Trouble on the Home Front

You may have noticed my sporadic posts lately. You may have wondered if something was going on. Well, as of last night, I no longer have a working computer. Mine died.

However, I have been having a lovely time working at home. I have cleaned and scrubbed and started new projects. I didn't realize how much more free time I had available. I didn't even think I had been spending much time on the computer, but everything seems so much more relaxed for me at home.



Do you remember a year or two ago, when I mentioned that I didn't have a computer for 2 years? I stopped writing completely. When Mr. White bought me a new one, in early 2009 (?), I had to re-learn everything. It took me some time to remember how to write on a daily basis. But then I started to love it again. I have greatly enjoyed my visits here. But I don't know what will happen next.

I will try to check -in when I can. Perhaps I will hand-write my visits at the kitchen table. And then type them up on borrowed computers. It will be much harder than writing late at night, or early in the morning. This is so strange... So sad.....

Please bear with me. . .

May your days be filled with happiness. And may home-life be a peaceful refuge for your families.

blessings
Mrs. White

- If you miss me, please feel welcome to visit often and read the archives.. . (gentle smiles)

The Christian Home - Issue 25

Welcome to the 25th edition of The Christian Home, a weekly Blog Magazine posted every Monday morning.

Each article was submitted by various Christian Blog Authors. I am grateful for their participation. I hope you enjoy visiting them, reading their work and spending some time getting to know them at their own blogs.  If you would like to write for us, please see the instructions at the end of this post. For your enjoyment, there is a selection of music at the end of this issue. Please feel welcome to play the song while reading this magazine.

Blessings,
Mrs. White

[Note - I am using a borrowed computer this morning.  My computer is being repaired. Sorry for the delay in getting this issue posted!]



Design and Decorate




Featured Columnist -Deanna presents Decorating on the Prairie and Plaster Dust posted at Home Haven Ministry.



Finances




Featured Columnist - Kristen Hamilton presents  The Real “Cost” of Convenience Foods    posted at A Day in the Life.




Gardening and Flowers




Featured Columnist -  Briana presents Mulch and Weeding Shortcut posted at I Can't Decide.

Lorie presents A Gardener's Most Useful Trait posted at The Midlife Housewife.

Home Business



Featured Columnist -  Kathy Brodock presents Doing Business Online - How To Build A Family Economy   posted at Teaching Good Things, saying,"If you have products to sell on line you will need to have a way to accept payments online."



Modest Fashion





[I am looking for a columnist for this section.]


Hospitality 



Featured Columnist - Heather presents Cherries and Whipped Cream posted at Marine Corps Nomads.





Homekeeping




Featured Columnist - Angie Wright from Petra School will be back with us again next week.



Parenting 



Tamara Simmons presents A Candle, A Journal, and A Tween posted at Crafting A Legacy.

Julie Coney presents The things I learn from my kids…. posted at ~ a teaching heart ~.


 
Movies and Music



Featured Columnist -  Laura O in AK from Day By Day in Our World,  will be back with us again next week. 


 


The Godly Home 



Featured Columnist - Molly from Dancing in the Light of His Glory will be back with us again next week.




Young Adults



[I am looking for a columnist for this section. It must be a young adult who is an established blogger.]


Gentle Humor




Featured Columnist - April E.  presents They warned her … and they were right.  from ElCloud Homeschool: Busy Minds, Busy Hands, Busy Feet.




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Thank you so much for reading!


To submit your work for consideration, or to find out more about The Christian Home magazine, just visit the about page.






The Entire Christian Home Series.

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Blue Collar - Working Class - Housewife

Sometimes I feel like a pampered housewife, who has it made.  I don't have to earn money. I don't have to financially support my family. But I do have to work very hard at home.

In the old days, homemaking was more time consuming. Wash day was an enormous undertaking. Baking and Cooking, before processed foods were available, took the majority of mother's time.

Wealthier women could hire a cook, a maid and even a nanny to help with the children. These women were the pampered ones - they were the wealthy class.  They did not have to work at all.

There is a middle ground - the white collar working class. I cannot speak for them, but I know they are well educated, work in specialized jobs - law, medicine, etc, and often hire help for some of the work at home.

