Thank you for dropping by my Raising Jane Journal to participate in my giveaways! We’ve chosen a winner for this giveaway already (click here for details), but don’t be afraid to leave a comment anyway. I love reading them. And stay tuned for more great MaryJanesFarm giveaways.
In the Apr/May issue of MaryJanesFarm, on newsstands March 6, you’ll see how Megan converted an old wicker bassinet into living-room picnic-gear storage that now holds a picnic quilt, a couple of pillows, and board games for the perfect indoor picnic.
In the photo above, you’ll see my MaryJane’s Home “”Busy Bee” quilt and pillow with my favorite patchwork shape, the hexagon. Why a hexagon? The hexagon, a shape that speaks the zen of the busy beehive or the wired manors of chickens (the oldest domesticated animal on Earth), symbolizes the unity and structure of the farmgirl life—a framework for the proper order of things, a pattern for life. In unwritten feminine language, it is a standard for farmgirls, or for that matter, the ordinary honeybee or the hen, rank and file workers that move the work along. It says that all things are to be done decently and in order, and that small things add up.
For a chance to win one of our “Busy Bee” twin quilts and matching 16″-square pillows, tell me all about your favorite picnic experience in the comments below. I’ll toss your name into a hat and draw a lucky winner sometime mid-May.
Stay tuned for more magazine-related giveaways. If you’re not yet a subscriber to my magazine, MaryJanesFarm, subscribe here for $19.95/year.
My one and only picnic memory was with my parents when i was 8. My parents had very little money and were always looking for ways to create memories, my dad was working two jobs and mom working one. They took us to Washington crossing park outside of Philadelphia. It was one of the few times my parents were relaxed, dad had a brownie camera and memorialized the moment. Soon after he was diagnosed with non Hodgkin’s lymphoma. It was a treasured memory from childhood
My favorite picnic was packing a big lunch and going to a scenic lookout with my girls and husband. It was so quiet and serene.
Loved taking my kids to Maymont Park in Richmond and taking a big picnic basket and old quilted blanket. Watching the kids play in the field and roll down the hill and play in the creek. What fun times they where and love quilts!
My favorite picnic memories were when I was between 4-5 years old, and we lived outside of Denver, Colorado. My dad loved to go find and explore ghost towns. My parents would pack up the International Scout with everything for day trips, including me and my 2 siblings and off we would go. I don’t think bologna sandwiches and Kool-Aid ever tasted better!!
My favorite picnic memory was almost 38 years ago! My boyfriend, who is now my husband, and I took a picnic lunch to a beautiful park. In an effort to impress me, my boyfriend offered to open a bag of chips. Well he definitely made an impression when he used a bit more strength than necessary and sent chips flying everywhere when he opened the bag! Imagine our surprise when all the local ducks came waddling across the park to help themselves!
My family always does a picnic challenge every year. The goal to have a least one picnic outside every month. A few of them last all day and some are very quick, but it is always fun.
Most people have their picnics for lunch, but not my grandmother. No, we had our picnic in the evening, (out of three hundred acres!) on the corner by the dirt roadside. Fried chicken, homemade pickles, fresh bread and butter, and of course fresh squeezed lemonade, there was probably a turn over (homemade of course) but I don’t remember. What I do remember is “the why” we had an evening picnic on the roadside corner of three hundred acres! Scary stories!
Favorite picnic would probably be right in my backyard. Slowing down to read and watch my girls run around the yard.
I remember my favorite picnic was from my first year being married. It had been raining for days and days and so my husband surprised me with a picnic on the floor of our apartment…he even cut out white clouds from paper so it would look more cheery!
My favorite picnic with friends and my husband before we were married. We decided to make spaghetti. So on a public park bbq pit we tried boiling water in a rather large pot for about 10. Water doesn’t boil on a low heat coal bbq. Nothing like eating spaghetti that was cooked in medium hot water forever. Just so yum and very memorable! Needless to say us ladies didn’t have cooking skills never the less camping skills cooking.
I love to picnic along the Blue Ridge Parkway in The Mountains of North Carolina. As soon as we have a warm day, we jump in the Camaro to head to Valle Crucis to eat in the town park followed by cruising on mountain roads. Heaven!
Our family picnics on Memorial Day, Fourth of July, and Labor Day when anywhere from 25 to 150 family and friends gathered at my parents farm for a day long picnic. Lunch was potluck and dinner hotdogs and hamburgers on the grill, whatever was leftover from lunch, and watermelon. The best times of my life!
