A Beautiful Home

All I wanted to do this morning was sit in my parlour chair, with a cozy afghan, and read from Dickens.   We have heavy snow covering the trees and grounds of our Vermont property and I wanted a day of leisure.  But this will not make my home beautiful.

Before I have my pleasant time of recreation, I will do some housekeeping.  The family is still slumbering so it will be a quiet time of work.

I will sweep the floors, dust the parlour, clean the kitchen and do some laundry.   I will do a few little touches that make it feel lovely when one walks into a room.

Then, and only then, will I allow my laziness to come through as I sit in my little chair and delight in an 1800's classic, English, novel by Dickens.

Blessings
Mrs. White





For Home-keeping Inspiration, order my book - For The Love of Christian Homemaking. 



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Winter Days at Home

I am mostly home-bound this time of year. The bitterly cold Vermont days make it difficult for me to get out much.  This morning, I will read some of Jane Austen's "Persuasion."   I have been working on this book for the past few weeks.  I read a little here and there. The story is fascinating and makes one enjoy the culture of home-life.

I shall have tea in a pretty cup, and have toast while sitting near the heater.  We have lost the use of our wood pellet stove this winter.  There is a coolness in the house that makes one a little weary. But we will get a new stove for the next season.   We are getting by, and will endure this temporary trial, just as we endure all the burdens that come our way - with patience and a hope for better days.

Yesterday, I was in several of the rooms in this old 1800's house.  I wasn't sure what I wanted to do. I had suffered an eye-injury in the morning and needed a warm, cozy room to rest in.  I went to the third floor and tidied up before deciding to listen to an audio-drama from Focus on the Family. It was Les Miserables. (Radio Theatre) It was amazing.  (A review will be posted soon.)  It kept me occupied for three hours, long enough for the pain in my eye to subside. I was then able to get back to a slower paced homekeeping schedule.

Each room that I enter, I see something that inspires me to clean, or make it look inviting and pleasant.  You can always tell when Mother has been in a room, because of those little touches that make home precious.  A home should look inviting and ready for hospitality, even if the only guests are the residents.

We have an abundance of snow outside.  Sometimes I wonder what it would be like to spend winters in Florida. But Mr. White assures me that he will fix our heating troubles very soon.  He will make sure I am happy and warm in our humble estate here in Vermont.  I will be patient and trust him.

Blessings
Mrs. White

Life at Home - How a Housewife Passes the Time.

Remembering my Boston Aunt's Influence - Manners Learned at the Finishing School.

Happy Childhood Days -  When Television was Special.



For Home-keeping Inspiration, order my book - For The Love of Christian Homemaking. 



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The Long Awaited Present

One day last year, my daughter Nicole (23) called me from the city where she lives.   A book store was going out of business and she had bought me a little treasure. It was "The Prize Winner of Defiance."   We had both seen the movie a few times and loved it. But to read the actual book, with so many more details, and much more to learn from, would be wonderful!

I waited for her to mail me the book.  She lived too far away for me to visit very often, so mailing a package seemed the only way.  Months went by and no sign of the book. We both visited each other and forgot about it.

Then one day this week, I was in the city helping her move when I came across the book in a pile on the windowsill. "My book?" I smiled at her. She nodded. I shoved it into my purse and we quickly finished our work and headed out.

Back at home, these last few days, during my homemaking breaks, I have been sitting on parlour chairs, propped up in bed, or on the front porch and reading the little treasure.    It is a memoir by Terry Ryan about her mother who had 10 children. They lived in dire straits, with an alcoholic father, but the mother was ingenious and courageous.  I love the time period (1950's), the community, the values, the trivia about the church and all the little remembrances of such a childhood and family. It fascinates me that the mother didn't know how to drive! I love that many mothers were home more than we are today.

I will share two passages with you I just read this morning:

1. After walking to the police station to pick up her teenage son who had gotten into a little trouble:
"It's pretty discouraging, Rog.  I've spent most of my life trying to raise a bunch of kids under some pretty trying circumstances, only to see you do something as stupid as this."

2. This glimpse of the times is incredible -
"Mom gave birth every two years or so, not that there was any system to it - birth control wasn't even discussed in Catholic households in the 1940's and 1950's."

The book includes the Mother's routine, as a writer, who entered an enormous amount of contests sponsored by companies like "Dial soap," and "Quaker oats."  These are entertaining and I loved the description of her ironing while she wrote, or sitting in the living room with the children and sharing her ideas with them.  Her many wins are incredible!

But the most endearing thing for me, is reading about her daily struggles, her humor and her life as a blessed mother of many children.   Reading this book, during my breaks here at home, has given me a surge of inspiration, which has been greatly needed!

