The Big White Farmhouse

intentional living, little by little

{around here} Week 49/52: Week of 12.7.15

A collection of our ordinary days, recorded every week.  At the end of the year, I’ll publish them into a keepsake to treasure.

Around here, I have been:

celebrating St. Nicholas’ day on Sunday with chocolate coins and yo-yos.

surviving one of Mark’s busiest work weeks of the season.  Parenting solo makes me so grateful for all the help he gives on the normal weeks!  We filled the time with Christmas activities, movies and pizza delivery.

mailing Christmas cards, decorating a gingerbread house, and listening to the Michael Buble station on Pandora.  We put the tree up, but are waiting until Sunday after Mass to pull out the ornaments and decorate.  The house feels so warm and cozy.

contemplating this passage from Wednesday’s meditation in Come, Lord Jesus: Meditations in the Art of Waiting:

We know that when a receptacle for any liquid is filled to the brim, you cannot expect to move it without spilling some.  And that is a wonderful thing spiritually.  Because if we are really overflowing with love for one another, we cannot move without its splashing over…Come now, let us begin.  And let us keep that measure so full of love, because this is not beyond us.  We cannot all of us perform Herculean works of penance.  We cannot and need not produce brilliant works of mind or artistry.  But we can all be overflowing with love, every one of us, so that we just can’t move without splashing it over the house, over our sisters, over the Church. (page 97)

thinking about 2016 and what I hope to work on in the new year.  Lots of thoughts to come, but the short story is: more peace, more creativity, more community and more learning to let go.

reading The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks.

laughing at Sophia’s sudden love for chapstick.  She calls it her “lip glops” and applies it quite generously.  She’s definitely got the most moisturized lips in the family.

working a little bit on this blog.  I simplified my sidebar a bit, taking down many ads and unnecessary items.  I also switched over to Mailchimp in case you prefer reading blog posts in your inbox.  I set it to send emails Monday, Wednesday and Friday.  I’m still working out the kinks, but hopefully all should be working smoothly soon.

P.S. Today is the last day of Big White Farmhouse‘s last promo of the year.  Ending at midnight tonight, we’re covering the shipping costs on every order as our gift to everyone who has been so supportive of our little shop.  The coupon code is DECKTHEHALLS.

{five favorites} Vol.05: What’s Going in Our Stockings this Year



Christmas shopping update: I’m about 75% finished.  How ’bout you?  I know there are about a million gift guides going around the Internet these days, but I’m adding one more to the mix.  Here are five things that are going in my kids’ stockings this year:


Mod Stix // Going in D’s stocking are these awesome Medieval Mod Stix.  They are reusable decals that fit right on his Lego bricks and figures and I know he’s going to love them!  I’m also thinking that they will be a fun addition to our history lessons.


Little People Aladdin and Jasmine // This summer, Mark introduced Sophia to Aladdin, his favorite Disney movie as a kid, and she loved it.  We’re tucking the Little People version into her stocking and I know she’s going to add them right to her playhouse (and maybe Noah’s ark too, hah!).


Ninja Mad Libs // M is at a really fun age to shop for.  I found these Ninja Mad Libs to put in his stocking and I know he’s going to have fun asking his brothers for noun/verb/adjective ideas and then reading their hilarious stories aloud.  Bonus: this could also be considered sneaky grammar practice!


Mini Soccer Ball // TJ’s stocking is pretty bare (perks of being one and having lots of big siblings) but we did add a soft soccer ball.  He’s always trying to be like the big kids and he’ll be adorable kicking this one around the house.


Lego Mixels Monster // J is very much into imaginative play and seems to always have his guys fighting some sort of “monster”.  Even though this is from a Cartoon Network show (which we’ve never seen), I think he’ll enjoy building and then setting him up for battle. 

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I’d love to hear about five of your favorite things too!  Need some ideas?  Here are a few to get you started:
+ What are five things on your wishlist this year?
+ Tell us about five blog posts you’ve read lately that have really impacted you.
+ Name five of your all-time favorite books.

{100 beautiful things} No.008: A Pom Pom Wreath

I’ve wanted a wreath for my front door for months.  There are SO many gorgeous ones out there, but they also come with a price tag.  Since fall is birthday extravaganza around here, I knew I had to stretch my creative muscles a bit and make my own.    

After seeing this tutorial, I knew that it was the perfect project to try.  I pretty much copied Amy’s wreath exactly, from using the same color yarn (which is a great price right now on Amazon!) to investing in the pom pom maker.  I did find her photographed instructions a bit confusing, but this video on YouTube was helpful.

After the tiny learning curve in creating the pom poms, this project became the perfect mindless activity when I watched television at night or listened to podcasts during naptime.  I made a few pom poms whenever I had a bit of free time, but I’d imagine you could knock it out in a few hours if you had that uninterrupted stretch of time.


After finishing, I hung it on my door with a thick red and white striped ribbon.  My photos don’t do the wreath justice – I’m in love with the contrast on my black door and the textured look! 


Now to find another pom pom project…

100 Beautiful Things Archives

{around here} Week 48/52: Week of 11.30.15



A collection of our ordinary days, recorded every week.  At the end of the year, I’ll publish them into a keepsake to treasure.

Around here, I have been:


working hard packaging and shipping Big White Farmhouse orders.  Our Black Friday sale was pretty successful and I’m so excited to have our products under so many Christmas trees.  I’m also working on one more promo before wrapping up for the year.


celebrating J’s birthday with pizza and cookie cake.  He is our caboose of fall birthdays  and has been so patient waiting for his special day!  


keeping warm and cozy inside as it was cold and rainy most of the week.  The sun finally came out again on Thursday, just in time for a playdate with friends.  


loving our simple Advent activities.  We’re reading through our literary advent calendar again this year and watching the videos on Holy Heroes’ Advent Adventure.  So simple and stress-free.   


watching Christmas movies with the kids – one of my new favorite traditions.  We are hoping to revisit all of our favorites and add in a few new ones too.

laughing at our voices as we talked through the Chipmunk Voice app.  Oh.My.Gosh.  I laughed so hard, I cried.


reading The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks and Come Lord Jesus: Meditations on the Art of Waiting…both are so good so far.

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