Social Media Primer

Like collecting eggs from wayward chickens, it can be somewhat of a task keeping up with all of the social media happenings at MaryJanesFarm. You won’t want to miss a thing—especially our Sisterhood blogging community over at www.GirlGab.com. (This is my favorite daily pleasure.) Ladies of the Sisterhood, now numbering 4,690 (and counting), have earned an amazing number of Merit Badges so far—6,500 total! We’ve recently started alerting earned Badges daily on our MaryJanesFarm Facebook page.

My blog, www.raisingjane.org (the one you’re on right now) is a little bit more of the fun and frilly that you’ve come to expect from MaryJanesFarm, and is my outlet for conversation in between magazines. And every Friday, I feature a …

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  1. Elizabeth says:

    I’m really glad you are discussing this topic today MaryJane. As I must confess to being completely overwhelmed & more than a bit lost when I first came looking for you with my standard Google search. It was a few months ago, shortly after I had bought & read my 1st issue of your magazine (which~very much impressed me). So I read your personal bio…on…I couldn’t tell you which Google page but the more I read about your life & how open to sharing your personal growth/stories with your readers’, I became interested in reading more.

    Of all the formats you listed above, this one (RAISING JANE) is by far my favorite….besides Pinterest. I stumbled into your Raising Jane blog early on & it’s a good thing b/c I would never have followed you on FB or Twitter (but that’s just me). There are so many reasons why I prefer this format (which to me is almost like an extension of your magazine) b/c you engage your reader in actual dialog:-) Truly, I was astonished after posting here just a couple times than you answered or spoke to me directly! That speaks volumes to me that you actually write & read your own posts everyday…or close there to?

    I could go on & on but I don’t want to turn my response into an opinion poll. However, I will mention 2 more things I feel are pertinent.

    ~When I try to access your Pinterest site from the link/logo you have provided here it takes me to a page that is no longer active on Pinterest. So now I have your true Pinterest page listed as a favorite on my computer & can access it from there.

    ~Your graphics (on Raising Jane) are wonderful & I find this background best to read from. Your pages are not cluttered or distracting. The reason I adore (strong word but since I’m a very visual person it works for me) Pinterest is b/c if the poster has done their job & labeled & linked everything correctly it is like a treasure trove of beauty/facts/how~to’s etc.

    So much more I want to ask you & share with you but I’ll wait until you bring up a topic ~much like this one~ where I try to fit everything in:-) Sorry, if I got off topic or a bit convoluted there. I just have all this stuff running through my mind about 2 of your books I just read & your magazines & such, and I’m sure you are BUSY:-) Which is a good thing to be.

    Thank you for sharing so much information with us & responding to our inquires, very classy & greatly appreciated.

    • MaryJane says:

      Great long post Elizabeth. Thank you. I will try to fix the Pinterest link. Hmmm. When I finished my post last night, I thought I had it right. If it’s a challenge for readers like you to locate these things, you can imagine what’s it’s like for me. I still don’t know how to text! I am committed to it though because of readers like you who I value dearly. I’ve never felt like this blog was a required chore. I truly love it … and YOU. Thanks for ALL your thoughtful comments. I read every one of them. However, it is true, I don’t always have time for a response. Lots of deadlines in my life. It warms my heart that you’re out there for me.

      • MaryJane says:

        The link takes me right to my Pinterest page. Would refreshing your computer make it work for you, possibly? I’m not sure what to do. I don’t have my computer guy here until Jan. 7. I’ll ask him then why you’re having trouble with it.

        • Gabe says:

          If we’re talking about the link to Pinterest in this post itself, it looks like it works to me, as well – takes me to the MaryJanesFarm Pinterest page.
          So, I’m at a loss as to what may be going on for you, Elizabeth.

          But, you mention a link/logo … ? I’m not sure if you might actually mean something else. The “Pin It” button seems to work. Is it just the link in the text that you meant, and you were searching for the right word?

  2. Winnie Nielsen says:

    Elizabeth, I agree with you too! While I have been enjoying the magazine for 3 years now and loving and participating on the MJF Connection, the Raisin Jane blog is so fun because we get to talk with Mary Jane, Meg and other staff who post. It makes it all seem real and that inspires me to become more involved. The personal connection is so powerful and for me , it is what makes the experience worth while and meaningful! I am glad that MJF is reaching out on lots of levels as everyone favors what works best for them. And the more conversations, the more interesting and meaningful the experience!

    • MaryJane says:

      Well, good morning Winnie. I’ve just had my daily Winnie fix. What would I do if you took a month off? Does my Pinterest link work for you this morning?

      • Winnie Nielsen says:

        I have a Pinterest Page but find that I don’t go there that often. Pinterest is fun but I find it a huge time killer and with working, I just don’t want to spend the time there. I would rather be knitting if I get some spare time or read a book or magazine. It seems like there are not enough hours in the day to do all the fun things I want outside of using my computer.

