Author Archives: maryjane

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Cardboard Furniture

Did you ever have one of those cardboard kitchen sets as a kid?

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Photo courtesy of Edeenut Creates http://edeenutcreates.blogspot.com/2010/11/play-kitchen.html

Or, maybe your mother helped you make a simply splendid cardboard cottage …

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Photo courtesy of A Girl and a Glue Gun http://www.agirlandagluegun.com/2010/06/cardboard-playhouse.html

My siblings and I were famous for fashioning elaborate forts out of boxes and blankets (yeah, I might have slipped a doily or two into our DIY décor!).

No matter what you constructed with cardboard, it was fabulous, wasn’t it?

Sturdy, stylish, and real.

So, here’s a point to ponder:

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Hear Ye!

Welcome New Sisters! (click for current roster)

Merit Badge Awardees (click for latest awards)

This week is very special. I have TWO Merit Badge Awardees of the week. And to top it off, they’re sisters! How cool is that? Siblings working together on Sisterhood Merit Badges.

I am pleased to announce that Lily and Alice Holland (Young Cultivators of Suzanne Holland #828) have earned a certificate of achievement in Farm Kitchen for earning their Expert Level Icing on the Cake Merit Badge!

DSC_0418Lily: “With my sister and mom, I picked out a recipe to follow for the cake and icing. My sister and I agreed that we wanted to be sure and use lots of our own chicken eggs.

We drew up designs for our cakes and took a list of ingredients to the store. We purchased the ingredients that we needed and came home to begin baking.

My mom and sister and I used all of our fresh ingredients to make our yummy cakes. We mixed them together carefully in my mom’s big mixer. It is so much fun cooking in my mom’s kitchen.

The cakes turned out perfect. We will let them cool and then carefully cut the tops off for a nice fit. Now they are ready to decorate.

Mine was decorated different from my sister’s. I couldn’t wait to eat mine and I cut it straight away. I decorated it mostly with nuts and some dried fruit. I used the same yummy buttercream icing.

This is my favorite cake. I really like to cook. My mom lets us get in the kitchen and cook all the time. We just need to clean up after ourselves.”

Alice: “I worked with my mom and sister to decide on a cake recipe and what kind of fruits and nuts I wanted on my cake. We have chickens, so I knew I wanted to use a cake recipe that used lots of eggs. I found one that both my sister and I liked.

We made a list and went to the store to purchase the ingredients we did not have on hand.

Using our chickens’ eggs and only the freshest ingredients, my mom, sister, and I started making our cakes. It is a lot of fun baking in my mom’s kitchen. She has great equipment and plenty of room.

The cakes turned out perfect. Now we have to let them cool. Trim the tops, and then ice and decorate after letting them cool. We trimmed the tops so they would sit straight when stacked and then we began icing. We used a buttercream icing made with real butter. It was soooo good.

I decorated mine with my own design that I had drawn out. I used nuts and dried fruit. It was a really yummy cake and my family said they loved it.”

The Young Cultivator (kids 6-13) and Farmerette (teens 13-17) programs are free for kids to earn Merit Badges as long as they are mentored by a Farmgirl Sisterhood member. Go to our Merit Badge Website, or e-mail meritbadges@maryjanesfarm.org for more information.

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WINNER! Project F.A.R.M. Marvin’s Garden

Last week, you all entered to win the beautiful Twig Wreath with Bird from Marvin’s Garden, our new Project F.A.R.M (First-class American Rural Made) addition!

giveaway-marvins_wreaths-9678All of your gardens, BIG or small, sound awesome! Right now, my raspberry patch is in full swing, so I walked out with a basket to pick some berries, and brought your entries right along with me.

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With a little help from Ace, a quick grab into the basket o’ berries and, the winner is …

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ducklings

Do you remember this lovely little book?

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Courtesy of Wikimedia Commons; Judgesurreal777

Robert McCloskey published Make Way for Ducklings in 1941, inspired by the days he spent feeding ducks at Boston’s Public Garden as an art student in the early 1930s. Later, while illustrating the book, he brought six ducklings home to share his studio apartment in New York’s West Village.

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Photo by Alexey Gomankov via Wikimedia Commons

Can you imagine?

In the story of Mrs. Mallard and her brood, a kindly Boston police officer named Michael, who once enjoyed feeding peanuts to the Mallards, stops traffic for the web-footed family to cross a busy street.

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Image courtesy of Read Me a Story; http://readmeastorynow.blogspot.com/2011/11/make-way-for-ducklings.html

The city of Boston erected a bronze statue of Mrs. Mallard and her ducklings in the Public Garden where McCloskey’s tale began, and since 1978, the city has hosted an annual Duckling Day parade each spring, in which children and their parents dress as ducks and ducklings.

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Photo courtesy of Schon.com; www.schon.com/public/ducklings-boston.php

Lest you wonder if the sweet story of “policeman-helps-ducklings” could possibly happen in real life, watch this video and smile:

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Glamping Sites to Visit in 2013: Day 9 of 15

Now that you’ve read my book, Glamping with MaryJane, you need to find a fabulous place to get your campin’ glam on.

We’re back for a 9th day of where to glamp in 2013.

Texas is known for its out-of-this-world charm, hospitality, and old-world elegance. Sinya, on Lone Man Creek, near Wimberley, has managed to combine all three, then add a touch of African safari to its repertoire, without the fuss of cross-continental travel.

Sinya — on Lone Man Creek
Texas

Each modified safari tent is styled simply, but with immense attention to detail that feels serene and open.

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While every coordinated corner invites you to have-a-go and test out each remarkable view spot.

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At night, the stars come alive for miles and the warm days turn into still romantic nights that will enchant …

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