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Reading Room:  MaryJane's Magazine 'reading club'  |
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CabinCreek-Kentucky
True Blue Farmgirl
8529 Posts
Frannie
Green County
Kentucky
USA
8529 Posts |
 Posted - Dec 31 2005 : 08:37:14 AM
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i 'thunk' up a good idea! i am so very much enjoying MaryJane's Farm magazines (i ordered all the back issues) .. that i thought it would be fun if those of us who have them .. did a little 'reading club' thingie. AND .. those of you that don't have them .. go to the website and treat yourself to them! If you love her book .. you will also adore the magazines! AND .. you will wish you had all of the issues at some point .. so .. go get 'em before they are out of print (like the FIRST issue) .. HA! anyone have an extra one of those that you would like to SWAP .. or SELL to me???
I picked the issue with the twig branch and bird nests and iris for our first 'reading club' issue. Go through it .. and pull out quotes and stories that you really enjoyed .. that .. of course .. would be ALL of them .. but let's share and discuss them!
I really enjoyed the story by Kim Redeker about the SWEET GRANADA chocolate shop located in Kansas. It reminded me a lot of that fun film: CHOCOLAT with Johnny Depp .. IF you haven't seen that movie yet .. run out and rent it ... a sweet story! Even has a little girl in it that the photo of the owner's daughter pictured reminds me of!
The 'chocolate quotes' were great: CHOCOLATE IS CHEAPER THAN THERAPY, AND YOU NEVER NEED AN APPOINTMENT .. the photos are superb (as always) ... and there is a great little 'history' of chocolate!
AND .. being a diabetic .. i have to pick and choose wisely .. and some chocolates (i am told) are low on the glycemic scale ...
i am going to call Sweet Granada today and order some of their made for farm-girls-only SUNFLOWER chocolates. (Sunflowers .. ARE .. my most favorite flower .. so i know i'll love the chocolates!
Makes me want to be whipped up in a tornado and carried off to Kansas!
o.k. .. get your 'wild iris' issue out and tell me of some of your favorite articles!
"Strength is the capacity to break a chocolate bar into four pieces with your bare hands .. and then eat just one of the pieces!"
True Friends, Frannie |
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Debs
True Blue Farmgirl
100 Posts
Debs
Wellington
New Zealand
100 Posts |
Posted - Dec 31 2005 : 10:15:51 AM
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Hey Frannie, funnily enough I was reading the "Plateful" issue earlier today (I have all the issues except the first one as well!) I've just had a good read of this issue and I have to say my favourite article is the chocolate one as well - and I also love "Chocolat" - that movie and this article make me want to open a chocolate shop myself...
I also like the article "No Place like Kansas", as I didn't know much about it before, apart from the Wizard of Oz and I didn't know there was a Little House on the Prairie museum! Now I want to go to Kansas to visit that museum and The Sweet Granada chocolate cafe!
Debby |
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CabinCreek-Kentucky
True Blue Farmgirl
8529 Posts
Frannie
Green County
Kentucky
USA
8529 Posts |
Posted - Dec 31 2005 : 10:41:21 AM
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My friend, Hickety Pickety .. Sonya Sandell .. (doll-maker) that i wrote of under 'stitching room' is from Kansas .. and i've had it on my list of places to visit for several years now .. Hank loves 'world travel' and while i do too .. i reeeeeeely want to see much more of these wonderful United States of America!
I can remember many years ago, when a best girlbuddy and i packed into my teensy little fiat spider sportscar and travelled to Arizona .. we drove through the 'fields of Kansas' .. and i wrote a poem about the beautiful bounty and long ribbons of roads that wound through the wheat fields. Wish i remembered it in it's entirety .. and i KNOW i have it written down somewhere and may re-discover it 'someday' ... but that is my memory of Kansas. I don't even remember any of the 'towns' .. just those beautiful, beautiful never-ending fields. I really MUST put Kansas on my 'list of places to visit this year' ... hmmmmmm .. maybe that one will make my New Year's Resolution list!
(And i DO have a precious Auntie EM of my own!!!)
I'm going to visit all the websites listed and choose a town or two to visit .. (I'm leaning heavily on Sedan where the Laura Ingalls Wilder musuem is located!
HA! might even bring back one of those Dexter Cows with me ... IF .. i can fit him in the back of my van!
oh .. and one of my favorite things about MaryJane's Magazine is that she provides us with so many fantastic web sites to visit .. opening our world to new horizons!
I feel a kinship between Kansas and Kentucky (and probably many other 'heart-land' states) .. where our young people flee to cities with better paying jobs .. but i love the spirit of these Kentuckians and the forward thinking leaders of my County of Green who are revitalizing our town and awakening the pride of it's history and it's people.
In our Leadership Green County program that i was honored to be a part of last year, we visited our county schools, government offices, businesses and shoppes, historical homes and courthouse .. and SO much more! When we visited the schools ... i suggested to the kids that the most important thing they can do is to get a great EDUCATION .. finish high school .. go on to college (preferably in Kentucky) .. then go forward and see and experience some of the 'world' and LEARN something vital to bring BACK to Kentucky and help us to grow. I'm thinking this is pretty good advice no matter where one lives. (not for EVERYONE .. and just 'staying put' in your home town is a lovely way to live too) .. but i love when people who do leave .. eventually come 'home' ... HOME is where the HEART is!
