One of the greatest gifts in life is the simple act of giving to others. “Giving” doesn’t have to be a big act or a large monetary sum. Sometimes, the simplest acts of kindness go a really long way, and keep on giving.
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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”.
It’s fun to find something I think someone I know would like and give it to her/him for no reason.
Marlene, I agree! And I have been the receipient of surprises from my sweet friends. When I see them, it makes me smile every time. My vintage camper has lots of little goodies from various friends- one of the reasons I love to be in it. I feel so loved! Farmgirl Hugs, Nicole
What a super-duper idea! I wish my brain thought of things like this. Now that you have nudged me, maybe I can pass along some smiles to others in MY area?
Thank you.
Hi Mary, Isn’t it an awesome idea? And kudos to Karina, who did this in my area while being a mom to THREE little ones! I give her a lot of credit! Thanks for reading and commenting! Farmgirl Hugs, Nicole
So sweet, you always write such sweet stories.
Hope you have a Blessed Thanksgiving!
Thank you, Connie! Happy Thanksgiving! Farmgirl Hugs, Nicole
When my late mother was in the hospital, our neighbor drove us to the hospital.
HAPPY THANKSGIVING
Joan,Marion and Marilyn
Hi Marilyn, what a wonderful gesture that you remember in a such a trying time. Lovely. Happy Thanksgiving, and thank you for sharing. Farmgirl Hugs, Nicole
I had tears reading this lovely story! My husband and I had moved to a new area and I had met a few people. Unfortunately he was involved in a car accident and taken to the local hospital, but then life flighted to a large hospital in a major city. I had no idea how to get there (before GPS). I called a woman I had visited with a couple times and asked her for directions. She told me to get to her house and she would take me. What a blessing she was – and we remain friends to this day!
Hi Bonnie, Wow! What a story…what a wonderful person your friend is, and I love how you ended up long time friends. I hope your husband was okay after that car accident! Scary story but a lovely ending.
I am so glad you enjoyed this post. Wishing you a very Happy Thanksgiving! Farmgirl Hugs, Nicole
One of our most memorable times of giving and FUN Thanksgivings (2000) was when my brother, a Marine Corp Veteran through and through (so that means moving alot!), moved to TN to the very house that my father grew up in. My husband and I visited and cooked our BIG Thanksgiving dinner! On the evening before Thanksgiving, we loaded up fruit baskets and went up and down the road that my father had lived on as a boy. His son, just about 10 years old at that time, would hop out and run to take the baskets up to the house and leave them on the doorstep! We would laugh as we drove off, seeing the puzzled looks on the faces, as the people would come out and look at the fruit basket! No name or any indication of who left the basket was on it!!! Fast forward to 2017…I moved to the same area! My brother has since passed away. And my nephew is now grown, a minister, and has a family. He came at the holidays last year to stay with me. We visited a lady (next door) that was one of the recipients of the baskets, now a widow. She remembered the basket and said “I never knew who gave it…but I ate it all!!” And now, she loves us…as we are a close family friend!! We still have so many laughs from this time of giving!! I wish we would do it more!!
Reba, your story is beautiful. You brought tears to my eyes. What a wonderful, wonderful holiday memory. Thank you so very much for sharing it. Farmgirl Hugs, Nicole
It is surprising that you would have this type of post when I had just recently gave a “giving plate” to my friend. It was given to me as a gift still in the box and had a recipe and ingredients to make sugar cookies for whoever I gave it to. I thought of my friend who has been so wonderful to us and made the cookies and passed it on to her. She as yet hasn’t passed it on. I will hint to her that it doesn’t have to be sweets, or even food for that matter. I love the idea and I have in the past made a food dish and gave the dish itself along with the food to people I care about. I also try to find gifts that are something the person will need or like really well. With Thanksgiving and Christmas close, this is my favorite time of the year. Thanks for posting, Nicole.
Hi Sandi, Thank you! How interesting your platter came with a recipe! There are so many ways one could pass the platter on…with fruit, teas…the ideas are endless. I love the idea of a dish as a gift itself. I have both been the hostess/recipient and the guest/giver. It makes for a lovely, thoughtful gift and doesn’t have to cost a lot! Thank you for reading and commenting. Happiest of Holidays to you! Farmgirl Hugs, Nicole