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The Big White Farmhouse

intentional living, little by little

October 6, 2015

{link list} Best of the Web Vol.04

It always seem that when I wrestle with something, God provides just what I need at every turn.  These are just a few of the articles I’ve come across the past few days.

To Be Rich in Holiness // “Sometimes, I think I confuse God with a financial planner, a realtor, and a college professor. I fall into the pattern of praying that is common in the land of plenty, fervently begging for the wrong things and overlooking the things that really matter to our Lord.”


Is It Out of Style to be Happy? // “As far as what should come next,  I’m pretty sure it’s either writing a design book or coming up with a product line. I’m hearing capitalize, capitalize, capitalize. But, my heart is screaming is contentment, contentment, contentment–which doesn’t seem to be a very popular buzzword these days. I’m willing to bet that whether you write a blog, teach kids, run an office, or manage a household, that doing more is a message that you’re hearing, too. It’s the underlying theme in just about everything we read, hear and see.  But, what if you’re happy doing what you’re already doing? What if the desire to do more, to go on to the next big thing, just isn’t there? The world tells us that it’s just not enough. I’ve been having a hard time seeing it for what it is. While I’ve been thinking it’s a lack of motivation, I think it might actually be called happiness.”


18 Things That Are Hard to Explain to Third-World Friends // “Seeing your life and culture through the eyes of someone else is eye opening.  It’s wild how it changes the way you see your life and gives you a completely new perspective.  It’s the kind of perspective that makes you pause and really take a look at what you need and what you want and what you have and the difference between all three.  It’s the kind of perspective that reminds you to compare your life to those with less instead of those with more.”


Educator, longtime Wheaton resident raised 8 children // “A devout Catholic, Maurer was a big believer in charity and humility, her son said.  ‘She embraced her responsibility to live her life in fidelity with what the God she loved asked her to do, which was to be humble and to be charitable,’ Karl Maurer said.

October 5, 2015

{house to home} William Morris Project (Vol.7): Getting the Boys’ Room Ready for Fall

Part of my 31 Days of Contentment Challenge is seeing my home in a new light.  I truly want to learn to love the house I’m in instead of seeing it as just another move toward our “forever house”.  I want to focus less on resale value and more on making it feel like us. 
 Today is the first small step.



The boys’ room doesn’t get a lot of air time here on the blog because…well, it serves a purpose but it’s not much to look at.  Earlier this year, we purchased two sets of bunks and the three boys (TJ will join them next year) all sleep in the same room.  The rest of the furniture is a hodgepodge of things we already owned.  And despite the superhero coloring pages taped to the wall and the pillows we made this summer, it’s still pretty much a blank – and super boring – slate.   

So what better place to start than here?

Even though the boys really only use the room for sleeping (we keep their toys and Legos in the basement), they still deserve a space that is welcoming and peaceful – as peaceful as four brothers in one room can get, anyway.  So I decided to rip off their hot mess of sheets and blankets and start fresh.  Keep in mind that this is the very first step in the boys’ room makeover…prepared to be underwhelmed:



Mark picked up four duvet covers from Ikea for me on his way home from work.  (Bless that man.  Ikea gives him hives.)  They are blue and white stripe and I love their simplicity.  Underneath, the boys each have a different themed sheet set: Batman, Ninjago, and Superheroes are the current favorites.  I generally dislike things with licensed characters on them, so it’s nice having them tucked away under the matching duvets.  I decided to ditch the top sheet since it always ends up in a knot or crumbled at the bottom of the bed anyway.  The down inserts seem pretty warm, but we’ll add an extra quilt on top this winter if needed.  

Reactions from the boys?
“These are great, mom!  It’s like sleeping under a cloud.”
“This will be so much easier when I make my bed.”
“Cool.”

