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Oh my goodness.  November feels like it has spun me around and around and then spit me out!  You know your life is too full when you have to make daily to-do lists on 4×6″ pieces of paper because there’s just not enough room to write in your weekly planner.  Yeesh.  The silly part is that it’s not even really farm tasks, it’s just life tasks!  To everything there is a season…I’m looking forward to a slower pace.  Soon!

There’s another new baby in our community!  When the world feels dark and cruel, man oh man do we need and appreciate new life!  Praise be to God for the light that comes from these babies.  Anyway, we brought over dinner and gifts for both the new baby and the big sisters.  And frugal accomplishment: I learned how to make a gift bag from wrapping paper to package up the itty bitty outfit!

In farm news, the two new piglets arrived on Wednesday!  We named them Millie and Sally, a la The Dick Van Dyke Show.  They are so sweet and are warming up to us already.  Max and Ruby, the “big kids” piglets, are obsessed with their new neighbors.

On my nightstand: Catch Me If You Can: The True Story of a Real Fake by Frank W. Abagnale and The Catholic Mass: Steps to Restore the Centrality of God in the Liturgy by Bishop Athanasius Schneider.  I seem to be reading at a snail’s pace this month.

The kids and I made a batch of vanilla granola.  It was gone in two days.

Even though this week was crazy, I somehow decided that it was just the right time to start intentionally creating new habits!  I turn 40 next year and have been thinking a lot about how I want to feel moving into this new decade.  I want to feel less stress and more peace.  I want to feel strong.  I want to be in good health.  I want to be a saint.  (That one’s the most difficult!)  Everything I do today is a gift I give myself in the future.  A few new habits I started this week:

• starting the morning with a big glass of water and electrolytes
• waiting one hour after waking before my first cup of coffee
• completing a low intensity but powerful workout 5x/wk (I started this beginner workout plan from Nourish Move Love)
• thinking of morning farm chores as an opportunity to get sunshine into my eyes
• finding creative ways to have protein in every meal I eat

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I worked on a new junk journal for December!  One aspect of junk journaling that I love is the ability to use up crafty projects in a useful way.  For example, I enjoy cross-stitching but I’m always at a loss for what to do with them once I’m finished.  Anyway, I recently found a finished Santa piece that I made more than a decade ago!  I had attached it to mounting board but woo, it was a terrible job.  I pulled and warped the fabric and it was nowhere near straight.  (I’m assuming I had planned to frame it for decor but the end result was so bad, I must have tucked it away in my craft box to deal with later, ha!)  This week, I decided to pull it off the mounting board – sadly warping it even further – and used it as the cover of my December journal.  It’s wonky and imperfect, but it’s something I made with my own hands and it didn’t end up in the trash!  For the back, I whipped up a quick hand-stitched hexagon piece from red and green fabrics I already owned.  Voila!  A fabric cover for all of our December memories.

New recipe of the week: pumpkin scones!  Not too sweet and delicious.

A quote from Padre Pio: “…stay in the boat in which Our Lord has placed you, and let the storm come.  You will not perish.  It appears to you that Jesus is sleeping, but let it be so.  Don’t you know that if he sleeps, his heart vigilantly watches over you?  Let him sleep, but at the right time, he will awoken to restore your calm.”

My husband’s coworker and his wife just had their first baby!  She was full term, but he was itty bitty (6lbs!) and has had to spend the past two weeks in the NICU.  I picked up some adorable, tiny preemie outfits and had so much fun packaging it up.

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I’ve been thinking a lot about the juxtaposition between hard and good.  Lately, I’ve found myself saying that many parts of my life are “hard:” Farming is so hard.  Homeschooling six kids is hard.  Trying to take care of myself and feel better is hard.  Life is just…hard.  But – at least in these instances – does hard necessarily mean bad?  The first two have been so fruitful for our family and the third is a not fun, but completely necessary task to improve the quality of my life.  All three are beneficial.  All three are worth the struggle.  All three are good.

Hard and good.  Good and hard.  Two things can be true at the same time.

