The Big White Farmhouse | intentional living, little by little

July 25, 2022

No.667: Homemaking Notes on a Monday // Vol.31

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The weather outside is //

As I look outside my window // The weather has been so incredibly hot and my enthusiasm for outdoor projects has dropped dramatically. On a positive note, my garden is looking great, a little jungle-like since I’ve been slacking on the weeding, but great!

As I look around the house // My excitement for a little living room update has quickly deflated: the armchair (that arrived broken) won’t be replaced, but the company is going to send someone out to repair it. When we called to make an appointment, the earliest they could come was the end of August. The lumbar pillows that I bought for a steal on Poshmark….well, the seller never shipped them, so I eventually cancelled the order. Womp womp.

On this week’s to-do list //
– start fleshing out lesson plans for the first few weeks of school
– touch up laundry room walls (& hopefully start painting!)
– try making zucchini puffs
– clear out the last of the spring garden & amend soil for fall
– finally finish stitching the scrap quilt top!

Intermittent fasting update // I’ve been reasonably strict for almost one week and I’m feeling so good. Down 1.5 pounds, which is welcome, but the internal gut feeling (difficult to explain, but I just feel satisfied and not overly full) is the best part.

Currently reading //

Fiction: The Book Woman of Troublesome Creek by Kim Michele Richardson
Nonfiction: “I Have Nothing to Hide” and 20 Other Myths About Surveillance and Privacy by Heidi Boghosian
Religious: Christus Vincit: Christ’s Triumph Over the Darkness of the Age by Bishop Athanasius Schneider

On the menu this week //

Monday: southwest chicken alfredo
Tuesday: fry bread tacos
Wednesday: summer squash and bacon quiche
Thursday: Refrigerator Cleanout Night
Friday: roasted salmon

July 22, 2022

No.666: Little Bits and Bobs // 03

A new series about little thoughts and things to share. I hope you’ll share your thoughts and latest finds with me too!

+ Have you ever stood still and watched a bee? Listened to its buzz as it finds just the right flower? Observed it work diligently before moving onto the next and the next? I’m often zipping along with my head filled with tasks and taking for granted all of the beautiful, incredible things happening around me. I can’t imagine what I may be missing! I’m so glad I stopped to watch the bee.

+ I stumbled on this older video interviewing Michael O’Brien on Mystical Experiences. I found it strangely comforting.

+ If you’re looking for an opportunity to nurture gratitude in your children, check out these printable colorable thank you cards. I especially love the calendar guide to help make this activity a regular occurrence.

+ We’re already more than halfway through our summer vacation, can you believe it? Even so, there’s still a little time to challenge my kids to choose a book versus a screen. These printable bookmarks look like a fun way to track their progress. I think I may use them as a way to track time (like 15 minutes of practicing phonics/reading) for my younger kids. Ice cream sundaes or a box of junk cereal will be the prize for a completed card!

From the Big White Farmhouse archives…
+ Three Months Without Amazon Prime // How It’s Going So Far
+ A List of July’s Frugal Accomplishments

July 20, 2022

No.665: Our Extraordinary Ordinary Life // July 2022

A monthly project featuring ten photos throughout the day that show a peek into our extraordinarily ordinary life.

Tuesday, July 19, 2022

Highlights of the day:

I started the day with a rainbow visible in the sky!
Today was day one of a new round of intermittent fasting. I’ve been pretty fast and loose with my diet this summer, but it’s time to rein it back in. For my 10:00 brunch, I decided to make Mexican squash and ground beef casserole. Kind of a weird choice, but it was delicious and used up a bunch of odds and ends in the fridge.
Ducks are hilarious. Not sure if I’ve mentioned, but my kids have named them after the penguins in Madagascar: Skipper, Kowalski, Rico, and Private.

July 18, 2022

No.664: Last Week at the Farmhouse // If You Give a Mom a Crooked Rug…

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

If you give a mom a crooked rug…
She’ll move all the furniture out to straighten it. Seeing all of the toys and dust will send her on a cleaning spree. She’ll tidy and vacuum and mop. Seeing a virtually empty room will inspire her to move all of the furniture around. She’ll love the new look and especially love the extra room for seating. So she’ll start searching for another armchair. She’ll eventually find one at a reasonable price, but discover at delivery that it is damaged. She’ll call the store and ask for a replacement. The fix will be at least 7-10 business days, so while she’s waiting, she’ll start imagining the finished room. Having two armchairs will have her looking for matching pillows. She’ll find a beautiful off-white pair on Poshmark. Seeing the fresh color will make the walls and floorboards look dingy, so she’ll make plans to paint everything. (Story to be continued….ha!)

Green beans are growing with wild abandon and I’m doing my best to preserve them for later. Mostly flash freezing them at this point, but I’d like to try making some dilly beans.

Other home updates: I have a little nook in the dining room that was a perfect spot for a little piece of artwork. I browsed etsy and found this beautiful vintage piece called “Flight.” I love that it has a religious theme, but is also very subtle. Anyway, I ordered it printed on rolled canvas (so as to look a little more like a “real” painting) and was so pleased with the quality. The shop is called Heirloom Print Shop and I will definitely be ordering again.

The project that never ends…

I surprised my daughter with this Perler kit and it was a huge hit. Surprisingly, my boys were just as interested, so I quickly bought a Marvel Avengers kit too.