The Big White Farmhouse

intentional living, little by little

No.737: February in Review & Goals for March 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
  1. a new licensed driver in the house!
  2. our sweet little kitten
  3. the new gravel pathway in the garden
  4. my husband’s dietary changes that are making a difference
  5. opening the windows on a record-breaking hot day
THREE LESSONS I LEARNED
  1. My reaction to hardships last fall may have been due to my poor nutrition. // I’m obviously not a doctor and can’t really prove this, but I can feel a huge difference in my mental health since focusing on proper nutrition.  Last fall, my diet was terrible, with lots of sugary treats, and I felt like I couldn’t handle life.  2023 hasn’t gotten easier, but my response is completely different.  Amazing.  I’m so grateful.  I’d like to find some books that dive into the connection between nutrition and stress/depression/anxiety.
  2. There’s a reason that kitten collars have bells on them. // I thought it was a little silly but I now see how handy that is!  The kitten is so tiny and mischievous and we often can’t find him anywhere.  Thank goodness for that bell.  (Even if it is quite annoying and I now hear ringing bells in my sleep, ha!)
  3. I really, really love this farming life. // I feel like I harp a lot about the amount of work required to start a new farm (which is true) and don’t spend enough time talking about how much I love it.  I love being outside, I love creating something beautiful from nothing, I love giving my animals the best life possible.  It’s a hard life, but a good one.
FIVE “LITTLE PEOPLE” I SUPPORTED
  1. Books from an amazing(!!) used bookstore
  2. Caramels from Farmhouse Chocolates
  3. Gravel from a local nursery
  4. Greeting cards from Cheeky Beak Card Co.
  5. A tea towel from Jean Choe Art & Design
FIVE GOALS FOR FEBRUARY REVIEWED
  1. ✔ Go on a date with my husband. // We went on a day date for his birthday and had so much fun.
  2. ✔ Start seeds under grow lights. // Yes!  Tomatoes, jalapenos, marigolds and celery have been started with many, many more to come.
  3. ✔ Send out Valentines to far-away family members. // Yes!  I mailed cards and a few treats to our little cousins (the under-6 crowd) and chocolates for my mama, just because.
  4. Do a quick decluttering and then drop off the donations. // I had the best of intentions, but didn’t even start this project.  No time!  Maybe next month.
  5. ✔ Choose a book for Lent. // I’ll be reading Abandonment to Divine Providence.  (The post with the reading schedule is here.)
FIVE GOALS FOR MARCH
  1. Get everything prepared for chick arrival.
  2. Install the fence around the garden.
  3. See if we can find dining room chairs that will closely match the ones we already have.  (Maybe the Amish outlet?)
  4. Purchase Easter basket goodies.
  5. Deep clean my master closet.

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

No.736: What I Read in February 2023

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

#8. EAST OF EDEN by John Steinbeck // ★★★☆☆
(amazon // bookshop // better world books)

First line: “The Salinas Valley is in Northern California.”

I read this chunky novel for book club.  (Not sure if I would ever pick this up on my own, so I’m glad for the push!)  A quote I’ve been thinking about: “In uncertainty I am certain that underneath their topmost layers of frailty men want to be good and want to be loved.  Indeed, most of their vices are attempted short cuts to love.  When a man comes to die, no matter what his talents and influence and genius, if he does unloved his life must be a failure to him and his dying a cold horror.  It seems to me that if you or I must choose between two courses of thought or action, we should remember our dying and try so to live that our death brings no pleasure to the world.” (p.412-413)

#9. THE SATURDAYS by Elizabeth Enright // ★★★★☆
(amazon // bookshop // better world books)

First line: “‘It would have to rain today,’ said Rush, lying flat on his back in front of the fire.”

We read this one for school read aloud.  The story is about four siblings who pool their weekly allowance so each child can experience something exciting outside the house.  I especially loved that the siblings were so good to each other, so unlike many modern books that emphasize sibling rivalry or annoyance.  (This book was also my 1941 pick for the 20th Century in Literature Challenge.)

