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Author Merit Badge Awardees - Woo-hoo Sisters!:  Farmgirl Sisterhood Merit Badge Awardees 
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MaryJane
Queen Bee

16239 Posts

MaryJane
Moscow Idaho
USA
16239 Posts

Posted - Jun 29 2017 :  5:00:19 PM  Show Profile
Cyrie Wilson (Pixiedustdevil, #6941) has received a certificate of achievement in Each Other for earning a Beginner and Intermediate Level Calligraphy Merit Badge!

“I read the required book. I happen to have a few calligraphy markers and paper. So I made a few practice samples.

I have used calligraphy on a couple of birthday cards and a package I sent to friends and family.

I didn't really like the book, but it's just personal taste. I like writing in older script, so I have a book called 'Calligraphy Magic' by Cari Buziak.”



MaryJane, Farmgirl #1 Plowin' Thru ~ giving aprons a good wrap for 45 years and counting ~
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MaryJane
Queen Bee

16239 Posts

MaryJane
Moscow Idaho
USA
16239 Posts

Posted - Jun 29 2017 :  5:24:48 PM  Show Profile
Cyrie Wilson (Pixiedustdevil, #6941) has received a certificate of achievement in Garden Gate for earning a Beginner and Intermediate Level Heirlooms Forever! Merit Badge!

“I'm applying for the beginner AND intermediate badges.

I did read the heirloom seed book. They had a copy at my library, I always try to find the books locally before I contact the MJF Library and ask for the books! There! I saved gas and cardboard! Where's that recycling badge? I'm just kidding, ok, let's get serious ...

Last year I had planted the 5% with Heirloom seeds. But I waited until this season, because I wanted to successfully collect and grow those seeds this year. I planted Heirloom cucumber, marigolds, and snapdragons last year. I collect their seeds and planted them this year. I also added more (new) Heirloom seeds this year.

So far everything is sprouting, especially the cucumbers and marigolds. The radishes are the size of eggs! I'll be saving radish and yellow wax bean seeds this year.

I was surprised that the book covered Heirloom flowers, I was expecting only vegetables.”



MaryJane, Farmgirl #1 Plowin' Thru ~ giving aprons a good wrap for 45 years and counting ~
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MaryJane
Queen Bee

16239 Posts

MaryJane
Moscow Idaho
USA
16239 Posts

Posted - Jun 29 2017 :  5:55:09 PM  Show Profile
Cyrie Wilson (Pixiedustdevil, #6941) has received a certificate of achievement in Each Other for earning a Intermediate Level Languages/Cultures Merit Badge!

“My text contains Japanese characters (I have a Japanese keyboard). Sometimes English computers and forums display them as numbers, so if you see random numbers, it was supposed to be Japanese text.
--------------

I chose Hayao Miyazaki (#23470;#23822; #39423;). He was born in 1941. He is a Japanese director, producer, screenwriter, animator, author, and manga artist. He co-founded Studio Ghibli in Japan. His films often feature nature and man's relationship with nature versus technology. His films also often feature strong girls or young female protagonists who don't need anyone to save them. The women portrayed in his movies are not done so in a sexual manner which is nice considering how many movies are made nowadays. He was quoted as saying, "Any woman is just as capable of being a hero as any man." His movies also encourage peace rather than war, and pacifism. The 'villains' in the stories are usually empathetic and not portrayed as truly evil. Almost all of his films have been released in the United States some had been released by Disney. The most notable one, which was featured in theaters in 2001 was called Spirited Away. As of 2013 he was declared as retired from filmmaking, but he has returned and is now working on another film.

The second half of my merit badge was to learn a few words or key phrases in my chosen language. These are some that I actually know by heart.

#22823;#19976;#22827; /#12384;#12356;#12376;#12423;#12358;#12406;#65311;/ Daijyoubu/ Are you alright?
#12377;#12372;#12356;#65281;/ Awesome! -or- Cool!
#12424;#12363;#12387;#12383;#65281;/ Thank goodness!
#20998;#12363;#12426;#12414;#12379;#12435;#12290;/I don't understand. -or- I don't know.
#12394;#12435;#12391;#12377;#65311;/ What is it?
#12371;#12428;#12392;#12381;#12428;#12391;#12377;#12290;/This and that.
#12371;#12428;#12398;#12513;#12522;#12483;#12488;#12539;#12496;#12483;#12472;#12391;#12377;#12290;/ This is my merit badge.
#12501;#12449;#12540;#12512;#12460;#12540;#12523;#12539;#12471;#12473;#12479;#12501;#12483;#12489;#12290;/ Farmgirl Sisterhood.

