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Welcome New Sisters! (click for current roster)

Merit Badge Awardees (click for latest awards)

My featured Merit Badge Awardee of the Week is … Kristina Smith!

Kristina Smith (kristina72, #5176) has received a certificate of achievement in Stitching & Crafting for earning a Beginner Level Cross-stitch Merit Badge!

“This turned out great. I tried to cross-stitch as a child but didn’t have the patience to complete anything. I was looking through the Merit Badge lists and thought that this would be a good way to try again as well as have a gift item for the “Summer Surprise Swap” that I signed up for on the Farmgirl Connection site.”

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  1. Winnie Nielsen says:

    Great job Kristina! Some Farmgirl is going to enjoy this beauty in the summer swap! I wonder if I will be the lucky one?? I too signed up for the same swap. Whoop!

  2. Kristina Smith says:

    Thank you so much! I am honored to be chosen as the awardee of the week. I just happened along the announcement today. My username is actually kristina72 (guess I typed it incorrectly on my badge application). It was a lot of fun to do the bookmark and I hope my swap partner enjoys it.

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Trailer Show in Lindsborg, Kansas

… and our first glamp-mobile is ready for viewing! Let’s begin with THE pink chair for sitting …

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with a whole lot of adorable kiddos! (Sweetest, most polite kids we’ve met in a long time.)

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A bloomin’ pair of bloomers for wind checks.

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And glamporific book signings. Since my mother was celebrating her 60th b-day, she treated herself to a surprise, well, actually, she WAS the surprise … guest. No one but chapter leader, April Choate, knew she was going to show up. Who doesn’t like a birthday surprise?!

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  1. Laurie Dimino says:

    Wow, looks like you had a great time and met some wonderful Farmgirl Sisters along the way. Loved all the awesome pictures of everyone and their glampin’ trailers!
    Thanks for sharing! And Happy Birthday again Mary Jane!
    Hugs,
    Laurie

  2. Winnie Nielsen says:

    What a magnificent birthday celebration , Mary Jane!! So much fun filled with friends, frills, furs, and farmgirl love. I love the outfits and accessories in all of the fabulous trailers. The trip was Epic! Thanks for sharing so many wonderful photos so that we could all get a peek at the weekend’s festivities. Turning 60 DESERVES a special entrance to the decade and this celebration should be the new gold standard for every farmgirl, don’t you think??

  3. Debbie says:

    Does it get any better than this? I think not!
    hugs,
    Deb

  4. Karlyne says:

    I am just vicariously proud of you all! And I loved the smile progression photos!

  5. Thank you for sharing the fun time with us today. I enjoyed seeing the pictures and pretending I could be there 🙂

  6. Pingback: Dancers of Lindsborg, Kansas | Raising Jane Journal

  7. Pingback: one of a kind! | Raising Jane Journal

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Ink Slinger Merit Badge, Part I

The adorable, always humorous MBA Jane is my way of honoring our Sisterhood Merit Badge program, now with 5,091 dues-paying members who have earned an amazing number of merit badges so far—6,887 total! Take it away, MBA Jane!!! MJ

Wondering who I am? I’m Merit Badge Awardee Jane (MBA Jane for short). In my former life

For this week’s Stitching and Crafting/Ink Slinger Merit Badge, I finished the last page of Strunk and White’s The Elements of Style, with a satisfied sound and prepared to … wait for it …

Write the Great American Novel.

Well, eventually.

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Hear Ye!

Welcome New Sisters! (click for current roster)

Merit Badge Awardees (click for latest awards)

My featured Merit Badge Awardee of the Week is … Becky Brillon!

Becky Brillon (bbrillon, #3374) has received a certificate of achievement in Stitching & Crafting for earning a Beginner Level Nellie Will-do Merit Badge!