Blessings
Mrs. White


A Precious effort - Beauty in the Home.

Remembering - Creating a 1950's - Like Childhood.

Old Fashioned Etiquette - Mrs. or Miss and other Titles of Respect.


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A Treasure for my Home Library

A large package arrived today. It contained The Complete Works of John Wesley, in 7 volumes. This includes his sermons, correspondence, and journal. I have wanted this set for many years but kept putting it off. It was always too much money. Each year, I would look to see if it was still for sale. But this month, when I checked, I found the set had gone out of print. I was not pleased. Used copies were selling for $80 and up. 

I contacted the publisher and found they had a set in new condition for the original price. I checked with Mr. White and he agreed for me to place the order. I was delighted. It was one of those requests where I sweetly said, "It will be my mother's day present, and birthday present for many years." (gentle smiles) Of course, we don't normally spend so frivolously. But it is an excellent investment I will use for a long time. I intend to pass the set down, as part of our estate, to our children and grandchildren.

Early this evening, I sat in an antique chair, near the lamp in my parlour. I looked through a few of the volumes and read several passages.  I was amazed and delighted with my new literary treasure which contains thousands of pages. The text was written in the 1700's and is complete and unabridged. It contains much instruction, wisdom, and inspiration for holiness.

I am grateful that after times of struggling financially, and dealing with the ups and downs of thrift and the feeling of want, that we actually had the funds for these books.

I am sure we will have more difficult days ahead. But for today, I am happy with this wonderful investment of books for our estate.

Blessings
Mrs. White

Let this not be true - Only Rich People Have Clean Houses.

For those difficult times - Despairing over the Household Allowance.

Remembering - The Blessing of Being a Half-Southern Mama.



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A Lovely Home Life

I was in the city, shopping and travelling all day yesterday, with my three daughters.  My oldest two live far away from me, and I rarely get to see them.  But we carry "home" with us wherever we go. There is a dignity and an honor we have for our family name.  We have certain habits, cultured conversations, mannerisms and humor that are with us to remind us of Home wherever we are. . . As long as we are together in heart and mind, in person, in a letter or on the phone, the loveliness of home will always be with us.

I love to visit the homes of my grown children. I love to see the decorations, the housekeeping and the foods they make. Their homes are an extension of mine.  Their lives are an extension of mine. I am grateful to be their mother.

To add some culture to our homes, keeping it lovely, we try to avoid conflict. We try to make light of difficult situations. This limits the stressful moments.  Instead, we bring in lovely things. This might be classical music or classic literature.

This can also mean classical conversation. . . The other morning I commenced the reading of Dombey and Son by Dickens.  This puts me in a distinguished kind of mood that startles and amuses my children.

Here are some examples:

I might say, "You are to dine with the Smith family at the noon hour."   This translates as, "Your friend Joe Smith and his Mom are going to McDonald's and want you to go with them at 12:00."

or, if one of the kids brings in the mail and says, "Oh, here is that letter you have been waiting for!"
I would translate this, in casual conversation, as "The letter was announced."

Listening to Beethoven while cleaning the kitchen, or serving homemade pizza on fine china, are all special ways of making home lovely.

Painting my old kitchen an elegant sage green and calling my purple living room a Parlour are other ways to make things lovely.

These little daily actions of creating beauty and happiness are examples of loveliness.

These little touches of grace and refinement, make even the most humble home a happy place to be. My grown  children have often said to me, "Mom, we never knew we were poor. You always acted like we were rich."

blessings
Mrs. White


The Greatest thing to pass on - Their Memories of Home.

It takes effort to have A Virtuous Day.

All I Ever Wanted was to Be Just a Regular Mom.



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The Early Years of Homeschooling

When my five children were little, we spent much of our time at home. We managed to venture out only once a week. This was our big errand day. We would leave early in the morning, just after breakfast. We went to the post office to pay the bills and pick up an enormous box full of mail. (We all had numerous pen-pals, lots of home-published magazine subscriptions, and were producing our own home made publications, which brought us plenty of letters and orders.) We did all our grocery shopping just before heading home. But in the middle of all those errands, we went to our favorite place - the library.

The children all picked up cart loads of books to keep us occupied for the week.  The youngest children were delighted with The Berenstain Bears, or books by Lois Lowry. The older children (up to age 15) were selecting anything from biographies, historical documents, trends in fashion to the latest math textbooks. We also scoured the classic video department and came home with several films from the old days, like the Andy Hardy series, Fiddler on the Roof, For Me and My Gal, It's a Wonderful Life, and so many others. This, too, was part of their education.