        • MaryJane says:

          I hear ya. Even though I have a MaryJanesFarm Pinterest page (my daughter loves Pinterest) and make decisions about what to put on it and how it should look, I have never spent even one minute on Pinterest. Maybe some day I’ll learn to text and decide to pin (it does look like fun) but for now, my plate is full and those two things just didn’t make the cut. Here’s something interesting that Pinterest did recently without my permission. In their push to grow their market share, they started a personal page (MaryJane Butters) for me and loaded a few things on it. Every day, women sign up to follow me and we have to send them to our MJF page (not easy because we can’t contact them directly). When we contacted Pinterest to have it deleted, they said they would also have to delete our MJF page, making it so we’d have to start over. Odd at best.

  3. Elizabeth says:

    Good morning MaryJane, Gabe & Winnie. Thank you all for responding to my inquiry about the Pinterest link. I apologize for the confusion I created about the link I mentioned (which is actually on another page). The above Pinterest link which MaryJane provided on this page works just fine for me too.

    It is a different link & page altogether which takes me to the now defunct MaryJane Pinterest page. If I scroll down to the bottom of this page & enter your MaryJaneFarm site, it is there that I find the Pinterest button which MaryJane just described above (for inactivity). Thank you for explaining.

    The reason I enjoy Pinterest so very much is b/c of the visuals but equally so b/c of the details that are often provided too (with a good link). For instance: In MaryJane’s most recent(?) magazine ~Organic Lifestyle Series ~ Vol. 12 #1 ~ Self Rising~ issue, I am trying yet another of your craft projects from page #69. You ladies & perhaps even Gabe are probably much more experienced at crafting, sewing , crocheting (you name it) than I am. When I saw the Christmas Card box you made, I knew I had to try one myself. Not knowing the 1st thing about what I was doing I set out to try making a pretty box by using one of my 2012 calenders & (it nearly brought me to tears) oh what a mess I made!

    So then, next, I went to the Pinterest crafts page (listed on the main Google page) keyed in a couple words about the above project & woala, several different Pinners’ have a folder dedicated to the topic (one lady actually provides diagrams you can enlarge, print & such). That has helped me tremendously as it seems there is a little bit of Geometry involved in this project & so many other sewing, cutting, piecing together projects I need help with:-)

    Your daughter has done a fabulous job with your Pinterest page MaryJane. I can browse Pinterest to see what new Pins friends & family have posted (& I do that occasionally too but it makes it more of a FB/Twitter experience). So I usually visit Pinterest to look for something specific & then may get side tracked looking at all the gorgeous pictures:-) It’s true, I am a picture person but sometimes the story within a picture needs words; and it is a good thing too, for without them I’d be lost.

    Thanks again to Gabe & MaryJane for the explanation & help. Hope you all have a great day.

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Wishing You Glamping Success!

Nadine Morton, neighbor and dear, sweet cousin-in-law to my husband, came to my recent book signing with the most adorable gift. Does she know me or what?!!!

It’ll be a while before I’m inclined to put this outside to share with my feathered friends. It looks too cute on my desk.

  1. Terry Steinmetz says:

    How neat is that!

  2. Winnie Nielsen says:

    Now that was the perfect present for you! How cute!!

  3. Elizabeth says:

    Oh, I like it. Do you still decorate with your indoor bird nests’ (believe I saw them in your Outpost book)? If so, I think they may all look nice nested together? Could be a sw-tweet theme:-)

  4. CJ Armstrong says:

    Too cute! Don’t you just love gifts that are just so “YOU”!
    CJ

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photo-of-the-day

  1. Marile Shelly says:

    I love that idea! Sadly, we live in the SF CA Bay Area, & just get an incidental freeze that can damage our plants! However, we take occasional trips to Tahoe, CA with our grandchildren & this will be a fun activity!
    Thanks for sharing!
    Happy New Year!

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Ice Lanterns

Chances are, cabin fever hasn’t set in quite yet …

But we can all use a little inspiration to get outside on a chilly day, right?

Even better … a winter’s night.

Well, here’s a super COOL idea:

ICE LANTERNS

These crystalline cuties, which traditionally hail from the world’s most wintery northern latitudes, are a good way to spark your appreciation of the season’s stark beauty or light a pathway that invites guests into your home.

Ice lanterns have the lavish look of blown glass, but they’re a snap to make.

I like the way they transform the outdoors into a winter wonderland—even in the absence of snow.

Depending on the sizes and shape of lanterns you’d like to create, choose from a variety of flexible plastic containers to freeze them in, such as:

  • Buckets
  • Mixing bowls
  • Yogurt containers
  • Pitchers

You’ll also need:

  • Smaller containers that fit inside the ones above, such as cups and empty plastic containers
  • Rocks or marbles to fill the smaller containers
  • Branches, berries, grasses, or herbs (optional)
  • Candles or electric tea lights

Here’s how you do it:

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  1. Terry Steinmetz says:

    Way neat! Will definitely make some of these!

  2. Winnie Nielsen says:

    Love these but alas, not possible here where temps are way above freezing at night. I bet they make a spectacular display in the right setting.

