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 … Cristy Marxsen!!!
Cristy Marxsen (#6637) has received a certificate of achievement in Stitching & Crafting for earning a Beginner Level Aprons Merit Badge!
“I made an apron! The apron is adorable. I found the fabric and pattern on a quilt run this past weekend. I think the attached dishtowel is just too cool!”
Welcome New Sisters! (click for current roster)
Merit Badge Awardees (click for latest awards)
My featured Merit Badge Awardee of the Week is … Natalie Garcia!!!
Natalie Garcia (#7004) has received a certificate of achievement in Each Other for earning a Beginner Level Community Action Merit Badge!
“I’ve been aware for a little while that my town does not allow for the keeping of backyard chickens. The city council is responsible for this law and I spent about an hour looking into the city ordinances. What I found was that it is unlawful for any person to keep any chickens, ducks, pigeons, or other fowl in the city limits unless the same are at all times kept confined in proper pens or enclosures. No animals are permitted to be kept within the city limits, including those described in this section, unless allowed by any applicable zoning ordinance pursuant to Title 15 of this code. All pens or enclosures required by this section shall be kept in a clean and sanitary condition and shall not be placed or maintained within seventy five feet (75′) of any dwelling. Further zoning information revealed that residential areas are zoned for household pets (defined as: Animals or fowl ordinarily permitted in the house and kept for company or pleasure, such as dogs, cats, or canaries, but not including a sufficient number of dogs or cats to constitute a “kennel”) and lofts for racing pigeons only. I could keep one cow, though. 12-7-5: KEEPING MORE THAN ONE COW PROHIBITED; PERMIT REQUIRED TO KEEP ONE COW.
There is a local group that is pushing for a change to these rules, to allow urban backyard chickens. It’s called the Ogden Chicken Alliance, and there is a corollary group called C.L.U.C.K. (Citizens Lobbying for Urban Chicken Keeping) and there are Facebook pages. OCA is Ogden Chicken Alliance and CLUCK is Ogden CLUCK I do belong to both pages and have attended my first meeting.
Many nearby towns DO allow chickens, but not here. There are semi-monthly meetings and the group has gotten a booth at the local farmers’ market, where we will be selling t-shirts and handing out informational flyers. Fingers crossed.”
Winnie Nielsen says: Natalie, good luck with your work in passing a new city ordinance for keeping chickens. It is weird that you can have a cow but there is push back on chickens. It sounds like you have a good group of advocates working for the same end goal so hopefully things will move forward soon!
The adorable, always humorous MBA Jane is my way of honoring our Sisterhood Merit Badge program, now with 7,050 dues-paying members who have earned an amazing number of merit badges so far—10,044 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 Make It Easy/I Did It My Way Young Cultivator Beginner Level Merit Badge, I decided to take under my wing a new hatchling, so to speak. My neighbor takes care of her granddaughter after school some days, and little Alice is a hoot. She was the perfect victim – er, I mean, guinea pig … er, I mean, accomplice for this badge.
And let’s be honest …
Winnie Nielsen says: Hahahaha!!! You write the best stories of MBA Jane! I always wanted to try out those tin can phone lines . I wonder if using fishing line or thin metal wire would provide a better conductor of sound ? If it did, perhaps you could run a phone from a tree house to the inside of a house . That way a kid could get the direct message that it was time to come inside for lunch.
Karlyne says: So funny! Nothin’ like a kindergartner for laughs!
Welcome New Sisters! (click for current roster)
Merit Badge Awardees (click for latest awards)
My featured Merit Badge Awardee of the Week is … Ruby Slider!!!
Ruby Slider (#1663) has received a certificate of achievement in Make it Easy for earning an Expert Level Carp-hen-try Merit Badge!
“I wanted to build a small chicken coop, but had no idea about designs. So after checking online, I came across the cutest small coop that also looked easy to clean/maintain. Armed with a photo, I began to duplicate it with my own modification. I repurposed some wood for a mini-deck to build on. The floor on the coop is waist high to me. I added a trap door in the floor for cleaning easily. The front wall is actually wire grid, small square holes, thick, and hard to bend (it was also repurposed, so I don’t know what the name of the product actually is). I added two small windows on each side right below the roof line, screened with the same product as the door. I wanted nest boxes that I could remove and scrub. I started with large plastic veggie bins, but later changed to small stackable bins. I inverted the top bin and wired to the bottom one and secured them with hooks to the back wall of the coop. That made them sturdy and easy to remove. The girls love them. I also added a roosting ladder. To the left, I made a small access door with a ramp. If the weather is bad, the front wall/door can remain closed and they can still come and go as they please. The coop has a tin roof with a 12” overhang. Hanging food and water sources and a heat lamp when needed were added. For additional safety, I lined the outer fence with additional tin.
