The adorable, always humorous MBA Jane is my way of honoring our Sisterhood Merit Badge program, now with 6,269 dues-paying members who have earned an amazing number of merit badges so far—8,908 total! Take it away, MBA Jane!!! MJ
Wondering who I am? I’m Merit Badge Awardee Jane (MBA Jane for short). In my former life …
For this week’s Each Other/Farmgirl Jubilee Beginning Level Merit Badge, I brewed myself a cuppa, baked a few current scones (with clotted cream, guv’nr), kept me eyes peeled for a sighting of the Tardis (my childhood dream of being Doctor Who’s new companion has never died), and read all about HM Queen Elizabeth II’s Diamond Jubilee of 2012.
What a bash. It was positively smashing and brilliant. (Crikey, I love British idioms. Wait. Crikey is more Down Under, isn’t it? Well, that’s a bit barmy of me, but no matter.) The British know how to do a jubilee, I tell you what. The peasants (do we still call them that?) camped out in the rain to be a part of this celebration, so you know it was a party worth going to. Like Woodstock, only way more posh. A party 60 years in the making, in fact. Cheeky!
Photo by Richard Symonds via Wikimedia Commons
Lest you think this all a bunch of codswallop or that I’m off my trolley, check it out here.
Just reading about it has me knackered, but I was determined to earn this badge. It turns out that a jubilee is a basically an anniversary celebration of … well, just about anything. Want to commemorate the first anniversary of your first Badge? Have a jubilee! Feel like marking the fifth birthday of hosting your very own grownup dinner party? It’s jubilee time!
Photo, Tsuchiura Fireworks Display by peaceful-jp-scenery via Flickr
For me, the hard part wasn’t planning a party. I mean, come on, luv, I’m the princess of parties. I have the cocktail dress to prove it (a becoming little black chiffon with a flounce to die for). The hard part was deciding what to celebrate. There’s just so much good in this farmgirl’s life …
Then I had it. I could host another Organic Dinner Party for my friends and family, and incorporate some of the other farmgirl elements: a reusable bag swap perhaps, or an evening of candlemaking (right after our course of bangers and mash … or maybe bubbles and squeak … hold the blood pudding)?
Of course, my jubilee didn’t need to be British … but I was kind of hooked. Line and sinker. Which reminds me of fish and chips. Luvvly jubbly, gals.
I got to work planning my jubilee and even included an invite for the Doctor.
Doctor Who?
Just wish I knew where to mail it.
I have been working on the other parts of my Jubilee beginner badge, and I am almost done. I decided to add reading Jubilee Trail as part of it since I am the one who created the badge and wanted something a bit different to do. Plus, I had to make and finish my two giveaways. The book is so intriguing. Talk about bravery. Garnet shows that spirit of women who took on the challenge to go out of their comfort zones and see new places and do new things. An original Farmgirl right out of New York City! My goal is to finish the book and submit my work this week before I board the plane for France next Monday morning. Oh, la, la!
I look forward to receiving your badge Winnie!
Also, travel mercies!
I have been having such fun doing my beginner level of this badge and I can’t wait to finish and submit. It has been swirling through my head, while doing this, that Jubilee celebrations are really about the culmination of hard work, risk, creativity, and dogged determination in the face of defeat. It seems like that is at the heart of our MJF celebration of your business. You did all of the work and we are just cashing in on the fun and celebration, so to speak. For my badge, I wanted it to reflect a bit of my year as FSOTY efforts. In a teeny, tiny way, this year has been a sort of Jubilee for me: a culmination of 6 years of MJF reading, musing, trying out, sharing, risk taking (meeting Kellie and helping her with her business), frustration(learning new skills in embroidery, sewing and knitting inspired by your Ideas book), growing, and rethinking how I wish to live my life. I am very much just at the Beginning Badge Level, but finishing my first level represents something big for me. I want it to be a reflection of my take on a Jubilee celebration as FSOTY: what I have learned, what I have accomplished, where I am going, and what exciting possibilities lie ahead. I figure if you asked me to write a badge, it means I owe you an honest effort to show how one lucky Farmgirl gained a new book in her life full of chapters both written and full of empty pages to fill. After all, badges are just the basics of a topic. What counts is the work to set a foundation on which to grow and learn more. And at 63, celebrating Jubilees are very special and important. Especially when you have the prettiest pinafore apron ever to wear!!!
It’s a quiet Sunday here–a good day to reflect. What you wrote is triggering a comforting look-back kind of day for me also.
Ah winnie , Paris/France in the springtime- it doesn’t get better than that!! I am so envious and wish you a wonderful time there. Hope you get to Provence. On my bucket list is to see and smell the fields of lavender growing there.
bon voyage!!
Love all your Britishisms MaryJane ! I watch alot of british tv via the internet and I love their slang. Like knackered, do you know what a knacker is ? it is the person who comes to pick up and process dead livestock from farms. hence the word.
Guv’ner is the name of your boss. And my favorite is ” barking” as in he is “barking mad” ie crazy but usually they just say” barking” , luv it! and calling everyone LUV is great too.
Just celebrate your very organic and green lifestyle MaryJane ! you do it in spades !