My favorite picnic was the first picnic I ever had with my husband. A bug flew in his ear and I had to pour sparkling apple juice in his ear to get it to come out! Unforgettable for sure.
Best picnic experience was with my kids when they were little, impromptu finger foods and just pure relaxing & a getaway!
We were picnicking in the northwest meadow, and our yellow lab, JoJo was so enthralled by the smell of the cocktails we had made that she kept climbing over us trying to get a lick! We were cracking up.
My favorite picnic experience was as a young child, each Memorial Day, our family would gather together for a reunion on the property of our great aunts who owned a farm that also housed the animals for the local 4H club. I can remember the purple bull licking my hand with his sandpaper like tongue. Also, I recall the lovely farmhouse filled with antique furniture and quilts. Today I still own a few of the quilts that were given to me.
Good food, everyone’s special dish as well as being surrounded by family I saw only once a year . . . In each of their faces was a piece of my past, present and future.
Growing up our family’s favorite picnic spot was across Kimbasket lake where we went by boat during the construction of the Mica Dam. There were miles of white sandy beaches with a fresh creek running through the middle. One time on the way over a storm came up so we took shelter under an umbrella of washed out tree roots and enjoyed a tasty lunch around a toasty fire. Life is nothing if not one big adventure.
In our family, picnics are a type of therapy; re-connecting and strengthening our ties to the Earth which sustains us and to one another, and slowing down to soak it all in. We’ve taken our picnics in all seasons, some of the best in the most remote and sacred places, where humans are far, far away. But one of the most memorable was when we took the kids and our beloved Golden Retriever on a Father’s Day picnic. It was the early 1980’s, and our local National Park, (Sleeping Bear), was still so young that only us locals knew the deer trails to reach our favorites places. As we climbed to a favorite bluff overlooking Good Harbor Bay, found that the mosquitoes were also enjoying the woods there, and everyone began to fuss. We hate using nasty chemicals & had no bug spray along, but my husband pulled out the home-made salami from our picnic food, slapped a slice on everyone’s forehead, and assured the kids this would work – the garlic & spices would keep the bugs away. It actually worked, and we laughed so hard as we continued on that we got some very concerned looks from a group of hikers we met on our ascent. Some of our best memories are of our wonderful family picnic adventures, pieced together like a patchwork of love, and bringing us joy always and forever.
That is a real cute story MJ. I will have to try it if we ever run into mosquitoes again.
Great memories of family picnics using vintage picnic baskets, purchased over the years, for my daughters, niece, Goddaughter etc. We all get a kick out of guessing how old the vintage baskets are, and seeing what each of us brought to share.
Over 30 years ago when my husband and I were courting, we enjoyed picnicking on the bluffs overlooking the Straits of Juan de Fuchs at Fort Worden State Park in Port Townsend, WA where we worked. He’s a retired State Parks ranger now!
I always take a quilt or two on our picnics as well as my Vintage Picnic Basket full of all our dishes etc. Let’s see my favorite picnic memory, I believe it was when our Son who now 42 was a little boy and we took him on his first picnic and I taught him how to fish. Oh the fun we had.
Thank you so much for the Quilt give away it is Beautiful.
Farmgirl Hugs,
Deborah
#1582
My Granddaughter and I went to our pond for a picnic. We made our own peanut butter and jelly sandwiches, and other items as well. But while there, I took a picture of her hand on mine, and I cherish that picture and day!
My youngest daughter who at the time was 3 or 4, loved eating her lunch with her Mama sitting in the grass under the clothesline.
My favorite picnic…I have many. With my husband when were dating, with our dear friends before they moved to France and with my sweet kiddos on Mother’s Day.
When I was a little girl, my grandma and cousin went to church with us every Sunday. Some of my best memories are when daddy would ask grandma…”Mama, what are you fixing for lunch today?”…I knew then, we were going on a picnic. We would go home after church, change clothes and box up our food and grandma would box up hers…..we would go to a roadside park about five miles away, they had picnic tables and a running stream. We would eat, wade in the water and make memories to last a lifetime!
My favorite picnic memory is of taking my family down to Key Biscayne, snorkeling, climbing a lighthouse, and touring the park before eating. Definitely a golden day.
I have many picnic memories with our 2 children and my husband and myself. But the one that stands out in my mind is a special one. Our son and daughter had chicken pox and we could not attend our annual church picnic. So, I made us a picnic lunch and we all went to a creek and fished and had a wonderful, fun-filled day. Awesome! And I caught the biggest fish!
