The Big White Farmhouse

intentional living, little by little

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No.771: How I Turned Around

I recently came across something I had written in my phone’s notes app way back in the fall of 2020.  That spring had been one big unfamiliar, nerve-wracking situation and I was doing my best to bear the unknowns as best as I could.  (I kept a 12-week lockdown diary here on the blog.)  At some point, I remember thinking, “I have to find a better way to cope with all of this,” and this list in my phone must have been my reflections on what I did.  I’m copying it here because while the situation is different, the stress is the same.  I needed the reminder that with time, prayer and effort, I can turn this ship around.  Again.

1. I said goodbye to unnecessary fear.

I stopped constantly reading the news and turned off social media.  I had to do a complete detox at first, but have slowly added it back in in a healthier way.  A good motto: Don’t let others’ emotions dictate your own. Keep a level head, think for yourself.

2. I started taking better care of myself.

I gained weight due to the constant stress and emotional eating, so I:

  • Limited sugar and things that caused me inflammation (like dairy)
  • Focused on movement, in whatever form that comes
  • Took my vitamins and supplements
  • Was mindful about what foods weren’t good for my slightly elevated blood pressure
3. I focused on the causes of my stress.

One of my stressors was not being prepared for the lockdown and then worrying about having enough to eat.  To combat that, I started picking up a few extra things here and there to stock up the pantry.

4. I stopped myself from dwelling too far into the future.

I like to have a plan but have learned the unknowns are too great. I instead started focusing on just this week, this month.

5. Gratitude.  Always gratitude.

What a gift that this word was my choice back in January. It carried me through.

6. I said lots and lots of prayers.

Prayers for our health and safety sure, but also for wisdom and understanding, for prudence, for clarity, for greater trust. For docility to His will, for peace in whatever comes our way. For a greater understanding of the death that comes to each of us someday and how I can live in such a way that I’m ready, whenever that day may come.

No.769: September in Review & Goals for October 2023

This post contains affiliate links, which means I may receive a commission of any sale made at no extra cost to you.

FIVE THINGS I LOVED
  1. putting the garden to bed for the season
  2. monthly sushi and prayer group dates with my husband
  3. the beginning of birthday season for our family
  4. the A/C off and windows open
  5. slowly starting to feel like myself again
THREE LESSONS I LEARNED
  1. The older I get, the less I know. // Ahh, remember those teenage years and 20’s where we basked in our confidence and knew just about everything?  Fast forward to today: I’m almost to 40 and now can’t get over how vast the world is and how much I still don’t know!  So much to learn and research and figure out.
  2. Too much of a good thing is a bad thing. // At least when we’re talking about cortisol!  “There is very good scientific and medical evidence to show that chronically elevated cortisol levels are associated with obesity, hypertension, diabetes, fatigue, depression, moodiness, irregular menstrual periods, decreased sex drive, and Alzheimer’s disease.” – The Cortisol Connection: Why Stress Makes You Fat and Ruins Your Health And What You Can Do About It, p.46
  3. Teaching children self-control is important. // “These researchers concluded, ‘Childhood of self-control strongly predicts adult success, in people of high or low intelligence, in rich or poor, and does so throughout the entire population, with a step change in health, wealth, and social success at every level of self-control.'” – The Collapse of Parenting: How We Hurt Our Kids When We Treat Them Like Grown-Ups, p.123
TWO “LITTLE PEOPLE” WE SUPPORTED
  1. Farm goods from a farmer friend
  2. Books from the local used bookstore
FIVE GOALS FOR SEPTEMBER REVIEWED
  1. ✔ Try to publish a blog post at least every Monday. // 2023 has been a terrible year for me and consistency.  Here’s hoping this routine becomes a regular habit again.  I don’t feel like I have anything interesting to write, but I’m trying.
  2. Vacuum out the cars. // I definitely procrastinated with this goal!  I’ll probably ask one of my kids to do this for me this week.
  3. ✔ Transition Sammy to adult dog food. // Done!  Thankfully, it was a super easy process.
  4. Prep winter pig paddocks with woodchips and housing. // Oof.  This project is nowhere close to being completed!  We’ve purchased all of the materials, but need to start construction.
  5. ✔ Plan out fall birthday presents/plans and start thinking about Christmas. // Done!  Feeling a lot more confident and peaceful about what’s coming up.
FIVE GOALS FOR OCTOBER
  1. Stock up on vitamins, medicines, and tissues for winter.
  2. Finish building the permanent pig paddocks.
  3. Return to the habit of making homemade bread.
  4. Take our own family pictures.
  5. Create a junk journal.

Help me transition away from “traditional” blogging income streams while still keeping the lights on at the BWF!

No.765: Five Good Things // Vol.18

This post contains affiliate links, which means I may receive a commission of any sale made at no extra cost to you.

1 // A FUN “BOOKTUBE” CHANNEL

I recently stumbled upon a new-to-me Youtube channel called Mitzi Reads and Writes.  I love her reading taste, her love of vintage books and her sweet Southern accent.  She’s a joy to watch.

2 // A SIMPLE WAY TO BOOST MY IMMUNE SYSTEM BEFORE WINTER

My elderberries have been prolific this year and I’ve been working hard to preserve all of the fruit.  I’ve already made some elderberry syrup and have frozen the rest for future use.  According to WebMD (and plenty of homesteaders and elders too), “the berries and flowers of elderberry are packed with antioxidants and vitamins that may boost your immune system. They could help tame inflammation, lessen stress, and help protect your heart, too.”  I’ll take it!  Anyway, I purchased some cool pop-out ice trays from Marshalls (these look similar) and froze the syrup into individual cubes.  Each morning, I pop an elderberry cube into my water and I’m good to go for the day.