I know i was born and raised in Washington, D.C. .. but .. D.C. is such a 'transient' town .. i cannot think of friend that i went to high school with that is still in the D.C. area!!! my family is in maryland and virginia .. our daughters are in Delaware and Ohio .. hank and i are making wonderful new memories here .. and i feel truly at 'home' in Kentucky.
True Friends, Frannie |
Edited by - CabinCreek-Kentucky on Dec 31 2005 10:48:05 AM |
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CabinCreek-Kentucky
True Blue Farmgirl
8529 Posts
Frannie
Green County
Kentucky
USA
8529 Posts |
Posted - Dec 31 2005 : 11:03:18 AM
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Another feature in MaryJane's magazines that i love are the "Meet the Crew" articles. This issue features "Farm Mom" ... Julie Bell. I have seen several photos of Julie ... and everytime i look at them ... she brings a smile to my face. Julie has the look of an angel .. a sincere smile .. and a gentle peace. I just know that she is a 'true friend'. A few excerpts from Julie's Journal has her glancing out the kitchen window and seeing a man on a plow in the upper field .. he simultaneously looks her way .. and they wave and 'went on with our work'. Such Farmgirl Spirit!
Oh i love how she was cutting onions and the tears started flowing and she asked Megan to tell her something sad 'because you don't want to waste a good cry over an onion!' ... HA! i'm going to remember that every time i cut onions ... and if no one else is around .. i'll conjure up a sad story of my own!
Its fun to read how she color coordinates plates and foods for a 'kodak moment'. and after the photo shoot .. some GOOD EATIN'!!!
oh .. farmgirls .. you must get these magazines!!! Julie tells of a comforting sound to her heart: "the voice of the farm" ... you are just going to HAVE to order these magazines to read Julie's tender list! AND .. she goes on to speak of her 'southern upbringing' and values passed from her parents to her to her own two dear daughters.
I'm excitedly waiting to hear YOUR favorite articles and stories! xo, frannie
p.s. OH ... and did i mention: ORDER THESE MAGAZINES!!!!!!!
True Friends, Frannie |
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CabinCreek-Kentucky
True Blue Farmgirl
8529 Posts
Frannie
Green County
Kentucky
USA
8529 Posts |
Posted - Dec 31 2005 : 1:26:34 PM
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we're going to a new year's eve pot luck dinner party tonight ... soooooo .. i'm making a "MaryJane Garlic Pestoy Fry Bread DUMPOVER".
(see following photos for why it's called a dumpover!)
Now .. ya' hafta' know sumpthin' .. i've NEVER in all my life made anything where you had to 'roll out the dough' .. so this is a new experience for me! I have lots of doughboards and rolling pins .. but today .. i actually put them to use!
this here first photo is the cute package the fry bread comes in .. and i swear .. that mixture tasted so good .. i coulda' eatin' it RAW!
i used four cups of the only fresh veggies i had in the fridge! (celery, green pepper, broccoli, potatoes and onions .. and JULIE .. no one was around to tell me a sad story .. so i just thought of the scene where Bambi's momma goes to 'deer-heaven'! Then i thought of how that scene made my little Wednesday HOWL out loud boo-hooing uncontrollably and i had to take her out of the movie theatre .. and i started laugh .. oh well, tears of sadness, tears of joy .. they're all tears!
i 'cut' three tablespoons of butter into the batter. added 1/3 cup of water and remembered to wipe the dog hair offa' my hands onto my apron before digging in and rollin' it into a big ball.
i rolled the dough out with a really neat antique glass rolling pin that i have 'feathers' stored in. i couldn't quite get that neat nine-inch 'circle' .. mine came out looking more the shape of a third-world country!
i sauteed my veggies in ... O.K. .. i admit it .. i used TWO tablespoons of butter rather than the one suggested on the package!
gotta' keep those heart vessels waxed up!
i know it probably seems kinda' silly that a grown-woman would get so excited about making a simple dumpover .. but .. i actually baked it without burning it!
and VOILA .. here is the finished product .. i added some sliced black olives for 'embellishment' .. (again .. all the cupboard did bare!) will take it in it's cast iron skillet and 'dump it over' on a big plate when we get there!
oh thank you maryjane for encouraging me to take new 'cooking' strides in my life! LOVE your magazine! COOKING is definitely on my new year's resolution list!
have a very happy new year's eve celebration farmgirlfriends!
True Friends, Frannie |
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Horseyrider
True Blue Farmgirl
1045 Posts
Mary Ann
Illinois
1045 Posts |
Posted - Dec 31 2005 : 2:36:48 PM
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Thankyou so much for the play by play cooking! OMG, that was hilarious! And it looks delicious, too!
Thanks for brightening my day!  |
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Aunt Jenny
True Blue Farmgirl
11381 Posts
Jenny
middle of
Utah
USA
11381 Posts |
Posted - Dec 31 2005 : 3:20:34 PM
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The garlic pesto fry bread is one of my favorites!! I have some just waiting for the perfect day in my cupboard now (the pack of mix I mean) maybe tomorrow!
Jenny in Utah
It's astonishing how short a time it takes for very wonderful things to happen...Frances Burnette
http://www.auntjennysworld.blogspot.com/ |
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CabinCreek-Kentucky
True Blue Farmgirl
8529 Posts
Frannie
Green County
Kentucky
USA
8529 Posts |
Posted - Jan 01 2006 : 08:05:21 AM
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oh farmgirlfriends .. do get your magazine out and share with all of us your thoughts on some of the articles.
this beautiful first day of 2006 morning as i drank my morning cuppa' joe .. i was re-reading the HOME SAFE HOME pages .. this issue has 'healthful hints for fibers and fabrics which include 'staying stain free, napkin know-how, and treadle on. Gardening ideas include 'recyled water for house plants, think butterflies, tricks for tomatoes, mold mahem and The Truth About Laundry Starch. Personal Care thoughts: Elderberry Antidote, Splinter Solution, Women's Resoucres, Sugar Alternatives, Organic Shampoos and Health Alert. Pet Care: Homemade Cat Chow and Formidable Fossils. And it's such fun that a lot of these ideas are by our very own Farm Girls here on the 'Connection'. Be sure and check the "homesafehome" thread here on our forum and leave your own "a-ha's"!
True Friends, Frannie |
Edited by - CabinCreek-Kentucky on Jan 01 2006 08:06:40 AM |
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CabinCreek-Kentucky
True Blue Farmgirl
8529 Posts
Frannie
Green County
Kentucky
USA
8529 Posts |
Posted - Jan 01 2006 : 08:12:09 AM
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remember to invite your farmgirl friends in your community to join us at: www.maryjanesfarm.org/farmgirl-connection
i learned last night at a party .. that i should carry that website address on little cards with me wherever i carry maryjane's lifebook. when i took my yummy 'dumpover' dish last night .. everyone kept asking me 'ohhhhh .. .what is this?' .. i remembered to take the 'package' with me .. and i took it out and put it BESIDE my cast iron pan with this yummy recipe in it. One of the women at the party who collects 'graphics' asked if she could have the empty package! I also took out the book and was showing it to the hostess .. other women gathered around .. and passed the book from hand to hand. A bunch of them got out pencil and paper to write the web-site down .. hope to see some of them here soon! And what reeeeeeeeeeely set my heart to jumping was when i saw MaryJane's book being passed from MAN to MAN!!!!
oh .. and just before leaving last night .. i fried up the package of falafel in little patties and circled the top of my dumpover with them .. well .. they were gone in a nano-second! gotta' re-order more!
True Friends, Frannie |
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CabinCreek-Kentucky
True Blue Farmgirl
8529 Posts
Frannie
Green County
Kentucky
USA
8529 Posts |
Posted - Jan 01 2006 : 08:22:32 AM
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o.k. .. got a 'fun game' here ... all the girls who join this little 'reading club' and post your thoughts about different articles ... (and we'll be doing all of the magazines over the next few weeks) ... well .. i'll conjure up a really nice prize for one of you ... will put all posted names in a basket ... and will ADD your name for EVERY posting you do that TALKS ABOUT one of the articles (little short postings that do not address an item is great .. but ya' need to truly ADDRESS an article with your thoughts, feedback, ideas, etc. to have your name put in the basket over and over again .. the 'prize box' will include a vintage apron and a vintage cookbook (and i'll keep adding goodies to the pile as time goes on) ... sooooooooooooooooo ... reeeeeeeeeeeeeeeely get those magazines out and let us know your thoughts and ideas .. ooooooooohs and aaaaaaaaahs! AND ... this will be added incentive for you farmgirls that don't have the back issues to ORDER them NOW!
We'll start with this issue (i think it's called 'plateful'?? the one with the twig branche, bird nests and wild purple iris on the cover. (we'll do the other magazines in the future .. but to keep from getting all con-fuzzled .. let's jus' do one magazine at a time.)
oh! jus' thought .. i have a whopping order of those 'ATTITUDE' bars on their way to me .. so .. i'll "try" and tuck a couple of them in that prize box too .. ("try" .. cuz' i might be tempted to break into the box and snitching them back for me!) i gifted ATTITUDE bars to to hank, frank and wednesday's christmas stocking and ended up sneaking into their stockings and eating half of them that i gave to them before the holidays were over!
want to hear what you think of the NEWSROOM newspaper articles "Our Bodies, Ourselves: Going, Going, Gone Global ... Stay Calm - Prozac in Your Drinking Water .... As if Italian food wasn't already good enough ... Coke Turns Blind Eye to Child Labor ... USDA again undermining organic integrity ... Daily recommended serving of deep-fried junk food ... Rocket Fuel Found in Milk ... New Study: U.S. Can Eliminate Oil Use in a Few Decades ... Flame Retardants Found in Many Grocery-Store Foods ... Plastic Surgery Tied to Mad Cow Disease ... Consumers Turn to Organic Beeft ... Milk Isn't Always Just Milk ... Oregon family goes organic with high-tech Greenhouse ... Growers eye organic Market.