My dad used to take the four of us kids camping and fishing for a few days every summer. My mother did not like the outdoors, so she never came, which meant that at some point on the three hour drive to my dad’s favorite lake, we’d stop by a gas station and stock up on chips, candy, and Coca Cola to go with the bologna sandwiches and apples she’d pack for our trip. Then we’d pull off into a shady rest area and dig into all the junk food we weren’t normally allowed to eat. We’d finish up by throwing away all the evidence and kicking around a soccer ball to stretch our legs. I’m sure my mom knew we were getting spoiled rotten, but she never asked, and not one of us ever let on. We loved our Dad-only fishing trips!
We went to a local plantation that has beautiful maintained gardens. We had the picnic in back of daddy’s pickup. Played games and hiked the trails.
Wonderful picnic memories in the mountains of Colorado when my kids were very small! We had an antique picnic basket, and the girls knew when they saw it on the kitchen counter, we were going on a picnic! An old blanket and lots of peanut butter sandwiches! Off we would go for an afternoon of exploring and lots of laughs!! Thank you for refreshing those lovely memories!! My girls are now in their 30’s!
who wouldn’t want to win such a beautiful busy bee quilt? I know I would love this
quilt in my home. I am one who appreciates all works of quilt making. I love fabrics of any kind. I enjoy the time when I get it to sew any project that I am working one.
I will pray that the one chosen for this prize will cherish it forever! I am sure there is
an inside label of who made it and the pattern history chosen.
Sincerely, Winnie Jackson
My husband and I bought a 100 year Victorian home. Well into three years of working almost non stop, one of the last projects was building a screened in back porch. Upon completion I grabbed my favorite picnic basket and sat on the floor of the porch on one of our quilts, looking over our beautiful home. We grilled some hotdogs and baked beans and wiped the sweat, dirt and paint off our faces. Well done we thought eating the best hotdog ever! Home Sweet Home!
My favorite picnic memories are with Gramma. Any time I went to stay at her house, we would eat outside under the big oak tree, sometimes on a blanket or at the picnic table. I really believed she just loved being outdoors in the fresh air and sunshine. I miss her but have many happy memories!!
Ohhhh how pretty!! Is the cow art a fabric piece also?
Here at the Poor House Ranch we have picnics about once a month…even in the winner months. It’s always fun to grab whatever is in the fridge or pantry and head outside to get some fresh air. Sometimes we are bundled up and other times we are basking in the warm sunshine. Anytime is a good time. I remember once when we finished working cows…giving shots and tagging and tattooing……all of us had a spot under the big tree. We were exhausted after working close to 100 head of cattle. Momma brought out “samitches” and drinks and we enjoyed a late lunch. We all laughed at the ornery cows and their issues. Everyone had nice comments about the sweet babies. Then one by one we all ran down to the lake and jumped in. It was a really hot day and we were all dirty. It was a wonderful day here on the ranch.
I have sweet childhood memories of having picnics with my parents and other family members at Meramec Springs. It’s a beautiful area with a trout farm, cold water in the river that made for cool breezes, and lots of trees for shade. There’s an old Iron Works there from the 1800’s that made for great exploration and imagination. It brings me warm fuzzies to think of family gatherings there. It’s one of life’s events that was so important but at the time we took it all for granted.
Fishing on the creek bank on my grandpas farm in Olathe Kansas. Great food and a great fish dinner!
In the summer of 1975 my five children ranging in age from 5 to 12 and I packed a picnic lunch and hiked about a quarter mile thru the pasture, over a small creek to my father-in-law’s old home place. It was nice and shady under a tree where we had just spread out a quilt and put out our lunch when we heard a familiar sound (cows) which would have been ok except the bull was standing guard of his harem. We did not know the cows had been turned into that pasture. I told the children to run as fast as they could while i gathered the food and shook the quilt around a little. Thankfully the cows just watched as I made my exit. When we got home we were exhausted and not too hungry. When we all get together that picnic story always comes up for the 17 grands and great-grands to laugh about.
My picnic memory would be family reunions in the park end of May. Great food,games and an opportunity to see cousins, aunts and uncles,grandparents and neighbors and enjoy a wonderful day.
Family reunion picnics as a child were so much fun. Water balloon contests, candy toss and miscellaneous games. I doubt anyone in this generation knows “Red Rover”. The host and hostess always provided the meat dish and everyone else brought side dishes and dessert. Homemade beans, potato salad…….yum! Day was topped off with watermelon that had been chilled in metal washtubs.