But the best part of our day was coming home to a homemade lunch, and settling beside each other on the couches and floor to delight in other worlds by reading for hours.  This was the most important part of our home education.  The quiet, scholarly devotion to learning from books was invaluable. This was the slow-paced foundation of our academy at home.

Looking back, I dearly miss those early years of homeschooling. I really must find some classic literature to read to my last student (age 14) before our homeschooling years fade away entirely.

Blessings
Mrs. White

Passing on the Legacy  - A Homemaking Lesson Learned from Mother White.


A lovely way To start the morning with a Formal - Breakfast at Home.

Need help with Homeschooling? - Index of stories and ideas from our School at Home.

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A Visit From Our Estate

Last week I bought some flower seeds and other items and started dreaming about spring. Since the weather is so warm here in Vermont, it makes me think spring will come sooner than expected.

I already started some early spring cleaning.  I hope to wash the windows tomorrow morning and, perhaps, begin washing the drapes.

Today I baked a chocolate bundt cake and covered it with fudge frosting and powdered sugar. It was a nice treat. I had a small, French-sized, piece with a hot cup of tea, in the late afternoon.

Our wood stove is blazing and keeps the house cozy and warm. The snow outside is beautiful and peaceful. We live in a quiet community in a rural area. 

I want to re-read Jane Austen's Emma starting tomorrow.  I will take my time with it, reading a little here-and-there.  Classic literature adds something special to our lives. I still remember the excitement of finishing Dombey and Son last winter. Such a precious story, for those fireside readings!

Blessings
Mrs. White

From the Archives:

A Visit - Late Night Housewifery.

What Happens - When Mama Falls Asleep on the Job.

The Special Time of Rest - Taking a Break from My Housework.



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A Morning Visit



One of my favorite, vintage books.  {Do you see the bookmark? It is an empty m and m wrapper.}

 I am slowly feeling better.  But I will have several Jane Austen days before I am ready for normal activity.  Last night, I did a little sewing and finished an apron. I plan to cut some new material this morning. 

I am going to read passages from Beautiful for Thee, which was published in 1978. It is a charming pink book full of godly messages for wives and mothers. Each chapter is a transcript from a speaker at an event that was hosted by The Sword of the Lord publishers.  I love the vintage photographs of each speaker, and the brief description of who they were.

I am looking forward to a restful day by the fire. I will not care that chores are not being done, but I will do my best to make things look pleasant.

Blessings
Mrs. White

A gentle reminder - Fighting the Hectic Life.

The One Condition of My Agreement to Marriage  - The Housewife Contract.

Please don't give up! - The Homemaker's Despair.

Joining with
How Sweet the Sound

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Afternoon Visit

I've written about my computer troubles. It has been difficult trying to find a workable routine to write again. Normally, I write in the early hours before dawn. The family is still sleeping and I am able to take my time and enjoy a little writing visit.  Or, I will write in the late evening, when the house is all settled.

Today, I am at the library. I did most of my housework and homeschooling tasks. Now I have an hour or so, to catch up on computer work. It is surprisingly quiet here.

I just finished writing a post for a Titus 2 series I am doing with a group of dear ladies. All the posts will go live Monday morning.  I love being able to pre-schedule my writing! I wish I had learned about it 2 years ago, when I first starting blogging. It makes things so much easier.

I have several overdue reviews and other obligations I need to complete. But I have to take my time. I cannot rush or let any of it cause stress. Life is hard enough without any additional burdens. I've used the last week or two, to catch up on some lovely reading.

Do you remember my posts last winter about reading Dombey and Son by Charles Dickens? I spent many delightful hours, sitting by the fire, enjoying that large novel. It took me around 4 months to complete it. It was precious! Well, now I've chosen my latest winter book - War and Peace  by Leo Tolstoy. I started reading it last week. Mr. White was getting ready to mow the property, with the help of John (14). I asked if he needed my help. He smiled and said, "Sure! Go get a book and a chair and sit right there." He knows me well. (smiles) Just my presence while the boys worked, helped us all to be together and be happy.

I was inspired by a brief biographical sketch on Tolstoy, at the beginning of the book. It says that he was missing something in his life, and decided he wanted a family. He married a sweet lady and they had 13 children. It was during this stage of his life that he wrote, "War and Peace." His wife carefully made copies of his handwritten manuscripts and was delighted to help him in his work.

I still have a day full of adventures and must go. I have several things I wanted to write about, but hope I can get to them soon.

Have a lovely afternoon!

blessings
Mrs. White

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