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 … Mary Jo Boyd!!!

Mary Jo Boyd (Quiltsister413, #5559) has received a certificate of achievement in Each Other for earning a Beginner Level Civic Heritage Merit Badge!

“I decided to visit the Henry Ford Museum in Detroit, Michigan. I am originally from Port Huron and now live in Ohio so this is right in between. When I was in grade school we used to take field trips to Greenfield Village and the Henry Ford Museum so this was a sentimental place to me as well.

We decided to go on Friday, November 22 because in honor of the anniversary of the Kennedy Assassination they offered free admission. The actual limousine he was riding in was on display. I went with my husband and my father-in-law who is a World War II veteran.

I enjoyed seeing the history of the auto industry, but there was so much more. My favorite was finding the perfect “glamping” camper! I also found some really cool vintage sewing machines and since I am a quilter, these were a treat.

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I was very excited to try to find the rock candy that I remembered from when I was a girl. It was homemade rock candy on a string. When we got to the gift shop the girl pointed to a display of pre-packaged rock candy suckers. I guess a lot has changed in 35 years.

My all time highlight of the day was seeing all the people stop to shake my father-in-laws hand and thank him for his service. He had worn his hat with his military pins and as I pushed him in his wheel chair strangers would stop us all through the day.

For the next level I want to find some local sewers/quilters and get to know them and how they have evolved over the years in their craft.”

  1. Winnie Nielsen says:

    The Henry Ford Museum has been on my list of places to visit as well. Now, from Mary Jo’s report, I am even more determined to make it happen….. in the Summer for this Florida girl! Thank-you Mary Jo for sharing with us your adventures!

  2. Mary Jo Boyd says:

    Wow…thank you Mary Jane! What an honor to be featured. I had such a great time…I wondered if they would notice if I drove this little VW camper out…but figured I would probably gain their attention. Next to this was an Airstream which was very cool as well. Winnie, you will enjoy the museum very much. Also make sure to visit the village. So much history here!

    ~Stay blessed,
    Mary Jo Farmsister #5559

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Pay It Forward Merit Badge, Expert Level

The adorable, always humorous MBA Jane is my way of honoring our Sisterhood Merit Badge program, now with 5,602 dues-paying members who have earned an amazing number of merit badges so far—7,898 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 Farm Kitchen/Pay it Forward Expert Level Merit Badge, I was pretty thrilled. I mean, level three? Expert? Moi? Luckily I’m like the most humble girl I know, so I didn’t let it go to my head, and got to work.

I went to my local food bank and soup kitchen (you remember the one? I brought them all my bounty from earning the Intermediate Level badge). I grabbed the nearest apron and told the cook I was ready for some good ol’ volunteering. Time to give back after yesterday’s splurge.

“Put me to work. I’ll do anything. Plate food, scrape dishes, play the piano … you name it, I’m your girl.” I beamed.

Then he nearly broke my heart by telling me I kind of had to sign up in advance for this volunteering stuff, and maybe in a few days or so they’d give me a call when they had an opening.

Whaa?

My hopes were dashed. I was all set to do good deeds and now this snag in my plans?

Sniffle.

Whimper.

Wail.

It was the wail that seemed to do the trick. Cook waved his magic spatula and suddenly there was space for me in the kitchen. I wiped my eyes on my borrowed apron (Note: make cuter aprons for the volunteers. Can you say polyester in the shade of pea soup?) and rolled up my sleeves.

I wasn’t the only volunteer, but I was the only first-timer, so I tried to blend in and look efficient. This was easier said than done because this place could really hustle and bustle. I mean, we’re talking moving and shaking everything and everyone working together like a well-oiled machine. I needed to find my place. But how?

Turns out I had a hidden gift in the plating department. You know what they say in all those cooking shows: presentation, presentation, presentation. I lovingly arranged dozens of cake plates and artfully plated the food. I had a special knack for making the colors pop, if I do say so myself. For instance: A shake of sesame seeds on the chicken and a dollop of butter just off center of the rolls REALLY made the whole ensemble come together.

