What Matters with Babs Costello: Homemaking, Memory & the Basket House

“Everything is going to be okay.” – Babs Costello

Millions know her as the internet's favorite grandmother, but Babs Costello's second act began almost by accident — a few kitchen videos filmed during the pandemic at her daughter Elizabeth's urging. In honor of her appearing as the cover star of the September 7th issue of Woman's World, Babs sits down with Editor-in-Chief Liz Vaccariello to talk about why her simple, comforting style resonated with millions, and what she's learned since.

On What Matters with Liz, Babs traces her homemaking instincts back to her mother and grandmother, explains why she and her husband fell for a rundown 1830s blacksmith shop on a Connecticut riverbank and turned it into the Basket House, and breaks down the "Babs Method" — 15 minutes in the morning, 15 minutes at night — that keeps her household running without ever feeling overwhelming.

She also opens up about food as her love language, the traditions she's built around it with her four children, and what she hopes her grandchildren remember most: not a perfectly organized home, but fishing in the river, cookies made together, and s'mores over the fire pit. Babs closes with the story of a message from a stranger that reminded her why the work she does online matters more than she ever expected.

In this episode, Babs opens up about:

• Why home became everyone's safe place during the pandemic — and how that turned into @BrunchWithBabs
• Learning homemaking from her Italian grandmother and her mother, and passing it down in turn
• Falling for the Basket House on a Connecticut riverbank before she ever saw the inside
• Renovating a nearly 200-year-old home to fit four grown kids, their spouses, and nine grandchildren
• The "Babs Method": beating the chaos of the day in 15-minute bursts, morning and night
• Why food is her love language, and how small traditions weave a family's history together
• The legacy she hopes to leave: not a perfectly kept house, but memories made together
• The DM from a stranger that reminded her why homemaking content matters
• Her new book, Homemaking With Babs, and why she calls it "the owner's manual every home deserves"

Whether you're setting up your first home, raising a big, busy family, or just looking for a calmer way through your day, Babs Costello delivers the warmth and practical wisdom you need today.

Pick up the September 7th issue of Woman's World magazine on newsstands to see Babs on the cover!

Instagram: @womansworldmag

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