The adorable, always humorous MBA Jane is my way of honoring our Sisterhood Merit Badge program, now with 5,730 dues-paying members who have earned an amazing number of merit badges so far—8,037 total! Take it away, MBA Jane!!! MJ

For this week’s Garden Gate/Birds Intermediate Level Merit Badge, I was inspired by a few different things:

Pinterest,

the stash of freebies I’ve collected from tag sales, curbs, and craigslist,

and our fine, feathered friends.

Now that the weather outside isn’t so frightful, I’ve been longing for more time out in my garden. And with that longing comes an intense need to decorate. I’m sure you’re familiar with the emotion; it’s usually what hits us after an afternoon of weeding or planting, or just lounging on your favorite porch swing. Pillows, you think. Or a DIY walkway. Or an arch over that spot of begonias. Or perhaps more twinkle lights? There’s always room for more twinkle lights, let’s be honest.

And while making your garden or lawn the cutest on the block, you can also make some winged creatures pretty happy (and well hydrated, to boot). After all, I don’t know exactly how much energy it takes to fly, but I’m guessing it’s more than your average stroll through the park. So … properly hydrated fowl and an adorable way to decorate? Two birds with one stone! Ha! I love it when I get a bit punny during merit badge time.

I lugged out my collection of things that needed some TLC.

MBA Jane’s DIY with TLC, that’s me.

Inspired by the creative muse that resided within me (and several Pinterest tutorials), I lined up my eclectic collection. Turns out, making bird baths or bird houses is limited only by your own imagination. You can use everything AND the kitchen sink! My kitchen sink was currently at work in the kitchen (I know, how mundane of me), but I did have other options, including:

• two teapots with broken and/or missing lids
• several teacups with chipped saucers
• cereal bowls from the dollar store
• a large silver ladle
• a few old license plates from other states
• a bundt pan
• a lighting sconce
• some candlesticks that weren’t a matched set
• a plant stand
• clay pots
• a broken, but sweet-looking decorative water fountain

Also, I had: Gorilla glue, hammers and nails, and several half-full containers of spray paint in a lovely shade of Robin’s Egg Blue (appropriate, no?)

My whimsy and imagination took hold. I like to think blue jays and sparrows and hummingbirds flew around, alighting on my shoulder as I worked, singing with me like a Disney princess, but I’m pretty sure it was just me. No matter—after they see what I’ve done with the place, they’ll be back and they’ll tell their friends. I’ll be the busiest bird hotel and spa in town. I considered hanging a Vacancy/No Vacancy sign up on my cutest mini house: a three-level Victorian, made out of my leftover roof shingles. I contented myself with washing up in my newest bath (made from the candlesticks and bundt pan) and straightened my second favorite bird house (a tipped over teapot hanging from the branches) before going inside my own home.

The birds in my neighborhood have it made in the shade.

I hope they like spending time there as much as I do.

Welcome New Sisters! (click for current roster)

Merit Badge Awardees (click for latest awards)

My featured Merit Badge Awardee of the Week is … Sherrilyn Askew!!!

Sherrilyn Askew (Sherri, #1350) has received a certificate of achievement in Stitching & Crafting for earning an Expert Level Sew Wonderful Merit Badge!

“I made a “BakeOver TakeOver” from the pattern in the Ideabook, and made 4 hot pads using repurposed fabric and embroidery patterns that came from there too.

The bakeover will be travelling to a Girl Scout sleepover tonight for the potluck dinner, and donated to the fearless Troop Leader to take home.

I looked at the purchased purse handles in the picture then looked at all the branches waiting to be chipped in my yard, and decided to make my own handles. I took an apple branch about and 1-1/2″ in diameter, cut it about 9″ long, split it in half with my hatchet, stripped the bark off, and sanded it smooth. I then put holes in either end for ribbons to go through, and rubbed both halves with a little olive oil, followed by beeswax. They turned out beautiful!”

The adorable, always humorous MBA Jane is my way of honoring our Sisterhood Merit Badge program, now with 5,730 dues-paying members who have earned an amazing number of merit badges so far—8,037 total! Take it away, MBA Jane!!! MJ

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

For this week’s Cleaning Up/My Fair Farmgirl Beginning Level Merit Badge, I was wooed by the idea of au naturale beauty products.