I admit it took me forever to figure out how to write Farmgirl Sisterhood in Japanese.”



MaryJane, Farmgirl #1 Plowin' Thru ~ giving aprons a good wrap for 45 years and counting ~
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MaryJane
Queen Bee

16239 Posts

MaryJane
Moscow Idaho
USA
16239 Posts

Posted - Jul 10 2017 :  11:37:27 AM  Show Profile
Cyndie Parzuhoski (cyndieparz72, #7407) has received a certificate of achievement in Make It Easy for earning an Intermediate Level Mindfulness Mediation Merit Badge!

“For my Intermediate Badge, I have continued to meditate for an additional 21 days. I have been practicing "Focused Attention" meditation, as it seems to work the best for me. I sit on the floor with my back up against the sofa (to keep me from "slouching", close my eyes and solely focus on my breathing for 10-15 minutes (sometimes a little longer). I listen to my inhales and exhales. I focus on the "pace" of my breathing, trying to keep it even. I find that as I do so, it is amazing how I can feel tension, stress and any worries drift away. My body completely relaxes (yet another reason I have my back against the sofa) and I get this strange, almost electric feeling travel from my lower back/pelvis region all the way through my body to my head. I would have to describe it as almost like a static electricity going through the nerves of my body. It is not uncomfortable, it is as if I can feel every "bad" thing leaving my body. Unfortunately, I have found myself nearly falling asleep, that is how relaxed I become.

I have promised myself that no matter what, every single day, I will be doing this, as I have noticed that I feel more energetic and am letting less bother me. The past month has been extremely stressful due to flooding in my basement, my husband working 80+ hours a week, and work stress, but I am finding it 1000 times easier to cope with, and I have a much more relaxed attitude about everything--a "go with the flow" way of thinking.”

MaryJane, Farmgirl #1 Plowin' Thru ~ giving aprons a good wrap for 45 years and counting ~
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MaryJane
Queen Bee

16239 Posts

MaryJane
Moscow Idaho
USA
16239 Posts

Posted - Jul 10 2017 :  11:50:22 AM  Show Profile
Cyndie Parzuhoski (cyndieparz72, #7407) has received a certificate of achievement in Stitching & Crafting for earning a Beginner Level Aprons Merit Badge!

“I made a simple half-apron - well, "simple" in terms of design - I am just beginning with sewing and this took a while!

I made this simple half-apron from some vintage fabric and ric-rac. I used a vintage Butterick apron pattern that did not have a number listed on it, but was dated 1954.

I am a beginner to sewing and this unfortunately took me a month to complete. My Great Great Aunt, upon her passing last year at 96 years old, had left me the entire contents of her sewing room (including a sewing machine) in the hopes that I would take up sewing. She had owned her own Millinery business and was a custom pattern maker for Jos. A. Horne in Pittsburgh (skills that unfortunately were genetically not passed along to me!)

For this beginner apron, I used a cherry red fabric that was in the bag and vintage white ric-rac. As you can see from the picture, it is far from perfect--there is some puckering and a little bit "crooked" ric-rac. I have worn it twice in the kitchen so far (I just finished it on Monday).

I feel that I bit off "more than I could chew", because it took me a month to make this. I think it would have taken me less time using a more simple pattern.

I am quite proud of myself, because while this would be a few hours for someone with sewing skills, this is a tremendous accomplishment for me and my very first attempt at creating something with a sewing machine, fabric and trim. I hope that my Great Great Aunt Mary Agnes is looking down on me smiling!

Of course, my iron decided to go on the "fritz" and I did not want to burn the cotton fabric. Then again, I worry if it was ironed, all of the "mistakes" would be more apparent.”



MaryJane, Farmgirl #1 Plowin' Thru ~ giving aprons a good wrap for 45 years and counting ~
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MaryJane
Queen Bee

16239 Posts

MaryJane
Moscow Idaho
USA
16239 Posts

Posted - Jul 10 2017 :  12:00:58 PM  Show Profile
Cynthia Magnum (CYNDIM, #6800) has received a certificate of achievement in Stitching & Crafting for earning a Beginner Level Buttoned Up Merit Badge!

“I make jean quilts and have been collecting worn out jeans for 2 years so I have saved all those buttons as well as the ones from worn out shirts. I put together some sewing boxes for my granddaughters and when I did I found some buttons I had bought 40 years ago for some of my sons outfits which went into the collection.

My oldest granddaughter goes into my button box quite often for some of her projects. I have told her the story of how my grandmother had a button box. My granddaughter is now on a mission to have her own button box but all in shades of blue. Mine is in an old brown box but hers is in a mason jar--very pretty.”

