A Thanksgiving Morning Giveaway - Updated

Colonial ice cream company promotion, 1920. LOC

 

I got up early this morning to put the turkey in the oven. I always try to do it myself before anyone else wakes up. I want to surprise them. I want to say, "don't worry, it is already in the oven!" It is a challenge because I am not strong enough to handle the turkey alone.  Thankfully, someone always steps in just in time to help me. I can barely lift the turkey and have a great deal of trouble getting it ready and into the oven. So I am thankful for the help. 

Years ago, my mother and father hosted our Thanksgiving dinners here, where we all lived together.  We had three generations (then four generations for a short while) all living in this house.  That was a long time ago and there are many good memories of family, tradition, and the love of home.  

When I first started making the turkey myself, I would get advice from my mother.  After she passed away, I remembered what she taught me.  Year after year, I still remember what she said and am able to prepare the turkey each Thanksgiving. I am grateful.

I wanted to write this post much earlier this morning but have not had a chance until now. I am slowly setting the table and getting things ready in a way that reminds me of "playing house." I am just making things look nice at a slow and steady pace.

Preparing the table for Thanksgiving dinner.

There will be three of us for dinner today.  Those who cannot be present, will call on the telephone. It is such a blessing to see and hear from family on this special day.

The Giveaway

I would like to offer a giveaway. At the beginning of this year, I published a devotional book from the 1800's. It is called, "A Year of Blessings and a Blessed Year."  

This is one of our classic reprint books. To find out more about it, please see the details here. 

One winner will be randomly selected to receive a paperback copy of this book. 

To enter

All you have to do is leave me a comment telling me about your Thanksgiving. You might want to share a special memory or your dinner plans. Or, perhaps you want to tell us what you are especially thankful for this year.   Whatever you are able to share will be a blessing for us all to read!

One random winner we be selected on Monday, December 1st, 2025. (U.S.  Entries only.)   If I am unable to reach the winner within 48 hours, an alternate winner will be selected. Your entry is only valid if you include a way for me to contact you. 

Thank you for reading! I hope you have a wonderful Thanksgiving!

Updated on December 1, 2025. This contest is now closed. The winner is April! Thank you to all who entered! 

Blessings,

Mrs. White

From the Archives -

Training Children - Nobody Wants to Clean a Messy House.

Frugal Wisdom - Why The High Cost of Food?

Family Life - The Secret to a Happy Home.
 

 

- To find out more about this blog, or Mrs. White, please visit our About page. -

 

Our New Classic Book from 1911 is Ready

Our new paperback book.

 

The Legacy of Home presents our newest book as part of our Classic Book reprint collection.

On a recent trip, I stopped at an antique shop. To my delight, there was a first edition copy (from 1911) of one of my favorite books by Grace Livingston Hill. The price was drastically reduced making it affordable for my limited means. When we returned home, I quickly began typing away to transcribe the entire story into a paperback edition. The original book had beautiful drawings inside. I was able to include these in our current edition, making the book even more enjoyable to read.

Here is a description:

Sweet elderly Aunt Crete lives with her relatives. She meekly helps them with all their household cares. Her unselfish devotion is without appreciation.  An unexpected nephew arrives and whisks her off on vacation.  This charming story of common household labor and the vast difference between struggling and living in luxury are beautifully described. The moral lesson of love and treating others as you would like to be treated shines through. 

Features:

- 8 black-and-white illustrations from the original 1911 edition.

- A photograph of our first edition copy obtained from the antique shop.

- Foreword by Mrs. White

- It is fascinating to read about canning, cleaning, cooking, and sewing that was necessary work in every home in the early 1900's. 

- The lessons of thrift and prudence from Aunt Crete's gracious example are inspiring.

Available in both paperback and hardcover editions:

Aunt Crete's Emancipation: The Legacy of Home Press Classic Edition by Grace Livingston Hill

135 pages, paperback. 

ISBN: 978-1956616-41-5  (5 x 8)

135 pages, hardcover

ISBN: 978-1956616-42-2  

I hope you enjoy this story as much as I did! Any help you can offer with getting the word out about our new book would be greatly appreciated. Thank you!

