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Merit Badge Awardees - Woo-hoo Sisters!:  Farmgirl Sisterhood Merit Badge Awardees |
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MaryJane
Queen Bee
16267 Posts
MaryJane
Moscow
Idaho
USA
16267 Posts |
 Posted - Sep 23 2009 : 11:57:01 AM
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Carrie Meerwarth (Carrie M, #147) has received a certificate of achievement in Garden Gate for earning an intermediate level Heirlooms Forever! badge!
"I have just finished my second year of heirloom gardening, and I am much more pleased with the outcome this year than last year. I was happier with the seeds I ordered from Fedco than the ones I got through BakerSeed last year. More of them germinated and the yield has been tremendous so far. We also planted some of the seeds I harvested last year, so we saved a little on our seed order, as well.
Our best producers so far have been the green beans, wax beans, and peas. We have zucchini plants getting ready to explode into fruit and tomatoes are just beginning to ripen.
Our season was slower this year because it has been cooler and wetter than usual, with much less sun than we are used to. But even with the setbacks, we are eating well! Oh yeah, I added a couple salad tables to my garden! Here is a photo of the first one, all planted and watered...they are doing pretty well now!"
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MaryJane
Queen Bee
16267 Posts
MaryJane
Moscow
Idaho
USA
16267 Posts |
Posted - Sep 23 2009 : 12:36:25 PM
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Marianne O'Brien (Peacebird, #661) has received a certificate of achievement in Garden Gate for earning an intermediate level The Secret Life of Bees badge!
"I researched the health difference between raw honey and processed honey and then spent two days volunteering at the honeybooth of the county fair explaining to folks and letting them do a blind taste test.
I found a local honey vendor. A neighbor sells me his local honey and mentors me with my hive.
I read “Bees: Nature’s Little Wonders,“ by Candace Savage. Absolutely gorgeous book! Beautiful images and lyrically written. Loved it, also loved "Robbing the Bees" and "Fruitless Fall"" |
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MaryJane
Queen Bee
16267 Posts
MaryJane
Moscow
Idaho
USA
16267 Posts |
Posted - Sep 23 2009 : 12:44:54 PM
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Marianne O'Brien (Peacebird, #661) has received a certificate of achievement in Garden Gate for earning a expert level The Secret Life of Bees badge!
"Started my first hive this spring, and split out to a second hive this summer. There can be no harvest this year as the bees have to work so hard to extrude out the wax and they need 60 pounds of honey for the winter. But I have been raising them in a natural chemical free way (a la Ross Conrad's Natural Beekeeping book).
I visited a local beekeeper in August.
I don't have a local chapter, but I shared it with loads of folks at the county fair when I volunteered this summer at the bee booth.
I have already ordered the wooden ware and wax foundation for a third hive for next year. Absolutely love working with my bees - so energizing and calming at the same time! Now to get them safely through the winter... eeek!"
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MaryJane
Queen Bee
16267 Posts
MaryJane
Moscow
Idaho
USA
16267 Posts |
Posted - Sep 23 2009 : 1:10:20 PM
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Melissa Bailey (MissLiss, #724) has received a certificate of achievement in Stitching & Crafting for earning a beginner level Knitting badge!
"I jumped right in and joined a dishcloth swap on the Farmgirl Barter forum. I know the basics of knitting and have made some raggedy scarves, but this time I followed a pattern (a first for me). I used a plain garter stitch, but on the 5th row and the 5th to the last row, I added a K1, Yo K2tog all the way across to create an eyelet pattern. Then I used the idea in MaryJane's Ideabook to turn those two dishcloths into a pair of bloomers to send to my swap partner!
I think it turned out wonderful. It didn't take me as long as I thought it might, since I chose such a simple pattern. I was afraid it would be trickier, since I taught myself how to knit and don't really know how to read a pattern very well. But the dishcloths came out exactly the same size and I tried to match the pattern (self-striping yarn) up so that the "bloomers" would look nicely matched when I stitched them together. My swap partner said she loved them and even posted a picture for all the other sisters to "ooohh" and "aaahhh" over. That just made my day!"
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MaryJane
Queen Bee
16267 Posts
MaryJane
Moscow
Idaho
USA
16267 Posts |
Posted - Sep 23 2009 : 1:23:18 PM
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Jennifer Porter (arabianhorselover, #561) has received a certificate of achievement in Stitching & Crafting for earning a beginner level Aprons badge!
