The Big White Farmhouse

Can you believe we’re halfway through August already?  This summer has been wonderful in so many ways, but I’m anxious for what fall has to offer too.  I keep reminding myself to take it one day at a time and enjoy every day to the fullest (sometimes easier said than done!).  Here’s a snapshot of what we’ve been up to this week:


We’ve been easing into homeschooling for a few weeks now and it’s been going better than I could have imagined.  The boys love it!  We’re starting to fall into a routine, while at the same time, being really flexible…I’m sure that doesn’t make any sense, but it’s been the perfect practice for when the new baby arrives.  Our favorite activities this week: making rainbows and robots with the little boys (and Sophie too!) and starting our study of ancient history with M by making a loom just like early settlers.     


Mark and I have both had long, exhausting days, so we had a little at-home date one night after the kids went to bed.  It’s so good to talk together, catch up about our day and laugh.  Oh, laughter.  The best balm for this tired mamma’s soul.  


A few updates at the halfway point for my August goals:

• I found a cross-stitch project from my stash and have been faithfully working on a few stitches everyday.  It’s a simple project with only two colors, so I’m not sure why I ever put it down!  Pictures to come next week.
• Surprise package “just because” to a friend who needed some sunshine: check!
• We’re one step closer to preparing Big White Farmhouse for Christmas with the addition of Gift Certificates!  I love that it’s a physical product vs. an e-mail (just personal preference) and that it will be filled out by hand.  Another little detail where we hope to keep our store personal. (And little side note if you’re interested: gift certificates will always ship for free, either to you or directly to your recipient.  We’re working out a few kinks on the website, so for now, if you enter “GCFREESHIP” at checkout, it will cancel out the default shipping charges.  Sorry for the inconvenience!)  
• Almost done with my walking challenge!  Just a few more days to go, but I think this has become a habit I’ll continue daily.
• Make a designated prayer request book: check!
• I’m in the middle of reading Another Man’s War: The True Story of One Man’s Battle to Save Children in the Sudan.  It’s hard to read about horrible things that happen in our fallen world, but I also don’t want to keep my head in the sand.  
• Some progress on the baby checklist: the car seat has been purchased and a freezer meal plan has begun.  I hope to get a few meals assembled this weekend!

TGIF!  We’ve had a rough week with a lot of sibling bickering, but some weeks are just like that, right?  We all survived and hopefully with a little extra sleep this weekend, they’ll be back to their happy selves.  I can hope!  A few other highlights from the week:
  
I’ve mentioned them before on Instagram, but I need to sing praises for Art for Kids on the blog too.  This is an amazing (free!) resource for art-loving kids like mine.  The videos are educational, easy to follow and my boys look forward to every video that is posted.  I highly recommend.      
  
Another fun resource if you have Lego-loving kids at home: Create Your Own Lego Minifigures.  I’ve been printing these out by the dozens and the boys have been creating lots of different superheroes.    

As for me, with just seven weeks to go, I’ve started my “new baby checklist” and freezer meals are high on the list.  I overlooked this step when Sophia was born and because of it, we ate way too much takeout.  Not good for the wallet or my (hopefully!) shrinking midsection.  My plan this time around is to knock out a few meals every paycheck until his due date.  So far, I’ve found a few pasta-type dishes, like this one for Cheesy Mexican Stuffed Shells, but I’m hoping to round it out with something less carb-filled.  Any ideas?  Let me know your favorites!  


Exciting news over at the BWF shop: we just launched the beginnings of a new section of the store, The Children’s Room!  Right now, we are starting with five different varieties of adorable plush animal dolls (so hard to choose, but I think my favorite is Lucy Owl), but we hope to expand the line soon.  I’m imagining wooden teethers and toys, felt dress-up items and more.  We are committed to finding the types of items that are so well made, they are sure to last for generations to come.  It’s definitely counter-cultural to the “Buy as much as you can for as cheap as possible!” mentality, but it’s one that I feel is important.  Look for a better blog post on the subject soon!  


One more thing: I came across this article on Facebook and I’ve been thinking about it all week: What I Learned After Taking a Homeless Mother Grocery Shopping.  It’s such a complicated issue, but the whole thing just makes me so sad.  I’m praying for inspiration for ways to help mammas in my own community.  In this situation, Mother Teresa’s quote comes to mind: 
“Never worry about numbers. Help one person at a time and always start with the person nearest you.”


Have a great weekend, friends!

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!