Simple Farmhouse Life

Rest doesn’t mean doing nothing, but simply pausing the constant pushing forward. In this conversation with Carolyn of Homesteading Family, we talk about what happened when her family intentionally committed to a “year of rest” on their busy homestead. With older kids, a growing business, animals to tend, and even a wedding thrown into the mix, this wasn’t a year of sitting still. It was a year of redefining peace, rethinking commitments, and learning that true rest often starts in your mindset long before it shows up on your calendar. If you’ve been feeling burned out in homesteading, homemaking, business, or motherhood, this episode will meet you right where you are and give you practical encouragement to find peace in your current season.

In this episode, we cover:

- The long-term vision behind planning six years of building followed by a seventh year with no major homestead projects

- What “rest” actually looked like with 11 kids, animals, gardens, and a full family business still running

- The surprising ways time opened up when they stopped adding infrastructure, remodels, and new systems

- How an unexpected engagement, homestead wedding, and cabin build reshaped their carefully planned year

- Living by rhythm instead of a clock-driven schedule and why everyday chores don’t have to feel burdensome

- The myth that life automatically gets easier as kids grow — and how each new season brings its own challenges and freedoms

- The difference between removing work and actually experiencing peace

- A practical shift that brought immediate calm and clarity to her days and why overwhelm often follows us even into vacation seasons

- The hidden cost of overcommitment and how to recognize when it’s stealing your joy in the everyday moments

- Telling yourself the truth about your personality and energy instead of striving to meet someone else’s standard

- Designing home rhythms that serve your season instead of copying what works for someone else

View full show notes on the blog + watch this episode on YouTube.

Thank you for supporting the sponsors that make this show possible!

RESOURCES MENTIONED

Get access to the Peaceful Homestead Rhythm Challenge and the full Homestead Kitchen Membership here!

Master the rhythm of sourdough with confidence in my Simple Sourdough course

Gain the sewing knowledge and skills every homemaker needs in my Simple Sewing series

Keep all my favorite sourdough recipes at your fingertips in my Daily Sourdough cookbook

CONNECT

Carolyn of Homesteading Family | Website | YouTube | Instagram | Facebook

Lisa Bass of Farmhouse on Boone | Blog | YouTube | Instagram | TikTok | Facebook | Pinterest

Building a home is an opportunity to slow down and make thoughtful choices that will shape your family’s everyday life for years to come.  In this conversation, I’m joined by Ash of Turner Farm to talk through what it really looks like to build an unconventional home in a world of cookie cutter houses.  We discuss choosing a smaller footprint, sourcing reclaimed materials, navigating healthy home considerations, and making peace with tradeoffs along the way.  This episode offers perspective for anyone building, renovating, or dreaming of a home that feels like YOU.

In this episode, we cover:


How Ash’s custom house build unfolded slowly over many years and why patience was the key in achieving her ideal vision


Choosing a smaller home footprint to prioritize materials, craftsmanship, and long-term livability


What sourcing reclaimed and salvaged materials really looks like in terms of time, cost, and flexibility


Why self-contracting and hands-on involvement are often necessary for non-traditional builds


The realities of building with wood, including movement, drying time, and embracing imperfection


Weighing “healthy home” ideals against climate, budget, and everyday comfort


Structural choices that support airflow, moisture control, and long-term durability


Where antique or vintage-inspired elements work well — and where they create complications


How simpler rooflines and layouts can prevent future moisture and maintenance issues


Decisions Ash would repeat, and ones she’d rethink, when it comes to spending and saving


The importance of trusting your vision and advocating for it throughout the build


Accepting the inevitable “later list” and letting the home evolve over time

View full show notes on the blog + watch this episode on YouTube.

Thank you for supporting the sponsors that make this show possible!

