Dear sisters,
Let me just start with saying that January and February have been quite momentous around here! Our oldest flew the nest for sunnier shorelines on the West coast at the end of January and our youngest just celebrated her 21st birthday. This momma is feeling so many emotions I might as well be riding a roller coaster at Disneyland! I know some of my sisters can relate. How did you cope when your chick’s flew the coop? Continue reading
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”.
Sitting here crying reading this!!! So happy we got to be a part of the great adventure!!! When I left home, I was 19, married and headed to Germany for 2 years!!! My brothers cried and for the first time I realized that we really loved each other!! My Dad crises for 3 days in a hotel room in San Francisco – they had driven me there to catch my plane!! Mom said she had to threaten to call an ambulance if he didn’t get up!!! No cell phones/face time back then and most people couldn’t even afford a land lime over there!! But that wouldn’t do for Pappy…..he paid $500 installation and $500 a month to have a phone in our apartment…..and that’s not counting his monthly bills just for the calls!!!
When my oldest moved out at 18, I thought I was going to die. I would go sit where his bed used to be and cry every day…….he moved 3 blocks away!!! My youngest was home with me until he was 26! We were buddies and country danced 4 nights a week together. His first venture out was to share an apartment with his brother who was going through a divorce. They were supposed to move out on the weekend but did it on Friday before I got home from work because they couldn’t bear the inevitable waterworks……and oh did they come!!!
So, I guess it doesn’t matter how old kids are or how far they go…..it’s a rite of passage we must all go through!!!!
Waterworks indeed, cuz. You’re right. Kids leaving home is a rite of passage we must all go through. We will survive! xoxo Can’t wait to see ya’ll in May!
Dear Deb,
You’re at that crosspoint. I’ts good to see your babies WANT to go off into the world but that means letting go for us! It is never easy, but my experience is they do come back in a different way…..by phoning, texting and face timing! Love the world now! Hubby and I adjusted in complete togetherness while we were being weened away from the kids. Now we’ve just settled in to total togetherness and seeing the kids when we can. It all works out! Just make sure your favorite holidays are together. Blessings to you!
Hi Sandi! It’s all good! Weird, but good! I love that you and your hubby have grown closer in your children’s absence. That’s what I dream of, too. We’re pretty close already so I look forward to that chapter as well. One more to go! 😉
Blessings to you! Deb
Boy is this post on target…my oldest is a high school senior, and I just don’t know what I’ll do when she’s away at college. Where does the time go? What will I do when I don’t hear her laughing with her brother…they’re so close, what will he do? I’m trying to keep a smile on…everyone should have the chance to chase their dreams. I just know I won’t make it without a lot of tears.
Hi Mary,
Tears are just fine. Don’t hold them in or you’ll just make yourself more miserable! 😉 I find I still get weepy off and on and I never know when it’s going to hit. One thing that’s kind of neat to look forward to is the extra time you’ll have with your son while he’s still at home. Something about having one out of the nest makes you hyper-aware of the time you have left with the younger ones. Blessings and keep that Kleenex handy!
Oh Deb, I can relate. My oldest semi-professional student moved to Maui 3 weeks ago. On one hand I’m very proud of him for doing what he wants, but it sure does tug on the old heart strings. The hardest part for me is not knowing when I will see him again. My parting words were – “until you have children of your own you will never understand how much I love you.” One good thing was we had a whole year to get used to the idea. It is good to know that we raised an independent child. Wishing you peace of mind, hours of Face Time, and airline tickets West in the not too distant future.
Hi Nanette, I think I would have had to tuck myself into your sons luggage. Maui! Woot! Good for him. It is a mixed bag of emotions when they leave, isn’t it? Sounds like you need some airline tickets, too! Wishing you peace as well. Your work is done! xo Deb
When my last child moved out I cried for 6 months. She was a hour away and her 2 older brothers were about the same distance in different directions. Now my youngest son is on the California coast, (I’m in northern Nv) but I talk to him the most. They all have busy lives, which I try to respect. I have a small ranch with plenty of animals and land to keep me busy. We all try to get together as much as possible. However I still and always will miss them all terribly.
Hi Nancy,
That will be me, when our daughter goes. It’s difficult not being in on the day to day stuff…I miss that a lot. I try to think about how busy I was in my early twenties so that I don’t ” bug ” him too much. lol! I want to be respectful of his time because now he’s doing it all for himself and that will make a person very busy! Here’s a hug!
Just finished the book THE ART OF ARRANGING FLOWERS, a novel by Lynne Branard..It is all about flowers and love and life..Flowers are so healing! The best gift is that our kids can “fly”
Hi Donna,
I love that book! And you’re so right. It’s like we know they can fly because we taught them too, but watching it happen is still so awe inspiring.
xo Deb
Oh my! My baby is only 6 and I’m tearing up reading this. I hear ya, mama! Send out those words of wisdom as you find them! I’ll need them someday! Well done on raising a sufficient, joyful young man! Best to you!
Thanks, Jodie!
I guess in many ways we start letting go a little bit along the way. Enjoy these years ahead. You’ve got so much to look forward to before you have to go through this phase! xo Deb
I always thought of them as chicks flying the nest. When we lived in Florida among family my youngest and oldest lived with my mother-in-law at separate times. My youngest is now in Japan in the AF. Our older children lived at home until they were ready to be on their own, and they still have family as a safety net, which comforts me when I can’t be there for them.
I think the hardest part of motherhood is when the kids grow up and you have to let them fly away on their own – how did my mother do it four times and me only once? We all have to find the strength to let it happen and the support for them to see it through. That’s called a mother’s love.
Enjoyed reading your story. Now I know how my Mother felt when I left home at 18 years old. So very touching….
Oh, my goodness…. I just sat here and bawled all over again. All four of mine have flown far away, and are productive citizens in the world. I’m a grandma 5 times over! When my youngest left over five years ago, it was really REALLY hard at first. I ended up starting a homestead & self-reliance blog a few years later to create another, different kind of “baby.” LOL Thank you for sharing this wonderful story. Heidi
Such sweet sentiments! Thank you for sharing. Before we even had children, we prayed that we could find a big piece of land that we could all live on together. Praying faithfully for many years, we finally found paradise right here in the middle of Kansas. 100 acres of woods, creek, bluffs and amazing wildlife. One family has built a yurt and has lived in it for many years. The other three families are planning on building out here as well and have picked out their future dwelling places. We are pretty excited, as we can all share in gardening, and a myriad of other projects over the years. All our children are married and we have 21 grandchildren! Hang in there! They all just might migrate back to their beginnings someday, even if it takes a lifetime. The enjoyment is visiting them and them visiting us quite regular. Hopefully, someday we will all be united on this 100 acre wood!