The Big White Farmhouse

intentional living, little by little

{christmas} A Literary Advent Calendar

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


 It’s Advent! How are you counting down the days to Christmas at your house?  With a little baby in the house this year, I wanted something super simple with very little prep work.  So for 2014, a literary advent calendar was the perfect solution!  

 In case you’re unfamiliar with the idea, I took every Christmas book we own and wrapped them.  After years of collecting, we finally have enough for all 25 days!  If you don’t have 25 books, you can always borrow from the library, which is very cost-effective if you remember to return them on time.  

 The goal is to unwrap one book a day.  I labeled each one with a number (using this awesome printable) and recorded the book titles in my planner, but it will be a complete surprise for the kids.  Some days we’ll only read the book; on other days, I want to include a craft or activity.  Our list of “must-do” traditions include gingerbread houses, hot cocoa in their special snowman mugs, making Santa cookies with Poppa, and an after-bedtime drive around the neighborhood to see the lights.  

For record’s sake (and in case anyone is interested in the books we’re reading), this is the list:

1. Merry Christmas, Curious George 
2. Tomie’s Little Christmas Pageant
3. Gingerbread Baby
4. Through the Animals’ Eyes: A Story of the First Christmas
5. The Jolly Christmas Postman
6. Saint Nicholas: A Veggie Christmas Story

7. Pete the Cat Saves Christmas  
8. The Clown of God 
9. Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer 
10. I Spy Christmas: A Book of Picture Riddles 
11. Christmas Cookies: Bite-Size Holiday Lessons 
12. Franklin’s Christmas Gift  

13. Story of Christmas
14. Frosty the Snowman
15. The Night Before Christmas
16. Santa’s Favorite Story: Santa Tells the Story of the First Christmas
17. Santa’s Reindeer 
18. Twelve Days of Christmas

19. Christmas in the Manger
20. The Christmas Angel
21. Madeline’s Christmas
22. Room for a Little One: A Christmas Tale
23. Spot’s First Christmas
24. The Night Before Christmas

25. The Christmas Story

What are your favorite Christmas books?  When I was little, I loved The Jolly Christmas Postman!  

{brave} A Review of November’s Goals


1. Read two books.
I only finished one.  I enjoyed Let’s All Be Brave, but it wasn’t one of those books for me that I quickly devour.  Maybe I wasn’t the target audience?     


2. Complete a “ten on ten” photo challenge. 
Done!  I loved this challenge.  It was fun to document our very ordinary day and I’m anxious to try it again.  Maybe I should make it a monthly goal in 2015.


3. Take 10,000+ steps a day and exercise at least four times a week.
I’m calling this one a half success.  Some weeks, I took at least 10,000 steps, but didn’t get four workouts in.  Other weeks, I did five workouts, but not 10,000 steps!  Either way, I was active throughout the month and I’m proud of that.  17 pounds down, about 20 to go!    

4. Continue with Couch25K.  
I stopped following this plan about halfway through the month.  I’m still running, but not on a specific schedule for now.


5. Invite a family over for a playdate.
Done.  We had another homeschooling family over and it was so nice to chat with the mama while our kids played together.  


6. Bake an apple pie.
I still didn’t get this one completed!  One of these days…


7. Declutter a small area of the house everyday.  
Done.  So good for my mental health as well as preparation for all the new things to come into the house at Christmas.  I plan to continue through December.

8. Announce the new Holiday Collection on the Big White Farmhouse shop.
Done.  The Holiday Collection is live on the site!  We have gorgeous pewter ornaments, fun dish towels and even hand-printed star pillows.  All make wonderful gifts.  We also just got in eco-friendly art supplies for kids…perfect “non-junk” stocking stuffers!


9. Get started on Christmas shopping!
Done!  I’ve gotten a good start on presents for the kids and I’ve started a shopping list for the rest.  Hopefully, I’ll be able to finish up during the first week in December, so I can fully enjoy the rest of Advent.  I firmly believe that gift giving shouldn’t be stressful!


Looking forward to finishing the year strong in December.  How did you do with your monthly goals?


P.S. We’re having a big Black Friday sale at Big White Farmhouse today!  