Blessings

Mrs. White

From the Archives - 

God's precious care of our lives (Includes a story about Mrs. Charles Spurgeon) - All of God's Children Have Shoes.

Teaching Grandchildren - Tea Time - The Importance of Formal Ceremony at Home.

Beautiful Summer days at home (and living on a "Walton's Budget") - Old Time Homemaking. 

- To find out more about this blog, or Mrs. White, please visit our About page. -

Peaceful Living

Autumn view of a Church, here in Vermont.

 

A few months ago, we drove by a beautiful old church in Stowe.  The scenery there in autumn is always stunning.  When I am able to observe the view on necessary journeys, it reminds me of reading old literature when it was a form of recreation to go out on a carriage ride. This was to get fresh air and to see the beauty of the landscape. It brings a sense of peace and refreshment.

This month it is snowing in Vermont. This is a different kind of view. Yet it is just as lovely and restful to gaze upon.  Last week I was able to go pick up some of my grandchildren and take them sledding. It was a wonderful surprise and they were delighted! It was the first sledding of the season. There will be many more throughout the coming months.

I have been attending church each week and am always so very blessed by the hearing of prayers, the singing of hymns, and the fellowship of the congregation. I am grateful!

I have noticed the gas prices are increasing here. It makes it difficult to do necessary errands and to visit. I will have to keep trying to save money so we can enjoy each day in our own humble and frugal ways. 

I have been occupied with the care and keeping of home. There are telephone calls, meals to make, rooms to clean, and bills to pay.  Throughout the house one can often hear the gentle sound of hymns from the CD player.   There is a sense of quietness and rest when we focus on that which is good and lovely and holy. There are many prayers of thanksgiving offered up each day. This brings such joy to the heart. To focus on the Lord, and not on the troubles around me, is to find peace.  

I am looking forward to the coming days of Thanksgiving and the Christmas season. There is a spirit of happiness all around.  This time of year is a great reminder of old-fashioned families and old-time homemaking.  Great joy can be found in this kind of simple and peaceful living.  

Blessings

Mrs. White

From the Archives -

Frugal Living - A New England Winter on Small Income.

Finding Genuine Happiness at Home - Peace be Upon This House.  

What Many of Us Crave - An Ordinary Life at Home.

 - To find out more about this blog, or Mrs. White, please visit our About page. -

Now Available from the Legacy of Home Press:

Household Planner: Perpetual Calendar to Organize Daily Life for the Home and Family by Mrs. White

224 pages, paperback

Includes monthly budgets and financial planning forms, daily calendar for appointments and notes, and much more. 

Occupation - Keeping House

After a snowstorm in 1939, Vermont. (LOC)

 

I noticed an entry on the U.S. census from the year 1880. It was in Lowell, Massachusetts.  There were names of household members as well as some other details. In one particular home, the grandmother's occupation was "Keeping House." This same entry was repeated in other entries, in other households, throughout that street on the form.  

Entries for "Occupation" on the 1880 census. 

Other entries included "machinist" or working in the cotton or woolen mills. The listings noted whether someone was married or widowed. I noticed there were widowed women working as a music teacher or in the mills.  I loved reading how many generations were in each household. Often there was also a boarder in each house who had some type of employment as well.  

In one home there were three children (the youngest was five years old) whose occupation was "at school."  Their widowed mother was a music teacher and they all lived with the grandparents. There were three generations in that house. The grandmother in this household was from Vermont. They were the Pratt family. They also had a widowed boarder from Ireland (living with them) who worked in the cotton mill. It was fascinating to read.

An occupation of keeping house sounds wonderful to me.  I have been quietly occupied in the domestic duties of keeping my own house.  I have been busy cleaning, organizing, preparing meals, baking, sewing, and crocheting.

I am nearly finished making a hand-sewn doll quilt for one of my grandchildren. 

My doll quilt project. 

Our gardens and fruit trees have long been ignored the last several weeks since it is so cold here.  We had a great deal of snow the last couple of days.  This morning, I went outside to check on some of my tea roses that have not yet opened.

My tea rose plant in the snow. 