I’ve remodeled and repaired just about everything, but starting from scratch was a new one for me. I’m very proud of how it turned out. Many thanks to whoever posted the pictures of his or her coop!! Thanks for the inspiration.”
Winnie Nielsen says: Ruby, you are a genius Farmgirl! What a cool chicken coop you designed and made for your Girls. I love how you used materials on hand and added practical solutions for features like the nesting areas. Such a great idea. I hope your chickens grow to be happy and healthy and that you enjoy lots of wonderful fresh eggs!
Joan H. says: Bravo! I love the waist-high aspect. Our first coop was like that and way easier to clean than our current model that requires bending over. I’m thinking some stilts might be in order!
The adorable, always humorous MBA Jane is my way of honoring our Sisterhood Merit Badge program, now with 6,962 dues-paying members who have earned an amazing number of merit badges so far—9,905 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/I Am A Survivor Intermediate Level Young Cultivator Merit Badge, I gathered my hiking supplies and my courage and volunteered to take Piper, Nora, and Andy, and all their respective siblings out on a hike in the wilderness.
photo by Steve Hillebrand, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service via Wikimedia Commons
Well, ‘wilderness’ sounds more life-threatening than our hiking trail actually is, but still. Ever take a bunch of kids hiking? It’s pretty life-threatening. And sanity-threatening. I wasn’t sure we’d all make it down alive, to tell the truth.
Since Nora was my Beginner Level Badge earner from her handy dandy, super cool, Survivor Packs she made with me earlier, I let her be the Guide Assistant.
Unfortunately, the power went to her head.
Winnie Nielsen says: These photos remind me of summer Girl Scout Camp at Sugar Hollow, Virginia which was about 45 minutes outside of Charlottesville where I lived. Working on some simple badges, we would hike and explore the thick woods and steep hills for two weeks pursuing requirements for wildflowers, trees, safety and the rest. And those potty stops? Well, we got pretty good a digging little holes with the heels of our shoes and not getting our clothes wet! There is something very exciting and fascinating about learning to be outdoors and working your way to being able to do primitive overnight camping as older girls. I got the badges to prove it!! grin!!
The adorable, always humorous MBA Jane is my way of honoring our Sisterhood Merit Badge program, now with 6,962 dues-paying members who have earned an amazing number of merit badges so far—9,905 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/Food Allergy Awareness Beginner Level Merit Badge, I researched a common malady (at least these days, it seems to be) amongst the population: food allergies.
Being blessed with the constitution of a horse with a cast-iron stomach lining myself (I hate to brag, but ya know it’s true), I was appalled at my findings, and at what these poor men, women, and children go through just to … to eat.
Photo by Jameson Fink via Flickr
Winnie Nielsen says: In addition to true food allergies, there are even more food intolerances which give people all sorts of miseries. Take my problem with garlic and onions, for instance. My trachea does not swell up or I don’t break out in huge hives, but I cannot digest it and it will cause havoc within my gut for about 24 hours. After lots of reading on garlic, it turns out that the garlic and onion family have certain long chains of carbohydrates that many people cannot break down properly. It is this ability to not be able to break the sugars down that creates the problem. Oddly enough, the shallot, which is in the same family but on a different branch of the tree so to speak, has slightly different carb chains and works OK for me to use on a limited basis. In reading about all of these issues, I also learned more about the huge importance of the microbiology flora of the human gut. The microbes of the gut are essential for proper digestion and when people have to take certain drugs, the flora is changed and the result can be that certain foods can no longer be digested properly. When drugs are not the culprit, it can also be the sort of contaminants that are in the water supply and food sources. Hence when people travel to certain places, they become very ill if they end up drinking the water or eating raw foods. The people of the place, however, have adjusted their micro flora to their environment and do not get sick.
And those potatoes? I wonder if the problem is that they belong with tomatoes and eggplants in the nightshade family. Sweet potatoes, on the other hand, are in the morning glory family, I think, and are a different species. Who knew? Except that babies are introduced to sweet potatoes way long before white potatoes for this reason.
It gets to be way too confusing sometimes to try and figure out what is the culprit.
Karlyne says: I have an issue with onions, too,Winnie (but strangely enough not garlic). I can eat them if they’ve been completely over-cooked and caramelized, but if there’s a tiny bit of crunch to them, my mouth starts to water just like when you’re getting ready to vomit and I’m immediately nauseous. It’s always been such a silly thing to me that I’ve never actually researched the why of it. Long chains of carbs, eh? Oddly enough, one of my sons seems to have inherited this peculiarity but he actually does end up with the rash so his is a bit more severe.
