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Merit Badge Awardees - Woo-hoo Sisters!: Farmgirl Sisterhood Merit Badge Awardees |
MaryJane
Queen Bee
16463 Posts
MaryJane
Moscow
Idaho
USA
16463 Posts |
Posted - Mar 16 2011 : 11:19:01 AM
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Kathleen Horton (Kat38, #2695) has received a certificate of achievement in Farm Kitchen for earning a beginner level Unprocessed Kitchen badge.
"I picked out my son and husbands soda and learned how to make some organic soda options.
I mix ginger or organic fruits with soda waters brands from the health food store. My family loves it! No corn syrups and diet artificial flavors. My son is diabetic so the gingerale is sugar free - he loves it!!!" |
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MaryJane
Queen Bee
16463 Posts
MaryJane
Moscow
Idaho
USA
16463 Posts |
Posted - Mar 16 2011 : 11:24:09 AM
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Susan Parnell (sparnell, #2487) has received a certificate of achievement in Each Other for earning a beginner level Farmgirl Grammar badge.
"For the first requirement, make an effort to improve your grammar and spelling, I have been writing a number of marketing items for the clinic where I work. I usually need multiple drafts to accomplish a quality work but I made a special effort to pay attention to the details and constructed some very nice materials with little revision.
For the second requirement, I signed up for a word a day computer e-mail to be sent to me. I knew about half of the words but found some knew words too. My favorite new word is sitzfleisch. It means the ability to sit through something boring. That is definitely an experience that needed it's own word.
The project turned out great. It's been fun looking at the word a day every morning. I needed the re-focus on grammar and spelling." |
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MaryJane
Queen Bee
16463 Posts
MaryJane
Moscow
Idaho
USA
16463 Posts |
Posted - Mar 16 2011 : 11:34:24 AM
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Becky Garrison (CamelliaCottage, #1941) has received a certificate of achievement in Stitching & Crafting for earning a beginner level Buttoned Up badge.
"I have been collecting buttons for years! Antique stores, yard/garage sales, estate sales, and of course, stores! I also have two pint jars full that my mother handed down to me. My aunt who travels up north each year knows to keep her eyes open for me and I have another pint jar of buttons that she has brought me. I use them in crafting, on cards and tags, yoyos, and many other ways.
I have saved jelly and pickle jars (repurposing) and have most of my buttons divided up by color(s) and stored on the vintage rolling cart in my studio/craftroom. Other, more special buttons are stored in bins on top of my work table.
I love buttons, and finding gorgeous old ones made of glass, bone, mother of pearl and other types as well."
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MaryJane
Queen Bee
16463 Posts
MaryJane
Moscow
Idaho
USA
16463 Posts |
Posted - Mar 16 2011 : 11:39:38 AM
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Kathleen Horton (Kat38, #2695) has received a certificate of achievement in Garden Gate for earning a beginner level Gaining Ground badge.
"I read "Worms Eat my Garbage" by Mary Applehof and started my own worm bin and composting.
This is great. I got the worms from the local "worm guy" and made a bin out of a big storage tote. The worms are doing great!! The kids love looking at the worms and feeding them. My son is hoping to use some of the worms for fishing." |
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MaryJane
Queen Bee
16463 Posts
MaryJane
Moscow
Idaho
USA
16463 Posts |
Posted - Mar 16 2011 : 11:50:08 AM
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Becky Garrison (CamelliaCottage, #1941) has received a certificate of achievement in Stitching & Crafting for earning an intermediate level Buttoned Up badge.
"I made a bracelet from vintage pink and black buttons from my collection. These buttons were in a tin in my mother's sewing chest when I was a small child. I would play with them when she was sewing, often on my clothes. She knew how much I loved those buttons, and last year she handed the tin full of buttons down to me.
The bracelet is very easy, simply threading alternating colors and patterns onto perle cotton thread. I used a bit of glue on the ends to make them easier to push through the holes. Once the buttons were all placed the way I wanted them, I ran both ends of the thread through a larger silver spacer bead, then tied off the ends with black beads too large to go through the spacer. You pull each bead to tighten the bracelet.
Beautifully! It is made from buttons from the 50's and in the very 50-ish colors of pink and black.
