The Big White Farmhouse | intentional living, little by little

February 7, 2023

No.730: Lessons in Self Care // A Month of Winter Walking

I take terrible care of myself. I’m less than two years from 40 and I still haven’t fully learned the lesson that you cannot pour from an empty cup. I put myself dead last on the priority list and the cracks are beginning to show. I burn out, I fall into funks, I lose my spunk. I don’t want to be that person anymore. So in this year of endurance, I’m embarking on true self-care: treating my body, mind and spirit in the way I would my best friend. I want this balance desperately and this is the year I’m making it happen.

A MONTH OF WINTER WALKING

I knew two things were true: I need to be out in fresh air every day and I need to move my body, even if it’s just a walk around the property. Even though it was January and winter and cold, I put on my big girl pants and committed to 31 days of getting outside. I was like the mailman: come rain or shine, I was out of the house for at least 30 minutes! And you know I have a tendency to be a little dramatic, but I’ll say it anyway: I think it changed my life.

The first five days were a huge blessing for getting a new routine established. We had a winter “heat wave” with daily temperatures into the upper 60s! Things got trickier as the temperatures fell to more normal levels, but I persevered. And it got easier and easier! I eventually adapted to the cold (having the right amount of layers is crucial!) and started looking forward to getting out there each morning. The time that worked best for me was around 7:30-8am, as the sun was rising and before the real craziness of our days began.

To document this month, I decided to try a mini-movie in 1 Second Everyday style. It started as a mix of beautiful sunrises and beautiful things I saw along the way, but soon became a visual journal of farm chores and my animals:

OTHER HEALTH WINS

I took added/refined sugars almost completely out of my diet. As much as I try to minimize it, sugar is just terrible for you in so many ways. And that’s not even counting how addicting it is! This is the year to reset my taste buds.
I was very consistent with my vitamin/supplement routine. Every morning, I took a multivitamin, D3, a probiotic, and even tried apple cider vinegar gummies! (A little added sugar “cheat”.) Three or four evenings a week, I would drink a magnesium supplement with my tea. This regiment seems to be working as I feel really, really good.
I went back to intermittent fasting. I varied my start times in the morning – eating anywhere from 8:30 to 10am – but I always closed my window at 6pm. I do IF for multiple reasons and the weight loss is just an added benefit. I lost about five pounds in January, but the mental clarity, increased energy and stable blood pressure are even better wins.

Looking forward to seeing what I can accomplish in Month #2!

February 6, 2023

No.729: Homemaking Notes on a Monday // Vol.41

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

The weather outside is //

As I look outside my window // The garden is calling me! Thank goodness the forecast looks mild. I have most of the pathway wood chips pulled out and am hoping we can get a gravel delivery late in the week. Other farm tasks on the docket: organizing the shed to accommodate a big feed order, doing a check for any baby chick products we might need to reorder, and starting to fertilize a few beds for some cool-weather crops.

As I look around the house // We’re currently living in a house with a hundred in-progress projects going on. I have a new dishwasher in my kitchen waiting to be installed, a box of bookshelf pieces waiting to be assembled, Valentine gifts waiting to be boxed up and sent to far-away family, etc etc. It’s chaos and while I wish my house looked tidier, I’m trying to lean into this season and take it one task at a time. It’ll all get done eventually.

Introducing // our new little kitten! We are quickly reaching zoo status around here. As someone who never had pets growing up, I still can’t believe this is the life I have now, ha! He is just the sweetest tiny little thing and we are all in love.

On this week’s to-do list //
– get the dishwasher installed
– mop the kitchen floor
– bake bread
– work on valentines to mail to far away relatives
– finish our taxes
– organize the shed to accommodate a new bulk feed order
– research automatic waterer options for the pigs to use when the temperature warms up
– order dewormer

Currently reading //

Fiction: Arsenic and Adobo by Mia P. Manansala
Nonfiction: Just Send Me Word: A True Story of Love and Survival in the Gulag by Orlando Figes
Religious: To Know Christ Jesus by Frank Sheed

On the menu this week //

Monday: oven roasted pork loin and TBD side dish
Tuesday: tacos
Wednesday: shepherd’s pie baked potatoes
Thursday: breakfast for dinner
Friday: homemade pizza

February 2, 2023

No.728: January in Review & Goals for February 2023

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

FIVE THINGS I LOVED

getting out in the crisp, fresh air each morning
a renewed vision and love for farming
forward strides with my dyslexic kid
the company of my teenagers
getting closer to a healthier me

THREE LESSONS I LEARNED

Hide & seek is hilarious for all ages. // I’m not sure how it started, but sometime this month, we created a “game” of hiding a plush monkey in the most ridiculous of places. He’d be hanging upside down from the chandelier, “trapped” in a mason jar, peeking out from the mantel garland, etc etc. You’d never know where you’d stumble on him next! All of the kids, big to little, loved coming up with new ways to hide him…me included! (Tabitha wrote about a similar type game on her blog. Highly recommend!)
Manuka honey is great for healing. // My son had a (spider?) bite that somehow got infected. Since reading this book, I knew that I wanted to postpone prescribed antibiotics until absolutely necessary. So we tried another homeopathic method! As usual, I had very low expectations, but it actually helped a ton. (I used this one.)
“You are relentlessly pursued and ridiculously celebrated by the Father.” // A line from the commentary part of Bible in a Year Day 318, regarding the prodigal son and his brother. A good reminder.

