Stella and her prom date, Trai, posed for photos while sister Mia worked the Canon camera. Stella and Trai wanted their photos taken at the farm. Trai’s mother, Mindy, and I joined the party, and so did my mother (who also made alterations to Stella’s dress last week). Beautiful setting near one of Mom’s native flower gardens about to start its spring growth spurt. I love that Stella and Trai, both basketball players, coordinated their shoes. They’re going to own the dance floor!
It’s been gasp six years since my last post.
I do have a pint-size excuse. I’ve been busy adding to my family, a sweet adorable scrumptious little boy. Meet Tristan Nicholas.
And Mia, in the last six years (who had blonde hair that curled ever so slightly when she was Tristan’s age), has grown into her teen years with hair that has turned into a million tightly wound reddish-toned ringlets, gorgeous! And big sister, Stella, my oldest, lost her curls, plays basketball, and has her driver’s license! Mia plays basketball, too. Papa Lucas, my husband, was a basketball coach at Gonzaga years ago when we were dating and dreamed of a family.
I was looking for a specific photo this afternoon and found some summer photos. Are you as ready for summer as my girls and I are?
Hey, Lizzy! What’s that, Larkspur? Did you know it’s our 2-legged Mommy’s birthday today? Maybe our readers would like to leave their birthday wishes for MaryJane in the comments below! Happy birthday, Mommy!
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Working on a newsletter piece for a spring issue, I decided to do something with terra cotta pots. Now, this sounded like a lovely craft project while I dream of spring as the snow piles up out here and the temperatures have been dipping below zero.
But …
getting to the garden shed to gather some pots was…
a bit of an adventure in the middle of a snowstorm!
But in the name of a good craft project, I persevered.
Now that we’ve finished laughing at my coordination and bright idea, we’re warming up with a cup of tea. Cheers to spring daydreams and refreshing winter storms!
In our “Stitchin’ Post” Oct/Nov 2016 issue of MaryJanesFarm, I demonstrated how to carve carve an old window using a dremel by engraving the name “Sophia Grace” for my dear friend’s new baby.
So, a couple of weekends ago, we finally got around to a formal celebration of this sweet little addition in our lives.
Here are a few snippets from the weekend.
I don’t have the juices, San Pellegrino, and champagne loaded in the white bucket yet in the above photo, but do try a San Pellegrino, pear juice, and fresh thyme sprig for your winter festivities. Delicious!
And anything and everything ought to be garnished in baby’s breath and tree trimmings, don’t youu think? The centerpiece garland is actually from the base of our Christmas tree. Perfect.
We went all white for our dessert table in honor of our little sweet pea. Three mamas did all the cooking!
Here we are attempting to gracefully enjoy our Russian Teacakes while dressed in black. I should have taken a picture of the pile of powdered sugar at our feet.
To the left is Sophia’s mama, Christin. Then, myself and Tina, to the right, have been honored with the joint title of Godmothers.
And who doesn’t love baby feet??
Well, we’ve wrapped up another magazine issue. While most folks are pondering their holiday meals, winter festivities, and gift giving, we’ve put the finishing touches on Valentine’s Day and the month of love. We’re excited to share it with you, and here’s a sneak peak at what my coffee table has looked like this past month.
Curious to see what this large mess could possibly look like in the magazine? We’ll let you get through the winter holidays first, but mid-January, your magazine subscription should be on its way to your doorstep. If you’re not yet a subscriber to our magazine, MaryJanesFarm, subscribe here for $19.95/year.
I’m always up for celebrating any occasion with a pie. Since Farmgirl Apple Pie Sunday was on September 25th this year and I just so happened to be in the Big Apple …
… my two girlfriends and I decided to make it our mission to find an apple dessert, at the very least. With a good pair of walking shoes, we started the day with muffins from a nearby NYC bagel shop. Who buys a muffin at a NYC bagel shop!? But we started the day ready to satisfy a sweet tooth or two. Never mind they were berry muffins.
Have you heard of Brandon Stanton? How about Humans of New York, or HONY, as people like to call it in these modern days of BFFs and LOLs? HONY defines the most beautiful aspects of our current social media craze. A year ago, I shared a glimpse of Brandon’s story. Brandon spends most of his time on the streets of New York, photographing and telling the stories of people he meets there, which he then shares on his blog and Facebook.
What began as a photo census in 2010, whose purpose was to chronicle neighborhoods and communities through the faces of people who lived there, has now grown to a well-known presence on the Internet whose posts reach more than 15 million followers each day. Last year, Brandon traveled to 12 different countries in collaboration with the United Nations, was invited to the White House to interview President Obama, spent a month in Europe documenting and sharing the story of Syrian refugees, and was named as one of the 30 most influential people on the Internet by Time magazine.
It seems that people are very interested in hearing compassionate tales about the lives of their fellow people. I know it’s my favorite snippet that passes through my Facebook newsfeed. And even though the posts are often short and sweet, I am usually in tears hearing the personal stories of so many. It is always good to be reminded of different perspectives and what people are surviving and accomplishing each day. So, I’ve been so looking forward to Brandon’s latest compilation of beautiful photos and stories of his subjects in book form! Once I’ve read it front to back and then back again, I plan to adorn my coffee table with it for all others to peruse, should they have a few minutes.
And since I can’t have you all over for tea alongside my coffee table and copy of HONY, I’m giving away a copy. Tell us in the comments section below what touches you most about the HONY story and we’ll randomly choose a winner sometime soon.
I’m a runner. And it’s taken me a long time to say that out loud. What motivated me to finally say it? Well, running is good for you.
My first running shoes that I actually ran in.
Running regularly improves your health immensely, from increasing bone mass and helping prevent age-related bone loss to keeping your mind sharp as you age. It can prevent obesity, type 2 diabetes, heart disease, high blood pressure, and stroke. Running makes you a happier person by releasing those feel-good chemicals known as endorphins, thus protecting you from anxiety and depression. Although I’m super slow (so slow some can walk alongside me), running has made a huge difference in my life.
Me and my brother after my first half marathon.
One of the comments I hear most often when I talk about running is this: “I’m so out of shape, I’ll never be able to run.” That is simply not true. In my humble opinion, all you need is a pair of comfortable shoes, a little motivation, and the ability to start slow. I would say the last item on that list is the most important.
Turns out, the team at Couch25K agrees with me. This company designed an app that accompanies you every step of the way in a bid for your very own 5K (that’s 3.1 miles!). The designers made it for folks who want to approach running, but want to be somewhat comfortable and in control while doing it. They say the biggest mistake made by new runners is going at it too fast. Their bodies rebel and they wind up miserable. The Couch25K program conditions you slowly over a period of nine weeks, but you can vary that pace to accommodate your own fitness needs. Each session lasts 20-30 minutes, which is the recommended length of time to gain benefits from moderate exercise. You can choose to measure your progress by time or distance, and you can set up the program in a metric version, a treadmill version, even a Poochto5K option, which is all about improving the health of our canine friends. There’s a running forum where you can connect with like-minded souls online, and lots and lots of resources are available on their website.
If you decide to jump in, please keep me posted. Have fun!
Buy props used in MaryJane’s books and magazine!
5% of profits will benefit www.firstbook.org, a non-profit that provides new books to children from low-income families throughout the U.S. and Canada.
Here’s how:
MaryJane will post a photo and a description of a prop and its cost along with a few details as to its condition here: https://shop.maryjanesfarm.org/MaryJanesCurations. It’s a playful way to be the new owner of a little bit of farm herstory.