I can remember my mother packing up a picnic lunch for the two of us and driving down a country lane to park while we ate. Afterwards she would pull out her sketch pad and draw whatever we were near. Her favorite was old barns.
My grandkids come to visit on special occasions and during the summer. They LOVE to have impromptu picnics. Their favorite is peanut butter and jelly with a cold glass of chocolate milk on a blanket spread on the front lawn under an oak tree. Even though they have to push the chickens off and shoo the dogs away, that is still their favorite place for a picnic. We always do some type of craft afterwards and they love it. They always ask me, “Can we have a picnic this week”. I always say, “Yes, how about now?” Good memories!!
Mary Jane,
The best memories of picnics for me was when my “Dear ol’ Dad” was still alive.
My parents bought property and built their retirement home in the river valley’s of southeastern Minnesota. Mom and dad would call and say, “Let’s meet for a picnic at lock and dam number ___!”
So, my husband and I would quick throw a simple picnic together (usually peanut butter and jelly sandwiches) and start heading south along the river to meet my folks for an impromptu picnic along the beautiful Mississippi river.
We visited a number of different lock and dams over the years, including wayside rest stops, and scenic overlooks…each time enjoying the simple pleasure of family, nature and picnic lunches.
These were very special times and lifelong memories were made.
Some may say it’s CRAZY to jump in the car and drive a few hours for a picnic lunch, but I have to say, my Dear ol’ Dad has been gone for 7 long years now. I’d do just about anything to be able to have just one more impromptu picnic with him.
Thank you for reminding me if such precious memories!
My favorite picnic memories are the dinner picnics my daughters set up in the summer on our front lawn. They invite their neighborhood friends to bring food, too!
My Husband and I had adopted a beagle from a rescue on Nov 11, 2006. The journey to and fro the adoption event had been quite eventful… getting lost on the way to adoption, rain started to pour, adoption successful, hitting a pothole on the way home, tire went flat, got tow truck only to be delayed because the Police Dept had priority, Tire Store was due to close, we’re in strange town, rain is still pouring, tire store stayed open just for us. In the end, everything was fixed and we got on our way home safely.
Every year we celebrate Veterans’ Day with a picnic because our family was complete with our Abigail the Beagle and We are also Veterans. We go to different parks each year which Abigail enjoy checking out all the new scents.
You just can’t beat a summer picnic at Lake Tahoe, in Aug. The beach, family, friends, guitars, singing, kids playing, beautiful sunsets, paddle board, kayak, a glass of wine or cold beer and a wonderful array of food. Ahhhh, lovely.
Our most memorable “picnic” was while fall camping with our 5 year old daughter in Algonquin Park. The campground was nearly deserted the week after labor day and we had our little campfire and were joined by a sweet Canadian man and his young son who brought us delicious fish they caught and cooked. It was the best fish I have ever had (except for the halibut in Alaska, that is). The smell of the woods and the fire, the perfect offerings of strangers, all made for the best picnic experience ever.
My husband, our kids and I do impromptu picnics all the time. My favorite so far was last summer we took a day trip to the beach and had a picnic. It was beautiful and simple.
Going to lake of the ozark state park with my parents, later my children, taking fried chicken, potato salad, etc, swimming and having fun, just being together!
My mother was raised on a family farm outside Belfast,N Ireland, my father, as a 6th generation California on a family orange ranch in East Highland, CA. They met in Belfast during WWII. Between my ages of 8-17yrs, we lived in France & Spain. Visiting my Irish grannies farm was always a treat, & retuning to CA on an occasional Christmas holidays was a contrast in cultures, farming & ranching.
In 2006 our youngest daughter ran a marathon in Dublin. I wanted her & one of her older brothers to see where I had spent my summers & where their great- grandmother’s home. It was the first of Nov. & we were staying at a working farm outside of Belfast. The proprietor of the farm served a lovely farmer breskfast with the largest & tastiest raspberries we’d ever had! I asked her where she had purchased such gems. She responded that she’d gotten them in their little local grocery, & I mean Little! The town was about 3 blocks long if that! She said, “wait a wee minute, I’ll go bring out the packaging. She returned with a plastic book with a label that said “Grown in Watsonville, CA!! About 24 miles from our home in Cupertino, CA home of Apple Computer!
No matter where we roam, farms & farmers are gracious and wonderful in providing us with good, healthy fruit and wonderful memories!
Mom’s home made potato salad , family time together at Phalen Park, in MN. 60 years ago, a dear memory !!