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I’m not one to dwell on negative things in the news or world events. It’s not that I want to bury my head in the sand either, but I guess I just choose to dwell on positive things. Things that warm my heart and make my days happier.
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Debbie Bosworth
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.’”
Rebekah Teal
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.
Cathi Belcher
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
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.
Mary Murray
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.”
Alexandra Wilson
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!
Nicole Christensen
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”.
Lovely post, Dori. There is a lot of awful things happening, but we do need to concentrate on our blessings. Love your photos too. You have a beautiful home and I love nothing more than working up a sweat on a project and looking at it when it’s finished with satisfaction And delight. It it one of life’s joys for sure. Happy summer days to you and winter to me here in Australia. Take care and blessings to you and yours.
Denise
Hi Denise,
We can sure get bogged down in worrying over things and forget to look beyond it.
I agree… nothing like working up a sweat to make a person happy and thankful!
Happy Winter in Australia!
– Dori –
Hi Dori,
Thank you for that great advice! Philippians 4:8 gives us the same advice, and a
list of all the things we should keep our minds on. Like you, I choose to keep my
mind on all the blessings I’ve been given.
Blessings,
Marilyn
Hi Marilyn,
I too love Philippians 4:8. All the things we need to think on that keep us happy and content.
Thank you for writing!
– Dori –
I love the photos you have here. Your home looks like it has a spectacular view and please continue to focus on the good things.
Hello Carol,
Our home is a work in progress… I never knew it would take so long to get it all finished and the landscape done! Maybe it’s a good thing I didn’t know!!
Thank you for writing,
– Dori –
Thank you, Dori! This post just might be a turning point for me, my attitude, and my life!
Hello Barbara,
What a sweet comment and thank you so much for writing me.
Hugs,
– Dori –
I couldn’t agree with you more! I am not a fan of dwelling on the negative. I like to think that I am a fairly positive person. Life is to short to be negative and not enjoy the beauty that is all around. I actually found loads of happiness last night as I was out picking veggies from my garden for dinner. It’s the first time I have grown a garden so the excitement is amplified! At the same time it makes me grateful for all the blessings I have and all the positive in my life. Thank you for the reminder of the importance of happiness and the small things that create it!
Hi Krista!
Even though I’ve had vegetable gardens my entire adult life, they still bring me loads of happiness! So don’t think it is just because this is your first garden… you’ll actually probably love it more every year! I always say there are so many life lessons learned in the garden!
Thanks for writing!
– Dori –
Awesome post…your blogs always warm my heart. Farmgirl-ing at it’s finest. Please do a blog out the sewing project with your granddaughter. I would love to do one with my daughter. She has been asking to learn to sew.
Hi Marci,
Your words warmed MY heart!
That project with my grand-daughter was so much fun. She and I have been doing several fun sewing projects but I think that one rated right up there as one of the funnest! It really does need a blog post about it!
– Dori –
Your post just makes me smile. I would love more on the sewing too…it looks like such a fun project, and you know I have the perfect Littles to do it with!
Hi Max,
I’m thinking to do a blog post on that project soon. I’ll let you know!!! 🙂
Hugs,
– Dori –
Dori,
Thank you for you great advice! I enjoy reading your post and would love for you to start a blog some day. You have a lot of wisdom to share with all of us! I just ordered a subscription to Mary Jane Farms Magazine! Have a blessed day today!
Hello Karen,
I do write a personal blog where I share a lot about my life on our farm and my projects. You can follow it here: http://www.theredfeedsack.com
SO happy you got a subscription to MaryJanesFarm magazine! It is my very, very favorite magazine to read!
– Dori –
Beautiful blog!
Thank you Deanne!
– Dori –
Beautiful words, beautiful life, beautiful photos, … Creative and wise living at it’s best!
Love it all… Thank you for sharing your slice of happiness and your friendship!
xoxoxo Deb ( Beach Farmgirl) …
Your flowers are looking amazing, as always and those little grand-girls of yours are precious!!!
