I’m calling you out!!!! On a roll … call, here’s where you can read about the amazing accomplishments of Sisters who earn Merit Badges. “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 … Denise Meister!!!
Denise Meister (Denisemgm, #1976) has received a certificate of achievement in Stitching & Crafting for earning a Beginner Level UFOs Merit Badge!
“Oh dear, I have a lot of UFOs (but not as many as I had a few years ago!). I’ve been diligently working at decreasing my UFOs, particularly with fabric and yarn.
I put several different projects in designated bags with the right supplies and patterns. I made a list that I can check off when I finish a project, and I try to spend some time every day working on a project (whether it’s bringing my knitting with me when I’m waiting for my kids or whether I dedicate an afternoon to getting something done).
Lists are always good, but here are my two major lessons:
1) Don’t buy supplies “just because”—only buy supplies needed to finish what you’ve already started. (Admittedly, this is sometimes hard advice to follow, but it also helps me not to get distracted in my favorite stores—especially when I tell my daughter not to let me get more stuff!)
2. If you’re not still in love with the project, it’s okay to pass on the supplies on to another person or to a thrift store. I find that when I finish UFOs that I’m not passionate about, it becomes a little bit of a waste of time because I won’t really use/cherish what I just spent all that time making. So I pass it on and focus on UFOs that I still really love!”
Nielsen,Winifred T. says: Denise, I agree with you that organizing UFOs and giving away those projects that no longer feel exciting are a great way to manage your craft room. It is so easy to pick up a new project and so hard to get back to it several years later! These days, I pretty much only do one project at a time and keep the complexity of the project limited so I can finish it in a short amount of time.
Nielsen,Winifred T. says: What a darling photo of your little granddaughter. That sled is just too sweet.
Diana Shelton says: absolutely adorable, what a precious postcard picture. Reminds me of vintage past and how important it is to capture those moments.
Welcome New Sisters! (click for current roster)
Merit Badge Awardees (click for latest awards)
My featured Merit Badge Awardee of the Week is … Marcy Lundy!!!
Marcy Lundy (Marcy, #170) has received a certificate of achievement in Stitching & Crafting for earning an Intermediate Level Quilling Merit Badge!
“I started off learning to quill by making quilled snowflakes, then I wanted to progress further by learning how to do different shapes and flowers. So I thumbed through the quilling books that I have and decided to make a small collage that I plan on framing and hanging up once I find a frame that I like for it.
I really like how it came out and I loved learning how to quill the different shapes. It’s a bit time consuming, but I think it’s worth it. I’m already planning what I want to quill for my expert badge!”
Nielsen,Winifred T. says: Marcy, this is beautiful! I love all the bright colors and flower shapes together.
Nielsen,Winifred T. says: If you are going to have weeks of snow, it is a good thing that upon careful inspection, there is amazing beauty in the tiniest details.
MaryJane says: Indeed. It’s a beautiful world out there. Eye feast even in winter. Good morning Winifred!!!!
BB king says: O thought I,
What beautiful thing
God has made winter to be
by stripping the trees
and letting us see
their shapes and forms
what freedom does it seem
to give to the storms
– Dorothy Wadsworth-
MaryJane says: Pure lovely, BB king:)
Welcome New Sisters! (click for current roster)
Merit Badge Awardees (click for latest awards)
My featured Merit Badge Awardee of the Week is … Marcy Lundy!!!
Marcy Lundy (Marcy, #170) has received a certificate of achievement in Stitching & Crafting for earning a Beginner Level UFOs (Unfinished Objects) Merit Badge!
“I started off the new year by finally cleaning out my craft closet … and that was when I came across these crochet squares. I completely forgot that I even made them. Lucky for me, I have enough yarn to finish them, although I am not sure how many more I will make. Once I think I have enough, I am going to sew them together and make an afghan out of them, complete with a wavy border.
I’m really liking how the squares are turning out. I have enough leftover yarn too! So this is a great way for me to use up the leftover yarn as well. I will post a pic of the afghan on the chatroom when it’s finished.”
Kathy Gaughran says: I use to make these all the time now I haven’t done in years I will have to relearn how to make I always found it relaxing and now I have the time I would enjoy it again. Can’t wait to see it finished. I love all the colors.
Winnie Nielsen says: Marcy this is going to make a very pretty afghan! I love all of the bright colors you used. Yes , please post a completed project so we all can enjoy.