At our March Sunshine Sisters Farmgirls chapter gathering this past Saturday, one of our members taught us to make earrings from buttons, so I have made 3 pairs of earrings, as well. I will have pictures of those on our chapter's blog some time tonight. (3/14/2011)"
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MaryJane
Queen Bee
16463 Posts
MaryJane
Moscow
Idaho
USA
16463 Posts |
Posted - Mar 16 2011 : 12:36:27 PM
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Scarlett Winters (silver3wings, #2044) has received a certificate of achievement in Make It Easy for earning a beginner level Let's Get Physical badge.
"During a health challenge last year I got down to under a hundred pounds and lost a lot of muscle. After being athletic my whole life, I didn’t know how to build up from zero. So, I hired a geriatric personal trainer to help me. She and my doctor helped me set realistic goals for where I am now. A spreadsheet helps me track my exercise and my progress.
I’m happy to say that I’ve been able to graduate from very gentle walking to chair exercises." |
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MaryJane
Queen Bee
16463 Posts
MaryJane
Moscow
Idaho
USA
16463 Posts |
Posted - Mar 16 2011 : 12:43:40 PM
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Scarlett Winters (silver3wings, #2044) has received a certificate of achievement in Farm Kitchen for earning a beginner level Know Your Food badge.
"It’s possible that I go a little overboard with the food tracking. I plan my meals for the week in advance. If I end up adjusting it mid-week (which happens a lot) I write down what I did differently. Then, I might enter it into the “Food Intake” section of my recipe managing software. I always read labels because I have food allergies, but I read labels even before I knew I had them because I wanted to avoid non-food in my food. I found two websites that have really helped me add a variety of fresh fruit and veggies into my diet. One provides a list of foods and when they are in season in my part of the country. Another is allrecipes.com. If I see a food I’m not sure about or haven’t tried, I can find a way to prepare it in a new recipe. Hydrogenated oils, artificial sweeteners, as well as other sources of excitotoxins are not allowed in the house to avoid temptation.
I've been able to add a lot more variety to my diet. It has inspired me to keep a list of all the different foods I'm eating to see how many it ends up being in a year. Also, I feel confident enough to teach a class at the local food pantry telling other people with food allergies how to get more variety in their diets." |
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MaryJane
Queen Bee
16463 Posts
MaryJane
Moscow
Idaho
USA
16463 Posts |
Posted - Mar 16 2011 : 12:54:08 PM
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Scarlett Winters (silver3wings, #2044) has received a certificate of achievement in Cleaning Up for earning an expert level Shopping Green badge.
"Since I am not a member of a local chapter, I decided to organize a bag drive for the local food pantry. Mother Hubbard’s Cupboard provides healthy food, including organic fruits and veggies, to the hungry folks in my community. However, they go through about 3000 plastic bags in just one week! The patrons have proven their willingness to use reusable bags in the past. So, the more bags we could collect for them, the better. I spread the word at networking meetings, social networking sites, and anywhere I could.
Today, I am delivering 150 reusable bags to the pantry. That will save 1800 plastic bags a year." |
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MaryJane
Queen Bee
16463 Posts
MaryJane
Moscow
Idaho
USA
16463 Posts |
Posted - Mar 17 2011 : 10:15:25 AM
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Carrie Meerwarth (Carrie M, #147) has received a certificate of achievement in Each Other for earning a beginner level Farmgirl Grammar badge.
"As the daughter of a writer and lifetime student, I have been raised to speak and write well. My mother instilled in me a love of words which has never waned. Now, as a homeschooling mom, I have tried to pass on this same passion to my growing children, and I believe I have been successful. (I wish I could say the same for my efforts to improve my husband's grammar!) I have worked through the book “30 Days to a More Powerful Vocabulary” by Funk & Lewis with my children and found that the best way to make our new words “stick” is to continually use them together. That means that we will say things such as “Gee, Dad is being taciturn today” or “Don't you think that Beth is gregarious?” to each other. In this way, my children have been able to develop mature vocabularies that other people comment on frequently. My vocabulary has improved as well. For the sake of this badge, I scanned my 11th grader's Vocabulary, Spelling, and Poetry book and found thirteen words that I wanted to learn. Most of these thirteen words were ones that I was familiar with, but I discovered that I had been using them improperly.
