleeping skirt”. They also wash really well; ours have seen their share of spills and accidents. We highly recommend for little girls!

{4}

Hello wine and bagel bites…Krispie Kreme gives me life…

{5}

Need a stress reliever? This coloring book for adults has gorgeous art throughout with a mix of Bible verses and inspirational quotes. I love every page and I’m sure I’ll have a bunch of them washi taped to my office walls. Now to steal the colored pencils away from my kids…

(I received this coloring book from Blogging for Books, but all opinions are my own.)

—————————————-

I’d love to hear about five of your favorite things too! Need some ideas? Here are a few to get you started:

+ Share five of your favorite people to follow on Instagram or Pinterest.

+ What are five things your family got for Christmas?

+ Name five of your goals or resolutions for the new year.

An InLinkz Link-up

January 5, 2016

{learn goals} Living Seasonally in January & a Free Printable!

This is a packed post. Each month in 2016, I hope to share a bunch of ideas for living the fullness of that month. The possibilities are endless, but I plan to include church feast days, small celebrations, books, crafts ideas and delicious foods to eat. In no way do I think I will be able to pull off ALL of this, nor should you! My hope is to provide a handy resource to check in on and get ideas. I’ve also included a handy printable at the end. Here we go!

January is here. New beginnings and new opportunities. With cold weather outside, we have the opportunity to really work on the inside of our homes. We can declutter what we don’t need, making our spaces warm, cozy and welcoming. We can eat hearty, stick-to-your-ribs meals and drink warm, soothing beverages. We can practice gratitude in new ways.

Below are a bunch of ideas for celebrating the fullness of this month. Again, let me say that in no way do I think anyone (me included!) should think they can pull off ALL of this. My hope is that you could pick and choose what you’d like to do with your own family. I’ve done the leg work for you. You just need to add the most important ideas to your calendar and get ready for memory making!

LITURGICAL YEAR