The Big White Farmhouse

intentional living, little by little

{30 days of pinspiration} Day 9: Home Cold Remedies

All of us here at the Big White Farmhouse are battling a nasty cold.  I’m almost positive that my husband brought it home from work and it has quickly traveled from child to child to me.  From the looks of my Facebook and Instagram feeds, it looks like we’re not alone.  This winter has been rough! 

I’m on a mission to get my family healthy and stay that way, so I went to my Pinterest boards for ideas and inspiration.  Here are a few things I’ve got on my to-do list:

Make chicken noodle soup.  Perfect for cold weather and sick bellies.  This recipe looks quick and easy if you have all the ingredients on hand.  This chicken noodle soup recipe can be made in the slow cooker!

Buy more hand sanitizer and soap for every sink.  Time to review our hand-washing habits! 

Stay hydrated.  Drink lots and lots of water.  Tea with honey is also a good choice.

Boost our immune systems.  Get lots of rest.  Eat fruits and vegetables.  Remove as much stress in our lives as possible.

 
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Many of these ideas were taken from R29’s Ultimate Cold and Flu Survival Guide.  What would you add to my list?

{30 days of pinspiration} Day 8: The Beginning of my Home Office

Our home has a small room that is generally used as a formal sitting area.  But with four kids (and three of those being rambunctious boys), there’s nothing “formal” about this house!  So instead, we decided to designate this space as a home office for me.  I am so, so excited!


The requirements for this space were:

  1. A desk for scrapbooking, computer work, etc.
  2. Bookshelves of some sort
  3. Storage!  Kids toys, scrapbooking supplies, and other crafty odds and ends all need a place.

I already had the desk, but needed something that worked for numbers 2 and 3.  After a lot of research, I went with the Ikea Expedit mostly because it was inexpensive, but had plenty of room. I also liked that I could fit baskets along the bottom to corral a bunch of the kids’ toys. Functional and attractive…my favorite combination!

Here is the room so far:


Good thing I like to keep it real.  I still have so much work to do!  Each little section needs simplifying (I just threw a bunch of things in there and have yet to tweak them) and I need a lot of organization.  After a lot of Pinterest perusing, these images really caught my eye:

 


And since I love a list, here’s a bulleted version of what’s left to do in this room:

  • Paint the room to match the rest of the first floor
  • Find something to put up on top of the bookcase (maybe start a vintage globe collection?)
  • Purchase a longer curtain rod and install
  • Hang up window treatments
  • Find an interesting floor lamp for the corner
  • Get a rug to anchor the desk
  • Purchase accessories and storage items to corral scrapbook supplies and odds & ends
  • Clear the clutter!
  • Purchase or DIY a bigger brainstorming bulletin board

{30 days of pinspiration} Day 7: A Balloon Birthday Box

We have a sweet little friend in Texas who is turning six at the end of the month.  Since we can’t be there in person to celebrate, I’m always trying to come up with fun ways to ship her gifts.  This year, I tried this out:

 
 


Now, prepare yourselves because my version borders on a Pinterest fail…

So pathetic, but I think she’ll still have fun.  Laugh along with me, okay?  Other things to note:

  • I had one more pink balloon to add, but I photographed the above so you could see the gifts beneath. 
  • I had the hardest time finding balloons and finally settled on a pastel set from Target.  Unfortunately, there was some sort of sheen on them, so the washi tape didn’t stick well.  They also made this weird pointed shape…next time, I need to find smaller balloons!
  • I added a note and pin to the yellow chevron pocket and taped it to the side of the box.
  • I want to try this version of the same idea someday too.

{30 days of pinspiration} Day 6: Scripture Handprints

Confession time: I’ve never been very good at praying consistantly for my kids.  I’ve tried different methods for incorporating specific prayer time into my day, but nothing has ever stuck for more than a few months.  2013 will be different.  This is my year of intention, and I’m determined to do better.  One look at my Pinterest boards and I found just the thing:

 
I used this chart of “31 Biblical Virtues to Pray for your Children” to pick verses for each of my children.  Instead of four different squares like above, I decided to make one bookmark to keep in my Bible.  It was hard, but I let go of my Type-A “must have pretty paper” craziness and just went with cardstock we had handy.  A little embellishment and now I have a tangible reminder to pray for these precious kids of mine.
  

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