I’ll spare you my sunsets, but I just have to share the great vintage farm finds that come my way.
Today is the day we begin our eight-day FREE magazine subscription GIVEAWAY marathon.
I’ll pick one winner a day from our 865 (eight-hundred-and-sixty-five!!!!!) entries until I’ve given away 7 one-year subscriptions. And then on the eighth day, some lucky winner will get a lifetime subscription in celebration of our twelfth year publishing MaryJanesFarm.
Today’s WINNER of a magazine subscription is …
none other than …
the incredibly amazing …
Okay, this special day calls for a GIVEAWAY in celebration of a GIVEAWAY (just to keep you on the tippy top of your bargain-hunting tippy toes). Today is the day we begin our eight-day FREE magazine subscription GIVEAWAY marathon. But I have another burning question that will net another lucky winner a new MaryJane’s Home chenille bedspread worth about $100.
Here’s today’s question for you (answer below in the comments section) that will enter your name to win a brand-new old-fashioned chenille MaryJane’s Home bedspread:
What’s your favorite memory of your grandmother? Here’s why I ask this question. In the 400 or so retail stores like Belk and Fred Meyer where we sell our chenille bedspreads, clerks tell us that women, upon seeing a bed dressed in one of our chenille bedspreads, bring a hand to their heart region, and say things like, “Oh, this sooooooooo reminds me of my grandmother!”
So, what’s your favorite memory of your grandmother?
Wanda Sue Aldridge says: I would go with my Dad to visit Grandmaw every Saturday right after breakfast. Which for us was about 9:00. The entrance to her house went through a bedroom that had been added on. The white chenille bedspread smelled of sunshine and the lace curtains would be fluttering with the breeze. I was always amazed that she was sitting at the kitchen table working with whatever she had picked from the garden, and at least two pies, and a cake would still be warm from just coming out of the oven. How could she do all of this before 9am? Well, I have never been able to match her stamina, but I do hang out my sheets and bedding every chance I get, and think of Grandmaw when I pass through the room and smell the sunshine!
Linda Radziminski says: My favorite memory is of grandma always cooking. She had a large family and every Sunday everyone would go to her house for dinner. There was never a formal invitation but we all knew where to go and about what time. Her house was not big or fancy and we would often have just a large table set up in the middle of the livingroom but we were all together.When I was very small we lived upstairs in her house and on sundays I would wake up to the smell of sauce and Italian music from her kitchen.
Winnie Nielsen says: My favorite memory of my Grandmother was how she loved to play Go Fish with me and include my doll. Grandma could make it seem like the doll was real and there was always a twinkle in her steel blue eyes. Her health was not very good by the time I came along, but she could sit and play with me for hours which I relished in a very busy household of older siblings. I also remember her treadle sewing machine and a big tin box of wonderful buttons that she let me look at and enjoy while she sewed. Grandmothers are so wonderful!!
Jennifer Memolo says: When I was little and spent the night with my Grandparents….Momo (my Grandmother) & I would share her bed (Grandpa would sleep on the couch). To relax me so I would fall off to sleep Momo would have us listen for the hoots of owls…I would lay there cuddled up next to Momo until my eyelids got heavy and fell off to sleep.
Karlyne says: I had minor surgery when I was seven years old that turned into major complications and a close brush with death. When I woke up in the hospital, my grandma was there. She’d ridden the Greyhound bus from Sacramento to Ashland, Oregon, all night, I’m guessing! to be with me. She was the red-headed, blue-eyed, tiny little woman that we all adored. How I wish my own grandkids could have known her!
Gail McGeough says: My favorite memory of my grandmother is of her baking bread, rolls and cinnamon rolls! She did it once a week her entire life, both in her kitchen in Iowa, and at our house in California when she came to visit us!
Cathy R says: My Grandma (Dad’s Mom) slept on a very thick feather bed that she fluffed every morning after breakfast and spread with a chenille bedspread. When we were little she would let the grandkids play on the bed when we visited. My other Grandmother pieced and quilted quilts for all of us, I still have mine, it’s a tulip design. Both were very loving and hard workers. Thanks for your generosity! Blessings, Cathy in Orofino
Jean Innerarity says: As she aged she became less able to care for herself and for her own safety my mother and her siblings had to find an assisted living facility for her. But, as an eighty-something, she would consistently run away from home. Sometimes to get her hair done, sometimes to go to the drug store, sometimes just for a walk.
Grandmama Witcher would sit with me for hours and hours out in an old garage and let me play house. We would cook and cook and cook, with mud, sticks, rocks, flowers and anything else I decided to use. She never corrected or judged what I did and she would share he cooking skills with me as we played. She could also grow flowers out of rocks and this is where I got my deep love for cooking and gardening. Oh and crocheting, knitting, embroidering, sewing and just about anything else you can think of. I woud love to win the subscription because financially I am not able to renew my subscription right now. Love ya’ll at MJF.
