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 

For this week’s Each Other/Big Kid Now Beginner Level Young Cultivator Merit Badge, I wrangled Piper, Andy, and Nora to earn their badges together. Birds of a feather flock together like peas in a pod. Or something to that effect.

Anyway, this badge was all about daydreaming towards the future and answering the ever immortal and infamous question that the under-18 crowd gets asked twenty-eleven times in their short life spans:

What do you want to be when you grow up?

Buzz Aldrin walks on the moon, July 20, 1969, via Wikimedia Commons

Now, this seemingly innocuous query can cause panic, anxiety, and hives in young adults of the teenage variety (and some of the just-graduated college age group as well), but these particular whippersnappers found it intriguing.

Especially when I assured them that the sky was the limit (after all, who doesn’t want to be an astronaut?).

It really got their gray matter working overtime. Piper was coming up with career notions as fast as she could write them down with her trusty hot-pink quill pen, Nora firmly stuck to her #1 choice, but Andy was … well, surprisingly thoughtful.

I mean, you could have knocked me over with Pipe’s hot-pink quill pen. He was really stewing and brewing and weighing his options. It was like he was … was … thinking. Anyone who knows and loves a preteen boy knows this is rare indeed: like seeing a unicorn on your way to the market or something.

I say this in love.

But ‘tis true.

Then he *gasp* wanted to go the library to research his Top Ten Career Paths. I couldn’t say no to that request. (Though I was still filled with apprehension after our last trip there. Would there be a photo of me with a red line crossed through? Would I be banned for shouting, spilling my coffee, and losing half the children I had arrived with? It’s not easy being Auntie, I tell you.)

photo by Wpcpey via Wikimedia Commons

We set off like a herd of turtles and made our way to the Non-Fiction Kid’s Section—where none of us had actually been before. It was a whole new world there, chickadees! I always thought Non-Fiction was a bit on the borrrrrring side myself, but once again, I have changed my wicked ways.

I settled down with a biography of Julia Child while the three ankle-biters perused. Each of us had brought our own reusable shopping bag, both for ease of transport and also to cut down on the squabbling. Well, actually Nora brought a suitcase on wheels, but the librarian didn’t even bat an eye. Sometimes I think librarians have seen things that would make a lesser gal squirm in shock. They’re like the unsung heroes and ninjas of the literature world. Also, if the zombie apocalypse happens, I’m heading to the library, post haste.

The book about Julia was making me super hungry. I was having a hard time focusing on our assignment, but luckily the kids were doing well. The Non-Fiction section was pretty picked over by the time we were done with it and I kinda hoped there weren’t any other Young Cultivators eager to earn this specific badge today (or in the next two weeks, since that’s how long we had our books for).

On our way home, we had to drive-through for tacos because … well, Julia.

Want to see what the trio of intrepid daydreamers checked out?

Stay tuned!

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Welcome New Sisters! (click for current roster)

Merit Badge Awardees (click for latest awards)

My featured Merit Badge Awardee of the Week is … Brenda White!!!

Brenda White (#6769) has received a certificate of achievement in Each Other for earning a Beginner Level Languages/Culture Merit Badge!

“My daughter who is now 29, was diagnosed at 20 months with a severe to profound hearing loss. She started wearing hearing aids at 2 years of age. I have learned a lot about deaf culture and sign language. My daughter was raised in a educational setting called total communication. She reads lips (which isn’t taught but is something she just can do), signs, and speaks. My family started learning sign language when our daughter was about 2 1/2 years old.

My education has turned out well! She now lives in Washington D.C. and is a chef. We Facetime often using sign and speaking. I communicate well with her deaf friends and have been accepted into their community.”

The adorable, always humorous MBA Jane is my way of honoring our Sisterhood Merit Badge program, now with 7,130 dues-paying members who have earned an amazing number of merit badges so far—10,150 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 Out There Kids/Whistle While You Work Beginner Level Young Cultivator Merit Badge, I took little Piper by the hand and off we went to frolic merrily in the field behind my house.