MaryJane, Farmgirl #1 Plowin' Thru ~ giving aprons a good wrap for 45 years and counting ~
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MaryJane
Queen Bee

16239 Posts

MaryJane
Moscow Idaho
USA
16239 Posts

Posted - Jul 10 2017 :  12:44:43 PM  Show Profile
Sherrilyn Askew (Sherri, #1350) has received a certificate of achievement in Stitching & Crafting for earning an Intermediate Level Mosaics Merit Badge!

“I made a larger mosaic piece (larger than the last one). I am making a series of stepping stones that are being installed in our hummingbird garden (currently under construction). My daughter is helping me by making a few stones as well. We need them as paths to get to the spigot which is in the garden, and to be able to get at the weeds in the beds. It's a pretty big garden.

The first one I made, my partner "helped" me with, so I had to take a wire brush to it when it dried to get the concrete off of the tiles. The second one I lectured him about leaving it alone and letting me do it, so I only had to brush the edges to soften the concrete corners a bit. Since I made it on the 4th of July, that is its theme. My daughter and her friend made stones that day as well. I love the way they all turned out.”



MaryJane, Farmgirl #1 Plowin' Thru ~ giving aprons a good wrap for 45 years and counting ~
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MaryJane
Queen Bee

16239 Posts

MaryJane
Moscow Idaho
USA
16239 Posts

Posted - Jul 10 2017 :  1:18:39 PM  Show Profile
Hope Johns (woolybunny28, #7249) has received a certificate of achievement in Garden Gate for earning a Beginner Level Herbs Merit Badge!

“I love herbs so much that it was hard to just choose five! Here they are though:

Lavender-
The fresh or dried lavender buds can be used as a wonderful smelling insect repellent. Lavender is especially great to soothe headaches, calm nerves, and ease dizziness. Lavender essential oil can be used as an antiseptic, mild sedative, and painkiller–especially helpful for insect bites or stings.

Oregano-
Besides being one of the staple herbs in Italian and Greek cuisine, oregano is often used to treat respiratory tract disorders, GI tract disorders, and menstrual cramps. The essential oil is often used to promote sleep, and to help with headaches. As soon as I start to show signs of a cold or flu I take my oregano oil to help me! Oregano oil is a potent natural antibiotic and antiviral. Also, it’s a must for any homemade pizza!

Calendula/Marigold-
One of the most versatile herbs, calendula is popular as a cheery garden flower, can be used in culinary recipes, as a dye plant, and for its many healing properties. It is a soothing antiseptic and an excellent skin healer, especially for cracked skin and chapped lips. In the American Civil War, doctors on the battlefield employed the leaves to treat open wounds.

Bay Leaf-
To the ancient Romans, the bay leaf was the symbol of wisdom and glory. The bay leaf has been used for centuries against disease and plague. Today, however, my favorite use for it is in my soups! In my research I was happy to find out that you can put a couple of dry bay leaves in your flour container as a weevil deterrent.

Arnica-
A great herb to plant for bees! Potentially toxic if taken internally, this herb is best used for its external benefits only. Arnica flowers that are infused in oil are wonderful for sprains, bruises and relief from the pain associated with arthritis.


I purchased some dried organic arnica and calendula flowers online and mixed them with olive oil. I infused them for 8 weeks on a sunny windowsill and used them in herbal pain relief salve that I made for my husband, since he suffers from arthritis in his knees. It works wonderfully!”



MaryJane, Farmgirl #1 Plowin' Thru ~ giving aprons a good wrap for 45 years and counting ~
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MaryJane
Queen Bee

16239 Posts

MaryJane
Moscow Idaho
USA
16239 Posts

Posted - Jul 10 2017 :  1:49:22 PM  Show Profile
Jennifer Ettlin (MsKathleen, #7128) has received a certificate of achievement in Cleaning Up for earning an Intermediate Level Shopping Green Merit Badge!

“We started by trimming down how often we go shopping, namely with a fun “No spend” Challenge. This is actually kind of fun (at the end of the time period anyway) and has cut down on the number of times that we need to go out for groceries and other items. This then requires some planning, so stocking up on larger items such as cereal is done at warehouse stores (ours has a lovely recycling program in our area--if you return the boxes and other reusable packaging items, you get store credit).

The rest of the time, we have stuck to single packaging items or items that are marked at least 75% recyclable. It was through this that we discovered Mrs. Myers products, which offer a safe and eco-friendly alternative to cleaning products, since it also comes in 100% recyclable packaging.

Overall, we’re very happy. Since our trash company was bought out and we have to take our recycling to another town, this has reduced the amount of both types of items that leave our home. We’ll be trying a new technique our neighbor taught us in a few months to reduce this even further.