#10. ARSENIC AND ADOBO by Mia P. Manansala // ★★★☆☆
(amazon // bookshop // better world books)

First line: “My name is Lila Macapagal and my life has become a rom-com cliche.”

More than half of my friends in high school were Filipino, so this cozy mystery was such a blast from the past!  From the attentive aunties to the delicious meals of lumpia, pansit and adobo, I loved all of the Filipino references.  The story itself was decent; a solid three star read.

#11. ONLY ONE LIE by Audrey J. Cole // ★★★☆☆
(amazon // bookshop)

First line: “Hattie sat up in bed at the sound of a door slamming.”

There is a lot going on in this book!  Set in WWII, the main character is a female pilot who becomes involved in solving a mystery regarding a kidnapped child, much like the Lindbergh baby case.  While I found it to be a quick read, there were just too many pieces that felt completely unbelievable.  (P.S. Thank you to Netgalley for the opportunity to read this book!  Only One Lie was released back in December 2022!)

#12. JUST SEND ME WORD: A TRUE STORY OF LOVE AND SURVIVAL IN THE GULAG by Orlando Figes // ★★★☆☆
(amazon // better world books)

First line: “Lev saw Svetlana first.”

From the description: “In 1946, after five years as a prisoner―first as a Soviet POW in Nazi concentration camps, then as a deportee (falsely accused of treason) in the Arctic Gulag―twenty-nine-year-old Lev Mishchenko unexpectedly received a letter from Sveta, the sweetheart he had hardly dared hope was still alive. Amazingly, over the next eight years the lovers managed to exchange more than 1,500 messages, and even to smuggle Sveta herself into the camp for secret meetings. Their recently discovered correspondence is the only known real-time record of life in Stalin’s Gulag, unmediated and uncensored.”  Really interesting look at human resilience and the power of love.  (I also read this for my Reading the Alphabet Challenge.)

#13. THE ICE CREAM GIRLS by Dorothy Koomson // ★★★☆☆
(amazon // bookshop // better world books)

First line: “Serena Gorringe, I love you.”

A good lesson in not judging a book by its cover: while this looks like chick-lit, it’s actually much deeper and darker.  There are themes like domestic abuse and inappropriate relationships between teachers and students.  I couldn’t put it down, although I did have to suspend my belief quite a bit.  At the end, I felt like this book showcased (unintentionally?) the far-reaching consequences of sin.  2.5 stars, rounded up.  (I also read this for my Reading the Alphabet Challenge.)

MY UNREAD SHELF PROJECT

Unread Books as of January 1, 2023: 207
Books Finished in February: 6
Finished Books Donated/Sold in February: 2
Books Added: +7
Unread Books Remaining: 209

No.735: Around the Farm in February 2023

Another expensive, but really productive month on the farm!  I’ve been getting outside and working on farm chores/projects each morning (for at least 30 minutes) and that has done so much for my mental health.  Regardless of what the rest of the day looks like, I know something farm-related was accomplished and I don’t feel like an overwhelmed failure.  A few other accomplishments:

+ The biggest and most time intensive project was installing gravel on the garden pathways.  Lots and lots of hauling the wheelbarrow back and forth.  Halfway through, my husband brought home a Gorilla duel wheel wheelbarrow, and while I balked at the price, it’s worth its weight in gold!  We knocked out the rest during a long weekend and oh man, the finished project is so neat and tidy.  I’m obsessed!  It looks so great.

+ We ordered animal feed in bulk, so we’re all ready for the first batch of broilers next month.  We also ordered rolls of Critterfence to protect all of the plants and trees from deer and the chickens.  Lastly, in anticipation of little piglets this spring, I ordered items for birth including shoulder length OB gloves and materials for castration.  Oooh boy, what have we gotten ourselves into?!  I’m excited and terrified.

+ Seed starting has begun!  Tomatoes, jalapenos and marigolds are all under the grow lights and I direct seeded two types of spinach.  Much more to come.