WOW! it is so great that MaryJane shares so much information to us farmgirls .. let's set the world on fire for organic .. let's discuss this information and see if we can't put our lives into action in some small (or BIG) way to create a healthier, friendlier nation! xo
True Friends, Frannie |
Edited by - CabinCreek-Kentucky on Jan 01 2006 08:26:56 AM |
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whispering pines
True Blue Farmgirl
428 Posts
patricia
sedro woolley
wa
USA
428 Posts |
Posted - Jan 01 2006 : 09:13:16 AM
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| frannie, are you using a regular cast iron frying pan? i thought you had to use a special pan? |
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Rebekka Mae
True Blue Farmgirl
965 Posts
Rebekka
Moscow
ID
USA
965 Posts |
Posted - Jan 01 2006 : 09:32:23 AM
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Flame Retardents in Grocery Store Foods
- This is just so creepy to me, as a nursing Mama I know that when they test mothers milk it generally has flame retardents in it! It is, for so many reasons- necessary for me to buy food that I can see from start to finis-, Mary Janes, farmers market, Co-op what have you. When we were living on only $10,000 per year I found a way to do it and I won't ever stop- Safe food is worth more to me than almost anything else. But food is not the main source of flame retardents- our furniture and carpet are.So, a few companies I know sell furniture and bedding at reasonable prices WITHOUT flame retardents (they use boric acid powder which sounds scary but is natural and has a chemical composition similiar to salt- from what I have been told). This is what they use in Europe where flame retardents are banned. Ikea's furniture is without these chemicals and they are stringent about recycling, reduced packaging, child labor etc. When our daughter was born I wanted to get her an organic matress but they were too expensive (reg chemical matresses have been linked to SIDS because a certain mold grows on bedding- when this mold reacts with the flame retardents it produces a toxic gas that can kill a small or weak child. This effect worsens with used bedding because more of the mold has built up) I found a company in Seattle called Soaring Heart Futon that only uses Boric Acid and they are able to make very reasonably priced futons, organic or non- organic and they will ship them. Obviously there are companies like this all over but these are two I like.
I can't wait to here what others are doing to keep their families safe. Rebekka |
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CabinCreek-Kentucky
True Blue Farmgirl
8529 Posts
Frannie
Green County
Kentucky
USA
8529 Posts |
Posted - Jan 01 2006 : 09:43:19 AM
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well .. the package did call for a non-stick (oven-proof) pan .. and maryjane sells a WONDERFUL one on her website .. but i have sooooooo many pans .. and love using my antique cast iron pans .. so, i just greased the inside of it with some 'olive oil' .. and the recipe came out fine .. nothing stuck! i thought, too, this recipe would have been good with some fresh tomatoes and the juices from it .. but i'm not sure about cooking tomatoes in cast iron .. i've heard not to cook tomatoes (and other very acidic foods) in aluminum pans because of the 'pitting' .. but, i think i will try it with the tomatoes sometimes even in my cast iron pan .. i think also a 'cream of mushroom soup' (or other creamy soup) stirred up in my veggies would have been good with this dish too. (by the time we got to the party (an hour and a half drive) away .. the dish was cold .. and we warmed it up in the oven .. but it 'dried' my veggies out a little bit .. so .. i'm thinking the 'juices of the soup or tomatoes would have kept it a little more moist.
oh .. i gotta' tell ya'll about my 'Wild Golf Cart Ride' through the dark VERY hilly terrain at the party. Brad and Cindy have a big collection of 4-wheelers, golf carts, hum-vees, jeeps and other wild ride vehicles for roaming their land. Everyone was taking turns riding an "open" GOLF CART (NO TOP .. NO SIDES .. NO DOORS!!!!!) with Brad .. and i swear .. it was absolutely the SCARIEST experience i have EVER had in my life! (i DON'T "DO" rollercoasters and wild rides at amusement parks!!!) I KNOW he got that sucker up to about 60 mph .. zig-zagging .. making abrupt u-turn spins ... hitting bumps and hills that almost sent me flying ... SCARED the BEEEE-JEEEEZUZZZZ outta' me!!! I have absolutely NO recollection of anything that came screaming outta' my mouth at the time .. but my entire life flashed in front of me .. and the only thought i had wuz: I'M GONNA' DIE!!!!!!! If i live forever, i will never understand why that golf cart does not flip end over end .. (and lord knows .. it may well do so some day!) But everyone kept lining up for their rides and wanting more! more! more!
Brad said the entire ride, i screamed: "THAT'S ENUFF! THAT'S ENUFF! THAT'S ENUFF!" When we got back .. and finally stopped .. i started laughing hysterically .. pounding on Brad and told him that HE had to clean up the pee in the front seat!
SINCE i DID survive .. this morning .. i must admit .. it was a lotta' fun! Would i do it again! (snowballs chance in hell!)
