holiday downtime

Every Christmas, we take an extended break at MaryJanesFarm. Sure, it means we miss out on holiday sales but you know what, our employees need a break. We need a break. We’ve been closed for commerce the later part of this past week and we’ll be closed this coming week until the New Year. I grew up in an era and a state that enforced what was called “Sunday Closing Law.” Nothing, I mean nothing was open for commerce on Sundays, not a gas station, nothing. Same with Christmas Eve and what is now called Black Friday. Ever since I left home at age 18, I’ve used my holiday downtime to sort and organize memories, remember, live in the past. Yesterday, while I was in and out of my kitchen, I …

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raiding the root cellar for Christmas dinner

Real preparation consists in digging something out of …

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A Star Is Born

In anticipation of my grandbaby’s first Christmas play, I admit to being a tad nervous. Will she do okay? Will she be crushed if she gets nervous and messes up her lines? For two weeks prior, she was practicing her moves, singing the songs over and over again, at dinner, in the car. With dead seriousness. This was …

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  1. faith says:

    That was TOO cute; you always make me smile and keep me grounded! Thanks for sharing, and helping everyone keep their priorities in place in the process! Happy Holidays!

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Fantasy football ain’t got nothin’ on this!

Not yet, not yet, not yet. Oh, when will our Maizy have her calf? We’ve been stuffing dollar bills into, none other than, a milk bottle in an attempt to predict WHEN!!!!

Any ideas for girl or boy names?

Maizy is sooooo over-the-top huggable and lovable right now. She wants to be touched all over, scratched, and reminded constantly (several times through the night) how beautiful she is. If she weren’t so BIG, I think she’d crawl …

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  1. Pingback: Well, well now. | Raising Jane Journal

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photo-of-the-day

  1. Teddi says:

    This is so pretty. I like the idea of the buttons. I tried making the “Tatted Button Necklace” out of MaryJane’s Stitching Room the other day. Let’s just say, I don’t have the art of joining to a button figured out just yet. 😉

  2. Renee says:

    Hi Teddi,

    What a beautiful edging, you want to share the pattern with me?

    Kind regards, Renee

  3. Debi says:

    i would love to have this pattern. Inspirational

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Only six, not less, not more.

Given my gift for gab, it might surprise you to know that perfecting a profoundly pared-down paragraph excites me. And I still haven’t figured out how to …

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  1. Tamara Burger says:

    Farm Girl likes six letter story

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photo-of-the-day

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award-winning cheese

After devouring a tin of Washington State University’s award-winning Cougar Gold cheddar cheese, what did I do with the leftover tin?

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  1. Kimberly says:

    We always have a can of their cheese from them at Christmas. It is good. Are you making cheeses from your Jersey milk? I just got my first Jersey, Buttercup, in September and am experimenting with all sorts of things! And looking for recipes!!!

    • MaryJane says:

      My daughter-in-law has worked up several homemade cheese recipes. Unfortunately, I’m saving them for my book! (But I might sneak a couple to you via email.) I ate our own cottage cheese for lunch today. How sweet that you have a cow named Buttercup. Perfect name.

  2. Marge Hofknecht says:

    The cheese-making process simply fascinates me. It’s an age-old process that was developed to preserve the goodness of milk in a way that keeps it from going bad. And cheese comes in so many varieties! Years ago, when my husband and I worked at a food co-op, we purchased raw milk on a regular basis. From the gallons we bought I skimmed the cream and made butter; I made cottage cheese as well as yogurt. And throughout the work I was fascinated by how the processes worked. I have a cookbook that’s based on the old time stillroom. The oldtimers knew how to prepare and to preserve so many things and much of it without all the modern conveniences that we have today.

  3. Chauncey says:

    Thanks for taking the time to describe the terminlogy to the learners!

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Cuddles

Some days a good cuddle is in order. Moments when …

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  1. Shery says:

    Feeling anxious with a purring cat in your lap is nearly impossible :o) Kitties are good medicine.

    I read a saying once that has stayed with me. I can’t recall the writer though… …
    “These are two aesthetically perfect things: a bouquet of fresh flowers and a cat sitting in a windowsill.”

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Rascally Rascal

Act like you don’t see me.

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  1. Jeananne Pyle says:

    Looks like “managing the office”, and all that paper work has worn this Rascal to a frazzle.

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