"I made three cute half aprons. One for me and two for my Hillbilly Honey Sisters!
I used bee fabric for the apron and black polka dot for the waistbands, ties and pockets. I then trimmed the pockets and bottom of the aprons with cute lace and eyelet trim.
They turned out so cute that I am going to make a few more! I just love them and my friends love them too."
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MaryJane
Queen Bee
16267 Posts
MaryJane
Moscow
Idaho
USA
16267 Posts |
Posted - Sep 23 2009 : 1:45:10 PM
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Lora Rosencrans (FARMALLchick, #358) has received a certificate of achievement in Each Other for earning a beginner level Connecting Growers and Eaters badge!
"We drove 4 hours to help DeereDawn with her garden on a weekend visit.
We picked broccoli and green beans. We also pulled some weeds before we got rained on. Lance and Lliam were helping too!" |
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MaryJane
Queen Bee
16267 Posts
MaryJane
Moscow
Idaho
USA
16267 Posts |
Posted - Sep 23 2009 : 2:09:24 PM
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Tracy Roop (Yarngirl, #736) has received a certificate of achievement in Garden Gate for earning a beginner level Bee Good to Your Mother Earth badge!
"This spring I planted a garden in my back yard. I don't have a lot of space so I limited myself to a 12X10 foot patch of ground. In that space I planted corn, green beans, potatoes, peas, carrots, broccoli, sunflowers and strawberry plants. I am against any chemical fertilizer or pesticide. I DO NOT want my family eating those nasty things!
I checked out the book Montrose: Life in a Garden. I loved how it talked about each month of the year and the illustrations were fantastic! What an inspirational book!
My little garden produced A LOT! My corn was so sweet, my green bean's are still producing, my kids loved eating the peas right from the garden, and my favorite was the carrots. Just brush off the dirt and eat. So yummy! For fertilizer I hauled a huge garbage sack of horse manure in my car from my parents farm in northern Idaho. As far as pests, the only problem I had was with ants. I researched different options on the market but the majority of them were chemical and that's not for me. So I got on the Maryjane's forums and asked what people use and one lady suggested I used corn meal. It worked like a dream!"
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MaryJane
Queen Bee
16267 Posts
MaryJane
Moscow
Idaho
USA
16267 Posts |
Posted - Sep 23 2009 : 2:16:03 PM
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Tracy Roop (Yarngirl, #736) has received a certificate of achievement in Cleaning Up for earning a beginner level Shopping Green badge!
"I already had 5 reusable shopping bags so I got the 6th one today while shopping.
I used all 6 today at the grocery store and I was AMAZED how much more fit into one of those vs. a plastic bag! And I don't have to worry about the bag splitting and spilling my groceries on the ground any more. I'm totally sold on using the reusable bags from now on!" |
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MaryJane
Queen Bee
16267 Posts
MaryJane
Moscow
Idaho
USA
16267 Posts |
Posted - Sep 23 2009 : 2:52:33 PM
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Tracy Roop (Yarngirl, #736) has received a certificate of achievement in Each Other for earning a beginner level Plan It Forward badge!
"This spring when I planted my garden, I planted an extra row of carrots. Carrots are my favorite right-from-the-garden treat. This year I decided to try a different brand than I had used in previous years. After looking around I decided on using a dwarf brand.
They taste wonderful! However, when I planted I was a little over the top and ended up with WAY too much for my little family, so I decided to give them out to other families. I shared with several friends along with donating an entire row to the local food bank. The lady at the food bank was so pleased to get some garden fresh produce! Along with the row of carrots, I also donated an entire picking of green beans too. It felt good to help other families in my community. I've included a picture of one basket of carrots I got."
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MaryJane
Queen Bee
16267 Posts
MaryJane
Moscow
Idaho
USA
16267 Posts |
Posted - Sep 23 2009 : 3:00:55 PM
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Tracy Roop (Yarngirl, #736) has received a certificate of achievement in Stitching and Crafting for earning a beginner level Buttoned Up badge!
"I was so excited when I saw this category in the merit badges! When my great Aunt passed away in 2003 at the ripe old age of 93 (she was a farm girl, born raised and loved it!) I inherited her button collection. The collection consists of hundreds of buttons all gathered in 3 different jars. One of the jars I gifted to my mom (another farm girl) and I kept the other 2 jars.
