Hello Farmgirls!

My name is Janet Christian and I am so excited to be one of the new Farmgirl Chapter Coordinators. Here is a little about myself:

I am from Krypton, Kentucky, a small town of about 100 people. No, it’s not where Superman is from, but there ARE many super people who live here. I live with my grandmother, who is 93 years old. She is such a wonderful and strong woman. From her, I learned you could overcome just about anything. I also get my entrepreneurial spirit from her. She became a widow when she had five small children, including my mother, in the late 1930s. To add to her small pension of $40 a month, she crocheted doilies and her best friend sold them in town. She raised a large garden, foraged for berries and nuts, raised chickens, and bought a house and fixed it up to make sure she could take good care of her children. I am now back living in my grandmother’s home.

When I was a child, we moved around a lot because my father was in the military. When I was 13 years old, he retired and moved us all back to Krypton, where he and my mother had grown up. I am the oldest of four boys and three girls. The house we lived in until I was 19 had no running water or indoor bathroom. Every bit of water we used had to be drawn from a well with a bucket and pulley. Because it took so much work to draw water, we could only take baths and wash our hair once a week!

I have two daughters, six grandchildren, and one great-grandchild. They, of course, are all beautiful, handsome, and smart! My oldest granddaughter is in the Army, stationed in Iraq.

I love to embroider either by hand or by machine. I have to confess, though, I am addicted to stitching yo-yo’s—you know, those little circles you gather up and make into quilts and other projects. My heart palpitates when I see them. Like my grandmother, I have a small business so that I can sell the things I make.

I am also a storyteller. I love telling stories about the Appalachian Mountains and stories about my Scott-Irish historical (and sometimes hysterical) family at coffee houses, story-telling contests, and other story-telling events.

I have a bachelor’s degree in Computer Information Systems. I worked 17 years for the Federal Government and five years as a defense contractor, including three years at the Pentagon. I have traveled all over the United States except for the northwest, which I am sure will change in the very near future. I have been a member of Toastmasters International for seven years and have given hundreds of speeches.

I so look forward to meeting as many of you as I can. This is going to be a great year for all of us Farmgirls at heart and mind!

To contact Janet ...
via the Farmgirl Connection: janetinva123
email: janet@maryjanesfarm.org