Expecting a Baby

A New baby is coming into our life very soon. I cannot tell you how excited I am!    This blessing will be my very first grandchild.

Mr. White and I have been buying all kinds of things over the last several months.  We bought baby clothes, crib bedding, a baby seat, and tomorrow, we will buy a new crib and mattress.  I hosted the baby shower, here at the estate, just a few days ago. (I will share pictures with you next week.)

The expectant mother is my own daughter.  We have been spending many months talking about baby care, and pregnancy.  It has been such an incredible time.   I dearly love how much she is counting on me for support, encouragement and help.  I am grateful to be a housewife so I have all the free time to help guide her through all the different phases coming in her life.

I have been waiting such a long time to finally be a grandmother.  I am just delighted and grateful!

Blessings
Mrs. White

We need more of these - The Old Time Housewife.

Encouragement - Ideas for a Happy Home.

What Would It Be Like - If I Visit You At the Dinner Hour.

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Dreading the Chores

This is one of those rainy days when all I want to do is sit and read.   I miss the fresh, warm summer air.  I miss hanging clothes on the line and walking the property.  As I look around the rooms this morning, I realize I cannot let the chores slip, just because of my slothful mood.

But I WILL sit around and read. I will do what I enjoy most, because I have that freedom. However, I will first spend a quick 30 minutes cleaning the house.  I will do my basic work first, then do what I want.

 It is kind of like remembering to eat your dinner before you have the dessert. Since we don't have someone around telling us what to do next, sometimes we can be lazy and unproductive.  Yet, we can't give in to that childishness.   How many of us have done this, as adults? We've eaten the cake or cookies before dinner and then spoiled our appetite.    We have the freedom to do the wrong thing, but we cannot allow ourselves to indulge in such behavior.

For me to rest and read first, would make me overly tired and I would no longer have the energy to do my chores.  The dinner must come first. The work must be done first. Then I will enjoy the dessert - the rest, the peace and the quiet.

Blessings
Mrs. White

Start cleaning for the sweet memories- Remembering Ironing and Other Chores.

The Reality of Wedded Life - Not Happily Married.

A Blessing at Home to Have - A Housewife On Duty.



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The Painful Years of Motherhood

One of the hardest things to do, as a Mother, is to watch your grown children out in the world. You hear about their trials and their struggles and you beg them to come home. . .

I have two adult children who live in the city.  They have done great things and are doing well. But every so often, over the years, terrible things happen and it breaks my heart. I want to save them. I want to have them home again, and for them to start over, and not leave until they feel ready.  But it is not for me to say. . .

When the worst of stories come, and the tears fall, I pray myself to sleep.  . . I read my Bible for comfort and I wait. . .

They know they are welcome here with us. They know they have a place to come home to. But they are still struggling through things I cannot stop.   Sometimes, I devise plans and say, "Well, you can have your old room back and we will do all the old fun things and it will be wonderful."  I am sure they sigh. I know it sounds good for a visit, but not to live back as a child.  An adult can never go back to those safe, secure years of living with Mother and Dad.  Still, I keep offering.

I realize these occasional heartaches are rare.  I realize that most of the time, they are fine and doing well.  Just like real life.  There are good times and horrible times.  None of us can predict trouble. We can't make life all rosy and sweet.  It is impossible.  Rough days will come. And even though it rends mother's heart with sorrow, we cannot take on the burden.  We give it to Him who knows all things.  We say, "Lord, take care of our children.  Lord, they are having trouble right now. You are in charge of them. Watch. . . and Guard. . . and protect them. . .  and get us all through this."

So I sit here at the estate. I sit on the porch or by the window and I wait for the day when they will come home.  The day they say, "I've had enough of the world and I want to start over."

 Someday, I will see them walk down the lane. Perhaps it is to come home for good. Or maybe it is to tell me they have found a better path and all is wonderful.  Whatever the case may be, tears of joy and relief will fall.  And those painful years will fade away as a distant memory.

blessings
Mrs. White

For those sad times of Motherhood - Childhood Home as the Nursery.

Quiet occupations - How a Housewife Passes the Time.

A Picture of my Children when they were Little - Suppertime with Precious Helpers.


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Life Without a Telephone

For the past few days, we have been without phone service.   It is amazing to hear an empty silence, which replaced a constant ringing phone.   Life seems more gentle without all the interruptions.  Things are  more slow - paced.

