Go ahead, ask my granddaughters …
I am positively mad for the madcap fun of Mad Libs.
(Did you see that I even took a stab at my own version, dubbed the “ag lib”?)
Yup.
So, imagine my delight when I learned that gals like me were goofing around with “libs” long before the template took on a trademark. Leave it to Susan Odom to discover such a treasure.
Who’s Susan, you ask?
She is the brilliant proprietress of Hillside Homestead, a historic Michigan farmstay that you’ll get to visit in the Oct/Nov issue of my magazine, on newsstands now (this is one you won’t want to miss … but aren’t they all?). When Susan isn’t entertaining guests with authentic turn-of-the-twentieth-century meals and activities around her pastoral property, she blogs a bit. And in one of her posts last summer, she wrote, “Well, here we sit on the longest day of the year as we prepare for our big Farmhouse Frolic tomorrow! We are all so excited—we will be waxing eggs; bubble bowling; making rhubarb sauce; playing games; watching pigs, ducks, and chickens; and so much more. One thing we could not quite fit into the schedule was a ‘mad lib’ found in a wonderful book called The American Girls Handy Book, which was published in 1887 (read more about that here). It’s called ‘Biographical Nonsense’ … Who know that there were historic mad libs? Great fun at a party!”
Thanks to Susan, we can all access this humorous helping of history here. Print it out and present it to the attendees of your next farmgirl gathering.
Giggles are guaranteed.
Photo courtesy of SimpleInsomnia via Flickr
Welcome New Sisters! (click for current roster)
Merit Badge Awardees (click for latest awards)
My featured Merit Badge Awardee of the Week is … Rebecca Riccio!!!
Rebecca Riccio (ladybek9756, #4932) has received a certificate of achievement in Stitching & Crafting for earning an Intermediate Level Crochet Merit Badge!
“I made a doll for a farmgirl’s newborn baby. I used just about every crochet stitch to make all the flowers that adorned the doll’s dress as well as the dress itself.
The doll came out really nice and the flowers around the entire border of the dress added just the right touch to make the gift special for this baby and her mother.”
The winner of my Glamping Rug giveaway is Becky Davies, who said:
“Love your rug and your blog. First time I’ve found it. I have a small ’61 Terry, red and white that I’m fixing up. Had my eye on it awhile and when the owners contacted me to buy, I jumped on it. Love it! That’s my dream … Finishing her new curtains soon. Then an awning is my next big purchase for her.”
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And the original post for the GIVEAWAY was (thank you to the 131 glamporific women who shared their passion for glamping with me!):
While we’re still in the throes of glamping season, I thought I’d share one of the throw rugs we sell in my store in Coeur d’Alene, Idaho (log onto Facebook to get to the store page). It’s wool. It’s well-made. It’s adorable. And I have one for all of my glampers (yup, that’s plural, as in several—two Shastas, one Airstream, one Yellowstone, one Tabitha, and one teardrop). Recently, we took most of them out of town for a family vacation to the same campground we stayed in last year. It made for a head-turning caravan going down the road, kind of like the scene in the rug.
And here’s my cat, Jasper Tomkins, right after he told me that if I took a photo with him on the rug, it would look more purrfect. You think I’m kidding, don’t you? I put the rug down on the floor to take a pic of it and he promptly walked over and posed just so for you. See, even cats get the glamper thing.
The 2′ x 3′ hooked wool rug was created by Carol Eldridge Designs. In order to make it yours, tell me in a comment below all about your trailer (or tent), along with its name. If you don’t own a trailer or tent, tell me what your fantasy glamper would look like. I’ll put your name in my glamper train case and pull out a winner to be announced here next month. Stay tuned!
Buy props used in MaryJane’s books and magazine!
5% of profits will benefit www.firstbook.org, a non-profit that provides new books to children from low-income families throughout the U.S. and Canada.
Here’s how:
MaryJane will post a photo and a description of a prop and its cost along with a few details as to its condition here: https://shop.maryjanesfarm.org/MaryJanesCurations. It’s a playful way to be the new owner of a little bit of farm herstory.
