The Big White Farmhouse | intentional living, little by little

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

January 30, 2023

No.726: Around the Farm in January 2023

+ January is the month for purchasing! I pre-ordered all of my chicks and ducklings (two sets of 150 broilers, 20 hens and 15 ducks!), with the first bunch arriving in mid-March. I also ordered a ton of seeds, onion bunches, potato tubers, a few pepper starts for May arrival, and even a mushroom growing kit! We also bought straw for the pigs. It’s always hard to put up so much money on the front end, but I know it all pays off.

+ I started the big planning process: sketching out crop placements, figuring out what seeds to start and when, and envisioning any potential projects. The fire in my belly for farming is coming alive again. I can’t wait to begin.

+ I also started constructing my DIY version of a very expensive seed starting system. I may need a few more lights, but I’m so pumped about the set up. I now have enough room to start 500+ seeds at one time!

+ Farm story of the month: We have our two pigs together in a permanent pen for winter. Before we moved them in, we were supposed to fill the bottom with 24+” of wood chips. The idea is that you’re creating a “carbonaceous diaper” (a Joel Salatin term) using deep bedding materials to soak up all of the pigs’ waste products through the winter. Well…we were feeling pretty burnt out by this point last fall and only filled the pen to about 6″. And man oh man, do I regret that. We definitely didn’t think this one through! A good farm is a non-smelly farm so we quickly needed more carbon products to cover manure. And with no excess supply, that meant we had to start using the wood chip pathway around the food forest/garden. Although I would be totally justified in sobbing at all of the wasted work, I’ve actually been quite unhappy with the wood chip pathway and this was the perfect excuse to pull it out. So that’s a lot of what I’ve been up to this month: shoveling wood chips from the paths and flinging them into the pig pen. Here’s hoping I have enough to last us until March, when they go back on pasture!

+ Our chickens started laying in odd, inconvenient spots, like in with the straw bales and under the front porch. We gave them about a week of forced morning time in the coops and they quickly remembered the correct place to lay. I much prefer collecting eggs from the nesting boxes than playing hide-and-seek all over the property.

+ I started laying the foundation for a hugelkultur bed, an idea I’ve been intrigued by and want to try out on a small scale. We still have so many poplar logs from the storm last summer and I think this is a great way to use them. We’ll see how this goes.

+ We’ve been selling our eggs to a few friends. The price of eggs at the store is crazy right now so people think we’ve got a great deal. (And for free-range non-GMO organic eggs, we definitely do!) One more little financial avenue to paying off the mortgage.

+ Lastly, I decided to start an “accomplishment journal” for the farm. Last year, I constantly felt behind or incompetent and never really acknowledged how much I achieved. So for 2023, I’ve started using a wall calendar to jot down the things I do each day. Definitely a confidence booster.