Gladsome Sisters!!! | Raising Jane

Young Cultivators Merit Badge: Park Place, Beginner Level

Posted on April 10, 2016 by mbajane

The adorable, always humorous MBA Jane is my way of honoring our Sisterhood Merit Badge program, now with 6,861 dues-paying members who have earned an amazing number of merit badges so far—9,721 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/Park Place Beginner Level Young Cultivator Merit Badge, I channeled my inner child (and also Nora and Andy) and we went to the park.

Not having had kiddos myself, I was totally immersed and enjoying the whole “playdate” experience. I mean, I’ve scheduled playdates for my doggies and maybe one or two for the chickens (Chickens are social creatures, too, you know!), but I hadn’t seen any human ones in action. There were mommies sipping on lattes while their offspring climbed trees and daddies taking business calls while their little ones went down the slides. It was like a Norman Rockwell painting.

If Norman had had Andy and Nora with him, though, his paintings might have been a little less perfect. More like they were painted by a totally distracted adult being run ragged by two adorable urchins. Did Norman have children? Must Google that.

photo by David R. Tribble via Wikimedia Commons

Anyway …

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Winnie Nielsen says:

April 10, 2016 at 5:17 am

LOL!!!!Kids are amazing reflections of ourselves!!

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Hear Ye!

Posted on April 10, 2016 by maryjane

Welcome New Sisters! (click for current roster)

Merit Badge Awardees (click for latest awards)

My featured Merit Badge Awardee of the Week is … Wendie George!!!

Wendie George (#6918) has received a certificate of achievement in Stitching & Crafting for earning a Beginner Level UFOs Merit Badge!

“This is a great badge to earn. It’s a real feel-gooder. It feels great to finish a project that has been nagging at you.

The first part was a bit intimidating. Organizing and putting all my UFOs each into their own container or bag was a bit of work. It has started the whole process of cleaning and reorganizing my entire craft room. This is also a good thing. I purchased a bunch of clear plastic totes and placed one project into a tote/box. I then made the list of any supplies still needed to finish it and put the list inside the box on top of the supplies. I had a bunch of chalkboard stickers, so I put one on the front of each box and labeled the box with the project inside. While cleaning, I also made a box labeled “donation” for projects I no longer had interest in doing.

The second part was to finish one of the UFOs. I chose to finish a baby quilt for a coworker that I started about a month ago. The quilt top was pieced together, but that’s as far as I had gotten.

I feel I have succeeded in bagging and tagging all my UFOs. I also made a quick list of them all so I could start to cross it off. I am not going to admit the total number of UFOs on the list. I will just steadily work at finishing them while not creating more. Today I mailed the box of donation items to my Aunt. She is heavily involved with the church and many other quilters and aspiring quilters. I will let her spread out the projects to others who are willing to complete them (most were never started).

I started to finish the quilt by sandwiching the top to the cotton batting with a teal minky backing. I chose a quick method of quilting the layers together, “stitch in the ditch.” I used my machine for this. I added the pieced binding onto the front by machine, and hand-quilted it to the back. The final step to complete the quilt was to embroider a tag for the back. I have a Viking machine that kindly embroiders the words for me. I then hand-sewed the tag onto the back. One UFO down, a “few” to go!”

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Winnie Nielsen says:

April 10, 2016 at 5:20 am

Wendi, this completed UFO is very pretty. I love the simplicity and the summer like colors you used. You did a great job and I know you are going to enjoy using this or gifting it! Congratulations on tackling that UFO pile and making a winner!!

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Young Cultivators Merit Badge: Icing on the Cake, Beginner Level

Posted on April 3, 2016 by mbajane

Wondering who I am? I’m Merit Badge Awardee Jane (MBA Jane for short). In my former life …

For this week’s Young Cultivator Farm Kitchen/Icing on the Cake Beginner Level Merit Badge, I sat down with the two whippersnappers in my life (Nora and Piper) and we made ourselves a list.

Lists are my life.

I brake for lists.

Me and lists forever.

Lists: A Love Story.

Normally, the rugrats scoff at my list making, but this one was one they could get behind. And in front of, and across from, and so on and so forth. Why, you ask? Because it was a list of Things You Could Put On a Cake (T.Y.C.P.O.A.C. for short).

Who wouldn’t want to keep adding onto a list like that?

photo by James Petts via Wikimedia Commons

We were going to need more paper …

Frosting went without saying, though surprisingly, none of us are fond of it. We all agreed it is what’s under it and on top of it that could float our boats, culinary-ly speaking.

