Thank you for visiting my blog today.
Curious about my blog title? The plain part describes my first 24 years as a Mennonite girl in Lancaster County, Pennsylvania and the fancy follows as I move south: first to Charlotte, North Carolina, and then to Jacksonville, Florida.
Watch for stories about faith and family knitted together by memory. You have stories too—or responses to what’s happening now. Do comment. I love words. Share some of yours!
Expect me to post Wednesdays weekly. Subscribe now, so you don’t miss a one.
Marian’s new book is out!
My Checkered Life:
A Marriage Memoir
Take an intimate look into one couple’s fifty-plus-year marriage in author Marian Beaman’s My Checkered Life: A Marriage Memoir. Using a quilt motif, the author stitches together stories that make up the fabric of their daily lives: the clash of cultures, crisis in a travel trailer, surviving a robbery, and enduring financial hardship.
Discover how the author and her husband learn the art of the argument with explosions both literal and metaphorical. Observe how they find common ground through their shared faith and commitment.
Readers of Marian’s first memoir, Mennonite Daughter: The Story of a Plain Girl can especially relate to her insider narrative, a closeup of one couple’s companionable union.
This volume contains excerpts from autograph books and diaries of the early 1900s, treasured family recipes, original artwork, and restored photographs—the legacy of multiple generations as two American families merge, one from the East, the other from the West. The author connects the dots of her life backwards, with detailed reverse engineering of events to discover meaning in her life as a wife.
Read the Latest
Belle da Costa Greene: A Woman of Two Worlds
In Honor of Women's History Month 2025 Belle da Costa Greene, courtesy of J. P. Morgan Exhibitions My Review In the lush world of literature and the arts, librarian Ms. Belle da Costa Greene rises along with the fortunes of New York financier and...
Should I Write a Novel?
When I retired from college teaching, my colleagues gifted me with an illustrated Alice in Wonderland. Last week when I pulled this book from the shelf, I flipped through the illustrations, focusing on the characters, especially the March Hare. Why?...
February Fun Fax
In January 2025 I didn’t make New Year’s resolutions. At least not consciously. Last month I thought, “I’ll just do what I have been doing, but maybe try to do it better”—blogging, Pilates, making meals, keeping up with friends and gardening. This year (I’m thinking...
Get your copy of Marian’s book
Mennonite Daughter:
The Story of a Plain Girl
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About Marian Longenecker Beaman
I publish my blog Plain and Fancy Girl on Wednesdays. Whether you are a commenter or reader only, I appreciate your noticing.
Book Reviews
Belle da Costa Greene: A Woman of Two Worlds
In Honor of Women's History Month 2025 Belle da Costa Greene, courtesy of J. P. Morgan Exhibitions My Review In the lush world of literature and the arts, librarian Ms. Belle da Costa Greene rises along with the fortunes of New York financier and...
Should I Write a Novel?
When I retired from college teaching, my colleagues gifted me with an illustrated Alice in Wonderland. Last week when I pulled this book from the shelf, I flipped through the illustrations, focusing on the characters, especially the March Hare. Why?...
Two Novelists and an Author with her Grandson
Readers & Writers! I'm always on a reading spree, but today I pause to share some of my best finds with YOU! Novelist Alice Hoffman Reading Alice Hoffman's historical fiction is always a treat for me. Her prose glows as she probes the magic and mystery...
Drop me a line (or two)
I love hearing from my amazing readers. You can contact me to make a suggestion or offer a comment.