 If people need to reach us, they wait until we see them (on an outing) the following day.   Supposed "urgent" conversations are no longer necessary. 

The calls I need to make have become almost non-existent.    What used to be important to me, no longer feels essential.

I realize a phone has become almost required for everyone.  We certainly need them for emergencies.  But I wonder if phone use (and it's expense) has gotten out of hand.

Today, most people have cell phones. They are texting and calling each other several times a day.   We all have far too much instant access to each other. It makes it difficult to have quiet moments for creativity, family interaction in the home, and productivity.  (The expense alone, of cell phones, is staggering!)

It used to be that no one ever called during the dinner hour. That was family time.  Calls were made earlier in the day, or later in the evening. It was like a social respect of someone else's time, and privacy.   Sadly, this custom is no longer relevant in modern life.

 I wonder if phones have taken over our lives?  I realize we can use voice mail and answering machines to take messages, and we can return calls at a regular time each day.   But most of us don't do that.  We feel that, since the phone rang, we must answer it. We are programed to answer it!  If we don't, our imagination goes wild with worry about the missed call.

 But what we don't realize is that this cultural pressure to use the phone all the time, is taking away massive amounts of our life and money.

Will I get my phone back? Of course. But I am thinking of ways to keep it more simple.  There has to be a way to make the phone a tool, rather than a master.  Why does the telephone have such a stronghold on society?

 Could this be why parlours are generally empty and vacant of hospitality? Because we are too busy tied to the phone, or other types of technology?  

What about the money we are paying for this convenience.  Could, at least, some of it be better used for charity or the basic needs of those in our own homes?

Blessings
Mrs. White


Ideas to Help -  Financial Survival in Hard Times.

Making Him Happy - Cooking for Mister.

Just like Grandmother's day - Rising While it is Yet Night.

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Summer Housekeeping

My husband and I both grew up in humble beach houses, in Massachusetts.  For us, summer time always felt like a vacation.  We can have this same feeling, even if we don't live near a beach.

Here in the mountains of Vermont, the summer days are short. The use of air conditioning is rare. We tend to rely on ceiling fans and window fans.  

In the early morning, I open the blinds just a little bit. The windows are open so we can feel the fresh air.  Then I close the sheer burgundy curtains to help block more of the heat from the sun. This helps keep the rooms cool and pleasant.

Housework and cooking are done in the early morning hours.  If I work quickly, I can have most of my work done, and a load of laundry on the clothesline by 9 a.m. This leaves me plenty of free time to enjoy the vacation - atmosphere that summer tends to bring.

It is the most fun when all of us are home together. We often have company over most days.  People tend to spend much more leisure time in the warm months than they do during the bitter winter season.

As strange as this may sound, I enjoy cleaning and organizing on hot summer mornings, more than any other time of year. This is probably because it is an excellent form of exercise, and brings great results in the form of a neat and tidy house.  There is nothing like hanging clothes on the line on a warm summer day.  Washing dishes throughout the day to make sure the family can enjoy bbq's, watermelon and ice cream makes me happy.    I also love to see the fans blowing, and a bit of warm sunlight sneaking through the window, making my clean house look like a humble vacation spot.

One of the most relaxing things to do, after my morning work is finished, is to sit outside in the heat of the day, with a cool drink, and watch the children laugh and play. 

When night falls, I do some last minute housework.  The house is dim, the family is quiet, and we are all resting.  We think about all the exciting things we've done during the day, and look forward to the next set of adventures.   

Being home, as a permanent fixture as a housewife, has many benefits.  I have so much freedom to manage this place and our finances in a way that we can all appreciate.   Because, really, if you think about it, being home all summer is a vacation for many people.  I am just grateful I can be home all year long.

Blessings
Mrs. White

Keeping Busy with - Domestic Occupations.

A Living History - Homemaking Links the Generations.

Good Propaganda in the Home - Kitchen Sermons.


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The 15 Minute Cleaning Helper

I like to be fair about chores. When my children were little, they were each assigned certain tasks each day.  One was The Breakfast Hostess. Another was in charge of cooking supper.  And another had to keep the living room clean.  Each of my 5 children had specific work to do each day.

When I was growing up, our heavy cleaning happened on Saturday.  I was responsible for cleaning the bathtub, sweeping down the porch stairs and dusting the living room.  I also had daily responsibilities. But each of these jobs, divided between family members, kept our house fairly  neat and tidy.