The fourteenth word is one that I found in the dictionary: agglutinate. This is a word that describes many aspects in my life, as I sometimes have trouble keeping my gravy from becoming agglutinated, while struggling to get my thoughts to agglutinate; the agglutinability of macaroni is ultra-frustrating at times, but I love that my family is agglutinable!"
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MaryJane
Queen Bee
16463 Posts
MaryJane
Moscow
Idaho
USA
16463 Posts |
Posted - Mar 17 2011 : 10:21:08 AM
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Carrie Meerwarth (Carrie M, #147) has received a certificate of achievement in Each Other for earning an intermediate level Farmgirl Grammar badge.
"I have earned this badge by continuing to improve and increase my use of words. I try to always write clearly to avoid confusion, especially when leading an online conversation thread, communicating on Facebook, or sending emails or letters. I am aware of how important it is to use punctuation properly, as well as to structure sentences in a way that expresses my thoughts clearly to my reader. As I tell my children, for proper communication, it is not enough for a writer to know what he/she is saying; the reader must understand, too.
I also read the book Woe is I: The Grammarphobe's Guide to Better English in Plain English. I have read this book before but enjoyed reading it again. My greatest grammatical challenge is in speaking properly; I pay much closer attention to grammatical correctness in my written words. I know that I violate the me/my rules of pages 43-44 when speaking, along with my use of use/used when saying “She used to come but no longer does” and was/were in wishful thinking as on pages 53-54. Perhaps I will never improve. But, after years of homeschooling my five children, I do know there/their/they're and its/it's. I understand the pesky look-alikes of page 62, as well. And as far as Happy Endings (page 63-64), I will use ed on verbs and t on adjectives; that's just the I way I think it should be!
One of my biggest language pet peeves is incorrect use of anxious and eager. One implies dread, the other excitement. As Ms. O'Conner explains it, one is anxious about something (dreading it) or eager to do something (excitement). A student could be anxious about a test score if she thinks she didn't do well on it, or eager to see her grade if she is sure she aced it!
For homeschooling moms, or for those who would like to help improve the grammar of school age children, Woe is I, Jr. is a great resource.
And in conclusion, while I would usually agree with what Ms. O'Connor had to say about sentence length in “Stop when you've said it” on page 226, it is my belief that once in a while a writer must take license when she feels that what she has to say is important or necessary for the purpose of making a point or garnering attention, and in these situations it is most appropriate to avoid the use of punctuation that would bring the sentence, and therefore the thought or idea, to an end before the point has been made to the writer's satisfaction. Point made!" |
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MaryJane
Queen Bee
16463 Posts
MaryJane
Moscow
Idaho
USA
16463 Posts |
Posted - Mar 17 2011 : 10:30:28 AM
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Carrie Meerwarth (Carrie M, #147) has received a certificate of achievement in Each Other for earning an expert level Farmgirl Grammar badge.
"I have written a letter to the editor of the local “Free Press”...it was not difficult to decide to write to this paper over the other local papers; the editor of this paper frequently allows grammar and punctuation errors to make it to print! In fact, last week's edition had a big one on the front page...see if you can find it in the photo! I borrowed “Eat's, Shoots and Leaves” from the library along with the kids version by the same author which is a fun, easy read. I had read this book back in early adulthood (I'm a writer and grammar guru) and enjoyed picking it up again. Just the dedication page in the front of the book will tell you how very important good punctuation is! I tried to read a popular “knitting” fiction book and found myself quite confused in many parts due to a lack of proper punctuation. What is is with editors these days?! So many current authors and editors pay little attention to the very things my English teachers drilled into my head all through elementary school. Perhaps that is why I prefer British writers. (Try Georgette Heyer's classic mysteries or Diane Setterfield's “The Thirteenth Tale!”)
I am continuing my lifelong journey of seeking out and incorporating into my vocabulary new words each day. The book “Woe Is I” has helped me correct my usage of many words that were already in use in my vocabulary but improperly so."
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MaryJane
Queen Bee
16463 Posts
MaryJane
Moscow
Idaho
USA
16463 Posts |
Posted - Mar 17 2011 : 10:48:54 AM
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Carrie Meerwarth (Carrie M, #147) has received a certificate of achievement in Each Other for earning a beginner level Know Your Roots badge.