Thank you Deb. You are such a special friend… so thankful we have each other.
Tight hugs,
– Dori –
I just feel like we’ve had a nice visit. I just LOVE your posts. I love working in the garden in summer and my flowers. I don’t love the heat of summer here in the south, but do love the fresh, home-grown veggies and flowers blooming
Hi Mary,
I love that you felt like we had a nice visit and I’m so glad that you wrote and told me. It made me so happy.
The heat in the summer here in the South is pretty stifling isn’t it? And then I remind myself of the heat we had out West and I’d take the South any day because at least it is green!!! 🙂 And we have amazing gardens don’t we?!
Til next time friend… 🙂
– Dori –
Hi Dori,
Thank You for the reminder to choose happiness! With all of the bad things happening in this world it would be easy to get depressed and feel hopeless. Focusing on my family, home and garden heals my soul. We just picked our first watermelon of the season. It’s the best watermelon I have ever tasted! I love both you and your daughters blogs and enjoy looking at the pictures on your instagram accounts. They bring happiness to my day!
Hi Lisa,
So exciting on your first watermelon of the season!!! I have tried to grow watermelon and they never get anywhere near the ripe stage before the raccoons destroy them. It is so sad.
Thank you writing to me and following along elsewhere too. Big hugs…
– Dori –
Love your post. I agree with you. I’m caring for my mom, loving every minute of it. I’m tired but it’s a good tired and I wouldn’t want to be doing any thing else.
We have so many blessings around us so continue to take the time to smell the roses.
Hi Marie,
It warmed my heart and made me so happy to read what you said about caring for your mother. What a beautiful, beautiful attitude to have. It really is a beautiful example of making the best and happiest of some of the hardest experiences.
Thank you for writing!
– Dori –
Dori,
What a lovely post. Enjoying the precious gifts of life is important no matter what is going on in the world. We can’t necessarily fix what’s wrong with the world but we can choose to celebrate what’s good and right about it, pass it on to our succeeding generations, treat each other with love, respect, and kindness, and hope that it makes a difference to all.
Dear Bobbie,
Your words were perfect. Exactly what I was trying to say! Thank you!
– Dori –
Inspiring to say the least, Dori. Thanks for this blog. I always read every comment, every blog, and it feels good to belong to this. I think we all could use uplifting stories that keep us happy, inspired, and looking for the good things in life and being thankful for all our blessings in the small and big things we encounter every day. Inspired by your building your own home – we are trying to fix ours up – smoke damaged throughout – lots of work here. Got a rash from tearing out carpet. Itchy and painful all in one. But so glad to get rid of it. Hope to move in by October this year. Need prayers if anyone is willing. Thanks for your blog.
Hi Sandi,
It is so wonderful to have readers that read our blog posts, comments, and encourage us! You’re always there.
Building a house all by ourselves was such an undertaking, but gutting and remodeling is a whole other undertaking that is almost harder in a lot of ways. Such a huge job. But how awesome that you are one your way and have a goal of October!!! I’ll be thinking of you. Keep me posted!
– Dori –
enjoyed your post and totally agree with you!!
Thank you Denise!
– Dori –
Thank you for reminding me of that. It’s wonderful advice. Have a great week.
Thank you Lyn!
It’s beautiful days here in Tennessee! Hope you’re doing well?
– Dori –
Love and peace! We need so desperately !! GO TRUMP !!
Cindy,
Thank you so much for writing!
– Dori –
Thank you Dori, love n peace and all that God will bring.
Hello Joan,
Thank you so much for writing. The little comments mean a lot.
– Dori –
I just loved your article this month about being happy. I have been going through a horrible time with my husband being in ICU for more than 2 weeks now. The doctors have also decided that there is nothing that can be done and have given him 1-3 months to live. Talk about stress. Your final paragraph made me very happy and I have cut it out and put in on my refrig to read every day or when I am getting depressed with everything that is going on. I too want to be happy again! I too want to laugh and take joy in the simple things life as to offer. Even if it is to pick up a craft project again and try to relax. Have a great day – Diane
Good morning Diane,
My heart goes out to you and I wish I could just give you a very tight hug.
