The Big White Farmhouse

intentional living, little by little

No.535: The Wednesday Five #18

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Happy Wednesday!

A QUOTE

To live content with small means; to seek elegance rather than luxury, and refinement rather than fashion; to be worthy, not respectable, and wealthy, not, rich; to listen to stars and birds, babes and sages, with open heart; to study hard; to think quietly, act frankly, talk gently, await occasions, hurry never; in a word, to let the spiritual, unbidden and unconscious, grow up through the common. this is my symphony.
― William Ellery Channing

A RECIPE

I saw a video from Minimal Mom for Lazy Chocolate Chip Cookie Bars and knew it would be a fun summer treat.  I had my daughter make it completely on her own and she did great!

MY FIVE FAVORITE FRUGAL LIVING PURCHASES

When I was first investigating the “less waste” lifestyle, I was surprised to see the vast amount of stuff that influencers were pushing me to buy. Throw out your plastic toothbrush and buy this bamboo one! Throw away your H&M shirt and buy this sustainably made one instead!  I’m more of the mentality that you should use something until it’s literally falling apart, so I never understood the materialistic push. I mean…duct tape is your friend, right?

Frugality also places a big emphasis on less waste, and after two years of intentionally living this way, I have realized how little I’ve actually had to purchase to accomplish this goal.  I wanted to compile a list of the items I frequently mention on my “Frugal Accomplishment” posts; these are all things that I believe are completely worth the money and I use them all the time:

    1. Souper Cubes // what I use to measure out (and then freeze) my homemade chicken stock
    2. Swag Bags // a nice way to store vegetables both from the garden and the store/farmer’s market
    3. Soap Saver Bag // I get a few more uses out of those tiny bits and pieces
    4. Food Dehydrator // we use this a lot for fruit that is starting to look a little rough
    5. Anchor Hocking Glass Containers // keeps leftovers visible and I love that they are American made
    6. BONUS!  Big Bags/Containers of Baking Soda and Vinegar // I’ve been shocked at how many things you can make/clean/fix with these two simple ingredients
ON MY NIGHTSTAND

Two books I just started: Days on the Road: Crossing the Plains in 1895 by Sarah Raymond Herndon and Ashes of Fiery Weather by Kathleen Donohoe

THREE GOOD THINGS

Eating food that we’ve grown on our own land, fireflies at dusk, reading a book on a rainy day

No.534: Last Week at the Farmhouse // All the Projects!

My first home project of Summer 2021 is to tackle the basement.  Dare I call it my secret shame?  We keep toys and instruments and all the random things we don’t know what to do with down there…and it drives me crazy.  But I have a vision!  I would love to have it work both as a comfy hangout space as well as a sleeping area for visitors.  This week was definitely in the “it has to get worse before it gets better” stage, but you have to start somewhere!  I started by relentlessly going through some of the toys.  We have a few “toy bins,” but it’s a horrible system and the little kids never dig through it. I dumped them out, got rid of anything broken and organized things into groups. I tried to be stealthy (so I could donate most of it), but my little boys caught me and were thrilled to play with toys that haven’t seen the light of day in months!  I did manage to fill two gallon bags to donate, so it wasn’t a complete loss.  I also went through some paperwork/craft supplies that I haven’t touched since we moved in four years (!!) ago and tossed a ton.  My last mini project was to consolidate the contents of six plastic bins into just one – SO satisfying!

In the kitchen, I made English muffin bread again, which has become my kids’ favorite and is so easy to make.  My oldest son has also become a homemade tortilla making master!

The little broiler chickens went out to pasture and we are happy to have our garage back again.  (102 birds in hot weather stink.)  In the garden, our strawberries are just about done.  We’re picking lettuce almost daily and the first tomatoes are finally starting to grow.  I planted some cantaloupe seeds.

I pulled out my scrap quilt again and quickly remembered how much I love the process.  Hoping I can get a big chunk of the top completed before school starts up again.

