Carrie Underwood Opens Up About Farm Life as the Complete Opposite of Her Idol Judge Role

Carrie Underwood has found her life split between two very different worlds. The 43-year-old Grammy-winning artist and former American Idol champion judges the singing competition alongside other stars, but when she steps away from the spotlight, she returns to something entirely different: farm life.

Underwood, her husband Mike Fisher, and their two sons—Isaiah, 11, and Jacob, 7—call a sprawling 400-acre self-sustained farm in Franklin, Tennessee home. During a conversation at this week's Taylor Swift night on American Idol, the singer opened up about how dramatically different these two sides of her life really are.

"It's a challenge, and it's frustrating, and it's exciting, and it's rewarding, and just all the things," she told Us Weekly about her time on the farm.

The contrast between her professional and personal worlds struck her as particularly amusing. When she's away working, she said, she feels like she's living a fairy tale—dressed up and pampered like "Cinderella at the ball" or a "princess." The return home, however, tells a completely different story.

"And then I come home, and I'm like, covered in dirt. I'm covered in poop. It's just the polar opposite. I'm like, cleaning up after everybody and barefoot in the kitchen. But I wouldn't have it any other way," she explained.

Underwood regularly shares glimpses of her agricultural life on social media. In March, she posted a video of a young lamb named Maggie taking her first drink from a bottle. Last November, she showcased her green thumb with photos of massive tromboncino squash she had grown, writing: "Pardon my sweatpants, but I had to show off these tromboncino squash! I've got 5 of these babies! Woo hoo! We'll be eating these all winter."

On the American Idol front, Underwood recently embraced her Disney side, dressing up as Belle for the show's glamorous Disney night celebration.