My great Aunt who was born in 1910 lived through all the wars, starting with World War I and ending with the present day military conflict in Afghanistan and Iraq. Because she grew up in financially hard times in a financially strapped family, she learned how to be thrifty from birth. I didn't realize how thrifty she was until we were going through her stuff after her death. The best example I can give you is her button collection and her elastic/zipper collection. As I opened each jar (one big pickle, one mayonnaise and one large peanut) I was thrilled with my "treasures." There are buttons so small I'm not sure what they came off of, up to buttons almost 3 inches in diameter! Metal buttons, plastic buttons, wood buttons and button made out of some mystery material. Buttons off of coats, shirts, dresses and every other article of clothing she recycled. My great Aunt was an avid quilter and now I know where the buttons went off of all those clothes she recycled into her quilts. She recycled absolutely everything possible and threw very little away. There was even 2 drawers in her craft dresser filled with hundreds of old zippers and elastic cut from my great Uncle's old underwear! I received many home made items from her and it amuses me that the skirt I loved so much as a child probably had my great uncle's underwear elastic in it!
Anyway, that is the story of my button collection and the amazing woman they came from. I have started trying to pick through the collection for the more odd ones or the most antique looking ones so I can do some research. I have challenged myself to find the oldest and oddest button of the collection and use them in a collage with photos of my great Aunt, one of the truest farm girls I have ever met. If you would like to hear more of her story, I'm more than willing to tell it, as you can plainly see." |
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MaryJane
Queen Bee
16267 Posts
MaryJane
Moscow
Idaho
USA
16267 Posts |
Posted - Sep 23 2009 : 3:14:10 PM
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Tracy Roop (Yarngirl, #736) has received a certificate of achievement in Stitching and Crafting for earning a beginner level Crochet badge!
"I've been crocheting since I was 10 years old. But each year I make a variety of gifts, both birthday and Christmas, for my friends and family. This summer I taught my best friend how to crochet a dishcloth. Soon after our lesson, she called me upset because she had lost her hooks. Well, that gave me the idea of making her a pouch she could put her crochet hooks in so she wouldn't lose them anymore.
I used her favorite color, purple, and crocheted a simple envelope looking bag that had 4 skinny pockets for her hooks, a bigger pocket for her scissors, and a place to keep her yarn needles too. I think it turned out pretty cute, considering I made it up as I went along. It took me almost 4 hours to complete it to my satisfaction."
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MaryJane
Queen Bee
16267 Posts
MaryJane
Moscow
Idaho
USA
16267 Posts |
Posted - Sep 23 2009 : 3:27:21 PM
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Lara Falcone (lara916, #327) has received a certificate of achievement in Stitching and Crafting for earning a beginner level Aprons badge!
"I made this dress from two apron patterns that I found online; one for a no sew jean apron and a second a retro half apron pattern. I meshed the two and made it my own.
I made some mistakes; one being beautiful pleats-on the inside of the apron facing my legs. Overall, I love how it turned out."
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MaryJane
Queen Bee
16267 Posts
MaryJane
Moscow
Idaho
USA
16267 Posts |
Posted - Sep 23 2009 : 3:37:24 PM
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Lara Falcone (lara916, #327) has received a certificate of achievement in Cleaning Up for earning a beginner level Shopping Green badge!
"I've been using two of these for awhile but I always left them in my car or at home. I have finally come up with a system that works for me. Four of these fold together easily and fit into my purse and two fold into themselves and click onto my purse side pockets.
I've gotten a few strange looks but mostly the checkers know what to do with them (or I bag myself). I certainly hope this becomes more commonplace!"
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MaryJane
Queen Bee
16267 Posts
MaryJane
Moscow
Idaho
USA
16267 Posts |
Posted - Sep 23 2009 : 3:49:27 PM
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Vicki Meeds (pearlsnjeans, #120) has received a certificate of achievement in Stitching and Crafting for earning an intermediate level Aprons badge!
"My apron was made after the Clearfield Country Gals first meeting. We all used the Farmgirl Apron pattern and agreed to wear the aprons to the October meeting.
My apron was made from a flour sack, white with pink roses. This was the first time I have added bias tape. I am proud to wear it." |
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MaryJane
Queen Bee
16267 Posts
MaryJane
Moscow
Idaho
USA
16267 Posts |
Posted - Sep 23 2009 : 3:59:28 PM
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Vicki Meeds (pearlsnjeans, #120) has received a certificate of achievement in Stitching and Crafting for earning a expert level Aprons badge!
"Christmas 2008, I made three aprons, one for myself and one for each of my daughters-in-law. The aprons are full and similar in style. They were made from different Christmas fabrics and decorated to match.
