The Big White Farmhouse | intentional living, little by little

March 5, 2013

{chit chat} If You Came Over for Coffee…

It’s been awhile since we’ve caught up! If you lived nearby, I’d invite you over for coffee, but I have tea if you like that better. My kids would be excited for visitors and they’d want to show you everything: their latest Lego creation, their rooms, even the crazy spin move they’ve made up. We won’t be able to get a word in, so I’ll pop some popcorn and declare it “Movie Time” so they’ll quiet down. The latest favorite around here is Alvin and the Chipmunks.

We’ll sit down at my dining room table with a baby on my lap…or on yours if you want to hold her. She’s awful smiley lately; maybe she’ll coo for you too. I’ll have a plate of homemade chocolate chip cookies on the table because you’re special. Feel free to eat two or three…you’re in good company. 🙂

I’ll tell you all about my crazy home improvement ideas and my decorating ADD. I can’t seem to stay in any one room for long. I’ll quickly bring you into the laundry room and show you the progress. I’ve got big plans including installing new cabinetry and tiling the floor. I’ve also got plans for the living room, so you’ll hear all about that too.

The doorbell will ring and my latest monthly bundles from Honest Company will be on the step. Oh, how I love this service! I’ll open up the boxes to show you all the products. We get both the diaper and the cleaning product bundles. So far, I’ve been pleased with everything but the dishwasher gel (it didn’t get my pots and pans as clean as I would like). The diapers are adorable, we have had minimal leaks (HUGE!) and I’m happy to find a natural option that’s pretty affordable.

We’ll talk about plans for the month of March. I’m hoping to cross a few items off of my 30 Before 30 list. I’m thinking a trip to the library is finally in order and I really want to plant a succulent for the living room. I’ll also tell you about my upcoming trip to Maine, just me and my Little Miss. I’m nervous about flying alone, but the excitement far outweighs the fear. 2013 is the year to take risks, conquer fear and make things happen. That’s what I keep telling myself anyway!

Then I’ll realize I’m rambling and haven’t heard from you! So tell me, how are YOU? What’s new in your world?

March 4, 2013

{intention 2013} March’s Goals

March will be about…

GROWING IN FAITH. Trying to stay on track in my daily Bible/Catechism reading. Re-learning the why’s for what we believe.
QUIET. No TV and less Internet. Knowing when to shut off the media devices. Embracing the quiet in hopes of more prayer time and inspiration.
ENCOURAGEMENT. So excited to serve other Mammas in the Penpal Project. (P.S. Have you signed up yet? I’d love to send you something!)

February 28, 2013

{friendship} The Penpal Project

**THANK YOU TO EVERYONE WHO PARTICIPATED IN THE PENPAL PROJECT! THE RESPONSE WAS OVERWHELMING AND I FEEL HONORED TO HAVE MET SO MANY AMAZING MAMMAS. STAY TUNED FOR A NEW ADDITION TO THE PROJECT SOON!**

My favorite part of the day is going out to the mailbox. More often than not, I usually find bills and junk mail…but every once in a while, I’ll find a letter or a package addressed to me. I try to play it cool while I casually walk back to the house, but once I’ve closed the door, I’m opening up that baby like it’s Christmas morning.

It seems a little silly, but the idea that someone would take the time to send ME a little something…well, it’s powerful. When you’re a Mamma in the trenches of motherhood, the days are long. You are constantly giving of yourself: changing diapers, making meals, cleaning up, playing games, etc etc etc. So that surprise in the mailbox, with words written just for me, encourages me in ways I really cannot express.

I want others to feel that encouragement too.

I’ve been brainstorming ways to use this little blog of mine in powerful ways for months now. A lot of praying for inspiration has occurred. And then I read Anna’s post: Encourage Beauty and the pieces began to fall into place.

I want to encourage you, Mammas. I want you to know that your vocation is important, that you are beautiful, and that you are a valuable part of this community of mothers. So in my small way, inspired by Encourage Beauty, I introduce a new project here at the Big White Farmhouse: The Penpal Project!

Here’s the idea: You sign up with the form below. I will go down the list, one at a time, and send each Mamma a little something to find in your mailbox. Maybe it’s your favorite candy, a pack of sticky notes, or a pair of cute earrings. Depending on the response, this could take me days or it could take me months! I’m adding a “Penpal Project” category to our monthly budget, so I’ll send as many as the money allows. This is a no strings attached project…my hope is that you come away knowing you are valued and you are encouraged in your role as a Mamma. If you’d like to send a letter back my way, even better! You know I love mail 🙂

We are in this together, Mammas!

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And just for clarification, please know that your information is safe with me and won’t be shared with anyone else! Hope to hear from you soon.

February 28, 2013

{12 Months of Kindness} February: Food Bank Donations

For February’s Kindness, we purchased food for the local food pantry. (More info about the 12 Months of Kindness can be found in this post.) Our church has a big collection bin, so we’ll be dropping our donation off on Sunday.

Going into this, I was very conflicted. My little family has been making drastic changes in the way we eat. Very little processed food, lots of fruits and veggies, etc etc. So when I thought about our possible donations, I didn’t want to buy…well, crap. I feel like everyone should eat the most nutritious food available, even in financial difficulty. So that was my thought process when we went to the grocery store.

The pictures above show what we accumulated to donate throughout the entire month. Each week, we allocated a certain amount for donations, sometimes just $5. I tried to find things that had nutritional value and would be filling. Sometimes we found a sale, which was awesome!

Last weekend, we let the boys pick out a few items to donate. We’ve talked to them about how fortunate we are that our daddy has a great job, but some families are going through a rough time and they need help with their groceries. They totally get it. They also know that we are going to drop them off at the church and then Father (not sure if that’s true, but we’ll just let them think that!) will bring it to the food pantry to give to the families.

For memory keeping’s sake, I want to add that the boys specifically picked out the mac and cheese and the pasta, two items they love.

One last note: the most expensive item we purchased was the Sunbutter. However, after reading this post, I knew it was something we needed to do.

I guess the point of this post is to show that everybody can give back! Buy a can of beans for you and a can to donate. Buy three, get one free? Put the free one in the donation pile. Little actions really add up.

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