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The Big White Farmhouse

intentional living, little by little

July 29, 2014

{around here} Catching Up

Well hello there, dusty old blog!  After months away, I’ve started to miss this little diary of sorts.  I can’t guarantee that I’ll continue to blog with any consistency, but we’ll see.  I hope to drop by when inspiration hits.  Here’s a little update on life at the Big White Farmhouse:

I am almost 32 weeks pregnant and getting more anxious everyday to meet this little guy.  The pregnancy has flown by and I have been so fortunate to have very little to complain about.  Life has been happening at full speed and I’ve been lucky to be able to keep up!  Hopefully the last 8 weeks will pass as quickly as the previous 32.   

I’ve been super lax in my exercise this spring and summer, but have started a personal challenge that has finally gotten me out of my rut!  One of my “100 Little Things in 2014” goals was to run/walk at least a mile a day for 30 days.  July turned out to be the perfect time for me to check this off the list.  I started mid-month, so I’m only about halfway through the goal, but I can already tell that it’s turning into a habit I look forward to everyday.

In schooling news, we’ve decided to homeschool the big boys for Kindergarten and 2nd grade this year.  There are lots of reasons behind this decision, but ultimately, we think it’s the best thing for our family this year.  (We’re taking it one school year at a time.)  We are primarily using Sonlight but I’m picking and choosing, adding and deleting as we go.  We’re definitely adding lots of art and craft projects…my boys’ favorite!   

A summer staple that we may or may not have made two nights in a row: Blueberry Peach Cobbler.  I found this recipe through Pinterest and it is crazy easy and delicious to boot.  Big family favorite.

On the business front, Big White Farmhouse, the online home decor boutique I started in January with my cousin, is still alive and growing!  We have learned so much the past six months and are anxious to see where the second half of the year takes us!  Currently, I’m spending lots of time researching and ordering new items to fill our shop for the upcoming holidays (crazy retail has you planning months and months ahead of time!).  I love every piece of the process.  Be sure to find us over on Facebook, where we share most of our news as well as flash sales and coupon codes.  


I just finished reading Come Be My Light: The Private Writings of the Saint of Calcutta, which I found really interesting and comforting.  Good thing I purchased the book, because my copy is full of underlining, hearts and asterisks!  So many great nuggets of truth to ponder.  Here’s one quote that I’ve been thinking about today: “Keep giving Jesus to your people not by words but by your example – by your being in love with Jesus – by radiating His holiness and spreading His fragrance everywhere you go.”  



Hope you all are doing well, friends!  I’ve missed you!

May 1, 2014

{brave} May’s Goals

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.  

April 30, 2014

{brave} A Review of April’s Goals

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. 

See you in May!

April 25, 2014

{around here} Week of 4.21.14

This week has included LOTS of work on the new spring line coming to Big White Farmhouse.  I’m on quite the deadline…we are expecting to launch next Friday, May 2!  I’ve been busy taking photos, working on the website and even preparing for a giveaway.  The whole process is time consuming, but so much fun.  I can’t wait to share the new products with you soon!

I’ve got two in soccer this spring, so that equals lots of time at the fields.  I really do enjoy watching them learn and play.  Chasing Sophie around and making sure she stays off the fields? Not so much.  She’s a spitfire.

I made this Bacon, Egg, and Cheese Pull-Apart Casserole for breakfast on Easter Sunday and the kids are already asking for a repeat.  Their other favorite this week has been breakfast burritos, filled with bacon, egg, cheese and guacamole. 

I’m sure you’ve already seen this, but I just showed this video to my husband and he thought it was hilarious.   

See you next week, friends!

P.S. Do you mind helping me out and answering a business question?  What is your favorite way to stay in touch with your favorite businesses, both big and small?  As a newbie business owner, I’m still figuring out where to put the most effort in sharing BWF announcements and information. 

Do you prefer following businesses on Instagram or maybe Facebook?  Staying up to date with their newsletters in your e-mail?  Reading their blogs?  Any other ways you really enjoy?  Thanks in advance! 

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