Living a Simple Life with a Back Porch View

Happiness may be subjective, but one thing is universal: living a simple, intentional life can help us uncover the kind of happiness that lasts. Listen in and learn 7 Key Reasons why living a Simple Life can make you happy! Send us Fan Mail Support the show Be Someone's Hero The Farm Wife (website) Let's Visit! (email) Amazon Shop Page Podcast Workbooks Great Products by The Farm Wife: T...

Many of us choose a word for the year and use it to help direct our goals for the foreseeable future. These are often words such as faith, empowerment, success, and gratitude, which are some of the most popular choices.  But instead of choosing a favorite, this year I decided to step out in faith and adopt the word ‘Extreme’. Listen in as I explain why I chose it and how I’m already applying it to...

A new year is so much like writing a new book. January 1st gets the exciting title of Chapter One. Our goals are the initial ideas and the outline. But just like writing a book, there are some goals, dreams, or aspirations that won’t survive the editing process.  Whether it’s due to time, resources, or changing priorities, we all have those ‘unwritten chapters’ in our lives. In this episode, we’ll...

Before the year gets here, take time to reflect on the lessons learned, the growth, and joys of your simple life! Send us Fan Mail Support the show Be Someone's Hero The Farm Wife (website) Let's Visit! (email) Amazon Shop Page Podcast Workbooks Great Products by The Farm Wife: The Simple Life Workbook Simple Life Home Finance Bundle The Art of Homemaking Find other helpful Simple Life P...

Discover the gifts you can give yourself this Christmas! Send us Fan Mail Support the show Be Someone's Hero The Farm Wife (website) Let's Visit! (email) Amazon Shop Page Podcast Workbooks Great Products by The Farm Wife: The Simple Life Workbook Simple Life Home Finance Bundle The Art of Homemaking Find other helpful Simple Life Products in The Farm Wife Shop Do you want to learn more a...

Christmas carols are part and parcel of the holiday season. But if you think about it, the music of Christmas isn’t just about the notes in a score. Well beyond the notes and harmonies, there’s a deeper sense of rhythm and melody woven throughout every aspect of the holiday season. This ‘music’ touches our hearts, brings back beautiful memories, deepens our traditions, and even comforts us in our...

The holidays are the busiest time of the year for many of us. Our calendars are so weighed down you can almost see the activities dripping off the paper. But in spite of all the busyness, we still need some quiet time to regroup and refresh. That’s where Audits and Inventories can help. But these aren’t your typical audits and inventories of what you still need to do or the contents of your cabine...

Even when living a Simple Life, all of the preparations that lead up to a holiday can be hectic and exhausting. Yes, you’ve done everything you can think of to make it easier. You’ve scaled back, delegated, planned carefully, have created quite a few handmade gifts, and the cookie dough is in the freezer, just waiting to be baked. But there is still a lot to do.  It’s easy to feel ‘scattered and s...

Wishing you a Happy Thanksgiving – with a ‘glass’ that is overflowing! Send us Fan Mail Support the show Be Someone's Hero The Farm Wife (website) Let's Visit! (email) Amazon Shop Page Podcast Workbooks Great Products by The Farm Wife: The Simple Life Workbook Simple Life Home Finance Bundle The Art of Homemaking Find other helpful Simple Life Products in The Farm Wife Shop Do you want t...

This time of year, with Thanksgiving headed our way, we’re often encouraged to focus on gratitude, count your blessings, or say thank you for all that we have.  And, for the most part we do, and we are thankful for our blessings. Yet, there are so many things to be grateful for. It’s also so much more than offering thanks for what we have. Gratitude is also an attitude and an action.  Join me on t...

Some things never go out of style, and living a gracious life is one of them. For me, living a simple life and a lifestyle of graciousness goes hand in hand.  Living in the south, a gracious life not only seems to be the norm, but our mama’s all made sure we knew the art and intricacies of applying them every chance we got. Join me on the porch and learn more about how to add a bit of graciousness...

Even when you live a simple life there are times when you feel as if you are standing in the middle of a storm. Adding holidays to the mix can make it even more chaotic. It doesn’t have to be that way. Join me on the porch and find easy ways to help calm that storm. Send us Fan Mail Support the show Be Someone's Hero The Farm Wife (website) Let's Visit! (email) Amazon Shop Page Podcast W...