Amy Cloud Chambers says: My brother is allergic to shellfish with dire consequences if he eats even the tiniest amount. It’s very scary.
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 (#6941) has received a certificate of achievement in Stitching & Crafting for earning a Beginner Level Knitting Merit Badge!
“I know how to do a basic knit with knitting needles, but I have problems with my hands and can’t use them anymore. Instead, I use a fine-gauged loom.
I finished a pair of socks (the pink ones). I used a basic knit and pearl stitch. They took about 3 days. I’m allergic to wool, so I found a good stretchy synthetic fiber.
It’s a lot easier for me to use a loom than the needles. It took me a long time to knit a sock that fits my foot. It’s not easy to be a size 11!”
Winnie Nielsen says: Cyrie, I am fascinated with your knitting on a loom! Your socks turned out beautiful. Congratulations on such fine work. I love to knit socks, but I completely understand how difficult it is to knit with those tiny needles and the stress it puts on the joints of hands. Enjoy wearing your new pretty socks!!
Amy Cloud Chambers says: Cyrie, they are beautiful! I’m very interested in weaving, and really love seeing what you’ve done.
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 Garden Gate for earning an Intermediate Level The Secret Life of Bees Merit Badge!
“I read the book. I was surprised to find that bees were not colorblind. Well, maybe not surprised, but I hadn’t really thought about it till I read the book.
There is a small shop in the next town over that sells raw, unprocessed honey. Most of it is local or from other places in the county. I have a jar of unprocessed, unfiltered honey and a jar of raw, filtered honey.
Some of the benefits of raw honey: it’s naturally anti-fungal, antiviral, and antiseptic. Supports healing, regulates blood sugar levels, promotes digestion, lowers cholesterol, and helps build your immune system. I sometimes use it for allergies.
I have to admit, while researching the health benefits of raw honey, I found some information that got me angry. I understood that store-bought honey didn’t contain pollen, but I didn’t realize how bad it was. A lot of the honey in stores is from China and India and is imported illegally, and it is so denatured that it’s bad for you!”
Winnie Nielsen says: Cyrie , congratulations on your fun badge exploration!! As a newcomer to our MJF Sisterhood, you have really jumped in with your Farmgirl Heart! I too worked on this badge and it was an eye opener as well as fun. I also learned that some imported honey is diluted with corn syrup as well. It pays to purchase honey from our own local bee keepers at farmer’s markets and roadside stands.
Amy Cloud Chambers says: Wow, Cyrie, you’ve inspired me to put these badges on my list. Congratulations!
Winnie Nielsen says: Those purple iris are magnificent! Such perfection of color and ruffles.
Amy Cloud Chambers says: What a beauty!
Judith Lickteig says: Such a beautiful Iris! I’m wondering if you still sell your own variety? I would love some!
MaryJane says: We do sell a variety called Sweet Lena, http://shop.maryjanesfarm.org/Sweet-Lena-Iris
The adorable, always humorous MBA Jane is my way of honoring our Sisterhood Merit Badge program, now with 6,962 dues-paying members who have earned an amazing number of merit badges so far—9,905 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 Cleaning Up/It’s In The Bag Beginner Level Young Cultivator Merit Badge, I cautioned my young’un that this was a more difficult badge than what first meets the eye of the beholder. So to speak.
Getting in the habit of collecting and using reusable shopping bags isn’t as easy as it looks. I should know; it’s taken me approximately forever to get good at it. And I still occasionally leave them in the car … or the pantry. The guilty feeling I get when that happens and I am forced to take home a ridiculous amount of plastic sacks is not something I wish on anyone.
Especially cute lil’ Nora …
Winnie Nielsen says: How well you describe Tween Years! Cute reigns supreme over any kind of logic. I do love the embroidered graphic on the tote shown. Even big FG like myself would love a tote like this! And that Mango Tango lip balm? I think I will stick with Burt’s Bees basic lip balm with a touch of peppermint, thank-you.
Amy Cloud Chambers says: How true it all is! My shopping bags never seem to be where I need them to be. I’m going to have to try harder, though, because Delaware is about to outlaw the plastic ones for most stores. Great for the environment, a challenge for my memory!
Karlyne says: We just got back from the Oregon coast, and it was so nice that all the stores “let” you not take their plastic bags. At home, except for Costco, they practically force them on you! I wish I’d always remember to take my bags into the store from outta the trunk…
Karlyne says: P.S. I LOVE the Bee Thrifty bag…
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.
Wow! I love making aprons and I love this one. Good job!
I love the apron. Actually someone just gave me one for Christmas. I would like to make some myself. Is the pattern available.