The Big White Farmhouse

intentional living, little by little

Why I Blog & What to Expect in 2015

It’s hard to believe that I have been blogging here at The Big White Farmhouse for almost four years now.  At the time, I just had three little boys at home and it was the perfect time to jump right in.  I loved it!  The blog became a way to record sweet memories about my kids, but it also played a big role in discovering more about myself.  

In 2013, the blog took a back burner as I adjusted to being a mother to four and having a very needy, colicky baby.  I popped in occasionally, but my priorities were definitely elsewhere.  Despite the peace that comes with knowing I couldn’t add more to my full plate, I missed writing and hoped to return.  Last year, I had huge gaps between posts, but I realized that I still love blogging for the same reason I started back in 2011: to create a virtual scrapbook about my family and my desire to learn new things.  I also love sharing those things with you!

I am so honored that anyone would read this little area of the web.  Here’s a little bit about what to expect here on the blog in 2015:
Goal setting and list making are two of my favorite things and how I stay intentional in my day-to-day life.  I share my goals at the beginning of every month and often have a review of how I did at the end.
New for 2015: a challenge for every month of the year.  Whether it be spending more quality time with my family, learning manual photography, or making things I’ve saved on Pinterest, I hope to stretch myself in lots of new ways.  I hope you’ll play along too! 
(More info on this coming next week!)

In January 2014, I launched Big White Farmhouse, an online home decor and gift shop. The past year has been filled with lots of learning experiences and I’m excited to share more about what we’re figuring out along the way.  I’ll also be sharing some of our promotions and new product launches.

My home is a constant work in progress.  I don’t have a single room that feels “finished” and I hope to work on that more this year.  I’ll be resurrecting my very neglected William Morris Project and popping in with updates.

Health and fitness have become big interests in my life.  I want to write more about my fitness goals as well as my favorite exercise: running!  I plan to run some great races this year!

We are a homeschooling family, so I sometimes share what school looks like at our house.  I also love to share our favorite books and the activities that we do.

Another new project for the new year: cookies!  I love baking for my family and trying new recipes, and this project is a great way to combine both.  Check out my Cookie Project Pinterest board for some of the yummy treats I’ve found.  I plan to share twice a month.

One of the items on my Life List is to create 100 beautiful things with my own hands.  Throughout the year, I hope to make a small dent in this lofty goal.  Whether it be sewing, flower arrangements or calligraphy, I want to try new mediums and hopefully create unique pieces to have in my home. 


Finally, I try to write “Around Here” posts every Friday.  They are a glimpse into our ordinary days, a peek at what we accomplished that week, and little memories about the kids.  These posts are probably only interesting to me, but at the end of the year, I hope to compile all of the photos and notes and have them printed into a book.

 Thank you so much for being here and reading along!  

Comments

  1. I love that you do monthly goals. I think they're much more attainable than a grand New Year Goal or Goals, at least for me. I'm trying to go sugar free for most of January (my birthday is at the end of the month so – cake!) so that's my first real push for progress in the New Year. Other than that, I'm really really going to try to get to confession once a month. This is a goal of mine every year and every year I fail. I really think the devil hates this goal of mine. But that's why I have to keep on trying! Happy New Year, Ashley!

    • I totally agree! I like to pick one word as my yearly "theme" for the year, but it really would mean nothing unless I backed it up with monthly goals. I totally failed at my No Sugar in December goal (hah, surprise!) but I'm trying again in January too. Seriously need a detox. And the once a month confession is such a good goal as well. I'm in need of improvement in that area too.

  2. This is my first time on your blog. You've done a beautiful job with your photo sidebar icons and I love how you break everything down! I need to do something similar with mine.
    I share your affinity for running. I hope do some myself this year. Creating 100 beautiful things…love!! I'll be adding you to my reader to see how the year progresses for you. 😉

    • Hi Laurel! Thanks so much for your kind words. Don't you just love the New Year? So full of possibility. Thanks for stopping by!

  3. Gorgeous, Ashley. I just went the other way: from photography-based blog design to sketched drawings for my blog buttons and header. But I LOVE what you've done, so I'll be popping in when I need design inspiration.

  4. These are so great! I'm hoping to spend more time reading around your blog now that I've discovered it. 🙂

  5. I really enjoy your homeschooling posts and I think monthly goals are great. I think to be sucessful people forget to make specific, attainable goals. I'll be reading along this year 🙂

    • I'm overdue with a homeschooling update…need to add that to my to-do list! Thanks for reading, Marjorie!

  6. What inspiring goals! I especially love the "Year of Challenges," the "one hundred things," and the "Around Here" ideas. Like some of the others posters, this is my first time here, but it won't be my last! Looking forward to checking in to see how these projects are going. Happy 2015 and God Bless!

    • Happy New Year! Thanks so much for stopping by! I'm anxious to see what 2015 has in store.

  7. I love all of these and I feel like I want to write all of the same kinds of posts! (Especially cookie ones. I have an unhealthy obsession with cookies.) I actually don't think I've seen many of your "around here" posts but I was thinking that I wanted to do the same thing so that I could get everything printed in a photo book at the end of the year…of course, here we are 9 days in and I've got nada 🙂

Less Materialism, More Intentional Living

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