The Big White Farmhouse | intentional living, little by little

January 3, 2023

No.719: December in Review & Goals for January 2023

FIVE THINGS I LOVED

slowing down
Christmas music playing on repeat on the record player
the beauty of candles in each window
getting through a bitterly cold snap without losing power
a beautiful and simple Christmas

THREE LESSONS I LEARNED

You’re not supposed to put your wet hair up with an elastic. // I stumbled down a hair care rabbit hole and oops! I do this all the time! I thought scrunchies were a far gone part of my childhood, but I guess I need to get a new supply.
“No idiot, you just add more glitter.” // This blunt comment was under a video about some celebrity who recently left her husband after five years. From what I gather, I guess she went on a podcast and defended her decision because “the glitter” just wore off. I read through tons of comments from people married 20/30/50 years and their advice was so good and so wise. I especially liked that snarky one above.
Little Christmas traditions matter. // Advent seemed to pass at lightning speed this year. And with my husband’s week-long business trip thrown into the middle, we didn’t get to some of the little activities we normally do in December. I was so surprised to hear my kids, especially the older ones, insist on them, even if they weren’t on schedule. So often in motherhood, I wonder if any of these insignificant things matter. Am I trying so hard for nothing? I got a glimpse of the answer this year: those little things make up the fabric of our family, our memories and our shared experiences together. They matter.

FIVE GOALS FOR DECEMBER REVIEWED

✔ ~~Wrap, wrap, wrap!~~ // And a bonus frugal accomplishment: I used leftover paper from last year and ribbons I’ve saved forever.
✔ ~~Mail extended family gifts and cards early in the month.~~ // These were in the mail by the 8th, so not too bad.
Sew up the remaining three cross-stitch pillows for the big boys. // Nope. My patient boys! Definitely need to finish these up in January.
Finish an introductory Javascript coding course. // I didn’t finish, but I did get a good chunk accomplished. Learning Javascript is stretching my brain in brand new ways – I’m getting it slowly, but it’s complicated.
✔ ~~Relax, reflect on the year and brainstorm goals for 2023.~~ // Relaxing was a bit of stretch (lots of things to do!) but I definitely slowed down and tried to enjoy the season. I’m excited for what’s to come in 2023 too.

FIVE GOALS FOR JANUARY

Propagate the fig trees.
Refocus on healthy habits.
Write a least three things in my gratitude journal daily.
Order birthday and different holiday cards for the year.
Make curtains for the kitchen windows.

January 2, 2023

No.718: What I Read in December 2022

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

#68. UNSETTLED GROUND by Claire Fuller // ★★★☆☆
(amazon // bookshop // better world books)

Hmm, this book is difficult to rate. It’s a melancholy, character-driven novel about codependency, poverty, and loss. The story is about a pair of reclusive 51-year-old twins as they struggle to adapt to life after their mother suddenly dies. It explores relationships between family members and buried secrets that get unearthed in time. An interesting concept and I don’t dislike a melancholic book, but this one left me with the question: “What was the point?” (This also counted toward my Reading the Alphabet Challenge.)

#69. THE NERVIEST GIRL IN THE WORLD by Melissa Wiley // ★★★★☆
(amazon // bookshop // better world books)

A read aloud for school. We enjoyed this one more than we expected!

#70. THE MIDNIGHT LINE by Lee Child // ★★★☆☆
(amazon // bookshop // better world books)

Okay this one is a random pick! I first heard about it on another blog and thought I’d try it out. I had no idea it was part of a series and this book in particular is #22! I also didn’t know that there was a movie and TV series based on the main character! (Yes, I live under a rock.) Thankfully, the books seem to stand alone, so I wasn’t too in the dark. A quick read.

