Our farmgirl chapter met at my house recently. A Valentine’s Day theme for our craft project and gift goodies was the game plan. Come on in and sit a spell.
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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”.
I would like to know how you manage your hectic lifestyle and still have time to produce the MOST WONDERFUL blogs! You are my absolute favorite. I envy your closeness with your farmgirl chapter and you’ve made a decision for me. Join, or create a farmgirl chapter!
Lovely pictures and sentiment, Shery.
Jan
Oh Shery! You’ve done it again! Everything looks and sounds so pretty and yummy! I truly believe color has the power to heal our emotions. Why else would the CREATOR have made so many beautiful and awe inspiring colors? I agree… home making is a choice and for some a real calling, but I’m grateful to have the choice to be a homemaker and or a working mom outside the home too. Your term " Pink Collar" is adorable and fitting for so many working women today. And Mary Jane is the perfect example…You can love pink and still be all ( well, almost all ) business too!
Oh I just love your blogs!!!
Happy Valentine’s Day!
Beach Blessings,
Deb
There you go having a good time without me again. Love to see what you and your farm girls friends are doing at your gatherings. Afraid there is only about two foods I do not like and cherries are one of them. I do make hubs a cherry pie once in a while though because we have cherry trees on our property. We could substitute a different flavor of cake mix though and still try your recipe right? I painted one wall in my work room pink. I like pink but cannot wear it. It is just not one of my colors. I think I could drive a pink car though!
Shery,
I have to agree with Janice – you are my favorite! You have an artistic eye and nature – one can certainly tell. It’s always a joy to see your fun times with your farmgirl sisters. And sharing some of your favorite music is an added benefit. I am still playing "In The Bleak Midwinter" from Utube! Thanks a bunch for all your wonderful words and pics.
You and your friends have such a wonderful time together. You’re all so creative. I always look forward to your blog. I especially love that you share photos and instructions for us on how to do the crafts, recipes, etc. I would definitely want to join your lovely group if I lived near you. Keep up the good work and have fun.
Kathy Lee
I would just love to be at your meetings and hang out. You make us just drool over the fun you have. Your blog is the greatest. We have 60" of snow here and it has been below zero. I’ve got lots of those "klondike" clothes here. Pink is my favorite color. I have lots of it to share. Happy Valentine’s Day girls…I’m with you in spirit. Bonnie E
This was a Valentine gift in itself…your fun blog! Thanks again for the beautiful words that go so well with your beautiful pictures.
When I worked in the ’70’s at Dwight D Eisenhower Army Medical Center, I remember one of the patient rooms was held special and reserved as the "Pink Room" and it belonged only to "Miss Mamie" Eisenhower when she came to GA. I loved the name and the thought of it then, especially when it was the years of gold, green, and "burnt" orange. My, my how the years have…oh well…they have been good!
I enjoy pink now even more than ever because of a beautiful daughter (30 years old now) that has always LOVED pink!!! And she still does!! So I make "spa" towels, kitchen towels, and even a "lipstick" towel that has pink somewhere on them. We both love it. (Red and green are my most favorite colors though.)
Have a wonderful Valentine’s Day!
Shery,
I always look forward to your blogs. They are so inspiring and like you, I too love antiques, flowers and all things home/handmade. Keep up the good work and have a wonderful Valentine’s Day. Ours all always special since it is also our anniversary (#3).
Thanks again-
Rusty
Oh Shery,
Happy Valentines to you & your sweetheart.
Oh, and how sweet of you to let your 4-legged purrbaby join in the fun with you & your ‘sage hens’ friends.
>^..^<
You make me wish I could be in your group. I love your blogs. Everything you and your friends from the food to the gifts to the crafts make me to want to try them all and I am going to try. Thank you so much for the invite to a little of the fun you and your group had. And please keep sharing.
Thanks for sharing your Valentine Tea with us, looks like a lot of fun.Sure wish I could have been there too. Your kitty is very pretty, looks like she was having fun too. I love pink and red, two of my favorite colors. Happy Valentines Day to you and yours.
I love that you shared your gathering with your fellow farm girls. Thank you! Florence
You truly make life "delicious"Thanks!
I wish that I could have been there. I love your blogs. have a happy valentines day.
Love your blog – all pink and filled with super ideas. I baked some Valentine cookies today, but used strawberry cake mix, with strawberry frosting, and red sprinkles. Thanks for the inspiration, as always. Happy Valentine’s Day, my friend.
Oh how I love your blog !! And you hit me between the eyes with all things pink…As I LOVE PINK !! Great pictures and info I’d never heard about pink !! Farmgirl Hugs…Kristy
Thanks for the great blog. I actually made the cookies for valentines day and brought them to work. Pink, so cute.
Ooh, I just loved this post and your blog. I never thought of making cookies from cake mix before. I might have to try that.
Joanna
Pink, need you say more! Absolutley perfect 🙂
How did you form the heart shape cookies?
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Hi Susan, a heart cookie cutter :o) shery
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