Nora, Piper, and Yours Truly’s T.Y.C.P.O.A.C.:

Powdered sugar dusted over a paper doily would make a lovely pattern.
Glazed nuts are a delish alternative.
Dislike of frosting can be remedied by cream cheese. Turns out, we all swoon for cream cheese icing.
Coconut makes a wonderful presentation, and if you tint it with green food coloring, you’d have edible “grass.”
Marzipan is fun to shape into creatures and such (and tastes a bit better than most fondants).
Pretzels
Dried fruits
Candy (Well, come on. They’re kids. Not gonna get away without some candy.)
Peppermint sticks
Graham crackers, either in pieces or ground into crumbs
Gummy worms or bears
Edible flowers: nasturtiums, dandelions, day lily, squash blossom, lavender
Small toys (do not eat)
Coconut, brown sugar, butter, and nuts, all spread on top then broiled under the broiler until bubbly
Homemade whipped cream
Meringue
A dollop of yogurt or sweetened sour cream
Marshmallows
Sprinkles (use them one at a time to make an “embroidery” like pattern)
Cereal (think Trix, or Fruit Loops, or Lucky Charms, but look for their organic alternatives)
Chocolate that has been drizzled into shapes, then hardened
Cookies
Chocolate rocks
Cinnamon sticks
Orange-peel curlicues
Chocolate shavings (or white chocolate)
Raisins
Berries
Small sprigs of pine tree branches make a pretty forest
Fruit leather cut into shapes
Crumbled Oreos (the organic kind, of course!)
Chocolate-covered coffee beans
Popcorn
Poppy seeds
Candied ginger
Star anise
Birthday candles (What? We were getting tired, and our hands were sore from writing.)

After all this brainstorming, we were seriously famished. Ravenous. Starving. Our bellies were rubbing our ribs. Our tummies were rumbling.

In short? We needed cake. Stat.

Winnie Nielsen says:

April 3, 2016 at 5:08 am

I like how your lists ended up with needing cake. Now that is a proper list if I every heard of one! Hmmm, I think I need to find a way that all of my many lists have delicious endings!

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LISA VONSAUNDER- seed woman says:

April 3, 2016 at 8:09 am

Who doesnt love cake? Although I am in the European tradition of cakes, not gooey and not so sweet. Think the good fruitcakes ( nope not the American kinds) and cakes that don’t need icing really.Italian Pennetone is my idea of cake heaven.

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Karlyne says:

April 4, 2016 at 1:01 pm

Now I need cake. Or as Cecily in The Importance of Being Earnest says it, “caaaaaaake”.

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Hear Ye!

Posted on April 3, 2016 by maryjane

Welcome New Sisters! (click for current roster)

Merit Badge Awardees (click for latest awards)

My featured Merit Badge Awardee of the Week is … Connie Bergstrom!!!

Connie Bergstrom (#6861) has received a certificate of achievement in Garden Gate for earning a Beginner Level Backyard Farmer Merit Badge!

“My first chicken was Burt, a Rhode Island Red rooster. I have had him for about 5 years. He has several lady friends, as we own around 50 hens and 3 roosters, including him and his son, Willie. We also have a Barred Rock rooster named Farmer who has a flock of his own Barred Rock and Cuckoo Maran hens.

We also have Orpingtons, Black Australorps, Buff Brahmas, RIR, Americanas, and New Hampshire Reds, and currently are raising up some Banties, Favorelles, Sexlink, RIR, and Orpington pullets. We feed organic cracked corn and hen scratch, occasionally free range, and they love scraps from the garden and the kitchen.

I absolutely love it. I sell our eggs; we get approximately 5-15 eggs a day when they are not on strike because of the Texas heat.”

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Winnie Nielsen says:

April 3, 2016 at 5:12 am

What pretty brood of chickens, Connie! Your project sounds like it is not only fun but a great way to enjoy fresh eggs and sell a few to pay for chicken feed. I bet you make some awesome omelets for breakfast too!

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photo-of-the-day

Posted on April 2, 2016 by maryjane

farm-romance_9156

Winnie Nielsen says:

April 1, 2016 at 5:01 am

This early Spring view of the cow barn must be how it looks in Idaho where new green grass is poking out of fresh snow dusting. For this Floridian, it is a unique and pretty way Spring gets started. Old Man Winter…. your efforts are losing out day by day!

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Hear Ye!

Posted on March 27, 2016 by maryjane

Welcome New Sisters! (click for current roster)

Merit Badge Awardees (click for latest awards)

My featured Merit Badge Awardee of the Week is … Nicole Epperson!!!

Nicole Epperson (#6762) has received a certificate of achievement in Stitching & Crafting for earning a Beginner Level Embroidery Merit Badge!

