The Big White Farmhouse | intentional living, little by little

August 12, 2021

No.555: Our Extraordinary Ordinary Life // August 2021

Tuesday, August 10, 2021

Documenting one day of this busy, busy week! This is our last full week of summer break and I am a hot mess right now as I try to pack in as much as I can before my priorities shift back toward school. Highlights of the day:

Mark and I went on a quick “date” to town to get our Walmart Pickup groceries.
Today’s homestead chores: moving the broilers on fresh pasture, checking in on the hens and collecting eggs (12 today!), watering the garden and our new apple trees
One of my kids helped me deal with the vines that are taking over the front porch. This has been on my to-do list for weeks now, but keeps getting pushed to the bottom. It took five minutes and now we look much less like a creepy, abandoned farmhouse.
My daughter and I made a batch of homemade granola. The kids ate it for lunch with Greek yogurt and berries.
In the early afternoon, I spent some time in the school room, tidying up and getting things organized. I can’t believe we’re going back to school already. We’ve had such a full few months…I need a vacation from my summer vacation, ha!
Right before dinnertime, we were surprised by a big thunderstorm. The wind was crazy! Our power flickered off and on a few times, but thankfully nothing more than that.
Dinner was a frittata with bacon, peppers and tomatoes with a simple fruit salad on the side. Delicious and easy. We’re drowning in eggs right now and this helped make a dent.

August 11, 2021

No.554: A Little Garden Cross-Stitch Pillow

My first finish for the Beautiful Things Project was a little garden cross-stitch pillow for my bedroom rocking chair! I found a sweet little pattern on the DMC website for free. I wanted to do this as inexpensively as possible, so I changed the colors to fit the ones I already owned. (I did have to buy two skeins of thread after I ran out, so my grand total for this project was $5.56.) I finished the back using the envelope method. The fabric I used isn’t a perfect match to the front colors, but it’s one that I’ve had in my stash for a decade and this seemed like a good time to use it!

DETAILS

+ Pattern: Point de Marque 3.15
+ Linen, fabric and thread: from my stash
+ Pillow form: 12″x16″ Basic Insert (also from my stash)
+ Tutorial for finishing the pillow: Envelope Method Tutorial from Sew Crafty Me
+ Skeins of thread: Amy Rose Jewelry Supply
TOTAL FOR PROJECT: $5.56

August 10, 2021

No.553: The Beautiful Things Project // An Introduction

I am so excited to introduce a new project that encompasses a lot of thoughts I’ve been mulling over the past year, including:

A question I’ve been asking myself quite a bit is, “Am I a creator or just a consumer?” Since completing my 1,000 Item Declutter Project, I’ve become so disillusioned to the materialism we see just about everywhere. From social media to blogs to your neighborhood shopping center, we are constantly bombarded with ads and sales and more and more stuff. I want less of that in my life.
I’ve also been reflecting on how much the Frugal Accomplishment series has increased my confidence. Instead of the knee-jerk reaction to purchase something new or find someone to fix it, I am much more likely to do a little research and try to figure it out myself. This confidence has even spilled over to many areas in my life!
Lastly, I’ve been blogging for over ten years now and back in the early days, I loved the ones that shared what they had made: a pillow, a new dress, a delicious meal. No one was selling anything, they were just sharing their excitement for their creation. It was inspiring.

So. I’m calling my new endeavor The Beautiful Things Project. My vision is to intentionally bring beautiful things into my home, created with my own hands. I want my grandchildren to say someday, “My Grammie made this quilt by hand” or “She taught me the art of candlemaking” or “When her garden was overflowing with flowers, she showed me how to arrange them for the table.” In full disclosure, my skills are small and sparse, but I’d like to challenge myself to learn and expand. A simple, beautiful life doesn’t have to require a lot of money and I hope to fill our home with many unique things, one piece at a time.

Just a few of my brainstormed ideas:
+ bouquet arranging with flowers from my garden
+ cross-stitched pieces finished in different ways: a pillow, framed, Christmas ornaments, etc.
+ goat’s milk soap, either from our own goats someday or purchased from our friends’ farm
+ a crocheted blanket
+ beeswax candles
+ a doll sewn entirely by hand
+ evergreen wreaths for the doors for Christmas
+ cloth napkins
+ rug hooking

I’ll share my very first finished project here tomorrow!

August 6, 2021

No.552: My Mother Culture Plans for 2021-2022

This post contains affiliate links.

My monthly Mother Culture plans were quite hit or miss last year. As I reflected on it, I think my biggest issue was that I over-anticipated my free time. In reality, with the small pockets of “me” time I currently have, there was just no way I could read an entire book, see a new handicraft through from start to finish, research and enjoy new music and start a new skill all in thirty days. (DUH.)

So for this year, I’m back to the drawing board. I tried to pick topics that fit with my children’s school subjects, both for my own knowledge and so I can sprinkle in a few extra facts along the way. I used Ambleside Online as a jumping off point for the artist and composer studies. Handicrafts will also be included, but I have a separate idea for that. (Details coming next week!) My plan is to work steadily through the list, focusing on quality versus quantity. We’ll see how it goes.

American History

My elementary school children are learning about Early American history this year, so I chose two books that fit:

Benjamin Franklin by Walter Isaacson
Land of Hope: An Invitation to the Great American Story by Wilfred M. McClay

Artist Study // John Singleton Copley

We will also be studying this colonial-era artist as a family. I’m really interested to read more about him!

A Book to Buy //A Revolution in Color: The World of John Singleton Copley by Jane Kamensky
Noteworthy Pieces of Art (and many more are also found here) //
1. Paul Revere, 1768-70, Museum of Fine Arts Boston
2. The Nativity, 1777, Museum of Fine Arts Boston
3. Watson and the Shark, 1778, National Gallery of Art Washington D.C.
4. The Death of the Earl of Chatham, 1779-81, National Portrait Gallery London
5. The Defeat of the Floating Batteries at Gibraltar, September 1782, 1783-91, Guildhall Art Gallery London
6. The Red Cross Knight, 1793, National Gallery of Art Washington D.C.
7. Saul Reproved by Samuel for Not Obeying the Commandments of the Lord, 1798, Museum of Fine Arts Boston

Biology and Nature Study

My natural history choices are all over the place. I am eager to start reading from this list and I could probably write five more posts with interesting books I’m dying to get my hands on! For now, I chose one new-to-me title and one that I’ve had on my shelf for awhile. I also stumbled upon an herbal studies course that sounds fascinating.

The Monk in the Garden: The Lost and Found Genius of Gregor Mendel, the Father of Genetics by Robin Marantz Henig
Last Child in the Woods: Saving Our Children from Nature-Deficit Disorder by Richard Louv
Herbal Materia Medica Course from Herbal Academy

Composer Study // Antonin Dvorák

After reading this short description of Antonin Dvorak, I knew he was a composer I wanted to learn more about!

Books to Read // Antonin Dvorak, My Father by Otaker Dvorak and Dvorak: His Life and Music by Gervaise Hughes
Noteworthy Pieces of Music (links for all can be found here) //
- Symphony 9 in E minor Op. 95 B.178 “From the New World”
- Slavonic Dances Op. 46 and Op. 72
- Carnival Overture Op. 92 B.169
- Humoresques for piano Op. 101 no. 1-8 (especially no 7 in G flat)
- String Quartet No. 12 in F maj Op. 96 (“American”)
- Trio no. 4 in E minor Op. 90 “Dumky”