One of the guests made THE best soup i have ever, ever, ever eaten .. she gave us the recipe .. when i find it .. i'll post it for ya'll.
True Friends, Frannie |
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junebug
True Blue Farmgirl
2421 Posts
Sue
West Plains,
Mo.
USA
2421 Posts |
Posted - Jan 01 2006 : 11:16:49 AM
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Frannie, another great thread! Can I still join in, I've only gotten the last issue ( with lavender on cover) so I can imagine how wonderful the ones before it were, someday hope to get the whole set? But till then, I'd love to join you here, at least to hear about the other mags, and to get that soup recipe! LOL
" Aspire to Inspire before you Expire"
www.herbalfarmstead.blogspot.com
www.countrypleasures.motime.com |
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CabinCreek-Kentucky
True Blue Farmgirl
8529 Posts
Frannie
Green County
Kentucky
USA
8529 Posts |
Posted - Jan 01 2006 : 1:05:25 PM
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oh goodness chile ... i can't imagine any 'barndoors' ever ever bein closed here on the forum! would love for you to jump in on all of these magazines .. look forward to your input on any of the subjects from maryjane's magazines that the farmgirls write about .. even if you don't have those issues yet. (oh do put it on your wish list though .. cuz' they are great!) owning these is like owning another of maryjane's wonderful BOOKS! and i do bet they are going to become highly 'collectible' someday!
gosh, miss sue, i don't have any cows, pigs, chickens, goats or horses or other farm critters .. and yet, i love hearing all the girls have to say about them .. and will even jump in with my stories of a 'cow' i saw across the fence .. or pig pooh aromas that wafted through the air as i was travellin' here and there ... or chicken 'recipes' ... the wonderful thing about maryjane's forum is the open friendliness of all the farmgirls. xo
so .. tell us .. your thoughts on 'flame retardants' used in products. The newspaper item in mj's magazine was reprinted with permission from the Daily Grist in September of 2004. Not sure i have permission to repeat it in it's entirety .. but the 'gist' of it for conversation purposes is that a new study of grocery foods .. including fish, meat and dariy products showed that almost all of them had some level of PBDE's a human-made chemical that is a fire retardant .. that is also used in products such as carpeting, electronics and furniture. Basically, these chemicals were found in 'fat' foods. The article goes on to say that these findings were in the beginning stages of study but that foods were a link (or "route of intake" for these PBDE's.
Again, the article states that PBDE's are relatively new so their health effects on humans have been fully studied as yet. But goes on to say that lab tests have shown that these chemicals "screw up" neurolgical, reproductive and homonal systmes in animals.
There is a web site listed so that those interested can read the original aritcle: www.msnbc.msn.com/id5887631
WOWZER miz sue .. what's your feelings about this?
I'm curious to know why these NEW chemicals are indeed being found in the fats of animals we eat. (NOT ORGANIC meats i'm sure) .. but what are the reasons these chemicals are getting into our fish and meats?
Like Rebekka stated above .. i think of 'fire retardants' being in mattresses and bedding .. never thought of them as being related to that dreadful SIDS though! I also wonder how many 'burnt up children' (and adults) retardants have helped?
Hey honey, chile .. tell us your viewpoints on Decadant CHOCOLATE!!! (see my synopsis of the Sweet Granada shoppe in Kansas above) (THAT will get your name in the basket for the drawing! .. and see .. you don't even have this issue ... YET!!!!
AND .. i would love to hear some 'mud-pie' and 'lawn' stories of your own ... from you farmgirls.. after reading the article on Lawn-Free Simple Solutions. Someone hop in and tell us all about this article. I do love the e.e. cummins quote: "the world is mud-luscious and puddle-wonderful". do you enjoy going barefoot in the spring rains and squishing mud t'wixt your toes? do 'muddy dogs' frustrate you when they come tromping through your house on freshly washed floors? Do you have fond mud-pie making memories from childhood? OH I DO! Wednesday loved to create mud-pebble-pies, mud cakes and mud-tea for her dolls and ME! She will often tell the story of how one day, while she was making mud-pies and i was watching honey hunk play a game of rugby in Denver .. she presented me a beautifully sun-baked 'mud-pie' .. and i ATE IT! A few years ago .. she gave me a most precious book of 'Mud Pie Recipes' with a sweet thank you for loving her mud-pies enough to eat them. (I have the little recipe book and will share some of the 'receipts' from it soon!) xo
True Friends, Frannie |
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celebrate2727
True Blue Farmgirl
989 Posts
Beth
MJF
Farmgirl
989 Posts |
Posted - Jan 01 2006 : 2:45:55 PM
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When I was around 7 or 8 and the spring rain would flood the creek we would wait, my friends and I for the water to recede. And there would be the most amazing mud left for us to create with. We would sit for hours making a mud castle and mud people and mud pies and cakes. Then at the end of every day just before we were called home for supper, we would sneak to the neighbors hose and rinse the glorious mud off so our parents would be none the wiser. We also counted waterbugs as they would often get caught in the mud as they skated across the water.
Thanks for letting me drift back to such a sweet time!