Can food be an ensemble? I think, yes.

Anyway, Cook had to stop me before I started carving roses out of the radishes so I moved onto clearing the tables. This was where the real fun started: I got to visit. You all know how much I love visiting people, right? Visiting means talking, and I love myself a good long talk. I got to meet the most interesting people, farmgirls! And they all totally loved my napkin folding, said it really brought some thing different to the tables. I beamed again (it was a beaming kind of day).

Cook stopped me before I started munching on the cake and telling my life story to my new friends, and moved me onto dish washing. I could tell they really needed my expertise in nearly all areas, so I was pleased. And humble, of course.

I ended my day of volunteering with lots of suds in my hair and dish-pan hands, several new friends, and the desire to come back. Cook’s eyes smiled, which I totally took to mean he was thrilled.

I beamed.

 

 

  1. Winnie Nielsen says:

    The older I become, the more fervent I believe in paying it forward somehow. There are countless ways to accomplish this but truly we all can lean outward and pull somebody along. Someone who needs a hand, someone who believes in them, someone who can help traverse the muddy waters a bit easier. We all do this for our children without thinking another minute, but what about children and young adults who never have had someone in their corner? This is the challenge I find most difficult. It takes getting out of our comfort zone and risking because there are never any guarantees that what you do makes any difference. But like all giving of the self, once you engage, it gets more interesting and rewarding when you see that what you do in small ways, can make a difference in big ways.

  2. Karlyne says:

    You rock, MBA Jane!

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Icing on the Cake Merit Badge, Expert Level

The adorable, always humorous MBA Jane is my way of honoring our Sisterhood Merit Badge program, now with 5,602 dues-paying members who have earned an amazing number of merit badges so far—7,898 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 Farm Kitchen/Icing on the Cake Expert Level Merit Badge, I was inspired by my local gingerbread house auction and contest.

Okay. So it was a little bit of a stretch … from cake to gingerbread house … but I knew my fellow farmgirls were behind me. Yeah, I wasn’t making a butter cake from scratch, but all the decorating I was going to do was going to make up for it.

And how.

The great thing about gingerbread houses is how long they stay fresh, and how early you can start the decorating process. Example: I started my house two weeks before the contest and auction. I mean, it’s not like anyone is going to eat it anyway, right? It’s for gazing at in awe and admiration, not for snacking. We aren’t Hansel and Gretel, people.

Of course, should anyone want to snack upon my house, they’d be met with delicious flavors, I assure you. Licorice whips, candy buttons, peppermints, gummy bears, powdered sugar, mini marshmallows, gumdrops, sugar cubes, lollipops, red hots, jelly beans … well, this list is somewhat endless. Being a farmgirl, I really tried to limit my junk food and went with plenty of locally made candy, dye-free alternatives, and healthy options, like pretzels and shredded wheat.

I realized about three days in that gingerbread-house decorating is a lot like having a 1,000-piece jigsaw puzzle. They become rather addicting. As in, I’ll just finish this one stained glass window and then I’ll use the bathroom, or One more tree and then I’ll eat breakfast. If you don’t have boundaries, girls, you’re gonna end up with a slight bladder infection and expired, uneaten breakfast foods. Helpful hint from me to you: Know when to walk away from the golden glow of the frosting-tinted roofs and caramel-studded window panes.

I was going to bed with not only visions of sugar plums dancing in my head, but also visions of jellied fruit slices, Skittles, shredded coconut, and cotton candy. Willie Wonka had taken over my dreams. I was getting toothaches and I hadn’t even been pinching the inventory!

I needed a break. Mr. Wonderful obligingly took away my gingerbread house for the night so I wouldn’t be tempted to ice some more, or frost something. I printed out a list of emergency numbers for him in case something happened to my sweet baby, and I tried to go to bed early. I got up the next morning and treated myself to a nice breakfast and didn’t even call to check in (though I wanted to).

