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Grab a glass of lemonade and settle in for a visit! Listen to stories designed to encourage, uplift, and help you Live a Simple Life with a Back Porch View. Find out what that means, and how to shift your own lifestyle. Then relax and enjoy while learning the different aspects of a Simple Life - from following your dreams and passions to handcrafting, cooking, tending to the home and garden, and more. And from time to time, there will even be a recipe and freebie or two!
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Established in Washington in 1966, Reading is Fundamental (RIF) began when Margaret McNamara realized that students she was tutoring didn’t have ready access to books. Today, we have libraries, bookstores, eBooks, and even online libraries. Accessing books isn’t truly a big problem any longer, but finding time to read might be. Take a ‘page’ out of…
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Get Creative with Heat Busters: Ideas for Handmade Christmas Gifts
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The summer heat has a way of driving us indoors, but we struggle to find ways to escape the heat and still be productive. Summer is one of the best times to work on handmade Christmas gifts. Listen in and discover some great ideas on gifts you can make, and a simple tip on how to keep them all organized! Links: Psalm 91 Throw Embellished Bath Towel…
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It’s official. Summer has finally hit us between the eyes. The humidity may be more of a southern thing, but the heat affects all of us, at least to some extent. And it doesn’t just make us sweat. It can affect us physically, mentally, and emotionally. Whether we want to or not, we can’t avoid it, so we just need to learn how to handle it to the be…
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I hope you are ready for today’s conversation because I am going to take you back in time. I’m doing this to answer a question proposed to me recently. It had to do with the differences between a Simple Life ‘back then’, and a Simple Life now. The question seemed to clash with a belief that ‘we can never go back; we can only move forward’. To a poi…
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As much as we sometimes would like to withdraw 100% from society, in reality it isn’t practical or probable. As humans, one of our basic needs is to have contact with others – even if it is only one or two people at a time. Having neighbors and a community fills that need. It doesn’t mean we have to be surrounded by people every single day. A littl…
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Welcome back to the Porch! Help yourself to some tea cakes and lemonade and settle in for a few minutes. In fact, you showed up just in time to help me with a little project I’m working on. All I need for you to do is tell me – what is your favorite kind of cookie? (Just send me an email and let me know!) While I was in the kitchen baking those tea…
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Gardening as part of a Simple Life is more than just growing fresh food for your family. It is also finding a way to continue growing that food when money is tight or we find ourselves in the midst of floods, drought, or even food shortages. To do this, we need to take our gardens to the next level and learn how to save the seeds for the food we gr…
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If gardening is an art form, frugal garden decorating is the canvas! We all want healthy, beautiful gardens that delight the senses. But there should also be an element of fun tucked between the greenery. But when adding decorative elements to your garden, a shopping trip to the local gardening store may cause severe shock to your checkbook. Some o…
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Spring Flowers: How to Embrace Life with Beauty
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Spring is here, and with it comes a beautiful array of spring flowers. As you drive down the road, you see fields of wildflowers, or beautiful roses in someone’s yard. All that beauty can’t help but make you smile. If it makes you smile so broadly when driving, why not let that beautiful vision greet you each day in your own yard? Embracing life wi…
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Handcrafts are a beautiful way to express our love for creating, and sharing that love with others. But having to buy all the supplies can get expensive. One way to circumvent spending all that money is to supplement your love of handcrafts with things from nature. And that’s where a Craft gardens comes into play. Learn more about what to grow, how…
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Friendship Gardens - The Ultimate Forever Gift
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Flower gardens are a great way to add beauty to our yards and homes. But a Friendship Garden just seems to bloom better and more brightly. It’s my belief that these gardens are so beautiful because the fertilizer that makes them grow is love. If you are ready to start planting ‘Friendship’, listen in on how to get started growing the best garden an…
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Plan(t) It Better - Getting Your Garden Started
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One aspect many of us have included in our Simple Life is having 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. But as with any endeavor, we need to plan our garden, long before we dig the first hole. For tod…
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Springing forward is more than just moving our clocks up an hour. It is also about springing forward with a new attitude. Making an attitude adjustment can help you breathe deeper, feel healthier in both mind and body, and can bring a smile to your heart and face. It also acts as a source of encouragement, knowing that we can accomplish all those p…
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There are so many types of businesses you can do from home. This podcast is nowhere near exhaustive, but it can get you started in the right direction. Listen in to find out what home-based business is right for you. Send us a Text Message. Support the Show. The Farm Wife (website) Let's Visit! (email) Amazon Shop Page Great Products by The Farm Wi…
