Welcome New Sisters! (click for current roster)
Merit Badge Awardees (click for latest awards)
My featured Merit Badge Awardee of the Week is … Suzanne Holland!!!
Suzanne Holland (#828) has received a certificate of achievement in Each Other for earning a Beginner Level Know Your Roots Merit Badge!
“I have been working on the family tree with the information left to me by my mother and her sisters. I have used online resources, and through those resources, have been fortunate enough to discover distant cousins trying to fit the pieces together also. The cousins are on my mother’s side and we are working slowly together, digging through court records and archives, to put the family tree together accurately.
I am also working, on my own, on my father’s side of the family. As it turns out, my 5th great-grandfather had two land grants … one right here in St. Francisville, Louisiana, where I moved five years ago, and one in Natchez, Mississippi. The house he built, “Coyle House,” still stands in Natchez. I have had the privilege to meet the current owner, and she even had photographs of my 4th great-grandparents that she gave me copies of. Also, I found out that my 5th great-grandfather came from Ireland, County Donegal, but had land and family in County Sligo. I live right off Sligo Road, in St. Francisville, where his land grant is described as being located. I have plans to go pull court records this summer when I have more time to dig to discover the exact location and who he sold it to before moving to Cotton Valley, Louisiana.”
You know the saying … You can take the girls out of the farm, but you can’t take the farm out of the girls. Or something like that, right? It’s so true, but it’s always good to venture out and double check. Besides, coming back home can feel so good.
We were pretty excited for our adventure. The teddy bears might have felt otherwise, but they were good sports.
It was a windy day, but the pilots got us safely out of Idaho and on our way to the big city.
We checked into our hotel with a midnight snack, then off to dream about our first day in the city.
Good morning, Manhattan!
Look out city, here we come (in our farm boots, of course).
We loved the Museum of Natural History, and after an entire day wandering the halls, we still have a list of things to do for next time. I love it when my girls voluntarily hold hands.
Rockefeller Center is awesome, especially on a windy day with all the world flags flapping above. And of course, having just learned to ice skate back home, the girls had fun watching the Zamboni do its thing.
We could have spent the entire week in Central Park. But alas, it was time to pack up and head home.
Good night, Manhattan. Until next time … tomorrow to be exact, when I share why we were in NYC plus a Big Moment GIVEAWAY!
This post is for Winnie. (Ha, I accidently typed in Winner!) So, Winner Winnie, here’s Myrtle, the girl wearing the bling light in Sunday’s post, as well as today’s photo-of-the-day. This is a truck I used to drive, but now that I’ve turned her into a hay shed (wonderful in her hayday), she’s been officially put out to pasture.
Here she is getting her new roof framed up.
And now she’s getting covered in reused metal siding from our old barn.
A true Jersey girl!
P.S. Winnie, the yellow flower was the bloom on a kale plant in my greenhouse.
Have you heard about the new Barbie in town?
Well, she’s not really here, in town … and she’s not actually a Barbie.
So, let me try this again …
Have you heard of Lammily?
Image courtesy of Nickolay Lamm via Lammily.com
She’s a doll, isn’t she?
Touted by her creator (yes, he’s a man) as fun, fit, and healthy, Lammily is posed to give Barbie a run for her money. Much to many a thinking woman’s relief, she was modeled using the standard body proportions of an average 19-year-old gal, which—as we know—don’t include a corset-crimped waist or a Nefertiti neck.
Out with the old …
Photo of first Barbie doll, introduced in both blonde and brunette in March 1959, by Barbieologin via Wikimedia
In with the new …
Image courtesy of Nickolay Lamm via Lammily.com
“When I look at current fashion dolls, I’m reminded of my experience in high school. I’m reminded that there are some things that are just a mirage and not worth emulating,” explains Nickolay Lamm, the genius behind Lammily. “Moreover, I’m reminded that there is beauty in embracing all the aspects of who you are, and in staying true to you.”
Lamm goes on to say that Lammily (named for Lamm and his family) has a stylish, yet simple, wardrobe without a barrage of bling. She wears minimal makeup, promoting the realistic beauty standards of the everyday girl.
And her lifestyle? Forget glamorous partying and shopping-till-she-drops …
In a recent Huffington Post editorial, Nickolay Lam wrote, “I want Lammily’s accessories to be reflective of real life in miniature form. I envision her reading books that inform and playing instruments that educate on the sounds and intricacies of music. I see her constructing her own home, cultivating her own garden while learning about the wonders of plants and vegetables, and eating these nourishing and healthy foods. All of these aspects are authentic, and can be complemented with an online world where children can explore these realities in depth.”
Well, it’s about time, don’t you think?
You can’t run to the store to find Lammily just yet. She’s in the works as we speak. But you can pre-order a first-edition doll at Lammily.com with an expected ship date of November 2014.
In the meantime, here’s a little more about Lammily:
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.
