The Big White Farmhouse | intentional living, little by little

August 15, 2022

No.681: Homemaking Notes on a Monday // Vol.33

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The weather outside is //

Look at that weather forecast! Highs in the 70s in August is pretty unheard of around here.

As I look outside my window // This is our last full week of summer break and I’m torn between being completely lazy and going 100-miles-an-hour tackling farm projects. I’m going to attempt to balance both goals by working hard in the morning and then relaxing all afternoon. I really need to weed the garden and finish up one of the permanent pig shelters. We’ll see how this goes.

As I look around the house // I’ve been searching the house for things to donate/sell and I’m happy to report that I’m having a little trouble! Decluttering regularly (and then not bringing in tons of new stuff) has really helped keep the house at a comfortable level. We’re nowhere near minimalists, but I think we’re getting closer to the Goldilocks feeling of “just right.”

Recovering // from the shock of our latest electricity bill. Between this month and last, we haven’t changed our routine at all, but the “rate adjustment” increased our bill by almost $100! To add salt in the wound, we were also told that another rate adjustment (the third since May) will be implemented next month.

On this week’s to-do list //
– celebrate the Feast of the Assumption
– prep the schoolroom for the new year
– respond to blog comments (I apologize for the delay!)
– look into PO Boxes
– shred junk mail
– organize my master closet
– prepwork for Broilers 2.0 processing

Low buy month update // Week 2!

After successfully getting Fiona onto the trailer and off to the processer, we bought lunch from Chickfila. Eating out is never cheap for our family, but this felt like a worthy time to celebrate.
We had three days of zero spending.
Side hustle update: I listed six items on ebay/Poshmark and made nine sales! We also sold some chicken and eggs to a friend. Total money earned: $98.31

Currently reading //

Fiction: Mother Daughter Traitor Spy by Susan Elia MacNeal
Nonfiction: Indestructible: The Unforgettable Memoir of a Marine Hero at the Battle of Iwo Jima by Jack H. Lucas
Religious: Lay Saints: Models of Family Life by Joan Carroll Cruz

On the menu this week //

Monday: sheet pan mini meatloaves with potatoes and green beans
Tuesday: bialy pizzas
Wednesday: breakfast for dinner – maybe this egg casserole?
Thursday: skillet chicken nachos
Friday: shrimp scampi

August 12, 2022

No.680: Our Extraordinary Ordinary Life // August 2022

A monthly project featuring ten photos throughout the day that show a peek into our extraordinarily ordinary life.

Wednesday, August 10, 2022

Highlights of the day:

I’m running out of time to complete all of my farm projects before the school year starts! I spent the morning dismantling Fiona’s old paddock and amending soil for the fall garden. I also cleaned up “The Barnyard” (where the chickens and ducks live) and put away some of the unneeded fencing. Little by little, tasks are getting checked off the list.
I’ve fallen into the rabbit hole of 60 Minutes Australia Youtube videos. I know, so random. I usually watch/listen while working on other things. Have you heard about the woman who went missing after conning her family and friends out of millions?
My daughter and I made blueberry banana bread. We must not have greased the second pan well enough because when I went to upend it onto the cooling rack, the middle fell out but not the crust! Oh man, we laughed and laughed. Thankfully, it still tasted the same, even though it looked hideous.

August 11, 2022

No.679: A Year of Vintage Recipes // German Blueberry Kuchen

It’s been awhile since I’ve experimented with my vintage cookbook! My daughter and I decided to try a German Blueberry Kuchen, which the cookbook described as a “delicate, fine-grained coffee cake” that is perfect for “breakfast or dinner dessert.” We thought it was delicious and not too sweet. Would be wonderful with a cup of hot coffee!

Print Recipe

German Blueberry Kuchen

taken from Farm Journal's Country Cookbook

Servings: 6 servings

Ingredients

1½ cups flour sifted
2 tsp baking powder
½ tsp salt
¾ cup sugar
¼ cup soft shortening or butter
⅔ cup milk
1 tsp vanilla
½ tsp grated lemon peel
1 egg
1 cup fresh blueberries
3 tbsp sugar
1 tsp grated lemon peel

Instructions

Sift together the flour, baking powder, salt and ¾ cup sugar. Add shortening, milk, vanilla and ½ tsp. grated lemon peel. Beat with an electric mixer on medium speed for 3 minutes, or 300 strokes by hand.
Add the egg and beat with the mixer 2 minutes longer (200 strokes by hand).
Turn into a greased 8" square pan.
Lightly stir together the blueberries, 3 tbsp. sugar and 1 tsp. grated lemon peel. Sprinkle over the batter in the pan.
Bake in a moderate oven (350°) for 40 to 45 minutes, or until lightly browned. Cool slightly in pan. Cut in squares and serve warm.

Check out some other recipes from “A Year of Vintage Recipes” series:
Cheese and Bacon Pie
Old Fashioned Oatmeal Bread
Sugar-Top Coffee Cake

August 10, 2022

No.678: A Scrappy “I Spy” Quilt Top

This is more of a progress report than a finished product, but I am so happy to see this first part DONE! Definitely the most time intensive goal from my summer “Get Things Finished!” Challenge.

This is a quilt top with a story, each piece lovingly sewn together by hand. I learned to sew this way from my maternal grandmother and now that she has passed away, I am so glad I took the time to sit down and pay attention. There are fabrics in this quilt that she passed along to me. There are fabrics from my early days of quilting, where the only fabric I could afford were fat quarters at Joann’s. There are a few vintage fabrics, a pillowcase, even a stained chambray blouse! It’s loud and colorful, but beautiful in its own way.

Right now, the quilt measures 37×80″, but will grow slightly with the binding. I copied the size from one of the childhood quilts my grandmother made for me; it’s the perfect size for wrapping up. Oh! A fun aspect of this quilt is the way I “fussy cut” different fabrics to make a sort of “I Spy” activity. Some examples: