Living a Simple Life with a Back Porch View

We are very familiar with what it means to have relationships. If we know a person, we have some type of relationship with them. We have parents, siblings, nephews, cousins, and other familial relationships. Some of us have spouses, children, and grandchildren. Most of us have friends, bosses, co-workers, and neighbors. With all of these we have some type of ‘relationship’.  But did you know you c...

Regardless of who you are, where you were born or your life’s circumstances, you have a story. You may consider it boring. It may feel mundane and uninteresting. Or it could be fraught with pain and fear or exhilaration and curiosity. But regardless, it is your story. And you may be surprised, but you may also have family, friends, and future generations who would love to hear it. Perhaps it is ti...

During the holidays, there is quite a bit of baking to do. It’s too hot to turn on the oven, but that doesn’t mean I can’t get some prep work done.  Some of that prep work includes making meals for the freezer, whipping up some cookie dough, and mixing up a few ingredients for baking and spice mixes.  Listen in and learn more about getting ahead of the extra workload the holidays can bring, just b...

To me, there is nothing better than unwrapping a gift and finding something that was made just for me. It tells me the one who gave it put a lot of thought and effort into it, which means I was on their mind and in their heart while they worked.  And that’s the beauty of a handmade gift. They are very personal, both for the one who makes it and the one who receives it. I like to think of them as p...

Are you starting to melt yet? Down here in the south it is hot, humid, and no rain in sight. And in spite of living here all my life, I have difficulty handling the heat. But I still have work to do, and prefer to stay productive, so I have to find a way to handle it.  One thing I do to beat the heat of summer is to settle in with a glass of ice-cold lemonade and get started with my holiday planni...

I love holidays, but there is one aspect that has always been daunting – and that is all the planning that leads up to those special days. Whether it is Thanksgiving, Christmas, New Years, or any other big holiday celebration, I always wish I had help with the planning part of it.  One way to make it easier is to host a Holiday Planning Party. Since we’re talking about planning ahead for Christmas...

Everyone loves delicious baked goods, fresh from the oven. For those who regularly bake, it’s only a matter of getting in the kitchen, pulling ingredients, and getting started. We have long since learned the art of baking by instinct, feel, and sight. But what about those who approach their ovens with skepticism, and then, only once or twice a year? These folks haven’t honed those instincts and ge...

My mom used to share with me a few old sayings about wishes. The first one was ‘if wishes were horses, beggars would ride”. This basically means that if you could accomplish something by simply wishing for it, life would be so easy.  The second one was, ‘Don’t wish your life away’. These two sayings go hand-in-hand. If all you are doing is sitting around wishing, your life probably doesn’t have mu...

When you think about being creative, I’ll bet you have a mental image of a quiet activity, such as knitting, baking bread, or writing a book.  For the most part, we think of creating as a solitary activity, which means unless we talk to ourselves, it is a time of silence. But being creative isn’t always a silent activity. Instead, our creativity can actually be a very ‘vocal’ expression. Whether y...

Having great neighbors is a true blessing.  Around here, we go to them for advice, as well as just an opportunity to sit and visit.  All of our neighbors know they are welcome to stop in for a visit. There was a time when being a part of a community was taken very seriously. Folks helped each other with things that took time, strong backs, or projects that would otherwise take weeks or months to c...

It all started with a text from a friend that said, “I was wondering when the next meeting for Canning and Food Preservation Anonymous is. My husband says I have a problem!” Growing a garden and preserving the harvest is a great way to eat healthy. But for some of us, it can also become an obsession, which could quickly and easily turn into an addiction.  In this Episode, learn more about a few of...

My morning ritual of feeding and caring for chickens is more than just part of living on a farm. I found that, by sitting for a few moments and paying attention, these crazy birds start turning into ‘professors’ and teach me a few life lessons. ‘Enroll’ in a fun class with Professors Don and Jack – you might be surprised at just how smart a chicken can be! Send us Fan Mail Support the show Be Some...

