The Big White Farmhouse

intentional living, little by little

No.677: A New Reading Challenge // WILLA Literary Award Winners

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Another year, another reading challenge! 

Have you heard of the WILLA Awards?  According to the website, “The WILLA Literary Awards honor the best in literature, featuring women’s or girls’ stories set in the West that are published each year. Women Writing the West (WWW), a nonprofit association of writers and other professionals writing and promoting the Women’s West, underwrites and presents the nationally recognized award annually at the WWW Fall Conference. The award is named in honor of Pulitzer Prize winner Willa Cather, one of the country’s foremost novelists.”

I’d like to read the last six years of award winners (2016-2021) in the Historical Fiction and Contemporary Fiction categories.  I’ve already read a few of them and will update this post as I go!

HISTORICAL FICTION WINNERS

CONTEMPORARY FICTION WINNERS

No.676: Homemaking Notes on a Monday // Vol.32

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The weather outside is //

As I look outside my window // As you are reading this, we are hopefully (!!) getting Fiona onto the trailer and off to processing!  We borrowed a farmer friend’s trailer last Wednesday and it’s been in her paddock ever since.  She’s been stubborn and even put herself on a hunger strike (we put her food in the trailer, but she refused to go in)…but I think we turned a corner on Sunday.  Praying for a smooth moving process today.

As I look around the house // The weather forecast looks like I’ll be spending a lot of time indoors, which could be dangerous!  Last week on a rainy afternoon, I had the crazy idea to bring the old loveseat in the basement up two flights of stairs to the schoolroom.  One of my sons helped me move it (we only dinged one wall!) but he definitely looked at me like, “Oh no.  Mom’s got that redecorating look in her eye again.”

A low buy month update // I’m considering Week 1 a success!

  • Most money was spent on groceries.  Our local grocery store has been having shortages and limits, so we decided that continuing to add to our pantry is probably wise.  (This week we added some peanut butter, jelly, and marinara sauce.)  I’m still hoping to keep the grocery budget low throughout this month, so we’ll see if I can accomplish both goals at the same time.
  • We had four days of zero spending.
  • I began decluttering again.  I started a box for Goodwill and listed 14 items on ebay/Poshmark.  By the end of the week, I had made three sales.  Money earned after fees: $31.30

Returning // to this post after feeling like my Year of Simple has been a terrible fail so far.  Thankfully, it’s only August…plenty of time to turn this ship around.

On this week’s to-do list //
– get a start on fall garden planting
– work on the permanent pig shelter
– make a DIY grout cleaner
– post a few toys on Trash Nothing
– troubleshoot the sanding problem with the laundry room walls
– celebrate the feast day of Saint Lawrence by having a BBQ (weather permitting)

Currently reading // 

On the menu this week //

Monday: breakfast enchiladas
Tuesday: cheesy meatballs casserole
Wednesday: Refrigerator Cleanout Night
Thursday: chicken on the grill
Friday: homemade cheese pizza

No.675: Our 2021-2022 Read Alouds

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Over the years, reading aloud has become an important staple in our homeschool.  It’s so fun to experience new books together and I love to hear them chant, “One more chapter!  One more chapter!”  I’ve been terrible about documenting them on the blog; here is the only post I’ve written, way back in 2019.  So with less than three weeks to go before the new school year starts, I’m noting the seven books we read in 2021-2022:

Charlotte’s Web by E.B. White // 184 pages

The classic story about a special pig and his friendship with a wise spider.  We’ve read this one at least three times at this point!  This reading seemed extra special since our own little piglets arrived here at our farm shortly after.

The Cricket in Times Square by George Selden // 144 pages

Another classic that we’ve read multiple times.  A tale about a mouse, a cat and a lost cricket with an amazing talent.  My kids love that hilarious Tucker Mouse!

Tucker’s Countryside by George Selden // 166 pages

This one is the sequel to The Cricket in Times Square and it was really cute.  The kids and I loved the dialogue between Tucker Mouse and Harry Cat!  My only issue with the book was a situation at the end that was morally gray (I’ll be vague so it won’t ruin the book), but the kids and I had a good conversation about it.

Ben and Me: An Astonishing Life of Benjamin Franklin by His Good Mouse Amos by Robert Lawson // 125 pages

We studied Early American history and this little book was a good addition to our studies.  We liked it, but it was a tad forgettable.

Chitty Chitty Bang Bang by Ian Fleming // 144 pages

This one may have been the kids’ favorite of the year!  The book follows the Potts family and their quirky automobile called Chitty Chitty Bang Bang.  The story is about the family’s attempt to capture a notorious gang of robbers.  Very exciting!  (P.S. We ordered the 1960s movie of the same name and it’s nothing like the book.  My kids were disappointed.)

Book Scavenger by Jennifer Chambliss Bertman // 368 pages

This one had a lot of promise: books, a mystery, clues and ciphers.  What’s not to love?  Sadly, it fell a little flat because we found the main character to be a bit bratty and selfish.  A page turner, but not a must read.

The Rise and Fall of Mount Majestic by Jennifer Trafton // 352 pages

We ended the school year on a high note with this fantasy novel.  The story follows a ten-year-old girl who discovers a sleeping giant underneath the island where she lives!  She and her friend Worvil the Worrier have to convince the rest of the island’s inhabitants that a giant exists beneath them and that they should take precautions so as not to awaken him.  A fun one with some laugh out loud moments.  The kids loved it.

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!

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