Maile Tyrrell says: Grandma’s house was always filled with all
Our cousins whom grandma babysat… I miss
Those days.
Deborah Granay says: My favorite memory of Grandmother (yes, that’s what we called her!) is planting a garden with her in my parents’ backyard at age five. She had been raised as a farmgirl and went to the city as an adult to earn a living. She never failed to raise a garden if she had even the smallest piece of terra firma to work with.
Our garden included peanuts because she wanted to show me that surprisingly good things can be harvested from underground as well. After we dug them up she and I roasted them in in my Mother’s kitchen oven. It was magic!
My favorite memory would be of my Grammy Kimball. My brother and I would spend two weeks with her, and my grandfather, in their trailer in York Beach, Maine during the summer. We would spend our days at the beach, watching the horses down the dirt road, poking through town or, if we were lucky, going to the carnival that was right behind the trailer park. Grammy would cook dinner for us and call us to the table where we would have crispy-edged hamburgers and home fries, creamed carrots ( one of my favorite things still!), macaroni with hamburger and stewed tomatoes, hot dogs sprinkled with celery salt and a ribbon of mustard with Boston baked beans and brown bread slathered in butter- we gobbled it up!! After dinner, Grammy would bring out the “marble board” that she had made and we would play marbles, listening to the music of the carnival through the windows until it was time to go to bed. Grammy would take down the table and make up our bed and tuck us in under crisp cotton sheets and, a chenille bedspread. It’s funny how things can trigger fond memories. Thanks for giving mine a little jog, Meg!
Naomi DeGroff says: My best memory of my Grandmother is that I am named after her, so I always felt special. She taught me how to crochet and embroider and I still enjoy making gifts and my own fun things. My neighbor said my latest project looks like it belongs in your magazine, lol. It is a red thread embroidered chicken hanging up clothes on my clothes pin bag.
Marlo Lundell says: My grandmother was a very wealthy woman who lived in a huge house on the side of a mountain. Her house was all fancy and untouchable. As children we were expected to sit in her house and not touch anything. She was an alcoholic and had a hard time expressing any kind of love and warmth to her grandchildren. Her bedroom was so grand, it was all bright pink and yellow satin with heavy curtains and gold mirrors. It was amazing but it was not a place for snuggling. So this bedspread does not really remind me of my own grandmother but this bedspread reminds me of the Grandmother that I will be someday. I will be warm and simple and ready for snuggling and story telling and sick days with chicken soup and lots of used tissue. This bedspread says everything about delicate, inviting, practical, romantic, sweet, available femininity that I want to express in my life and to those who I love. I am grateful to my own mother and grandmother for being who they were which helped to make me who I am.
How do you choose just one?? Being 50 and a Grandma myself, I’m so Blessed to have a Grandma still here. Ive just in recent years began losing my Grandparents and was even Blessed to have Gt Grandparents well into adulthood. I treasure my Grandma who has also been one of my best friends. There days I don’t think I could have made it. And I adored her Chenille bedspreads they were always so soft & inviting!! Pure love!!!
Lorene Boyd says: My grandma was not a chenille bedspread, homemade cookies and cakes kind of grandma. She spent time in prison as the get-away driver during a bank robbery, she smoked like a chimney, and always had a little bit of tomato juice in her vodka. She was a tough old bird, that told it straight, and lived her life on her own terms. While she never taught me how to make cookies, she did teach me many valuable life lessons. She was always good for a laugh. My favorite memory of her is sitting in her living room watching TV and have her call out, “He could put his boots under my bed anytime!” to which I replied, “Grandma!!!” Then she gave me the look and said, “Child I may be old but I’m not dead!” So true Grandma, just because your birthdays keep coming, life doesn’t end, in fact life just like keeps getting sweeter.
Rebecca Tayor says: My favorite memory of my Grandma Taylor is that every time we went to go see her she gave my sister and I some necco candy so that we would stay quiet when the adults were talking. My Grandma was sick all the time so going to see her was fun because I think it cheered her up. She as really special to me. Thank you for all of your posts they are so fun to share with my friends!
Rebecca Tayor says: My favorite memory of my Grandma Taylor is that every time we went to go see her she gave my sister and I some necco candy so that we would stay quiet when the adults were talking. My Grandma was sick all the time so going to see her was fun because I think it cheered her up. She was really special to me. Thank you for all of your posts they are so fun to share with my friends!
(sorry I missed the “W” in was)
Vivian Varela says: My favorite memory is of her rolling her wheelchair up to the stove to make the super-sized Sonoran flour tortilla for us. She didn’t speak much English (and I didn’t speak Spanish) but her love for me & my sisters was shown in the food she prepared and the hugs she gave.
Debbie Christin says: My grandparents are long gone, but not forgotten. I’m blessed to have my Mom’s sister who is 88 and doing well considering! She has a white chenille bedspread and when I visit her, I take it off the bed to wash a sits difficult for her to manage. Oh my, when it is done drying it is so fluffy and beautiful. She makes the bed by tucking the pillows in as we always did growing up (in my house anyway). She has the craziest, yet pretty purple flowe wallpaper in her room from the 70’s….nothing has been updated since then!
Michelle Kirby says: My favorite memory of my Paternal Grandma is actually a conglomeration of several memories of her teaching me how to do things. She taught several types of embroidery, taught me the basics of crochet, how to bake, was starting to teach me how to cook and sew when she passed away. My favorite memory of my Maternal Grandma was us walking her dog. She had this little terrier mix and used a harness instead of a collar to take him out. He actually walked sideways with his rear-end almost even with his head. She just accepted that that was how he walked and never tried to correct it. I always loved that.
Cindy Bohli-Nelson says: My favorite memory of my paternal grandma, is that she sewed and crocheted so many wonderful things for us: dolls & clothes for them, mittens, hats, scarves, ponchos. I still have the afghan that she crocheted for me over 30 yrs ago.
My favorite memory of my maternal grandma, is her cute giggle, and that our big family was always cooking wonderful fresh foods from the farm. 🙂
I always remember Grandma in the kitchen of her little trailer. It was our alarm clock whenever we stayed over, her banging the pots and pans around to get ready to fry up some breakfast. Her sink always seemed half-full of hot soapy water to do the dishes, and I loved putting my hands in it even while being frightened of cutting my finger on hidden knives under the suds. We always gathered around the formica dining table, and Grandpa would tell stories from the farm while Grandma cooked, and there would be laughing and wonderful smells and always enough food for everyone. And coffee. And the random friends who would just drop by for a cup of coffee and a chat. The heart of my grandma’s house was the kitchen, and the day she passed away, I drew a picture of that kitchen, just as she’d left it, so I would always remember. I miss her.
Brittani says: My favorite memory of my Grandmother is when we would put on our sun hats and go for a long stroll around her neighborhood. We would stop and talk to the neighbors who were gardening or doing something outside, and when we got back I would always pick a couple of her petunias out of her flower bed and give them to her as a gift. She always seemed happy when I did that, but I can imagine now in the back of her mind she was saying By the time summer comes I wont have any flowers left. Ha! Ha!
Claudia Gibson says: My Grandmother lived two doors down from my elementary school. Several times every year, until I was in the sixth grade, when we were at recess, she would walk across the narrow street to the playground with a large basket of brightly polished red apples for everyone in my class. Everyone loved it. I remember one year we were all fascinated by a new boy who ate the whole apple, seeds and all. This was back in the 50’s and life was so much different.
Stephanie Meek says: My favorite memories revolve around her very small, sparsely equipped kitchen. She made the most amazing shrimp creole when we came to visit and she always had a jelly roll for me in her bread drawer. The window sill and kitchen shelf had all types of glass chickens and she made pretty curtains with red accents that blew in the breeze over her sparkling white sink. Red vinyl upholstered kitchen chairs with a grey topped matching dinette table is where my grandfather rolled his cigarettes and we gathered for meals. It was small but full of love!
Judy Nance says: My Grandma Curry loved Avon Rose hand cream. When we would use the bathroom, all the little grand daughters would get into her Rose hand cream, smear it all over and come out thinking no one would notice. The house would soon be full of little Roses! The single bathroom was constantly in use. HA
Joy Clark says: My favorite memory of my grandmother involves pillowcases. Every year she embroidered a set for each of her grandchildren as a Christmas gift. I wonder if I can find some of my old ones the next time I am home!
Amanda says: My favourite memory of Grammy was during the summer evenings when a large storm would roll across the fields towards the house. We would all go the front of the house. It was a large room the span of the house, all windows and beds and pillows around the edges with quilts – crazy quilts, pastel chenille spreads, little pouffy quilts, knitted quilts in the most God-awful colour combinations. We would anxiously listen to the rumblings of thunder, smell the rain we couldn’t yet see, waiting for the first chains of lightning to both scare us, awe us and tickle us! Grammy would fix things in the kitchen, after what always seemed like an entire day cooking, and then come settle in with us to watch the show. Grampy sometimes put the radio on out there so he could listen to the Blue Jays demolish whatever American team they were up against. She’s been gone for many years; we all have. The house is falling down – there was no one who wanted to live so rurally, so alone and with so many memories of a matriarch that kept everything together when she was alive. I run to these memories of innocence, of freedom and unconditional love – she was my half-sister’s Grammy and not really mine – like many people wrap up in a warm blanket on a chilly day, so grateful that I have a treasured place so safe and such a part of the everyday me.
Lila Schmidt says: Sleeping in her little tiny mobile camper where I dreamed that it would end up being my home. She had parked it by my uncle’s house and late at night we felt a bucking and lifting sensation and the dogs could be heard going bonkers. Blows were landing on the outside walls and growls we filling our heads with terror. Yep, bear was trying to get in. I have forgotten many things in my life, but not the love of my Granny trying to hide me in that teeny tiny little trailer.
Angela Grant says: My grandma, God Love her, was a little bit funny 🙂 She and grandpa lived on their own little mini-farm with chickens, goats and a big garden. Growing up, my sister, brother, cousins and I would play in their huge chicken pen but being a chicken pen, we had to wear the appropriate footwear. She made us wear her old rubber boots, but they of course had holes in them, so we had to first wrap our feet in plastic shopping bags and then put the boots on. We live on the Oregon Coast so it was always rainy and muddy. As we got older she would tell us that she was giving us “funny ha-ha” gifts for our birthdays so we never knew what it might be. I did get a bowl of peanuts for my 21st birthday and my new husband got an eagle bolo tie! She was a funny one!
Missy Hawley says: I have to correct one part of the story…the bags weren’t just plastic grocery bags, they were plastic bread bags that she had saved 🙂 She always had a bucket of water filled with oasis she was soaking for her flower arrangements that she made weekly for church. The wet oasis was lots of fun to stick our fingers in. Oh, the memories…..secretly eating frozen store brand cool whip from the downstairs freezer, interesting things drying in her food dehydrator and of course a cushy toilet seat.
Sherri Hazelton says: Watching my super conservative in every other way grandmother dance the can-can in the annual Days of 49 parade. We have pictures of her in the outfit. At 96 she isn’t dancing any more, but she is still “kicking”. And knowing that she had that wild side to her. Once when I was teasing her about her “speed-demon” driving ( she had a lead foot that she passed on to me) she told me that she would have liked to learn to drive race cars.
Beth M says: My grandmother was not known for her culinary skills. She would put everything on high and it would inevitably get burnt. But there were 2 things that she cooked wonderfully that I had fond memories of. She was from the Maryland area and she made incredible shrimp creole. She must have used Old Bay in her dish. (Years later, when she came to visit, she would bring us a container of Old Bay since it was hard to find in FL at that time.) The other fond culinary memory was on Saturday mornings she would fry up some chicken wings for me, sit me on the floor in front of the cartoons with the wings on top of a large paper bag. It made me feel warm and taken care of.
Patti says: My Father was career Army, so we didn’t grow up around our grandparents in fact, there were many times we didn’t get to see them for years at a time due to being stationed in Europe. Fifty years ago, my Father had a 30 day leave and we spent half of it with his parents in Ohio, and the other half with Mother’s parents in Kentucky. Although I was only eight years old, I remember one summer night very vividly. Mother’s parents were poor farmers, living in a century old farmhouse high on a Kentucky mountain. There was rudimentary electric, but no indoor plumbing. There was a pump in the kitchen and after dinner Mamaw pumped water and boiled it on the wood burning stove to wash the dishes. Everyone had to help, even my brothers who thought dishes were women’s work. She just smiled and said, “everyone has to pull their weight on a farm.” Pull our weight we did indeed! That day we gathered eggs for breakfast, retrieved ham from the smoke house and helped make biscuits from scratch. We helped do laundry with an old wringer washer and hung sheets on the line with clothes pins my grandfather had carved. We milked cows, mucked stalls, fed the cows, horses, chickens and pigs, watered and weeded the vegetable garden, picked vegetables for lunch and dinner and helped Mamaw can green beans and corn. Later that night my Grandmother handed us each a Mason jar and said, “Come children…” We followed her out into a field beyond the pasture that we hadn’t known was there. The moon was SO bright and the field was sparkling with flowers. The stream was bubbling and owls were hooting. It was warm and the slight breeze smelled so wonderful! Then my grandmother pointed out what we had never seen before: fire flies!! She showed us how to catch them and soon we were running all over the field filling our jars up. We were dancing around, and playing tag and I look around and saw my Mamaw sitting on a rock holding and rocking my Mother back and forth on her lap. My whole world stopped as I watched MY Mother interacting with Her Mother, being the child and being nurtured. It was the first time I realized how hard it was for my Mother and Grandmother to live apart from one another. I think of that wonderful night often and remember it as being one of the best days of my life. Mamaw passed away last year at 101 years of age, leaving me with 50 years of wonderful experiences and memories, but none as sweet at that night on the mountain
Kim Watts says: I loved going to my “Bigmomma’s” house. She loved to cook and always made the best food with whatever she had. We had a big family and everyone would always go there on Sunday’s to eat. My best memory of her home would be…on Saturday’s was her day to get the house ready for company (you could eat off her floors all through the week). She didn’t have any grass on her front yard, she lived in the city, but she had a yard broom. She would sweep that dirt like it was her favorite part of her house. She didn’t have much, but she sure had pride in what she did have.
Julia says: My favorite memory of my grandmother was when she taught me how to apply makeup at her vanity table. Her sweetness that day was something I will treasure forever.
Kathy Shaughnessy says: I have a lot of great memories of my Grammie. One of them is picking wild blueberries in the thickets and fields near her farm when I was a young girl. We’d walk up an old gravel sideroad and wander off into the fields until we found a patch or two of blueberry bushes. We’d take along our little pots and pails and pick away until we had enough to take home. Of course, we’d taste a couple along the way. Then we’d get back to her house and she’d make a pot of Red Rose tea. Of course, we had to drink it out of bone chine teacups. She made the BEST tea in the world.
Barbara Torres says: My favorite memory of my grandmother was spending the night on Fridays. She would share with me all her special treasures she had in her top dresser drawer. She had a silver brush and comb, lots of costume jewelry, scarves and embroidered pillowcases. I would try on the jewelry and scarves. I am now the proud owner of two of her scarves. We would watch television and she would make me a root beer float in a tin mug. She always said the tin mug kept it colder. I would brush her hair and she would give me a dime. I slept in the big bed in the guest room and it had a white chenille bedspread with pink flowers. My grandmother passed away last year at the age of 103. I miss her a lot but treasure the times we spent together.
Shery says: I have so many. I spent most of my early childhood at their house which was just down the road from our house. But, the memory that comes to mind that is particularly warm is watching her bring a special meal to the table … a Sunday meal or a holiday meal. None of her dishes matched, they were pieces of ‘this & that’ china and I loved that they were all different. Many of the pieces had belonged to her mother … homesteaders. One dish at a time, Grandma and Momma would bring the meal to the table. My mother is a great cook, but childhood memory raises a grandmother’s cooking to the divine level. I loved mer mix & match dishes, I loved the ‘made from scratch’ meals, I loved everyone seated around the table … and I loved my Grandma with all my being … she at the table, having never removed her apron. My little sister sat next to her and I sat next to Grandpa. Even now, I get tickled looking back and watching Grandma cut meat into little bitty pieces for my sister … talking to her softly and coaxing her to try something new.
Sue says: So looking forward to receiving your magazine. I haven’t seen it available here.
Carla McCuiston says: My favorite memory of my grandmother is how she loved my children and me. She had 11 children, 24 grandchildren,over 5o great-granchildren and 3 or 4 great-great-grandchildren when she died at the age of 98.
Eileen Stone says: My grandma always put out a tea set with little cookies for me & my sister Jackie when we came to visit. Grandma was a professional seamstress & made some exquisite doll clothes for my favorite doll. I also remember her sewing a gorgeous Toile bedspread, ( with matching drapes & dust ruffle), for my 2 older sisters. Later on she taught my sister Jackie & I some tips about sewing by machine. She was one of the kindest, most thoughtful persons I have ever known. When we moved to away she became my “pen pal”. I miss her every day. I now collect teapots in memory of her. I celebrate her memory by sharing tea with my daughter, Emily.
Every summer I would get to spend one glorious week with my creative grandmother and grandfather. I cherished those weeks and looked forward to them each year. One of my favorite memories of my sweet grandmother Clara was when she made clothes for my Crissy doll. I sat right by her side at the sewing machine and watched her every move. I was amazed that she could take several scraps of fabric and transform them into a beautiful dress for my doll! I will never forget how hard she worked and those precious moments we spent together.
Washing the dishes! Grandma (Pauline aka Polly) didn’t have a dishwasher, so I was it! On the edge of her sink, she always had a can of Bon Ami with the little yellow chick on it. The feel of the warm water, the bubbles, the pretty dishes, Grandma singing along to Dinah Shore on the radio… I adored washing the dishes with my grandma!
Shannon Jines says: My favorite memory of my paternal grandmother involves a trip to go fishing for crabs…buying trays of chicken wings, tying lengths of string to the chicken wings, and throwing it out into the water…feeling the tug on the line and bringing them onto the dock…one got loose and chased my brothers and I around the dock. Then we took the catch of the day home and cook them, which apparently inspired me to ask what the squealing noise was coming from the cookpot! Somewhere I have a picture of me holding a big crab upside-down, which puts them to sleep. I also fondly remember watching her play solitaire, talking to a nonexistent “dealer,” which was very entertaining…:-)
Carol Norwood says: My grandmother didn’t live near us so she came to visit several times a year and stayed for about 2 weeks each time. We adored her. She would arrive on a Greyhound Bus and always had several suitcases with her. Inside those suitcases were small gifts for us, each wrapped in colored tissue paper. One of those gifts was always a bag of M & M’s. I now carry on the tradition by wrapping gifts for my own granddaughter in different colored tissue paper!