It is such a miracle how we can find peace and joy in the simplest of things and I know that happiness is in your future again.
With love,
– Dori –
P.S. Please keep us posted on your husband.
Prayers for peace, comfort and love going up for you Diane! ❤️
Thanks so much for the great post! I also choose to be positive and believe we all have many blessings. When life gets hurried, step back and take stock. Kindness is always in season. BIg Hugs!
Hi Maureen,
Stepping back and taking stock is such a great thing to do. So often I forget to do that.
And yes, kindness is never out of season! My mother used to say, “In every situation kindness is appropriate”! 🙂
Hugs back,
– Dori –
Dori, you are the best! Every Sunday as I drive our red bus into town for supplies, I look up at your hilltop and wonder what is going on up there. And I am thankful that your farmstead is so beautifully fit into the land, without shouting, “Hey, look, I have commandeered the view of the hilltop!” You are always considerate. I need you to come teach me how to can and grow veggies in general. I do believe I recognize those strawberry baskets. That is something we can do right! Now the strawberry field is a pumpkin field. I love your posts.
And thank you so much for always being a positive influence.
Dear Wayve,
YOU are the best. Your words mean the world to me.
And yes those are you strawberry baskets. I use the buckets too! 🙂 I actually said to me daughter the other day, “I wonder how many people use their strawberry baskets all summer for their produce?”!
And your strawberries? Absolutely THE BEST ever. You definitely know how to do that! And oh how I love your strawberries. My very favorite thing about early summer.
Big hugs, Wayve. We’ve got to get through this busy season and then WE ARE GETTING TOGETHER.
– Dori –
What a lovely post, Dori! It’s so great to see the amazing abundance of food and beauty you are getting from your farm. Your tomatoes are weeks ahead of ours up here ;)–but we, too, have had a bumper crop of cukes!
Your hand pies looks scrumptious! Thanks for a bit of Farmgirl eye candy amongst the maelstrom of current events, we all need it.
Best to you and yours,
Alex
Hi Alex!
I’ve been hearing about your gorgeous summer! I bet it is positively beautiful. Oh I need to visit Alaska again!
Hugs to you,
– Dori –
I loved your encouraging and uplifting post! And yes, please do tell us about Illustrated Sewing!
Thank you Nicki!!!
– Dori –
What a beautiful blog post. I’ve followed you for quite a while…loved watching your house become a home. My youngest daughters name is Jillian! She loves to cross stitch…just like me 🙂
I see a “I choose to be happy” quilt sampler in your future!
My mouth is watering thinking of your pickles!
Take care,
Debbie
Oh thank you Debbie! And how fun you have a little one named Jillian? What is her nickname? We call our Jillian things like Jilly, Jilly Billy, Jills, and on and on! 🙂
Oh a I Choose Happy sampler is a great idea!!! I used to cross stitch; but something happened and a number of years ago I quit. Something to do with the counting really got to me. But I loved it. Maybe it is time to give it a try again.
Thanks for writing!
– Dori –
Beautiful post, Dori. I had to smile at the shaker…I have similar shakers, by Tipp City. Mine are milk glass with red cherries, but so similar.
I thought of you and your grandgirls recently. My little nieces from Denmark visited recently. They are six and four. We went in the garden together, they helped me feed the chickens and make dinner, we baked cookies and I read bedtime stories…things I did with my girl when she was their age. It was so fun – and I thought, “this must be what it is like to have grandgirls someday like Dori!”
Love the flowers and the post. Much love!
Farmgirl Hugs,
Nicole (Suburban Farmgirl)
Dori, I have so enjoyed reading all your posts. Each time I am reminded how fortunate to be living in this country and enjoying the abundance of so many things. You and your family and all the love and togetherness is what it is all about!!