"I earned this badge at the time of the death of my grandmother. She was 89, and would have turned 90 this month (February 2011). We had one month's notice before she died, so we were able to spend time with her, going through photos and drawing together many memories. It was a therapeutic time for my cousin and my mother and me. We were able to place names with faces in photos and even discovered that I had a great aunt still living.
This has been a meaningful badge to earn! This is a photo of my grandma, my mom, and my youngest daughter taken a couple of years ago."
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MaryJane
Queen Bee
16463 Posts
MaryJane
Moscow
Idaho
USA
16463 Posts |
Posted - Mar 17 2011 : 10:54:41 AM
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Carrie Meerwarth (Carrie M, #147) has received a certificate of achievement in Each Other for earning an intermediate level Know Your Roots badge.
"My mother has been putting together a family tree for both of her parents, and we were able to gather more information just before my grandmother's death. This has led to the discovery of “lost” relatives! What I have learned is that most of my maternal's grandmother's family is French Canadian. My grandmother's grandmother spoke only French. We still have a few family members living in the northeast and my mother has been able to reunite with them recently. I keep in touch through letters and cards. It has been exciting to learn that both of my mother's grandmother's enjoyed the same activities that I enjoy, such as hand crafts and bread making, activities my mother does not revel in!" |
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MaryJane
Queen Bee
16463 Posts
MaryJane
Moscow
Idaho
USA
16463 Posts |
Posted - Mar 17 2011 : 10:59:13 AM
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Carrie Meerwarth (Carrie M, #147) has received a certificate of achievement in Each Other for earning an expert level Know Your Roots badge.
"I have had two family reunions of my mother's family in recent months due to the death of two family members, including my maternal grandmother and then, suddenly, the death of my aunt (my mother's sister). I have been reunited with my cousin and her husband and two children whom I had not seen in 6 years, and another cousin I had not seen in 24 years. I also was reunited with my aunt whom I had not seen since 1979. I met other distant relatives as well. It has been nice to become reacquainted with them, especially since this side of my family is so small and fairly spread out in the northeast. Most of these relatives I have barely known.
Here is a photo of my family reunion taken just shortly after my grandmother's passing. It was truly a special gathering for all of us."
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MaryJane
Queen Bee
16463 Posts
MaryJane
Moscow
Idaho
USA
16463 Posts |
Posted - Mar 17 2011 : 11:03:59 AM
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Carrie Meerwarth (Carrie M, #147) has received a certificate of achievement in Stitching & Crafting for earning a beginner level Scrapbooking badge.
"I have made a scrapbook for my husband which is an ongoing project of commemorating memories of trips that we make together. It is a small book with enough room to place one whole photo or a few cut outs along with some notes and mementos on each page. I have logged several trips into the book, such as our trip to Ithica to visit a straw bale house and a trip up Mount Washington.
I still have room for many more memories!"
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MaryJane
Queen Bee
16463 Posts
MaryJane
Moscow
Idaho
USA
16463 Posts |
Posted - Mar 17 2011 : 11:09:33 AM
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Carrie Meerwarth (Carrie M, #147) has received a certificate of achievement in Stitching & Crafting for earning an intermediate level Scrapbooking badge.
"I place all kinds of items into my scrapbooks such as lace, ribbon, cut outs from items such as napkins, bulletins, flyers, and brochures. One of my scrapbook gifts was to my father after a trip out on Saratoga Lake in a rented pontoon boat. My kids went fishing and swimming and we all enjoyed a leisurely cruise in the sunshine (until a light rain set in!).
I made a photo montage of our “Day on the Lake” for him to hang on his wall that showcased photos from each of the different activities we enjoyed that day and surrounded it with shells and bits of “pickings” from the day."
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MaryJane
Queen Bee
16463 Posts
MaryJane
Moscow
Idaho
USA
16463 Posts |
Posted - Mar 17 2011 : 11:15:38 AM
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Carrie Meerwarth (Carrie M, #147) has received a certificate of achievement in Each Other for earning a beginner level Shutterbugs badge.