“A co-worker/friend of mine’s husband died suddenly on December 4th, 2012 from a brain aneurysm. As she made the decision to pack up her home and move, she asked me in passing one day what to do with all of his clothes. One of the suggestions I gave her was to make his wool sweaters into mittens for her kids. She thanked me for the idea, and handed over the most beautiful wool sweaters I have ever seen. I cut out the mitten patterns and sewed them together. The lining of the mittens are made from recycled fleece blankets I buy cheap at rummage sales over the summer. I was able to make 5 pairs, for a total of 26 hours.

Of course, she cried when I brought the mittens back to her. She gave a pair to each of her kids, her son’s fiance, her mother, and a dear friend who met her at the hospital just after her husband died during an attempted CT Scan.”

Brillon - Nellie Make Do

  1. Winnie Nielsen says:

    Great idea and a wonderful tribute ! I have seen many creative ways to use old sweaters and they are all wonderful ways to recycle beautiful patterns .

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Cleaning Up/Recycling Merit Badge

The adorable, always humorous MBA Jane is my way of honoring our Sisterhood Merit Badge program, now with 5,091 dues-paying members who have earned an amazing number of merit badges so far—6,887 total! Take it away, MBA Jane!!! MJ

Wondering who I am? I’m Merit Badge Awardee Jane (MBA Jane for short). In my former life

For this week’s Cleaning Up/Recycling Merit Badge, I got back to basics. You see, I’ve been a half-hearted recycler, a part-time recycler, and a salvager, but I’ve never really focused, learned, and applied recycling practices in my home.

I know, I know. I hang my head in shame. I’m even wringing my hands, for crying out loud, so you know I’m contrite.

Being a very visionary-type person, one thing that held me back was not having appropriate containers in my house near the trash in order to properly commit to this recycling business. I mean, yes, I have my big ol’ county-owned recycling can outside, and that’s used occasionally for the big things … the flattened boxes from my over-abundant eBay purchases, large milk jugs, and my organic root beer bottles, to name a few. But when it comes to every last scrap of paper, or each and every tissue, or discarded envelope, or soup can, well, I must admit to tossing them willy-nilly in the regular trash under my kitchen sink.

But no more. I am repenting, girls.

First things first: I educated myself on what exactly could be recycled in my area and found out a few things I’d been doing wrong when I did get a wild hair (hare?) and tossed the wrong things in my recycling bin. Turns out I was tossing things like caps to my laundry detergent and ketchup bottles, broken glass, and mirrors (I was distracted at the time by fretting about my seven years’ bad luck), lightbulbs, and those heavier-type plastic containers (you know, like the ones lettuce sometimes come packaged in, or other produce). I feel very knowledgeable now, and also feel like I may owe my recycling man an apology. I’m surprised he hasn’t been leaving me warning notes. I decided to leave a full root beer bottle as penance for my sins.

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  1. Winnie Nielsen says:

    We are fortunate to live in a community that has been providing road side recycling pick up for many years. It makes such a difference to our planet and making it easy for people is just a good investment of tax dollars!

  2. Karlyne says:

    I live in a community that has NO recycling. I know, it’s hard to believe that I live in the U.S., but it’s true. I compost as much as I can, use very few cans and as little plastic as is practically possible, and use envelopes and paper junk to start our fire pit fires! I wish I were as up-to-the-mark as MBA Jane, but there’s always hope!

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I Should Have Been in the Movies Merit Badge

The adorable, always humorous MBA Jane is my way of honoring our Sisterhood Merit Badge program, now with 4,945 dues-paying members who have earned an amazing number of merit badges so far—6,765 total! Take it away, MBA Jane!!! MJ

Wondering who I am? I’m Merit Badge Awardee Jane (MBA Jane for short). In my former life

For this week’s Each Other/I Should Have Been in the Movies! Merit Badge, I had to conquer a lifelong fear. A phobia. Not spiders, those misunderstood little gentlemen of the buggy world. Not heights, which give me a delicious, butterflies-in-the-ol’-tummy kind of thrill. Not deep water, which only makes me practice my mermaid kicks and hair tossing. Not even the dark, which just makes me crave warm milk and a nap. No, no, my fear is of … public speaking.