Marie Clarke says: A soft cuddly teddy bear she had for me when I went to visit her as a child. And when she told me she thought my sister was adopted that made me laugh. I think it was her way of telling me I was her favorite 🙂 for all I know she told my sister the same about me haha
Teena Tech says: My grandmother lived just across the road from us on the farm her father bought.so i have memories of her teaching me how to cook.which i still like to do to this day for my grandkids and family.some of her tricks like how to keep the crust on a chicken fried steak.her chocolate cake with marshmallows on top with homemade fudge frosting to top it off.
Linda Rogers (sissarge) says: I spent the summers with my grandma and papa, they only had 3 acres, but they made the most of it. Chickens, ducks, and turkeys, and a large garden. Ladies, would come by and place an order on their way to the grocery store or etc. and my grandma, would slaughter, dress, and package the order. This was a daily accurrence.
The garden was always wonderful, and tho, my papa worked a full time job, and pastored a church full time, the garden was mostly his. She always had meals prepared so if anyone stopped by, they HAD to eat! Her chicken–n-dumplins, fried fruit pies, and coconut cakes were the greatest. Her house was always clean, and she was one who ironed everything, including papa’s underwear. lol! Loved sitting out under the pecan tree in a swing, and her in her apron, and glass of ice tea, telling stories of old, and making her list of things to get done. I will never forget her, and was thrilled she got to know my children. I often wonder if she looks down and sees my little farm, I feel that she would be so proud. I learned a lot from her. Thanks for letting me share.
Valerie says: My Grandma lived on a lake and would set out trotlines to catch catfish. I remember eating delicious fried catfish, lots of fresh veggies from her large garden out back, and peach cobbler for dessert. She was a wonderful cook and I remember helping her cook in her tiny little kitchen barely big enough for two!
Winnie Nielsen says: Look at that white tipped tail! Love these markings.
Elizabeth says: Every little leaf & bud is important. Hello to springtime.
Winnie Nielsen says: I do believe Spring is finally unfolding in Idaho!
Terry Steinmetz says: Your leaves are farther ahead than mine here. Oh well!!!
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.
Already a subscriber and I LOVE it. This is the only magazine I keep, the rest just get passed on to others to enjoy. This is one of the few I am continuing to receive – as each comes up for renewal, I’ve been stopping them. From birth I have been a farm girl in my soul, although I never got closer than a 7 1/2 acre place to keep some horses in a semi-rural area. My only true dream in life, and the only one left as my age goes up and up, is to live on a farm. Now I’ve added to that dream a hired hand to help do the work : ) What I think I love most about the magazine, besides the wonderful pictures and colors and stories and recipes and everything is the RESPECT. Everyone there respects each other and us readers and the land and the animals and everything else. It comes through as pure joy and love and I so enjoy it! Thanks!
I fell in love with MaryJanes Magazine the first time I read it. I got my free copy by mail, and new it was the one for me. I am not only learning how to plant a vegetable garden, but I’m learning how to do it with style and in style. I love the simplicity of the magazine. How it’s really for the people by the people. Thanks Mary Jane for being you and sharing.
Such a great variety of articles. Food for my lil farm girl soul!
I love your magazine and pick it up at the local store here. Thanks for packing it full of great pics and topics.
Picking up a copy of Mary Jane’s Farm one December at Tractor Supply, was the best spur of the moment decision in the check out aisle I ever made! There has always been a little farm girl inside me, but because I lived in a city, I never considered there was a possibility to live a true Farmgirl life. Enter MJF magazine and Voila! I COULD be a Farmgirl, today! Suddenly there were articles to read and a chat room to join and books to purchase. I was in! It has changed my life and now “Red Tractor Girl”, #3109, enjoys new friends,the support of wonderful women, great ideas for better living, and a chance to validate and nourish that little Farmgirl that has been living inside me since I was 4 years old and my Daddy brought me an International Harvester Red Tractor toy from a consulting job he had in Chicago. Yep, since 1955, Red Tractor Girl was launched when this girl fell in love with farms and farmwife. It took MJF to dig “Red Tractor Girl” out of the attic and dust her off for a new spin. The ride has been fabulous!!
I love this magazine! There are several reasons, but the main reason : The Positive ‘You Can Do It’ encouragement which helps me embrace living in a very rural area. MaryJane Butters, along with contributing editors and writers extend a feeling of friends and sisters among the readers. The overall theme of connecting to others with a common belief of learning new ways to be good stewards of the land and promotes healthy living.
The variety of subjects are very appealing. I enjoy the articles about farm, food, quilts, country living, GLAMPING, sewing, health, and being resourceful.
We get glimpses of current / pending laws and legislation which affects our current health and farm life.
And guess what ???? It is wonderful to be ‘of a certain age’ and considered a valuable and contributing member of a fun sisterhood!