{BWF} 2014 Holiday Gift Guide from Big White Farmhouse

This is our first Christmas season at Big White Farmhouse and we are SO excited to share our products with you!  Today I wanted to show you a few gift suggestions as well as ideas to package them for gift giving.  It’s helpful to know that when choosing products for the shop, I am really picky.  I steer clear of the junk and try to only pick products that are beautiful and well made.  We hope you love our products as much as we do!       



Our Vanilla Candle is 100% soy wax and has been hand poured into a 13oz. glass tumbler.  Each candle is shipped to you in a burlap bag, making gift giving SO easy!  Attach a tag to the ties and you’re done!  With such a classic scent, this makes a great choice for many people on your list, including teachers, neighbors and co-workers.   

We only have a few left in stock, but our linen aprons make a thoughtful gift for the home cook.  We carry two varieties: the half apron in Oatmeal and the full apron in Brown.  A fun and unexpected idea is to package in a vintage Ball Jar!

Owen Fox is just one in our collection of adorable stuffed animals (We also have Nicholas Bear, Gracie Cat, and Lucy Owl in stock).  Every plush is sent to you in a reusable muslin bag, so you can just attach a gift tag and you’re done!

These pewter coffee scoops are new in the shop and they are fantastic!  Perfect for any coffee lover (or maybe a new mama?), you could attach it with ribbon to your favorite brew.  Each scoop also comes to you in a beautiful kraft-colored gift box, so you have another easy way to package and give.  

Our letterpress recipe box is a great idea when you have a few people who’d like to go in on a gift together.  Made of gorgeous American Maple, the box has a leather loop at the top and fits about 250 recipe cards.  I can imagine it purchased for a new bride, filled with favorite recipes from her family.  In the picture above, I included our Mason Jar recipe cards to help her get started! 

Our seed bombs are a fun choice (and at a great price point!) if you need to buy for many: teachers, co-workers, girlfriends, etc.  We carry three varieties: Salad Greens, Herbs, and Edible Flowers.  While you obviously can wait until spring to plant outside, these also do well when planted indoors during the winter.  A small plastic take out box was the perfect size to package three of them for giving.   


If you just can’t decide on the perfect present, our Gift Certificates are the perfect solution.  We have them in $15, $25, $50 and $100 amounts. 

There are many more great gift ideas in the shop, so be sure to come on over and check us out.  (We just got all-natural eco-dough and crayons and they make great stocking stuffers!)  We would love to have your business this holiday season!
printable gift tags found here

{around here} Week of 11.17.14

Woo boy, is it cold outside!  The flannel sheets are on the beds and cozy blankets are ready next to the couch.  I also made a few new comfort food recipes for dinner and they were hits: Biscuit Pot Pie and Tomato Basil Parmesan Soup with grilled cheese sandwiches.    


TJ turned two months old this week.  I can’t believe it!  Where does the time go?  He is a smiling, cooing, happy boy and such a joy to our family.  We call him our “little turtle” because he has a habit of scrunching his neck and sticking out his tongue.  He loves to be cuddled, has outgrown all of his newborn clothing, and sleeps 4 hour stretches at night.  He is so loved.  


Favorite homeschooling activities:

  • We bought M a volcano kit for his birthday and he has used it often.  I love to watch him become a scientist as he adjusts the ratios between the vinegar and baking soda.  He often asks, “What will happen if…” and I am happy to tell him, “Let’s find out and see!”
  • I swapped out the “required” reading about the water cycle for a Magic School Bus episode I found on Netflix.  The boys couldn’t believe their luck: watching TV for school?!  
  • It was J week in Kindergarten.  I was brave and took out the paints so all four could make jellyfish.  BIG hit.

We wrapped up our Pajama Drive and they are headed to Northern Virginia Family Services.  To everyone who donated, thank you SO much!  Because of you, many children in my community will be warm this winter.  We are so grateful for your help and support. 

Plans for the weekend: M and Mark are running in a Turkey Trot and we are all coming to cheer them on!
Hope you have a great weekend too.

Amazon Disclosure Policy

The Big White Farmhouse is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to Amazon.com.

Archives

Copyright © 2025 The Big White Farmhouse · Theme by 17th Avenue