| T O P I C R E V I E W |
| Red Tractor Girl |
Posted - May 11 2015 : 06:02:56 AM
Hi Farmgirls! I am back from Idaho and what a wonderful week I had visiting friends, attending a wedding, and spending some time with Mary Jane!
On Monday, I visited MaryJane's store in Coeur d'Alene and met Sue. What a beautiful store and it feels like the insides of her magazines.
It was busy with customers all enjoying beautiful wares to enhance any Farmgirl home. If you are ever out there, you must stop by and see what a warm and inviting place MJF Store offers. You just want to grab a cup of tea and sit in a spot and just take it all in!
Next, on Tuesday, I drove south to Moscow, Idaho. It is the most picturesque part of the US that I have ever seen. If you go to the MJF Home page and click on the links about the place, you will see the same breathtaking landscapes. Honestly, it is just gorgeous! Then at the end of a rural winding road, I came to this........
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I was just so excited to be there!!!
MaryJane showed me around and introduced me to her staff, many of whom you know as well. Such a great bunch of folks! Then we toured the farm and I got to meet all of the adorable and friendly cows. They are just as pretty and sweet faced in person as they are in her book. And they have lots of thick green pasture to graze on and enjoy. Happy cows make delicious cheese!!
My little space was one of her cabins which is also Mary Jane's sewing room. It had her wonderful treadle Singer, sewing notions, vintage hats and shoes, and dress form with a lovely long lace dress on it. Then, there was my bed in front of a big picture window.
Is this space not adorable?? And I got to stay here for two nights. It was so much fun!!
Plus, outside on the porch, there was an outdoor bed if I wanted to sleep outside. I did curl up one afternoon for an hour and read my book just to enjoy. The weather was quite windy with a brisk chill so sleeping outside seemed not a good idea for this Florida girl. It would, however, be awesome in better weather!!
You can also see the signature claw foot tub for a long hot soak under the stars on the porch. Alas, if the wind had not been blowing so briskly, I would have wanted to take advantage of the opportunity. It looked so inviting!!
Perhaps, the best part of the visit were the two nights where we had HoBo dinners by a campfire and just talked and laughed about all kinds of topics. It was so wonderful to have the opportunity to get to know our Mary Jane in new ways and to learn from her.
Here is our "Queen Bee"!
If you have never tried making HoBo dinners cooked on the campfire coals, I highly recommend trying it this summer. They were so delicious! And you can put together any ingredients you wish. I am definitely going to make these at home. They would work on a home grill as well.
Wednesday, we celebrated MaryJane's birthday with a lunch in Moscow with Megan and all of her staff. It was delightful and the food was so good. Everyone was stuffed but very happy!!
Time flew by too quickly. I walked through parts of her farm and saw the former Wall Tent B&B set up. I can only imagine how much fun it was for guests to spend time there. There are also these little outdoor kitchen areas around the tents and cabins which have a sink for washing dishes, a campfire area, picnic table, tree stump chairs, hammocks and other items for gathering and enjoying the outdoors. It is pure magic! Just look at her magazines and books and you will find all of these little treasure places. They really do exist and are used and enjoyed! And her outhouses?? Well, they are UPSCALE!! Mine had a fresh apron hanging for a window curtain and a vintage enamel coffee pot filled with fresh jonquils from the farm. It was immaculate inside, plenty of room and amenities, and no odor. It reminded me of when I visited my Grandparents home in the 1950s and they had an outhouse. It was spic and span as well but not glamped up like this one! It was such a fun step back in time to have my own outhouse just around the corner from my cabin.
It was a privilege to actually see and experience all the beautiful places and spaces at MJF after reading about them and dreaming over the photos for all these years. I think I realize now that creating a space to live and work is just about doing it! Create and make your home, farm, apartment a reflection of your Farmgirl Heart. Tracking down vintage bits and pieces to create your space just add to the fun. More than anything else, I think this trip has reminded me that Farmgirl equates with the freedom to connect us with our land where ever we live today. It gives us the inspiration to pick up pieces from our past, learn about new topics and ideas that interest us now, and enjoy time honored foods and crafts that widen our lives with new friends and a higher quality of life. And the good news??? We have that community of support every day right here on our MJF Chatroom!
Thank-you Mary Jane for a wonderful visit. And thanks to all of you who help and inspire me to grow my Farmgirl heart!! We are the lucky ones!!!
Now, I am taking a second look at that backyard.......There just might be some new projects on the drawing board!!
Winnie #3109
Red Tractor Girl
Farm Sister of the Year 2014 |
| 12 L A T E S T R E P L I E S (Newest First) |
| DandeeRose |
Posted - May 18 2015 : 6:28:24 PM
It sounds just delightful Winnie. I only wish there were more pictures!! I would love to make it that way!