FIVE “LITTLE PEOPLE” I SUPPORTED

Greeting cards from Phoebe & June
Goat milk soap from Borden Acres
Two books for my daughter from sellers on Pango Books
A vintage piece from a seller on etsy (I won’t link the shop because it took more than three weeks to ship and the communication was terrible.)
Milk and pig feed from a local farmer

FIVE GOALS FOR JANUARY REVIEWED

Propagate the fig trees. // Sadly, a deer got to my fig tree before I did and nibbled off most of the branches! I wasn’t sure if propagating would help or harm, so I ended up leaving it alone.
✔ ~~Refocus on healthy habits.~~ // A big yes for this one! More details to come.
✔ ~~Write a least three things in my gratitude journal daily.~~ // January had more of its share of struggles and this daily practice helped put things back in perspective.
Order birthday and different holiday cards for the year. // The entire year part of this task was just too big. I did purchase cards for February, but will need to spread out the rest of the orders throughout the year.
✔ ~~Make curtains for the kitchen windows.~~ // So excited about this little project. It definitely added some coziness to the kitchen.

FIVE GOALS FOR FEBRUARY

Go on a date with my husband.
Start seeds under grow lights.
Send out Valentines to far-away family members.
Do a quick decluttering and then drop off the donations.
Choose a book for Lent.

Help me transition away from “traditional” blogging income streams while still keeping the lights on at the BWF!

January 31, 2023

No.727: What I Read in January 2023

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

#1. A LONG WAY FROM CHICAGO by Richard Peck // ★★★★★
(amazon // bookshop // better world books)

First line: “You wouldn’t think we’d have to leave Chicago to see a dead body.”

This was the second time I’ve read this aloud for school and the littler kids loved it just as much! The book is hilarious, but it also gave us many opportunities to discuss Grandma Dowdel’s more eye-raising behaviors, like cheating or telling a fib.

#2. OPERATION PAPERCLIP: THE SECRET INTELLIGENCE PROGRAM THAT BROUGHT NAZI SCIENTISTS TO AMERICA by Annie Jacobsen // ★★★★★
(amazon // bookshop // better world books)

First line: “It was November 26, 1944, and Strasbourg, France, was still under attack.”

THIS BOOK. I’ll let the blurb explain the premise: “In the chaos following World War II, the U.S. government faced many difficult decisions, including what to do with the Third Reich’s scientific minds. These were the brains behind the Nazis’ once-indomitable war machine. So began Operation Paperclip, a decades-long, covert project to bring Hitler’s scientists and their families to the United States. Many of these men were accused of war crimes, and others had stood trial at Nuremberg; one was convicted of mass murder and slavery. They were also directly responsible for major advances in rocketry, medical treatments, and the U.S. space program. Was Operation Paperclip a moral outrage, or did it help America win the Cold War?”

Annie Jacobsen’s work is thoroughly researched and sheds some light onto a very controversial program. At the end, we’re left with questions: Does Operation Paperclip implicate Americans as dishonest and trying to capitalize on the backs of the people they fought to save? Does scientific advancement trump ethical behavior? I don’t know the answers, but this book definitely had me thinking. A good reminder to have a healthy distrust for government; what you’re being told and what you see on the surface may not be the full story. (This also counted toward my Reading the Alphabet Challenge.)

#3. A THOUSAND NAKED STRANGERS: A PARAMEDIC’S WILD RIDE TO THE EDGE AND BACK by Kevin Hazzard // ★★★☆☆
(amazon // bookshop // better world books)

First line: “I did nothing to save the first person who died in front of me.”

This is a collection of stories from a paramedic’s ten years working on the streets of Atlanta. Lots of craziness with a bit of self-reflection.

#4. WELCOME TO LAGOS by Chibundu Onuzo // ★★★☆☆
(amazon // bookshop // better world books)

First line: “Evening swept through the Delta: half an hour of mauve before the sky bruised to black.”

How to describe this book? The story is about five strangers who leave their lives in Niger Delta and move to Lagos to start over. They become a kind of ragtag family, sticking together as they struggle to survive. The book also addresses Nigeria’s political corruption problem, which I found really interesting. (This also counted toward my Reading the Alphabet Challenge.)

#5. A YEAR DOWN YONDER by Richard Peck // ★★★★☆
(amazon // bookshop // better world books)

First line: “It was a September morning, hazy with late summer, and now with all the years between.”

This is the sequel to A Long Way from Chicago and we read this for school. Almost as good as the first one – I definitely enjoyed seeing how much Grandma Dowdel loved her grandchildren, despite her crusty exterior.

#6. RED KNIFE by William Kent Krueger // ★★★☆☆
(amazon // bookshop // better world books)

First line: “It was not yet dawn and already he could smell death.”

Book #8 in the Cork O’Connor series and probably my least favorite so far. There were a lot of moving parts, a lot of characters, and one scene that was somewhat unbelievable. Even so, the last few chapters of the book were INTENSE. WKK sure knows how to write.

#7. XO by Jeffery Deaver // ★★★★☆
(amazon // bookshop // better world books)

First line: “The heart of a concert hall is people.”

I picked this one up solely because of the title: I needed an “X” book for my Reading the Alphabet Challenge! I went in with no expectations, but was surprised to discover that I really enjoyed it. This book is a police procedural/suspense novel about a country music singer who has a stalker. Lots of twists and turns that I didn’t see coming. It’s technically the third in a series, but I didn’t feel like I missed out on much. 3.5 stars, rounded up.

MY UNREAD SHELF PROJECT

Unread Books as of January 1, 2023: 207 (not counting the books already in progress)
Books Finished in January: 7
Finished Books Donated/Sold: 3
Books Added: 1 (for Epiphany!)
Unread Books Remaining: 204