Still to do:
+ Buy more pillows for the matching shams
+ Install book storage and a light for each of their bunks (something like this?)
+ Frame and hang superhero art (that has been sitting in my closet for years)
+ Replace the lamp and nightstand with something more boyish (and can hold books maybe?)
+ Paint the old desk (I’m thinking navy blue?)
+ Replace the broken blinds and add curtains

I’m dipping my toes back into investing in my home.  The duvets were a small and seemingly insignificant beginning, but I think I’m getting the decorating bug again.

October 5, 2015

{house to home} William Morris Project (Vol.7): Getting the Boys’ Room Ready for Fall

Part of my 31 Days of Contentment Challenge is seeing my home in a new light.  I truly want to learn to love the house I’m in instead of seeing it as just another move toward our “forever house”.  I want to focus less on resale value and more on making it feel like us. 
 Today is the first small step.



The boys’ room doesn’t get a lot of air time here on the blog because…well, it serves a purpose but it’s not much to look at.  Earlier this year, we purchased two sets of bunks and the three boys (TJ will join them next year) all sleep in the same room.  The rest of the furniture is a hodgepodge of things we already owned.  And despite the superhero coloring pages taped to the wall and the pillows we made this summer, it’s still pretty much a blank – and super boring – slate.   

So what better place to start than here?

Even though the boys really only use the room for sleeping (we keep their toys and Legos in the basement), they still deserve a space that is welcoming and peaceful – as peaceful as four brothers in one room can get, anyway.  So I decided to rip off their hot mess of sheets and blankets and start fresh.  Keep in mind that this is the very first step in the boys’ room makeover…prepared to be underwhelmed:



Mark picked up four duvet covers from Ikea for me on his way home from work.  (Bless that man.  Ikea gives him hives.)  They are blue and white stripe and I love their simplicity.  Underneath, the boys each have a different themed sheet set: Batman, Ninjago, and Superheroes are the current favorites.  I generally dislike things with licensed characters on them, so it’s nice having them tucked away under the matching duvets.  I decided to ditch the top sheet since it always ends up in a knot or crumbled at the bottom of the bed anyway.  The down inserts seem pretty warm, but we’ll add an extra quilt on top this winter if needed.  

Reactions from the boys?
“These are great, mom!  It’s like sleeping under a cloud.”
“This will be so much easier when I make my bed.”
“Cool.”

Still to do:
+ Buy more pillows for the matching shams
+ Install book storage and a light for each of their bunks (something like this?)
+ Frame and hang superhero art (that has been sitting in my closet for years)
+ Replace the lamp and nightstand with something more boyish (and can hold books maybe?)
+ Paint the old desk (I’m thinking navy blue?)
+ Replace the broken blinds and add curtains

I’m dipping my toes back into investing in my home.  The duvets were a small and seemingly insignificant beginning, but I think I’m getting the decorating bug again.

October 4, 2015

{in the kitchen} Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies: A Fall Tradition

This post originally aired last November, but I thought it was fitting to share it again this weekend.  We’ve already made our first batch of the season! 

One of my favorite things about having a family is creating traditions that we all look forward to each year.  My kids are still quite young, so we’re still in the stage of trying new things and seeing what sticks.  Baking pumpkin chocolate chip cookies has become one of those traditions. 

This year seemed particularly special.  With Pandora playing in the background, the kids danced while Mark and I chatted as I whipped up a batch of these cookies.  They all watched eagerly (my husband included!) through the oven window as the cookies baked.  We even had running commentary as they counted down the minutes.  And then, when they heard the beep of the timer, there were cheers all around and I couldn’t get the cookies off the tray fast enough!  The kids all managed to burn their fingers or mouths, but to them, it was totally worth it.  Life is rarely picture perfect, but it felt pretty close that night.

If you like pumpkin, these cookies are definitely worth a try.  They are fluffy, a little bit cakey and perfect with a cup of coffee, if you can keep them long enough to brew some!  I hope you enjoy.

 

To print: Right click the recipe card above to save to your desktop.  You should be able to print from there.

 

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