The Big White Farmhouse

intentional living, little by little

No.689: What’s In My Workbasket // September 2022

I’ve always loved peeking in on Ginny’s Yarn Along linkup series and seeing what beautiful items are being created.  Since knitting isn’t one of my skill sets (yet! maybe someday?), I thought I would start a more generalized series on my blog highlighting what handicraft I’m working on each month.  I’m thinking this could be anything from quilting and cross-stitch to DIY home décor and mending.  Anything that I’m working on in the little pockets of free time throughout my day.

So here goes!  Here’s what’s in my workbasket right now:

I started a new cross-stitch project.  I want to do a gallery grouping of framed sampler-style projects, but need a substantial piece for the middle.  I found this pattern for free and adjusted the colors to match ones I already own.  So far, so good.

I also pulled out the grandmother’s flower garden quilt again.  I started the quilting by hand months ago, but it quickly became unbearable to have a thick blanket on my lap in 90+ degree heat.  I’d really like to finish in time to actually use it this winter, so I need to get moving!

Last one: I found this little piece among my fabrics.  I must have made it at least a decade ago?  No idea what I had planned to do with it, so I’m brainstorming now: a doll quilt? a pillow? a zipper pouch?

No.688: August in Review & Goals for September 2022

FIVE THINGS I LOVED
  1. a generous friend who helped us with pig processing logistics
  2. baking with my daughter
  3. the return of the dining room puzzle (and how it brings us together)
  4. an easy start to school
  5. new opportunities for my husband
FIVE LESSONS I LEARNED
  1. The hits keep coming. // We were blindsided with bad news, but continue to trust that God will produce good fruit through this trial.  We pray the lament of Psalm 42 and imitate the psalmist’s hope: “I will praise Thee upon the harp, O God, my God: why art thou sad, O my soul? and why dost thou disquiet me?  Hope thou in God, for I will yet praise Him: Who is the salvation of my countenance and my God.“
  2. God can turn a little into a lot. // I read that sentence on a blog and it really resonated because it’s true!
  3. Scammers are everywhere! // I fell down the rabbit hole of a Youtube channel called Catfished that chronicled the stories of people who were tricked by “romance scammers.”  These slimy guys are everywhere, from Facebook to dating sites to Words with Friends.
  4. I need to strengthen my “reading aloud muscle.” // I almost lost my voice by the end of the first week!
  5. You can’t pour from an empty cup. // A lesson I need to learn over and over again.
FIVE GOALS FOR AUGUST REVIEWED
  1. Try to blog every weekday.  I ended up writing 17 (out of the planned 23) posts.  I started off so strong, but couldn’t keep up during processing and the first week of school.  Oh well, 74% isn’t terrible!  I’ll try again next year.
  2. ✔ Complete a “low buy” month.  I consider this a semi-success.  We were very intentional about every penny, but didn’t see the huge savings I had envisioned.  Maybe I was unrealistically optimistic?
  3. ✔ Get some animals off the property.  We successfully got Fiona to the butcher and processed the broilers ourselves the following week.  We welcome the breathing room after such a busy season!
  4. ✔ Finish as many homestead projects as possible.  My list isn’t completely checked off, but I got a big chunk of it accomplished: I finally finished moving the pile of compost to the food forest, amended garden soil, and tidied up/organized unneeded items from the animals and garden.  We are also almost finished with one of the permanent winter pig paddocks.
  5. ✔ Start school!  Yes!  We’ve had a really easy transition.
FIVE GOALS FOR SEPTEMBER
  1. Go on a date with my husband.
  2. Follow a daily skincare routine and see if I can notice any difference.
  3. Send some snail mail.
  4. Try a new sourdough recipe once each week.
  5. Paint the back doors.

No.687: Homestead Diaries // August 2022

August was the month that I hit a homesteading wall.  After months of pushing myself to the extreme, I crashed and burned, limping my way to the processing finish line.  Thankfully, by month’s end and a little restructuring of my workload, I’m in a much better mental place and ready to tackle the rest of the year.  Here’s what we accomplished in August:

+ After the big storm back in June, we let our 27 laying hens free range.  We mostly had our eyes on them throughout the day and everyone always came back to the coop at night…or so we thought.  After a few days of asking, “Does this look like 27 chickens?” we decided to count them and eight were missing!  My husband and boys walked the property and could see clumps of feathers in places but no bodies, so we’re assuming a fox was picking them off one by one.  So sad.  We quickly beefed up the fencing around the coop and that seemed to fix the problem.