When was the last time you frolicked, my peeps? A day, a week, a year, or ten years? I heartily recommend a little frolicking at least once a month. It’s good for the soul, the legs, and you can soak up some Vitamin D. It’s a win-win, that frolicking.

Woman in a Meadow by Grace Hudson via Wikimedia Commons

Anyway, where was I? Right: in a field with an exuberant small fry. We weren’t here just for the pasture time, no, we were here for something serious. Something badge earning. Something I call Grass Whistling.

Never heard of it? Well, I’m hardly surprised, you anti-frolicker, you.

The glorious squawk of a grass whistle is one of the most giggle-icious sounds you’ll ever hear in the great outdoors, and anyone who can pick a blade of grass can. do. it.

Here’s how:

1. Pick a thick piece of grass that’s about 6-8” long.
2. Pinch the grass with the thumb and index finger of the left hand.
3. Keeping the grass smooth and tight, press the right thumb against the left.
4. There will be a little hole between your thumbs that is divided by the grass blade.
5. Press your lips against the hole, blow good and hard, and get ready for giggles. You’ll be amazed how loud you can honk!

I know, I had you at ‘giggle-icious,’ am I right?

We got to honking so loudly, a flock of geese stopped by and invited us to Canada. Of course we had to decline; we were having too much fun.

photo by Laslovarga via Wikimedia Commons

It took some practice, of course, and Piper got the hang of it before I did, naturally, but we became so good we thought about starting our own two-person band. We already had Emmaline, the Bovine Princess, thoughtfully staring at us as she chewed her cud, so we were pretty sure we could drum up a respectable audience (even if half of them were barnyard animals and honking fowl).

Not only is grass whistling good for keeping you young at heart and on tune, but it’s a handy-dandy trick to know at boring parties, or when you’re waiting for your little brother to end his soccer match, or just when Mom tells you to go outside and play and your bike tire is flat. It’ll gain you friends and influence people. Okay, maybe that last one was a bit of an exaggeration, but still. It’s a life skill, chickadees.

Quite frankly, it’s right up there with frolicking.

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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 an Expert Level Tatting Merit Badge!

“First I made a bunch of snowflakes from 2 different patterns.

A friend of mine commented on my tatting; she knew how to tat with a shuttle, but not a needle. She made the suggestion that I teach a basic tatting class.

To make a long story short, an announcement was made that I would be teaching needle tatting. Ten people signed up. I made copies of the instructions and wrote an easy pattern for them to learn.

In the end, 6 people showed up (those who couldn’t made appointments), and the class lasted 4 hours!

It was difficult to teach a class, but luckily, my friend was in it, picked the instructions up quickly, and helped me walk around and help people who were lost. I didn’t have time to take pictures.

They requested that I teach 2 more classes on how to tat a snowflake and starch the snowflakes. I haven’t set a date yet.”

Welcome New Sisters! (click for current roster)

Merit Badge Awardees (click for latest awards)

My featured Merit Badge Awardee of the Week is … Donna Rowe!!!

Donna Rowe (Mrs Noah, #6295) has received a certificate of achievement in Make it Easy for earning a Beginner and Intermediate Level Make it Pretty Merit Badge!

“My favorite thing to do is to make things of practicality for others. My pastor’s wife wished for study bags for each attendee in one of our classes, so I made 24, each unique. I ended up with some leftovers and was happy to put them in my Operation Christmas Child collection!

The ladies (girls!) had a difficult time just choosing one, which made me all the happier that they approved my combinations. Kind of a “Whew!” They still don’t know who made them, as I asked to keep it that way.”

Welcome New Sisters! (click for current roster)

Merit Badge Awardees (click for latest awards)

My featured Merit Badge Awardee of the Week is … Patricia Guthrie!!!

Patricia Guthrie (Patricia99, #6991) has received a certificate of achievement in Stitching & Crafting for earning a Beginner Level Cross-Stitch Merit Badge!

