Our adorable Karina (graphic designer/photographer) has tied the knot this past Saturday. We plan on sharing more photos from her big day in an upcoming issue of MaryJanesFarm, but couldn’t wait to share just a photo or two. Let’s give Karina and Adam a big CONGRATS!!!!
It seemed only fitting to send them off under a halo of fireworks, not that their chemistry doesn’t already sparkle, snap, and soar.
Such happiness!!!! What would we do without weddings?????
UK Conservationist Damian Aspinall raises gorillas at his wild animal conservatory, under the Aspinall Foundation. Kwibi, a gorilla he hand-raised until age 5, was released into the wilds of West Africa five years ago as part of a conservation program.
Their reunion couldn’t be more surprising or sweeter!
Did you ever have one of those cardboard kitchen sets as a kid?
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 …
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:
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!
Lily: “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.
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!
All 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.
With a little help from Ace, a quick grab into the basket o’ berries and, the winner is …
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.