May you achieve your full potential to excel intellectually, to live spiritually, to lead responsibly, to act justly and to serve selflessly. Have a wonderful Holiday and a Happy New Year!
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CabinCreek-Kentucky
True Blue Farmgirl
8529 Posts
Frannie
Green County
Kentucky
USA
8529 Posts |
Posted - Jan 02 2006 : 08:46:04 AM
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FARM CHICKS: I loved reading in this issue about Teri and Serena .. the two friends who started a fun "treasures" business together. Named themsselves "The Farm Chicks" cuz' they're always 'scratching up cute things'.
Kindred souls are we .. i read where they get to wondering about the stories of former generations of families that once occupied and lived out their lives in the olde homes, barns and schoolhouses that are often found lacing the edge of country roads or tucked back behind overgrown trees and vines. This, of course, reminded me of my very first 'find' .. the one that probably got my heart to pounding whenever is see these olde abaondoned places. Many, many years ago, my Nannie took us kids on a back-road to visit an area where a friend of hers had once lived when she was but a child .. and we discovered her friend's home .. long empty .. but with doors falling off and shattered windows. When we went inside .. there was still much furniture and furnishings and clothes ... Nannie had long lost contact with her childhood friend and it forever remained a mystery to her as to why it seemed that the family just upped and vanished. We walked through the home being careful not to fall through rotten wood floor boards ... Nannie would occasionally touch an item and 'remember' it. What was left was 'poor folks plunder' (and this is probably the seed that was sown in my heart to love all things 'primitive'). We left everything undisturbed and took away nothing but the memories of that day. Oh goodness, that was so many years ago .. when i was a teen girl. And once when in the area of our 'homestead' and a few years after my Nannie's trip to heaven .. i did indeed try to find the olde abandoned road to the ghost home .. but .. i guess either 'nature' (or a small housing development) took it over. It still is very rural and country down by the Stevens Homestead outside of Fredericksburg, Virginia .. so i'm betting momma nature is gently cradling in her arms anything that might still remain of this family's history. (That was a great trip down memory lane .. i haven't thought of that adventure with Nannie in many years now).
The Farm Chicks give some great decorating ideas of things to do with our 'treasured finds'. One is an adorable 'boutineere' made from layers of vintage fabric and an olde button. (And teensy ones of these would make cute dolly dress embellishments!)
OH and i LOVE the mis-matched pot lids used as apron holders! Pot Lids are so easy to find and inexpensive cuz' the 'pot' is missing. Do any of you girls have these?
Not that there is another inch of space on the walls here in the Cabins that an ant could find a path through ... but i think i'll get some of these to hang a buncha' my vintage aprons from at the shoppe. Do any of you girls use vintage napkins? I do .. i have tons of 'em .. and it's lots more fun to use those than it is to use paper. I read a hint (i think it was in one of Maryjane's magazines) .. about how one woman uses DIFFERENT 'napkin rings' for herself and for her husband ... and when a meal is over and if they have not dirtied the napkin .. she simply puts the napkin back in the ring and re-uses it ... SAVES on water and detergent ... and don't we sometimes just give a teensy little swipe to the corner of our mouth with our napkins at meal time?
The girls go on to say that their favorite finds on an olde farm one day were found in the CHICKEN COOP .. boxes of old feedsacks, quilts, barkcloth, ribbons and aprons. HA! my own favorite find FROM a Chicken Coop .. is the hen-laying box .. that now sits proudly in my kitchen holding 'cookbooks'.
(I did get this from an antiques shoppe .. so someone else had the duty of scraping the chicken poo from it!)
Have i mentioned to you girls that you really MUST order all the back magazines from MaryJane's Farm???
True Friends, Frannie |
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Fabulous Farm Femmes
True Blue Farmgirl
792 Posts
Diane
Lakebay, Tacoma
WA
792 Posts |
Posted - Jan 02 2006 : 10:44:03 PM
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Does any one know, when there is a forest fire and they dump that red fire retardent from the air, WHAT is in THAT? I have often wondered if that is a big source of the retardent contamination....  |
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CabinCreek-Kentucky
True Blue Farmgirl
8529 Posts
Frannie
Green County
Kentucky
USA
8529 Posts |
Posted - Jan 03 2006 : 08:12:47 AM
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girls .. so far .. i have
Debbie .. Kiwi in London
Rebekka Mae ... Pullman, WA
Beth ... Lindstrom, MN
in the basket of names to win some nice prizes for posting their ramblings and comments and stories and feedback and reviews on this issue of MaryJane's Magazine.
If you don't have these magazines, treat yourself TODAY .. it is like having another MaryJane book!
If you don't have them .. but want to share your own 'take' and stories on the postings about the articles ... do so .. and remember, everytime you share comments, ideas, stories, etc. your name goes in the basket. I'll start conjuring up some prizes today and will post pictures from time to time as more goodies are added. AND .. we will be working our way through ALL of the issues ... except the Premiere Issue .. cuz' i don't have that one .. UNLESS .. you girls out there that DO have it .. will give us some reports of articles in this issue. (Does anyone know if the 'lended' copies are still floating around? I'd sure like to get on that list!)
