Remodeled Mondays Recap with Alarm Clock Wars

In case you missed it Marybeth over on the blog Alarm Clock Wars has been completely remodeling her house.  I mean a taking it down to the studs and starting over.  She has a weekly feature called Remodel Mondays where each Monday she shows off the work they've been doing with pictures.

They are digging a basement. 

Adding a porch.

Expanding their kitchen space.

And much, much more!!

So be sure to check her out every Monday and see how this project progresses, and how this farmwife; who loves to sleep in, handles a sledge hammer and deals with spiders in their home renovation. 

Saturday Book Club: Strong Women

I'm so excited to be sharing some book suggestions by a wonderful RFOA lady, Lana over at Walking the Off-Beaten Path, in a new installment of Saturday Book Club!

She picked a couple of books to share with us that have strong women in the spotlight in honor of our lovely friend, Leontien, who needs all of our love, support and prayers as she continues her battle with cancer. Visit the Love for Leontien page over at Facebook and leave a note of support for her.

I'll turn it over to Lana...

Someone Knows My Name by Lawrence Hill

Source: amazon.com via Megan on Pinterest

My first take away from this book is that I find it hard to believe that a man wrote this story about such a strong woman. Aminata Diallo’s sense of family, heritage, self-knowledge, education, and bravery is remarkable.  This character’s almost insatiable drive to return home takes her on a life’s journey that spans two continents and many countries.

Aminata’s story starts as a young girl growing up with two loving parents, but all of that is shattered with coming of the slave traders.  A pre-Revolutionary war story, Hill takes us through the life of a free young woman becoming a slave and then regains her freedom during the war.

With this journey comes incredible experiences with a variety of people who are both color-minded and color blind.  Her final desire is to tell her story so others will learn about her and her people.  You will be inspired by this character’s sense of family, home, and her desire to hang on to all the lessons her parents taught her.

The Secret Holocaust Diaries by Nonna Bannister

Source: amazon.com via Megan on Pinterest

This book is a true account of a young girl’s experience during World War II.  She grew up the granddaughter of a wealthy Russian widow; her grandfather was a Cossack who served the last Czar of Russia.

There are tales of a fairy tale life and a memorable family Christmas before their world came to a shattering halt.  At one point in her life, she was a neighbor to Alexander Solzhenitsyn, future Nobel Prize winner in Literature. 

Thanks to her father’s desire to educate her, Nonna was fluent in six languages and wrote journal entries of her life before and during WW II in all of these languages.  She kept them, along with pictures she was able to save, with her inside a pillowcase hidden under her clothing throughout her perilous journey through the Ukraine, Poland, and Germany. 

Maybe the most amazing part of Nonna’s story is that she kept it all a secret, even after coming to America, marrying, and raising three children.  Her story begins as she goes up to the attic to begin translating her journal entries so that she can finally share them with first her husband.  Later, after her death, her children learn of the courageous life their mother lived before she became their mother.  

This book tells her story through her translations and looking back over the memories she tried so hard leave locked in a trunk in her attic.

Men in Wranglers

Sometimes you can recognize a farmer by what he wears.  Boots, hats, gloves, and...... jeans.  Every farmer wears jeans whether he's driving a tractor, feeding the hogs, or going to town.  So some of the Farmwives are blogging today about their farmers in Wrangler Jeans.  And just like the previous weeks we have a pair of mens jeans to giveaway to one of you, so your man will be able to work.

Hoosier Farm Babe Tells Tails about Big D discovering Wranglers after dressing up in a Halloween costume and now wears them all the time.

Brad from This Farm Families Life knows Wranglers are tough enough for whatever work he has to do on the farm.

The Farmer on the blog From Fencerow to Fencerow likes the way his Wrangler fit so much that he wants to wear them for fun instead of work.

To enter this giveaway simply click on the Read More link within this blogpost. The Rafflecopter widget will appear and you can click on that to fill out the entry form. 

The Real Farmwives of America would like to thank Wrangler for partnering with them on this project and providing jeans.

