The Big White Farmhouse

1. Being brave creatively: choose a partially finished craft project and complete it.  I am notorious for semi-completing a craft or sewing project and then moving on to the next.  I want to get something finished and displayed.  
2. Being brave in the kitchen: have Mark teach me how to grill something on our charcoal grill.
3. Being brave in my giving: send at least one surprise package, just because.
4. Month-long challenge: finish the “Walk at least a mile a day everyday for 30 days” challenge I started in July. 16 days to go!
5. Read one book.
6. Pay a big chunk on student loan debt. We’ve been chipping away at this all year, but I hope to make some major movement in August.  One step closer to being debt free!
7. Start checking off the new baby to-do list: buy a new car seat, pack the hospital bag, wash newborn clothing, etc. 
8. Research and make a plan for the second half of 2014 for Big White Farmhouse.  Once the baby arrives in September, BWF will take the back burner for a little while.  I want to prepare and get ahead as much as possible beforehand.
9. Purchase a few frames to start a gallery wall in Sophia’s bedroom.
10. Make a prayer request book and be faithful in praying daily for others. I often promise prayers for someone, only to quickly forget.  It’s a habit I don’t like and want to change.  I think a designated prayer request book will help.  That said, is there any way I can pray for you?    

1. Being brave creatively: make silhouettes of the kids.  This has been on my to-do list for months!  
2. Being brave in the kitchen: try a new vegetable.  I just watched a delicious recipe using endive on Food Network, so maybe I’ll try that?
3. Being brave in my giving: donate to someone fundraising for an adoption.  If you know of any families, send them my way!
4. Month-long challenge: write one letter every day.  This is probably my most important goal this month.  It’s so important to me to be the kind of person that intentionally cares about others.  I want to be the girl who sends a timely note for friends going through a hard time, celebrating a new baby or whatever the reason may be.  Hoping this monthly exercise will create a habit.
5. Do a better job documenting the completion of my goals.  I hope to blog a bit more throughout, instead of just a before/after recap.
6. Read one book.
7. Go antiquing.
8. Hang curtains in the kitchen.
9. Launch a second section to the Big White Farmhouse shop: the Garden.  (Tomorrow is the big day!)

P.S. Be sure to enter our giveaway on the Big White Farmhouse blog for a chance to win two of our new products: a “You are my Sunshine” garden marker and an Herbs Seed Bomb pack!  Giveaway open until May 7 at 12:00am EST.  

1. Get back to regular walking: at least three times a week.  I didn’t really become motivated to accomplish this task until late into the month.  I’ve learned that if I don’t exercise in the morning, it just won’t get done.  By late afternoon (when my husband is home and I can walk in peace), I am exhausted and ready for my pajamas!  I think I need a switch in workouts, so I purchased two new prenatal DVDs that I can do with the kids around me.  We’ll see how it goes.

2. Read one book.  Complete!  I read The American Heiress and it was a quick read.  Not sure if I would recommend it, though.  I had lots of conflicting emotions about it and its lack of redeeming characters.  Have you read this one yet?


3. Learn to cook fish.  Not complete.  I need to work on this one in May. 

4. Potty train J.  Complete!  After my trip to Chicago (see below), I came home pumped and ready to get this done.  Fortunately, he caught on quickly and has been so proud of his accomplishment.  I am happy to only have one in diapers now, if only for a few more months!

5. Start the “Donate 100 Things Challenge”.  Semi-complete!  I still have many rooms of our home to go, but I think at last count, I had around 60 items set aside to donate.  This exercise was freeing and humbling…we have more than enough.

6. Organize the kitchen utensil drawer. Semi-complete.  I weeded through any tools we don’t regularly use, but I still need to buy a few organizing containers. 

7. Visit Chicago. This was the highlight of my month.  I was able to spend the weekend with my cousins, who also happen to be two of my closest friends.  It was so much fun and incredibly rejuvenating.  (To see all we did, we wrote a little bit about the weekend on the Big White Farmhouse shop blog here.)  I left a worn-out Mamma and came back a better one.