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Now that you’ve given working from home a lot of thought, done your research, and maybe have even dipped your toe in the water, it’s time to think about what comes next. This episode in the Home-Based Business series deals with tips on setting up your office, creating schedules, dealing with ‘expectations’ from others, and how to help make working …
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Have you ever dreamed about quitting your job and starting your own home-based business? Then grab some refreshments and settle in for this three-part series. Today’s episode covers the perks, the downsides, and gives you a general idea of what it takes to set up a home-based business. It also offers food for thought on what type of business, how t…
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Making your BIG Dream Work: Tips to Reduce the Debt
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You’ve had a week to think about your BIG dream of quitting your job to stay home. But as much as you try to manipulate them, the numbers still aren’t adding up. Don’t let this frustrate you – it’s to be expected. We have been manipulated to live a lifestyle of consumerism. We are told we can be beautiful, rich, happier, more fulfilled – but to do …
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Your Dream to become a Homemaker: How to Make the Numbers Work
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Lately, we’ve been hearing the catchphrase ‘When the BIG one hits’ quite a bit. What it refers to is the rumor of a ‘big’ storm, or the ‘big’ recession, or even the ‘big’ hit of an EMP, social collapse, or even war right here in our own country. We’ve all probably heard the rumors, used the phrase, and thought about what our future will look like i…
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The Benefits of an Accountability Partner
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Have you ever found yourself in a slump? Life is stale. Your creativity feels similar to a dry creek. There are things you want to do but can’t seem to find the motivation. If this is where you stand, it may be time to get an Accountability Partner. Often, having an Accountability Partner is something you would do from a professional standpoint. Ho…
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There are so many types of financial investments, but we rarely consider one of the most important investments you can make – and that is learning how to invest in yourself. We try our best to invest our time, money, and energy in our finances, homes, family, jobs, and other priorities wisely. What we neglect to remember is all of these things have…
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Have you heard about the time someone had the bright idea of importing Hippos into South Louisiana? The thought behind it was to use these mammoth beasts in part to help control water hyacinths which were taking over our swamps. But was it such a great idea? How many times have you had a ‘wonderful idea’ that you just knew would work? It’s one thin…
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Have you ever had this really great idea to do something, but as hard as you try, you can’t get past the first initial thought? As hard as you try, you just can’t ‘see’ it. And for many of us, we need to be able to ‘see’ what we want if we ever want to accomplish it. If you love the idea of living a Simple Life, or if you are in the process of lear…
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The Grass is Always Greener on the Side you Water
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There is just something about a garden that can soothe my soul quicker than almost anything else in the world. From breaking ground and starting seeds, to planting and then harvesting, I love the time I spend in the dirt. If you stop and think about it, there is a close comparison you can make between a garden and living a Simple Life. They both ne…
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No matter how you describe or define it, I love living a simple life. But for me, a more traditional simple life fits better with who I am. So, what’s the difference between the two? To be honest, there is very little difference between a ‘simple life’, and a ‘traditional simple life’. A simple life is one where you actively focus on slowing down, …
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It’s that time. We are now in a brand-new year, and are faced with either making, or starting on our New Year’s resolutions. In Episode 90, we talked about the feeling of being stalked by our resolutions. To boil it down, the word ‘resolution’ often feels as if it is a synonym for ‘duty’. If you’re like me, you have enough ‘duties’ to last you a li…
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A bright star in the East. Oh, how I often wish I could have been standing alongside the Magi when they looked up to see that beautiful sight. How I would love to have started walking, each step filled with the anticipation of coming closer and closer to the Christ child. Each year at Christmas, as I hear the story and listen to the songs that port…
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All too often during the time right before Christmas, we feel as if we are being stalked by the New Year approaching. Time is flying by. We look back and see that we didn’t accomplish that long list of resolutions we vowed to keep. There just wasn’t enough time, money, or energy. By February, five had been broken. By March, half of those that were …
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One of my favorite things to do is to read. It’s something my mom instilled and encouraged in me from a very young age. I enjoy reading so much, finding time to spend between the pages of a good book is actually one of the minor priorities I listed when mapping out my Simple Life plan. Several years ago, this love of the written word led me to star…
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“Giving up hope is for the hopeless.” – This is a quote by Lloyd Davis (played by Bruce Boxleitner), from the movie, Love’s Everlasting Courage. No matter how bad things get, there is still hope. It may be buried deep within us, but it’s there. We still have the ability to step away from the sheer mountain of things that threaten hopelessness to se…
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Our lives may be busy most of the year, but things seem to escalate during the holiday season. Between the extra shopping, baking, cleaning, and everything else on our list of things to do, our schedules are hectic. At some point, we just need a break. You probably already know this, but much of the holiday chaos is created by our own hands. We wan…