As for the cleaners, I love how they cut through grease like the regular products. There is only one drawback to the eco-friendly cleaners. Mrs. Myers has proven to be the strongest cleaner of that type in our area, but still has difficulty during cold and flu season, which is a bit of a problem as I teach elementary school. We still have to use Clorox wipes in my class room because the organic products just can’t stand up to twenty-eight small, sneezing children. For my house, it works fine. It’s just can’t handle the huge onslaught of germs for a public setting.”

MaryJane, Farmgirl #1 Plowin' Thru ~ giving aprons a good wrap for 45 years and counting ~
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MaryJane
Queen Bee

16239 Posts

MaryJane
Moscow Idaho
USA
16239 Posts

Posted - Jul 10 2017 :  4:18:39 PM  Show Profile
Jennifer Ettlin (MsKathleen, #7128) has received a certificate of achievement in Cleaning Up for earning a Beginner Level Green Energy Merit Badge!

“Our research into how our power was generated was started by a local ballot vote this last April. Our power company, Osage Electric, is a coal-generated facility that has been trying to get our area to vote for a tax on anyone who wants to implement alternative energies, such as solar panels. In their monthly newsletter a couple of months ago, they tried to claim that solar energy is bad for the economy as it would raise electricity prices in the “co-op” because those using alternative energies would “inflate the standardized price for all other members”.

This, of course, started up our curiosity engines in class. So we learned that solar energy lines, hydroelectric lines, wind power, etc. are systems that use natural reusable resources and how they generate the power into battery cells that store the energy and feed it back to the house when it is needed. For the power company, this means they have the option to buy the excess energy and distribute it back out to customers like they do in Florida or offer a reduced credit to customers like in Alabama. Other powers, such as nuclear, offer shorter, pulsing powers outlets compared to alternative sources but can only be sent out once in a variety of ways and use up resources.

I learned quite a bit on the actual processes between the systems (such as battery compartments verses nuclear cooling). It was a fun experiment and I added a new repertoire of information for my class next year.

However, I was a bit disappointed (and yet still intrigued) to find out that the ballot initiative really had nothing to do with the positive or negative effects of both alternative and traditional power usage. Apparently, as was mentioned by another teacher (to which I verified at the end of April), the alternative energy line created by President Obama (also called the Grain Valley Wind Turbine Farm), will be coming to our area by 2021, intersecting through Osage Electric’s main customer base.

They don’t want to lose their captive audience to alternative energy so they are trying to put a super high tax on all alternative energy items such as solar panels so no one can use the new system. I’m glad it lost at the ballot box.”



MaryJane, Farmgirl #1 Plowin' Thru ~ giving aprons a good wrap for 45 years and counting ~
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MaryJane
Queen Bee

16239 Posts

MaryJane
Moscow Idaho
USA
16239 Posts

Posted - Jul 10 2017 :  4:31:51 PM  Show Profile
Jennifer Ettlin (MsKathleen, #7128) has received a certificate of achievement in Cleaning Up for earning a Beginner Level Water Conservation Merit Badge!

“We had a number of leaks in our house. It started when the A/C-slash-heater exploded and insurance had to send out someone to fix our system. When he checked our system, he noted that our water usage was unusually high.

Why?

He didn’t know.

We didn’t either since we take short submarine showers from growing up in the military. Water warming up from the sink was always gathered in a bucket since we were stationed in California due to water conservation laws. Water was turned off while we brushed our teeth due to base regulations in Spain and France. So we began to search out the problem.

We started by adding on low flow faucets and making certain all the pipes were clear. We noted that the new faucets reduced not only the bill, but also the small puddles around the sinks that we thought the others in our house had left (especially with the toddlers playing with the bubbles in the sink). We noticed the tub was leaking so that was resealed. We still had a “high” bill by the end of February. It was luckily due to the extremely short winter we had that we found the culprit.

It turns out that an over grown, thorny bush was covering an extra garden faucet! The thing was leaking twenty-four hours a day at full flow since before we moved in! We had no idea it was running because it ran into a gravel French drain just below it and the faucet was on the outside of the garage so we never heard a thing!

We got that leak fixed in a hurry. Our bill dropped drastically. To about half of what it normally was (which was still really low compared to our last house). I wish we would have found it sooner. That seems to be the last of our leaks. Water usage, according to our meter also fell just as low. We’ll still be keeping an eye on it.”