I intended to complete another #24in48 Readathon, but only read for one day before I was completely derailed with the basement project on Day Two.  I did finish When We Were the Kennedys and started The House at the End of Hope Street (affiliate links) and will try this challenge again soon…maybe in July?

No.533: A List of Spring Frugal Accomplishments

+ My son had a broken button on his collared shirt.  I removed the broken one, replaced it with the last button (which won’t be seen since the shirt will be tucked in) and voila!  Ready to wear.

+ Mark made a brisket and, after removing a lot of the fat, decided to try his hand at making tallow!  Super easy process in the slow cooker and it was nice to get one more use out of something that we would normally just throw away.

+ I used my handy dandy declogger recipe to fix our utility sink.

+ The seam on a pair of Sophie’s leggings ripped open, so I hand sewed it back together.  (My little sewing basket is getting a lot of use!)

+ We gave haircuts to three of the boys.

+ I made chicken stock from a roasted chicken carcass (from one of our own chickens!) and veggies scraps I keep in the freezer.  Per usual, I used my favorite Souper Cubes (affiliate link).  Later, we used the stock as the liquid for cooking pinto beans.  Delicious!

+ We fed the hens some of our kitchen scraps and the rest went to our growing compost pile.

+ I chose a few books to read and review on Netgalley.  Gotta love new books without spending any money!

GARDEN SAVINGS:
+ As of this writing, we have picked 244 strawberries from our little strawberry patch. In our area, 2lb. of organic strawberries cost $5.56, so we’ve saved about $20 by growing our own!  Not bad for just ten bareroots.

Previous Frugal Accomplishments
2019: JULY  //  AUGUST  //  SEPTEMBER  //  OCTOBER  //  NOVEMBER  
2020: JANUARY  //  FEBRUARY // APRIL  //  MAY  //  JUNE  // JULY
2021: WINTER

No.532: Homemaking Notes on a Monday // Vol.10

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The month of June is dedicated to the Sacred Heart of Jesus.  I liked this quote from Pope Saint John Paul II back in 1999:

Dear brothers and sisters, let us contemplate the Sacred Heart of Jesus, which is the source of life, since by means of it victory over death was achieved. It is also the source of holiness, since in it sin the enemy of man’s holiness, the enemy of his spiritual development is defeated. The Heart of the Lord Jesus is the starting-point of the holiness of each one of us. From the Heart of the Lord Jesus let us learn the love of God and understanding of the mystery of sin mysterium iniquitatis.

With the upheaval of the past year and a half, I have felt great consolation from Our Lord’s Sacred Heart, so I’m really jumping into this devotion this month!  I’ve been trying to pray the Litany of the Sacred Heart of Jesus daily (here‘s a beautiful Youtube version) and I hope to start this book (recommended by my priest) soon.

The weather outside is //

It’s going to be a hot one!

As I look outside my window // everything is green, green, green.  I love this time of year.

As I look around the house // I’m starting to make a list of projects.  Every June, I turn off my “teacher brain” and almost always turn to home improvement, ha!  Since we’re still focused on our financial goals (Baby Steps #3 and #6), anything we do will have to be accomplished inexpensively.  I’ll report back.

Asking // myself the question: “What can you do to be a maker and not just a passive consumer today?”

Reviewing // this year’s 100 Little Things list.  I’ve completed 38 items and only have two months left to go!  Some tasks will definitely not be completed in time and some interests/priorities have changed, but I do hope to cross off a few more things in the time I have left.

On this week’s to-do list //

– deep clean the dishwasher (following this post)
– make a new flavor of homemade ice cream (100LT #8)
– start browsing for a new pair of “grownup” summer pajamas (100LT #80)
– plant chives

Currently reading // Per usual, I am in the middle of a ton of books!

On the menu this week //
Monday: baked chicken leg quarters with mixed vegetables
Tuesday: pasta with bolognese sauce and homemade garlic knots
Wednesday: teriyaki turkey rice bowls
Thursday: Refrigerator Clean-Out Night
Friday: homemade pizza

Less Materialism, More Intentional Living

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