+ I planned out a new compost system using pallets and wire we already own.  (My inspiration came from this post.)  It will go inside the food forest/garden area, making it easily accessible.

Here’s what we were doing on the farm last February 2022!

No.734: TBR Tuesday // Books about the Great Depression

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

I recently wrote about Grandma Donna’s blog and her Great Depression study.  Unfortunately, she is experiencing some health issues and has had to stop for now.  I would like to continue on and learn more about this time period in American history, so of course I compiled a list of books!  This list has everything from first hand accounts to historical fiction novels.  Let me know if you have a good Depression-era recommendation for me too!

1 // The Great Depression: A Diary by Benjamin Roth

“When the stock market crashed in 1929, Benjamin Roth was a young lawyer in Youngstown, Ohio. After he began to grasp the magnitude of what had happened to American economic life, he decided to set down his impressions in his diary.”  This sounds fascinating to me.  It also makes me want to jot down what’s happening in the world these days…maybe future generations will find them interesting too?

2 // The Hungry Years by T.H. Watkins

This chunky book “tells the story of the Great Depression through the eyes of the people who lived it.”  I love that it draws upon oral histories, memoirs, and local news stories.  I’m sure this is much to learn.

3 // The Worst Hard Time: The Untold Story of Those Who Survived the Great American Dust Bowl by Timothy Egan

If the economic depression wasn’t bad enough, the High Plains also suffered through an equally horrific natural phenomenon: the Dust Bowl.  “Following a dozen families and their communities through the rise and fall of the region, Egan tells of their desperate attempts to carry on through blinding black dust blizzards, crop failure, and the death of loved ones.”  Can you even imagine?

4 // The Forgotten Man: A New History of the Great Depression by Amity Shlaes

This is another nonfiction look at this time period and claims that it provides a new interpretation to the economic factors surrounding the Great Depression.  I’m obviously not well versed in this area, so it may prove beneficial to see things from multiple angles and opinions.

5 // We Had Everything But Money by Deb Mulvey

The Great Depression can be quite heavy reading material, so how about a book with some lightheartedness and levity?  The cover of this book says: “Priceless memories of the Great Depression…from strong people who tell in their own words what it was like when banks closed and hearts opened.”  I’ve heard wonderful things about this one!

6 // Angela’s Ashes by Frank McCourt

From the description: “So begins the luminous memoir of Frank McCourt, born in Depression-era Brooklyn to recent Irish immigrants and raised in the slums of Limerick, Ireland. Frank’s mother, Angela, has no money to feed the children since Frank’s father, Malachy, rarely works, and when he does he drinks his wages. Yet Malachy—exasperating, irresponsible, and beguiling—does nurture in Frank an appetite for the one thing he can provide: a story. Frank lives for his father’s tales of Cuchulain, who saved Ireland, and of the Angel on the Seventh Step, who brings his mother babies.”  People have said this memoir is heart-breaking, but also beautiful.

7 // Sold on a Monday by Kristina McMorris

This historical fiction novel was inspired by an actual newspaper photograph depicting a sign that said, “Children For Sale.”  I cannot imagine that level of desperation, can you?  I’ve heard that this has a romance element to it, which might make or break the book for me.  We’ll see.

8 // Wingwalkers by Taylor Brown

Another historical fiction, this time about a former WWI pilot and his wingwalker wife.  Apparently, they are funding their journey west “by performing death-defying aerial stunts from town to town.”  Sounds interesting.

9 // West with Giraffes by Lynda Rutledge

Listen to this description: “It’s 1938. The Great Depression lingers. Hitler is threatening Europe, and world-weary Americans long for wonder. They find it in two giraffes who miraculously survive a hurricane while crossing the Atlantic. What follows is a twelve-day road trip in a custom truck to deliver Southern California’s first giraffes to the San Diego Zoo.”  This book is also based on a true story and blends real people with fictional ones.  I can’t wait to get to this one.

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