The Big White Farmhouse

intentional living, little by little

No.338: Intentions for the End of January

Take care to preserve your heart in peace; let no happening of this world upset it…Even if everything here below crumbled apart and all things were against us, there would be no use in upsetting ourselves over it, for that upset would bring us more harm than benefit.
– St. John of the Cross

INTENTIONS FOR THE END OF JANUARY

  • try to remember to say the Angelus twice a day
  • find a muffin recipe that uses applesauce
  • get paperwork ready for taxes
  • clean the Dutch oven (100LT #5)
  • order Mark’s birthday present
  • start browsing Valentine’s Day cards on etsy for family and friends
  • read one book on my Kindle
  • list 5 items on Poshmark/ebay
  • cross-post 5 items
  • clean and organize the garage
  • clean out the car interior
  • join in on the “One Box Declutter Challenge” with Sweet & Simple Home
  • make homemade playdough (100LT #58)
  • look into what it would cost to build a Little Free Library (the very beginnings of 100LT #76)

PREVIOUS INTENTIONS

If you’re reading on your phone or in a reader, be sure to click over to see what I checked off the list!
    • get a solid start on No Spend January (Definitely not perfect, because…life.  Money spent was on our bills, gas, groceries, an oil change, dental copays, and a new phone when Mark’s suddenly would not hold a charge)
    • try out The Confident Mom’s free Household Planner (LOVING this so far!)
    • slowly get back into the 1,000 Item Declutter Challenge
    • write thank you notes
    • finish up my 2019 December Daily album (I’m so pleased with how it turned out)
    • list 5 new items on Poshmark/ebay (Official total was 7)
    • cross-post 5 items (2/5)
    • try to get a photo of the six kids all together (thank you, snow day!)
    • keep track of all grocery spending (I even came up with a fancy Excel sheet)
    • have a “Top Chef Night” to use up some of the random items in our pantry and fridge
    • start demo-ing Sophie’s bathroom
    • finally set up the telescope (Sophia is thrilled!)
    • watch and practice one video from my new self-defense course (I watched the first lesson about the combat base, but will need to keep practicing until it feels natural)

      No.330: Intentions for the Beginning of January

      Grant me, O Lord my God, a mind to know you, a heart to seek you, wisdom to find you, conduct pleasing to you, faithful perseverance in waiting for you, and a hope of finally embracing you. Amen.
      – St. Thomas Aquinas

      INTENTIONS FOR THE BEGINNING OF JANUARY

      • get a solid start on No Spend January (I need a break from the spending madness!)
      • try out The Confident Mom’s free Household Planner 
      • slowly get back into the 1,000 Item Declutter Challenge
      • write thank you notes
      • finish up my 2019 December Daily album
      • list 5 new items on Poshmark/ebay
      • cross-post 5 items
      • try to get a photo of the six kids all together
      • keep track of all grocery spending
      • have a “Top Chef Night” to use up some of the random items in our pantry and fridge
      • start demo-ing Sophie’s bathroom
      • finally set up the telescope
      • watch and practice one video from my new self-defense course

      No.323: Intentions for December

      “Advent is synonymous with hope, not the vain waiting for a faceless god, but concrete and certain trust in the return of him who has already visited us.”
      – Saint Pope John Paul II

      INTENTIONS FOR ADVENT 

      • say the Saint Andrew Christmas novena
      • attend the local Christmas parade
      • lay wreaths on veterans’ graves at the cemetery
      • address and mail Christmas cards
      • bake three new kinds of cookies
      • keep up with a December Daily album
      • decide on outfits for Christmas Eve Mass
      • use up the wrapping paper I already own before buying new rolls
      • SLOW DOWN and enjoy this time of year

      I have a few posts to publish this month, but will mostly be busy preparing my home and heart for Christmas.  I’ll be back to regularly scheduled programming in the new year!  Wishing you a peaceful Advent season. XOXO

      No.318: Intentions for the End of November



      “It’s not how much we give but how much love we put into giving.”
      ― Mother Teresa

      INTENTIONS FOR THE END OF NOVEMBER

      • prepare to potty train P
      • wrap birthday gifts for J and P
      • get a good start on Christmas shopping
      • make a list of gifts to look for Black Friday deals
      • prepare supplies for December Daily
      • write lesson plans for “Advent School”
      • put flannel sheets on the kids’ beds
      • buy bathroom floor tile and grout
      • finish reading Story of a Soul
      • bake a pie

                PREVIOUS INTENTIONS

                If you’re reading on your phone or in a reader, be sure to click over to see what I checked off the list!