Seeing my beautiful house after a little bit of an absence was just what I had needed. With renewed vigor, I placed the very last silver non-pareil atop the gingerbread roof, and together, Mr. Wonderful and I loaded it up into the car.

He drove like a geriatric snail by my request, and we made it to the auction and contest just in time.

Did I win? Did anyone buy my sweet baby?

Well, Second Runner Up isn’t too bad, and let’s just say Mr. Wonderful came with spending money.

Munch munch.

  1. Winnie Nielsen says:

    Gingerbread houses are always the perfect Christmas confection. They can be done in all sizes and shapes and as elaborate as you wish. I remember, when I was homeroom mother for my daughter’s kindergarten, we did graham cracker base gingerbread houses with the children so that each child had a mini gingerbread house. As you might imagine, the room was a flurry of icing and candies, and questions, and excitement. The little houses turned out so cute and the students were very proud. I wonder if any of them made it home on the bus that afternoon! They were all pretty tempting with all that icing and candy stuck on them!

  2. One of my most bittersweet Christmas memories was the first year I was away from home. My mother made me a homemade gingerbread house and mailed it . Well, you guessed it , it arrived a pile of crumbs and I was weeping. But I never told my mother, but found it hard to describe it when she asked how it looked.

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photo-of-the-day

farm_romance-2224

  1. Sharon D. says:

    I love this photo! Just beautiful 🙂

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Organic on a Budget Merit Badge, Intermediate Level

 

 

The adorable, always humorous MBA Jane is my way of honoring our Sisterhood Merit Badge program, now with 5,602 dues-paying members who have earned an amazing number of merit badges so far—7,898 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 Farm Kitchen/Organic on a Budget Intermediate Level Merit Badge, I gave myself a little pat on the back.

Why, you may ask?

I’m so glad you did.

Because I am officially chemical free when it comes to my fruits and veggies, that’s why. And do you know what? It feels good.

Like I knew that it would now.

So good … so good … I got –

Well, that’s where my fondness for segueing from vegetables into song lyrics goes awry. No matter, the point is: I have been successful at eliminating those pesky non-food ingredients from my “rabbit food,” as Mr. Wonderful likes to call plants. (He’s still working on Level One, let’s say).

At first, I admit to being skeptical. I mean, I’ve never been a veggie girl, let’s face facts here. My poor mom had to drown them in Ranch just to get me to swallow them without making a face (vegetables, that is, not facts. Though facts are better with condiments, too). Basically, as a kiddo, I liked my veg in this order:

French Fries

Potato chips

Dill pickles.

I know, I know. It’s a wee list.

But it’s gotten longer these days, and it’s amazing how broadening my horizons, culinary-ish speaking, has lightened my moods (and waistband). I discovered all sorts of foods I never knew I liked, and realized how much yummier it all tastes when there isn’t an aftertaste of pesticides and fungicides. Scary ‘cides aside …

I don’t even need Ranch anymore, which my mother would say is a small miracle. A little sauté in butter and my peas are delish. A squeeze of lemon on a spinach salad and I’m in heaven. A quick stir-fry of bell peppers and onions enliven my sandwiches, and a splash of apple cider vinegar wakes up my sleepy Swiss Chard. And when it comes to my organic fruit? Mm. I never thought a fruit salad could take the place of dessert for this sugar-aholic, but guess again.

Another perk to earning this badge is all the friends and farmers I’ve met that I otherwise would never have found. It’s much more fun, healthy, cheap, and delicious to buy my organic produce from my local neighbors than it is from the big supermarket. Also, there are more samples from the farmers, which is a definite plus when you’re a try before you buy kind of gal.

All in all, I’d say this badge was a pleasure to earn. I’d tell you more but I’m too busy stuffing my tummy with organic jicama.

Only lightly dipped in Ranch.

(But it’s organic, Mom).

  1. Winnie Nielsen says:

    I enjoyed doing the Unprocessed kitchen badge so maybe this is the next one to work on as it is a more in depth continuation? Right now I am looking at 2014 with pen in hand to start my New Year’s list!

