I am Sheryl-lyn (sewgirlie) from Long Island, New York. I am married to a great man and have two children who are both in their twenties. We are a close family and spend a lot of time together!
I am an English teacher, and I totally love my job and the kids I teach. This year is an especially good one with kids who are working hard and respectful.
Most of my free time is spent at home sewing, reading or cooking. I travel a lot and hope to eventually get a cabin in the woods upstate for us to use as a hunting/fishing camp for weekends. Then maybe we can retire there someday.
Some of the things I think about a lot are the suffering in other countries and how I can contribute in a positive way to my own town and community. It’s still pretty small-townish where I am, even though there is a lot to do and see here. I teach my students about being public servants and to make a difference, no matter how small. And they do.
I am thrilled to be in this group and I look forward to sewing, cooking and talking with you all as we move into our henhouse.
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Hi, bee sisters! I am Heather, otherwise known as PlumCreekMama. I live with my family on a small acreage in eastern Iowa. The above picture is from October, when the Plum Creek (which is across the road from us) flooded and I took my son, Tate and one of our dogs, Annie in our flatbottom boat through our land. The spot where we are in the boat is where we are developing our campsite. We have small children and too many animals to go very far to go camping, so we picked the furthest spot from our house to camp.
I am 29 and my husband, Joe, is 32. We have two sons. Tate is 2 1/2 and Sullivan is 9 months. Tate loves cars, trucks, Jeeps, tractors, animals, and riding his bike. He loves to help with chores and I think he is going to be a neat freak, because he really likes throwing things in the garbage. He is quite particular, things have to be a certain way with him, and he doesn’t like getting his shoes dirty or his clothes wet. He definitely gets that from me, though he gets his looks from his dad. Sullivan looks more like me, especially his smile. He loves chasing his brother, playing with any toy that has wheels, and stuffed animals. Both my boys are very easygoing, happy tempered kids, which makes raising them a real blessing. Tate was born with Sturge-Weber Syndrome, so he has a large birthmark over his left forehead and eye, which he is having laser surgeries to remove. He has seizures, glaucoma in the left eye, and has had a stroke. Luckily, he is doing well and has bounced back from everything. Sullivan had a difficult birth, but is now doing just great. He was born 3 weeks early when my platelet count dropped very quickly when I got preeclampsia. Right before they took me back to do the c-section, they told me that there was a chance I could bleed to death, but they would do everything they could. Needless to say, I was terrified. The scar from the incision from Tate’s c-section had adhered to my intestines and bladder, so it took them quite awhile to get to Sullivan, and when they did, he didn’t want to come out. They had to use the vacuum and finally he came unstuck, but he was not moving much and not breathing well, so they took him away and all I saw was the top of his head. It was almost 24 hours before I got to see him, so needless to say, that was not one of the best days of my life. But he is doing great now and growing like a weed, so I am thankful. He just started crawling and is starting to pull himself up. They grow so fast! There is a running joke in my family about what age they will outgrow me. I am only 5’4″ and my husband is 6’2″ and the boys have been taller than him at the same ages.
I am a total animal nut! I always think I was Noah in a previous life, because I like to have at least 2 of every animal! I have been raising Shih Tzus for 6 years and I have 6 of them: Bailey, Josie, Kolby, Daisy, Chester, and Violet. I have 3 Shelties: Zelda, Francie, and Gannon. I also have 2 farm dogs: Annie, a German shorthaired pointer mix, and Corky, a Border Collie/lab mix. I have numerous cats, most of them being cream or orange, so I am the only person that can tell a lot of them apart. 🙂 I have 4 miniature horses: Stetson, Cinders, Whisper, and Kassie. I have pygmy and Nigerian dwarf goats: Nellie, Noah, Hester, Lester, Helga, Garry, Charger, Ram, Avenger, Intrepid, Glory, and Glory’s 2 kids, which my parents are going to take next spring. They better get naming them or else I will! I also have chickens, mostly Rhode Island Red, Cochins, Delaware, and Buff Brahmas. I also have a few ducks, Rouens and White Pekins. I like to hatch my eggs- you can’t get much closer to watching a miracle than to watch an egg hatch. I could sit there for ages!
I used to work as a nurse’s aide in a nursing home, but quit working just before Tate was born. I have been a stay at home mom ever since. I bring a little money to the household cleaning the office where my mom works, but that’s only 1 day a week and I either bring the kids or they stay at home with Joe, depending on his work schedule. I also make a little money raising dogs, and will be selling some baby goats and maybe some chickens in the spring. My mom, my sister, and I are going to start a good garden next spring and do the farmer’s market thing. We also plan on having some baked goods and handmade crafts to sell as well. I am so excited! We have been talking about doing it for a few years, but finally decided to just go for it!
I also have tons of hobbies. Maybe too many, if there is such a thing! I like sewing, quilting, cross stitch, tatting, knitting, scrapbooking, soapmaking, painting, photography, cooking, baking, and reading. It seems like there are not enough hours in the day. Or maybe just not enough hours that the kids are sleeping! I do most of my hobbies at night after Tate and Sullivan go to bed, so it’s really hard to convince myself to go to bed before midnight. I always have at least 15 projects started at once, because when I get sick of something, I move on to something else. Sometimes it takes me awhile to get back to it! But I guess that’s part of the fun.
I discovered Mary Jane’s Farm when I was at the bookstore looking at the rural living section and saw her lifebook. I think I was actually looking for a specific book, I think on chickens, but I became enchanted just skimming through her book, so I bought it. I also bought the sewing book as soon as it came out. Then I started chatting on the forum and couldn’t believe all the wonderful farmgirls I met there! I am so excited about the chance to get to know a lot of you better through the Bees Without Borders. I am a homebody and would rather be here on my farm than anywhere, so it’s nice to be able to interact with all of you without leaving home! I look forward to all the projects we will do in the future!
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Just a reminder…….we would like to hold a Secret Santa Swap for the holidays this year. This is how it will work. Sign up on the Secret Santa Swap thread on the MaryJane’s Farmgirl Connection under Chapter Chatter. By signing up you are giving permission for your name and address to be given to one bee sister who will become your secret Santa. You will be given the name and address of another bee sister for whom you will be Secret Santa. A home-made gift is always nice, but not mandatory. Just something sweet and farmgirl-like as a special Holiday Treat!!! We will be pulling names on the weekend after Thanksgiving and will notify you by e-mail who you will be Secret Santa for. Now remember, it is a secret. A little investigation into that person’s posts and blogs, etc. should give you an idea of what they might like. (Another good way to get to know one of your bee sisters!)
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Bees Without Borders 