                • buy wrapping paper and wrap gifts for M (I have a teenager in the house!  I can’t believe it…)
                • finish collecting items for Birthday Boxes and drop off at the food pantry (on the list for this week!)
                • start thinking about Christmas
                • send off broken crayons to The Crayon Initiative 
                • make homemade playdough (100LT #58)
                • list 10 things on Poshmark/ebay (not quite – I listed 6/10)
                • bake bread
                • catch up on snail mail correspondence (sooo close – just one penpal letter to go!)
                • replace the foyer light

                No.313: Intentions for the Beginning of November

                “Get used to lifting your heart to God, in acts of thanksgiving, many times a day. Because he gives you this and that. Because you have been despised. Because you haven’t what you need or because you have. Because he made his Mother so beautiful, his Mother who is also your Mother. Because he created the sun and the moon and this animal and that plant. Because he made that man eloquent and you he left tongue-tied … Thank him for everything, because everything is good.” 
                – St. Josemaria Escriva

                INTENTIONS FOR THE BEGINNING OF NOVEMBER

                • buy wrapping paper and wrap gifts for M
                • finish collecting items for Birthday Boxes and drop off at the food pantry
                • start thinking about Christmas 
                • send off broken crayons to The Crayon Initiative
                • make homemade playdough (100LT #58)
                • list 10 things on Poshmark/ebay
                • bake bread
                • catch up on snail mail correspondence
                • replace the foyer light

                          PREVIOUS INTENTIONS

                          If you’re reading on your phone or in a reader, be sure to click over to see what I checked off the list!

                          • buy upholstery pins and finally finish the living room chair slipcover project (not perfect, but it looks better than before!)
                          • purchase slippers for the kids who need them
                          • start collecting items to assemble Birthday Boxes for the food pantry
                          • buy a fabric shaver and try to save some of my older sweaters
                          • sew the button back on my wool coat
                          • condition the leather on my booties
                          • clean my indoor/outdoor rug (I think I’m going to wait until spring to do this – it’s too chilly to be spraying it outside with the hose!)
                          • try to take a decent family photo in our yard for Christmas cards
                          • make a soup (I made tomato basil parmesan with grilled cheese sandwiches)
                          • get our oven fixed (SO thankful for a working oven!)
                          • bake pumpkin chocolate chip cookies (we made our go-to recipe and they were gone in minutes!)
                          • give P a haircut (didn’t get to P, but I did give J a haircut and Sophie a trim)
                          • catch up on snail mail correspondence
                          • hang curtains in the little boys’ room

                          No.304: Intentions for the End of October

                          “I cannot endure to waste anything so precious as autumnal sunshine by staying in the house.”
                          ― Nathaniel Hawthorne, The American Notebooks

                          INTENTIONS FOR THE END OF OCTOBER

                          • buy upholstery pins and finally finish the living room chair slipcover project
                          • purchase slippers for the kids who need them
                          • start collecting items to assemble Birthday Boxes for the food pantry
                          • buy a fabric shaver and try to save some of my older sweaters
                          • sew the button back on my wool coat
                          • condition the leather on my booties
                          • clean my indoor/outdoor rug
                          • try to take a decent family photo in our yard for Christmas cards
                          • make a soup
                          • get our oven fixed
                          • bake pumpkin chocolate chip cookies
                          • give P a haircut
                          • catch up on snail mail correspondence
                          • hang curtains in the little boys’ room

                                    PREVIOUS INTENTIONS

                                    If you’re reading on your phone or in a reader, be sure to click over to see what I checked off the list!

                                    • continue the 1,000 Item Declutter Challenge (reach 100 items)
                                    • order daffodil bulbs (my boys even planted them as my birthday present!)
                                    • figure out what we want to do for family photos
                                    • read a nature non-fiction book (I’ve started The Lost Art of Reading Nature’s Signs)
                                    • finish buying birthday presents for D and wrap
                                    • clean my indoor/outdoor rug

                                    No.300: Intentions for the Beginning of October

                                    Well, my intention list for the end of September was a bust (see below), but for a good reason: I’ve been all in with a 1,000 Item Declutter Challenge!  The idea was inspired by this TED Talk and I’m excited (and a little nervous) to see how long it takes me to complete it.  Here are my ground rules:

                                    1. Only spend 10 minutes at one time and only in one specific area.  (This could be the kids’ closet or a kitchen cabinet or the schoolroom bookshelf.) I don’t have a lot of time during the week, but also don’t want to spend every.single.weekend working on this project.  I think 10 minutes a day is a fair compromise.
                                    2. Monday through Wednesday, seek out items that we no longer need and make a pile.  Then Thursday through Saturday, make a plan and deal with them.  This will hopefully avoid that dreaded box of “what should I do with these?” items.
                                    3. Possible places to find new homes for items: Ebay/Poshmark, Facebook Marketplace, Trash Nothing or the local Buy Nothing Facebook group and as a last resort, Goodwill
                                    I feel a responsibility for the things I have and want to be intentional with how I dispose of them.  Questions I’m asking myself: If it’s here, what purpose does it serve?  Can I use it up?  Can I enjoy it vs. keeping it tucked away in drawers and boxes?  And if not, can I let it go to someone who may want/need it more?