“Made a bookmark. I’m certainly glad that looking at the back of the bookmark won’t be required for this badge! It turned out very pretty. I had to un-stitch a few times, but finally completed it.”

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Welcome New Sisters! (click for current roster)

Merit Badge Awardees (click for latest awards)

My featured Merit Badge Awardee of the Week is … Mica Garbarino!!!

Mica Garbarino (Farmgirl Freckles, #6985) has received a certificate of achievement in Each Other for earning a Beginner Level Lend a Hand to Farm Families Merit Badge!

“I helped a local farmer & his wife while they went out of town for a week. I fed, watered, and cared for their chicken flock and tended the garden. They also let me glean from their garden. I picked tomatoes, butternut squash, peppers, pumpkins, and zucchini. I also got to enjoy their farm-fresh eggs while they were gone.

The farmer & his wife were happy I helped. It turned out great and I will surely help them whenever they are in need.”

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The adorable, always humorous MBA Jane is my way of honoring our Sisterhood Merit Badge program, now with 7,130 dues-paying members who have earned an amazing number of merit badges so far—10,150 total! Take it away, MBA Jane!!! ~MaryJane 

For this week’s Garden Gate/Grow Forth Beginner Level Young Cultivator Merit Badge, I kidnapped borrowed Piper from next door and we sat down with a basket of applesauce muffins to make a list of five local eateries that make her life easier and more fun.

Turns out, ever since the Spaghetti in Her Hair Episode of 2011, Piper’s mom doesn’t frequent restaurants much these days.

Can’t imagine why …

Anyway, despite my reassurances that there is not a big poster of Piper’s face with a slash through it on every door in town, Mom decided not to come on our little Tour of Delight (as we called it).

An excuse to wander downtown and sample wares? Why, yes, please! The two of us set off with stars in our eyes and a rumbling in our tummies.

postcard, Boston Public Library via Wikimedia Commons

We ducked into a delicatessen, where Piper was shocked and awed to find she actually enjoyed a good sauerkraut; a cookie bakery that was giving out samples of mini snickerdoodles; an organic smoothie shop where we shared a mango and pineapple concoction that was quite delish; a diner that specialized in hand-cut French fries with a special and secret sauce; and a coffee bar that served up a spicy and thick hot chocolate that nearly made me swear off coffee, it was so good.

I confess, it had been a while for me as far as eating out goes. I had gotten so into growing and cooking my own grub, I’d forgotten the tiny luxury of a sandwich made by someone else, and the feeling of satisfaction I get when I know my money has gone to a local business.

I was fairly sick with remorse over my lack of attention to my town’s eateries, so I bought a dozen more snickerdoodles to calm my fretful heart. (Yup. Totally did the trick. But just in case the icky feeling came back, I purchased another basket of French fries.)

Then, our consciences abated, we made another list. This time it was for ideas for our own, imaginary food business. Well, imaginary as of right now anyway … but you never know.

Piper and Jane’s Business Ideas (Food Edition)

• Totally Tacos: Hey, they’re not just for Tuesdays anymore!
• Little Miss Muffins: 24-hour muffin shop (how many times do you crave a peach muffin at 2 a.m., canIgetanamen?)
• Donut Forget the Sprinkles: Get it? Donut? Do Not? Ha!
• Piper’s Pickles: homegrown right from the cuke!
• Salad Toppers: everything you wanted to put in a salad but were afraid to ask
• Save the Grape: (evidently, Piper has a hatred of raisins and wants to eliminate them from Planet Earth)
• Scones R Us
• Ice Creamery: an ice cream shop where Piper refuses to put nuts in ice cream no matter how many customers want them

We eliminated a couple right off the bat (the grape rebellion will have to wait) and settled on Piper’s Pickles. Who wouldn’t want to buy a jar of homegrown pickles from a cute little stand, manned by a whippersnapper with a knack for pickling?

Now, we just wait patiently for summer …

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Welcome New Sisters! (click for current roster)

Merit Badge Awardees (click for latest awards)

My featured Merit Badge Awardee of the Week is … Ashley Edstrom!!!

