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The Big White Farmhouse

intentional living, little by little

January 8, 2024

No.793: Last Week at the Farmhouse // The Beauty of Hope

“The Storm on the Sea of Galilee” by Rembrandt (1633)

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

There’s something about the beginning of a new year that steers us toward the virtue of hope, don’t you think?  New calendars, fresh resolutions, and a garden resting before an abundant growing season all lend themselves to this feeling of infinite possibility.  Sadly, many of us also quickly fall to despair as sickness, long forgotten goals and just the drudgery of everyday life appear.  Life is messy – the world is messy! – and things quickly don’t go to plan.

This reminds me of one of my favorite stories in the Bible, a short little passage from the Gospel of Matthew:

He got into a boat and his disciples followed him.  Suddenly a violent storm came up on the sea, so that the boat was being swamped by waves; but he was asleep.  They came and woke him, saying, “Lord, save us!  We are perishing!”  He said to them, “Why are you terrified, O you of little faith?”  Then he got up, rebuked the winds and the sea, and there was great calm.  The men were amazed and said, “What sort of man is this, whom even the winds and the sea obey?” – Matthew 8:23-27

I read this passage over and over because oh man!  I am the disciple in that boat, sloshing around and unable to get my bearings.  I’m focused on the storm and those waves hitting one after another.  I’m coming up with Plans A, B & C…and forgetting about the One who is in the storm with me.  Thankfully, His one simple answer rights me back to center, “Why are you afraid?”  And once again, I’m rooted in the hope that Our Lord has overcome all things and His love conquers all darkness and despair.  Where hope leads, peace follows, even in the midst of the storm.

Pope St. John Paul II once implored, “I plead with you. Never ever give up on hope. Never doubt, never tire, and never be discouraged. Be not afraid! There is no evil to be faced that Christ does not face with us. There is no enemy that Christ has not already conquered. There is no cross to bear that Christ has not already carried for us and does not bear with us now. Be not afraid!”  What a statement.  May I never forget the beauty of hope.

Hoping to document the abundance around me all year long!

Around here, abundance looks like…

+ keeping most of the decorations up until Epiphany.  We fully embraced Christmastide this year!

+ a new way to budget using this printable from The Busy Budgeter.  My husband and I changed the top categories to better fit our needs and are excited to see if we can “game-ify” our expenditures.  Really hoping to find a few extra pennies to put toward our financial goals.

+ jumping in with the Three Rivers Homestead pantry challenge.  I watched the video on 12/30 (so very little prep time before starting on 1/1!) but I’m going to do my best regardless.  My goal is to eat down our chicken freezer as well as a lot of the produce I preserved this summer.  We’ll buy dairy products and fresh fruit at the store, but will try to make do with what we have in the pantry.

+ unsubscribing from many promotional emails.  Less inbox clutter and more peace in staying the frugal course.

+ writing thank-you notes with greeting cards I already owned.  (They were unsold inventory from the BWF Shop days!)  I still love the illustrations and am happy to finally have a reason to get them out of my house.

+ using old Advent candles for some angelic light while I wash dishes.

+ constructing a little junk journal for January.  I used Christmas money to buy a few scrapbook papers and the rest of the materials were things I already had at home.  Can’t wait to fill it with memories this month.

+ selling nine unneeded items: three wall hooks, four books, a boys dress shirt and a small jewelry dish.  After shipping and fees, I made $66.33!

Reading //

  • Planting Our Flag in the Real World: Parents Take the Postman Pledge from Front Porch Republic // One group’s endeavor to pull back on the lure of technology.  Where we’re not at the point where we want to remove all smartphones from our home, I did like that the pledge mentions the action is “an attempt to recover goods that can be so easily ignored, forgotten, or lost.”  Beautiful and doable even with a more moderate approach.  Good advice from the interview:

Q: How can we work against the grain of our culture and many of our communities on this issue, without adding to the clamor and division?
A: I think that the answer to this is rather simple. Be hospitable. Precisely because your family is working on habits of attention and presence, exercise them by welcoming people into your home. Do real things together. Celebrate. Take delight in the world—together. Don’t feel compelled to broadcast your views about the dangers of technology. Let your life speak, but be prepared to give an account of why you’re living the way you are. And do all of this in a spirit of humility—knowing that we are all susceptible to the pull of the screen and a myriad of distractions—and do it with gratitude for the good world we have been given by a God who is goodness and love itself.

  • Reflecting upon the quiet heroism of winter mornings from Aleteia // “All around me, if I stop to pay attention, I notice my family, friends, and neighbors making daily sacrifices, great and small, for the sake of those they love.”
  • two new-to-me reference books for the homesteading shelf: The Doable Off-Grid Homestead and Just in Case: How to Be Self-Sufficient When the Unexpected Happens

Watching/Listening //

  • Are Smartphones Making Us Modern Gnostics? from The Commonplace // Very thought provoking.
  • Floriani Sacred Music Chant School // Starting at lesson one – I learned how to chant Ave Maris Stella!