                                    INTENTIONS FOR THE BEGINNING OF OCTOBER

                                    • continue the 1,000 Item Declutter Challenge (reach 100 items)
                                    • order daffodil bulbs
                                    • figure out what we want to do for family photos
                                    • read a nature non-fiction book (100LT #89)
                                    • finish buying birthday presents for D and wrap
                                    • clean my indoor/outdoor rug

                                              PREVIOUS INTENTIONS

                                              If you’re reading on your phone or in a reader, be sure to click over to see what I checked off the list!

                                              • use up the zucchini in the freezer (make bread?)
                                              • schedule eye exams for M and D
                                              • call for a consultation with Invisible Fence
                                              • start buying birthday presents for D
                                              • shop around for better car insurance
                                              • buy batteries for the emergency closet (fun fact: September is National Preparedness Month)
                                              • change the filter in the attic
                                              • go at least 7 days without spending money (I ended up with 6 no spend days – so close!)
                                              • redo Sophie’s phonics/reading plans to accommodate possible dyslexia
                                              • make a reading reward chart
                                              • replace our old American flag (ordered and waiting for it to arrive)
                                              • start a decluttering challenge (see above!)

                                              No.293: Intentions for the End of September

                                              “I think, at a child’s birth, if a mother could ask a fairy godmother to endow it with the most useful gift,
                                              that gift would be curiosity.”
                                              ― Eleanor Roosevelt

                                              INTENTIONS FOR THE END OF SEPTEMBER

                                              • use up the zucchini in the freezer (make bread?)
                                              • schedule eye exams for M and D
                                              • call for a consultation with Invisible Fence
                                              • start buying birthday presents for D
                                              • shop around for better car insurance
                                              • buy batteries for the emergency closet (fun fact: September is National Preparedness Month)
                                              • change the filter in the attic
                                              • go at least 7 days without spending money
                                              • redo Sophie’s phonics/reading plans to accommodate possible dyslexia
                                              • make a reading reward chart
                                              • replace our old American flag (100LT #30)
                                              • start a decluttering challenge

                                                        PREVIOUS INTENTIONS

                                                        If you’re reading on your phone or in a reader, be sure to click over to see what I checked off the list!

                                                        • do some research to see if I can find a local Civil War reenactment (I found a semi-close one happening in October!)
                                                        • embroider Sophie’s name onto her new lab coat (one of her birthday gifts!)
                                                        • make a running list of needed fall/winter clothes (still need to buy socks, shoes and a few winter coats, but I made a good dent in the list)
                                                        • schedule eye exams for M and D
                                                        • call for a consultation with Invisible Fence (the previous owners installed one on the property, but we have no idea where it is)
                                                        • go apple picking
                                                        • make apple butter
                                                        • make blueberry freezer jam
                                                        • preorder supplies for December Daily (really excited to do this project again this year)
                                                        • list a few new things on Poshmark (added a delicate merino wool sweater, a like new Athleta tank, and a few skirts perfect for the upcoming season)

                                                        No.289: Intentions for the Beginning of September

                                                        “A children’s story that can only be enjoyed by children is not a good children’s story in the slightest.” 
                                                        ― C.S. Lewis

                                                        INTENTIONS FOR THE BEGINNING OF SEPTEMBER

                                                        • do some research to see if I can find a local Civil War reenactment
                                                        • embroider Sophie’s name onto her new lab coat (one of her birthday gifts!)
                                                        • make a running list of needed fall/winter clothes 
                                                        • schedule eye exams for M and D
                                                        • call for a consultation with Invisible Fence (the previous owners installed one on the property, but we have no idea where it is)
                                                        • go apple picking
                                                        • make apple butter
                                                        • make blueberry freezer jam
                                                        • preorder supplies for December Daily
                                                        • list a few new things on Poshmark

                                                                PREVIOUS INTENTIONS

                                                                If you’re reading on your phone or in a reader, be sure to click over to see what I checked off the list!

                                                                • give myself a lot of grace as we start school and find a new routine (um, no – the first two weeks of school were crazy and I was way too hard on myself)
                                                                • make a football practice/game survival bag to keep in the car (I filled a bag with a blanket and art supplies, but the general consensus from the little ones was that I didn’t have nearly enough snacks, ha!)
                                                                • call and dispute a bill that we have already paid
                                                                • schedule eye exams for M and D (totally forgot to do this!)
                                                                • buy a “soap saver” from someone on etsy (I got this one)
                                                                • look for lavender sachets on etsy too
                                                                • start buying birthday presents for S and TJ (all purchased and most are even wrapped!)
                                                                • buy birthday wrapping paper
                                                                • transition Lucy to adult dog food (on day 8 of 10)
                                                                • get my sourdough starter up and running again (so happy to have this back in our diet)
                                                                • deep clean the oven (100LT #4)
                                                                • try to sell bar stools from the old house (that have been collecting dust here for two years) on Facebook Marketplace (they sold in less than 24 hours, so happy!)
                                                                • find sneakers for Sophie