RESOURCES MENTIONED

Explore EMF Solutions products designed to manage electromagnetic frequencies in your home

Check out the Sertado Copper Water Filtration System

Shop BlockBlueLight for low-blue light bulbs that protect your circadian rhythm 

Download Ash's new app, Sourdough School, for Apple and Android

Explore Ash’s sourdough classes

Master the rhythm of sourdough with confidence in my Simple Sourdough course

Gain the sewing knowledge and skills every homemaker needs in my Simple Sewing series

Keep all my favorite sourdough recipes at your fingertips in my Daily Sourdough cookbook

CONNECT

Ash of Turner Farm | Website | Instagram | YouTube | Facebook | Pinterest

Lisa Bass of Farmhouse on Boone | Blog | YouTube | Instagram | TikTok | Facebook | Pinterest

Hospitality can feel overwhelming when life is already full, but it doesn’t have to be complicated or perfect to be meaningful. In this conversation, we talk about how different seasons of motherhood shape our capacity for hosting, why community grows through small, intentional invitations, and how letting go of perfection makes space for genuine connection. We share practical, low-pressure ideas for opening your home like simple food, flexible spaces, repeatable traditions, and involving the whole family. We hope you’ll find that these strategies make hospitality feel life-giving instead of burdensome!

In this episode, we cover:

- Navigating different stages of motherhood under one roof and how age gaps gradually change daily rhythms

- Why hosting flows best from margin and why you shouldn’t feel guilty if it’s not your season for entertaining

- Growing community intentionally instead of waiting for it to happen, even when it feels vulnerable

- Letting go of the idea that hosting always means a full dinner– embracing snacks, brunches, playdates, and themed gatherings instead

- Pantry-friendly, budget-conscious meal ideas that scale easily and accommodate different dietary needs without added stress

- Creative hosting themes and simple twists that make gatherings memorable without requiring elaborate prep

- Using your home’s basement, outdoor space, or even a single table to create the right atmosphere for both kids and adults

- Regular home systems that support hospitality (even last-minute), including decluttering, minimizing decision fatigue, and spreading prep throughout the week

- Why repeating the same meals or annual gatherings isn’t boring and how tradition actually reduces hosting overwhelm

- Involving the whole family in hosting to make hospitality sustainable and practical ideas for how kids can contribute

- Releasing perfectionism around cleanup and learning to enjoy guests without feeling “on duty” the entire time

- Reframing hospitality away from self-focus and toward generosity, presence, and making people feel genuinely welcomed

View full show notes on the blog + watch this episode on YouTube.

Thank you for supporting the sponsors that make this show possible!

RESOURCES MENTIONED

Check out Megan’s YouTube channel, Megan Fox Unlocked, and her podcast Youtube channel, Honey I’m Homemaker

Grab Megan’s undated ​​Block It Off Planner

Master the rhythm of sourdough with confidence in my Simple Sourdough course

Gain the sewing knowledge and skills every homemaker needs in my Simple Sewing series

Keep all my favorite sourdough recipes at your fingertips in my Daily Sourdough cookbook

CONNECT

Megan Fox Unlocked | Website | YouTube | Instagram | YouTube

Lisa Bass of Farmhouse on Boone | Blog | YouTube | Instagram | TikTok | Facebook | Pinterest

Modern nutrition advice often makes gut health feel complicated and discouraging. In this conversation, Heather shares a simple, ancestral approach to digestion that brings the focus back to whole foods, sustainable kitchen rhythms, and listening to the body’s cues. We talk through why the environment we cook in matters, how modern food processing has disrupted digestion, and why adding nourishing, traditionally prepared foods can be more effective than cutting everything out. This episode offers a realistic perspective on healing the gut in a way that supports the whole family and fits your real life!

In this episode, we cover:

- Heather’s approach to healing chronic digestive issues through ancestral eating and kitchen-centered rhythms

- Why the kitchen environment (lighting, clutter, etc.) plays a role in digestion more than we realize

- Shifting our mindset from cutting foods out to intentionally adding nourishing, traditional foods back in

- A simple ancestral filter for choosing foods without getting overwhelmed by competing nutrition noise

- Gentle first steps for gut healing using soups, cooked foods, and simple meals

- The most common gut symptoms women experience and how digestion affects hormones and nutrients

- Why bloating happens, including microbiome imbalance and poor food breakdown

- Thoughts on gluten pauses, sourdough, and traditionally prepared grains

- When restrictive protocols like GAPS or carnivore  may be useful and when they’re not necessary

- Why animal-based protein is often easier to digest than plant-based sources, especially during gut healing

- Observing food rhythms that support digestion while honoring different seasons of life– postpartum, pregnancy, breastfeeding

- The difference between meat stock and bone broth and when each is most supportive

View full show notes on the blog + watch this episode on YouTube.

