Author Archives: maryjane

WINNERS!!! Giveaway: Picnic Quilt

The winners of our “Busy Bee Quilt, Le Picnic” giveaway are:

DeAnna Hoyt-Zoeller, who said in response to our question, “Tell me all about your favorite picnic experience.”:

“Our favorite picnic is at the beach. Blanket spread out on the sand, not too far from the waves, with our favorite sandwiches and iced tea to go with it. Of course, having the beach umbrella is always helpful. The kids love to gather shells and sea glass while the hubby and I soak up the rays. Such a gorgeous quilt! I love the idea of a bassinet for a picnic basket, fabulous!!”

and Dolly Sarrio, who posted:
“Love the quilt and pillow! Let’s see a picnic that stands out in my mind. As teenagers, a group of us decided to go to a state park. Guy and girls, and it was a fun time. I fried chicken and made potato salad, of course. One of the girls decided that her boyfriend was paying me and my picnic basket too much attention. (Little did she know he just loved my fried chicken … lol). She brought boiled eggs, so she politely walked up to us and threw a few of her boiled eggs in the shell at him …. Funny stuff! Truthfully, the most important picnics were held underneath a Weeping Willow in our back yard with my babies and the kitty cats. We did that almost daily when they were young.”

Congratulations, DeAnna and Dolly! Watch for an email from the farm.

Thank you to the 391 women who responded with such lovely comments. I thoroughly enjoyed reading them!

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In Absentia … until May 21

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On May 6, I turn 65. As a gift to myself, I’ve decided to go missing from most of my daily endeavors from now until Monday, May 21. I’m going to give my desk a good cleaning, close the screen on my laptop, and walk away. I want to revisit the unscheduled/quiet/uncluttered daily-ness of my younger, more eremitish self. Forty winks and a campfire, here I come. When I return, I hope to see your smiling faces again.

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Hear Ye!

Welcome New Sisters! (click for current roster)

Merit Badge Awardees (click for latest awards)

My featured Merit Badge Awardee of the Week is Debbie Klann!

Debbie Klann (debbieklann #770) has received a certificate of achievement in Farm Kitchen for earning an Expert Level Carpe Cocoa Merit Badge!

“I already knew how to make ganache, so I found 2 different ganache recipes to make my truffles, one dark and one white chocolate. The 4 flavors I decided on were White Chocolate Cranberry Orange (my favorite); White Chocolate Peppermint, dipped in Dark Chocolate (reminiscent of a York peppermint patty); a Bailey’s truffle dipped in dark chocolate’ and a Crown Maple truffle, also dipped in dark chocolate.

I had heard that Starbucks offered chocolate drinks during the holidays. I think I will watch for them and try their version if they are offered again. I tried to make a Mexican version of hot chocolate, not overly sweet but had hints of cinnamon. I really liked it! I don’t think I will try the Aztec chocolate drink (chocolate mixed with grown maize) anytime in the near future!”

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Today’s Recipe: Wild Bread Cinnamon Rolls

Even though my latest book, Wild Bread, is already on the shelves, we are continuing to add on to it. Lately, we’ve been dreaming of luscious, ooey-gooey, soft cinnamon rolls. As a result, over the last few weeks, we’ve been on a quest to create a sumptuous cinnamon roll. Along the way, we discovered that dates make a wonderful filling that stays put while the cinnamon rolls are baking.

Check out our cinnamon-roll recipe on my Wild Bread chatroom here.

While you’re there, join in on our conversation about everything Wild Bread!

If you haven’t picked up a copy of my latest book, you can find it here.

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Spoondrift

(n.) Origin 1760-1770

Definition: spoon, variant of obsolete spoom (of a ship) to run or scud before the wind + drift, spray blown from waves during a gale at sea. Spoondrift.

In other words, it’s what gives us “beach waves” in our hair (that are all the rage these days), and what cools off our sunburn during a trip to the coast. And it’s also the sea’s idea of an all-natural moisturizer.

Photo by Chris Richardson via Wikimedia Commons.

Quotes:
“Just the same, I guess I can show you girls a good time at spoondrift.”
The Corner House Girls Under Canvas, Grace Brooks Hill

“Spoondrift is the spray from the tops of the waves,” explained Pearl.
The Corner House Girls Under Canvas, Grace Brooks Hill

“And it was cold—oh, it was cold! The pinching cold was like a vise: spoondrift flew freezing, fold on fold. It coated them with ice.”
The Ontario Readers: The High School Reader, 1886 Ministry of Education

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