WISH MaryJane would have that one re-issued!
o.k. sittin' here patiently waitin' to hear lots of you jump in with lots to say about these fanatastic farmgirl magazines!
True Friends, Frannie |
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CabinCreek-Kentucky
True Blue Farmgirl
8529 Posts
Frannie
Green County
Kentucky
USA
8529 Posts |
Posted - Jan 03 2006 : 11:14:33 AM
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STITCHERIES by Wilma Gilbert of KENTUCKY .. and friends
Wilma is from the 'next county' over from me here in Green County, Kentucky .. and recently opened two booths at the antiques shoppe where i have my booths too! I met Wilma and her partner, Ann at our Christmas Open House. Her booth is so homespunny-charming .. wonderful fabrics and stitcheries .. my favorite things in her booth are her 'homespun doll dresses on homespun wrapped hangers'. Wilma spent a lot of her childhood time with her grandmother who was a quilter .. and like so many 'sewers and stitchers' was enamored with fabric early in life. Born in the 'mountains' of eastern kentucky .. but migrated to and now lives on a farm in the 'hills' of central Kentucky. (Western Kentucky tends to get flatter). She uses olde feather ticks to stuff her pillows with and many are then covered with a stitched case or vintage and vintage-style fabrics and embelllished with ties and buttons.
Just last week, a friend, Susan brought in huge bags-full of olde tickings to 'trade' with Wilma .. i guess that will keep Wilma and friends busy for awhile! Wilma bought a most wonderful and very olde log table and two chairs (seats are very olde roping) from me recently .. i just LOVE how the 'farmgirls' at our Glover's Station Antiques Mall buy and trade with each other .. i swear .. we are our own best customers!
Lordy! Wilma has 17 sewing machines now but learned to sew on a treadle machine. Her favorite machines are the old Sears and Singers from the 1950's and '60's. (As for me and my house .. my new-fangled Bernina serves me well!!!!) don't use all the fancy stitches .. but oh my .. you cannot CHUNK that machine up now matter how hard you try. I actually stopped sewing many years ago (not that i was very good at it) BECAUSE of the 'TENSION' thingie always messing up! When i discovered BERNINA .. i was in sewing machine heaven!
Wilma's mom was 13 and her dad 17 when they married and her mama had four children by age twenty. Wilma was the oldest and therefore became the caretaker of the young'uns when her mamam was helping her dad in the fields. Her dad's crops included corn, and of course, here in Kentucky in those days .. tobacco and .. cattle.
Even today, sometimes her parents help her in he business.. Her dad makes stick bobbins and her mom hand-embroiders pillowcases.
What is your sewing machine of choice?
Do you do stitcheries?
What are some of your favorite things and sayings to stitch?
Who was your stitching 'mentor'?
As raved about above .. my favorite sewing machine ever is my BERNINA.
Yes, i do stitcheries .. have for years, stitched little sayings on my dolly aprons, and have done stitchery and applique on olde snippets of crazy quilts.
I'll post lots of fun 'stitchery' sayings on the Cabin Fever doll class thread.
I didn't know it at the time .. but my Nannie would surely be my mentor. She 'hand-made' most of our clothing as children .. i never 'sat at her knee' to learn .. HA! i even got an "F" in sewing class in high school cuz' i was 'running my mouth' (oh .. i know that comes as a great surprize to many of you!!) with some other girls in class .. i heard a THUNK and looked down at the 'nightgown' we were making .. and i had SEWN MY MIDDLE FINGER to the seam! OF COURSE .. the worse part was not the machine needle .. that was quick and i DID NOT know it was coming .. but they made me go get a 'tetanus' shot .. and i SAW that sucker comin'!!!
When I started making dollies .. big-time .. our little granddaughter, Jennie Catherine was living with me . and when she was just the teeniest little thing .. she would sit on my lap for hours while i sewed .. and when she got big enough .. she would start pushing the 'back-stitch' button for me ... and when she was ten she started making dollies of her own .. and by age 14 .. i honestly could not tell her dolls from my dolls! She had that 'true' child-like quality that graced her dolls .. and she sold them as fast as she made them .. AND .. for the same price i was getting for my dolls! So, i love knowing that i was her 'mentor'.
o.k. ... farmgirls .. let's hear YOUR stitchin' stories! xo
True Friends, Frannie |
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junebug
True Blue Farmgirl
2421 Posts
Sue
West Plains,
Mo.
USA
2421 Posts |
Posted - Jan 03 2006 : 11:22:11 AM
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Flame retardants in food, how gross! Think we need to do some research on that, and thanks Diane, never thought about that red stuff they dump for forest fires, what is this country coming too? And milk isn't milk, that has been going around for awhile, and one reason why are pre-teen girls are delveloping at a faster rate, kids these days are way too big for their age, real scarry stuff! I already ban Monsanto from this house and cringe whenever I see people buying their weed killer! Organics is the only way to go anymore, and thanks for publications like these, they are becoming more affordable and popular.
