Living a Simple Life with a Back Porch View

In school, I learned a little about the Depression Era. My parents and aunts mentioned it a time or two across the years. My knowledge of it was limited to the failure of the stock market in 1929 and peppered with some of the hardships people had to endure during the era.  Once I began researching, I realized just how little I really knew. These weren’t just difficult times for people, they were d...

One aspect many of us have included in our Simple Life is growing a garden. Our goal is to provide food for our family, seasonings for the food we create, or even just being able to walk outside and gather a bouquet of fresh flowers to decorate our home. The question then becomes, what exactly do we want? When it comes to gardening, there are different ‘types’ and ‘styles’ you can consider. In thi...

 The term Bucket List was created by Justin Zackham and used in his screenplay ‘The Bucket List’. It started out as ‘Justin’s List of Things to Do Before He Kicks the Bucket’, and then was shortened to simply ‘Justin’s Bucket List’. The phrase Kicking the Bucket goes back to the 18th century, and simply means to die.  A Bucket List isn’t a schedule or agenda exactly, but rather a list of accomplis...

"The coffee break is one of those phrases where the meaning has shifted over time. In today’s world, it means escaping from your desk long enough to grab a cup of bitter brew from the breakroom. Or it means filling a to-go cup to take with you while you run errands.   In the past, it wasn’t referred to as a ‘Coffee Break’, but as having Coffee with Friends. It was a time for a group of friend...

"In Shakespeare’s romantic tragedy, Romeo and Juliet, the famous balcony scene has Juliet giving a soliloquy based on the premise that Capulet and Montague are only names and shouldn’t be a defining factor of a person. She puts it this way: ‘A rose by any other name would still smell as sweet.” This same thing applies when you are talking about self-sufficiency, self-reliance, and living a Si...

"Giving up on our dreams may be one of the hardest decisions we have to make in life. And even if you live a Simple Life, you still have to face the fact that some dreams, passions, and goals just aren’t meant to be. " I’m going to be harsh here. When something no longer has a heartbeat, it is dead. We can try to get it moving. We can perform CPR. We can wish, and hope, and keep pushing...

"Starting a New Year is similar to holding a brand-new book in your hands. It’s one you’ve been eagerly waiting to read, and you can’t wait to see what is going to happen. Before you ease the cover open, you take a moment to feel the book in your hand. The texture. The weight. Some of us, who truly loves the printed word, will even take a moment to smell the pleasing aroma. We can’t wait to g...

"Everyone of us is different. We either have different likes, dislikes, or styles. We approach things with our distinct viewpoint. And for the most part, we need to celebrate those differences. Who wants to be a carbon copy of the next person? There is no fun in that!  But there is one way we are all just exactly alike – we all struggle from time to time. Sure, the specific struggle may be di...

"Welcome back to the Porch! I am so glad you joined me. I’m Julie, and I teach folks just like you how to live a Simple Life. And although it is fun to think about the future, sometimes, we need to stop and take a look back.   The New Year is just a few days away. We may already be looking at ways to make this one even better than the last. This is the year we want to shift our lifestyle – sh...

Have you ever dreamed of receiving a gift that made your heart swell with joy? A gift that spoke to your heart; one that you knew you would cherish for all times. Even if it meant you could only keep it for a short time and be asked to share it with others. This is a gift that meant down the line it would be returned to the giver. None of that matters. You still want it. It makes your eyes light u...

"Let me guess. You are hearing jingle bells in your sleep – and they aren’t Santa arriving early. Your mind is whirling faster than snowflakes in a blizzard. That Things to Do list is tattered, torn, and possibly tear stained. And time? There doesn’t seem to be any left. " Finding quiet time during the hectic holidays may be difficult, but in order to keep from getting stressed and losin...

Thanksgiving is over, the dishes are washed, and we have once again survived the food coma that was caused by not being able to resist that one extra sliver of pie. It’s time we turn our focus into keeping our Christmas as simple as possible. We want to be able to do all the things we need to do, but still enjoy the holidays with our family and friends and keep the reason for the season close to o...