Hope. A single word that can bring a small spark of peace to our hearts. Each resolution we make, every goal we set or dream we have, everything we do has an element of hope that comes with it.  But Hope doesn’t work alone. To just hope for something, yet do nothing to achieve that goal, relegates Hope to the world of dreams and fairy tales, quickly to be covered up and dissolved in the fog of neg...

Wearing pearls with a sweatshirt? Hmm... Many of us suffer from worrying more about what others think about us than becoming the person we were truly meant to be. We don’t want to appear as being too weird, outdated, or silly. But in life, some of the things that are the most fun are all three of those things. The term ‘keeping it real’ is a way of saying something is authentic. By staying real, y...

Writing anything is quickly becoming a lost art.  So much of what we do is kept on computers, phones, or tablets. With a few taps, our whole world is sent into cyberspace. But what happens if the computer crashes? Where is that list you desperately need when your phone slips out of your pocket and into a puddle? Or the iPad drops on the floor and is stepped on?   All of your information may be ret...

Summer is headed our way. The kids will be out of school. You need a break from work. We want to find something we can do together as a family – but one look at the checkbook and you know the expensive vacation destinations won’t work for this year. You still want to have fun and make some memories, but what can you do?  It may be time to consider having a Staycation. A Staycation is a vacation wh...

From time to time, we all have struggles in life we have to deal with. Some may be for the short term. But for those that stick around longer, they can weigh us down. We become stressed, anxious, and our hearts are heavy with sadness. Many of these issues stem from outside influences or things we just do not have any control over. No matter what we do, say, or where we go, the struggles are still...

I love being creative. There is just something about having a mental image of something pop into my head, and then working through the steps to bring it in to reality.  It doesn’t matter if it is a weaving project, baking bread, or my latest project, creating a designated bee yard. I just love taking a project from idea to done. Creating does make a fun past time. It’s also a great way to give uni...

It is that time! The weather is starting to warm up a bit. Our lungs, body, and attitudes are ready for a breath of fresh, warm, spring air! All we really want to do is to stand outside, breathe deeply, and just enjoy a break from all the cold.  It’s also time to do a bit of spring cleaning. But spring cleaning shouldn’t be limited to just washing windows and cleaning the home. Our bodies, minds,...

When it comes to faith and having a Ministry, a few of us prefer a quiet approach. We are the ones who sneak in and leave a package of food on the porch of a family struggling to make ends meet. We are the ones who push our lawn mowers past our own yard and straight to the home of a neighbor who has been ill.  I am one of those who prefer the quiet way of doing things. But several years ago, I kep...

  “You cannot pour anything out of an empty cup. We have a tendency to give everything we have away, and then feel guilty because we can’t do more.”  - Patti McBride Williams, LPC, LMFT Do you ever feel that empty inside? Then maybe it’s time to replenish your cup and take a bit of time to fill it with refreshment for your body, mind, and soul.  As a homemaker, our lives can become fairly busy. We...

“It may be March, but already our minds – if not our bodies – are out in the garden. If we aren’t planting, we are prepping the beds. Our thoughts are on the end result, and all those delicious vegetables, fruit, and herbs we plan on harvesting.  Along with that harvest comes the reminder we have to do something with all that produce. Sure, we plan on eating as much of it fresh as possible, but yo...

“I’m guilty of talking a lot about cooking your meals at home. For the most part, I discuss the practicality of it, and how it can save you money. And those are both true. But did you know there are other benefits to it as well? The most common benefit of cooking at home is that you get a chance to clean out your refrigerator, pantry, and freezer. I don’t know about you, but there are times when I...

We’re living in a time when money is tight, prices are high, and jobs are scarce. But if you look back over history, you can see where this is more common than not. However, rather than thinking about our ancestors struggles, we almost romanticize their lifestyle – the skills they had, the size of their garden, and how delicious Grandma’s biscuits were. How many times have you thought, “How did th...

We all too often have a stack of those huge projects that need to be done. Long before I start on mine, I always have a mental image of how they should look once completed.  Invariably, my imagined finished piece seems so much grander and more perfect than what is possible with the parts and pieces I have laid out to work with.  But I have faith that it can be done and done right.  All it takes is...