#71. VERY VALENTINE by Adriana Trigiani // ★★☆☆☆
(amazon // bookshop // better world books)

I was excited to read about a woman apprenticing and then eventually taking over her grandmother’s shoemaking business, but the execution of this book was not great. If you like gratuitous descriptions of everything from the landscape to the food to the outfits the characters are wearing, this is for you. I’ve enjoyed novels by Trigiani in the past, so this was a bummer. (This also counted toward my Reading the Alphabet Challenge.)

#72. SOMEONE WE KNOW by Shari Lapena // ★★☆☆☆
(amazon // bookshop // better world books)

A “thriller” that just felt like a gluttony of marital infidelities. Bleh.

#73. TRUE CRIME STORY by Joseph Knox // ★★☆☆☆
(amazon // bookshop // better world books)

This one had a really interesting set up that included interviews, news articles, photos and emails. There were a ton of unreliable characters who made me want to pull my hair out – who’s telling the truth?! All in all, it was an okay read. Not necessarily a book I would recommend, but I appreciated how the story was laid out in a unique way.

#74. TWO OLD WOMEN: AN ALASKA LEGEND OF BETRAYAL, COURAGE AND SURVIVAL by Velma Wallis // ★★★★☆
(amazon // bookshop // better world books)

A short little story about hardship and endurance from two old ladies trying to survive an Alaskan winter. I really liked it. (This was also my 1993 pick for the 20th Century in Literature Challenge.)

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

My third time reading this lovely devotional for Advent and I still love it just as much. So many new passages stuck out to me this time.

#76. EXILES by Jane Harper // ★★★★☆
(amazon // bookshop)

It’s been awhile since I’ve read a Jane Harper mystery, so I was excited to dive back into Australia with Aaron Falk! In this one, we hear about a baby found all alone in her stroller at a busy festival, her mother seemingly disappearing into thin air. The story picks up a year later with the question still unanswered: What happened that night? Where is Kim? I really enjoyed the array of characters and how Harper made them all unique and easy to differentiate. I guessed and guessed and still didn’t see the twist at the end. So good. (Thank you to Netgalley for the opportunity to read this book! Exiles will be published on January 31, 2023.)

WE HAVE BEEN HARMONIZED: LIFE IN CHINA’S SURVEILLANCE STATE by Kai Strittmatter // ★★★☆☆
(amazon // bookshop // better world books)

I’ve been working on this book off and on since February and finally finished the last chapters just days before the new year! An eye opening examination of China and the CCP’s vision for the future. I did find the title a bit misleading: the first third of the book is a lot of background information (which was informative) and the real “meat” of the topic doesn’t start until about 165 pages in.

December 30, 2022

No.717: My 2023 Read My Shelves Bingo Challenge

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

I’m making plans for success in 2023! One of my goals is to read from my own bookshelves and I’ve been brainstorming a way to make it exciting and fun. Enter the Read My Shelves Bingo Challenge! The goal is to complete the entire board, but I’ll be happy to complete even half of the prompts. I’ll allow myself the ability to change choices at any time, but here are some of the books on my radar:

a memoir // The Dirty Life by Kristin Kimball
a book about the outdoors // Last Child in the Woods by Richard Louv
a book about WWII // Ordinary Men by Christopher Browning
a book with blue on the cover // Blue Shoes and Happiness by Alexander McCall Smith
a book with a name in the title // Angela’s Ashes by Frank McCourt
a book with a one word title // Zetty by Debra Whiting Alexander
a classic // The Wind in the Willows by Kenneth Grahame
a book in the series // A Fatal Grace by Louise Penny
a book that is more than 400 pages // Dear and Glorious Physician by Taylor Caldwell
a book about food // My Life in France by Julia Child
a mystery // Death on the Nile by Agatha Christie
a book set on a farm // Folks, This Ain’t Normal by Joel Salatin
a book about books // Eighty Days to Elsewhere by KC Dyer
a book recommended to you // A Tree Grows in Brooklyn by Betty Smith
a book started, but never finished // Church of Spies by Mark Riebling
a book outside your comfort zone // The Lost Dinosaurs of Egypt by William Nothdurft
a non-fiction book // An Anthropologist on Mars by Oliver Sacks

Do you need to get your TBR under control like me? Pick up a bingo board over on my Ko-Fi page! The file includes one board in color and one that is more printer friendly. I also included a blank bingo board so you can fill it any way you need. Happy Reading!