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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 … CJ Armstrong!!!

CJ Armstrong (ceejay48, #665) has received a certificate of achievement in Stitching & Crafting for earning a Beginner Level Quilling Merit Badge!

“Papercrafting is not new to me; however, I had not actually pursued quilling. Quilling, also known as paper filigree, has been around for centuries. It was used in the Renaissance to decorate scrolls and books. In the 18th century, it became a “ladies” art.

Basic tools currently include a slotted tool, tweezers, glue, and a tapered needle.

I studied the different rolls and scrolls, which include tight circle, loose circle, teardrop, marquise, shaped marquise, square, rolled heart, loose scroll, open heart, V scroll, C scroll, S scroll and variations on the scrolls. It certainly is nice that you can purchase quilling paper already cut into neat, tidy, and even strips!

I decided to make a card with a simple flower design on it. Since I’ve made lots of papercraft cards, it was pretty easy to get into the process. I used teardrops for the flower petals, a loose circle for the center, and shaped marquise leaves. I’m very happy with the result and look forward to the next project!!”

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  1. Faith perrino-DuBois says:

    Nice – that’s gorgeous!!

  2. Winnie Nielsen says:

    Congratulations CJ! Your card turned out lovely and that craft looks quite difficult to do!

  3. Sharon D. says:

    Great job CJ!!! Beautiful card 🙂

  4. Terry Steinmetz says:

    Love the card! Now I want to get back to quilling.

  5. CJ Armstrong says:

    Thanks girls! Appreciate your kind comments. I’m hoping to do a snowflake for the intermediate level. They are beautiful and more complicated. And, even more complicated ones for expert. Need to do those while it’s still winter!
    Thanks, Mary Jane, for sharing this!
    CJ

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photo-of-the-day

farm_romance-5427

  1. Winnie Nielsen says:

    Those ice skates are just the best ever! Who wouldn’t love to be on the pond whizzing around in style?

  2. Just love these decorated skates! I have an old pair as part of my outside decor on my porch with a bucket of greens and fresh cut holly. But oh to have those old beat up black skates look this beautiful, that would be even better.

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Grandma Moses

Are you a fan of American folk art?

If so, you may know the artist whose passing we lament on December 13.

Need a hint? Take a look:

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Image courtesy of Wikipaintings

The sweetly simplistic style of Anna Mary Robertson Moses, better known to all as Grandma Moses, is nearly unmistakable. And her subject matter is as dear to this farmgirl’s heart as that of Laura Ingalls Wilder.

A picture speaks a thousand words, as the saying goes, and Grandma Moses proved it to be true. With the clarity of her almost childlike imagery, she preserved the rural arts of maple sugaring, soap-making, haying, quilting, and Apple Butter Making (below),  to name a few.

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Image courtesy of Wikipaintings

She once said, “I’ll get an inspiration and start painting; then I’ll forget everything, everything except how things used to be and how to paint it so people will know how we used to live.”

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Sugaring Off by Grandma Moses courtesy of Wikipaintings

“In person, Grandma Moses charmed wherever she went,” read her obituary in the New York Times. “A tiny, lively woman with mischievous gray eyes and a quick wit, she could be sharp-tongued with a sycophant and stern with an errant grandchild. Cheerful, as a cricket, even in her last years, she continued to be keenly observant of all that went on around her. Until her last birthday, September 7, she rarely failed to do a little painting every day.”

Talk about an inspiration!

Perhaps what fascinates me most about the iconic Grandma Moses, though, is the fact that she didn’t begin painting until she was 76 years old!

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Photo of Grandma Moses, taken in 1953, courtesy of Wikimedia

She took up a paint brush, she said, because she could no longer wield her embroidery needle as a result of arthritis. “She had been too busy all her life to bear the thought of being idle,” reported the Times.

Grandma Moses died on this day in 1961 at the ripe ol’ age of 101.

To learn more about her and enjoy a bountiful sampling of her paintings, I recommend the out-of-print book Grandma Moses by Otto Kallir, the renowned art dealer who helped popularize Moses’ work. It even includes a summary of her life, handwritten in her own words.

