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A
spectacular book that brings you back to the best of the old times.
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Originally Published July 25, 2005 -- Your Wellness
Guide
MaryJane’s
Ideabook • Cookbook • Lifebook
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Special Book Review
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More about MaryJane
Butters:
Get On The Organic
Bandwagon
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I’ve
been anticipating MaryJane’s Ideabook • Cookbook • Lifebook:
For the farmgirl in all of us by MaryJane Butters for over a
year. And the book is more lovely than I could have imagined.
I
spoke to MaryJane in October 2003, just after she signed with her
publisher to write a series of farm books. She was
overwhelmed and excited -- all at the same time. But talk about
vision. This first book is breathtaking. You rarely see such
detail care, attractive pages, and visually appealing elements
pulled together in books anymore. Yet, this is one of those
extraordinary instances in which a book is published that will
become a classic for years to come. |
If you have
ever lived in the West, or wish you had, MaryJane’s Ideabook brings
you back to those innocent days, when all was seemingly well, beautiful
yet simple handicrafts were part of the culture, love of family oozed out
of the fabric of life, and a homecooked meal was the norm.
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The photos are
magnificent. Page after page you are glued to the landscape, food, people,
and history. This book is pure inspiration -- motivating you to add the
best of what was not too long ago back into the hectic, meaningless
lifestyle that today has become.
This book is
meant for special women who care about their families and the world in which
they live -- and most women are special, even if they haven’t yet discovered
it. And while there are dozens of homemaking ideas, the book is moving
enough even if you only read and soak up the pages without creating, for
example, your own homemade cleaning detergent or canned apple pie filling.
In fact, you might be brought to tears as the author relates many simple
truths about family, the outdoors, and what it means to care for your
environment. MaryJane’s Ideabook is raw, honest beauty. |
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Much of Butters
text is storytelling. Yet you often find her revealing profound, jump-at-you
quotes like “Individually, we forget what we do matters. Collectively, it
always counts for something.” Or, in another moral of the story quote,
“How does one prevent bad? Revamp our entire culture? I’m not holding my
breath. Sometimes we’re simply helpless witnesses to bad. But I’ve learned we
aren’t given measures of bad without about a three-fold measure of good.”
In the Farm
Kitchen chapter, you learn how to make the 20-minute healthy BakeOver meal with
good-for-you vegetables and savory seasonings. In the Garden Gate chapter you
learn how to create a hoop-house to grow your own greens all throughout the
summer -- basically, a low-cost, easy-to-do greenhouse for your backyard...works
even if it snows.
Ever wanted to
learn some basic, traditional stitching to add something extra to a gift? The
Stitching Room chapter is filled with ideas and illustrations to get you going.
The hand-embroidered dishtowel project is not just another project but rather a
reminder of grandma and great-grandma. You’re shown how to re-create mementos
of the past -- for today.
A small section
includes pioneer-looking, make-it ideas for garden markers, a homemade fruit
picker (for fruit trees), and a simple outdoor drying rack. Ever wanted to live
in a tent yearround? Well, try it out during a weekend getaway. The details
are in the Outpost chapter. And if you want to build what Butters calls “umbel
mass” (a centering and strengthening of self) you’ll want to spend alone time
outdoors -- she outlines exciting yet down-to-earth ways to get the best outdoor
time, with special tips just for women.
Terra
Wellington
is a
national authority on creating a wellness lifestyle.
www.terrawellington.com
© Copyright Terra
Wellington
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