“I checked out a couple of stitch dictionaries from my local library. I read about the history of embroidery and learned a few stitches from the books. I put together a sampler of border or outline stitches and the new stitches I learned are blanket stitch, Chinese stitch, feather stitch, double feather stitch, feathered chain stitch, and chevron stitch.

It turned out better than I had anticipated. I learned how to cross stitch when I was younger, so I had the canvas to practice nice, straight stitches for this project. It was a good project for me to start with since there was a bit of familiarity. I even reused an old frame that was collecting dust in the closet to finish it!”

bluedog355 says:

March 27, 2016 at 4:35 am

That came out beautifully! Well done

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Winnie Nielsen says:

March 27, 2016 at 6:01 am

Nicole, beautiful handwork! Your stitches are perfectly neat . Cross stitching is lots of fun and I know that I enjoyed doing many projects in that craft myself. The cool thing about cross stitching is that it is timeless and you can continue to enjoy your projects for years to come . Congratulations on your badge work and being highlighted here for all of us to enjoy!

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- LISA VONSAUNDER- seed woman says:
  
  March 28, 2016 at 8:04 am
  
  Good morning winnie,
  I posted the video of Nat King Cole singing your song on the previous daffodil post. Also Wordworth’s poem about Daffodils. Please look at them.
  
  happy spring,
  lisa – seed Woman
  
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photo-of-the-day

Posted on March 26, 2016 by maryjane

farm-romance_8866

Winnie Nielsen says:

March 25, 2016 at 5:39 am

They are here!! Just in time for Easter weekend too. Remember that old Nat King Cole song “If I had to choose just one day?” One of the first lines was “Lots of daffodils, were showing off their frills….” That was one of my very favorite songs ever and I remember stopping whatever I was doing when it played on the radio so I could hear every word. Daffodils are so special!

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- MaryJane says:
  
  March 25, 2016 at 10:08 am
  
  Nat King Cole was my mother’s fav, but that song slipped by me. Awesome to know about Cole… showing off their frills indeed!
  
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bonnie ellis says:

March 25, 2016 at 8:51 pm

Anyone with gray skies today could use a double dose of daffodils today. Since Easter is early some of the spring flowers haven’t had a chance to come up. Especially with the goofy weather. thanks for the picture.

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Janice Slater says:

March 25, 2016 at 11:58 pm

Living in the Puget Sound area of Washington, we are blessed to have an abundance of daffodills. They have always been a special part of spring for me, especially the daffodil parade that happens the 1st of April. Unfortunately, many of the fields are being sold and paved over for ‘progress’. Such a sadness for all of in for this area of the world. I do plant bulbs in my yard, and have these lovely sunny flowers all around! Thank you for your lovely picture!

area

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LISA VONSAUNDER- seed woman says:

March 26, 2016 at 5:14 am

and don’t forget by William Wordsworth:

I wandered lonely as a cloud
That floats on high o’er vales and hills,
When all at once I saw a crowd,
A host of golden daffodils;
Beside the lake, beneath the trees,
Fluttering and dancing in the breeze.

Continuous as the stars that shine
and twinkle on the Milky Way,
They stretched in never-ending line
along the margin of a bay:
Ten thousand saw I at a glance,
tossing their heads in sprightly dance.
The waves beside them danced; but they
Out-did the sparkling waves in glee:
A poet could not but be gay,
in such a jocund company:
I gazed—and gazed—but little thought
what wealth the show to me had brought:

For oft, when on my couch I lie
In vacant or in pensive mood,
They flash upon that inward eye
Which is the bliss of solitude;
And then my heart with pleasure fills,
And dances with the daffodils.

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LISA VONSAUNDER- seed woman says:

March 26, 2016 at 5:33 am

and for you winnie:
here is Nat king Cole singing that song: “That Sunday, That Summer” that you remember

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FAuPoFRugsM

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Young Cultivators Merit Badge: Let’s Go To Town, Beginner Level

Posted on March 20, 2016 by mbajane

Wondering who I am? I’m Merit Badge Awardee Jane (MBA Jane for short). In my former life …

For this week’s Each Other/Let’s Go To Town Beginner Level Young Cultivator Merit Badge, I gathered up my large stack of (barely overdue) library books, my biggest and sturdiest reusable tote bag, and my posse of neighbor kids. I had learned something about the little whippersnappers earlier and I was appalled.

They didn’t have library cards.

