It’s not spring, at least in New England! With Easter coming, warm-weather items in stores, and not a bloomed daffodil in sight, we’re making it spring!
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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”.
Thanks for the pie recipe! Going to make this!love the pics ! Cindy”’
Thanks, Cindy! Enjoy! It’s my hubby’s favorite. Farmgirl Hugs, Nicole
Hi Nicole,
Oh my word. Just thinking about all that snow and cold winter and the cold spring melt almost made me want to cry! 🙂 I love the seasons also, but I LOVE living where spring comes with a vengeance. Green grass, pink and white blooming dogwood trees, daffodils everywhere, tulips blooming. Okay, I’ll shut up now!
The cheesecake pie recipe sounds yummy!
– Dori, the Ranch Farmgirl –
Hi Dori, I wish I was visiting my mom in Georgia or my dad in Texas for Easter! This weather really is for the birds. It snowed again last night, and looks like it will be rain on Saturday and snow on Easter. Ick. I usually say “it’s been a long winter”, but this really is the longest we’ve ever seen. Yesterday the weatherman on tv started to do his report, and instead he said, “You don’t want to know!” and threw his shovel down into a pile of snow. Everyone’s trying to keep a sense of humor about it. What else can ya do? I am starting to worry a bit about my gardening and yard. We will have to see what will grow this summer. Send me some of that Tennessee sun, please! Farmgirl Hugs, Nicole
I loved seeing the Easter pictures of you and your daughter. I was lucky to have the kind of mom that would encourage us to color eggs! She always did, even up in her eighties…Since I still have the occasional yard visit from my lovely friend the English Angora, I have had rabbits on the brain. I went to a class the other night, and what would be nibbling on the bushes around the building? A nice brown domestic rabbit! Must be a lot of ‘releasing’ of rabbits after Easter…Drat…
Thank you for the great pie recipe. Just what I envisioned for Easter dessert!
Hi Jan, I still can’t believe that beautiful Angora rabbit you saw. What a stunning picture! I hope you can catch him! Let me know how you like my pie recipe! Farmgirl Hugs, Nicole
Nicole, these are beautiful pictures of you and Audrey. The one of you when you were three with your Easter Basket is one of my favorites. I bought the little pinafore for you and your brother had to dress you because I was in the hospital with food poisoning!
The picture of you with the red rolling pin is good too and where did you get your big earrings? Hope spring comes to you soon! Love this blog.
Love you, Mother
Thanks, Mom. I love the look of pure joy on Audrey’s face when she first dyed Easter eggs. Glad you liked this post! Love, N
Lovely pictures…..kids are cute….I wish I could remember to force bulbs to bloom, but not sure when to start.love the flowers. Used yo do the egg coloring with my kids. Miss those simple days of Easter surprises…..went the bunny route one year and we ended up with…..rabbits galore! Won’t forget that year!we kept one after we got rid of most of them. Had to keep our thumps. Believe me the between into things….cards, drywall and kids toys.yes they have teeth! Did you know rabbits can be frightened and/due from it? Happen to a baby rabbit we had. Its a job to care for rabbits….kids get tired very quickly….I ended up caring for them, cleaning their pellet poops and/when it got too much for me, we found new homes for them. Never again! I think I’d rather raise a dog!
Happy/Easter, susana
I hear ya, Susana! I am the one who ends up taking care of our bun, and she prefers my daughter. I’ve been nipped a couple of times, but she loves Audrey and will fall asleep in her arms. She only growls at my husband! My dogs are much easier! But we still love our bun. She’s so cute. Happy Easter! Farmgirl Hugs, Nicole
Hi Nicole!
What else CAN we do but FORCE spring in New England this year? Your post surely hit home with me. We are supposed to get warmer temps with rain this week and I’m praying its’ true. Most of our backyard ( and all of my raised beds) are still covered in snow. I NEED that soil to start warming up if I’m gonna have flowers to enjoy and sell this summer! Darling photos of you and your girl and your ‘ bun ‘ . I needed a dessert for our Easter gathering so I thank you for your cheesecake recipe. I’ve never made one, but this unseasonably cold spring is making me feel adventurous! Hugs and Happy Easter!
Deb, the Beach Farmgirl
Hi Deb!
I’ve been wondering about your area, too. My peas should already be in the ground, but I can’t even FIND the garden yet! I think Mother Nature may have forgotten us this year, don’t you? Enjoy the cheesecake, let me know how it turns out. Hang in there, farmsis…it’s got to warm up here sooner or later, right? Farmgirl Hugs, Nicole
Nicole,
Missed visiting you this Easter and spring break! Thanks for the great blog about your Easter and spring activities, I feel that I are keeping in touch with your daily life by reading your blog.
Loved the “blast from the past” Easter photographs! I must find my “vintage” photographs and frame them to keep those holiday memories alive. I never heard of the Bridgewater Chocolate company but will make plans to order some chocolate from this company in the near future!
Thanks for the great photograph of your cute bunny, Patches! She looks happy and
healthy!
Love the butterfly glassware! How exquisite and festive! I especially love the full apron that you are wearing! It looks great on you and I am glad that you can make good use of it!
Rose
Hi Rose! We missed your visit too, but when you do come the weather will be better than it was at Easter anyway. Can’t wait for you to meet Patches and Pip, too! Farmgirl Hugs, Nicole