Welcome New Sisters! (click for current roster)
Merit Badge Awardees (click for latest awards)
My featured Merit Badge Awardee of the Week is … Ginger Dawn Harman!!!
Ginger Dawn Harman (Ginger Dawn, #6451) has received a certificate of achievement in Make it Easy for earning a Beginner Level Mindfulness Meditation Merit Badge!
“As soon as I read the e-mail from MaryJane listing the new merit badges for 2017, I squealed in delight when I saw mindfulness. I cannot begin to list all the positive effects of mindfulness. First, my health in general has improved. My blood pressure is lower, I am able to regulate my breathing much better and now only use my inhaler once a day. Moreover, I am sick less often and my immunity has improved greatly. I also feel less stress since I began practicing a mindful lifestyle. I meditate every day and have been using the Insight Timer app since Jan 1, 2016! I haven’t missed a day. I prefer the guided meditations, but I have also used the bell. For the purpose of this badge I started again on January 1, 2018.
There are many benefits to regular meditation. For one, the health improves. I am a great example of this. Interestingly, one of the central benefits of meditation is that it improves attention and concentration: One recent study found that just a couple of weeks of meditation training helped people’s focus and memory during the verbal reasoning section of the GRE. In fact, the increase in score was equivalent to 16 percentile points. In 2013, I participated in the Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction (MBSR), developed by Jon Kabat-Zinn at Winchester Medical Center in Virginia. It was an 8-week course that taught me how to meditate and live more mindfully. Our class had a nun, several doctors, a retired preacher, and a few who were battling different medical challenges or learning to practice mindfulness within the public school and health professions. There’s been increasing interest from educators and researchers in bringing meditation and yoga to school kids who are dealing with the usual stressors inside school, and oftentimes, additional stress and trauma outside school. Some schools have starting implementing meditation into their daily schedules, and with good effect: One district in San Francisco started a twice-daily meditation program in some of its high-risk schools—and saw suspensions decrease and GPAs and attendance increase. Studies have confirmed the cognitive and emotional benefits of meditation for schoolchildren, but more work will probably need to be done before it gains more widespread acceptance.
INeedMotivation.com made a wonderful list of 100 benefits of meditation.
Meditation is also completely FREE! It requires no special equipment, and is not complicated to learn. It can be practiced anywhere, at any given moment, and it is not time consuming (15-20 min. per day is good). Best of all, meditation has NO negative side effects. Bottom line, there is nothing but positive to be gained from it!
Oh and after you have meditated for a while, you might enjoy a Mindful retreat! Can you believe that I have done this and went an entire weekend with NO TALKING! I encourage everyone to give Mindfulness a try!”
m says: Buddhism teaches mindfulness. I actually met the Dalai Lama and am a huge fan of his attitudes and teachings. I have always had this saying on my door or fridge ” BE HERE NOW” , That says it all. And in our plugged in digital/smartphone age, very few are doing that. Yes mindfulness is the key.
Nielsen,Winifred T. says: Everything red looks beautiful!!
Welcome New Sisters! (click for current roster)
Merit Badge Awardees (click for latest awards)
My featured Merit Badge Awardee of the Week is … Shannon Hudson!!!
Shannon Hudson (hudsonsinaf, #5349) has received a certificate of achievement in Stitching & Crafting for earning a Beginner Level UFOs Merit Badge!
“Since moving into our new home, I have had the opportunity to look at some projects and organize those I have not finished. These projects are now separated in bags and craft boxes, with the supplies needed to finish each of them. The first project I tackled was one I had began two years ago for my now five year old—a set of peg people families of different colors. Since my 5-year-old is too advanced for the concept of identifying the colors and putting the people in their correct “home,” I decided to finish making them and give them to my now 3-year-old daughter for Christmas.
I was quite happy with how the peg people turned out. The best part though, is my 3-year-old loves them. Makes it worth the time!”
Nielsen,Winifred T. says: Shannon, these peg people turned out so cute and what a terrific learning game for your little Aly!! I am sure any child would love this colorful game.
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 Farm Kitchen/Icing on the Cake Intermediate Level Young Cultivator Merit Badge, Andy was my sous-chef on All Things Cake. I mean, come on, this badge is about making (and thusly eating) cake. It’s not about making your bed, or writing a paper.
Andy was all over this badge.
In fact, the wild look in his baby blues kinda scared me, not gonna lie. I swear, at the mention of cake, his pupils started twirling and swirling, his eyes bugged out like a cartoon character, and he began bouncing up and down and climbing the walls. He needed a reality check (and maybe some fresh veggies or something).
