The Big White Farmhouse | intentional living, little by little

August 4, 2022

No.674: Five Good Things // No.12

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1 // MY GO-TO FARMER FOOTWEAR

Last fall, my husband surprised me with these muck boots. I balked at the price, but they have proven to be worth every penny. I like that they are easy to pull on quickly and are relatively comfortable for a rubber shoe! I have worn them in sun and snow and rain and they’ve held up beautifully.

2 // A WICKER BUTTOCKS BASKET FOR COLLECTING EGGS

If you can get past the funny name, this is the best egg basket! I love the vintage one I found and how it looks on the kitchen counter. Etsy has a ton of options, including this one, this one, and this one too. So cute!

3 // OUR NEW FAVORITE BLUEBERRY PIE

For the fourth of July, I made this blueberry crumble pie and the kids still talk about it. It was the first time I’ve ever included shredded apple in the filling, which helped keep the blueberries from spilling every which way. And the crumble topping? Yum.

4 // DAD’S CLASSIC MOVIE SUMMER SERIES

One fun activity my husband has started with the kids is a “Classic Movie Night” filled with some of his childhood favorites. Some are appropriate for the entire family, some are a little more mature or intense. A few of their favorites:

5 // A SOLUTION FOR BETTER QUALITY SLEEP

This is turning out to be a list inspired by my husband, ha! He recently started using this mouth tape and we’ve been amazed at the difference in his sleep quality. Turns out that breathing through your nose is really important!

August 3, 2022

No.673: A Slow and Simple Summer // Write a Letter

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With just a few weeks of summer vacation left, I’m intentionally trying to slow down and make time for a few important tasks. Today I’m writing a letter! Can you believe that I haven’t written a single piece of snail mail this entire year? I checked my stationery stash and was surprised to find that I have significantly less than I thought I did. I’ll have to remedy that in the future.

Anyway, I chose this “Thinking of You” card from Michelle Mospens. She does all of her own artwork and calligraphy and they are all beautiful. I also pulled out my last new baby card for my cousin who delivered last week. This one is from Love Light Paper. Wish I didn’t live so far away, so I could snuggle that little cutie!

P.S. In the market for some new cards? I share many of my favorite small business stationery shops in these posts.

August 2, 2022

No.672: July in Review & Goals for August 2022

FIVE THINGS I LOVED

the blueberry crumble pie I made for the 4th of July
hand-sewing my scrap quilt while listening to podcasts or Youtube videos (I’m like an old lady sitting by the radio, ha!)
excitement for the upcoming school year
a refreshed living room arrangement
a well-deserved martial art belt promotion for my son

FIVE LESSONS I LEARNED

It is so satisfying to enjoy the fruits of your labor. // Summer is in full swing and we’ve been enjoying so many delicious things from the garden. We also got our first pig back from the butcher and wow, so delicious! There really is no comparison.
I’m glad we’re not full-time chicken farmers. // We love raising our own food but man oh man, are we tired of moving/feeding/watering broilers, ha! Processing day is set for mid-August and we will be so happy to be done with chicken for 2022.
I feel my best with intermittent fasting. // I don’t restrict myself severely and even have a sweet treat here and there, but just paring down the eating window really helps.
Comparison is the thief of joy. // Blame it on my exhaustion from six months of constant work, but I fell into the comparison trap after hearing about a friend’s carefree, successful, monetarily abundant life. I’m generally at peace with where I am in life, but that conversation sent me on a spiral of “What am I doing wrong?” questioning before I quickly pulled myself out of that destructive thought process. Our lives are not the same and that’s okay. I need to be okay staying in my own lane.
There is an eating disorder related to the “clean eating” movement. // I watched this older video about orthorexia nervosa, a fixation on “clean living” which can spiral into other eating disorders. Apparently, it is on the rise due to social media influencers. So sad.

FIVE GOALS FOR AUGUST

Try to blog every weekday. I’ve wanted to try a “Write 30 Days” challenge all year and every month felt too full. August won’t be any different, but I’m going for it anyway!
Complete a “low buy” month.
Get some animals off the property. Fiona will be headed to the pig processor and we’ll be processing broilers 2.0. We’ll welcome the break.
Finish as many homestead projects as possible. So many half-finished projects! I’d like to sow the seeds for the fall garden, continue laying woodchips and compost in the food forest, and construct the permanent pig shelter.
Start school!

August 1, 2022

No.671: Homestead Diaries // July 2022

+ The weather has been so hot and we had our work cut out for us making sure the animals were continually watered. The pigs are extra vulnerable because they can’t sweat. They loved their wallows and were constantly covered in mud. Living their best life! In other pig news, we saw some behavior that may mean that Ethel actually isn’t pregnant like we originally thought. It’s wait and see at this point…I obviously have no idea what I’m doing.

+ I harvested zucchini, squash, green beans, onions, potatoes, tomatoes, jalapenos, and even a few raspberries. We are continually tickled by the fact that we can make meals that use ingredients we grew ourselves!

+ We dealt with a horrible Japanese beetle infestation that ate through the leaves of most of our fruit trees. A huge blow, but thankfully it looks like the trees themselves will survive. I’m already making preparations to proactively combat them next year.

+ I continued working on the food forest. (Broken record at this point…) More compost, more rocks, more wood chips…

+ We have a final decision on the ducks: two boys and two girls! They are really looking different these days with different colored beaks and coloring. I especially love the little flippy feather on the boys’ tails.

+ Fiona update: a farmer friend generously found us an open spot with his pig processor! Such a relief to have that fiasco sorted out. If all goes to plan, she should be off the property by mid-August.