Ashley Edstrom (#7053) has received a certificate of achievement in Stitching & Crafting for earning an Intermediate Level Quilting Merit Badge!

“I took a class to learn the Hunter Star technique, which included using a ruler I had not tried before. I was able to use some animal fabric that had been hanging around my sewing room for years.

I worked on my project at a local quilting retreat, which included 30 other women. It was a great time, and I made enough progress on my project to come home and finish it!”

The adorable, always humorous MBA Jane is my way of honoring our Sisterhood Merit Badge program, now with 7,130 dues-paying members who have earned an amazing number of merit badges so far—10,150 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 Each Other/Her-Story Beginner Level Merit Badge, I found myself stumped for a moment. Find an influential and/or powerful woman who is still alive to research.

Hmm. Seemed simple enough, but surprisingly difficult, to boot. Also, I got a little sad when random women jumped into my head, then when I Googled them, found that they had passed to their eternal reward. Sniffle. Audrey Hepburn, I’m talking to you.

Audrey Hepburn and Mel Ferrer, while filming War and Peace. Milton H. Greene for LOOK Magazine via Wikimedia Commons.

I puzzled and puzzled till my puzzler was sore. I racked my gray matter. I pondered and pontificated and mused. I ate some cookies. I thought some more. I drummed my fingers restlessly on my coffee table, where my latest stack of library books sat ready and waiting. I looked down.

Then, I had it!

Harry Potter’s cute, little, bespectacled face peered up at me endearingly.

J.K. Rowling!

photo by Daniel Ogren via Wikimedia Commons

Talk about influential and powerful. I mean, she singlehandedly got millions of school-aged youngsters to love books again. That’s influential. She changed the game for middle school novels. That’s powerful. And even more than that, I learned she’s pretty darn inspirational too.

Some facts about J.K. you might find as super-neato as I did:

• J.K. (or Joanne as I like to call her, since I pretty much assume we’re friends by now) wrote the first Harry Potter while she was a single mom on welfare, and it was rejected 12 times before being picked up by a publishing house for a mere $4,000.
• The fourth book in the series, Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, became the fastest-selling book in history. Like, history of the world, peeps.
• Rowling is now the 13th wealthiest woman in Britain (wealthier even than the queen!)
• Her book, The Tales of Beedle the Bard, puts every cent in royalties earned towards charity.
• The films based on her books are the second-highest-grossing films in history.
• She went from living on state benefits to multi-millionaire status in a mere five years.
• Forbes ranked Rowling as the 48th most powerful celebrity of 2007, and Time magazine named her as a runner-up for its 2007 Person of the Year, noting the social, moral, and political inspiration she has given her fans. In October 2010, Rowling was named the “Most Influential Woman in Britain” by leading magazine editors.
• She based the character of Hermione Granger on herself when she was 11.
• In 1982, she took the entrance exams for Oxford, but was not accepted. She ended up going to University of Exeter, where she recalls doing very little work, and mostly read a lot of Dickens and Tolkien.
• In 2012 Forbes had to remove Rowling from their list of billionaires because she had given so much money away to charities, she lost her billionaire status. Wowza!
• Rowling has named communist and civil rights activist Jessica Mitford as her “most influential writer,” saying, “Jessica Mitford has been my heroine since I was 14 years old, when I overheard my formidable great-aunt discussing how Mitford had run away at the age of 19 to fight with the Reds in the Spanish Civil War”, and claims what inspired her about Mitford was that she was “incurably and instinctively rebellious, brave, adventurous, funny and irreverent, she liked nothing better than a good fight, preferably against a pompous and hypocritical target.” Sounds like a few s/heroes I know!
• Rowling has described Jane Austen as her favorite author, calling Emma her favorite book. As a child, Rowling has said her early influences included The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe by C.S. Lewis, The Little White Horse by Elizabeth Goudge, and Manxmousee by Paul Gallico.

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