Loving //

  • my 2023 favorite Christmas carol, Adeste Fideles, in all its forms!
  • my new piano book
  • a new notebook to be used as a commonplace/note-taking book for my 2024 Mother Academia work (I’m also using these circle stickers to differentiate what quotes come from where)

January 3, 2024

No.792: My Mother Academia Plans for Winter/Spring 2024

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

I recently watched a Youtube video called “Pursuing the Intellectual Life Outside of Academia (as a mom)” from Autumn at The Commonplace and woo!  It spoke to me.  If you’ve been here for any length of time, you know that I have eclectic taste in books.  It was pretty difficult to whittle down my interests into four themes, but I persevered!  For my “Spring Semester,” I picked American history (continuing on from last year), Catholic studies, Latin, and Economics.

2024 could be a pivotal year in countless ways and I want to expand my knowledge to better understand current events.  The United States is a constitutional republic – why does that matter and do current events reflect that or deter away from it?  The Catholic Church is riddled with confusion and infighting – what do we believe and how has the Church dealt with similar issues in the past?  The US government is trillions of dollars in debt and inflation is a problem – what does that mean for our children in the future and what actions can we take today?  And Latin, the building block of so many words and the traditional language of my beloved Church – I want to learn it!

A couple details: my goal is to try to commit 30 minutes a day to this endeavor.  Hopefully, it will be in the early morning before my kids wake up, but I could also fit it in sometime after lunch.  My TBR is miles long, but I’m trying to prioritize books that I already own before buying new ones.  (That may explain the randomness of my booklist below.)  I even made a weekly reading schedule to keep me on task:


My Weekly Reading Schedule
with a little religious reading each morning

SUN: off
MON: American history
TUES: Economics
WED: Latin
THUR: Catholic Studies
FRI: Misc. Non-fiction (memoirs, books that don’t fit, etc)
SAT: free choice


So excited to see where this takes me in the new year.

MY MOTHER ACADEMIA SYLLABUS FOR 2024
  1. American History
    1. Land of Hope: An Invitation to the Great American Story by Wilfred M. McClay
    2. The Federalist Papers by James Madison, Alexander Hamilton & John Jay
    3. Benjamin Franklin by Walter Isaacson
    4. Destiny of the Republic: A Tale of Madness, Medicine and the Murder of a President by Candice Millard
    5. Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass
    6. The Forgotten Man: A New History of the Great Depression by Amity Shlaes
  2. Catholic Studies
    1. Catechism of Saint Pius X (I’m already more than halfway through and just need to finish)
    2. Credo: Compendium of the Catholic Faith by Bishop Athanasius Schneider
    3. Bearing False Witness: Debunking Centuries of Anti-Catholic History by Rodney Stark
    4. Vatican II: The Essential Texts edited by Norman Tanner
    5. Bad Shepherds: The Dark Years in Which the Faithful Thrived While Bishops Did the Devil’s Work by Rod Bennett
    6. 1917: Red Banners, White Mantle by Warren H. Carroll
  3. Latin Language
    1. Latin by the Natural Method, First Year by William G. Most, PhD
  4. Economics
    1. A Capitalist Manifesto: Understanding The Market Economy And Defending Liberty by Gary Wolfram
    2. Gold: The Race for the World’s Most Seductive Metal by Matthew Hart

January 1, 2024

No.791: January Little Things Bingo

Happy New Year!  My intention for January is to rest up before the craziness of another farming season begins, but I don’t want to waste this time either.  So I’m trying something different: a little things bingo board!  Included on the board are 24 free or inexpensive tasks that will hopefully bring me joy, peace and/or a boost of creativity.  We’ll see how many I can check off the list.  If you need a little something to get you through this month, feel free to play along too!

The tasks are:

  • Go for a 20 minute walk outside. // Grab that warm coat and cozy hat and gloves!  Breathe deep in the cold air, get the blood flowing and intentionally seek out the winter beauty around you.
  • Send someone some snail mail. // Everyone loves to find a surprise in their mailbox.
  • Watch the sunrise. // This can be such a peaceful start to the day.
  • Try a new warm drink. // A few ideas: the classic hot toddy, spiced hot cocoa, or cinnamon milk.
  • Buy some flowers. // There aren’t a ton of options in the middle of winter, but worth the search.
  • Go to bed early. // Bedtime at 9pm or even earlier? Yes please!
  • Make something new for dinner. // Time to scour Pinterest or the cookbooks for something delicious.
  • Stretch. // Regular stretching is so important for flexibility, good posture, stress relief, even blood flow to muscles and joints.  This is a good time to start a new habit.
  • Play a card game. // Our family favorite is Queen of Spades, but the kids received a ton of new games that I can’t wait to try.
  • Print out some photos. // So many photos taken that never leave my camera or phone!
  • Declutter ten items. // Hopefully ten items will quickly snowball into a cleaner, calmer space.
  • Ask for help. //  So hard.  So necessary.
  • Complete a puzzle. // The quintessential winter activity!
  • Start a vitamin routine. // Pick the non-negotiables and take them every single morning.
  • Take a technology break. // Another good habit to start.
  • Do something creative. // This is vague on purpose so I can choose whatever seems to be calling me!  Cross-stitch, sewing, junk journaling, bread baking…lots of options.
  • Read a cozy mystery. // I’d like to get to the next book in the No.1 Ladies’ Detective Agency series and/or start The Unexpected Mrs. Pollifax series.
  • Send a thank-you card. // This is the perfect time to say thank you for all of those generous Christmas gifts.
  • Listen to classical music. // This collection of wintery pieces will easily be on repeat this month.
  • Watch a wintery movie. // This post has some good ideas.  Little Women or The Lion, The Witch and the Wardrobe may be my favorites.
  • Order new pajamas. // ‘Tis the season for flannel pajamas!
  • Make a new soup. // Some ideas: sausage tortellini soup, creamy chicken and corn chowder, or philly cheesesteak stew.
  • Get a haircut. // This is the most expensive task on the list, but maybe even a DIY trim at home could count.
  • Eat by candlelight. // Maybe for an at-home date night?

DOWNLOAD YOUR OWN BINGO BOARD HERE!

December 29, 2023

No.790: What I Read in December 2023

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

#87. MAGPIE MURDERS by Anthony Horowitz // ★★★★☆
(amazon // bookshop // better world books)

First line: “A bottle of wine.”

Anthony Horowitz’s writing comes highly recommended, so when I found a like new hardcover copy for $2(!) at the used bookstore, I couldn’t resist.  This is a book-within-a-book mystery, a technique that I found both unique and frustrating, ha!  All in all, I enjoyed it and will mostly likely continue with some of Horowitz’s back list.  3.5 stars, rounded up.

#88. LIGHT CHANGES EVERYTHING by Nancy E. Turner // ★★★★☆
(amazon // bookshop // better world books)

First line: “I blame the beginning of the whole thing on Jane Austen.”

One of my absolute favorite books is Turner’s These Is My Words and this continues that world with a story narrated by Sarah Prine’s niece.  It was good, but not nearly as good as the first book.  There were a lot of plot lines to follow and some more believable than others.  3.5 stars, rounded up.

#89. AMONG THE SHADOWS by Bruce Robert Coffin // ★★★★☆
(amazon // bookshop // better world books)

First line: “The bitter stench of urine and impending death permeated the small dingy bedroom.”

I picked this up solely based on the place – it’s a police procedural located in Portland, Maine – and I was so happy to discover that it was actually really good!  A little gritty, but well written with a satisfying ending that I did not predict.

#90. THE MANY LIVES OF MAMA LOVE: A MEMOIR OF LYING, STEALING, WRITING AND HEALING by Lara Love Hardin // ★★★☆☆
(amazon // bookshop)

First line: “Reading was my first addiction.”

From the description: “New York Times bestselling author Lara Love Hardin recounts her slide from soccer mom to opioid addict to jailhouse shot-caller and her unlikely comeback as a highly successful ghostwriter in this harrowing, hilarious, no-holds-barred memoir.”  Reviewing a memoir is always so tricky.  The beginning chapters of this book were really interesting, but I wanted more.  More back story, more introspection.  Our poor choices are rarely made in a bubble and I was hoping to read about the steps made to reach the bottom and then how she got back up.  There seemed to be little of the first.  I did appreciate the peek into the criminal justice system – lots of things to ponder there.  3.5 stars.  (And thank you to Netgalley for the opportunity to read this book!  The Many Lives of Mama Love was released in August 2023!)

#91. COME, LORD JESUS: MEDITATIONS ON THE ART OF WAITING by Mother Mary Francis, PCC // ★★★★★
(amazon)

First line: “I am quite confident all of us have a deep sense of expectation, joy, and wonderment that Advent is about to begin.”

Advent reading for the fourth time!  Still so, so good.

#92. FALLING by T.J. Newman // ★★★★☆
(amazon // bookshop // better world books)

First line: “When the shoe dropped into her lap the foot was still in it.”

A fast, engaging read for my last book of the year.  T.J. Newman explores the question: “If you were a pilot, would you rather crash the commercial plane you’re flying or have your kidnapped family be murdered?”  Like most thrillers, you have to suspend your disbelief a bit, but I still found it enjoyable.


MY UNREAD SHELF PROJECT

Unread Books as of January 1, 2023: 207
Books Finished in December: 6
Finished Books Donated/Sold in December: 0
Books Added: +5
Unread Books Remaining: 204


2023 READING IN REVIEW

Total books read: 92
Fiction: 45 // Non-Fiction: 22 // Religious: 8
Rereads or borrowed: 2
Homeschool readalouds: 5
Netgalley: 10
Total pages read: 27,358
Total books read from my TBR: 75
Total books purchased: 70

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