"I took a photography class as part of my “returning adult education” which not only taught me the mechanics of film and the use of my camera, but also taught me a bit about framing and the more “artsy” side of photography. I have been creating better photographs ever since. You can see some of my “farmgirl lifestyle” photos on my blog site, which I admit is sorely neglected, but I have added some newer photos and also attempted to create a lifestyle slide show. Sadly, I have yet to get this slideshow working.
Here is a break down of what I learned about camera functions and photography: f-stop=focal length divided by “effective” aperture diameter. Basically this means that you take the distance from the film plane to the center of the lens (this will be longer when you zoom in on a subject) and divide it by the aperature diameter (this indicates the amount of light being allowed into the lens). Getting this right will give you proper exposure. Shutter speed indicates the amount of time your camera's shutter will remain open, and therefore the amount of light that will be allowed to hit the film. ISO stands for International Standards Organization. The ISO of a film determines how much light will be required to make a photograph. Fast film will make a photo with quick, bright light. It can also make a good photo with a little longer exposure under dim light such as a candle. Slow film requires bright light and will not always make sharp photos of moving subjects. Depth of field refers to the portion of the photo that will appear in focus. Shallow depth of field will give you a sharp image of your close subject while the background will appear blurred. Framing is important for interesting photographs. It ensures that your subject will be the subject! Leading Lines—These are prominent lines in the composition of your photo. They can be horizons, building edges, figures, etc. They direct a viewer's eye around your image. Rule of Thirds is an artistic tool for framing a scene. It means dividing your photo into a tic-tac-toe grid. Horizons or other “lines” in the photo are placed along the lines of the grid. Where these lines intersect are your “power points.” Place the very light or very dark elements of your photo on these points. This is a good technique to use in any sort of art. Proper placement of lines and power points will create tension/energy/interest.
Here is a photo of me living the lifestyle by teaching some sisters to tie a quilt which we then presented to a newly married young couple. The photo was not taken by me (obviously!) but was taken by a young (14 yr.) friend and emailed to me to add to my own photographs of this special event."
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MaryJane
Queen Bee
16463 Posts
MaryJane
Moscow
Idaho
USA
16463 Posts |
Posted - Mar 17 2011 : 11:25:19 AM
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Bea Campbell (quiltingbea, #2575) has received a certificate of achievement in Garden Gate for earning a beginner level Backyard Farmer badge.
"I got my chickens last summer. Total of twenty four, twelve black and twelve red. I gave my chickens household scraps and veggie garden waste. During the winter I gave them warm oatmeal. Their hen house used to be a dog lot when we first moved out here. Since than we have cleaned it up and added nesting boxes.
I enjoy watching my chickens interact and they have given us fresh eggs that I use for baking and everyday meals. I've also been able to sell eggs to my friends."
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MaryJane
Queen Bee
16463 Posts
MaryJane
Moscow
Idaho
USA
16463 Posts |
Posted - Mar 18 2011 : 11:59:18 AM
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Brenda Pidgeon (BrendaLou, #2818) has received a certificate of achievement in Cleaning Up for earning a beginner level Shopping Green badge.
"I have been collecting and re-using shopping bags for months now. I also save all the plastic bags I can and use them for a number of tasks daily. I save and reuse the plastic bags that our daily newspapers come in. These are handy as a substitute for "rubber gloves" to clean up messes of all kinds and keep your hands clean. They are also handy to put your shoes in while traveling.
I think I am rubbing off on my co-workers and family because they've begun to save their bags also!" |
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MaryJane
Queen Bee
16463 Posts
MaryJane
Moscow
Idaho
USA
16463 Posts |
Posted - Mar 18 2011 : 12:07:32 PM
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Brenda Pidgeon (BrendaLou, #2818) has received a certificate of achievement in Cleaning Up for earning an intermediate level Shopping Green badge.
"I have discovered an all natural cleaning product called "Thieves." This contains essential oils like lemon, cloves, rosemary and cinnamon and is completely biodegradeable. You can use it as an all-purpose cleaner on all surfaces, carpets, kitchen and bathrooms as well as in the laundry. I am amazed at how it removes grease and burnt on stains from my stove!