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How do we measure ‘enough’? Is it when our savings account is stuffed to overflowing? Is it when we need to buy a bigger house, just to have more closet space for shoes and clothes? Is it when our paychecks double and the cost of living is cut in half? I am guilty of using the phrase, “It’s not enough”, all too often in my life. There’s not enough …
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Setting a Holiday table is often a work of art. In fact, we often gaze longingly at the beautiful table settings in magazines. Fine China. Sparkling crystal. Sterling silver polished to a high gleam. The centerpiece is perfection, and the touch of greenery stretching across the center from end to end just adds that glamorous touch. And as you pictu…
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As thanksgiving approaches, we start thinking about all the things we’re grateful for. But a few years back, as I was sitting on my swing during my afternoon teatime and making my list of things I’m thankful for, I stopped and wondered why I didn’t do this more often? Was I only thankful for a few weeks out of the year? Of course not. But Thanksgiv…
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R.A.O.K. - Random. Acts. Of. Kindness. This world really has gone crazy, as the Judd’s sang in their song ‘Grandpa’. Every day I read about so much mean-spiritedness and hatefulness that people are doing to others, just for the sheer purpose of doing it, or needing to feel as if they are in control. I often ask myself why people would do this? And …
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Dealing with grumpy relatives is one of the most difficult things we can do. It is even more difficult during the holidays because it is combined with all the other added stress and workload. You can’t just tell Uncle Ralph and Aunt Priss to stay home. But you can get a handle on it before they show up. Join me on the porch to find a few ways to ma…
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Here in the South, October is the ‘potluck’ time of year when we aren’t sure what our weather will be doing until we lift the lid on the day. Some mornings the heat and humidity are aggressive long before the sun wakes up. The next, you need a sweater even in the late morning. But just knowing that we will soon have cooler weather more consistently…
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As much as we really don’t like thinking about our mortality, at some point, death happens to everyone. But life shouldn’t be about how our lives will end, but rather how we live it. To help me determine if I am living the life I should, I came up with 14 questions I ask myself on a routine basis. As a farmer, I naturally gravitated towards a farmi…
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Traditions are a big part of our holidays. In many families today, we are brought up to believe that our holiday traditions are not only historical, but also set in stone. Just the very idea of changing these long-held traditions is considered treasonous. But things have changed over time. We may not always be able to uphold those holiday tradition…
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Even when you live a Simple Life, your days can get busy. Often, we find our time is filled with so many things, we have very little room left over for spending time with God. And often, if we are able to squeeze in some quiet time for devotionals, we can’t seem to find the solitary space we need. If necessary, we may just pull up a chair, open our…
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Hospitality is more than having guests in your home. A hospitable home is one that is warm and welcoming. It is one where the words ‘Come on in – I’m so glad you’re here!’ are genuine. It is a home that reflects our very own heart. It brings comfort, happiness, and a sense of coming home to anyone who walks through the door, whether they are a gues…
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Money gets very tight some days, and we are limited as to ways to earn it or keep it. Since getting another part time job isn’t always feasible, the next best thing to do is cut expenses. If you’re like us, you’ve squeezed a penny so tight it makes Lincoln jump off to go get help. That’s where my thoughts on a Buyer’s Club come into play. Listen in…
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Is breathing in your own home getting difficult? If you feel as if you are being suffocated by a cluttered home, then maybe it’s time to get busy and create a little more room to breathe. One thing to remember about the things you have sitting around your home – the more you have, the more time you spend dusting or washing. Listen in and find a few…
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Did you know that setting goals is similar to scheduling a doctor’s appointment? Just as you would get a yearly checkup, you need to make an appointment with yourself to take a look at what goals you’ve set and how they are coming along. There is a school of thought that says setting new year’s resolutions, making goals, and planning ahead shouldn’…
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As homemakers there is a bit of a misnomer that we do little more than cleaning house, preparing meals, and using all our free time in between to watch soap operas, read books, or just indulge in leisure time. That is about as far from the truth as you can imagine. Being a homemaker is actually a full-time position, and frequently requires many, ma…
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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 so…
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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 gener…
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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 t…
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Start 'Shopping' with Handmade Gifts for Christmas
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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 …
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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-col…
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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…
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