I mean, come on. I’m a girl. A girly girl. One who loves a good facial, mani and pedi, and something flowery to spritz. But I’m also a farmgirl. One who loves to get her nails dirty, shops organic, and has even been known to go without shampooing. It’s a thing. A no ‘poo thing.

So what’s a girly farmgirl to do?

I’m so glad you asked.

Turns out the two aren’t mutually exclusive, after all. I can have my fuchsia-painted nails with a little farm dirt underneath, you might say. So this badge? This badge was the cat’s pajamas to earn.

Is it possible to earn more than one Beginning Level badge? No? Alas. Never mind, this is a badge that sticks and I think I’ll be making my own beauty products from here on out.

Here are a couple favorites for you beauties to try (synthetic-, paraban-, sulfate-, color-, cruelty-, preservative-, and chemical-free, naturally! Get it? Naturally? LOL!)

Chocolate Cream Face Mask

• 1/3 cup cocoa (fair trade)
• 1/4 cup honey (local)
• 2 T heavy cream or sour cream (organic)
• 3 T oatmeal powder*

Using a small bowl and spoon or spatula, mix all ingredients until well combined.

Gently massage into skin. Allow to stay (to get to know one another) for 15–20 minutes. Rinse. This mask doesn’t keep well, so it’s best to make it right before you want to use it, and invite a couple friends to share it that day.

*If you don’t have oatmeal powder, simply use Old Fashioned Oats and pulse in a food processor.

Fennel Toner

You’ll need:

• 2 raw fennel bulbs (organic, if you can) puréed
• 2 sprigs of fresh thyme (from your garden … or your neighbor’s garden)
• Water (filtered)
• Juice of half a lemon (once again—you guessed it—organic)

Bring the puréed fennel, thyme, and enough water to make it liquidy (1/4 to 1/2 cup) to a boil in a saucepan. Turn off the heat, add the lemon juice, and let it steep for 15 minutes. Strain out solids and transfer to a covered jar and let cool. Apply with a cotton ball under the eyes. Do not rinse.

Oil Cleansing Method for Your Pretty Face

• a small jar or squeeze bottle
• fill with 3/4 cup organic olive oil
• top with 1/4 cup castor oil (found in the laxative section of your drug store) Use slightly more if you have oily skin. Castor oil is surprisingly drying!
• a few drops of your favorite odiferous oil (like Sweet Almond, or Orange, or Almond)

Shake well. To cleanse, rub a dime-sized amount over face. Even over eyelids—it won’t sting! Massage in. Place a very hot washcloth over your face for a moment. This will steam and unclog your pores. Use a washcloth to gently wipe away excess oil. Removes make up like a dream and leaves you feeling fresh and pretty and soft! And don’t fret: I know it may seem weird to cleanse your face with oil, but once you try, you’ll never go back to those chemical-laced facial washes again. Even oily skin needs good oils, so don’t be afraid!

The adorable, always humorous MBA Jane is my way of honoring our Sisterhood Merit Badge program, now with 5,730 dues-paying members who have earned an amazing number of merit badges so far—8,037 total! Take it away, MBA Jane!!! MJ

For this week’s Outpost/”Out There Women” Intermediate Level Merit Badge, I decided to take advantage of some unseasonably warm, late-winter weather and get prepared for glamping season. That’s right: Practice makes perfect, my farm chickadees, and camping (or glamping) is no exception. I was going to be fully ready and organized when spring came, and for me, that readiness starts with food.

Let’s be honest, most things start with food for me.

And end with it, too.

And it’s definitely present and accounted for in the middle, as well.

With my backyard all lovely and fully prepared for outdoor parties, garden soirees, or just a little alone time with Yours Truly and a glass of vino and a good book, I was all set up for some campfire meal practice. To earn my Intermediate Level Badge, I was going to make up some yummy pemmican, and then cook a full day’s meal (appetizer, dinner, and dessert) over an open flame.

Some would say I’ve been known to cook over an open flame in my own kitchen, but I don’t find that very funny. That was just one time. And I put the flames out quite quickly, thank you very much.

Anyway, the pemmican (an old-fashioned ancestor of the good old granola bar) was easy peasy to make up, and I have to say, having a great snack in my back pocket, so to speak, was good for my peace of mind in case my camp meal didn’t turn out spectacularly well. I nibbled on some as I planned out my culinary strategy:

Appetizer: stuffed mushrooms

Dinner: stir-fry

Dessert (or as I lovingly refer to it, The Main Course): brownies baked in oranges

At the end of my dinner, I was so full, I nearly had to be rolled back into my house … I probably should limit my camping this summer to weekends only, or perhaps concentrate on super-healthy recipes. Or perhaps not devour four brownie oranges.