As for the old fashioned, blue collar housewives, we are still here.  There may not be as much heavy labor for us, but there is still so much to do! We must constantly economize, run errands, cook, clean, bake and care for our children. It is a struggle to come up with extra money for treats or presents. We have this healthy glow in our cheeks which comes from heavy labor.

Yesterday, I was reading  Mama's Bank Account,   by Kathryn Forbes. I love reading about life in the 1920's for the working class! This Immigrant Mama had such wisdom:

- Whenever she was relieved after a trial, or worry, she would say, "Is Good." This comforted her family and herself.

- "A mop is never good. Floors should be scrubbed with a brush." [I loved this one!]

- I also loved how she would take the weekly income, sit at the table surrounded by her family, and carefully put coins in stacks for things like "The landlord," and "For the Grocer."

She was such a hardworking mother. She was a working class mother. These mothers have helped build this country with their own hands.

We mothers are still the foundation of society. Even though money is scarce, and we are often tempted to leave home to earn an income, our work at home . . . our influence at home,  is essential.

Let us not be the last witness of an era.

blessings
Mrs. White

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Vintage Healthy Home Link Up - Week 14

1950's - The White Family Kitchen

It's time to Link-up your posts! 

Writings can be about anything related to Family happiness, Family game time, Family health, Mother's fitness (Fit Mommy), Outdoor activities and Nourishing foods / Recipes. All you have to do is write something on your family-friendly blog and then come here to link-up! - Older posts are okay too!-

Just remember to link back to this post, so everyone else can enjoy all the submissions.

If you need a graphic or would like to read the introduction to this Link-up, please go to the Vintage Healthy Home Invitation. 


Fit Mommies -

If you are working on getting healthy and fit, we'd love to read about your goals, failures / accomplishments and progress each week!

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My Check in-

Fit Mommy -  

  I did not do any specific exercises. I had company again, a few days this week, and life was busy. The only thing I was able to do was to walk, every single day. . .  And it was pleasant!
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Have a great weekend!

Blessings
Mrs. White





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Mother's Labors

I was thinking about the old days, when Mothers were always at home. Every mother in the neighborhood would be doing laundry, harvesting the garden or tending to babies. Children ran and played while the mothers looked on. 

There were even older mothers who had grown children, but still remained at home. These mothers still had porches to sweep, laundry to do, and dishes to wash. These mothers still had homes they were responsible for.

All the mothers had to shop in the market to stock their kitchens. These mothers used family recipes, passed down through the generations, to cook for their families. They also used a trusted Betty Crocker cookbook.

These women were diligent and dependable.

Any time a neighbor was in need, a mother was always home to help -  A Mother who knew pain and struggle and sacrifice, because she lived in the trenches of home-life.

Sadly, somewhere along the line, mother's labors were diminished in the eyes of society.  Mother was replaced by fast food restaurants and processed foods. Any child with a microwave could prepare his own lunch. Any husband could go to the drive through and order his dinner. There was no more comfort food. There was no more sacrifice and love in the presentation of mealtimes.  The thanks and the memories went to take-out places and companies who produced canned goods.

Society started to think that sloth was "in," and cleanliness was unncessary.  Wrinkled clothes were part of a new era of being casual. The irons sat un-used on closet shelves.

Walking into an empty home. . . one that lacked a Mother cooking in the kitchen at supper time . . . was a normal sight. Nobody was home to greet the family.

Many mothers headed off into the land of rush, rush, rush, and hurry, hurry, hurry.  The neighborhoods became empty. Somehow, someway, society forgot that creating a godly home required the steady efforts of Mother's old fashioned labor.

Blessings
Mrs. White

Never forget that - Mother Makes the Home.

Raising godly Children - Mama, Dry Your Tears.

Looking for the Reward - What Sundays Used to Mean to Housewives.


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The Neglected Garden

I went to my mother's porch a few days ago. I walked along, looking at all her plants. She had so many colorful flower boxes, sitting on top of the railing.  There was also a large tomato plant on the floor. She had all kinds of flowers growing in different planters.

As I walked, I realized the great neglect. Mother is away and asked me to take care of her plants.  I had agreed to water them - to visit them.  I had planned to go out there each day and tend to her beautiful porch garden.  But on the first day, it rained. On the second day, it rained again. I didn't think the flowers needed me. So I stayed indoors.  By the end of the week, I suddenly realized I needed to check on them.  But it was too late.

