The Big White Farmhouse

intentional living, little by little

No.556: Homemaking Notes on a Monday // Vol.13

This post contains affiliate links.

The weather outside is //

As I look outside my window // I have to laugh at the difference between the front grass and the back.  Our broilers are moved daily to fresh pasture out front and man, chicken poo is the best fertilizer!  The grass is growing back so green and lush!  The back on the other hand…it’s looking a little more crispy.  I definitely think we need to swing the chickens around that way next year.

As I look around the house // I can see how much the 1,000 Item Declutter Challenge has changed our home for the better and I’m tinkering with the idea of another go around.  I don’t think it will necessarily be number driven this time…maybe more focused on making specific homes for various things?  Still brainstorming.

In the garden // my watermelons are taking over!  I’m having such a weird growing season: my tomatoes are limping along and the peppers still haven’t produced anything.  On the plus side, my second round of peas are thriving, so there’s that.

On this week’s to-do list //

– have a happy, productive first week of school!
– look at bulbs for fall planting
– focus on the fall garden
– clean up the unruly weeds in the front flower beds
– deep clean all of the chicken raising “stuff” and pack away for next year
– bake a blueberry peach cobbler
– start prep work for the property fencing project
– find new sneakers for J

Currently reading // 

On the menu this week //
Monday: pulled pork tostadas (with leftover pork)
Tuesday: pasta and bolognese sauce with garlic bread
Wednesday: beans and rice kielbasa skillet
Thursday: chicken pot pie
Friday: meatless frittata and fruit

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.

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

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!

Amazon Disclosure Policy

The Big White Farmhouse is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to Amazon.com.

Less Materialism, More Intentional Living

Archives

Copyright © 2025 The Big White Farmhouse · Theme by 17th Avenue