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Hello Farmgirl friends!
I count myself incredibly fortunate that I have amazing girlfriends. I’ve written many times on this blog about my different girlfriends. Whether it is my two very best life long girlfriends, or my amazing girlfriends I’ve met in my fitness classes, or the great group of girls I met at a sewing retreat in Vermont. I’ve written about them all.
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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.
describes herself as a goat charmer, chicken whisperer, bee maven, and farmers’ market baker renovating an 1864 farmhouse on an Ohio farm. With a degree in Design, Mary says small-town auctions and country road barn sales "always make my heart skip a beat thinking about what I could create or design out of what I’ve seen.”
Rooted in the countryside, she likes simple things and old ways … gardening, preserving the harvest, cooking, baking, and all things home. While you might find her selling baked goods from the farm’s milkhouse, teaching herself to play the fiddle, or sprucing up a vintage camper named Maizy, you will always find her in an apron!
Mary says, “I’m happiest with the simple country pleasures … an old farmhouse, too many animals, a crackling fire, books to read, and the sound of laughter … these make life just perfect.”
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!
Suburban Farmgirl Nicole Christensen calls herself a “vintage enthusiast”. Born and raised in Texas, she has lived most of her life in the picturesque New England suburbs of Connecticut, just a stone’s throw from New York State. An Advanced Master Gardener, she has gardened since childhood, in several states and across numerous planting zones. In addition, she teaches knitting classes, loves to preserve, and raises backyard chickens.
Married over thirty years to her Danish-born sweetheart, Nicole has worked in various fields, been a world-traveler, an entrepreneur and a homemaker, but considers being mom to her now-adult daughter her greatest accomplishment. Loving all things creative, Nicole considers her life’s motto to be “Bloom where you are planted”.
Dori, this is just absolutely the sweetest!! Your words on how much a gift of a quilt is are spot on too!
Lovely post Dori!! You are blessed!
I LOVE your quilt gift! it is most precious! as precious as you are to so many of us who read your FarmGirl newsletter! we love you
What a wonderful story and gift. You are truly blessed in a wonderful, sometimes rare friendship with these women.
Aw Dori: this is just as precious as can be. I am so happy you received such a special gift. Your sewing ladies are a wonderful bunch & I am so glad you have come to know them so well. Much love my friend♥️
LOVE this story, thank you so much for sharing!! Blessings to all Sewing Sisters!!
You were right. Such a beautiful story that brought me to tears. Thank you for your gift of writing, and quilting
The love and the loving effort will bring more and more love to others. Thank you for such a beautiful story. Dorothy
Wow–I am typing single letters, as I am speechless. I guess that is what it feel like when you are “talking” with someone in a comment. That was a profound story. I am so touched, and I don’t have this connection with very many. I have a cousin I am very close to and I am going to spend a month at their house in Ohio in May. We are both crafters, and even though we will not be doing quilts, having that time to spend together nights and weekends to share and create will be very important to me (I live in CA right now). Thank you so much for sharing this. I always enjoy your blogs, as I can feel the how important the information is to you, and I hope you know how much your life has touched mine from a distance. Thank you—-Beth
What a precious gift. You are very Blessed.
Dori, such a heartwarming story of love and friendship, you have me crying. It is such a special gift as like you said only a quilter knows the work that goes into a quilt. Yes a true treasure that you will always treasure.
I am so sorry you lost your Dad, wrap yourself in your comfort quilt to know peace, love and true friendship!
Hugs to you,
Debbie
#1582
What a precious gift of love and friendship! The thing that struck me was how the quilt literally was saying “Dori” (in a loud voice”) 🙂 They did such a wonderful job of picking out the fabrics and it truly looked like something you would have made yourself. Isn’t it a miracle and a gift from God that you can meet someone just once and have an unbreakable bond? May your quilt bring you comfort and many smiles also.
I am a quilter. I have several girlfriend groups, but the quilt group is truly special. I love this story and am happy that you have such giving and loving friends.
Oh my! I too am a quilter and love gifting quilts. In fact I’m in process of making 4 for a firehouse to keep the guys that have to overnight, warm! But to receive such a gift. Oh what a treasure you are to these ladies!
What an incredible gift! Friends are truly treasures from heaven!
What a lovely story about Love and Friendship. Thank you for sharing this….
This is such a beautiful story — and a beautiful quilt! What a wonderful group of women you are ❤️
Oh my, I’m crying too. Such a wonderful story. Thank you for sharing and spreading the joy and pure kindness!! God Bless!❤
How wonderful!!❤️