The aprons were a hit! The three of us wore them to a "girls only" luncheon and cookie exchange. I think we'll make it a tradition." |
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MaryJane
Queen Bee
16267 Posts
MaryJane
Moscow
Idaho
USA
16267 Posts |
Posted - Sep 23 2009 : 4:09:01 PM
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Sharalyn Paetz (angora girl, #341) has received a certificate of achievement in Each Other for earning a beginner level Farmgirl Gratitude badge!
"I kept a gratitude journal for 2 months.
At first it was easy to think of simple things that I was grateful for. As time went on there were some mornings when I would write, the same thoughts would come to my mind and then I would have to review what I had written and think of other things that I had not expressed gratitude for. I thought this was such a great idea that I made my children start a Gratitude page in the Bible Notebooks."
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MaryJane
Queen Bee
16267 Posts
MaryJane
Moscow
Idaho
USA
16267 Posts |
Posted - Sep 23 2009 : 4:18:13 PM
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Sharalyn Paetz (angora girl, #341) has received a certificate of achievement in Each Other for earning a beginner level Families Forever badge!
"We have started a weekly game nigt. My children range from age 8- 9 months. We play a variety of games. Candy Land, Ice Breaker, Dominoes and have learned two new games called Qwarkle and Dutch Blitz.
My children are homeschooled so we do a lot of reading together. We have also started reading longer stories together each morning before breakfast. We just finished reading a book called "Hunter Brown and the Secret of the Shadow."
The children are having fun with our reading time together. We have begun a new book, "The Borrowers." by Mary Norton.
The kids like our game playing time as well. We will continue doing both of these activities as our new family traditions." |
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MaryJane
Queen Bee
16267 Posts
MaryJane
Moscow
Idaho
USA
16267 Posts |
Posted - Sep 23 2009 : 4:29:12 PM
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Sharalyn Paetz (angora girl, #341) has received a certificate of achievement in Garden Gate for earning a beginner level Backyard Farmer badge!
"I have had rabbits for a while now. On June 8th my doe had 7 babies. At 3 weeks old one died due to heat stroke. On August 9th I sexed my rabbits and found out that I had 3 boys and 3 girls. I separated the boys from the girls and on Aug.16th at 10 weeks old I butchered the boys for meat. My rabbits get a fairly good amount of Organic food. Though the hay and pellets are not organic they get a nice supply of vegetables from my garden that are.
The butchering was not easy for me. It is a bit of a shock to the system taking a life. I am still considering if I will continue raising rabbits for meat production. It was a good experience and I am glad I learned how to do it." |
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MaryJane
Queen Bee
16267 Posts
MaryJane
Moscow
Idaho
USA
16267 Posts |
Posted - Sep 23 2009 : 4:42:42 PM
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Donna Rae Barrow (donna rae, #593) has received a certificate of achievement in Cleaning Up for earning a beginner level Going Green badge!
"I was so inspired by all the safe, green ideas in the magazine, I went for it! I took all the chemical-filled cleaners from my home. They were replaced with spray bottles of vinegar and water, baking soda for scrubbing, homemade laundry soap (recipe courtesy of MJF), and homemade dish detergent. We agreed as a family to use only green cleaning products for our safety and health, and that of the environment. I keep all my recipes and tips in a file for future reference. I told all my coworkers about this change,and even shared the laundry soap recipe with my daughter-in-law.
This is a wonderful change for us, especially since our family has MANY allergies and sensitivities. My glass is shiny and I LOVE the laundry soap best of all... no oversudsing in my front loading machine!" |
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MaryJane
Queen Bee
16267 Posts
MaryJane
Moscow
Idaho
USA
16267 Posts |
Posted - Sep 23 2009 : 4:51:32 PM
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Donna Rae Barrow (donna rae, #593) has received a certificate of achievement in Cleaning Up for earning a beginner level Shopping Green badge!
"At the beginning of 2009, we started purchasing reusable shopping bags and vowed to use them on all shopping trips. We now own at least a dozen of these bags and give them to our children when they visit, filled with veggies from the garden. Then we get another reusable bag to replace ours, and two families have reusable bags for their next shopping trip!