Photo by Joe Crawford via Wikimedia Commons

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Winnie Nielsen says:

March 20, 2016 at 5:11 am

How well I remember our regular visits to the library when my children were young. They are some of my fondest memories. My children loved to read, be read to, and attend the children’s library story hours. They even have a cool old bus, BookMobile, that brings books to large shopping centers. Those trips were especially loved as there was something really special to my girls about getting on that big bus and getting/returning books. I can’t imagine what childhood would have been around here without the beloved stores and series from our Public Library. Our libraries are one of America’s greatest national treasures!

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LISA VONSAUNDER- seed woman says:

March 20, 2016 at 8:42 am

When I was young our little itty bitty southern town had an old decommissioned church as their building. I was stunned to later learn that not ALL libraries had lovely stained glass windows! We also had a bookmobile that came to my one room schoolhouse, which was ever so cool . I loved the bookmobile. I adored books and it was the only time my parents didn’t bug me if my nose was in a book.

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Kathy O'Hara says:

April 6, 2016 at 6:48 am

AhhhhLI…bless you for sharing the library with the future generation! I remember going to the library as a girl and am so grateful for my local libraries to share with my children. Let’s all share the magic!

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Hear Ye!

Posted on March 20, 2016 by maryjane

Welcome New Sisters! (click for current roster)

Merit Badge Awardees (click for latest awards)

My featured Merit Badge Awardee of the Week is … Krista Butters Davis!!!

Krista Butters Davis (MaryJanesNiece, #528) has received a certificate of achievement in Stitching & Crafting for earning a Beginner Level Crochet Merit Badge!

“I earned my merit badge by first learning how to crochet. I tried teaching myself by reading books. With no success, I asked a friend to come and teach me how to do some basic stitches. Once I got the hang of it, I decided to make a simple scarf for my little boy. After the scarf was done, I decided I wanted to add some easy tassels to the ends. Since the scarf was light blue, I wanted a dark color for the tassels and chose black. Then I decided to create a simple dishcloth for me. I chose to use a bright and fun colored yarn that would help me smile as I did the dishes.

The scarf turned out pretty good for being my first crochet project. I’ve seen the places where my stitches were tight and other places where they were loose. I only restarted a couple of times. My washcloth tuned out really nice. I was very pleased once I put an edge around it.”

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Krista’s Auntie MJ (moi) couldn’t be more proud.

Winnie Nielsen says:

March 20, 2016 at 5:18 am

Krista, your first crochet project turned out great! Once you get the hang of some of the basics, you can have fun making all sorts of things to use and wear. Have you tried signing up for the Dishcloth swaps over at the forum? They are tons of fun to do and with all the pretty yarn at your access, you can make great swaps. I first started that swap by using your Auntie MJ’s pattern from her Ideas book. I embellished my plain dishcloths with yo-yos, buttons, and the basic shell edging. With fun colors, ribbons, buttons and the like, dishcloths never looked so darling. Check it out and join in. I did the swap for about 2+ years and saved most of mine. Then your Auntie MJ found a wonderful neighbor who crocheted them all together for me into an afghan. Now I can wrap myself in Farmgirl hugs when reading a good book!

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Cindi says:

March 20, 2016 at 5:55 am

Congratulations Krista! Now that you have learned some of the basics, you will be able to relax and just enjoy. When my friend was confined to bed while awaiting the birth of her twins, my neighbor taught us both to crochet ~ a great way to pass the time while keeping my friend company. The first thing she taught us was to take our crochet everywhere! You can get so many things made while waiting for tires to be rotated or doctor’s appointments. Go wild! Can’t wait to see your next project 🙂

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Krista says:

March 21, 2016 at 11:34 am

This is so cool! I am super excited to see my work being featured! Thanks everyone!

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Young Cultivators Merit Badge: Thank You! Intermediate Level

Posted on March 13, 2016 by mbajane

Wondering who I am? I’m Merit Badge Awardee Jane (MBA Jane for short). In my former life …

For this week’s Young Cultivator Each Other/Thank You! Intermediate Level Merit Badge, I decided to let Piper and Andy put down their pencils (the Gratitude Journal keeping was getting easier and better, but I was afraid another Merit Badge with writing involved might give them the Crazy Eyes). You see, to earn Level Two, they could either send Thank You cards to people in their community, OR they could do something nice for said people in their community.

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Winnie Nielsen says:

March 13, 2016 at 5:16 am

This experience was a great idea. Nursing homes and or assisted living homes can be frightening to children because they sometimes smell bad or residents are in poor health and look scary to them in their wheelchairs. Having an opportunity to see past those things and realize there are wonderful nice people there who are happy to see them is a gift of grace for both sides. They are forever better by having this experience!

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Karlyne says:

March 13, 2016 at 3:35 pm

Some great ideas there! You rock, MBA Jane!

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