The flowers were dying. They had been abandoned. They were forlorn and pitiful because of my careless neglect.

I quickly found a watering can and tried to revive them. For two straight days, I diligently tended them. They are showing no progress.

This reminds me of my home. It can be temping to ignore all the work I have to do. It is easy to just put it off . . . But this will lead to a forlorn place. . .  It will not look like a lovely garden. Weeds will spring forth. Flowers will wilt. Doom and gloom will be the aura of an abandoned home. It would be a sad place indeed, if I neglect my home, the way I neglected Mother's garden.

Blessings
Mrs. White

A Treasure - The Bills in the Whitman's Box.

Calling you Back to - The Romance of Home.

What Do you Think? - Should Mother Work Outside the Home in 1981?

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The Christian Home - Issue 24

Welcome to the 24th edition of The Christian Home, a weekly Blog Magazine posted every Monday morning.

Each article was submitted by various Christian Blog Authors. I am grateful for their participation. I hope you enjoy visiting them, reading their work and spending some time getting to know them at their own blogs.  If you would like to write for us, please see the instructions at the end of this post. For your enjoyment, there is a selection of music at the end of this issue. Please feel welcome to play the song while reading this magazine.

Blessings,
Mrs. White




Design and Decorate




Featured Columnist -Deanna presents Decorating on the Prairie with Old Dishes posted at Home Haven Ministry.



Finances




Featured Columnist - Kristen Hamilton presents  Where is My Heart?  posted at A Day in the Life.

Missouri Mama presents A Tribute to the Tightwad Gazette posted at Ozark Ramblings.





Gardening and Flowers




Featured Columnist -  Briana presents Too Many Garden Pictures? posted at I Can't Decide.


Home Business



Featured Columnist -  Kathy Brodock presents  Building a Family Economy - Blogging posted at Teaching Good Things, saying "I get e-mails quite often asking for advice on how to make money from home. First, let me tell you that no matter which route you take it will consist of A LOT OF WORK! So if you are not afraid of learning, making mistakes and working hard, then working from home may be just the thing for you."




Modest Fashion





[I am looking for a columnist for this section.]


Hospitality 



Featured Columnist - Heather presents Gluten Free Cherries and Cream Oatmeal posted at Marine Corps Nomads.





Homekeeping




Featured Columnist - Angie Wright from Petra School will be back with us again next week.



Parenting 



[I am looking for a columnist for this section.]



 
Movies and Music



Featured Columnist -  Laura O in AK presents  Day By Day in Our World: Gulliver's Travels posted at Day By Day in Our World,  saying, "Gulliver's Travels ala Jack Black."


 


The Godly Home 



Featured Columnist - Molly presents When You Feel Like Giving Up posted at Dancing in the Light of His Glory.

Stacy Myers presents Your Coupon Witness  posted at Stacy Makes Cents.


Young Adults



[I am looking for a columnist for this section. It must be a young adult who is an established blogger.]


Gentle Humor




Featured Columnist - April E.  presents The Crazy Way My Mind Works  from ElCloud Homeschool: Busy Minds, Busy Hands, Busy Feet.


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Thank you so much for reading!


To submit your work for consideration, or to find out more about The Christian Home magazine, just visit the about page.






The Entire Christian Home Series.

An Invitation - Subscribe to The Legacy of Home and have it delivered directly to your email.

Resting at the Estate

Even a simple, humble home can have beauty. I like to call our old house an estate. It brings a touch of elegance to our lives.

I like to walk around the property and just enjoy the scenery. I enjoy sweeping the porch and the stairs. I like to sit at the picnic table and read a book.

Resting, here at home, means moving around slowly and being grateful for what I have.  It helps me to take a break from the weekly worries.

Thinking of home as an estate, keeps me calm and sweet-natured. I feel priviledged and content.

"A Lady is at her best when she exhibits a modest and retiring manner." - from Keeping Hearth and Home in Old Massachusetts   *

May your weekend be relaxing and pleasant. . .  And may home life be lovely.

