Muse and Hearth Lydia Foucachon and Valerie Abraham

Join us today as we talk about all things homesteading and small farming with Jordyn LaFon!

Jordyn shared with us her family’s story as they got started with farming, as well as some of the highs and lows of learning on the job when it comes to homesteading.

Shownote links and books
Joel Salatin, The Marvelous Pigness of PigsCarl Trueman, Rise and Triumph of the Modern SelfWendell Berry, Bringing it to the Table: On Farming and Food (especially the essay  “Sanitation and the small farm”)Charles Dowding — No-till gardening (Instagram)Joel Salatin, Folks, This Ain't Normal: A Farmer's Advice for Happier Hens, Healthier People, and a Better World

Join us as we discuss homemaking, productivity, and motherhood with Mystie Winckler of Simply Convivial. 
It’s tempting to look for a “fix it quick scheme” or to get out of sorts with our home-making when it is a challenge. But with the right attitude we can look for ways to model a grateful and convivial life with and for our children. We talk about some first steps to getting organized as well as the importance of having an ideal but not making attaining that ideal an immediate expectation or a prerequisite for happiness. 

Links: 
Simply ConvivialSimply convivial: Pep Talks for Homemakers & Homeschoolers PodcastScholé Sisters PodcastBook: The Convivial Homeschool: Gospel Encouragement for Keeping Your Sanity While Living and Learning Alongside Your Kids by Mystie Winckler

On today’s episode I had the privilege of interviewing Rebekah Merkle, author of Eve in Exile and the documentary of the same name. Her work challenges cultural feminism as we know it and is an encouragement to Christian women to let the Bible define what femininity is. Check out the documentary on the Canon Plus app, and you can find the book at canonpress.com and Amazon. To enjoy more podcasts from Bekah, check out the What Have You podcast.

In episode 18 I’m joined by Courtney Handermann and Anna van den Broek as we discuss strategies for making reading a priority when life is busy. Our discussion includes tips for starting a book group as a way to help us keep up reading momentum. Podcasts like The Literary Life, Close Reads Podcast, and Stories are Soul Food provide inspiration for new titles and encouragement to continue with old favorites. We name drop some favorite book titles, and if you want inspiration for others you can check out Muse and Hearth episode 6 “Reading Lists”.

We were excited to welcome author Christine Cohen to the podcast. We discussed topics related to her books The Winter King and Sinking City . We asked her what she looks for in a good heroine, why it’s ok for her characters to suffer hardship in a story, and talked about her own omnivorous tastes in reading. Thank you for joining us Christine!

Links: 
The Winter King, by Christine CohenThe Sinking City, by Christine CohenChristine Cohen's Author Page on Facebook

Welcome to Muse and Hearth, a podcast for Christian women, cultivating mind, heart, and home. I’m Lydia Foucachon and I’m so pleased to be joined today by my pastor’s lovely wife Nancy Wilson! She is a mother, grandma of a whole passel of grandkids, author, and podcaster, as well as a former literature teacher at Logos School. As she put it, chief cook & bottle washer. Nancy thanks so much for speaking with us today. 
We’ll be discussing “back to school” for the Christian woman’s heart. A chance to collect ourselves from whatever summer season of life we have just been in and reset the bar of daily faithfulness. 
Nancy reminds us that we really want to be making a habit of a reset on things like Bible reading, prayer, keeping short accounts, contentment, control of the tongue on a daily basis.

 Resources and Books:
Nancy Wilson’s Femina Podcast: Weekly episodes on biblical womanhoodBible Reading Challenge, thousands of women reading “on the same page” worldwideLearning Contentment, by Nancy WilsonAll Thing for Good, by Thomas WatsonThe Art of Divine Contentment, by Thomas WatsonThe Rare Jewel of Christian Contentment, by Jeremiah BurroughsThe Quest for Meekness and Quietness of Spirit, by Matthew HenryHandbook to Prayer: Praying Scripture Back to God, by Kenneth Boa