I had plans to participate in the Top Ten Tuesday linkup this week, but that just didn’t happen.  The prompt was “books on my fall 2023 to-read list” and these were the ten possibilities I pulled:

1. Maisie Dobbs by Jacqueline Winspear
2. Dracula by Bram Stoker
3. Ruthless River: Love and Survival by Raft on the Amazon’s Relentless Madre de Dios by Holly Fitzgerald
4. West with Giraffes by Lynda Rutledge
5. A Merciful Death by Kendra Elliot
6. Complications: A Surgeon’s Notes on an Imperfect Science by Atul Gawande
7. The Beekeeper’s Apprentice by Laurie R. King
8. Motherless by Brian J. Gail
9. The Carnivore Code: Unlocking the Secrets to Optimal Health by Returning to our Ancestral Diet by Paul Saladino, MD
10. Gold: The Race For the World’s Most Seductive Metal by Matthew Hart

In science, the little boys learned about mushrooms, especially the super deadly Destroying Angel.  We have some mushrooms around our property but will probably leave them alone until someone with way more experience can teach us proper identification.  Did you hear about that mushroom poisoning case in Australia?

Like most people, one of my stressors right now is money.  I’m feeling the tug to intentionally seek out new frugal accomplishments.  We still regularly do most of the things I’ve mentioned in previous FA posts, but I need to think more creatively and outside the box.  I need some fresh inspiration!  Starting small, but two accomplishments from this week:

• My second youngest was in desperate need of bigger sneakers, so I dug around in our hand-me-down bin and thankfully found a pair his size.  A quick cleanup with a wet rag and Magic Eraser and they look good as new.  (And it saved me at least $30.)
• The air conditioning is officially off for the year and the windows are open everyday.  Praying this saves us a bit on our electric bill since this year has been ridiculous.

We had a scary experience with Sammy, our eight-month-old Great Pyrenees/Golden Retriever mix.  We’re still not exactly sure what happened, but he suddenly became unsteady on his feet, stumbling around with his head shaking.  He looked like he had Parkinson’s disease.  His personality completely changed and he just looked awful.  It was absolutely terrifying, but after about 12 hours of rest (and 12 hours of worry for me), he was right back to his silly self.  His symptoms matched up pretty well to vestibular disease and we’re assuming he must have done something to mess with his eardrum, therefore disturbing his equilibrium/balance.

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Little duties, little efforts, the better for being seen by no one, except by Him in whose eyes nothing is little. – a quote I loved from The Secret Diary of Elisabeth Leseur, p.157

What a week!  We started with boiling 90-100° weather and ended with a severe thunderstorm downpour.  Our area has been in a moderate drought this year, so that rain was so welcome!

Torrie recently shared her minimalism goals and I was super inspired by the way she broke down the areas of her house into tiny sections.  I’d like to do another declutter this fall and this was just what I needed to get started.  I made my list and began with the school room bookshelves.  In just an hour, I had tidied and organized, tossed a ton of used workbooks, and was even able to find 35 items to donate or resell.  I felt very accomplished and excited to keep going.

We had another fun week in science.  The little boys are learning about rocks and minerals and we dove into this rock and mineral kit.  So fun.  My fifth grader read a book called The Secret Life of a Snowflake: An Up-Close Look at the Art and Science of Snowflakes, which was so interesting!  The author is a scientist who photographs snowflakes under a microscope.  Each one is completely unique.  We’re already praying for snow this winter, so we can see this for ourselves, ha!

New additions to my mother culture book stack: Cobalt Red: How the Blood of the Congo Powers Our Lives by Siddharth Kara, The Collapse of Parenting: How We Hurt Our Kids When We Treat Them Like Grown-Ups by Leonard Sax, MD, PhD and The Cortisol Connection: Why Stress Makes You Fat and Ruins Your Health And What You Can Do About It by Shawn Talbott, PhD, FACSM.

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I started the week with a comedy of errors: I accidentally popped out a filling and will be dealing with a massive hole in my molar until the dentist can fit me in sometime in the next two weeks.  I got stung by a hornet or yellow jacket while moving pigs on pasture and had a localized allergic reaction.  We’re also dealing with a fox snatching our chickens and our attempts to trap him have been frustratingly unsuccessful.  Thankfully, God is gracious and knew I needed one small win: our first week of school went smoothly and without complaint!