Blessings
Mrs. White

* I bought this book, many years ago, in the gift shop at Plimouth Plantation in Plymouth Massachusetts. It is a treasure!



The Lord provides - Financial Survival in Hard Times.

For those very rough days - The Harried Homeschool Mom.



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Gathering the Supermarket Bounty

When my five children were little, Friday was our big shopping day! We would go to three different markets to get the best deals.  When we got home, we had to process all that food!

First we put away all the canned goods. Then we started washing and cutting carrots and celery into sticks. These were stored in containers in the fridge.

Next, one of the girls would start making an easy lunch so all the younger children would be settled for the afternoon while we worked.

Once everything was put away and our menu was posted on the refrigerator, we were ready to rest for the afternoon.

We used to run a little take-out restaurant from our home. This was for family members only. My sister and Mother were our only customers. They both lived in nearby towns. This was an opportunity for them to enjoy homemade, healthy foods at their convenience.

We printed up a menu, listing things like:

1. Lasagna.  $2.00
2. Whole Wheat Chocolate Chip Muffins 1/2 dozen, $3.00
3. Mini-Loaf of Challah bread, $2.00
4. Amish Pretzel, $1.00
5. Pizza, $5.00  (This was prepared in a re-usable aluminum pan, for the customer to bake.)
6. Split Pea Soup. $2.00
7. Fettuccine Alfredo (made with a non-dairy, homemade creamy sauce using cashews.) $2.00

The girls and I would make extra batches of food throughout the week and freeze portions for our "customers." The Challah bread, pizza and pretzels were made fresh, from scratch, within 24 hours. We required weekly orders to be given a few days in advance so we could make sure we had the right items "in stock."

I still remember having my parents stop by on Friday nights for a visit and to pick up their order. It was wonderful!

Now that my children are mostly grown, I had forgetten all about the work we used to do on shopping day. It seems I have gotten lazy. (smiles)

Last week, I was reading The $5 Dinner Mom Breakfast and Lunch Cookbook  by Erin Chase. The book is full of fabulous recipes. But it also includes sections on pre-cooking and freezing foods! Her methods are designed to encourage busy housewives of today. It inspired me and reminded me of "the old days" of my homemaking.

I got right to work, making spaghetti with meat sauce, calzones, double chocolate muffins, ravioli, and fettucinne to freeze. My family enjoyed easy and quick meals anytime they wanted. It worked out well for my teens and husband who are always on a diffent schedule than the normal 5:00 dinner hour!

I was also able to take a few days off from heavy work, which I greatly enjoyed!

Fridays are the adventure days. This is when the shopping and the gathering and the planning takes place. It is like a weekly, modern day harvest. Instead of picking and canning foods, I am bringing them home from the store. Either way, there has to be a time of processing in the kitchen.

Blessings
Mrs. White

Enjoying - The Home Arts.

Stories and Ideas - Ten Children and Housekeeping.

Easy Days of - Summer Housekeeping.



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Vintage Healthy Home Link Up - Week 13

1950's - The White Family Kitchen

It's time to Link-up your posts! 

Writings can be about anything related to Family happiness, Family game time, Family health, Mother's fitness (Fit Mommy), Outdoor activities and Nourishing foods / Recipes. All you have to do is write something on your family-friendly blog and then come here to link-up! - Older posts are okay too!-

Just remember to link back to this post, so everyone else can enjoy all the submissions.

If you need a graphic or would like to read the introduction to this Link-up, please go to the Vintage Healthy Home Invitation. 


Fit Mommies -

If you are working on getting healthy and fit, we'd love to read about your goals, failures / accomplishments and progress each week!

------------------------------------------------------------------------------
My Check in-

Fit Mommy -  

Sunday - 30 minute workout.

Monday - 30 minute workout. 


Tuesday - Nothing.

Wednesday - Rested.

Thursday - Nothing.

Friday - I hope to exercise in the morning for 30 minutes.

My biggest problem was feeling uncomfortable exercising in the morning when we had guests staying with us a few days this week.  I normally workout in the livingroom before anyone wakes up. But I need some alternative for when we have company.

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Have a great weekend!