MaryJane, Farmgirl #1 Plowin' Thru ~ giving aprons a good wrap for 45 years and counting ~
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MaryJane
Queen Bee

16239 Posts

MaryJane
Moscow Idaho
USA
16239 Posts

Posted - Jul 10 2017 :  4:45:16 PM  Show Profile
Jennifer Ettlin (MsKathleen, #7128) has received a certificate of achievement in Cleaning Up for earning a Beginner Level Home Insulation Merit Badge!

“The type of insulation in our house is blown cellulose, R value at 3.7. We found that fiberglass batting has an R value of 3.1-3.4 per inch, blown fiberglass batting at 2.2-4.3 and open cellulose spray foam is at 3.5-3.6, which means that our insulation is perfect for this area … If only we had enough of it.

Blown cellulose breaks down over long periods of time, which is acceptable considering that the last time insulation was added to the house was apparently 1986 (according to the bag left up there). We’ll be adding more soon, before winter comes.

Our windows, with the exception of two rooms, are all double pane, insulation inset glass windows, which is perfect for the Missouri weather. The other two are interesting. One is a single pane, glass inlay that is original to the house, which we will probably be replacing soon due to a bird flying into the window and cracking it.

The last sets are single pane windows … but there is a second set of single pane windows outside of those. We’ll probably be replacing those as well since not only do we get rebates and credits from the power company, but tax breaks and grants for our area.

It turned out well, I suppose. We’re going to try and get everything done before December because we can get a good tax credit if we complete the power company’s audit list by then, which actually includes adding insulation and replacing those sets of windows. We already have many of the items scheduled for later this year.”

MaryJane, Farmgirl #1 Plowin' Thru ~ giving aprons a good wrap for 45 years and counting ~
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MaryJane
Queen Bee

16239 Posts

MaryJane
Moscow Idaho
USA
16239 Posts

Posted - Jul 12 2017 :  11:31:28 AM  Show Profile
Helen Ettlin (Grandma Helen, #7130) has received a certificate of achievement in Cleaning Up for earning an Intermediate Level Shopping Green Merit Badge!

“We began by shopping bi-weekly so we needed larger amounts (less small packages). Then we began shopping at stores that used less fancy packing and little styrofoam (in our area Aldi). We pretty much avoid the individual packaging altogether now. We live out in the country with no recycling pick-up so trash can be an issue. We don’t want to make more than we can get rid of easily.

We are on an old septic system: no harsh detergents or antibacterials can be used. We are also in a flood plain between two creeks so we have to be mindful of leachfield run-off. To that end, we use biodegradable and septic safe household and personal cleaners. Mrs. Meyers is one of our favorites because it gets the job done. We tried a few others but with our really hard water, they left something to be desired.

The trash is down to one bin a cycle, which is nice. The septic system is hard to say but since we have had no problems, we assume it is working as it is supposed to. Mrs. Meyers for laundry and general cleaning, Dawn (blue bottle) for dishes, and JR Watkins for hand soap seem to be working pretty well.”

MaryJane, Farmgirl #1 Plowin' Thru ~ giving aprons a good wrap for 45 years and counting ~
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MaryJane
Queen Bee

16239 Posts

MaryJane
Moscow Idaho
USA
16239 Posts

Posted - Jul 12 2017 :  4:02:55 PM  Show Profile
Helen Ettlin (Grandma Helen, #7130) has received a certificate of achievement in Cleaning Up for earning a Beginner Level Green Energy Merit Badge!

“This was an exercise is being disgusted with corporate lies. Our power company publishes all of this stuff about how “green” they are but the numbers show just the opposite: they LOVE coal. I wrote to them, I researched, and emailed them ... they hemmed and hawed. They use wind only during high peak hours as a back up and our energy co-operative actively discourages solar panels because it is “unfair” to other people in the co-op if you aren’t “paying your fair share.” The state, to appease the energy companies, has allowed all subsidies for green energy in our area to lapse and when you ask about them, all you get is a shrug. Can you tell I am a little annoyed now?

I am more determined than ever to be energy independent as soon as I can afford to do so.”

MaryJane, Farmgirl #1 Plowin' Thru ~ giving aprons a good wrap for 45 years and counting ~
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MaryJane
Queen Bee

16239 Posts

MaryJane
Moscow Idaho
USA
16239 Posts

Posted - Jul 12 2017 :  4:15:53 PM  Show Profile
Helen Ettlin (Grandma Helen, #7130) has received a certificate of achievement in Cleaning Up for earning a Beginner Level Water Conservation Merit Badge!

“We really began this one when we were stationed in southern California … land of the perpetual drought. We became accustomed to using low flow faucets, toilet water savers, and water timing. Since we began that habit eight years ago, we never really got out of it. We like the lower water bills.

