“It’s better to give than to receive.” Have you ever found THE perfect, extra-special gift for someone? A gift you were so excited to give to that you could burst from anticipation? Last Christmas, I found such a gift- something special that truly made me feel like Santa Claus!
Halloween is one of my favorite times of year. Last October, my family and I visited a place in Connecticut that appeals to all ages, with visitors that come from all over the world. The Witch’s Dungeon Classic Movie Museum is a real treat!
Having forever been an “old soul”, I’ve always loved “old things”. Even as a child, my favorite treasures were vintage – the older the better – like a 1940s Nancy Drew book or an Edwardian-era bracelet, my very first flea market purchase (made in the third grade). As an adult, my adoration for vintage grew stronger. Things were made better, and with charm, to boot! From glassware to dishes, clothes to decor, I’m drawn to items with a past life. My favorite things are beautiful and serve a useful purpose. At home, my favorite part of the house is the kitchen. For as long as I can remember, I’ve longed for an antique Hoosier (kitchen) Cabinet.
Have you heard the buzz? The Downton Abbey MOVIE is going to be released in theaters in one month, on September 20th! I’m excited, and already planning to see it with a group of girlfriends. In the meantime, one of the first things that comes to mind when I think of Downton Abbey is all things..tea! Dust off that china, Farmgirls, and let’s talk tea!
“Life moves pretty fast. It you don’t stop and look around once in a while, you could miss it.”
~Ferris Bueller
My summer goal? To slow down, relax, and do the things I love to do with the people I love. Summer’s the perfect time to recharge. There’s much to love about New England this time of year. With long, bleak winters, when summer comes, you appreciate it. (I love having four seasons!) The garden is planted, the camper is open, and the beach is calling.
What crazy weather we’ve seen all over the country! I hope this finds you safe, enjoying clear skies. After buckets of rain and unseasonably cool temperatures, it’s finally summer here in New England, and those clear skies meant we could visit a very special place. (It’s been awhile since I’ve posted a “Farmgirl Road Trip”). Not far from my hometown, there’s a place to visit completely created and run by volunteers. This very special place in New Milford, Connecticut is for all ages and is truly out of this world!
It’s finally warming up and green, though today as I write, we’re in the middle of a little cool, rainy snap. Like most parents these days, I feel a bit crazed. The end of the school year is winding down and it seems like we’re running full-speed ahead. (I can’t wait for summer weather and some lazy, hazy summer porch-sitting)! Spring has certainly sprung in New England, and we’ve been as busy as bees!
Spring has sprung in New England, finally! It’s still been chilly, especially in the mornings, but there’s definitely a change in the air. The days are longer, the air has been warmer, and the skies sunnier. The massive ice that encased everything for so long has finally disappeared. As for color, pastels are popping up everywhere, from food to nature, in decor and everything in between. Welcome Spring!
Can you believe it’s already March? I’d hoped to write that the birds are singing, the tulips are waking, and Punxsutawney Phil the Groundhog was my hero this year. However, right at this moment, there’s still a thick layer of ice in my yard and it’s snowing.
Still, there’s something to be said for a cup of coffee in a warm house watching the snow softly falling outside. And though February was a short month, there’s been excitement – and I have good things to look forward to!
I was raised in Texas heat, but for 25 years, I’ve lived in the four-season New England suburbs. Family and friends residing in warmer regions often ask how we handle the cold. Long winters can seem dreary, but usually it doesn’t bother me.
We’ve experienced irritating sub-zero temperatures recently, but there’s good things about winter, too, that make it (gasp!) enjoyable. Grab a “cuppa” and come warm up!
is a certified farmgirl at heart. She’s happily married to her beach bum Yankee husband of 20 years. She went from career gal to being a creative homeschooling mom for two of her biggest blessings and hasn’t looked back since. Debbie left her lifelong home in the high desert of Northern Nevada 10 years ago and washed up on the shore of America’s hometown, Plymouth, MA, where she and her family are now firmly planted. They spend part of each summer in a tiny, off–grid beach cottage named “The Sea Horse.”
