GoodGollyMissMolly! Things ’round this outfit have been busier than usual. Must be the close of a season – as in the door officially slammed shut. There are still several things I/we need to do before winter sets in. One of the ‘check list’ assignments was to take senior photos for a young friend [Jessica] during her favorite season … Fall. Here is one – taken on a high bluff at the family ranch. C’mon in to see the rest and some of the other ‘ranchy’ goings on … in every nook & cranny.
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”.
Shery,
Love your house and love seeing the prairie. I live in SE Ohio in the hills of Hocking County and enjoy seeing your wide open spaces. I wish I could say my house looks as nice as yours. I am too afraid to make a mistake so just leave it as is. You inspire me.
Ok so we’re in the Santa Cruz mountains in California so we need firewood. Only one night cold enough so far to build a fire. I need to clean out my pantry before the holidays. Mine is an old pie safe with screen doors actually made out of packing crates. Hem my new curtains and maybe paint the stair case. My husband wants me to stencil "Duck, Duck, Goose on the lower steps because our first story has lower than normal ceilings. We don’t have snow like you do so we can still do stuff outdoors except when it rains:)
Love the pictures! thank you for sharing, but have to find out where your daughter got the long black coat or did you make it?
My list is always longer than I can expect to get done. I put it away for a while because we are getting ready for my hubs parents 50th anniversary and decided just to mostly keep my mind on that and give myself a break from waking up at night stressing about my long list. I have decided that sometimes it is nice just to do things as I see them and not worry about the rest for a while. The Christmas season is coming up and there will be plenty back on a list soon enough. Love all you decor and finds. I canned beets for the first time this year. I have found I will need to grow quite a few more next year because I only ended up with 5 pints. We did roast some in the oven to eat also. Well just taking a break from some business of Grands visiting so back to my task at hand. Hope you get another Glamping trip in!
Shery,
Wow! You are one busy lady. I’ve been reading your blog for awhile now and am so impressed with all you do. At the top of my list these days is fixing up my 1955 12′ Lakewood Camper…she’s a cute little thing that needs some TLC, luckily my hubby is "into it" (he actually surprised me with it a few weeks ago, which is "surprising" considering he gave me much grief about wanting a vintage camper for the past few years). Seeing you and your gals glamping it up just makes me want to get it done that much sooner…I can’t wait!! Our first trip in it will be to the beach, so my hubby can surf/rest/surf/rest…and being that we are in SoCal we can take her out as soon as she’s done. 🙂
Looking forward to your next post,
♥Kerri
Shery, Your cows are magnificent, your little friend beautiful, even your chickens are goregous!!! Do you ever just sit back and take a deep breath and take it all in? How blessed you are!!! And when do you get to bring the new baby home? I can’t wait!!!!
You continually inspire me, I don’t know how you do it all and with such a warm and gracious spirit. I always feel like I can barely keep up and taking time away from the farm always sets me behind, not to mention the milk that starts adding up quickly….. Thanks for all you share and how amazing a job you do of that. The photos you take and show are stunning!
Stole your stolen idea for hanging a quilt. I had the saw and did not know where to put it. Thank you.
Love your guest room. It is lovely.