This week was all about figuring out a new routine with six school-aged kids: what subjects can be completed independently vs. what do I need to be present for, is it too much work or too little? and on and on.  Like every year, fitting in household chores is the last puzzle piece; when do I even have time to do the laundry?!  Dinner was also a poorly planned hodgepodge.  Oh well…it will all work its way out in time.

The science experiments for Week 1 were a big hit.  In seventh grade, my son dropped M&Ms in water and vegetable oil and we were surprised to discover that the “m” on the candy is made from edible paper!  When put in water, the candy will dissolve, but the “m” will float to the top.  My littlest boys learned about light and shadows and watched their chalk-traced shadow move throughout the day.  So fun.

Baby steps from burnout update: I have put on some weight (ahem…) and my ill-fitting clothes have put a damper on my desire to dress nicely.  So with my husband’s encouragement, I decided to buy some items in my current size.  I am firmly in the camp that you can be realistic about the body you have right now while also working toward a healthier one in the future.  Weight is what it is and I don’t find my identity in the number, but I do know what size makes me feel best.  My box from ThredUp arrived this week and I was pleased with about 90% of it.  Now I’ll be able to feel a little more confident in clothes that actually fit while working toward my health goals.

I decided that my early mornings with the dog (hours before anyone wakes up!) could be an opportunity to start a new mother culture habit.  Currently working my way through Land of Hope: An Invitation to the Great American Story, Pioneer Priests and Makeshift Altars: A History of Catholicism in the Thirteen Colonies, and The Secret Diary of Elisabeth Leseur.  All really good so far!  I’m learning a lot.

I’ve been doing a lot of thinking about how I’m firmly in the “in-between” stage of so many aspects of my life right now. The farm is getting more established, but still has countless half-finished projects strewn across the property. I’m more proficient in running the farm, but nowhere near an expert.  The house is comfortable, but the list of updates is still miles long. The mortgage reduction goal is well on its way but we’re far off from the finish line.  And on and on and on.  The in-between is uncomfortable for someone like me who prefers things in tidy little boxes and tasks checked off the list. I struggle with the mess, with the imperfection, with the unknowing. But God is good, isn’t He? I’ve grown and learned more in the past three years than I probably have in the last decade.  Non nobis Domine non nobis sed nomini tuo da gloriam – Not to us, O Lord, not to us, but to your name give glory. (Psalm 115)

We recently purchased a new-to-us puzzle at our favorite used bookstore.  (Here’s the Amazon listing so you can see the whole thing.)  Super cute with so many little details.

I’ve been listening to a podcast called Sold a Story and feel so vindicated.  (I have had a personal experience with this during my kids’ time in public school, but that’s a story for another day.)  I’m sure there are worthy arguments on both sides of this apparently hot-button issue, but it’s definitely worth a listen if you feel like your lower elementary school kids are struggling with reading.

Did you notice an orangey-red sun where you live this week?  Apparently due to the wildfires in Canada, smoke and haze were prevalent in the mid-Atlantic region, making the sun appear red.  Eerie.

A few photos from around the farm:

Then there is the overflow of his poverty.  Again we ask, “How little can he have?”  Even a poor baby does have some kind of a crib, is in some kind of a home.  But he?  How poor can he be?  How little can he have?  How much can he do without?…And how acquisitive we can be!  Perhaps not of things, although we are certainly not immune from that, but how acquisitive can we be of the way things must be arranged, the time that decisions must be made, the way this must be done.  And our Lord is saying to us in his overflow, “How little can you have?  How much can you do without?”  On the spiritual level, the level on my interior acquisitiveness, my interior concupiscence, how much can I do without?  It is when we reduce our holdings to their absolute minimum, to relate to his overflow, that we are the happiest.  When I have to have my way, and I have to have this done right now, and this has got to be figured out right now, and this has got to be arranged – this is not when we are happy.  We know that, yet we forget it very easily…How little could he have?  Just some straw, a little swaddling, a Mother, and the angels singing. – Come Lord Jesus: Meditations on the Art of Waiting, p.94-95

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I’ve been thinking a lot about what makes a house a home.  So often I look at my house with a critical eye: that needs to be repainted, we’re going to have to get that repaired sometime soon, why did the previous owner pick that?!

