Monthly Archives: February 2016

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My adorable Lacy Lou (due to calve in August) wants you to know there’s only 27 days until spring.

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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 … Erin McBride!!!

Erin McBride (Notathreatinsight, #3762) has received a certificate of achievement in Each Other for earning a Beginner Level Know Your Roots Merit Badge!

“I’ve been working on putting together a family tree, so I talked with my grandma a couple years ago about this. She helped me with some information about her grandparents and where they came from originally (Poland and Austria). I also have some pictures of her side of the family that are pretty old, and she helped me with some of the names of relatives in those pictures.

The family tree is an ongoing project that I’m only still in the planning stages of. Some of the pictures I have are hanging in my upstairs hallway. One is of my great-grandmother in her late teens or early 20s. Another is a wedding picture of my great-great-grandparents. The picture here is one that I have on a bookcase in my living room of my grandma, the one that I discussed family history with. I’m not sure where this picture was taken, but probably on a beach in Chicago, since she lived in Chicago all her life.”

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Our bantam rooster, Percy, is well-mannered and a pleasure to have around the farm. He was a gift from our farmhand, Julie. He was raised by her children and handled regularly—consequently, he’s an agreeable chap.

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WINNERS!!! Giveaways: “Hearts a-Flutter”

In the Feb/Mar issue of MaryJanesFarm, “Hearts a-Flutter,” I led you here to my daily journal for a chance to win some special giveaways, everything from books to ChillOver Powder to a year-long Sisterhood membership. Following, you’ll find the winners of all six giveaways. Thank you to all who participated by leaving comments, and stay tuned for more giveaways in each issue of MaryJanesFarm. If you’re not yet a subscriber to MaryJanesFarm, subscribe here for $19.95/year.

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The winner of my “Milk Cow Kitchen, Hearts a-Flutter” giveaway (for a free copy of my Milk Cow Kitchen book) is: Nikki Hurlbut, who left this comment in response to “Tell me the name of your milk cow (even if it’s still only a fantasy) …”

“My (fantasy) milk cow’s name is Myrtle. I am a young mother to 4, so hopefully one of these days, we’ll be able to have one of our own!!”

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The winner of my “Do Unto Animals, Hearts a-Flutter” giveaway (for a free copy of Tracey Stewart’s book, Do Unto Animals) is Denise, who left this comment in response to “Tell me about your favorite pet animal (real or imaginary) …”

“I just lost my favorite girl on the 9th of this month. Her name was Shelbyanne and she was a sweet little Boston terrier. I had her for 13 years. Would love to be entered for this. I’m an avid animal lover and would love to learn all I can.”

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The TWO winners of my “Annie Sloan, Hearts a-Flutter” giveaway (for free copies of Annie Sloan’s Chalk Paint Workbook) are:

Jona Newcomb, who left this comment in response to “Tell me what your favorite color of lipstick is and at what age you think you first painted your lips …”

“My favorite color lipstick is fuchsia! I love a pop of color. I was about 12 years old when I discovered lip gloss, but once I found lipstick I never looked back. I’d love to win this book. I’ve been contemplating redoing my kitchen cabinets and would love to learn more about this fabulous paint.”

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Carrie, who commented:

“My first lipstick experiment was when I was 9 – my Mom’s. She always wore beautiful pinks and coral shades that suited her coloring. Alas, barely-there neutrals in shades of rose and mauve suit me best, though most days I think Blistex and Carmex are what I tend to apply.”

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The winner of my “Farmgirl Sisterhood, Hearts a-Flutter” giveaway (for a free, one-year membership to the Farmgirl Sisterhood) is Rachele, who left this comment in response to “Tell me how MaryJanesFarm connects you to other women …”

“My aunt subscribed me to this magazine and I got my first issue this month. I think I might have read it 4-5 times now and I keep finding new interesting things. I’m a country girl in the city. When I read about the Farmgirl Sisterhood, I instantly got excited and so desperately want to be a part of this group! I would love to learn from other women and grow as a person. Someday, I would love to have my own garden (city garden) and I absolutely love animals and have dreamed of having chickens. I have 2 boys who I think would love and grow from this as well. I can’t wait for the next issue and I hope I win!!”

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The winner of my “Moo-n Over Main Street, Hearts a-Flutter” giveaway (for a free copy of my children’s book, Moo-n Over Main Street Metropolis) is Shannon Hudson, who left this comment in response to “Tell me what your favorite dairy product is …”

“Cheese!!! I absolutely love cheese … and all types of cheese! I think that is what I am looking forward to the most when I have my own dairy animals – learning to make cheese!”

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The winner of my “ChillOver Powder, Hearts a-Flutter” giveaway (for a free sample of my ChillOver Powder) is Jeri Hart, who left this comment in response to “Tell me about the most memorable gelatin dessert you’ve ever eaten (good or bad) …”

“Love your magazine!!!! Anyway, my favorite gelatin dessert was a wonderful layered desert that contained cherry or raspberry jello, sour cream, pineapple, gelatin and whipped cream. I was given the recipe in 1990 … I hadn’t made it in 10 years, and when my kids asked about it, I pulled it out of the old 3×5 box and it was too faded to read … Couldn’t read all ingredients or the measure amounts. Would love to try your new ChillOver Powder in your pineapple , pretzel & cream dream recipe in the Feb/March issue of MaryJanesFarm!”

Congratulations, winners!!!

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Freezing Pants

A good sense of humor can go a long way toward combating the doldrums of a dreary winter.

That’s why I want to share this funny story about some wise-cracking residents of the city of Minneapolis. Residents there are creating statuaries of frozen pants around the city.

It all started a few years ago when Minnesota suffered at the hands of what is called a Polar Vortex, which left the city with dangerously cold temperatures for weeks on end.

photo by Frank Kovalchek via Wikimedia Commons

To lighten the mood, local resident Tom Grotting decided to pull a prank. He soaked a pair of jeans in water and then hung them outside. As they were freezing, he shaped the pants to look like a person was wearing them and then placed them in public locations around his neighborhood.

Photo: Heidi Wigdahl, KARE

Now he’s doing it every winter, leaving pants busting through sidewalk snowdrifts and standing in front of coffee shops, and he’s gaining accomplices. Since then, others are taking up the prank in the name of winter fun and frozen pants are appearing all around the city. Tom says he does it mostly to bring a smile to the face of his neighbor, who doesn’t care much for winter. That’s definitely a RAOK in our book!