The Big White Farmhouse

intentional living, little by little

{chit chat} Labor Day Recap

How was your Labor Day?  I hope it was wonderfully relaxing and fun.  Ours was great as well!  We did a day of errands and shopping and two days of lazy relaxing around the house.  It was perfect!  A few more things to tell you about:

MAKING.  Through the wonder of the Internet, I stumbled on this creative girl.  She has a bunch of scrapbook how-to videos and I swear to you, M and I watched about three in a row, just oohing and ahhing over her pages.  Shimelle inspired me so much that I actually pulled out some 12×12 papers and tried my own.  So fun!  (And hurray for making some progress on my neglected pictures from the first four years of marriage!)  

BAKING. Over the weekend, we purchased a bread machine!  My mom found an amazing deal.  We go through a lot of bread around here (the boys are big fans of a good ol’ PB & J), so it will be so nice to have bread without all of the preservatives.  We tried this recipe and I actually had to made it TWICE yesterday!

READING.  I finished Heaven is For Real last week.  It was a good, easy read and gave me a lot to think about.  Talk about childlike faith!  My new book is Love Walked In.  I grabbed it (mostly because I liked the cover…do you ever do that?) when we were browsing through Border’s closing sale.  60-80% off!  I was in heaven.  I also picked up In Defense of Food for the husband…he’s already a quarter of the way through, so it must be good. 

LEARNING.  We are into week two of Apples and going strong.  Yesterday, M went on a “Daddy Date” to the grocery store and picked out four different types.  When they came home, we had a family taste test…so much fun.  I’ll be sharing more of our Apple Unit soon. 

I hope you have a wonderful week! 

{chit chat} A Call for Book Recommendations

First of all, yesterday we experienced our first EARTHQUAKE!  The epicenter was only miles from our home, so it was quite intense.  Thankfully, we are all okay and nothing was broken.  But wow!  What a crazy day!
Heaven is for Real: A Little Boy's Astounding Story of His Trip to Heaven and Back
Anyway.  So I need your help.  I am stuck in a book rut, which stinks because earlier this year, I was on a reading roll!  I was devouring book after book, stealing minutes here and there throughout the day to read a few pages.  “Hold on boys, Mamma’s gotta finish her chapter!”

I read The Forgotten Garden, Honeymoon with my Brother, The Middle Place, and The Help, all of which I recommend.  But then…I just couldn’t get into another book.  Nothing kept my attention.  So I gave up.  And I haven’t picked up a book in over a month!          

But last weekend, I was visiting my parents and brought back Heaven is for Real.  So far, it’s an easy read and I’m stealing those little moments throughout the day to grab a few pages again.  So I need your help!  Help me stay on a reading roll!  What are some of your favorite books?  What have you read recently that you loved?  Please, please, please leave me some ideas in the comments!  

{chit chat} A Monday Morning Chat

Good morning, friends!  I hope you had a fun and relaxing weekend.  Here are a few things we are up to lately:

FOOD…

  • While out running some errands, Mark stopped and got some veggies from a little roadside stand.  That poor man is out there every day in this crazy heat!  I fully recommend shopping at your local roadside market – it feels good to support the farmers and the food is just so good!
  • My husband has been doing a lot of research lately about food and nutrition and has decided to eat “primal”.  From what I gather, that means lots of fruits, veggies and meat and very little starches and carbohydrates.  There is no way that I could fully embrace eating this way (I love to bake too much!) but I’m trying to find recipes that are adaptable for all of us.  I’ve seen this cookbook and I wonder if that may help with some ideas. 

CRAFTY…

  • I am taking a small break from my quilt to work on a new project!  I bought this from the The Floss Box (for $2! What a deal!) and it’s so cute!  I hope to have it finished by the end of the week.  I’m considering making it into a pillow or framing it for my craft room.
  • I spent the majority of this weekend scrapbooking.  Back in March, I took my mom’s boxes full of 20+ years of photographs and promised her a scrapbook in return.  Needless to say, that was months ago and I’m still plugging away!  It has turned out to be a slightly bigger task than I had imagined (HAH! Understatement!) , but I am really enjoying it.     

PRE-K…

  • Our school year will begin in three short weeks!  The first book we are reading is How to Make an Apple Pie and See the World.  I have been searching the Internet for apple activities and recipes.  If you have a great craft or recipe or have seen something cute on a website, please share it with me in the comments! 
  • I want to start incorporating read alouds into our day.  We read picture books at bedtime, but I think the boys are finally old enough that we could start reading a chapter book instead.  I’m thinking of starting with Charlotte’s Web.  Do you have any recommendations? 

Have a great week!

{chit chat} What’s New?

How are you, friends?  I have so many things to tell and share that I thought I would just compile them into one big post! 

FOOD…

  • First of all, have you tried these (our empty bag is pictured above)???  They were totally an impulse buy from the last time we went to the store, but they are excellent! 

CRAFTY…

  • I’m considering doing this Quilt-Along as a way to use up some of my fabric stash.  My taste has changed slightly since I started sewing a few years ago, but I hate not to use all the yardage I bought.  And this quilt has the potential to use up a lot of fabric!   
  • I just purchased this scrapbook binder to hold the first half of my 2011 Project Life.  This way of scrapbooking has been so liberating for me and I just love that I am completely caught up, almost to the day.   

SCHOOL AT HOME…

  • Since M just misses the cut off for kindergarten, we are going to do a Preschool/Pre-K mix this year at home.  I have decided to use Five in a Row with him (with an “around the world” twist) that I think he will love.  Ideas and lesson plans are in full swing around here right now, which I hope to share soon!

HOME DECORATING…

  • The boys’ room has been put on hold because we aren’t sure M is ready for the top bunk just yet.  I think we’ll give it a few more months and revisit it then.
  • Because of that, my focus has shifted to finishing up the living room!  We got quite a bit accomplished last fall, but I still have a few projects left.  Inspiration board and to-do list will be coming soon!

LOOKING AHEAD…

  • The heat here has just been unbearable lately, so I am already looking forward to fall.  I know most families are just starting their summer, but with three little ones who aren’t in school yet, I feel like we’ve been having summer since the beginning of May!  I’m so ready for cooler weather!
  • Call me the super planner or just plain crazy, but I’ve begun brainstorming the boys’ birthdays.  The three of them have birthdays within a six week period in the fall, so I have to be organized!  Ideas so far: robots, pirates, police (and baby J’s is a secret!)

What’s new with you this week?

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