The Big White Farmhouse

intentional living, little by little

{chit chat} A Monday Morning Chat

Good morning, friends!  I hope you had a fun and relaxing weekend.  Here are a few things we are up to lately:

FOOD…

  • While out running some errands, Mark stopped and got some veggies from a little roadside stand.  That poor man is out there every day in this crazy heat!  I fully recommend shopping at your local roadside market – it feels good to support the farmers and the food is just so good!
  • My husband has been doing a lot of research lately about food and nutrition and has decided to eat “primal”.  From what I gather, that means lots of fruits, veggies and meat and very little starches and carbohydrates.  There is no way that I could fully embrace eating this way (I love to bake too much!) but I’m trying to find recipes that are adaptable for all of us.  I’ve seen this cookbook and I wonder if that may help with some ideas. 

CRAFTY…

  • I am taking a small break from my quilt to work on a new project!  I bought this from the The Floss Box (for $2! What a deal!) and it’s so cute!  I hope to have it finished by the end of the week.  I’m considering making it into a pillow or framing it for my craft room.
  • I spent the majority of this weekend scrapbooking.  Back in March, I took my mom’s boxes full of 20+ years of photographs and promised her a scrapbook in return.  Needless to say, that was months ago and I’m still plugging away!  It has turned out to be a slightly bigger task than I had imagined (HAH! Understatement!) , but I am really enjoying it.     

PRE-K…

  • Our school year will begin in three short weeks!  The first book we are reading is How to Make an Apple Pie and See the World.  I have been searching the Internet for apple activities and recipes.  If you have a great craft or recipe or have seen something cute on a website, please share it with me in the comments! 
  • I want to start incorporating read alouds into our day.  We read picture books at bedtime, but I think the boys are finally old enough that we could start reading a chapter book instead.  I’m thinking of starting with Charlotte’s Web.  Do you have any recommendations? 

Have a great week!

{etsy finds} Personalized Gifts from Elm Studios!

I think it’s safe to say that I love etsy.  LOVE.  I love the variety of products.  I love how inspiring the different artists are.  I love how I can always find something for every person on my birthday/Christmas/anniversary list. 

It’s just recently, though, that I have discovered a new (and maybe the best) reason for shopping on etsy: through my purchases, I am supporting someone who is following their dreams.  I love the idea that I am helping a recent college graduate pay off his student loans.  I love that I am helping a mamma stay home with her kids.  I love supporting that girl who’s taking a leap of faith to produce things she loves.  Etsy makes the relationship between buyer and seller so personal…and for me, I think that is so cool.

So.

On that note, I present to you my latest find: Elm Studios!   


1. Love You Forever Bowl  2. Simply Love Bowl  3. Wish Bowl  4. By the Seashore Bowl  5. Personalized Flower Garden Wall Hanging  6. My Sunshine Bowl 

Elm Studios makes beautiful personalized bowls and wall hangings.  I love the simplicity of the designs – these would be great gifts for so many occasions!  Wouldn’t the Wish Bowl (#3) be so cute at a baby or bridal shower?  You could have the guests write wishes to the new baby or bride and groom, and then they could keep the bowl as a momento.  I love the Seashore Bowl (#4) for the summer.  It would be so darling on an entry table holding your keys and arranged with some other ocean-inspired decor!  And the Love You Forever (#1) bowl?  My favorite.  So so sweet.

Check out Elm Studios here.

{in the kitchen} Chocolate Crinkles

There’s a little bakery in the downtown part of my parent’s town called Eileen’s.  They sell sandwiches and pastries, but my absolute, hands-down favorite are their Chocolate Crinkles.  The not too sweet, powdery goodness….yum.

So needless to say, when I pulled out the good ol’ Betty Crocker cookbook, looking for a recipe for something sweet with the ingredients I had on hand, I was ecstatic to find a Chocolate Crinkles recipe.  And Betty didn’t let me down.  These weren’t Eileen’s, but they were pretty darn close!  Enjoy!

———————————————————–
Chocolate Crinkles (from Betty Crocker)

2 cups sugar
1/2 cup vegetable oil
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
4oz. unsweetened baking chocolate, melted and cooled
4 large eggs
2 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup powdered sugar

Mix sugar, oil, vanilla, and chocolate in a large bowl.  Mix in eggs, one at a time.  Stir in flour, baking powder and salt.  Cover and refrigerate for at least 3 hours. (I only refrigerated for 2 hours and mine turned out fine.)

Heat the oven to 350.  Grease a cookie sheet with cooking spray or shortening. 

Drop the dough (teaspoon-size, but you can totally wing this) into a bowl of powdered sugar; roll around to coat.  Shape into balls.  Bake 9-11 minutes or until almost no indentation remains when touched.  Immediately remove from cookie sheet to wire rack to cool.

{read along} Mitten Strings for God: Play

Mitten Strings for God: Reflections for Mothers in a Hurry
For the rest of my thoughts on this book, you can find them here.
———————————
Play. 

Oh my, did I love this chapter.  Memories of my own carefree childhood came quickly to mind as I read through these pages.  Summertime adventures with my brother and the neighborhood kids.  A special fort made in our swingset.  Riding bikes down the street.  My favorite line: “A day without a schedule is a day of possibilities.” (page 57)

I hope my own children can experience many of the same memories I did growing up.  Lots of games, lots of their imagination come to life.  I want them to look back fondly at their childhood, full of rich experiences. 

Food for thought from this chapter (and one I want to remember as they get older):

“So much of the structure that we impose on our children’s lives is really intended to make our own lives easier.  We don’t want to give up our freedom, and so we fail to grant our children theirs.  As every mother knows, it’s easier to sign up for sports camp than to carve out a week to allow your chilren to follow their own inclinations at home.  But children need time that is utterly their own – time to take up residence in their own lives, time to dream through an afternoon, time to play with the kids next door, time to wake up to their own pleasures.  Above all, they need some time when we adults aren’t calling the shots.” (page 53)

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