"I am guilty of using the phrase, “It’s not enough”, all too often in my life.  There’s not enough money.  There is not enough time.  There’s not enough to _______________ (you fill in the blank).  We seem to have the mentality that we need an over-abundance of something in order to make it worth our while.  When in reality, we need ‘just enough’ to serve our needs." Instead of looking a...

We are all blessed in some way, but how we use those blessings can count for so much more! Recently I came across a quote by W.T. Purkiser. He said, ‘Not what we say about our blessings, but how we use them, is the true measure of our Thanksgiving.” I have often counted my blessings, but honestly? I never gave pause to think about how I can use them. During one of my Afternoon Tea breaks, I sat an...

"Welcome back to Living a Simple Life with a Back Porch View. I’m Julie, and I teach people just like you how to live a Simple Life. One aspect of living a Simple Life is the necessity of creating a strong bond with your neighbors." With the advent of the Internet, we have slowly lost touch with human interaction. Being neighborly is quickly becoming a lost art. In this episode, find out...

"Hi, I’m Julie, and I teach folks how to live a Simple Life. When you live a Simple Life, you may just find that your world is filled to overflowing. It’s what we call a ‘Gracious Plenty’." There is just something almost magical about those two simple words. It invokes thoughts of a slower life where folks gave what little they had to those in need. Mrs. Mae Ethel taught me more about ho...

“If you aren’t learning something new every day, then you aren’t paying attention.” Some lessons I’ve learned were harder to deal with. Others I almost missed because I was too busy looking in other directions. And when that happened, I learned the very first lesson which I have tried to teach others more times than I can count. That lesson is to Relax and Enjoy your life. It’s the only one we get...

“There is nothing in the world worse than personal and spiritual stagnation. We, as humans, were designed to continue learning and growing, whether physically, emotionally, mentally, or spiritually.” When living a Simple Life, you embrace the opportunity to spread your wings. Through learning we grow. Through growth we take another step closer to the person we were designed to be.  In this episode...

Life gets busy. Our days are filled from the moment we get out of bed to the second we lay back down, exhausted and spent. Some of us may go to church. But during the week, we just feel we have too many other things to take care of. Although faith is one of our biggest priorities, it is also the one that seems to get the least amount of attention. Learn more about how to determine what you want an...

Just because we are in a season of high prices doesn’t mean you can’t have fun! Instead, gather up with friends and family by having a Potluck. It’s a delicious way to relax and enjoy your Simple Life, and not have to go broke to do it.  In this episode, you will discover a bit of history about the Potluck meal, how it can save you money, and tips on how to make it go smoothly. You will even find...

 “In the case of rising prices, you can’t control the price of food, gasoline, or other necessary expenses. Instead, you have to go into survival mode and work even harder to make ends meet.” Rising prices and food shortages are giving us cause for concern. Our income only stretches so far, and any extra time we have is limited. It may take a bit of work, but with a little thought, a bit of thinki...

"In today’s society, it stuns me that there are too many children – and quite a few adults - who have no idea how to do much more than operate a cell phone, computer, or video game.  The simple things that were taught to us by our parents and grandparents are all too quickly becoming lost. " If we want to keep traditions alive and skills handed down from generation to generation, it may...

"There are two ways I can get into trouble. One is rumors (from a trusted source, of course), and the other is S.O.S. signals. A while back, both of these issues joined forces. Before I go further, first you need to know that I don’t pay much attention to rumors. And I have very few trusted sources when it comes down to it. And second, the S.O.S. I am talking about isn’t a ‘Save Our Ship’ sig...

“To the illuminated mind the whole world burns and sparkles with light.” I love the idea that constantly being in a position of learning can add light to my world. It is this quote and many others that offer encouragement, ideas, and little nuggets of wisdom to help me along my Simple Life Journey. And to keep them in mind, I keep them written down where I can see them. I call it Chalkboard Wisdom...

When we consider our future, we usually think about where we may live, what jobs we will have, trips we want to take, or even the possibilities of relationships and other things. We rarely think about what the world we will live in will look like in five, ten, or even twenty years. One thing we don't think about is the idea that it will be our children who will one day be our farmers, educato...