Author Portrait: mbajane

Lend a Hand to Families

Posted on December 2, 2012 by mbajane

The adorable, always humorous MBA Jane is my way of honoring our Sisterhood Merit Badge program, now with 4,649 dues-paying members who have earned an amazing number of merit badges so far—6,500 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 …

A much-anticipated opportunity came this week. I was so excited. A girlfriend of mine, a real farm chick, a bosom buddy, one of my besties, had a baby! I could finally earn my Lend a Hand to Families badge! I’d been waiting for pestilence and plague, someone to fall sick or have a tragic injury, anything to give me the chance to help someone out.

I know. Even as a joke, it falls flat. My sacrificial nature and priorities are one of the best things about Yours Truly. Along with my humility, of course.

So, I waited by the phone with bated breath, anticipating the …

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  1. Terry Steinmetz says:
    December 2, 2012 at 6:06 am

    Brought back many memories of my earlier life as a doula. It is LOTS of work, but so worthy. I’m still close to all those families after 30 years! Treasure those memories.

    Reply
  2. Mary Beth Schwarz says:
    December 2, 2012 at 7:35 am

    Jane you are such a good friend! I recall all the help I had from close friends when I had a C-section in 1970s. It was a busy, amazing time! The work around the house was exactly what the little mother needed so she could feed and are for Baby Boy. And it is great that there is a Merit Badge for this!

    Reply
  3. Winnie Nielsen says:
    December 3, 2012 at 8:06 am

    The older we get, the more we forget how much chaos and work having an infant, especially when there are other young children present. Exhausting every single day! Tis is a good badge to offer ways to give back when we see the need!

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Author Portrait: maryjane

photo-of-the-day

Posted on December 1, 2012 by maryjane

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Author Portrait: maryjane

Hear Ye!

Posted on November 30, 2012 by maryjane

Welcome New Sisters! (click for current roster)

Merit Badge Awardees (click for latest awards)

The featured Merit Badge Awardee of the Week is … Darla Armstrong!!!

Darla Armstrong (cowgirlup@21 #4391) has received a certificate of achievement in Outpost for earning an expert level Fishing badge.

“This summer, I caught my first Chinook salmon in a river in Haines Alaska. It was an awesome experience! I hooked three others but I never reeled them in. (This is the photo, I am with my son ).


We did not eat this fish but the night before I did and it was unreal! It totally spoiled me for fresh salmon! There is nothing like it!!”

Want to learn more about MaryJane’s Farmgirl Sisterhood? Click here.

  1. Terry Steinmetz says:
    November 30, 2012 at 9:44 am

    Oh salmon are so-o-o good to eat. Wish we had them in our area. Darla looks like she really enjoyed the fishing.

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  2. jean says:
    November 30, 2012 at 1:02 pm

    Awesome Chinook! We recently moved to WA state. I can’t wait to fish!

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Author Portrait: maryjane

what a bright idea

Posted on November 29, 2012 by maryjane

Have you checked the energy use of your lightbulbs lately? I bet you’d be surprised to find you could be saving LOADS on electricity with the right brand. (Plus, you could earn a Cleaning Up merit badge:)

I am head-over-heels for this Philips brand of lightbulb B-E-C-A-U-S-E I have tried and tried to like fluorescent bulbs but I just can’t get used to them. I have soooooooo mourned the loss of incandescent bulbs. Guess what? This one COMPLETELY lights like an incandescent. Once it’s turned on, you can’t tell the difference. Wow. When I first discovered it—talk about exorbitant. One BULB was around $100 dollars. Like any price-minded shopper, I have been keeping my nose to the ground waiting for a price-drop. Last week, it happened. And I brought three of them home.

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  1. Winnie Nielsen says:
    November 29, 2012 at 9:02 am

    Well, this is good to know. I am not in love with what is available either so this is well worth trial. Maybe our local Home Depot or Lowes will have them on sale over the holiday shopping season. Thanks for the update!

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Author Portrait: mbajane

Greatest Generation

Posted on November 27, 2012 by mbajane

The adorable, always humorous MBA Jane is my way of honoring our Sisterhood Merit Badge program, now with 4,649 dues-paying members who have earned an amazing number of merit badges so far—5,730 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 …

Earning this badge was one I was looking forward to, and one I could have earned dozens of times over when I was just a little sprout: spending time with the senior citizens in my life. See, as a youngster, whenever I went through a phase (cheerleading, clarinet, ballet, choir, underwater basket weaving), I would take my new skills to the local retirement home for polishing. I found there to be a good mix of love and support, and tell-it-like-it-is truthfulness, disguised in blue-haired ladies and no-haired gentlemen. It was nice for them, and valuable for me. I made lots of friends of the grandparent variety, and they got a little something to look forward to after school on Fridays. At least I think they looked forward to it …

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  1. Winnie Nielsen says:
    November 27, 2012 at 8:50 am

    Spending time with seniors is both challenging and rewarding. We are often surprised at how really hip they are! Those of the Greayesy Generation that fought in WWII have the most amazing stories to share.

