The Big White Farmhouse

intentional living, little by little

{shop small} Vol.02: Winter Wonderland

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 the cool products I find, I thought I’d pop in every so often to share some of my discoveries with you!  Volume 02 is inspired by the gorgeous snowfall we had a few weeks ago…simple and white!  Enjoy.

Snowflake Pillow Cover by Shabby by Melissa
Cream Wool Beanie by Mercier Marche
Burlap and Antique White Wreath by Wild Ridge Design
Cream Linen Napkins by K Style


{You can find Volume 01 here}





P.S. I was so excited to see that I have been nominated for Best Looking Blog!  Here’s my shameless plug to vote for me (and the rest of your favorite blogs!) here.

{around here} 02/52: Week of 1.12.15

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:


loving the response from our Big White Farmhouse birthday giveaways.  It’s been the perfect way to start Year 2 and I am excited to get started purchasing product for the new year!  (P.S. The giveaways end tomorrow at midnight, so there’s still time to enter!)  


planning our first “official” Sunday Dinner.  Mark and I want to start the tradition of having a full sit-down dinner with a special dessert every week.  We hope it will become second nature to our kids and then hopefully will continue even when they’re grown.  I also think it will be a great opportunity to invite others over for food and hospitality.    

 drinking lots and lots of water.  I am so bad at remembering, but am committed to getting better.  I’m using the Water Counter on my Fitbit app and that helps.  Work in progress!

 reading my first fiction book of the year, Orphan Train.

 making homemade granola.  I added raisins because I’m a cinnamon raisin fan, but I think a bunch of dried fruit would be good too.  


thankful for Mark and how hard he works for our family.  He worked extra late twice this week and gosh, does that make me appreciate all he does to keep this family running when he’s home!

 laughing about Sophie and her new fake sneezing routine.  “Ah, Ah, Ah, Choo!”

 struggling to push through the postpartum plateau.  I’ve been at the same weight, give or take a few pounds, for two months now.  And while that’s frustrating, it’s less about the number on the scale and more about not being able to work out at a level I once could.  It’s been very humbling for me to have to start from scratch again.  God is growing me.   

 thinking about February’s challenge.  Lots of brainstorming and idea creating.  Right now, I’m veering toward something home related.

homeschool notes:

  • We had a simple week without many extras.  Some weeks are like that. 
  • Our read aloud for January is Mr. Popper’s Penguins and we just got started.  I have a lapbook planned and a few fun activities.  The boys are going to love it!

{a year of challenges} January is for Learning: the Halfway Point



We are halfway through the January learning challenge!  For those of you who are participating, how are you doing?  What things have you been learning about?  And if you’re new here, welcome!  There is still time to jump in!

This challenge has been really fun for me so far.  I’ve always been a bit of an academic and it’s been refreshing to uncover that hunger for learning again.  The simple exercise of reading everyday has fired me up, inspired me and helped me feel like my brain is still functioning on a decent level.  Making learning a priority, in whatever form, will definitely be a permanent part of my day from now on.  


As a reminder, this was my challenge:

+ Read three books, each from a different genre.
+ Listen to 5 podcasts.
+ Watch 10 Ted talks.
+ Find 3 new blogs that teach me something.

It has been easy for me to fit in the podcasts while I’m doing chores or running on the treadmill.  The kids are usually running around or playing, so it feels like alone time, while still being productive.  I’ve also watched a lot of TED talks and I swear they are like candy; I can’t stop at just one.  I’ve watched 8 already.  


Book reading is a little harder to do during the day, but I’m trying to get in a few pages when I can.  Mark and I have started reading a chapter of our books before watching TV at night, so that helps too.  As of today, I’ve finished one book and am almost through the second.  One more to go!  

I’ll post a record of the podcasts, TED talks, and websites at the end of the month because some are just too good not to share.  
Let’s finish out the month strong, friends!

{12 months of kindness} January: A Gift for the Mailman


 Inspired by my friend Tab, I am committing to 12 Months of Kindness again in 2015.  Hopefully, I’ll be better about posting each month!  

 For January, we decided to tell our mailman how much we appreciate him.  He works SO hard!  Between picking up Big White Farmhouse orders and dropping off Amazon purchases, our mailman gets out of his warm truck a lot for us.  Can you imagine such a job, especially in the winter?  

 Brr.

 So the kids and I got to work creating a warm care package, which included:

This gift was easy and didn’t cost much to put together.  We found the gloves for $4 and the hand and foot warmers were in the Dollar Spot at Target.  Add in a little cash so he can grab a coffee and you’re done!    

What act of kindness will you do this month?  I’ve created a Pinterest board to help with ideas and inspiration.  Will you join me?  Tell me your Pinterest name in the comments and I can add you as a contributor.  Let’s spread joy this year together.

Less Materialism, More Intentional Living

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