In the house we bought in Missouri (Oct 2015), we have repaired all leaks immediately as we find them: small leaks lead to big problems. One of the things we do is to run the washing machine or dishwasher when we go to bed (no water competition or stress on the septic system). Showers in our house are very short. I would like to say it is because of water conservation but it is because during the week, I want a chance to enjoy my coffee before the day begins and on the weekends the grand-kids like to jump on the bed.

The septic tank doesn't back flow and the leak field doesn't smell like poo: it is working well. The water bills remain consistently low year around.”

MaryJane, Farmgirl #1 Plowin' Thru ~ giving aprons a good wrap for 45 years and counting ~
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MaryJane
Queen Bee

16239 Posts

MaryJane
Moscow Idaho
USA
16239 Posts

Posted - Jul 12 2017 :  4:28:08 PM  Show Profile
Helen Ettlin (Grandma Helen, #7130) has received a certificate of achievement in Cleaning Up for earning a Beginner Level Home Insulation Merit Badge!

“We had 3”-6” of blown cellulose insulation. While the type of insulation is adequate (R value of 3.7) there was not enough of it. The other problem is that after a few decades, the cellulose smashed down and became home to mice.

We looked at Fiberglass batt (R value of 3.4) but if you have to deal with the itchiness of it, it should have a lot better R value. Open Cell Spray Foam was not really an option because of our truss structure even though the R value is the same as the cellulose. The ideal would be the Closed cell Spray Foam with an R value of 6.5 but it is quite cost prohibitive and again the truss structure would be problematic. We settled on a blown encapsulated fiberglass insulation with an R value of 4.3. Our power company allows a $500 rebate IF you use their energy audit company to determine that you need insulation.

When we bought this house, most of the windows were double hung, double pane good quality windows … except for the family room and sewing room. They have single pane windows that will be replaced as soon as the budget allows.

We had an energy audit done and added insulation.”

MaryJane, Farmgirl #1 Plowin' Thru ~ giving aprons a good wrap for 45 years and counting ~
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MaryJane
Queen Bee

16239 Posts

MaryJane
Moscow Idaho
USA
16239 Posts

Posted - Jul 12 2017 :  4:35:14 PM  Show Profile
Peggy Smith (Forever Young, #1815) has received a certificate of achievement in Farm Kitchen for earning an Intermediate Level Canning Merit Badge!

“I used MaryJane's recipe for Cherry Pie Jam and made Vidalia Onion Relish.

The cherry pie jam turned out great using the water bath canning.
I followed the directions given in the Ball Blue book for Jams.

We celebrated our anniversary and invited family and friends. They loved both the jam and relish.

I had the recipes already written out to send home with the ones that asked for them.”

MaryJane, Farmgirl #1 Plowin' Thru ~ giving aprons a good wrap for 45 years and counting ~
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MaryJane
Queen Bee

16239 Posts

MaryJane
Moscow Idaho
USA
16239 Posts

Posted - Jul 12 2017 :  4:46:30 PM  Show Profile
Peggy Smith (Forever Young, #1815) has received a certificate of achievement in Stitching & Crafting for earning an Intermediate Level Safe Toys Merit Badge!

“I hand sewed a cloth doll for my great-great niece when she was born.

I made the doll using muslin fabric, embroidery thread for the nose, mouth and eyes, yarn for the hair. Then I made a bonnet, dress and bloomers.

It turned out so nice, the parents loved it because it is handmade and safe for her to play with.”

MaryJane, Farmgirl #1 Plowin' Thru ~ giving aprons a good wrap for 45 years and counting ~
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MaryJane
Queen Bee

16239 Posts

MaryJane
Moscow Idaho
USA
16239 Posts

Posted - Jul 17 2017 :  2:17:39 PM  Show Profile
Katie Reichenbach (#7422) has received a certificate of achievement in Make It Easy for earning a Beginner Level Music Merit Badge!

“I did research on the internet and a lot of listening. I found a great website that has definitions but then also has music clips that allows you to "hear" the definition which I felt was very helpful.

I put all my findings on the Music Merit Badge chat room to share with my sisters.

I loved doing this badge as my first one! I have a degree in violin performance but I haven't used it in years. It was really nice to dust off the grey cells and remember some of the basics that I take for granted that I know. I started to learn to play when I was 2 yrs old so some of these basic terms were taught to me when I was very young. I loved listening to all the music clips most of all. They offered such a variety of sounds and I remembered playing many of them.”