During the blog break, I went on a cleaning spree and filled my days with cleaning and tidying, decluttering and straightening.  Is it too dramatic to say that I love my home even more now?  I don’t have the money for a kitchen renovation or floor refinishing or professionally skim coated walls.  But there’s something magical about the power of soap and elbow grease.  (Remember this “soap is cheap” article?)  There’s something beautiful about rearranging our belongings just so, figuring out ways to make our spaces work best for this specific time in our lives.  There’s something freeing to be able to say that while it’s not perfect (and will it ever be?), it’s still good.

A few other highlights from last week:

My Christmas cactus may be a Thanksgiving cactus this year!

Organization project of the week: I worked on my pantry with the addition of these command mop grippers.  Now my mop and brooms are up off the floor and out of the way!  (And mini frugal accomplishment: I shopped around for a good price for these clips and couldn’t find anything cheaper than $9 for one hook.  A quick look on Poshmark and I found someone selling four for $9!  Love a good deal, especially these days.)

I worked through The Tenant of Wildfell Hall most of the week for book club.  A good story, but whew…a slog to get through the middle!

A further consequence of my blog break cleaning spree was a new aversion for mass-produced decor.  I recently read an article that commented on the lure of materialism in social media and how it influenced home decor and design.  One woman was lamenting about a gold mirror in her baby’s nursery that was “all the rage” two years ago, but is now basically unnecessary and useless.  It’s fascinating how we can be so subconsciously manipulated!  Anyway, I’m discovering more and more that I love unique, old things and I want them to be a part of everyday life.  Nothing too precious to be kept in a cabinet collecting dust!

Some examples I’ve recently implemented/acquired: I used my grandmother’s china teacups to be “scoopers” for my flour/sugar/oats jars.  I pulled out an old dish (also from a grandmother) to hold my everyday jewelry.  I purchased a beautiful vintage (supposedly European) soap dish for my kitchen sink.  They’re all small little details that create a collected look all my own.

No photographic evidence, but I also:

+ woke up early to see the lunar eclipse and the “blood moon” on Tuesday.  Standing outside in the silence with a sky full of stars… it was so incredibly beautiful.  What an amazing Creator we serve.
+ did my yearly stripping of the processing clothes as my boys are done with farm work for the season.  So gross.  So satisfying.
+ continued applying essential oils to my (very large) pig’s hurt leg.  Fred’s been limping, so at the advice of a friend, I ordered and started applying Ache Away.  I never know what to expect with these homeopathic-type remedies, but it appears to be working!  He’s slowly getting the pep back in his step.
+ opened an electric bill informing us of another price increase.  I think this is #3 for the year?  It goes into effect in January 2023, so we’ll have to be extra careful with our heating.  Lots of fires in the fireplace in our future!

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When life is crazy and and things keep going sideways, I tend to choose ridiculous projects that need to be done right.this.minute.  This week’s project was to separate Lego bricks by color.  I know.  Who in their right mind does this?  I would have considered this idea insanity a few years ago, but my boys are growing up and the younger ones think this will help with their building.  As for me, I’m hoping it will help them use what we own because I’ve been thisclose to donating the whole lot.  (All five boys looked at me in horror when I mentioned it.)  Anyway, I bought six of these bins and they’re a great size for this project.

Bacon wrapped jalapeno poppers made with our own peppers!

Frugal accomplishment of the week!  Our dryer had been consistently making an ear-splitting squealing noise and I had to resort to air-drying the laundry.  (I typically do 1-2 loads every day, so this has been a little inconvenient.)  We didn’t want to buy a new dryer, so after doing a little research and learning a few things on Youtube, we decided to try to fix it ourselves.  And for less than $10, we have a functional (and quiet!) dryer again!

On my nightstand: This Tender Land and Padre Pio: The Stigmatist.  I’ve been reading at a snail’s pace, but need to step it up: I have a book club book to start!

My latest find: this vintage brass candle holder.  I love the detailing and the place for your thumb.  Such a cool piece!  I’ve been browsing etsy for another one and have found some options like this one, this one, and this one too!