                                                                No.284: Intentions for the End of August

                                                                “I sincerely believe that for the child, and for the parent seeking to guide him, it is not half so important to know as to feel when introducing a young child to the natural world. If facts are the seeds that later produce knowledge and wisdom, then the emotions and the impressions of the senses are the fertile soil in which the seeds must grow. The years of early childhood are the time to prepare the soil.”  
                                                                -Rachel Carson, A Sense of Wonder

                                                                INTENTIONS FOR THE END OF AUGUST

                                                                • give myself a lot of grace as we start school and find a new routine
                                                                • make a football practice/game survival bag to keep in the car
                                                                • call and dispute a bill that we have already paid
                                                                • schedule eye exams for M and D
                                                                • buy a “soap saver” from someone on etsy
                                                                • look for lavender sachets on etsy too
                                                                • start buying birthday presents for S and TJ
                                                                • buy birthday wrapping paper
                                                                • transition Lucy to adult dog food
                                                                • get my sourdough starter up and running again (100LT #51)
                                                                • deep clean the oven (100LT #4)
                                                                • try to sell bar stools from the old house (that have been collecting dust here for two years) on Facebook Marketplace
                                                                • find sneakers for Sophie

                                                                        PREVIOUS INTENTIONS

                                                                        If you’re reading on your phone or in a reader, be sure to click over to see what I checked off the list!

                                                                        • stick to “the plan” (I’ve walked every morning, been 95% dairy-free, and in bed and sleep by 10PM every night – still working on the supplements and water) 
                                                                        • buy the last necessary school supplies: pencils, computer paper, ink 
                                                                        • organize the school room (all ready to go!)
                                                                        • start peeking around for fall clothes for the kids 
                                                                        • find sneakers for Sophie
                                                                        • take inventory of the pantry and use up/replace as needed
                                                                        • make a batch of homemade taco seasoning (I used this recipe – too easy)
                                                                        • read an ARC due for Netgalley (almost done – full review coming at the end of the month)
                                                                        • read a few chapters in My Life in France
                                                                        • mend two shirts with small holes (1/2, and I even added a few more to my mending basket)
                                                                        • work on listing all remaining inventory for Poshmark (I worked hard to get my closet ready for fall/winter, so hoping I see sales coming in soon)
                                                                        • share my 100 Little Things list for 2019-2020 (find it here!)

                                                                        No.280: Intentions for the Beginning of August

                                                                        A new month, a new chance to dust myself off and start again.  

                                                                        INTENTIONS FOR THE BEGINNING OF AUGUST

                                                                        • stick to “the plan”
                                                                        • buy the last necessary school supplies: pencils, computer paper, ink (two more weeks until school starts!)
                                                                        • organize the school room
                                                                        • start peeking around for fall clothes for the kids
                                                                        • find sneakers for Sophie
                                                                        • take inventory of the pantry and use up/replace as needed
                                                                        • make a batch of homemade taco seasoning
                                                                        • read an ARC due for Netgalley
                                                                        • read a few chapters in My Life in France
                                                                        • mend two shirts with small holes
                                                                        • work on listing all remaining inventory for Poshmark
                                                                        • share my 100 Little Things list for 2019-2020

                                                                        No.263: Intentions for the End of June

                                                                        My big goal: WRITE EVERYDAY FOR A MONTH.  I’m more than halfway there!  This has definitely helped clear out my mental “I should write about this” list in my head.  Hoping I have enough ideas to get to the end! 

                                                                        Quick recap of my goals from the first half of June:

                                                                        ✔ five fun reasons to send some snail mail in June
                                                                        ✔ how we’re welcoming in summer with both big and little ones in the house
                                                                        ✔ our favorite iced tea recipe
                                                                        🗙 a new list of small businesses from around the United States
                                                                        ✔ thoughts on a new book I’m reading
                                                                        🗙 a new skill I’m learning for Homesteading 101
                                                                        ✔ a reading project I’ve been quietly working on since January
                                                                        ✔ a giveaway to celebrate my blogiversary (it’s been 8 years!)


                                                                        And a few more on the plan to write:
                                                                        • a list of items we love for our puppy 
                                                                        • a readathon I’m working on 
                                                                        • tips and tricks we use to keep praying a family rosary
                                                                        • a Poshmark challenge that’s been keeping me busy 
                                                                        • June’s latest reads
                                                                        If you have any post ideas, let me know.  Thanks for sticking around and reading!

                                                                        Less Materialism, More Intentional Living

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