We own and operate a restaurant and I have used this product throughout, knowing it is safe for everyone. It also leaves a pleasant smell." |
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MaryJane
Queen Bee
16463 Posts
MaryJane
Moscow
Idaho
USA
16463 Posts |
Posted - Mar 18 2011 : 12:11:16 PM
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Brenda Pidgeon (BrendaLou, #2818) has received a certificate of achievement in Outpost for earning a beginner level Woman-at-Arms badge.
"I began hunting with my husband before we were married 30 years ago. From the beginning, I learned gun safety. Over the years, I have taken many "official" gun safety courses, Hunter's Safety and Women's pistol safety classes taught at our local Hunting Club, and also re-took the classes when my children became of age. Recently, I completed a Conceal Carry License class with my family. I have hunted safely and responsibly for over 35 years.
My husband and I organized Conceal Carry License classes in our local area. We ended up having 18 people sign up, take the course and receive their certificates. Five of them were women. Everyone learned a lot from the classes." |
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MaryJane
Queen Bee
16463 Posts
MaryJane
Moscow
Idaho
USA
16463 Posts |
Posted - Mar 18 2011 : 12:17:09 PM
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Jennifer Whiteis (mountaineer, #1602) has received a certificate of achievement in Stitching & Crafting for earning a beginner level Quilting badge.
"I made this throw for my daughter, Pip. She has always been a Beatles fan and I thought the fabric was such fun!
I hand quilted the throw. It was time consuming but very therapeutic. The thing I like best about hand quilting, is that you can do it anywhere. I quilted at friends' houses, in the car, on the porch.
I am going to try to have a project going at all times so I can just pick it up and work on it whenever I have a few minutes.
I like the way the quilt turned out. You can't see it in the picture but the quilting around the edge says "Love is all you need."
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MaryJane
Queen Bee
16463 Posts
MaryJane
Moscow
Idaho
USA
16463 Posts |
Posted - Mar 18 2011 : 12:22:35 PM
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Jennifer Whiteis (mountaineer, #1602) has received a certificate of achievement in Stitching & Crafting for earning an intermediate level Quilting badge.
"I made a quilted tote bag. It was really cool. It was patch work quilted on the outside and lined on the inside.
I used a pattern I saw on the modabakeshop.com website (except I didn't put the optional snap on it since I couldn't find any at our sewing store).
I liked the way it turned out so much, that I made two more. I gave all three away-one to my sister for her birthday, and two as baby gifts. I don't have pictures of the bags. I thought I did but I can't find them anywhere." |
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MaryJane
Queen Bee
16463 Posts
MaryJane
Moscow
Idaho
USA
16463 Posts |
Posted - Mar 18 2011 : 12:26:54 PM
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Jennifer Whiteis (mountaineer, #1602) has received a certificate of achievement in Stitching & Crafting for earning an expert level Quilting badge.
"I made a quilt for my daughter and her fiance for their wedding present. This was a huge undertaking. I have never tried anything this grand before. I had two months to do it. My friend Julie helped me piece the top while I was home in WV. Then I went to NM to help my daughter prepare for the wedding. I recruited six people(Dana, Pip, Willie, Kim, Tim, and Cathi) to help me with the quilting. Five of them had never done any sewing or quilting before.
The quilt turned out beautifully! It was a labor of love and I was thrilled that so many hands helped make light work of it. With all of the friends I had helping me, I finished a week before the wedding."
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MaryJane
Queen Bee
16463 Posts
MaryJane
Moscow
Idaho
USA
16463 Posts |
Posted - Mar 18 2011 : 12:44:02 PM
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Debi Chandler (#2515) has received a certificate of achievement in Make It Easy for earning a beginner level Let's Get Physical badge.
"I recently purchased a book with a Walking Program called "WOW ~ Walk off the Weight." My doctor says I need to lose 40 lbs.
I have been walking about 4 miles a day for 4 weeks now. Approx 2 miles at lunch and at least 2 miles in the evening. This week I talked my MIL and SIL and a neighbor to join me on my early evening walk of 2 miles. My husband's dog Buster, is also very overweight and he and my dog Spec are both walking also. I am really enjoying the program and last night I showed my in-laws how to combine exercise bands with the walking to help tone the upper body." |
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Merit Badge Awardees - Woo-hoo Sisters!: Farmgirl Sisterhood Merit Badge Awardees |
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