“So,” I said, casually, “I was thinking Carrot Cake.”
The bouncing stopped and his pupils quit swirling. He stared at me, suspiciously. “Like, with carrots? A cake with carrots? I knew there was a catch to this badge!” He flopped dramatically on the floor.
“It’s delicious! But my other idea if you don’t like that one, is Hummingbird Cake.”
He rolled over with a grunt. “You’re sick, Aunty.”
“Not with real hummingbirds, Einstein!” I debated on whether now was a good time to let him know my dog-eared copy of To Kill A Mockingbird was not what it sounded like, either. At this point, he likely thought it was a cookbook.
“Hummingbird Cake is an old recipe …”
“Made with endangered fowl?”
“Hush, cretin. No, it’s made with yummy goodness like chopped bananas and chunks of pineapple, and covered in cream-cheese frosting.” I wiggled my eyebrows.
He flopped back over. “Idonkikecweemzeesh.”
“Eh?”
Flopped back once again to glare at me. “I don’t like cream cheese.”
“Yes, you do, don’t be ridiculous. Cream cheese is a gift from the angels. Now, get up off the floor and wash your hands. Chop, chop!”
We got to work. And at the end of the afternoon, we had earned a badge and a newfound addiction to cream-cheese frosting. Also, my eyes might be swirling around like a cartoon character after the third piece, but I have not climbed any walls. Yet.
Hummingbird Cake (no hummingbirds were harmed in the making of this cake)
(recipe from Southern Living, 1978)
Photo: Hector Sanchez; Styling: Karin Olsen
3 cups organic flour
2 cups organic sugar
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
3 large eggs, beaten
1 1/2 cups vegetable oil or coconut oil
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 (8-ounce) can crushed pineapple, undrained
2 cups chopped bananas
1 cup chopped pecans
Cream Cheese Frosting
2 (8-ounce) packages cream cheese, softened
1 cup butter or margarine, softened
2 (16-ounce) package powdered sugar, sifted
2 teaspoon vanilla extract
Preheat oven to 350°. Whisk together flour and next 4 ingredients in a large bowl; add eggs and oil, stirring just until dry ingredients are moistened. Stir in vanilla, pineapple, bananas, and 1 cup chopped toasted pecans. Spoon batter into 3 well-greased and floured 9-inch round cake pans.
Bake at 350° for 25-30 minutes or until a wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool cake layers in pans on wire racks 10 minutes; remove from pans to wire racks, and cool completely (about 1 hour).
Beat cream cheese and butter until smooth. Gradually add sugar, beating at low speed until blended. Stir in vanilla. Beat 1 to 2 minutes or until fluffy. Give beaters to small child to teach them that they do, indeed, love cream cheese.
Place 1 cake layer on a serving platter. Spread 1 cup Cream Cheese Frosting over cake layer. Top with second layer, and spread 1 cup frosting over cake layer. Top with third cake layer, and spread top and sides of cake with remaining frosting. Decorate with toasted pecan halves, if desired.
Nielsen,Winifred T. says: Hummingbird cake is one of my all time favorites. I used to work with a colleague who made this cake for every pot luck event we had. She knew she better show up with it or there would be a riot among all of us devotees!!!
Karlyne says: I’m so glad that no hummingbirds were harmed. Or, for that matter, mockingbirds…
Krista says: I would love to try this cake out. It sounds delicious with the pineapple and bananas! I would like to try with almonds instead of pecans though.
Bonita Bosch says: I have to make this it looks great!
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.
I love the many different china transfer ware patterns. They come in so many patterns and colors too. This is a lovely teapot!
I love the nostalgic tea pot, two of my favorite things to do is have a cup of tea with one of my favorite tea pots and read my precious warn bible.
Whenever someone visits my mom and is upset about something, mim says, ” Let’s have a cup of tea.” And the kettle s put on, the yea cups come out along with a wonderful selection of real teas. And then things just start to look better.
I plan on continuing this tradition as I habe my own collection of tea cups and tea pots.
As I always said, you can never have enough teapots or tea to put in them. I once collected them and when I had 350 , I sold them all-most were antiques and vintage. but silly me, I never kept a large eveyday one even. I have 2 tiny one person one cup ones but not one for “tea for two”
Now I want to host another tea party! I love getting out my different tea pots and using them. Hubby has asked me if he needs to build me a room for my collection. Honestly, I only have 15!