+ I harvested corn, tomatoes, cucumbers, and jalapenos.  We are also having a banner year for green beans – they keep coming and coming!

+ Fiona finally made it to the processor!  We definitely learned some things from the first trip and made a paddock with the trailer inside the Thursday before.  (So thankful for a farmer friend who let us borrow it for so long!)  Fiona was nervous and skittish, but she eventually warmed up to it once we left her alone.  We put all of her meals inside, which forced her hand once she was hungry enough.  On the big day, she went in easily, but man, the look on her face!  Once we locked the ramp, she was confused and shocked and looked like she couldn’t believe we had just betrayed her.  We felt horrible.  We’ll sure miss our little puppy pig, but are thankful for the meat she’ll provide.

+ The ducks started laying!  We’re hoping for little baby ducklings in the future.

+ After a few months of being together, we separated Fred and Ethel in different paddocks.  If Ethel is pregnant (we’re still not convinced that she is…) she needs increased feed for the last third of her pregnancy.  Fred can be quite aggressive with food, often pushing her out of her own feed pan, so this arrangement works better.  And if it turns out that she’s not actually pregnant, well…she’s just going to be well fed for a month.

+ We worked on the construction of a permanent pig pen that will double as a winter paddock and a place for farrowing.  Really excited with how it’s coming along!

+ I amended the spring garden soil and sowed a few things for a fall garden.  My heart’s not completely in it (I’m so tired!) but I’m going to try and see what happens anyway.

+ And the biggest August accomplishment: we processed the Broilers 2.0 and are officially done with chicken season 2022!  Like last time, we split the processing between two days (this time back to back!) and hired friends to help.  It went really smoothly and I felt so much pride for my family.  Homesteading requires all hands on deck and the kids have worked so hard.  So grateful that we can live this life together.

No.686: Homemaking Notes on a Monday // Vol.35

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 // We recently had quite a scare with Fred the pig.  All of a sudden, he became really lethargic and refused to eat.  Fred loves food so we immediately thought something must be really wrong.  A quick search online showed me all the worst case scenarios and I scared myself silly thinking he must certainly be close to death.  You should have seen me babying this 300+ pound animal, coaxing him with treats and water.  Praise the Lord, he eventually perked up and is hopefully getting back to normal.

As I look around the house // Our first week of school went really well!  I am always nervous because I never how it’s going to go – some first days go wonderfully, others have me questioning all of my life’s decisions.  So thankful that this year was a smooth transition with a group of (mostly) enthusiastic students.  Looking forward to Week Two.

On this week’s to-do list //
– finally get the new armchair repaired!
– finish up the permanent pig shelter for Ethel
– start hauling over wood chips
– order straw
– clean up the flower beds at the front of the house
– inventory my fall/winter wardrobe and jot down any needs
– order birthday gifts

Low buy month update // Week 4!

  • We spent less on groceries, but still spent the saved money on different things that popped up like a birthday gift and the admission fee to a competition.  Always something!  At this point, I feel like I’m spinning my wheels.  To make some significant progress on our financial goals, I think I’m going to need to get even thriftier (how??) or start supplementing our income with more focused side hustles.
  • We had two days of zero spending.
  • Side hustle update: I didn’t have much time for reselling/decluttering, but did find 6 items to list.  By week’s end, I had 3 sales.  We also sold some eggs to a friend.  Total money earned: $52.69

Currently reading // 

On the menu this week //

Monday: sheet pan mini meatloaves with potatoes and green beans
Tuesday: breakfast for dinner – I’m thinking ham, egg and cheese biscuit sandwiches
Wednesday: baked chicken quarters with veggies
Thursday: Refrigerator Clean-out Night
Friday: shrimp fried rice and egg rolls

Amazon Disclosure Policy

The Big White Farmhouse is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to Amazon.com.

Archives

Copyright © 2025 The Big White Farmhouse · Theme by 17th Avenue