MaryJane, Farmgirl #1 Plowin' Thru ~ giving aprons a good wrap for 45 years and counting ~
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MaryJane
Queen Bee

16239 Posts

MaryJane
Moscow Idaho
USA
16239 Posts

Posted - Jul 17 2017 :  2:18:30 PM  Show Profile
Katie Reichenbach (#7422) has received a certificate of achievement in Make It Easy for earning an Intermediate Level Music Merit Badge!

“I researched Aaron Copland for my composer and Itzhak Perlman for my musician from the last 100 years. I then wrote a brief report on each and then a compare/contrast statement and posted them to the music merit badge board.

I was pleased at how much I learned. I had played Aaron Copland’s music so many times but never pieced together at how it changed through the years. His early works are very intricate and to some difficult to listen to and I will say much more complex to play. His later works are very soothing and pleasant with less dissonance. You can tell he was trying to “please” the general public and not distance them from classical music as many of the neoclassical composer had started to do.

Ah Itzhak. What can I say? It would be a dream to someday see him in concert. If you ever watch him, the notes just seem to float from his fingers. I fell in love with his soul when I saw him as a child on Sesame Street. It was great to look back on that memory!”

MaryJane, Farmgirl #1 Plowin' Thru ~ giving aprons a good wrap for 45 years and counting ~
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MaryJane
Queen Bee

16239 Posts

MaryJane
Moscow Idaho
USA
16239 Posts

Posted - Jul 17 2017 :  2:57:52 PM  Show Profile
Katie Reichenbach (#7422) has received a certificate of achievement in Cleaning Up for earning a Beginner Level Green Energy Merit Badge!

“I researched by first calling my electric company who then directed me to their website. I learned on there the different ways our electric is generated which was surprising to me. I did further research on their production and learned how they are turning sodium sulfite that once ended up in landfills into gypsum for drywall and that at their main nuclear plant the number of species of fish has increase from 43, identified before they began operations in 1976 to a current identified 78 species.

After this I did a “pros and cons” table of the main methods of energy production. I attempted to save it in sections at JPEGs and post it to the chatroom; however, the quality is a bit fuzzy. I’d be happy to email the table if necessary.

I learned a lot about our local company. We use them as our supplier so it was important to me to learn where my energy was coming from. I tried to go with a "green" supplier and ended up getting ripped off so I feel a little better knowing that at least they are trying to do their part for the environment. While I would love to go solar/wind, our finances prohibit it at this time. I will never stop thinking about it though and maybe someday the right program with come about that we can afford.”

MaryJane, Farmgirl #1 Plowin' Thru ~ giving aprons a good wrap for 45 years and counting ~
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MaryJane
Queen Bee

16239 Posts

MaryJane
Moscow Idaho
USA
16239 Posts

Posted - Jul 17 2017 :  3:11:20 PM  Show Profile
Katie Reichenbach (#7422) has received a certificate of achievement in Cleaning Up for earning a Beginner Level Recycling Merit Badge!

“We have single stream curbside recycling which means we put everything in one bucket that has the following criteria
(see uploaded photo) As well as newspapers and cardboard.

We have a yard waste recycling center that is open limited hours and takes leaves, branches, and shrubbery as well as defrocked Christmas trees. This never applied to us since we compost and chip our own mulch.
Northampton County holds household hazardous waste events semi-annually
Accepted Scrap Metals Recycling of residential scrap, that is primarily metal, including lawn furniture, vehicle rims/wheels, yard equipment (oil, gas & batteries removed), major metal appliances (washer, dryers, stoves), air conditioners and dehumidifiers (refrigerant does not require removal, it will be recycled), etc.

HAZARDOUS WASTE ACCEPTED Adhesives Fire extinguishers Propane cylinders Aerosols Herbicides/pesticides Thermometers Antifreeze Household cleaners Thermostats Automotive fluids & cleaners Mercury-containing products Batteries (all types) Motor oil/filters Compressed gas Oil-based paint & stains Fluorescent light bulbs Old gasoline/oil mixtures Flammables/combustibles Pool chemicals

Accepted Tires Automobile, & light duty truck $2.50 each Tractor trailer $5.50 each No rims/wheels accepted (see scrap metal, above) No farm, bicycle, mini-bike, motorcycle, golf-cart, backhoe, etc. tires will be accepted.

A neighboring county offers electronic recycling.

We do a pretty good job of recycling. We always have more recycling than garbage. I wish it were every week and garbage was every other. We need to do a better job at getting rid of our hazardous materials like old paint, light bulbs, stuff like that that piles up and gets forgotten.”