I’ve a subscriber to Mary Janes Farm magazine for several years . . since 2007, I think. I have savored, enjoyed and relished every issue and I still have all of them. While my car was parked in airport parking in Phoenix in October 2008, while my daughter and I were off to North Carolina to crew an Avon Breast Cancer event, it was broken into and a totebag with the latest issue of the magazine in it was stolen. Other things were in the bag as well and other items in my car were stolen. But, I was soooooo upset the magazine was gone . . . I did replace that issue.
I love the wonderful combination of topics, projects and the features about what other women out there are doing. It’s one of the most diverse and beautiful publications out there. Thank you Mary Jane!
CJ
I love Maryjane’s Farm magazine because I can dream my dreams and find hope that one day they may come true. Some of them already have!
Your magazine is so visually interesting, full of timely, eco-friendly and economical information, interesting stories. I’ve missed issues but found you several years ago.
I finally bought a Mary Jane’s Farm and now know why I was always drawn to it in the book store. Fun, healthful, farming, eco- conscious- it all fits!!
Oh, me, oh my. Where to begin? I became a reader of Mary Janes Farm magazine (and frankly, everything Mary Jane) almost 4 years ago. I can’t begin to tell you how much you all have enriched my life! You have re-opened my eyes, to see that the simple things are the big things. I have learned so much, tried new things, and most of all have made some incredible friendships. Many people don’t understand what I mean, when I talk about my farmgirl ways or farmgirl friends. They just don’t “get it”. But I sure do, and I wouldn’t have it any other way! So thank you, from the bottom of my heart!
Time goes by ever so fast so I am not sure when I first heard of Mary Jane Butters but it started with a story about your farm in Moscow. Seems like it was about a bed/breakfast and there was a picture of a tent that was so pretty but the iron bed outdoors got me! I started following your blog immediately and read daily.
I was born in North Idaho (mining country) but my grandparents farmed in Post Falls so I had a inkling to what it was like to live in the country. I moved to the city of Boise as a kid but your blog/magazine and your wonderful lifestyle has helped me to keep those wonderful memories alive and inspires me to add what I can to my life in the city.
I find MJ mag more entertaining and USEFUL than any other mag I read.
I pick up your magazine at the local store but would love to have a subscription. I have a large vegetable garden and many fruit trees and blueberry bushes. I’ve raised chickens and dairy goats in the past. Loved making my own cheese. Right now I have one of your books out of the library. Always enjoy reading about farm life and love the daily photos.
About 4 years ago a friend from Okla. asked me if I knew about you (Mary Jane) since you were in Idaho ~ she had gotten one of your books for her “farmgirl” daughter. I hadn’t heard of you even though I had lived here 3 years and had been to Moscow a few times. I immediately subscribed to your magazine after viewing your website and you have enriched my life ever since. I dropped my sub. but have missed it greatly ~ will re-up even if I don’t win! Thanks for your wonderful blog and generosity!
Cathy from Orofino
I love MJF because it encourages me to be an old fashioned farm girl. I am married to a city boy. We live on 3 acres in Southern California and I think he is finally understanding my farm girl dreams. I was born in Minnesota with lots of extended family on farms and always dreamed of living off the land simply. I was introduced to MJF 2 years ago on one of those farms and have appreciated the encouragement and inspiration ever since. I just joined the MJF Sisterhood and am exited to start earning badges as I learn new skills.
I love your magazine! It is a bit hard to find, but when I find one, I buy it and soak up every word!
City girl with Country dreams….
I love Mary Jane’s Farm!!! I love inspiration foe riving a farmgirl’s life. I have a stressful job and I love to leaf through the pages of your magazine to relax and find inspiration.
I’m also a new member of the Farmgirl Sisterhood.
I have enjoyed this magazine for quite some time..I do not at present have a subscription..so hoping I can win…we are farmers..and you have such good articles and ideas in the magazine..one can always learn something each issue…thanks a bunch..Judi from South Dakota
I say “Oh Yes Count Me In!” as I wipe the flour from my hands on my apron to butter my biscuits… I would so much enjoy not missing a single article of amazing inspiration’s.
Reading your magazine is so inspiring!
I purchased your Glamping book and absolutely love it! The magazine was mentioned a few times and I did some more searching online. I would love to win a free subscription! 🙂
I LOVE the magazine and buy it quite frequently however I would love even more to have a subscription! 🙂 From recipes to crafts and beyond, Mary Janes has it all!
I use to subscribe…but then couldn’t afford it – I do miss it – shared it with my daughter and she loved it!
Use to be a subscriber. After open heart surgery and hubby loosing job, some of my extra enjoyments had to go. I miss this magazine so much! I follow on facebook and get my fix when I can. It’s better than the meds I take! Would love to have the mag again. I’ve kept all my previous subscriptions and thump thru them when I need to relax. Thanks Mary Jane for reminding us of what’s really important in life! Love ya and your mag!