Thank you for supporting the sponsors that make this show possible!

RESOURCES MENTIONED

Check out Heather’s Workshop: Meat Stock & Soup Making for Deep Digestive Healing

Sign up for Heather’s free guide: 5 Morning Rituals for Gut Health & Healing

Master the rhythm of sourdough with confidence in my Simple Sourdough course

Gain the sewing knowledge and skills every homemaker needs in my Simple Sewing series

Keep all my favorite sourdough recipes at your fingertips in my Daily Sourdough cookbook

CONNECT

Heather Woodruff | Website | Instagram | Facebook

Lisa Bass of Farmhouse on Boone | Blog | YouTube | Instagram | TikTok | Facebook | Pinterest

Do you have a question you’d like me to answer on the podcast?  A guest you’d like me to interview?  Submit your questions and ideas here: bit.ly/SFLquestions.

If you’ve been trying to eat well but feel stuck sorting through conflicting nutrition advice, this episode is for you.  In this episode, I’m joined by Dr. Cate Shanahan for a practical conversation about why modern nutrition feels so confusing and how traditional diets offer a simpler framework for long-term health.  We talk through how seed oils quietly replaced more nourishing fats in the modern food supply, why they play such a big role in how processed foods impact our health, and how simple fat swaps can make a real difference without changing everything you eat.  If you’re looking for clarity, common sense, and realistic steps you can apply in your everyday life, I think you’ll really enjoy this conversation!

In this episode, we cover:

- Why so many people feel overwhelmed and confused by modern nutrition advice and how looking to traditional diets helps cut through the noise

- Dr. Cate’s background in genetics and family medicine and how one generation’s food choices can shape the next

- The four pillars found across traditional cultures that support long-term health (fresh foods, ferments and sprouting, bone broth, and organ meats)

- How modern convenience foods quietly replaced nutrient-dense fats with industrial seed oils

- Why seed oils are the true driver behind why junk food makes people feel and look unwell

- A breakdown of the “Hateful Eight” seed oils to watch for when reading ingredient labels

- The difference between toxic seed oils and neutral refined oils and why not all refined fats are equal

- How to identify truly healthy fats by taste, labeling, and how they’re processed

- Why simply swapping fats (without changing the rest of the meal) can have a major impact on health

- The hidden places seed oils show up (even in organic and “healthy” grocery items)

- A realistic, low-stress approach to reducing seed oils without trying to overhaul everything overnight

- Why consumer demand is finally shifting the food industry toward better fat choices and what that means for home cooks

View full show notes on the blog + watch this episode on YouTube.

Thank you for supporting the sponsors that make this show possible!

RESOURCES MENTIONED

Pick up your copies of Dr. Cate’s books: 


Deep Nutrition: Why Your Genes Need Traditional Food


Dark Calories: How Vegetable Oils Destroy Our Health and How We Can Get It Back

Receive Dr. Cate’s email newsletter by signing up here

Master the rhythm of sourdough with confidence in my Simple Sourdough course

Gain the sewing knowledge and skills every homemaker needs in my Simple Sewing series

Keep all my favorite sourdough recipes at your fingertips in my Daily Sourdough cookbook

CONNECT

Dr. Cate Shanahan | Website | Instagram | Facebook | X

Lisa Bass of Farmhouse on Boone | Blog | YouTube | Instagram | TikTok | Facebook | Pinterest

Do you have a question you’d like me to answer on the podcast?  A guest you’d like me to interview?  Submit your questions and ideas here: bit.ly/SFLquestions.