The Big White Farmhouse | intentional living, little by little

February 25, 2022

No.627: Homestead Diaries // February 2022

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February was a welcome relief from January’s bitterly cold temperatures and we were able to check off quite a few pressing tasks. Still not where I’d like us to be, but progress! Here’s what we accomplished around the homestead during the second month of 2022:

+ Fred had to be separated from the ladies, so Mark and the boys built him a new little A-frame house. I was worried sick that he would be lonely, but he seems to love his bachelor life. On the first day, he cozied right up and slept the entire afternoon! I think he also appreciates that he doesn’t have to share his meals anymore, ha!

+ I made another few batches of fodder for the chickens.

+ On one beautiful spring-like day, I put together a new chicken tractor for the broilers. We’ve had this run since last summer’s hawk attacks, but ended up never putting it together. This works to our benefit because with a few tweaks, it will be perfect for our dudes. (Ours is similar to this one, but yikes – inflation has even hit chicken runs!)

+ I finally tested my garden soil with this kit. Our pH was around 6-6.5, so great for vegetables. Unfortunately, the soil was very deficient in nitrogen and phosphorus, so I will have to add some amendments before planting.

+ I pruned some of the fruit trees.

+ We measured the pigs for a rough weight estimate using this calculator. The ladies that will be going to the butcher in June are roughly 115-130 pounds, which seems about right for pasture raised Berkshire/Tamworth pigs in the winter. I’m sure they’ll pack on the pounds quickly as the weather gets warmer.

+ We’re running out of room! We definitely could use a barn, but since that’s $$$ we don’t have, we’re making do with what we have. On one of the warmer weekend days, we rearranged and organized and moved things around our shed and garage. It’s amazing what a good cleanout can do!

February 23, 2022

No.626: The Wednesday Five #25

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A QUOTE

There is a stubbornness about me that never can bear to be frightened at the will of others. My courage always rises at every attempt to intimidate me. ― Jane Austen, Pride and Prejudice

TABS OPEN IN MY BROWSER RIGHT NOW

this skim coating tutorial
this drywall sander that I’m debating purchasing (it should help with the mess, so seems worth the money!)
a tutorial for making your old, stained potholders look new and fresh again
this pig weight calculator
thinking about stocking the freezer with a batch of these homemade “hot pockets”

A COOL VINTAGE PHOTOGRAPH

{Farm Girl Feeding Chickens, 1936. Found here}

AN INSPIRATIONAL VIDEO

I don’t know the first thing about sewing your own clothing, but this video was incredible and so inspiring. Definitely something I would like to dabble in someday.

AN UPDATE ON MY 2022 GOALS

+ Get serious about nutrition. // Welp, I fell off the wagon in a big way. When I strained my neck and was in so much pain, I definitely ate my feelings in chocolate and cookies. Not my proudest moment, but I’m ready to get back on the horse.
+ Read more nonfiction. // I’m more than halfway through Communism and the Conscience of the West and I just started Dirt to Soil: One Family’s Journey into Regenerative Agriculture and We Have Been Harmonized: Life in China’s Surveillance State.
+ Make something beautiful with my own hands. // A bit of a stretch, but I made blueberry butter with my own hands! I’m also back to working on my cross-stitch pillow project for the kids and am slowly hand-quilting a quilt top I started years ago.
+ Expand the homestead. // We’re still primarily in the planning stage, but looking forward to really kicking things off in March.
+ Aggressively work toward the goal of paying off our mortgage early. // Reselling has been super slow this month, but I’m grateful for any sale that comes through. I’ve also been brainstorming little ways I can use this blog to further my goals without making it materialistic and salesy (two things I personally dislike). We’ll see.
+ Improve my self-protection skills. // Nothing yet.

February 21, 2022

No.625: Last Week at the Farmhouse // Projects Everywhere

There are projects upon projects in process everywhere at the farmhouse! This hand-sewn quilt is a true labor of love and I can’t wait to share the story about it someday soon. Right now, I’m in the process of quilting it by hand, working on it little by little. I also pulled out a cross-stitch project and have worked on that as well. Feeling really motivated to finish what I’ve started…this may be a new goal for 2022!

Skim coating in the laundry room has begun! It’s back breaking work, but working beautifully and I couldn’t be happier.

We’re reading Anne of Green Gables for book club this month – one of my favorites! There’s something so soothing about L.M. Montgomery’s writing that puts me right to sleep. I only get through a few chapters before my eyes start drooping at night.

Our first attempt at cast iron deep dish pizza!

Our oven has been on its way out and has been extra wonky this week; sometimes it overcooks and sometimes it barely browns at all! We knew that with the current supply chain issues, we might have problems buying a replacement…and oh man, were we right. After calling around, we discovered that there were no ovens available in the size we needed. None! I was having a minor panic attack, brainstorming all the alternative ways I could cook meals and bread and all the things, when nothing short of a God moment occurred! Mark spoke to an appliance associate at Home Depot who casually mentioned that he had this “really old” model that was brand new but way in the back of the warehouse and it wasn’t even in the system and should he check and see if it might work? Of course we said yes and miracles of all miracles, IT WAS PERFECT. He gave us $100 off because it was an “older” model and while it still cost a pretty penny, I am so grateful we were able to find one at all in these crazy times. Now to figure out how to remove and install an oven…

February 17, 2022

No.624: What Does a Simple Life Look Like?

Since choosing my one little word for 2022, I’ve been trying to flesh out what I really want that to mean in my life. Simple is actually a surprisingly vast, subjective type of word! As I’ve browsed the Internet for inspiration, I’ve seen so many themes: some focus on minimalism, some on reducing their overscheduling, some even see simple as going completely off the grid. While I appreciate parts of each, none of these themes seem exactly right. I’m still brainstorming, but below are three thoughts I’ve made so far:

1 // Less clutter and more visual peace

I am not a minimalist and probably never will be. I love being surrounded by books and photos and beautiful things. But there’s a balance, you know? At some point, that comfortable, cozy feeling can become claustrophobic. The piles of stuff can quickly become overwhelming. The line is completely subjective and different for everyone and I want to explore that for myself this year. I want to find the balance between just enough and too much. I want to teach my children that while it’s just stuff, we also have a responsibility to take good care of our things. I want more visual peace in our everyday life.

2 // Less distractions and more time looking up

My oldest son is a freshman in high school. No event has been more motivating to me to get my Internet use under control than handing him his first cell phone last summer! He is watching his parents and our relationship with our phones. He’s watching whether we’re using it as constant entertainment or as a tool. He’s watching our manners: are we distracted and “just checking one thing” while someone is speaking to us or do we give the person our full attention? Our habits matter! It’s humbling. For me, a simple life definitely means less social media, less phone use in general and more time looking up at my real, everyday life.

3 // Less doing all the things and more slowing down

I used to buy into the idea that if you hustled hard enough, you’d be able to do it all. For years and years, I tried to juggle so many things…and didn’t do a great job at any of them! Now that I’m a little older and wiser, I know the truth is that yes, you can do it all…but not all at the same time. It’s time for a refresher from this post I wrote a few years ago. Constantly feeling like I’m behind is a choice. It’s okay to focus on one thing at a time, even if I don’t get to it “all” each day.