  3. Lunaticreations says:

    you could use the led tea lights instead and they wouldn’t melt as fast

  4. Pingback: Winter Solstice: 5 Simple Ways to Celebrate -

  5. Lisa Arthur says:

    Beautiful and sounds fun and easy! 🕯

  6. Would love to do this. But , alas, no time. With full time job and other responsibilities these extra fun things just don’t happen. How do those of you who do it find time to do it??? Yes, I know one finds time to do what they want. However……….. just doesn’t happen. :(. Maybe some day when my life is slows down. …………Am making the Eggnog French toast !! Now that looks too good to miss and perfect for Christmas breakfast !!

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The View from our “Offices” at the Farm

 

  1. It looks so beautiful and serene…

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Dear Friends Are Near

Christmas is here.

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  1. Winnie Nielsen says:

    What a fun time it looks like everyone enjoyed. Is there a way to share that corn recipe? It looks delicious!

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Extra-special Delivery

It’s big. It’s unstoppable. It’s sparkly. Are you ready?

For the rest of the holiday season, that is. Feasts to prepare, halls to deck, family to see, and—oh, yes—gifts to give. Often, that includes whipping up our “famous” cookies, candies, and cakes and sending them to familiar faces in far-flung places.

But if you’re like me, you cringe to think what those goodies must look like by the time they’ve reached their destination. Have the cookies dried out? Did the frosting smear? Is your rum loaf still … well … a loaf? If the idea of people receiving a messy box of crumbs with your name on it makes you crazy, read on for some peace of mind …

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  1. Judy Moore says:

    Great ideas! Thank you so much!

  2. jean says:

    am I the only person left on the planet that loves fruitcake?

    • MaryJane says:

      Hurrah, there are two of us!

    • Jane says:

      Actually it is still very traditional in the UK. Mine has been “maturing” for several weeks now. I did whip up another at the weekend to take into work and it has pretty much all gone. Do you cover Christmas cake with marzipan and then icing (sugarpaste or royal) in the US as well?

  3. Winnie Nielsen says:

    No there are three!!! I adore good fruitcake.

  4. Nancy says:

    My aunt baked us a good fruitcake every year and we savored every slice!

  5. Chrissy says:

    I love fruitcake, too:)

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Oh Christmas Tree, Oh …

The debate has been raging for decades of Decembers:

Real or artificial?

I’m talking trees, of course.

In one camp, you have the hearty, saw-slinging lumberjacks (and Jills) that relish the opportunity to strike out into the snowy woods …

(or tree farm)

to cut down a live fir for the holiday festivities …

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  1. Elizabeth says:

    What a wonderful idea! Growing-up we always had a live (plantable) Christmas tree with the trunk wrapped in a ball of dirt & burlap. After Christmas we would plant the Christmas tree in our yard & enjoyed watching them grow bigger & bigger, year after year.

    Would love to follow our family tradition & plant out Christmas trees once again but my present home has very little yard space. Although we did try moving the Christmas tree out onto the patio a few years ago but it quickly out grew its container & had no place to grow. And for the first few years living here, we would buy a plantable Christmas tree & then give the tree to relatives with lots of land after Christmas & hoped that they would plant them…?

    I am so glad you shared the above information with us MaryJane.I absolutely love trees & if I could squeeze one more in my yard, I would…one day I’ll have more land but until then, I thank you for sharing this good news:-)

  2. Winnie Nielsen says:

    This is a wonderful option and idea. I have never heard about any such service here in the Deep South. Since traditional evergreens used at Christmas do not grow here, many people do use potted local species and plant in the yard after the holidays. But for colder climates, this seems like the perfect solution to apartment and condo living in big cities.

  3. Terry Steinmetz says:

    How wonderful! Living on 40 acres we have plenty of trees, but our allergies got the better of us & we succumbed to an artificial. (We were so sick from the time the tree went up until about 2 months after–sinuses, coughs, sneezing.) We plant seedlings every year in our yard in the spring & watch them grow. I love that companies are doing this as well. How great that would be if we lived in a city.

  4. Diana Ketron says:

    Thats the best idea I have ever heard. well have to check this out in my area for next year.Love it. Love it!! Thanks

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Are you celebrating THIS day?

December 15 is National Cat Herders’ Day. To be honest, this is the first I’ve herd of this holiday. But, I’ll be celebrating.

The holiday is not to be taken literally, but rather, it is dedicated to doing the unmanageable. How impossible would it be to literally herd a bunch of cats? I can just picture it now, and the rodeo would be far more ridiculous than any of the adventures we’ve had moving cows from pasture to pasture out here at the farm. (Although we have had some pretty entertaining moments.) Guess we should be thankful we’re not running a cat dairy … for a variety of reasons.

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  1. Winnie Nielsen says:

    What I most love about my kitty is that he refuses to be herded! Instead, you get far more cooperation by calling him, giving a good scritch on the back and then either scooping him up or walking back to the house while he follows. But herding?? Game on for a chase around the yard and bushes!!

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