is a certified farmgirl at heart. She’s happily married to her beach bum Yankee husband of 20 years. She went from career gal to being a creative homeschooling mom for two of her biggest blessings and hasn’t looked back since. Debbie left her lifelong home in the high desert of Northern Nevada 10 years ago and washed up on the shore of America’s hometown, Plymouth, MA, where she and her family are now firmly planted. They spend part of each summer in a tiny, off–grid beach cottage named “The Sea Horse.”
“I found a piece of my farmgirl heart when I discovered MaryJanesFarm. Suddenly, everything I loved just made more sense! I enjoy unwinding at the beach, writing, gardening, and turning yard-sale furniture into ‘Painted Ladies’ I’m passionate about living a creative life and encouraging others to ‘make each day their masterpiece.’”
is a “MaryJane Farmgirl” who lives in a large metropolitan area. She is a lawyer who has worked in both criminal defense and prosecution. She has been a judge, a business woman and a stay-at-home mom. In addition to her law degree, she has a Masters of Theological Studies.
“Mustering up the courage to do the things you dream about,” she says, “is the essence of being a MaryJane Farmgirl.” Learning to live more organically and closer to nature is Rebekah’s current pursuit. She finds strength and encouragement through MaryJane’s writings, life, and products. And MaryJane’s Farmgirl Connection provides her a wealth of knowledge from true-blue farmgirls.
an old-fashioned farmgirl with a pioneer spirit, lives in the White Mountains of New Hampshire. As a “lifelong learner” in the “Live-Free-or-Die” state, she fiercely values self-reliance, independence, freedom, and fresh mountain air. Married to her childhood sweetheart of 40+ years (a few of them “uphill climbs”), she’s had plenty of time to reinvent herself. From museum curator, restaurant owner, homeschool mom/conference speaker, to post-and-beam house builder and entrepreneur, she’s also a multi-media artist, with an obsession for off-grid living and alternative housing. Cathi owns and operates a 32-room mountain lodge. Her specialty has evolved to include “hermit hospitality” at her rustic cabin in the mountains, where she offers weekend workshops of special interest to women.
“Mountains speak to my soul, and farming is an important part of my heritage. I want to pass on my love of these things to others through my writing. Living in the mountains has its own particular challenges, but I delight in turning them into opportunities from which we can all learn and grow.”
Dori Troutman is the daughter of second generation cattle ranchers in New Mexico. She grew up working and playing on the ranch that her grandparents homesteaded in 1928. That ranch, with the old adobe home, is still in the family today. Dori and her husband always yearned for a ranch of their own. That dream came true when they retired to the beautiful green rolling hills of Tennessee. Truly a cattleman’s paradise!
Dori loves all things farmgirl and actually has known no other life but that. She loves to cook, craft, garden, and help with any and all things on their cattle farm.
describes herself as a goat charmer, chicken whisperer, bee maven, and farmers’ market baker renovating an 1864 farmhouse on an Ohio farm. With a degree in Design, Mary says small-town auctions and country road barn sales "always make my heart skip a beat thinking about what I could create or design out of what I’ve seen.”
Rooted in the countryside, she likes simple things and old ways … gardening, preserving the harvest, cooking, baking, and all things home. While you might find her selling baked goods from the farm’s milkhouse, teaching herself to play the fiddle, or sprucing up a vintage camper named Maizy, you will always find her in an apron!
Mary says, “I’m happiest with the simple country pleasures … an old farmhouse, too many animals, a crackling fire, books to read, and the sound of laughter … these make life just perfect.”
is a budding rural farmgirl living in Palmer, the agricultural seat of Alaska. Alex is a graduate student at Alaska Pacific University pursuing an M.S. in Outdoor and Environmental Education. She lives and works on the university’s 700 acre environmental education center, Spring Creek Farm. When Alex has time outside of school, she loves to rock climb, repurpose found objects, cross-country ski on the hay fields, travel, practice yoga, and cook with new-fangled ingredients.
Alex grew up near the Twin Cities and went to college in Madison, Wisconsin—both places where perfectly painted barns and rolling green farmland are just a short drive away. After college, she taught at a rural middle school in South Korea where she biked past verdant rice paddies and old women selling home-grown produce from sidewalk stoops. She was introduced to MaryJanesFarm after returning, and found in it what she’d been searching for—a group of incredible women living their lives in ways that benefit their families, their communities, and the greater environment. What an amazing group of farmgirls to be a part of!
