Monthly Archives: December 2016

Winners!!! Giveaways: All That Glitters

In the Dec/Jan issue of MaryJanesFarm, “All That Glitters,” I led you here to my daily journal for a chance to win some special giveaways. Following, you’ll find the winners of all five 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 “Junk Gypsy, All That Glitters” giveaway is Marjie Long, who left this comment in response to “Tell me how MaryJanesFarm has inspired you to upcycle a junk find.”

“Re-purpose, re-cycle, or up-cycle is the main theme here at our home on the Ranch. Not much gets thrown away—someone is always needing something to finish a job, so we go to the old bins, be they old granite bowls found in the pastures or an old post office cabinet. We just hung 2 old wood and screen doors in our remodeled chicken pen. I enjoy the magazine very much—look forward to it coming in the mail.”

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The winner of my “My Gratitude Journal, All That Glitters” giveaway is Zona Hague, who left this comment in response to “Tell me some one thing you’re grateful for this day, TODAY.”

“I am so very grateful for our very young grandchildren!! Their grandpa + I can protect them, pray, and care for them—we can love and cuddle them and reassure them we will keep them safe, when they are scared watching their divorced parents fight in front of them, resulting in repeat police visits. This journal would be a blessing for them, to write even the small things that are secure + beautiful in their small lives/world!!”

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The winner of my “LuLaRoe, All That Glitters” giveaway is Shelli L Miller, who left this comment in response to “Tell me what your favorite woman-run business is.”

“The Heritage Hut owned by Mary Kanesny in Wichita, KS, is a unique yarn and weaving shop. This business has served for many years as a gathering place for women and young girls who are interested in learning now-rare skills such as loom weaving and tatting, along with traditional knitting and crochet.”

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The winner of my “Organic on-the-go, All That Glitters” giveaway is Heather Neeper, who left this comment in response to “Tell me how you discovered us.”

“My mother-in-law would buy MJF magazine and I would read them when she was finished. Not wanting to miss one, I got a subscription. I still have every issue! They’re too good to give up … LOL!!!

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The winner of my “Kazoo, All That Glitters” giveaway is Suaan Sims, who left this comment in response to “Tell me how you or someone else has inspired girls to be strong, smart, fierce and, above all, true to themselves (Kazoo’s mission).”

“My mother is 92 years young, and from the time I was a little girl, I played under the quilting frame. She made many quilts over the years, and as my sister and I watched and learned, she inspired us to make quilts, as well as sew our clothes and those of our kids. She makes quilts today, and has warmed many, many relatives with those quilts. She is truly a pioneer and an inspiration for all her grandchildren and nieces.”

Thank you to the hundreds of women who responded with such thoughtful comments! If you’re one of our winners, keep an eye out for an email from the farm.

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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 … Sherrilyn Askew!!!

Sherrilyn Askew (#1350) has received a certificate of achievement in Farm Kitchen for earning an Expert Level Unprocessed Kitchen Merit Badge!

“I hosted an “unprocessed” party and helped my sisters discover ways to make some of their favorite processed foods organically, specifically candy canes. Candy is as much art as science, hard candy especially. The key is in the temperature. We did one batch with beet juice and one with cranberry juice, and the color difference, as well as the flavor difference, was significant.

We had a bit of a learning curve about kitchen thermometers (meat thermometer vs. candy thermometer), and the importance of having an accurate one. One batch of candy turned out fine, but the other batch burned. Candy canes with cranberry juice tastes delicious, though.

We talked about divinity and caramels, and the problems encountered making each one (granularity) and how to prevent them.

Candy making is an art, and homemade candy with organic ingredients is the bees’ knees.”

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turkey by the numbers

According to the U.S. Census Bureau and People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA), of the 243 million turkeys raised in the U.S. this year, about 45 million of them ended up on our Thanksgiving tables.

The American Farm Bureau Federation reports that Americans paid approximately $49.87 on average for a Thanksgiving Day meal for 10 people. In 2015, the average retail price for turkey was $1.45/pound (up from $.99/pound in 1995). But in a survey about pricing this year, while 29 percent of Americans said that less than $1.50 per pound was a fair price for turkey, nearly the same percent of respondents said they would pay $5 or more per pound. Sounds like more folks are going organic for the holidays!

organicprairie.com

Find organic turkeys at OrganicPrairie.com.