December 28, 2022

No.716: Thoughts on 2022, My One Little Word and a Few Goals for 2023

It’s easy to be nostalgic and have rose-colored glasses for agrarian life. Everyone who finds out that we’re homesteading/farming will always say, “Oh man, that sounds like such a simple life.” Maybe I would have said the same a few years ago. But now? I have to shake my head and laugh. 2022 didn’t feel that simple. In fact, it felt messy and exhausting and sometimes really, really hard.

BUT. Hard and messy doesn’t mean it’s not good. I have been challenged and humbled. I have learned so much. I have worked harder than ever and have rejoiced at the fruits of that labor. So if simple means that I’m frolicking through the fields with healthy animals and abundant gardens, well, that’s a big lie.

But after reviewing some of my thoughts from the post I wrote back in February, What Does a Simple Life Look Like?, maybe I was successful in a different way:

Less clutter and more visual peace. // Yes! I’ve made decluttering a regular task and have been reselling our unneeded items too.
Less distractions and more time looking up. // Yes! Having no social media is a blessing for staying the course and living in “the real world.” You know how people say, “You’d have to be living under a rock not to know…”? Well, that’s me about so many things, ha! I have the opposite of FOMO at this point. (JOMO?)
Less doing all the things and more slowing down. // Yes, sort-of. I got in way over my head with my garden/food forest plans, but even that huge goal became my primary focus. I plan to intentionally spend the winter resting and rebooting before the new growing season arrives.

So…the year of simple. I’m calling it a success! Deo gratias.

MY ONE LITTLE WORD FOR 2023

This is my eleventh (!!) year choosing one little word for the new year. (Previous words include Intention, Brave, Thrive, Learn, Slow, Roots, Notice, Gratitude, Light and Simple.) For 2023, I decided to go with endurance.

endurance | [n] //en-door–uhns/

the ability or strength to continue or last, especially despite fatigue, stress, or other adverse conditions; stamina

I like this word because it encompasses so many aspects of my life: the long journey of faith, the demanding seasons of farming, the importance of taking care of myself. I’d like to learn how to dust myself off gracefully after bumbling my way through things and just keep going. No more negative self-talk, no more overwhelm of my own making, no more allowing hardships to dictate how I act. I love this quote from Mother Angelica: “Lord, don’t let me chicken out if You have something hard for me to do.” Time to lean in.

A FEW GOALS FOR 2023

+ He must increase, I must decrease. (John 3:30)
+ Start a bullet journal and use all of the pages. // Instead of purchasing an expensive planner, I’m creating my own in a bullet journal style and I’m determined to fill up the entire thing! I am notorious for abandoning half-filled notebooks.
+ Write down my gratitude everyday. // There is so much to be thankful for, if only I seek it.
+ Support the man before the company. // So many of us are starting little side hustles as a way to further our goals or just make ends meet. I want to look toward the farmer, the reseller, and the artist first before heading to the big box stores.
+ Work on homestead systems. // 2022 was a big building year. 2023 will be the year where we think smarter, not harder: tweaking our systems for better efficiency.
+ Read from my bookshelves. // I have a lot of unread books. While this doesn’t stress me out (I see them as a plethora of possibilities!), I do want to prioritize these options over any new ones. The money saved will be an added bonus.
+ Cultivate a warm, welcoming home. // More decluttering of the extras and figuring out how to make a cozy home with the rest.
+ Keep working on the mortgage reduction. // We’re making progress on this huge goal, little by little. Since there’s only so much you can cut from an already lean budget, we’ll be executing a few side hustles for some added cash. (Shameless plug to buy me a “coffee”! Just kidding.) I’m excited to see what kind of a dent we can make in 2023.