It was really tough at first to remember to bring the bags. We started storing the bags in our cars, but even then we would forget and leave them in the car! Finally, we started reminding each other as we were headed off to the store, or as we were walking across the parking lot. Within a couple of trips, it became habit to bring and use these bags on every trip to the store or market." |
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MaryJane
Queen Bee
16267 Posts
MaryJane
Moscow
Idaho
USA
16267 Posts |
Posted - Sep 24 2009 : 10:20:59 AM
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Nancy Marshall (nancym, #159) has received a certificate of achievement in Each Other for earning a expert level Entrepreneurial Spirit badge!
"I had been unhappily working as an accountant in the corporate world for years. I hated spending all day at a desk and away from the house. A friend asked me to take on doing his business books from home. I did this in addition to my full time job. Through word of mouth I gained more clients over time. With my husbands support, I quit my corporate job and went out on my own as a CPA.
I couldn't be happier! I love working with small business owners. Getting to know all about a given business and helping out with good financial & tax advice from my years of experience is very fulfilling. I now help other people set up their own small businesses. I don't advertise much at all-90% of my business comes from referrals from happy clients. As a bonus I get to make my own schedule which gives me (almost) enough time to take care of our little farmette.
My business is Marshall Accounting, LLC. My website isn’t up yet-just a placeholder but it is www.marshallaccounting.com" |
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MaryJane
Queen Bee
16267 Posts
MaryJane
Moscow
Idaho
USA
16267 Posts |
Posted - Sep 24 2009 : 10:32:08 AM
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Donna Rae Barrow (donna rae, #593) has received a certificate of achievement in Make It Easy for earning a beginner level In the Garden badge!
"I have made trellises out of scrap lumber and garden twine. I train tomatoes and cucumbers and squashes up these trellises, adding more twine as the plants grow taller. I used old crape myrtle branches to make a teepee, for beans last year, but for spaghetti squash this year.
These garden helpers are economical and fantastically rustic!"
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MaryJane
Queen Bee
16267 Posts
MaryJane
Moscow
Idaho
USA
16267 Posts |
Posted - Sep 24 2009 : 10:49:58 AM
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Donna Rae Barrow (donna rae, #593) has received a certificate of achievement in Garden Gate for earning a beginner level The Secret Life of Bees badge!
"I read The Secret Life of Bees for the first time during Hurricane Isabel, which arrived in the Tidewater area in 2003. We lost power in our home for 9 days, and my mother (who lives with us) and I read books by candelight each night. I was mesmerized by the book! I reread it again and again. I saw the trailer for the movie and talked my husband into watching the DVD with me... even he loved it. We have a special bed near the veggie garden filled with Butterfly bush, black eyed Susans, lamb's ear, purple coneflower, sunflowers, and, of course, bee balm. There is a vitex tree right across the driveway from this bed and the bees have the most joyous time landing here and there!
I love bees and have come to know how essential they are to our survival. In an effort to learn more, I've also been in contact with our local beekeepers, and hope to one day set up a hive in my own backyard."
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MaryJane
Queen Bee
16267 Posts
MaryJane
Moscow
Idaho
USA
16267 Posts |
Posted - Sep 24 2009 : 10:58:25 AM
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Melissa Bailey (MissLiss, #724) has received a certificate of achievement in Stitching & Crafting for earning a beginner level Sew Wonderful badge!
"I have a sewing kit that I have had for a while now, but it did not include a homemade pin cushion! In fact, it took me a bit to figure out how to make one! My sewing box has tons of straight pins, safety pins, scissors, a tape measure, a thimble, needles of various sizes, a disappearing ink pen, patches, and a needle threader. I have a thread holder that holds varying spools of thread depending on what projects I have going and I have a button jar - complete with a newly made pincushion lid!
The pincushion lid was a bit tricky and it's not very pretty from the inside, but the outside is really cute - and functional to boot!"
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MaryJane
Queen Bee
16267 Posts
MaryJane
Moscow
Idaho
USA
16267 Posts |
Posted - Sep 28 2009 : 1:01:31 PM
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Kim Miltimore (Cherrypie, #225) has received a certificate of achievement in Garden Gate for earning a beginner level Bee Good to Your Mother badge!
"I converted a portion of my backyard and front yard lawns to vegetable gardens this summer. I grew potatoes, peas, squash, tomatoes, eggplant and tons of sunflowers.
I learned what I want to grow again (tomatoes) and what I don't (squash). I learned that I need to do better in prepping the soil and maintaining the beds, which I will do for next year."
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Merit Badge Awardees - Woo-hoo Sisters!: Farmgirl Sisterhood Merit Badge Awardees |
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Farmgirl Sisterhood Merit Badge Awardees
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