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Home Insulation Merit Badge, Expert Level

The adorable, always humorous MBA Jane is my way of honoring our Sisterhood Merit Badge program, now with 7,200 dues-paying members who have earned an amazing number of merit badges so far—10,226 total! Take it away, MBA Jane!!! ~MaryJane 

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

For this week’s Cleaning Up/Home Insulation Expert Level Merit Badge, I went over to my friend, Midge’s, for a little help in her DIY insulation project. Midge is a dear pal, a real bosom friend (to borrow from Anne with an E). She’s my Diana Barry, if you will. But lately, she’d been a little cranky and we thought it was due to her house being haunted. I mean, that will make a gal a bit crabby, can I get an amen?

We assumed her house was haunted due to the fact that she couldn’t keep her bedside candle lit, and doors kept slamming shut. I mean, what else could be the culprit other than the supernatural?

photo by Olybrius via Wikimedia Commons

Oh yeah. Drafty windows and poor insulation. Ahem. I knew that. I had after all, insulated my own drafty house only a couple years before. So, hey, if I can help a girlfriend out and earn an expert level badge all at once, I’m all in.

First, we narrowed down the usual suspects when it came to our haunting windows. It’s good to know, my peeps, that windows installed before the 1980s are rarely insulated properly. And if you get cold feet, like Yours Truly, nearly year ‘round, you might find it is wise to replace your windows, or at least insulate them. You know, instead of owning 11 pairs of fuzzy slippers. *casual whistling … nothing to see here, move along*

Anyway, once we discovered which windows were the worst of the worst (we’re talking a portal to Narnia in terms of sheer winter-ness), we got to work. We needed:

  • Caulk
  • Nail gun
  • Pry bar
  • Utility knife
  • Spray insulation (Made specifically for windows and doors. Don’t use a regular expanding foam; it may warp.)

First, feeling rather like the female versions of Ty Pennington and Bob Vila, we used our utility knives to score along the caulking around the window trim. I mean, you can go all Hulk on it, and just pry it off without scoring first, but Midge doesn’t recommend that (she can be a spoilsport that way).

Then, using your pry bar, begin prying up the window trim, a little tiny bit at a time. If you’re like me, you will have lost the pry bar and will need to use a butter knife. Don’t be like me.

There should be tiny nails in the corners that you will need to pry up as well. If there aren’t any, your contractor/builder was shoddy, to say the least. Carefully remove the nails, using your butter knife. I mean, your pry bar or hammer.

There should be about an inch or so of sheetrock visible once you remove the trim. Remove that, being careful in case there are any wires in there (no one needs a DIY home perm, right?).

This is where you will use your handy-dandy spray insulation. Once the foam is dry, you can use your butter knife (I mean, your utility knife) to trim any bubbles off, so it lies nice and flat against the wall.

Treat yourself to some new nails (removing the old ones carefully; this is good time to recall how up-to-date your last tetanus shot was) when you put the trim back up.

photo by Wolfgang Sauber via Wikimedia Commons

Voila! You’ll have an Expert Level Merit Badge, toasty warm feet, and banished ghosts! Not bad for an afternoon of work, don’t you agree?

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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 … Cyrie Wilson!!!

Cyrie Wilson (Pixiedustdevil, #6941) has received a certificate of achievement in Stitching & Crafting for earning a Beginner Level Scrapbooking Merit Badge!

“Instead of making a scrapbook (too expensive!) I made a shadowbox collage. My father and I went to Universal Studios Hollywood and the WB studio tour. We had planned this trip for a year.

I papered over the backing of the frame with acid-free paper, and used acid-free glue and ink. I printed a few photos to wallet size, wrote a few funny stories on labels, and gathered trinkets from the trip.

After assembling the collage, I papered the back and stapled the backing to the frame with a staple gun.

It was difficult to fit so much into such a small collage. There wasn’t even a backboard on the frame, so I had to measure and cut one. Aside from that, it turned out well.”

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