A comfortable faith comes from a place of trust, familiarity, and regular practice. Just as when you first begin getting to know someone new, your relationship goes through a bit of awkwardness and uncertainty. But once you spend more time with that person and begin to share experiences, the comfort level when you are around them increases.  In this episode, we will discuss how to reach a place of...

Here in the south, and I imagine it’s the same in other parts of the world, we have a deep-seated connection to food. Whether it be meals served at home, packed in a basket to create a picnic, or cakes and cookies made for a bake sale, we love our food.  And many of our traditions revolve around food. But there is one tradition that just makes it even more fun, and that is the tradition of a Pass...

As the air cools and the days grow shorter, we find ourselves in the midst of one of the coziest times of the year—fall. It’s a season that invites us to slow down, gather with loved ones, and enjoy the comfort that only this time of year brings. Listen in as we dive into the heart of that comfort: from the emotional and scientific pull of comfort foods to simple activities that bring us together...

The changing of the seasons, whether natural or in life, is inevitable. It’s how we move through these seasons that make a difference in our lives. And we have a choice. We can fight the changes, kicking and screaming, or embrace them with a comfortable level of acceptance. Listen in as we talk about how to recognize the changes as they come, the best way to make the transition with grace, faith,...

We all have lessons to learn in life. Some are big and only happen once or twice in our lifetime. Some are pop quizzes which we never saw coming. And others are small, almost imperceptible, which happen as a learn as you go lesson.  But some lessons come wrapped in unusual packaging with a unique delivery system. And not too long ago, I found myself in class learning more about a subject I don’t r...

It’s fairly easy to visit with a single friend from time to time, and occasionally a neighbor will drop by. But groups? I’m going to be honest – they are a little harder to come by. Whether they are steeped in the whirlwind of a hectic lifestyle, or comfortably settled in to living simply, most everyone is busy these days. It gets difficult to find the time to have lunch with a friend, much less t...

When you sand a piece of wood, you are taught to ‘sand with the grain’. If you sand across the grain, the grit of the sandpaper will leave grooves– like scratches or small cuts that are obvious in the finished project. When you sand ‘with the grain’, those scratches are less obvious, as they blend in with the natural grain of the wood.  But sometimes in life, we should be actually sanding ‘against...

We often think in tangible terms when we talk about living a simple life. Homemaking. Slowing down. Spending time with family, getting involved with our community, and developing our creative skills. But there are some things we can’t actually see or touch that make up a large portion of living a simple life. These are the intangible things we experience, see, or think, such as love, joy, peace an...

How many times have you taken a look at all of the bits and pieces left over from other projects, and wondered what in the world you are going to do with it? These are often called ‘Remnants’. But don’t toss them out. Instead, get creative – you’re only limited by your imagination in all the ways these can be used for other fun projects! Send us Fan Mail Support the show Be Someone's Hero The...

Creativity is a wonderful thing to indulge in. You can be creative in the kitchen, craft room, yard, and in many other ways. But when you overindulge, it can create a very creative problem. Need help with creativity overload? You may find it here - (but then, again, you may just find you have a bigger problem…)   Send us Fan Mail Support the show Be Someone's Hero The Farm Wife (website) Let&...

Social Media. Cell phones. Emails. They all have their purpose when it comes to communication and stopping in for a quick visit. But they all have one thing in common – they are very impersonal.  It may sound old fashioned, but there is just something special – and much more personal - about having and using a Calling Card. Listen in to discover what these are, how to use them, and then learn how...

There are times when life just gets too heavy for us to shoulder the load. When that happens, it may help to sit down by the Brook Besore with David and his men, a story that can be found in I Samuel 30. You may be surprised as how a simple rest by a deep ravine can help.  Send us Fan Mail Support the show Be Someone's Hero The Farm Wife (website) Let's Visit! (email) Amazon Shop Page Po...

It may seem like a lazy, unproductive, and selfish thing to do, but there really is value in being still. Take a lesson from a little yellow bear and learn the value of the Art of Doing Nothing. Send us Fan Mail Support the show Be Someone's Hero The Farm Wife (website) Let's Visit! (email) Amazon Shop Page Podcast Workbooks Great Products by The Farm Wife: The Simple Life Workbook Simpl...