3 // THIS QUOTE

These roses under my window make no reference to former roses or to better ones; they are for what they are; they exist with God today.
– Ralph Waldo Emerson

Like my favorite priest always says, “We should focus on becoming a saint today.”  I often get distracted by the past or the future instead of doing my very best with the time God has given me today.

4 // A LITTLE TIP FOR SAVING EVEN MORE MONEY ON PRE-LOVED CLOTHES

I recently purchased a few things from ThredUp and unintentionally found a way to save even more money.  At checkout, ThredUp provides an option to bundle, which basically means that you get an entire week to shop and then they’ll ship everything to you all at once.  So here’s what I did:

  1. I browsed the website and “favorited” a bunch of items I liked.
  2. ThredUp always has some sort of sale going on (sometimes a new one daily!), so I took advantage of the best deal.  (For example, three items were 40% off with a certain coupon code.)
  3. I picked the bundle option, which delayed shipment for one week.
  4. Throughout the rest of the week, I would check in and see if some of my favorites were now on sale.  You could use the coupon code of the day and it would still be added to the overall bundle.  Another way to save is that I could purchase some non-sale items with my rewards points.  As long as it was added to the bundle, shipping was still free!

I made that sound incredibly confusing, but I promise it’s not.  With a little patience, I was able to purchase a few more pieces for my family at even better prices.  In these inflationary times, that means a lot!  (P.S. If you’ve never shopped at ThredUp before, you can use my code for 45% off plus free shipping on your first order.  I hope you love it as much as I do.)

5 // A BETTER BOOK FOR OLDER, STRUGGLING READERS

If you have a struggling reader who isn’t into those “baby readers” that most Kindergartners use, Yak Pack Comics might be a solution for you.  We are using Book 1 for my dyslexic reader and it’s just what we needed: easy enough to gain some confidence, but definitely not babyish.  He really likes the way the story is presented in comic form.

No.743: March in Review & Goals for April 2023

This post contains affiliate links, which means I may receive a commission of any sale made at no extra cost to you.

FIVE THINGS I LOVED
  1. the completion of all 365 days of the Bible in a Year podcast
  2. watching the pigs’ absolute glee as they went back on pasture
  3. a solid night’s sleep after a week of tossing and turning
  4. new life growing everywhere you look
  5. our new puppy
THREE LESSONS I LEARNED
  1. I want to learn to butcher. // After reading this book and then following that up with the “On The Anatomy of Thrift” videos from Farmstead Meatsmith, I’m really inspired to learn how to butcher our pigs.  We don’t have the infrastructure to do this on the farm yet, but I’ll definitely be thinking about it for the future.  I feel a significant sense of duty to our animals that they get treated correctly, from start to finish, and that we do not waste the gift.  Now to train my American taste buds to enjoy things like paté and head cheese…
  2. I need to make sure I take care of myself during this busy season. // Things got busy, I slacked on my intentional eating, forgot about my vitamin regiment, and…I was soon sick with a painful sinus infection.  I’m making baby steps in the right direction, though: while normally I would have just ignored it until it literally took me under, I instead took the day off from all the things, rested and even napped!  I felt completely back to normal in 24 hours.
  3. Puppies are so much work. // It’s been four years since Lucy was a puppy and I had forgotten so much!  Samson cried and cried for four nights straight and we were all walking around a little zombie-like.  Thankfully, he seems to have turned a corner and we’re getting a bit more sleep.  Now to work on the chewing and the bathroom accidents and the cat chasing!
FIVE “LITTLE PEOPLE” WE SUPPORTED
  1. Another family trip to the used bookstore
  2. Art supplies from Jerry’s Artarama
  3. Goods from a farmer friend
  4. Greeting cards from etsy seller, Amy Heitman
  5. A dress (for a formal event in April!) from a seller on Poshmark
FIVE GOALS FOR MARCH REVIEWED
  1. ✔ Get everything prepared for chick arrival. // The first batch of chicks always seems to feel like growing season kickoff!  This year was smooth and mostly uneventful, praise the Lord!  I’m excited to have them here.
  2. ✔ Install the fence around the garden. // Done!  We installed the Critterfence and now I can sleep easy knowing that my precious trees and plants won’t be gobbled up by deer and chickens.
  3. See if we can find dining room chairs that will closely match the ones we already have.  (Maybe the Amish outlet?) // We had a few unplanned expenses come up, so this got put on the back burner for awhile.  Someday.
  4. ✔ Purchase Easter basket goodies. // Considering this mostly done.  I still have a few sweet treats to get, but the majority has been purchased and tucked away.
  5. Deep clean my master closet. // I quickly consolidated my stash of packing materials, but I definitely need a better system.  Considering this task an ongoing work in progress…
FIVE GOALS FOR APRIL
  1. Keep track of how many hours I spend outdoors.
  2. Start livestock guardian training with Samson.
  3. Prep for duckling arrival and work on their housing.
  4. Make a spring cleaning calendar to give me some focus.
  5. Try to come up with some interesting things to post here on the blog.

Help me transition away from “traditional” blogging income streams while still keeping the lights on at the BWF!

Less Materialism, More Intentional Living

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