Dear Sisters,
Maybe it’s the flower farmer in me, but I just couldn’t buy into all the over the top glitz and glam of the holiday season this year. But that doesn’t mean I’m not feeling festive or like celebrating. No sirree. My heart was yearning for a more down to earth holiday vibe with a farmgirl kick so my handsome Yankee and I took to the woods where we found the beginnings of our rootin, tootin, RUSTIC Christmas! 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”.
Love your decorating! The swag is beautiful. The canning jars ornaments in the tree are great!!!! All looks lovely and warm. Merry Christmas Deb!
Thanks so much for reading and your sweet note, Debbie.
Merry Christmas Sandy!
Love the rooster and his chick! Fun Christmas stuff you did. Have a blessed holiday season and all the best in the New Year.
Thanks so much, Sylvia. Blessings to you and yours this holiday season and beyond…
hugs!
Deb
I love your rustic Christmas. It’s so simple, earthy and beautiful. I also love the pictures of you! They are beautiful.
Merry Christmas, Deb!
– Dori –
Merry Christmas my friend! Can’t wait to see what we cook up in 2016!
I also meant to say that I love, love, love the Roo and his Henrietta! 🙂
Lovely! Merry Christmas!
Back at cha Barb!
Love your decorating! I have tons of decorations out on display, but I have a lot more still in the shed. I’m a sucker for Christmas. I don’t have a tree up this year but there’s plenty of all other kinds of things. We do artificial because our climate is so dry that a real one dries out soooooo quickly. I love the evergreen aromas too, but satisfy that with my Yankee Candle candles, either Holiday Bayberry, Christmas Wreath or Balsam & Cedar.
Have a wonderful and blessed Christmas!
CJ
Yankee Candles are the best…Love them! Merry Christmas to you and yours… 🙂
Deb
Merry Christmas Deb! You two look very sweet in your post! Have a wonderful holiday! xoxoxox Sandi from the Cape
Hi Sandi from the cape! So is THIS the year we’ll meet in person?
Let’s make it happen! Merry Christmas.
Deb
Merry Christmas and a Blessed New Year to you and your handsome yankee and children and your mom. 🙂 Neta
Merry Christmas dear Neta… Blessings to you and yours for a wonderful holiday!
Hugs,
Deb
Your tree is so lovely. Rustic ornaments give it a real country charm that’s endearing. Have a Merry Christmas and thank you for sharing all the beautiful things you made.
Hi Marge,
Thanks for stopping by our little open house. Wishing you a very Merry Christmas! Deb
Merry Christmas, Deb! Love your rustic decorations. The rooster is especially adorable! Hope you have a wonderful Holiday season! Farmgirl Hugs from Connecticut! ~Nicole (Suburban Farmgirl)
Merry Christmas, Nicole! I couldn’t resist the rooster! 😉 Thinking of you all this holiday season and wishing you many blessings in 2016…
Hugs, Deb
Merry Christmas, Deb
Thank you for the beautiful Autumn notecards. You even wrapped them pretty. It was fun to win something from you!
PS – I also married a handsome Yankee. 🙂
Hi Linda,
I’m so happy you are enjoying the note cards. Three cheers for handsome, Yankees! 🙂
Merry Christmas!
Deb
Love your woodsy Christmas decor! We just had our big family gathering this pas weekend so we are hopeing for a quiet week here. Merry Christmas Deb!
Merry Christmas, Brenda! I bet you all had a great time together… Rest up and enjoy the beauty of the season!
xo Deb
Merry Christmas, Deb. Your tree and ornaments look fabulous together. I just had to say, I love your hair in these pics. Looks absolutely fabulous on you. The photo of you and your Yankee husband is just beautiful. I hope you’ve framed it and it’s proudly displayed.
I toned my decorations down this year and concentrated on living out the spirit of Christmas instead. I was a lot more relaxed and enjoyed the time together with my family a lot more by stepping back and giving up the illusion of the perfect Christmas. I ended up with a perfect day by just relaxing and enjoying time with my family and creating memories instead. I hope your Christmas was just as wonderful and full of memory keeping moments. Hugs from down under.