MaryJane, Farmgirl #1 Plowin' Thru ~ giving aprons a good wrap for 45 years and counting ~
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MaryJane
Queen Bee

16239 Posts

MaryJane
Moscow Idaho
USA
16239 Posts

Posted - Jul 17 2017 :  3:19:15 PM  Show Profile
Jennifer Ettlin (MsKathleen, #7128) has received a certificate of achievement in Cleaning Up for earning a Beginner Level Going Green Merit Badge!

“Our journey to using only green cleaners began as one part to reduce the amount of trash we throw out and one part new county and federal regulations. Last November, FEMA redid the flood plain in our area, placing our home in a flood zone this year. While, historically, no flood waters have touched our property since the 1940s (wild fires, yes, but flood waters, no) our septic system had to conform to EPA regulations since our property is what FEMA calls a flood drainage zone. This means that the water flows from surrounding areas down our creek (filling the whole valley) and empties into the South Chippenhappi Nature preserve/wetlands.

Officially, we can only use certain chemical brands but further investigation found we can use any number of green, environmentally friendly products available. We chose to go after the latter. So, my family thought it to be a good opportunity to work on some badges. Since we were working on finding non-chemical cleaners, we paired it with Recycling and Shopping Green to develop a new system and experiment with non-chemical cleaners. We love Mrs. Myers. Over breakfast with my mother, one morning, our family developed the following mission statement:

“We promise to use biodegradable and earth-friendly cleaning products to protect the quality of our environment so future generations can enjoy our protected reserves and habitats.”
We’ve also started a Pintrest board which has been doubling as our Green Journal. You can take a look here: http://pin.it/B5wtjuZ. Feel free to contact us if you have additional ideas or articles you’d like to share. Everyone in our Chapter has access to it so ideas are always being added.

Over all, we had fun learning about our local environment and setting up a green journal. Making a mission statement and committing to it was like pulling hen’s teeth (“Alright honey, you make the mission statement and we’ll follow it…” <== He had absolutely no intention to follow it.), but we eventually managed … when I replaced every single cleaner and repair product.”

MaryJane, Farmgirl #1 Plowin' Thru ~ giving aprons a good wrap for 45 years and counting ~
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MaryJane
Queen Bee

16239 Posts

MaryJane
Moscow Idaho
USA
16239 Posts

Posted - Jul 17 2017 :  3:39:18 PM  Show Profile
Jennifer Ettlin (MsKathleen, #7128) has received a certificate of achievement in Cleaning Up for earning an Intermediate Level Home Insulation Merit Badge!

“Our journey to using only green cleaners began as one part to reduce the amount of trash we throw out and one part new county and federal regulations. Last November, FEMA redid the flood plain in our area, placing our home in a flood zone this year. While, historically, no flood waters have touched our property since the 1940s (wild fires, yes, but flood waters, no) our septic system had to conform to EPA regulations since our property is what FEMA calls a flood drainage zone. This means that the water flows from surrounding areas down our creek (filling the whole valley) and empties into the South Chippenhappi Nature preserve/wetlands.

Officially, we can only use certain chemical brands but further investigation found we can use any number of green, environmentally friendly products available. We chose to go after the latter. So, my family thought it to be a good opportunity to work on some badges. Since we were working on finding non-chemical cleaners, we paired it with Recycling and Shopping Green to develop a new system and experiment with non-chemical cleaners. We love Mrs. Myers. Over breakfast with my mother, one morning, our family developed the following mission statement:

“We promise to use biodegradable and earth-friendly cleaning products to protect the quality of our environment so future generations can enjoy our protected reserves and habitats.”
We’ve also started a Pintrest board which has been doubling as our Green Journal. You can take a look here: http://pin.it/B5wtjuZ. Feel free to contact us if you have additional ideas or articles you’d like to share. Everyone in our Chapter has access to it so ideas are always being added.

Over all, we had fun learning about our local environment and setting up a green journal. Making a mission statement and committing to it was like pulling hen’s teeth (“Alright honey, you make the mission statement and we’ll follow it…” <== He had absolutely no intention to follow it.), but we eventually managed … when I replaced every single cleaner and repair product.”

MaryJane, Farmgirl #1 Plowin' Thru ~ giving aprons a good wrap for 45 years and counting ~
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MaryJane
Queen Bee

16239 Posts

MaryJane
Moscow Idaho
USA
16239 Posts

Posted - Jul 17 2017 :  4:21:40 PM  Show Profile
Lenora McMahan (firecatinc, #7131) has received a certificate of achievement in Each Other for earning an Intermediate Level Little Squirts Merit Badge!

“I went through the house and checked all the doors.

On average they all worked properly, I adjusted the hinges on the basement door.”

MaryJane, Farmgirl #1 Plowin' Thru ~ giving aprons a good wrap for 45 years and counting ~
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