.
The continual thought in the back of mind for some time now has been, Simplify. I have this painted door in my guest bedroom with that word on it, and the thought has become more and more important to me.
Continue reading
-
Debbie Bosworth
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.’”
Rebekah Teal
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.
Cathi Belcher
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
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.
Mary Murray
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.”
Alexandra Wilson
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!
Nicole Christensen
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”.
enjoyed your simpler joys in life! I’m always looking for new antique places to visit in TN, what area were you referring to for your home town, if you don’t mind me asking. I’m in the middle TN area. thanks!
Hi Denise,
The town nearest to us is Fayetteville. We have the greatest town square. Numerous Antique stores. If you visit, be sure to go to His and Hers… it’s my favorite store! Right off the square, you can’t miss it. It is small but they have the greatest selection and prices. I never leave there without something!
Where in Middle Tennessee do you live?
– Dori –
thank you for the information I’ll have to go there and check them out some Saturday. I live in the Smyrna area north of Murfreesboro. Have you been to Woodbury, TN? they have a nice selection of antique stores too. I just found them a couple of months ago and want to go back later on. also, if you ever get to Dickson, TN they have some good ones too and one more to tell you about is in Clarksville, TN called Miss Lucille’s. thanks again!
I’ve never been to Woodbury, but the funny thing is that someone else mentioned it to me recently. So I think it is worth a trip! 🙂 I had actually looked it up on my GPS to see how far it was. So someday I will do that! Our square in Fayetteville is so nice because it is really an active, happening place. Great places to eat and lots of shops. You can easily spend a day.
Oh Dori, love this post! I was giggling the whole way through, thinking “me too”, “me too”…LOVE THE KITCHEN!
And you and ‘your girls’? Beautiful…those are your sisters, right? Three beauties! And the precious grandbabies? You are so blessed.
If we lived closer…can you imagine the trouble we could stir up? Crafting, sewing…
Someday we all have to meet up! Farmgirl Hugs, Nicole
Nicole,
What a sweet compliment – my sisters! 🙂 Love those girls of mine.
Oh, wouldn’t we have fun? I’m working (in my mind anyway) on a way to have a meet-up!
– Dori –
Hi Dori,
Not much to say but a heartfelt echo of all you just shared. Your posts make me smile every time.
Happy summer!
Colleen
Thank you Colleen. I miss you!
– Dori –
Beautiful baby calf! We raise Herefords too! Always enjoy your posts and your photos- I especially loved your kitchen.
Meridith,
Yes, I pretty much love my kitchen. It’s a toss up between the kitchen and my craft room on where I spend the most time! 🙂 Likely the kitchen.
Thanks for writing!
– Dori –
Hi Dori,
My fav’s are: Sunrise over a hay or wheat field in the Summer, Sunsets at the Ocean and New Mexico, the red rock in Bryce cannon. The smell of new mown hay or grass, homemade bread just out of the oven, books that not only hold my attention but also make me laugh out loud, fresh juicy Tomato, peony’s in bloom, roses that still smell wonderful, my dog Sophie giving me her “I love you” soft eyes, the smell of puppies, the smell of horses that have been running free and come in for grain, and friends like you.
Hugs and blessings
Karen
Hello Kay, Good to hear from you!
I love all those things too. And I got a sudden feeling of “homesickness” when you mentioned the red rock of Bryce Canyon. Where we lived in Utah was only 20 or so miles (as the crow flies, not on any roads!) from Bryce Canyon. You could see some of the red hoodoos not far from our house. Sometimes I miss it. Mostly I’m happy to be away from the hot, dry climate… but sometimes I DO miss it.
Happy Fourth to you and your sweet Sophie!
Hugs, dear friend.
– Dori –
Oh my what a fun time I had today – you tweaked my thinking of ‘Simplifying’ – I have tried twice now in the last 10 years, once when I moved from my home of 42 years and just last month in my home of 10 years. I LOVE crafting, antique-ing well just all that you wrote about and I too have to stop because there are so many other wonderful things that God has provided me. Thanks for bringing on the thinking. There is a new group of ‘country girl crafters’ starting to get together so maybe a new Mary Jane’s country girl group – oh so fun to LIVE!!! the country life. God bless
Dear Joan,
Thank for your sweet comment. Simplifying is so difficult to do. I’ve noticed how much easier it makes life when I keep the clutter down! But every now and then I have to go through my “stuff” again and de-clutter!
A country girl crafters group would be so much fun. There are so many neat things to do together.
Thanks again,
– Dori –
Thanks for the email today! I used to paint furniture and fun signs like yours, but in 12/13 I was with my 91 year old Mom….she was very active …she tripped on a curb and fractured her skull and died 12 days later. I suddenly had three extra homes plus 4 more vehicles and a lot of responsibilities . I was overwhelmed…,put away my knitting and my art toys and gave myself to shock, grief and responsibility . The first year was hell and I missed my craft, but the inspirations were gone. Now after a year and a half, I am starting to “come back’….,life is hectic, but we are in a new home, a new lifestyle ( living in the country and growing grapes for wineries) and still trying to part with several houses’ worth of treasures ( you will not see me on hoarders).
I have been reading your blogs and it is as if I am hanging out with a good friend. The signs and your favorite things today…I feel as if I have turned a corner and creativity was awaken. Now making plans for a studio !!!
Thank you for inspiring me.
I’m baaaaack
Love to you
Kate
Dear Kate,
Your comment really meant a lot to me.
Life can give us some really tough things to deal with and losing your mother so quickly and so tragically would be very shattering. I can’t imagine what you’ve been through.
Thank you for reading my posts and I’m so thankful they make you feel like you’ve got a good friend – I’m thankful continually for the friends I’ve met here.
Make a sign for your “studio-in-the-plans”!!! And then email me a picture!
Tight hugs,
– Dori –
Amen.