Pemmican:

1/2 cup each: golden raisins, pitted dates, figs, almonds, cashews, walnuts, pecans, wheat germ, wheat bran, whole-wheat flour, powdered milk, and honey. Add just enough water to moisten and pour into a buttered pan. Bake for 30 minutes at 375°F. When cool, slice into bars and wrap (reserving one for each pocket).

Stuffed Campfire Mushrooms:

Pop off tops of large, cleaned, white mushrooms. Stuff with browned pancetta (or bacon), bread crumbs, fresh herbs (roughly chopped), minced garlic, and salt and pepper to taste. If you want to go the vegetarian route with your ‘shrooms, omit meat and add butter to moisten you bread crumbs instead. Cook in skillet or wrap tightly in aluminum foil and put directly on the fire.

Stir-fry:

Meat of choice (I used thinly sliced beef) combined with veggies of choice (I used peppers, broccoli, onions, and yellow zucchini) combined at home in a ziplock bag with soy sauce, garlic, brown sugar, pepper, and a can of pineapple with juice. Drain liquid (can be heated up separately and used for extra sauce). Stir-fry in skillet over flames. Eat with rice noodles (excellent camping food, as you only need to pour boiling water from your kettle over top to moisten).

Dessert:

Homemade cake or brownie mix of your choice (or purchase an organic one). Follow directions for mix and pour into a hollowed-out orange. Wrap tightly in aluminum foil and allow to cook in coals for 5–10 minutes.

YUM!

Welcome New Sisters! (click for current roster)

Merit Badge Awardees (click for latest awards)

My featured Merit Badge Awardee of the Week is … Sharon Demers!!!

Sharon Demers (Calicogirl, #5392) has received a certificate of achievement in Make it Easy for earning a Beginner, Intermediate, and Expert Level Grease Chicks Merit Badge!

“I am familiar with checking oil level, coolant level, brake fluid, power-steering fluid, transmission fluid, and windshield-washer fluid. I also know how to check air pressure in my tires and fill as needed. I have kept a mileage record. In our GMC Diesel pick-up, the average miles per gallon is 17, 20 mpg on the highway.

I completed my first oil change.  My husband guided me step by step on what to do. Thankfully I didn’t get too dirty. In addition to changing the oil in our truck, I also challenged myself in replacing spark plugs, replacing spark-plug wires, and changing the engine coolant. Next on the list … tire changing!

I am grateful to now know how to do this on my own. I feel that this is a great accomplishment. Oh, and my honey was very gracious in taking my picture … not!

Thank you for this Merit Badge. It is a good reminder and teacher of being able to take care of one’s own vehicle.”

Welcome New Sisters! (click for current roster)

Merit Badge Awardees (click for latest awards)

My featured Merit Badge Awardee of the Week is … Sonja Gasper!!!

Sonja Gasper (#5671) has received a certificate of achievement in Stitching & Crafting for earning a Beginner Level Crochet Merit Badge!

“My grandmother taught me how to chain and do the single and double crochet stitches when I was just old enough to manage a hook. We have a great yarn shop here in town called The Black Purl, and the owner helped me get started again with some beautiful yarn by Ella Rae. I used a 5.5 mm hook and retaught myself the single stitch, working especially on consistent tension, making an infinity scarf. It is 60″ around and 6″ wide and took me about 8 hours total to do. It curled, so I also had to learn how to block a project as well.

I wore it for an hour and then popped it in the mail to a friend who is in Texas (and is not used to the cold) as a surprise! I have already started a new one for myself, checking the Internet for more things to learn, and have added on double, basket, and grit stitches as more of a sampler scarf, but in the same color. It is going much faster this time!”

Bonnie Ellis, Farmgirl Sister #298, sent us a link to this video from their insurance company, UCare Minnesota, in which she and her husband, their beautiful garden, and Bonnie’s quilts are featured. Love you Bonnie! (We think your hubby is adorable.)

From my isolated little farm at the end of a dirt road here in Idaho, it’s sometimes hard to remember that my arms can reach all the way across the U.S.! Today, we received an e-mail from Sandi, a former employee who moved to Virginia. Sandi said, “Most prominent rack by the check out at my local co-op here in Roanoke, Virginia!”