I received a copy of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

I enjoyed this book. It was a lot different from what I was expecting, but I enjoyed the insight the author shared.

This is such a beautiful little book that makes me want to visit Fodderstack Farm myself. When you open this book you'll find short chapters filled with farm life stories, Bible verses and questions to ponder. I enjoyed this book so much that I'm ordering a copy for my mom for Christmas. I know that she, who still lives on the 80 acre farm that I grew up on, will enjoy it as much as I did!

Thank you Netgalley for the opportunity to read and review. All opinions are my own.

I'm not sure if I really understood the full premise of this book when I originally sought out to receive a copy. I saw the title Farmhouse Retreat: Life-Giving Inspiration from a Rustic Countryside, and immediately felt like this would be of extreme interest to my homestead/farmhouse fantasy self.

What took me be surprise, was how much this book resonated with my current journey in life. Recently becoming in tuned with my faith, religion, and overwhelming obsession for all things nature/countryside - this book hit home. Wow, this couldn't have come into my life at a better time.

Reading each section and truly understanding the meanings and feelings because these memories felt right. First off, the Blue Ridge Parkway has become top tier special place in my heart. We recently visited this past October and immediately booked another trip back for this upcoming March. Something about the air and feeling in this gorgeous valley gives you, is truly something magnificent. You can understand just as clear in these words.

Next, the way spirituality is brought in, knowing the backdrop and background story, feels even more delightful. The journaling prompts helped complete something I didn't know I was looking for.

I will be purchasing this book to sit on my coffee table, so friends and family can potentially embark on this journey as well.

My thanks to Tyndale House for a copy of this book via the Net Galley platform.

Farmhouse Retreat
Life-Giving Inspiration from a Rustic Countryside
author: Terri Kraus
photographer: Renee Baker
Tyndale House Publishers, Tyndale
Nestled inside this lovely book are uplifting essays and gorgeous images, inspired by the author's stays at Fodderstack Farm in North Carolina, near the Blue Ridge Parkway. Readers are refreshed by inspirational devotional messages, paired with stories of the culture of farm life and the beauty of the Pisgah National Forest and surrounding mountains.
The book has an overall theme of hospitality, Kraus shares charming tales of the animals of the homestead. Also included are stories and lessons on gardening, herbs, crafting, bluegrass music, canning, natural decor, bees, and other back to basic topics. The way that the natural atmosphere and healthy living are tied in with scriptures and spiritual support make this a very gratifying and insightful book. I appreciate a book that features a rich geographic region, giving me more awareness of the area and making me want to visit. I was left with a feeling of peacefulness, as I can imagine the farm, forest, and mountains would provide.
Thank you to Net Galley and for the advance reader's copy and the opportunity to provide my unbiased review.
 #FarmhouseRetreat #NetGalley

Farmhouse Retreat is a warm invitation from Terri Kraus and Renee Baker to visit the rustic countryside, sink into farm-style hospitality, and take in the sights, sounds, smells, and flavors of rural living. The collection of daily readings looks long into the soulful eyes of a donkey, steps into morning dew, and savors the musical syllables of bird song, all with scriptural truth woven into the day’s ponderings. Stirring questions inspire soul-building journal work as part of a deep and vibrant spiritual practice.

Kraus’s suggestions for foraged décor offer a way of bringing the beautiful outdoors into your own living space, and I also received the overarching suggestion that God is always at work behind the scenes and within the scenes of any given day. Whether we are pulling weeds or raising chickens, everything matters, and there is great peace in receiving every day as a gift from the God who is both sovereign and good.

Wrap this gift book for someone you care about, then give it with joy. It’ll arrive as a package of hope couched in simpler times. Fodderstack Farm, a North Carolina acreage replete with livestock and bees and home-grown EVERYTHING, has nourished author Terri Kraus with a wealth of life metaphors during her personal and family retreats there. In this winsome collection of vignettes, Kraus introduces readers to the agrarian life that has, much to our great loss, slipped from common experience and understanding. As she acquaints us with the land, farmhouse, animals, and the couple who manage them all, she ties nature and daily rhythms to God’s Word, illustrating eternal, life-giving wisdom with relatable sketches.
I found this book delightful. Informative. Chock-full of truth.
With thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an advance review copy.

This little offering is incredibly delightful. The author bases her insights and devotions on a stay on a friend’s farm in the NC mountains. I live not far from these mountains and, being a lover of mountains, this was very appealing to me. Some of the things she describes in this book, such as egg gathering, cow milking, I gave actually done! However, she takes it a step further and brings wonderful spiritual insights into the equation. This was simply precious to read and one I will go back to in the future.

My thanks to Tyndale House for a copy of this book via the Net Galley platform. The opinion here is my own.

A quiet escape to a simpler time, tucked in the pages of a book. You could also called this 'Devotions from the Farm.' Each entry is a short vision of some element of farm life, along with scripture and encouragement. As someone who lives on a farm, it made me step back and appreciate the little things we take for granted everyday...