Weekend Reflection

I saw this on RFOA Jent's blog and just had to share it as my weekend post this week (especially since I have not started any of the books from my reading list that I was supposed to share with you on here)!

As I sit in church on Sundays, I often reflect how many of the Scriptures have something to do with the land and what it provides us.

Source: jentsfrontporch.blogspot.com via Megan on Pinterest

The final chapter on the traveling Longaberger basket for charity.

Remember that Longaberger Medium Chore Basket that cris-crossed the country visiting 4 farmwives and being used to do good deeds??? 

Well that basket was auctioned off and brought in $76. The basket is now making it's final journey to Pennsylvania to one of our readers who purchased the basket. 

The money was donated to the Melanoma Research Foundation (MRF) in honor of fellow Farmwife Leontien who celebrated her birthday earlier this week.  And several of the farmwives have donated money to the foundation in an effort to match the price the basket fetched.  We are pleased to say that the price was matched three times and now over $350 is now going to benefit research being done on this form of cancer. 

Please continue to keep Leontien in your thoughts and prayers as she continues her battle.  And if for some reason you feel so inclined to donate to MRF as well please visit their website for details.
  

Woman's Wranglers and a giveaway

Woman and Jeans seem to have a love hate relationship.  It seems we love a good pair once we find them, but hate looking for that pair.  The endless hours of shopping, trying them on in dressing rooms, looking at them from the front and the back, wondering if they make us look too big, or too short or too frumpy.  Some are faded, some are worn, some are boot cut, some are skinny cut, some are torn, some are stiff, and on and on the endless list of jean styles and sizes go.  Well every farmwife wears jeans, so every farmwife knows this same frustration.  Whether they are running errands, painting the guest bedroom, feeding the livestock or working out in the garden, she can accomplish whatever task needs to be done in her jeans.  Today we are showing off some Wrangler Woman's Jeans and (like usual) we have a pair of Woman's Wrangler Jeans to give away to one of you (our readers).
  
The Wife of a Dairyman knows her Wranglers are durable for any task on the farm.  Here she wears them while she grooms her horse.

Stories of a First Generation Farm Wife recalls the first moment she knew Wranglers would forever be a part of her wardrobe and farm work.

And for a run read check out Jent's From my Front Porch as she recounts all the Wranglers she owns and what she thinks of her new "Booty Up" pair.

Now on to the giveaway!  You must click on the read more link, located below on this blog post and use the Rafflecopter Widget to enter.  After you click on Read More, click on the Rafflecopter and select the ways you want to enter.  Big thanks to Wranglers for giving some of the Farmwives Jeans to review and giveaway.  Be sure to check out Wrangler Western on Facebook and Good Luck!

farm kids in jeans and a giveaway

Every farm kid has a pair of jeans they wear while out on the farm. A pair of jeans they can get dirty, a pair of jeans that is durable, a pair of jeans that will stay up.  Whether they are "helping" out in the fields, or "exploring" around the barn you can bet they've got their jeans on. As you will see in some of the links below we are visiting with 3 kids from 3 differnt Farmwives.  One is riding and roping in the rodeo, one is looking stylish in her Rock 47's while the other is helping out in the hog barn.  So lets take a moment to visit each one and see what kind of farm work/play these kids are up to, and we have a pair of Wrangler jeans for you to win for your kid as well.

First up, Bubby, from the blog Going Jane usually wear his Wranglers while on the Rodeo Circut, but today he is wearing Wranglers to help load up some firewood.

Miss Bug from Two Maids a Milking is ready for fairs and fun in her Rock 47 jeans.

Bubby, one of the the 3 Kids and Lots of Pigs was happy to wear his Wranglers out to the hog barn to check on his 4-H pigs. 

And as I mentioned earlier we are happy to have a pair of Wrangler Kids jeans to give away to one of our readers.  The winner will get to select the style and size of Wrangler Kid Jeans.  So click on the read more link (in this Farmwives blog post) and use the Rafflecopter widget below to enter this contest.