Suburban Farmgirl Nicole Christensen calls herself a “vintage enthusiast”. Born and raised in Texas, she has lived most of her life in the picturesque New England suburbs of Connecticut, just a stone’s throw from New York State. An Advanced Master Gardener, she has gardened since childhood, in several states and across numerous planting zones. In addition, she teaches knitting classes, loves to preserve, and raises backyard chickens.
Married over thirty years to her Danish-born sweetheart, Nicole has worked in various fields, been a world-traveler, an entrepreneur and a homemaker, but considers being mom to her now-adult daughter her greatest accomplishment. Loving all things creative, Nicole considers her life’s motto to be “Bloom where you are planted”.
You go girl! Sounds like spring has finally sprung! You have some fun things to look forward to! I think we’ve all felt like you do at times. Over commited and over done but in the end, happy! Life is for the living!
Deb~
I seem to be buried this spring also. Started too many projects, agreed to some fun new classes and get together with new friends. Just receive 15 little chicks in the mail. You can see them on my blog, brtowsleyblogs.blogspot.com. A lot of gardening to do also. I would love one the old campers it would be loads of fun. I’m in Michigan, what is your trip for? A little chilly here right now hoping for the warm up soon!
And thank you so much for organizing this wonderful weekend. I am so looking forward to it.
It’s a vicious cycle, we get a few extra early weeks of Spring and what do we do, fill them to the hilt!! Ha! We sure get a lot accomplished but like you said we are scheduling summer already! lol Keep on truckin!
Whew! I am exshausted,,, and I am only reading your sweet comments! lol!
OK Girlie,,,are you ready for us? Cuz Prosser….here we come!
Wagons HO!
Se ya tomorrow! Wahoo & Yipee ki ya!
>^..^<
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Rene,Wow,wish I could come,and I thought I was busy!I would love to met you and all of your friends.good luck,blessed be,carol Branum
Your life surely is blessed with the family and friends that you have around you.
Spring?? Who said that it was spring? It is snowing here today. Someday it will get to our part of the woods.
Sounds like a wonderful week end with you and your friends. Would love to be there.
I will wave as I pass by, I’m going to Walla Walla.
Reading what you write brings back so many memories growing up in the Walla Walla area.
Hope to meet you one of these days.
Wish I could be closer to all that activity.Things are busy at work.Fields are being ready for planting but the fun stuff doesn’t happen till the fall.Have a great time for me.
I was imagining all these fun things you were describing. I like the idea of forming a human snake down the middle of the street. What fun and what special memories you had as a young girl. Now you will help create new memories for so many people 🙂 🙂 That’s wonderful. I love the photos too 🙂
You have some Fun times planned Rene’…
Good for You…!
and…
It’s always a good feeling to see Traditions, like your "Snake Dance" live on ‘eh…
GodSpeed to Y’all…!
Gary
in Tampa
Rene’, I know the feeling! You do it with such grace and forebearance that we would never know how truly busy you are except for the fact that we get to reap the fruits of your labors! As for me it has been busy too, but, I wouldn’t have missed the fun of "doin up the barn" and all the suppers together planning for the world. Can’t hardly wait for the weekend. Yee Haw!
Oh, Rene I want a vintage trailer, I really do. My Dad had an Airstream when I was very young & I have been enchanted ever since…am still trying to convince Paul on this one : ) Hope you are keeping up with it all; at least it’s good, fun stuff!
V
PS I’m hoping for a before and after post on your vintage trailer…are you going to paint it on the outside like the ones in the MJF magazine?!?
Wow, you keep busy! It’s wonderful to read, as busy as one gets, the enjoyment and laughter along the way even when, "all in a days work". Enjoyed poppin in and reading your blog!!
Rebecca
I will repeat what everyone has said..Wow, you are busy! When and where are you going to be at in Michigan? I live in the what we Michiganders call the "thumb" of Michigan and would love to meet up with you if you have time, which after reading this you don’t have much of it…LOL!
Love the Coop and want one!!!! Still in the city, but soon to hightail it. I had baerrd rock in my backyard in the suburb here and I board a horse a little ways away. That’s a start. WMAO to be able to afford it someday (soon!)