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The Big White Farmhouse

intentional living, little by little

October 23, 2015

{around here} Week 42/52: Week of 10.19.15

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:

refusing to turn on the heat yet.  We had a few cold mornings (like waking up to a 59 degree house) but that’s what sweatshirts and blankets are for, right?


getting used to the idea of having a car payment again.  After his accident this summer (and the shoddy work done to fix it), Mark’s car has been making some weird sounds, to the point where random people are commenting in concern.  I was hoping to have more time to save a significant down payment, but since he commutes so much, we thought it best to replace cars now instead of waiting and having him stranded on the interstate.  That debt though…grrr.  

enjoying the memories Mark and the boys are creating.  All of a sudden, the kids have been all about the idea of Zorro.  I find random Z’s on their schoolwork, there are frequent sword fights and I’ve even gotten requests to sew black masks.  Mark surprised them and let them watch the old black and white version, his favorite as a kid, and they loved every minute.


reading Second Street Station and All the Light We Cannot See.


laughing at the exchange I heard between Sophie and J: 
S: Look at my pretty crown, J.  I marry you.
J: I’m not having a wife because you’re just gonna boss me around.


making the time to be in the kitchen again and it feels good.  I made pumpkin chocolate chip cookies, raspberry cornmeal crumble bars, and our go-to banana bread.  I also tried rice in the slow cooker for the first time.


trying a new app called GoodBudget and it’s like an envelope system without carrying cash.  I love that Mark and I can both access the account from our phones.  At a single glance, we’ll both know exactly how much money we have left in each category.  I’m hoping the visual reminder will help as we start learning how to save more than we spend.


watching our baby in awe.  TJ is so cute and yet such a stinker.  He waves bye to “dad” every morning, looks adorable in his fleece footie pajamas, and dances (his current favorite is Queen’s “We Will Rock You”).  He also likes to slam toys on the TV, head-butts instead of kisses and gets a lot of pleasure flinging his meals off of his tray.  We sure love this boy…even when he’s naughty.

October 22, 2015

{in the kitchen} Meal Planning: A Link List

Day 22 of my Write 31 Days Challenge and I’m trying hard not to fizzle out!  I had lofty plans to post about meal planning and how we’re making it work in our house, but am quickly running out of time.  Instead, here are a handful of links I’ve found really helpful:


+ Bringing Back our Family Meals – Peanut Blossom
+ 8 Make-Ahead Recipes That Will Change Your Menu Planning – Clean Mama
+ A Year of Meal Planning – Team Studer
+ The $1 Per Person Meal Plan & Shopping List – Moms by Heart
+ 10 Tips for Better Meal Planning – Modern Parents Messy Kids


What works for you?  What are your go-to meals?  Do you plan weekly or monthly?  Let’s talk meal planning!

October 21, 2015

{contentment} Step Six: Eat Good Food

Today’s subject is a hard one for me, so let’s be real and honest, okay?  


Food is a tricky thing for me.  I understand how good, nutritious food is beneficial to our bodies.  Eating lots of vegetables and less processed food, going gluten-free or even Paleo – they’re all good, good things.  I’ve seen the positive effects in myself as well as my family.


But.


We’re currently on a pretty tight budget and staying on track means letting go of some of those strict dietary rules.  With seven mouths to feed, there’s just not enough money to always buy the freshest/grass-fed/organic/best ingredients.  Honestly, it causes me a lot of stress and guilt.


Feeding myself and my family isn’t ending anytime soon and this obsession with optimal health can quickly turn into an idol.  It has in the past for me.  Maybe finding contentment with food means slowing down, eating realistic portions and just being thankful for what’s set before you.  Maybe finding contentment with food means eating the best with what you’ve got.


Yet another pep talk:
+ Let food be a positive part of life, not something to stress, obsess or worry about.
+ Find the method of meal planning that works best and stick with that.
+ There’s no shame in making a box of pasta for dinner sometimes (but try to add a vegetable for good measure too).    

October 20, 2015

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

The Inspired Readers Book Club, which I started with my blog friends Tabitha and Shelly, just wrapped up discussion on our third book, The Winter of our Diconnect.  It was a thought-provoking book and it greatly inspired me to make some changes in my life.  I really enjoyed talking it through with the book club too!   

For October into November, Shelly is taking the reins and we’re reading another novel!  Shelly chose All the Light We Cannot See by Anthony Doerr, which is a Pulitzer Prize winner and at over 500 pages, our biggest book yet!  I’m excited to get started.

Our reading schedule will be as follows:
Week 1 (October 26): Chapters Zero & One
Week 2 (November 2): Chapters Two & Three
Week 3 (November 9): Chapters Four & Five
Week 4 (November 16): Chapters Six, Seven & Eight
Week 5 (November 23): Chapters Nine, Ten, Eleven, Twelve & Thirteen

Like before, we’ll have discussion questions posted on Monday, so feel free to jump into the conversation whenever you have time.  We are always open to new members and would love to see you in the Facebook group!

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