" Aspire to Inspire before you Expire"
www.herbalfarmstead.blogspot.com
www.countrypleasures.motime.com |
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Rebekka Mae
True Blue Farmgirl
965 Posts
Rebekka
Moscow
ID
USA
965 Posts |
Posted - Jan 03 2006 : 11:29:47 AM
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Frannie- I have one of Miss Wilma's little pillows for my dauughter and she loves it- when we go traveling to Gramma's she says "I will carry my farm pillow!" I am saving up for some big ones for our bed right now and next week I am going out to the farm to drop off a pin pillow for Mary Jane and stock up on- back issues of the mag, bath salts, and plenty of fresh air and good food! I can't wait. As for sewing I too am a Bernina lover though I must say that my current machine is a 1970 White Blue Jeans Machine that I was gifted and I truly love it. I will someday inherit my Gramma's Brenina- which my Mama has but we are all planning on that being a LONG LONG time off. I started sewing when I was pregnant with my daughter and that led to my little business making baby slings and other things for sweet babes and their mamas. I have just recently gotten into handwork and I love it!
Be well, Rebekka |
Edited by - Rebekka Mae on Jan 03 2006 11:37:12 AM |
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CabinCreek-Kentucky
True Blue Farmgirl
8529 Posts
Frannie
Green County
Kentucky
USA
8529 Posts |
Posted - Jan 03 2006 : 11:32:46 AM
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GOSH .. this magazine just goes on and on and on with incredible articles .. upcoming in the next days, we'll review and talk about: Root Cellars ... Carrie Lipe and her article on 'everyday people' .. with a great interview with Jane Stratton (Flower Farmgirl) ... Meg and her Keeping in Touch articles ... there is a very sweet photo of Meg on her wedding day with two precious little flower girls). Dirt Roads .. The Road Home .. Some Farmgirl feedback about the Premiere Issue of MaryJanes Farm Magazine ... Ardis Eckel and her interviews of female mail-order customers. (Ardis wrote the article on Miss Wilma and her stitcheries). ... MaryJane's SIMPLE SOLUTIONS .. Community Fundraising ... MaryJane Farmgirl ... Finding Each Other ... HORSESHOES ... MaryJane's HIstoric Barron Flour Mill ... Pay Dirt Farm School ... and oh my goodness .. jus' wait t'il we get to those yummy recipes that can be made with MaryJane's Farm Products! DOOOOOOOOOOOOOO ORDER THESE FROM THE FARM .. THEY ARE DELICIOUS AND SO GOOD FOR YOU!!!!! XO
True Friends, Frannie |
Edited by - CabinCreek-Kentucky on Jan 03 2006 11:35:47 AM |
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Rebekka Mae
True Blue Farmgirl
965 Posts
Rebekka
Moscow
ID
USA
965 Posts |
Posted - Jan 03 2006 : 11:46:07 AM
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Sue- I know about the hormones in milk- and the antibiotics! It is crazy- now Safeway has organic store brand milk and many 'mainstream companies' like Tillamook Cheeses and Sunnyside Dairy have banned hormones from their non- organic products. I can see that progress is being made and I am glad that mainstream stores are carrying organics but I am worried about big Ag companies running small producers out of business as they corner this market. What do you gals think? While it is SO important for Organics to be readily available and affordable can these big corporations really take care of the land and put good energy into their products or can this really only happen with small family farms? Are any of these big Corporations run by women who have a holistic approach, are the employees treated well so that the energy going into the food is positive? One nice solution is cooperatvies like the organic milk I buy- local but a nation wide 'face' for advertising purposes. I can't wait to hear what you think.
Rebekka |
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junebug
True Blue Farmgirl
2421 Posts
Sue
West Plains,
Mo.
USA
2421 Posts |
Posted - Jan 03 2006 : 11:55:45 AM
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Oh, don't get me started on antibiotics!! I share your concern Rebekka, and I'd like to think if organics got too popular that the big corporations will switch their operations over to the natural way and since Walmart now carries alot of organic products, they are just jumping on the band wagon to profit, buying from the small farmers will keep it alive.
" Aspire to Inspire before you Expire"
www.herbalfarmstead.blogspot.com
www.countrypleasures.motime.com |
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cajungal
True Blue Farmgirl
2349 Posts
Catherine Farmgirl Sister #76
Houston Area
Texas
2349 Posts |
Posted - Jan 03 2006 : 5:13:45 PM
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Pick me! Pick me! I'm jumping up and down like a kid waiting to be chosen for a team.
As soon as I read the first post by Frannie, I knew I wanted hop in. Then when I got to her prize offer....oh my....that's double icing on the cake. I will come and read here and get my posts in and hope they qualify.
Say a prayer....I've asked for the magazine subscription for my birthday in a few days. Money has been tight and my hubby and I did not exchange gifts at Christmas. I know it's a little soon after the holiday, but perhaps he'll surprise me.
Frannie, your pics are great....who needs the Food Channel?
Blessings!
Catherine
One of the best compliments from one of my daughters: "Moma, you smell good...like dirt." |
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Reading Room: MaryJane's Magazine 'reading club' |
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MaryJane's Magazine 'reading club'
