The best feature of my new rental house is one that didn’t even appear on my list of search requirements. (That would be the list that consisted of exactly three items, none of them aesthetic: enough bedrooms, in current school district, and affordable.) The bonus feature I now can’t live without?
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”.
Wow! Love the porch, would suit me well, since the mozzies seem to find me too.
Wouldn’t worry about the rug unless the kids like to sit on the floor, or maybe add it when the weather begins to cool a little.
Maybe a pot plant or two in the corners, but wouldn’t add to much, having it very casual is the major appeal here and certainly usuage.
Love all the pics, it is nice to have a snap shot into your life. Makes me feel very much a part of it.
I’m glad you’re settling in so well.
Congratulations on making this gem a wonderful home for yourself and your family.
Would love to have something similiar for myself, but will have to stay where I am for a while yet.
Have a wonderful week.
Obviously the weather is warm for you, it’s freezing here – not snow weather for us, but then again its not supposed to snow where I am
Cheers x
Wow…what a blessing to find this house with a screened porch!! That’s great. I always thought it would be nice to have something like that where you can still feel the breezes or the rain, but still be protected by the roof above your head. Whatever you decide to do with it, it will be beautiful. I’m sure of that!!! Hugs.
Paula: What a fantastic porch! That was one of the first things on our list of what we wanted for our house. I grew up with porches; one in the east side of the house and one on the west side. So we could go to either whenever the sun got too hot. We had antique wicker furniture. Now my porch on the north side doubles as a bonsai holding area in the winter and when the trees are moved outside it becomes a screened in summer porch. I also had a porch swing like we had on the farm. Enjoy! Bonnie
I understand totally the porch atmosphere…I grew up with an open porch and a swing. Now I have a very wide porch (covered deck) where I can enjoy nature sounds while reading, sleeping, eating. It is a wonderful to reconnect with nature and still be out of the weather. Our wonderful Martin birds handle the mosquitoes for us here in central Indiana….The birds are my pride and joy. enjoy your time outdoors…I do.
Oh my word!!! What an AWESOME back porch! We are in the planning stages of our next phase of simple living life in Northeast Texas and a screened porch is HIGH on the list of wants!
I love the pics – thanks for sharing!I look forward to seeing more!
Loved your post. Lovely porch you have. I would love to have something like that for my morning or evening tea where I would be out of the heat and not eaten alive by the mosquitoes. I think you should leave as is. It is cozy and inviting. Thanks for sharing with us.
You’ve triggered some great memories! As a kid growing up in the midwest, I was jealous of my aunt’s house because it had a SCREEN PORCH. All the cousins would sleep out there on summer nights and it didn’t matter how sandy we were from swimming in the lake. Normal rules of hygiene and bedtimes didn’t apply on the screen porch. Lucky you!
Love the porch!!! I would skip the rug and add a few ferns. Enjoy!!!
Hi everyone,
This was a great blog..brought back some great memories. I have been blessed in my life to have lived in homes with either a front porch, back deck or both. Right now, I have both but neither is screened. My son gave me a screened gazebo which its right off the back(unfinished)deck. Even when its hot outside, I try to sit in there as much as possible. Reading, cup or glass of tea on the table, texting, paying DS…I will be moving the gazebo up onto the deck, hopefully soon. But I truely love it, anytime of the day, any day of the week…If I am not in the house, you can find me outside…Thanks again for sharing and I am really happy things are working out so well for you & your girls…New Farmgirl Member #1754 :->
Hi there Paula!
What a bonus to your new home… A screened porch… We are in the New England area where they are plentiful because of weather and bugs…We have a large deck, but it isn’t screened yet… We’re keeping our fighers crossed we can accomplish that one day soon! I love that the kids are gravitating to it and READING… wonderful! As for the decor, I say keep it simple, casual and comfy, perhaps a couple of pillow’s on the couch, and a throw for chilly evenings… A couple of flowering plants for a shot of color, ( geraniums do well inside and out all year long) and one last thing, just for fun… string up some lights where the screen meets the ceiling or grab a couple of lanterns to make your nights more magical on your new porch!