“I found a piece of my farmgirl heart when I discovered MaryJanesFarm. Suddenly, everything I loved just made more sense! I enjoy unwinding at the beach, writing, gardening, and turning yard-sale furniture into ‘Painted Ladies’ I’m passionate about living a creative life and encouraging others to ‘make each day their masterpiece.’”
is a “MaryJane Farmgirl” who lives in a large metropolitan area. She is a lawyer who has worked in both criminal defense and prosecution. She has been a judge, a business woman and a stay-at-home mom. In addition to her law degree, she has a Masters of Theological Studies.
“Mustering up the courage to do the things you dream about,” she says, “is the essence of being a MaryJane Farmgirl.” Learning to live more organically and closer to nature is Rebekah’s current pursuit. She finds strength and encouragement through MaryJane’s writings, life, and products. And MaryJane’s Farmgirl Connection provides her a wealth of knowledge from true-blue farmgirls.
an old-fashioned farmgirl with a pioneer spirit, lives in the White Mountains of New Hampshire. As a “lifelong learner” in the “Live-Free-or-Die” state, she fiercely values self-reliance, independence, freedom, and fresh mountain air. Married to her childhood sweetheart of 40+ years (a few of them “uphill climbs”), she’s had plenty of time to reinvent herself. From museum curator, restaurant owner, homeschool mom/conference speaker, to post-and-beam house builder and entrepreneur, she’s also a multi-media artist, with an obsession for off-grid living and alternative housing. Cathi owns and operates a 32-room mountain lodge. Her specialty has evolved to include “hermit hospitality” at her rustic cabin in the mountains, where she offers weekend workshops of special interest to women.
“Mountains speak to my soul, and farming is an important part of my heritage. I want to pass on my love of these things to others through my writing. Living in the mountains has its own particular challenges, but I delight in turning them into opportunities from which we can all learn and grow.”
Dori Troutman is the daughter of second generation cattle ranchers in New Mexico. She grew up working and playing on the ranch that her grandparents homesteaded in 1928. That ranch, with the old adobe home, is still in the family today. Dori and her husband always yearned for a ranch of their own. That dream came true when they retired to the beautiful green rolling hills of Tennessee. Truly a cattleman’s paradise!
Dori loves all things farmgirl and actually has known no other life but that. She loves to cook, craft, garden, and help with any and all things on their cattle farm.
is a budding rural farmgirl living in Palmer, the agricultural seat of Alaska. Alex is a graduate student at Alaska Pacific University pursuing an M.S. in Outdoor and Environmental Education. She lives and works on the university’s 700 acre environmental education center, Spring Creek Farm. When Alex has time outside of school, she loves to rock climb, repurpose found objects, cross-country ski on the hay fields, travel, practice yoga, and cook with new-fangled ingredients.
Alex grew up near the Twin Cities and went to college in Madison, Wisconsin—both places where perfectly painted barns and rolling green farmland are just a short drive away. After college, she taught at a rural middle school in South Korea where she biked past verdant rice paddies and old women selling home-grown produce from sidewalk stoops. She was introduced to MaryJanesFarm after returning, and found in it what she’d been searching for—a group of incredible women living their lives in ways that benefit their families, their communities, and the greater environment. What an amazing group of farmgirls to be a part of!
calls herself a knitter, jam-maker, and vintage enthusiast who "never met an antique sewing machine she didn't like." Born and raised in the great state of Texas, she now resides in suburban New England in picturesque Connecticut, just a stone’s throw from New York state.
Married for over twenty years to her Danish-born sweetheart, Nicole has worked in various fields and has been a world-traveler, entrepreneur, and homemaker, but considers being a mom her greatest accomplishment of all. In addition to blogging, she also teaches knitting professionally and is a Certified Master Gardener. Loving all things creative and domestic, Nicole considers her life’s motto to be “bloom where you are planted.”
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