The Big White Farmhouse

intentional living, little by little

{giving} “Clean-Out for Quilts” with Haiti by Hand

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This week’s decluttering took me to my embarrassingly huge fabric stash.  With my three little guys running around, I just don’t have the time to sew and quilt like I’d like.  As time goes on, my tastes in fabric change and I’m left with things that cause me stress instead of pleasure.  And that just won’t do, right?
A quick search through Pinterest led me to Haiti by Hand and their current project: “Clean Out for Quilts“.  They are collecting fabric so women in their community can sew items for Haitian women and children.  A perfect match and great motivation to really critique my stash.  I went through every last piece of yardage I owned and worked quickly.  If I couldn’t immediately see a quilt or clothing made from a fabric, it was gone.  If it was beautiful, but likely I would never use it: gone. 
The result was a filled-to-the-brim Flat Rate box full of fabric and a much more managable fabric stash.  A win/win for everybody!  If interested, you can find more information here.

{home} Home Goals 2012

Do you read the Nester?  Today she’s talking about home goals for the new year and I thought I would play along.  Here are a few of the things we hope to accomplish in 2012:



 1. Finish up the living room.

Our living room is one of the first rooms you see when you walk in our home.  My goal is for this room to yell, “Welcome!  We’re so glad you’re here.  Come sit and visit for awhile.”  Does that make sense?  I think I can accomplish that really inexpensively with a few fun accessories: pillows, a few frames with pictures of the boys, fresh flowers…that sort of thing.  I also have an empty wall that needs a little something…I’ve had my eye on this sign. 

Guess it’s time to check back in on my to-do list from last summer…gotta love blogging for keeping all of your ideas catalogued and ready to retreive!

2. Update a few things in the kitchen.
We have slowly been working on our kitchen.  SLOWLY.  So far, we’ve changed out the appliances and countertops and added a butcher block island.  This year, I hope to paint the walls, replace the lighting (goodbye brass!), and decide whether or not I want to paint our cabinets white.  An inspiration picture:

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3. Plant a little container garden on the back deck.
Last year, we tried this and came up with black thumbs!  Within weeks, our poor plants had fried in the hot sun!  This year, we are determined to redeem ourselves. 
An inspiration picture:



4. Declutter and organize.
I’ve got my action plan in place and have already filled two bags for Goodwill.  Read this post if you’re feeling overwhelmed by all of the kids’ toys.  I literally read her post, closed the laptop and spent the next hour working through the toys in our living room.  A lot of work, but so worth it. 

More importantly than the physical improvements, my biggest goal for 2012 is to create a fun and yet peaceful home for my husband and children.  I want my home to feel warm and inviting for the guests that come through that front door.  And if that’s all I accomplish, I’ll consider this year a success!

Check out the Nester’s link-up for more inspiring home goals!

{book review} Kisses from Katie


Book #1 of my 2012 Reading List: Kisses from Katie by Katie Davis

This book is so hard to describe.  It is wonderful and joyful, inspiring and yet so heart-breaking, passionate and sad….so many conflicting emotions all wrapped up into one book!

If you’ve read Katie’s blog, you’ll know how easy it is to fall in love with her.  Her enthusiasm and passion for the people of Uganda is contagious.  Her book is much the same.  So much food for thought!  Here are a few passages that really resonated with me:

“Jesus called His followers to be a lot of things, but I have yet to find where He warned us to be safe.  We are not called to be safe, we are simply promised that when we are in danger, God is right there with us.  And there is no better place to be than in His hands.” –page XX

“I see thousands of deep brown eyes and feel thousands of little brown hands and I know that even on the hardest day, stopping is worth it.  A life changed is worth it, even if only one.  God’s love made known is worth it, even if only to one.  I will not save them all.  But I will keep trying.  I will say “Yes”.  I will stop for one. –page 205

“Help me to hurt, not just a little, but the way you hurt when your children are overlooked and perishing. Help me to never be too busy or too comfortable to remember the people who suffer. Help me to never stop desiring to do something about it. Lord, help us to remember that as the body of Christ, this is our responsibility. Thank you for loving us, even when we forget. I never, never want to forget again.” –page 224

You can read her blog here.  You can support her non-profit organization, Amazima Ministries, here.

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Ever heard of Brooke Fraser?  This song replayed in my head most of the time I was reading this book.

{in the kitchen} Overnight French Toast Casserole

Ready for a long-winded background story about a recipe?  Here we go!  First off, you need to know two things:
1. I just finished reading my first book of 2012, Kisses from Katie.  (I’ll have my review of the book up tomorrow.)
2. I hate wasting food.  And after reading all about the little ones Katie cares for on a daily basis, I am even more committed! 

So I was in quite the predicament when I had three-quarters of an uneaten loaf of homemade bread the other day.  My kids love bread straight from the bread machine, but the next day….well, not so much.  I was determined not to waste (and not have to eat it by myself!) so I put on my thinking cap (aka Google) and found an awesome recipe I just had to share!

I put the recipe together in the afternoon with the intention of serving it for breakfast the next day, but quickly turned it into a “breakfast for dinner” meal.  It only sat in the fridge a few hours, but was still delicious.  I imagine it only gets better if it sits overnight!  Enjoy.

{recipe and picture found here}

4 Tablespoons butter, melted
3/4 cup packed light brown sugar
1 loaf brioche or challah (I used regular white bread and it was still good)
8 eggs, slightly beaten
1 cup whole milk
1 Tablespoon vanilla extract
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ground ginger (optional – I didn’t have any and it still tasted great!)
1/2 cup pecans, measured then chopped (also optional – we have many non-nut eaters in our house)
1/8 teaspoon salt
maple syrup and/or powdered sugar for topping

In a small bowl, combine brown sugar and melted butter and pour on the bottom of a 9×13″ baking dish.  Arrange slices of bread in the baking dish, overlapping if necessary.  Combine milk, eggs, vanilla, salt, cinnamon, and ginger in a bowl and pour evenly over bread slices. If desired, sprinkle chopped pecans over bread slices. Wrap tightly with plastic wrap and place in the refrigerator for 4-12 hours. In the morning, take the casserole out of the fridge for at least 10 minutes while you are preheating your oven to 350 degrees. Bake casserole for 30-35 minutes. If top starts browning too quickly place a foil loosely over the top of the casserole for the last 10 minutes or so. You want it to cook long enough to make sure the bottom part is cooked but don’t dry it out completely. Remove casserole from oven and let it cool slightly before serving. Serve with a dusting of powdered sugar and a drizzle of maple syrup.

Less Materialism, More Intentional Living

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