Enjoy,
Deb
I love my screen back porch. Right now it’s raining and it has a metal roof, the sound makes me want to fall asleep. But it faces west and in Florida, that makes for a very hot afternoon, but the mornings are divine. I have a porch swing, table & chairs and hutch. No better place for breakfast and coffee! I am so glad you and your family are enjoying your porch, it is an iconic reminder of summer and fanily time.
Apparently you have most of what you "need" since everyone seems to be gravating to the porch. If I added anything, it would be like Deb said, "a couple of lanterns to make your nights more magical" and possibly a throw for comfort in the fall.
Ok, that’s it. You sealed the plans for my own porch. I was undecided about screen. We’re just now making headway on the mudroom…and the porch will follow. Screen…the new Must Have. Thanks for the perfect post for what we’re doing right now. Your porch is divine. I can see why so many hours will be spent there.
Its great to see your new life forming up so nicely. What a godsend that you found such a nice house in the location you wanted. Good For You.
Shery J
How about a couple of rocking chairs? When I was a little girl, we spent hours on the porch playing and listening to my grandma tell stories. My kids say I have a story for everything! I just love rockers and porch swings.
How wonderful for you. We had a sun porch at our previous home. There was a couple of windows with screens that let in a nice breeze when we sat on it. We had a small table and chairs but it was not large enough for the nice couch you have on yours. It looks like you have everything already to make you comfortable. Maybe a radio/CD player to listen to your favs or a nice book on CD. Very nice. Here in Michigan it is suppose to be 90 tomorrow on the 4th. We may just melt…Have a wonderful holiday!
Where I grew up in the south we called these sleeping porches. Nothing better than sleeping out protected from the bugs, watching the stars and the fireflies…happy times. Enjoy your sapce you lucky lady!
So happy you love your screened in porch…you know we grew up with one and then had one at our house which I always loved! One suggestion I would make is a water feature – either outside or inside…I always found the sound of running water very soothing when sitting there protected from the mossies, wasps, moths, etc but loving the breeze and trees (reminds me to suggest a few wind chimes as well).
Glad you love your new house! It’s been hot here in England as well (but not quite as hot as there) and I have missed having some outdoor haven like a screened porch – our tiny balcony doesn’t quite do it!
Paula, my son and daughter in law live in North Carolina too and they also have a screened in porch. When we visit there we love to sit and chat in this room listening to the cicadas sing their goodnight song. I think less is better because friends and family visiting fill the whole area with their laughter and love — that is what you will see and feel when you sit out there — the comfy things are nice and a few are needed — but you will always hear and see the get togethers of times past. Have fun and dream in your new "nest".
Paula, my son and daughter in law live in North Carolina too and they also have a screened in porch. When we visit there we love to sit and chat in this room listening to the cicadas sing their goodnight song. I think less is better because friends and family visiting fill the whole area with their laughter and love — that is what you will see and feel when you sit out there — the comfy things are nice and a few are needed — but you will always hear and see the get togethers of times past. Have fun and dream in your new "nest".
Oh how enchanting! And on that note-candles, wind chimes,
and perhaps faerie lites for evening, a hammock, art on the wall, a mirror to reflect light, cutains, oh my you’ve got me started and yes a chandelier!!!!
Hi,
I’m a new Mary Jane Farmgirl member, who is looking to move to North Carolina. Hope I get lucky enough to get a porch, if not already screened in, then I’ll happily screen it.
The cats would LOVE it.
Your’s is HUGE and wonderful with trees all around. You are lucky indeed.
you know we love our back porch!!
my cats love it, its great when its hot outside and we grill in the spring/summer ( sometimes in the fall/winter..) especially if you have a fan out there, that’s what makes it even better, especially during this past summer’s wonderful heat wave!
i am so happy to read your blog this morning. Last year i had my 98 year old house painted and a screened in porch added to the back. It looks just like it is original to the house. I am so happy with it, as are my dachshunds and Sheltie. The one thing that has really helped during the summer in Texas is the ceiling fan! It makes the mornings and nights bearable. The 100 degree plus temps make the days on the porch uninhabitable even with the fan. Enjoy your porch. I love mine.
You need a water feature for your screened in porch or in the landscape just beyond it. The sound of a trickle of water will make your room complete. There are cherub-type features that hang on a wall and recycle a small amount of water or you can put in a bubbler as a focal point in the yard. Either would be nice.