I love your magazine and would be so thrilled if my name is picked!
we were given a stack of old MaryJanesFarm magazines by a friend a few weeks ago, now we are avid readers!! As beginning farmers working towards owing our own homestead your magazine fills us with inspiration and gives us guidance! happy farming!
I love this magazine but my local stores have stopped carrying it or maybe it’s selling out before I get there. Either way I really miss my Mary Jane Farms magazine, hope I win!
I saw your magazine at my Aunt’s house years back and had forgotten how much I enjoyed it until I found the link on Facebook . . .will definately have to add a subscription to my budget for next year . . .or maybe win one for now!!! I’ve always been a “farmgirl” at heart and am now trying to figure out how I can get some chickens in my yard without it being an issue with the dogs. Wishing***
It was by accidental pure luck to find the website…once I did…It was like I found some secret that only the lucky get to stumble on.
My sister introduced me to your magazine! It’s wonderful!
A friend who actually lives in the country and has chickens told me about your magazine. I ran out and bought one and have loved it since. I married a city boy but was raised on 95 acres of beautiful land in Pa. Your magazine takes me home again in a sense and reminds me of all that I hold dear in my heart. I have your hard bound books as well. One day, I hope to live in the country again. But if not, I’m there every time I turn the pages of MaryJane’s Farm. Thanks for sharing your life with us city/suburbians. I sometimes can smell the land in some of your pictures, priceless. Thanks again. Rhonda
I’d love to win a subscription to this magazine. I’ve read individual copies before and enjoyed them.
~Jenny~
First found your magazine through our local Farm Girls organizations. Started picking up copies from our local store and am now hooked! Love, love the handmade items and the idea of going back to our “make it yourself” roots…food, clothes, accessories.
Like the old Calgon commercials, each time my Mary Jane’s Farm magazine arrives in the mail it “takes me away”. I read, and re-read, and re-read this magazine. By far my favorite and has been for years. It is probably the only magazine that I totally read from cover to cover. A subscription is always on my gift wishlist, and it is always on top of my list for gifts to give. I can not say enough about it and love to share news about it. Of course it is the base of our Farmgirl group each month. 🙂
Your blend of country and hip gives you the edge of reaching multiple audiences. Now that I am back in college and have difficulty making ends meet, I do not have the luxury of having magazine subscriptions. It would be great to have a subscription for the next year that I have left in school. I miss the recipes and the how to’s. I have kept all my back issues that I purchased via a newsstand and still refer back to them. My favorite recipe is the cheddar herb muffins, very yum. Thanks for making the world better and brighter.
Follower on FB and would love to be a reader! Thanks for the opportunity.
I am now living on the farm which my ancestors bought in 1837, and love it! I’ve enjoyed your magazine for several years, beautiful layout, lovely ideas, and practical advice.
I Love MJF. After moving to Montana from CA. I found your magazine in a local quilt store & fell in love, It perfectly fit my amazing new simple life. Cooking, quilting and gardening and living simply. Although I had to relocate for school recently I keep my older issues at an arms reach for a bit of that home feeling in Montana. A Lifetime or 1 year of MJF would be the best for my soul until I return to Montana. But I pick one up as often as I can afford as a single mom and returning full time college student. I love that it can take this 37 year old away from the crazy city life to a little bit of solace to a peaceful place that not everyone can relate to. Thank you for your beautiful magazine.
I was trying my best to get Momma to re subscribe so I could be the recipient when she was finished & she told me plainly she saves every issue she buys……lol
Love the magazine and love love the photos!
Love it!!!!
From the first look at the magazine, I was hooked, and very proud to be a member of the sisterhood. It is the only magazine I read from cover to cover, and have saved every issue, I too feel my like has been enriched, since I found my first issue!
It’s everything I love and that I find important in life. Even inspires with surprises…so perfect for a purchased necessity! Love you for your efforts and creations that you do!! Excitement awaits with every issue!
I enjoy the layout and pictures and all the good advice and tips and hints and all the great resources your magazine offers. THANK YOU!!!
I’ve read MJ’s magazine over the last couple of years. She has inspired me in many ways. Most recently, purchasing a trailer to glamp in (cant wait for my first trip) and purchased some glamping fabric and made a quilt (so darned cute!). I save all my past magazines as they are timeless!
I love your magazine all the way around. We have now moved to our final homestaead in the Ozarks of Mo. We found 10 acres in the back country that we are enjoying so much. Lots to know and do though and your articles are always timely.
Would love to win a subscription.
I love your magazine very Inspiring all you fo
I like MaryJanesFarm because it is a kindred spirit at this stage of my life. I am a city farmgirl. I live in a great neighborhood, have a backyard garden and a plot in a local community garden. I love the attention paid to the environment, helping others and on living an authentic life. However, in an attempt to live more simply and eliminate “stuff,” an electronic (Nook) version of the magazine would be greatly appreciated. Thanks!