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  1. Winnie Nielsen says:

    I am a huge fan of American Folk Art and have loved Gramdma Moses’s works for many years. The simplicity of her creations just speak to my heart and each painting is full of beautiful details of American life. Thank-you for this book title as I will definitely look it up!

  2. Sharon D. says:

    I love her paintings, especially the Sugaring Off. She is such an icon for ‘You are never too old to try something new”. My mother never graduated high school, she made it to 5th grade and then quit to help my grandfather. At 67 she received her GED and in her late 70’s took some college courses. I love the photo of Grandma Moses, she is such a cute, sweet little thing and I would have loved to have given her a hug 🙂

  3. American folk artists are my favorite. I don’t own anything by Gramma Moses, just deeply admired her work. I buy calendars by Charles Wysocki and other folk artists. That way, I enjoy something different every month. One of my joys in life.

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photo-of-the-day

farm_romance-0558

  1. Winnie Nielsen says:

    Beautiful! When winter trees are clothed in ice, it looks so magical even though the trees don’t like it much!

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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 … Barb Keefe!!!

Barb Keefe (#5355) has received a certificate of achievement in Make it Easy for earning a Beginner & Intermediate Level Let’s Get Physical Merit Badge!

“My goal for this badge was to get in some exercise 4 days a week, starting gradually and progressing. Daily exercise would not be realistic. I purchased a calendar book to document what I did.

My routine started out with a total body range-of-motion exercise program since I had not been active for a long time. I did each body part for 7 repetitions.

For strengthening, I did the following exercises targeting uppers one day and legs a different day. For the most part, I did 2 sets of 12 repetitions and if I felt real good, I did 3 sets.

Upper exercises:

-Bicep curls, starting with 3 pounds and progressing to 8.

-Triceps, starting with 3 pounds and progressing to 8.

-Press, starting with 3 pounds and progressing to 8.

-Bent over row with scapula retraction, starting with 3 pounds progressing to 8.

Lower exercises:

-Straight leg raises, starting without weight and progressing to 7 pounds.

-Hip abduction, starting without weight and progressing to 5 pounds.

-Hip abduction, starting without weight and progressing to 5 pounds.

-Hamstrings, starting with 5 pounds and progressing to 7.

-Bridges, starting without weight and low reps, progressing to 10 pounds 3 sets of 25.

-Abdominals, variety of curl ups, “100’s”, bicycle, planks

After 2 months of this, I needed a change and started yoga at home. I bought a couple of books and watched some programs on TV. It is much harder than it looks! It was very motivating to get me to do something, and I am still at it.

I continued with my exercises as described in the beginner level and started really paying closer attention to what we are eating. I did some Googling around on GMOs, all natural make-up, organic fruits. I subscribed to VeriaLiving channel on DISH for $5 a month. This has really increased my knowledge about many areas of health that are more holistic. I have started a home yoga routine. My groceries are changing to more organic, such as apples, spices, bulk tea, and herbs. I bought a ¼ beef from a local farmer that does not use hormones or antibiotics and I buy my eggs from a friend or get the organic-fed, cage-free variety even though they are more costly. I have yet to find any local chicken, however. In the long run, it evens out because I am not purchasing a lot of junk food.

While shopping at a second-hand store, I was able to “upcycle” a food dehydrator and am trying that now. Normally, I do not cook with beans very much and have tried a couple bean dishes and am planning on starting meatless Mondays. Moving forward, I want to drink more water and have started to drink a glass when I get up, at lunch, and when I get home from work. From now on when something needs refilling or replacing, I am going to do it with the most healthy natural choice.

This has changed a lot more than I thought once I was writing it all down to report. One thing at a time will make it easy and it does add up. It has increased my awareness and will make me healthier.”

Way to go Barb, keep up the good work!

  1. Winnie Nielsen says:

    Wow, Barb! You are an inspiration to all of us! Congratulations on all of your accomplishments!

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