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Author Portrait: maryjane

photo-of-the-day

Posted on November 24, 2012 by maryjane

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Author Portrait: maryjane

Hear Ye!

Posted on November 23, 2012 by maryjane

Welcome New Sisters! (click for current roster)

Merit Badge Awardees (click for latest awards)

The featured Merit Badge Awardee of the Week is … Barbara Roberts!

Barbara Roberts, (Healthy Eating #2237) has received a certificate of achievement in Farm Kitchen for earning a beginner level BakeOver MakeOver badge.

“Using MaryJane’s special recipe edition of her magazine, I tried out a few of her recipes for BakeOvers. Using what was at the end of the season from my garden, in a “must-go” manner, I put whatever I had in a base of sautéd garlic and onions and added crab meat which we had just bought. On top of that I put raw Havarti cheese which made it decadently wonderful

I took two of them (a dinner one and a dessert one) to two different Craft-in nights we had with the Farm Girls and let them try out the flavors.”

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Author Portrait: mbajane

Outstepping Merit Badge

Posted on November 17, 2012 by mbajane

The adorable, always humorous MBA Jane is my way of honoring our Sisterhood Merit Badge program, now with 4,649 dues-paying members who have earned an amazing number of merit badges so far—5,730 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 …

This last weekend was the last weekend I felt good about hiking. After all, winter is coming, and though I have First Aid Kits ready in my car, I have no desire to be eaten by bears (or are they hibernating?) or get stuck in a snow drift, or miss my favorite holiday movie on the Hallmark Channel. So, I dusted off my best flannel shirt, laced up my boots, and set off on an adventure of the hiking and exploring and Merit Badge-ing type!

I was on the lookout for three things for this badge: my state tree, my state flower, and my state bird …

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  1. Terry Steinmetz says:
    November 17, 2012 at 3:36 am

    Poor MBAJane! Poison Ivy is no fun! But she got to eat s’mores & that is always yummy!

    Reply
  2. Mary Beth Schwarz says:
    November 17, 2012 at 3:49 pm

    Good for you Jane! Part of the fun is trying to do these interesting things for the Merit Badges. Sorry I missed your S’mores! Mary Beth

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Author Portrait: maryjane

Hear Ye!

Posted on November 16, 2012 by maryjane

Welcome New Sisters! (click for current roster)

Merit Badge Awardees (click for latest awards)

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Author Portrait: megan

RAOK …

Posted on November 13, 2012 by megan

Today’s the day … no excuses!

It is officially World Kindness Day. So all those times when you’ve heard of folks doing a Random Act of Kindness or RAOK and thought you ought to do the same, today is your day—the perfect day to surprise someone with a little bit of kindness. Hmm, what will it be and who will be the unsuspecting recipient? Kind of fun to go about your day with the intent to make someone else’s!

  1. jean says:
    November 13, 2012 at 7:42 am

    Thanks for the prompt. I’ll do that!

    Reply
  2. Shery says:
    November 13, 2012 at 9:18 am

    I didn’t know kindness had a day of its own. 🙂 Thanks for the notice. I have a little project going on here that fits the theme. The other day on the way home, I noticed an injured dove walking lamely along the road. Apparently, she’d been grazed by a vehicle. She didn’t appear to be mortally wounded. I placed her inside my jacket to quiet her and took her home. Inside of 10 minutes (after being put into a chicken cage), she was eating and drinking. So began this little re-hab project. I don’t know if she will be able to fly again. I hope so, I’d like to set her free. I feed lots of doves on open feeders mounted on my garden-yard fence. They are Collared Doves that resemble Mourning and Turtle doves. If this little beauty [she’s a she] does not heal up as hoped, she may get to be a pet. I had no idea how popular doves are as pets … nor how easily tamed they are … nor how long-lived they are. Well, anyway … kindness is a two way thing. It is as good for the giver as the receiver 🙂

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    • Megan says:
      November 14, 2012 at 3:16 pm

      I agree! I so enjoyed sending/sharing little words of appreciation to friends and loved ones all day. It can only perpetuate a good mood to go through the day thinking of all the ways you appreciate folks! And gorgeous little birdies that survived the worst of it. 🙂 Glad to hear your little gal is doing well.

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  3. Winnie Nielsen says:
    November 13, 2012 at 11:39 am

    What a great reminder that we should make every day a day of RAOK !!

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