No house is going to be clean all the time.  We will always have chores. We will always need to prepare food, clean our clothes, and sweep. But things can be kept decent when we have helpers.

As children get older, they have more outside activities and projects going on.  They are also less likely to want to hang around with Mom (smiles) and do housework all day.  So yesterday, I decided to call my teenage son over and tell him I needed him for just 15 minutes.  This was extra work, over and above his normal daily chores. 

I set the timer, and we worked quickly. He helped me sort old clothes, throw out extra clutter, do some laundry, and deep clean our dish-drainer.   I was delighted with the extra help and was happy to get a few piled up things accomplished.

Today, I plan to have another 15 minute cleaning burst with some of the children.  It makes things more fun.   I have a list of things I want cleaned and will put it on the kitchen table.  Each of us can pick and choose what we want to do. Once the work is finished, we are to put a check mark next to the job and then write down our initials (so we know who did what).  When I tried this stunt recently, my son did far more work than I did, and was gloating.

Another thing I like to do is have cleaning contests with my grown daughter.  (She lives 2 hours away from me.)  We call each other on the phone and then talk about what we are dreading for overdue housework.  Today, we decided to deep clean our bathrooms.  I am supposed to call her this afternoon and discuss our progress.  However, I had some extra energy early this morning and already finished!   

Finding creative ways to make housework fun is one of the greatest things we can do as mothers.

Other than doing a 15 minute cleaning job with my teenagers this afternoon, I think I deserve the rest of the day off from heavy cleaning duty.  I will just relax and plan a nice leisurely supper tonight.  I hope your day goes well!

Blessings
Mrs. White

Need encouragment on extreme thrift?  My favorite book is "We Had Everything but Money."


When I realized I was overworking my children - A Cheerful and Willing Housekeeper.

Looking Back - When Television was Special.

Remembering my childhood Home - Saturday Morning Chores.

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Housekeeping Staff

Wealthy families would employ a butler, a maid and a cook. There might even be a gardener and a chauffeur.  These homes were lovely places and were well-kept.  It was pleasant to have company over and enjoy the surroundings of a nicely - run home. 

Each employee had specific jobs:

The Butler -

   He was sort of like the administration staff and the host, all in one.  He would answer the door, handle phone calls, and sort the mail.  He would get tea, or direct the staff in what the boss needed. 

The Maid -

   This quiet worker, did all the housework. She was in charge of laundry, washing floors, making beds, polishing furniture and keeping the house in lovely condition.

The Cook -

    The cook had to plan the meals (based on the direction of the boss), get the shopping done, cook and bake, and serve the food.  The cook was also responsible for keeping her domain clean and neat.

The Gardener -

     He would tend the flowers, mow the grounds, remove weeds, handle bushes, plants and trees.  He was responsible for keeping the property in beautiful shape.

The Chauffeur -

    The driver took family members wherever they  needed to go.  This freed the passengers from worrying about getting places. They could relax in the car, do paperwork, enjoy the view and just relax.   (He also kept the car polished, clean and in excellent working order.)

Each worker served the family in a quiet, respectful way.  They did not intrude on the family's privacy.  The best workers did not gossip about their boss to the neighbors.  They protected the privacy and dignity of the family.   Most of all, they did not voice their opinions or complain about their work. They were greatly skilled and trained in their profession and were an asset to the home.


When times got tough, some of these families had to let the staff go.  This left the family, itself, to take on all the jobs.  Mothers, Fathers and children learned how to run their own homes.  They were weary, but took on the tasks as a challenge and did their best to keep things looking proper and pleasant. 

Over the years, families forgot about having a trained housekeeping staff.  They started to slack on all the jobs until a "lived-in" (messy) house became the joke of American culture. It became the norm.  People with lovely homes were ridiculed and made fun of for being "perfect" or "dull."    Somewhere along the line, we forgot how beautiful it can be to have a well-kept home, that would make even the traditional housekeeping staff proud.

The next time you have to "open your own door," or "cook your own food," or "drive yourself somewhere," please think of the home employees who do this for a living.  Do each task as if it were your profession, and bring back the loveliness and pride of HOME!

Blessings
Mrs. White

The Importance of - The Skilled Housewife.

Enjoying Housework - Peacefully Occupied.

Home Economics - The Thrifty Kitchen.



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