I know. You’re shocked, right? I kinda am, too. I mean, I’m an exuberant personality! A talkative gal! If I were to write my autobiography, it’d be chock full of exclamation points!!!!!!!!

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But there’s something about putting me on stage, or *gulp* focusing a camera on Yours Truly, and I freeze.

Just ask my third grade teacher, Miss Trunchbull, who demoted me from Pretty Princess to Rock #4 faster than you could say, Speak up, Miss Jane, I can’t hear a word you’re saying over all that melodramatic knee knocking.

Memories. Some light the corners of your mind and some just need to be buried under a mountain of chocolate pudding.

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  1. Elizabeth says:

    Love your outfit MBA Jane! Do you &/or your staff members makes those MBA Jane outfits too?

  2. Winnie Nielsen says:

    Cute , cute, cute! And very fun badge achievement.

  3. Karlyne says:

    Memories… “buried under a mountain of chocolate pudding”. Love it!

  4. Shari Doty says:

    And where, pray tell, can we find said Chocolate Pudding recipe?

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Hear Ye!

Welcome New Sisters! (click for current roster)

Merit Badge Awardees (click for latest awards)

My featured Merit Badge Awardee of the Week is … Deborah Meyer!

Deborah Meyer (dmeyer, #4099) has received a certificate of achievement in Each Other for earning an Expert Level Civic Heritage Merit Badge!

“I researched our courthouse in Carthage, Missouri. It is one of the oldest buildings in our area. Jasper County’s first courthouse, a one-story building on the north side of the square in Carthage, was built by Levi H. Jenkins for $398.50. He completed the building June 29, 1842.

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  1. Winnie Nielsen says:

    Wonderful post! I have never been to Missouri but I love knowing something about it now. What an amazing building built on $398 too! Historical research where one lives always turns up so many amazing stories and interesting tidbits. We do have an amazing country from coast to coast!

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Hear Ye!

Welcome New Sisters! (click for current roster)

Merit Badge Awardees (click for latest awards)

My featured Merit Badge Awardee of the Week is … Nicole Christensen!

Nicole Christensen (texdane, #1155) has received a certificate of achievement in Stitching & Crafting for earning an Expert Level Knitting Merit Badge!

“Calling me a ‘knitting addict’ doesn’t quite cut it. It’s become an extension of who I am. My friend called me a ‘Master Knitter’ the other day when she introduced me to someone new. I was so complimented. Since I last applied for the Intermediate Badge in knitting, I have knitted up a storm! In addition to knitting projects along with my students in my knitting classes that I teach, I knitted a ruffled shawl, several drop-stitch lacy scarves, and made a size 4T jumper for my niece Kristina in Denmark. Her mom begged me to make it, having fallen in love with some beautiful cotton/wool blend hand-dyed sock yarn. We laugh that she is the only Danish person who can’t knit! It was very fine yarn, on small needles in the round, with an intricate pattern on the chest. That dress took a year and at least 50+ hours) to complete, but thankfully, she still needs to grow into it a bit!


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I’ve taught several classes each semester, passing on everything I can about the art of knitting. This past Saturday, I was asked if I would have a booth at our town’s Earth Day celebration. Continue reading

  1. Laurie Dimino says:

    Congratulation Nicole!
    I happen to be the proud owner of one of Nicole’s beautiful scarves. Keep up the good work. Perhaps someday you can teach me how to knit!
    Hugs,

  2. Winnie Nielsen says:

    Congratulations Nicole! The dress for your niece is just beautiful!! Having made a pair of socks once with that tiny sock yarn, I completely understand how sloooow the project goes! I love how you taught others to knit at the Earth Day celebration! Knitting has become my latest obsession as well. There is something so rewarding about watching the pretty yarn make into something fun to wear.

  3. Nancy Boyd says:

    Way to go Nichole!! The outfitt for your niece is absolutely gorgeous. I have been knitting off and on since I was little. Glad to hear others love to knit as well.

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