Embracing the Simple Things of Homestead Living and Heirloom Faith with Maureen Miller

From Award-Winning Novels to Highland Cows: A Conversation About Simplicity, Heirlooms, and Faith with Maureen Miller

Grab your favorite cup of coffee (or peppermint tea!) and settle in for this soul-stirring conversation with novelist and homesteader Maureen Miller, aka "the flower girl herself."

Amber and Lisa dive deep with Maureen about her award-winning time-slip novel Gideon's Book, but this chat goes way beyond just talking books. We're talking highland cows (yes, really), geriatric farms, greenhouse disasters involving white flies, and why sometimes you just need to eat box mac and cheese even when you're a homesteader.

From spinning wool with drop spindles to performing surgery on grandkids' stuffies, from the spiritual depth of farming to why handwritten notes still matter in our disposable world—this conversation will make you want to slow down, pull your grandma's china off the shelf, and remember what really matters.

Fair warning: This episode might make you want to grow potatoes in your backyard, write more letters, and definitely think twice before grabbing those paper plates. And if you've ever wondered what it costs to raise a highland cow or why a Bible survived a tornado on a piano... well, you'll just have to listen.

In this episode:

• The 16-year journey to write Gideon's Book (including starting completely over!)
• What homesteading really looks like (spoiler: it's not always Instagram-perfect)
• Why we need to be better stewards of the heirlooms God has given us—both the stuff AND ourselves
• Chiefs football, Taylor Swift speculation, and Leading Ladies 2.0 at Walmart!

Come for the book talk, stay for the life-giving reminder that sometimes the simple things are the most sacred things.

Chapter Breakdown

00:00 - Welcome & Kansas City Chiefs Love The girls kick things off with that Flower Girl song, football banter, and why Kansas City lets famous people live normal lives (we're looking at you, Travis and Taylor)

04:00 - Big Announcements: Leading Ladies is at Walmart! Amber and Lisa share exciting news about Leading Ladies 2.0 hitting Barnes & Noble and Walmart—produce aisle book signings, anyone?

05:00 - Meet Maureen Miller: Award-Winning Novelist & Homesteader Introducing the magnetic flower girl herself and the incredible story behind her award-winning debut novel, Gideon's Book

06:00 - The 16-Year Journey: From Whisper to Published Novel How God whispered "the Bible by the bed" in 2007, why Maureen started completely over, and what it took to bring this time-slip story to life

08:00 - What is Gideon's Book Really About? Time slips, Gideon Bibles in hotel rooms, adoptive mothers, birth mothers, and a beautiful tribute to how God's Word transforms lives

11:00 - Homesteading During COVID: Finding Silver Linings What life looked like on Selah Farm during lockdown, walking the country roads, and choosing gratitude in hard seasons

14:00 - The Reality of Homesteading (It's Not All Instagram Perfect) Overgrown greenhouses, white fly infestations, and why Maureen calls it a "geriatric farm"—spoiler: she's doing something right!

18:00 - How Much Does a Highland Cow Cost, Anyway? The real talk about raising cattle, why Amber can't fit one in h

Thank you for taking the time to like, subscribe, share, and comment. Visit leadingladies.life to find out more. Also, follow @leadingladieslife on social. Amber & Lisa are authors of the multi-award-winning book, Leading Ladies: Discover Your God-Grown Strategy for Success, which dives into the power of community and empowering women of faith to rise up and make a difference, using our gifts and faith to shine brightly in the world. Watch the Facebook Live edition on our YouTube Channel @coffeechatladies .