Many Blessings- Alicia #5232
http://themostlycrunchyfarmgirl.wordpress.com
www.simplyaroma.com/aliciawinkler 100% certified therapeutic grade essential oils
https://www.etsy.com/shop/DandeeRose Farmgirl Accessories and more!
Life isn't about waiting for the storm to pass; it's about learning to dance in the rain." |
| AFinkberry |
Posted - May 13 2015 : 9:33:34 PM
Winnie, that is just so amazing! Thank you for such rich detail in your account! After reading it, I closed my eyes and pretended I was there with you!
Ally
Farmgirl Sister #5672
"There is no need for temples, no need for complicated philosophies. My brain and my heart are my temples; my philosophy is kindness." ~His Holiness the Dalai Lama |
| ceridwen |
Posted - May 13 2015 : 09:40:57 AM
Oh Winnie! Wow! Thank you for sharing your wonderful trip! It's lovely!
Carole
Farmgirl Sister 3610 - Nov 7/2011
http://www.carolesquiltingetc.com
http://www.fibrejunction.com |
| Killarney |
Posted - May 12 2015 : 08:28:17 AM
Winnie!!!! Thanks for sharing your adventure!! I love it all!!
Farmgirl Hugs! Connie
Imagine....#3392 |
| farmmilkmama |
Posted - May 12 2015 : 06:43:58 AM
That looks so fun! Love the pictures. What great memories. :)
--* FarmMilkMama *--
Farmgirl Sister #1086
Be yourself.
Everyone else is already taken.
-Oscar Wilde
www.farmfoodmama.blogspot.com
www.thehmmmschoolingmom.com
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| notathreatinsight |
Posted - May 12 2015 : 06:27:18 AM
Winnie, this looks like the best time ever! How lucky you are! It looks like it was a wonderful visit. Thank you for sharing it with us! :)
Erin
Farmgirl #3762
"It is... through the world of the imagination which takes us beyond the restrictions of provable fact, that we touch the hem of truth." - Madeleine L'Engle
http://www.etsy.com/shop/femmepostale/
http://www.pinterest.com/femmepostale/ |
| Song Sparrow |
Posted - May 11 2015 : 5:13:02 PM
Thank you so much for taking the time to share so much about your wonderful visit. I'm so happy for you that you were able to experience something so special!
Peace in our hearts, peace in the world
Amy (Sister#6098) www.danaherandcloud.com
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| Bonnie Ellis |
Posted - May 11 2015 : 5:03:28 PM
Oh Winnie, you had the most wonderful time. All of us who have not been there were just green with envy. Thank you for sharing the pictures with us and thanks to Mary Jane and her staff for giving you such a great time.
grandmother and orphan farmgirl |
| sonshine4u |
Posted - May 11 2015 : 1:16:51 PM
Wow! How much fun is that!? Thanks for sharing all your special moments! :)
Farmgirl Hugs!
~April
River Valley Farmgirls
Chapter Leader
~Playing in the Sonshine~
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| jan49829 |
Posted - May 11 2015 : 10:08:16 AM
What a wonderful description of your visit, Winnie. It made me visualize all that you were describing. What a beautiful place Mary Jane has created. She truly is an inspiration to all of us. Thank you for sharing your visit with us. I can only hope to be able to see it myself someday.
Jan
Farmgirl Sister #3340
http://hardatworkcrafts.blogspot.com
http://Jan49829.etsy.com
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| ceejay48 |
Posted - May 11 2015 : 07:58:09 AM
Brings back SOOOOOOO many memories of trips my daughter and I made that way! Lucky you! Robin and I were privileged to stay at the Outpost B&B in a wall tent . . and bathe in an outdoor clawfoot tub on a trip out there the summer of 2011. Enjoyed the farmgirl tea party in the Plum Pit too! What a treat!!
Looks like you had an awesome time!
Did you go eat a hamburger at Hudson's Hamburgers across the street for the CDA store?
CJ
..from the barefoot farmgirl in SW Colorado...sister chick #665.
2010 Farmgirl Sister of the Year
Mother Hen: FARMGIRLS SOUTHWEST HENHOUSE
my aprons - http://www.facebook.com/FarmFreshAprons
living life - www.snippetscja.blogspot.com
from my heart - www.fromacelticheart.blogspot.com
from my hubby - www.aspenforge.blogspot.com |
| quiltee |
Posted - May 11 2015 : 06:36:00 AM
WOW! What a WONderful visit you had! Thank you for sharing! Maybe one of these days I will be able to go to Moscow, Idaho.
Farmgirl hugs,
Linda O
Lone Oak, TX
Farmgirl #1919 |
