The Big White Farmhouse | intentional living, little by little

September 29, 2022

No.696: Homestead Diaries // September 2022

+ We finished the permanent winter pig pen for Ethel. And since our life is a circus, it was not a smooth process! Within hours of putting her inside, she managed to pull the gate off the hinges and frolicked around the property in all her newfound freedom. (She also made a mess of part of my food forest.) After half an hour of excitement, we finally convinced her to go back and take a nap. Oh pigs…

+ And speaking of Ethel: her due date came and went and we realized that she wasn’t pregnant after all. I had conflicting emotions because while I was sad we wouldn’t have any baby piglets, I was also SO grateful for a fall/winter of less work! Our new plan is to put Fred back into the paddock with her in December and pray for babies in the spring.

+ In sad news, our four sweet ducks flew off one day and never returned. We miss them. We also lost three more hens due to freak incidents. It’s been a hard month of loss and death.

+ The garden is pretty much finished for the season. (I still have tomatoes, jalapenos, figs and a few surprise strawberries left.) I chopped and dropped the dry corn stalks and started working the soil with the old chicken coop bedding. A layer of leaves will go on next!

September 22, 2022

No.695: Poetry Tea Time // Week 02

We’re trying Poetry Tea Time again this year with my four youngest students, but with a twist. The older two will be in charge of the sweet treat each week! They love to cook and this is a fun way to expand on those skills. During this time, we will also read a few poems and challenge ourselves to recite some from memory. I’m also incorporating an informal Art Study and will have the month’s work on display. My goal is to provide an environment for us to experience the arts in a relaxed, non-intimidating way.

Here are the highlights from Week Two:

THE SWEET TREAT

After browsing my Pinterest boards for inspiration, the kids decided on Raspberry Cream Cheese Danishes from Lovely Little Kitchen. We used strawberry jam because that’s what we had on hand. These were a big hit! We’ll definitely be making more in the future.

THE POEM

Another funny one by Jack Prelutsky!

Be Glad Your Nose Is on Your Face
by Jack Prelutsky

Be glad your nose is on your face,
not pasted on some other place,
for if it were where it is not,
you might dislike your nose a lot.

Imagine if your precious nose
were sandwiched in between your toes,
that clearly would not be a treat,
for you’d be forced to smell your feet.

Your nose would be a source of dread
were it attached atop your head,
it soon would drive you to despair,
forever tickled by your hair.

Within your ear, your nose would be
an absolute catastrophe,
for when you were obliged to sneeze,
your brain would rattle from the breeze.

Your nose, instead, through thick and thin,
remains between your eyes and chin,
not pasted on some other place–
be glad your nose is on your face!

THE ART

We’re still working on The Annunciation by Fra Angelico. Lots of discussions about detail and perspective.

September 19, 2022

No.694: Homemaking Notes on a Monday // Vol.36

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The weather outside is //

As I look outside my window // The summer garden is almost finished for the year, although we still have quite a few tomatoes on the vine. My fall garden has been a bust – maybe I can sow a few lettuce seeds before it gets too late.

As I look around the house // I’m gearing up for one of my least favorite motherhood tasks: the switching of kids’ clothing to the next season! Thankfully, as the boys get older and their growth spurts happen less dramatically, I have less plastic bins to dig through than in years past. We still have warm days ahead (see the forecast above!) but I definitely can put some of the summer things away and take out the jeans and long sleeves.

Supporting // my fellow resellers by choosing ebay/Poshmark first. (I’m sure many of us are stressed about inflation and are trying to make a little side money to compensate!) Anyway, I have a list of items each family member needs for the upcoming fall/winter and every day, I set aside 30 minutes to browse the secondhand sites. I am so pumped about the deals I’ve found! A few highlights:

a brand new pair of booties for my daughter (retail $20) = $12
a 100% wool throw blanket for the living room (preowned options range from $50-100) = $17
a brand new with tags Banana Republic button-down shirt for my son (retail $65) = $13
a brand new with tags blazer for my husband (retail $275!!) = $13

My biggest tip for extra savings is to favorite/save the items you’re interested in and then wait. Very often, the sellers will send you an even better deal!

Reflecting // on this quote from Padre Pio: “Don’t draw back, and worse still, don’t stop going up the Calvary of life. Jesus will extend His hand to steady you. The thought of the sustaining grace of God and the prize that Jesus has reserved for you will be a sweet comfort.”

On this week’s to-do list //
– celebrate an 8th birthday!
– mail baptism gift
– muck out the chicken coop and get it ready for fall/winter
– cover crop the used paddocks with winter rye
– organize the medicine cabinet

Currently reading //

Fiction: World Made by Hand by James Howard Kunstler & a book for Netgalley
Nonfiction: Folks, This Ain’t Normal: A Farmer’s Advice for Happier Hens, Healthier People, and a Better World by Joel Salatin
Religious: Lay Saints: Models of Family Life by Joan Carroll Cruz

On the menu this week //

Monday: taco salads
Tuesday: one pot chili mac and cheese
Wednesday: arroz con pollo
Thursday: Refrigerator Cleanout Night
Friday: oven baked salmon (maybe I’ll try a new marinade?)

September 16, 2022