Blessings
Mrs. White





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Mother's Dress

Okay.. I admit it... I was a little envious while watching television. I saw this great family,  and they had nice, new clothes all the time. While I know it is not real life, I had a twinge of yearning for a trip to the local shopping mall. I wanted a purse full of hundreds to buy a sparkling new wardrobe. Not just for me, of course, but for my entire family. (smiles)

It took me a few hours to get over this horrid feeling. . . I remembered that in the 1800's, a normal mother had only one good dress. Mother would wear this to church, or on the rare trip to town. It was her best dress.

Then I thought of my own mother. During her childhood, the custom was to have three articles of each kind of clothing. She had three dresses, three pairs of socks. . etc. etc. The saying went like this:

- One in the Drawer.
- One on your Back.
- And one in the Wash.

Yet people still managed to look nice! Can you imagine not having new clothes all the time? I know, I know. . . I am spoiled beyond belief.

I think the only way I am going to cure this envy, is to get all dressed up today, complete with pearls and heels, and go about my day.  Maybe I will even take a trip to town.

Blessings
Mrs. White


This is just what I need - A Little Classy Homemaking.

Make it look like - The Maid was Here.

*contented sigh* - I love to have A Heart for Staying Home.


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MI-DEL Cookies - Giveaway - 3 winners

In the 1940's, bakery owner, Samuel Midel, invented "the world's snappiest cookies."  These were healthy cookies that families would enjoy eating.

Have you ever tried  MI-DEL cookies? They are absolutely delicious!

I bought two bags of ginger snaps. They have just the right amount of soft, crispiness. They are also delightfully spicy. We all loved them!

We also tried their vanilla sandwich cookies. They were creamy and scrumptious.

I love that these cookies are a healthy snack.  MI-DEL offers several varieties of cookies. They even have  chocolate snaps!

The Giveaway

How would you like to win a product coupon for a package of free cookies?  I have three prize packs available to give away. All you have to do is leave me a comment.

For additional Entries:

1. Post about this on Facebook.

2. Post about this on Twitter.

3. Write a post, linking to this giveaway, on your own Blog. (This is worth 3 entries. Please leave 3 separate comments.)

4. Become a Public Follower through Google Friend Connect, or let me know if you are already a follower.

5. Choose to "Like" MI-DEL on Facebook.  Then leave them a comment on their wall, saying, "The Legacy of Home sent me."

*Please leave a separate comment for each entry.*

Three random winners we be selected on Monday, July 25, 2011. (U.S.  Entries only.) If I am unable to reach the winners within 48 hours, alternate winners will be selected. Your entry is only valid if you include a way for me to contact you. 

 

This contest is closed. The winners are:

All things Beautiful
Laura
PurpleLarkspur

*Disclosure -  I received product and information from this company for review purposes.*

Want a chance to win more presents? Please visit my giveaway page.

To find out more about my commercial breaks, please see my disclosure page.

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A Lovely Rainy Night

It is quiet and peaceful here at home. The sky is dark. The evening hour has come. Rain is pouring on the roof. It is a pleasant sound.

Earlier today, I left the clothes on the line. But I didn't care. I love to see laundry on the line, even if a sudden rain drenches them! 

Many years ago, Mr. White and I were house hunting here in rural Vermont. We were going to buy an old farmhouse. It had been owned, for a lifetime, by one family.  In this house, things were still run like in the old days. There was a cookstove in the kitchen. We thought it was charming. There were no showers - only a claw foot tub. But the most endearing thing of all, was the rows- and- rows of clothes-lines, hanging on the covered porch. We were told that, even in the dead of winter, farm wives would hang the clothes outdoors! Later, they brought them in, stiff, and ready for a hot iron.

As the rain falls on this warm summer night, I am thinking about the old ways of housekeeping. I love the labor involved in keeping things neat. I love that I have important things to do, here at home.

I am also very grateful, that we bought this large old colonial house instead of the farm house. Because, honestly, I dearly love the idea that we live in a house that was built for a lawyer, who had a wife and 10 children. I love that this house is my museum. And I love the retreat-like-setting we get to enjoy, even though this place is beat -up, and in need of repairs.

There is nothing like a little rain, to make one nostalgic.

Blessings
Mrs. White


Living History - Homemaking Links the Generations.

Some Ideas - Making Chores Fair for our Children.


Joining with
Women Living Well


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