I was able to rescue 3 buds with their lush red and green leaves. I cut them from the vine and brought them into the front parlour. They will get warm by the fire of the wood pellet stove.

Tea Roses from our snowy front garden.

I hope the roses will warm up and open within the next several days. The leaves look pretty in the vase. It brightens and cheers the house!

I have a little project I am working on during my leisure hours. 

Mystery package.

The mystery package, in the above photograph, contains an antique book I recently came across. I am transcribing it into a new edition. It is a darling story about domestic life in the early 1900's. I am hoping it will be published soon. I will announce it as soon as it is ready. 

Soon I will be baking cinnamon cake and homemade bread. The sewing will be done by the fire, and I will enjoy some reading.  It will be a lovely and productive day at home.

Blessings

Mrs. White

From the Archives -

For detailed help in caring for the ill, from my Mother's example - A Comforting Sick Room.

Taking Care of a family of 4 generations in one house - Gracious Homemaking.

A Precious Lifetime of Duty at home at - The Mission House.  

 

 - To find out more about this blog, or Mrs. White, please visit our About page. -

Now Available from The Legacy of Home Press:

Old Fashioned Homemaking: Essays and Encouragement from a New England Housewife by Mrs. White

176 pages, paperback

ISBN: 978-1-956616-38-5

Old Time Kitchens

Supper table at the Helms family home in Alabama, 1939. LOC.

 

I was in the grocery store this afternoon. I saw many people buying large amounts of food. Some were quietly talking to other customers about their concerns about the state of events in our country.  The subject of food is on the minds of many.

The store is full of snacks, prepacked meals, frozen dinners, assorted produce, and so much more. As I walked down the aisle, I wondered what people would do if the stores were suddenly closed and all this food was not available for a short period of time. I had a moment of panic.  It reminded me of how very important it is to stock up and have sufficient groceries in one's own home to last the season, if possible, or at least enough for a few months.

This year I am not as prepared as I want to be. But I am remembering the old ways and trying to do all I can for the needs of my household. 

 In my childhood home, my mother always had a plate of bread on the table. There was always a bowl of fresh sliced cucumbers to go with supper.  We often had mashed potatoes and another vegetable with many of our meals.  The vegetables and the bread helped to fill us up.  To make a meal look more bountiful, it helps when there is a variety of food set out together.  I never heard my mother complain or worry about putting food on the table. She trusted the Lord to provide and then she knew how to do her part. 

We ate all our meals, together, at the kitchen table.  It was a large dining table with a drawer (underneath) to hold the silverware. We had silverware, napkins, and glasses of milk beside our plates.  It was always a well-balanced assortment of food. The routine of eating began with a prayer of thanksgiving from Dad. We would talk and visit and enjoy the food. Then we always left the table happy and grateful.

I remember visiting my aunt in the rural south. She had a big garden and always made delicious meals for us. These were economical and nutritious. Each morning, she made a batch of buttermilk biscuits to go with eggs and bacon. She would often send one of the children out to the garden to get some fresh produce to serve with our meals.  To me, nothing will ever taste as good as food made at home, with love and care.

Saving money and practicing the art of thrift has always been a wise way to live.  Homemakers used to make meals based on what was in the kitchen rather than whatever they wanted to choose from the store. They kept a supply of basic items in the pantry, such as flour, oats, sugar, and plenty of canned goods.  They would prepare food in advance so there would be good things to eat that would last for days. 

I realize it takes a lot of time and effort to work so hard. But this was very common in old time kitchens. The art of cooking, baking, and filling the table with nourishing and appetizing food is a wonderful work. It brings comfort to the family. 

 In these difficult times we are enduring, bringing back some of the old ways of housekeeping may very well provide a sense of rest and contentment. There is an adventure in finding creative ways to feed the family. We must not worry or fret as we go about our household chores. Remembering the promises of Scripture is essential. We are to seek the Lord and His righteousness and all will be well. The Lord will provide.

Blessings

Mrs. White

From the Archives -

Advice for a Happy Home - Peaceful Living by Rules.

Reality and Wisdom - Retirement Planning for the Poor.

A Precious Lifetime of Duty at home at - The Mission House.  

Ideas to minimize stress - Peace be Upon this House. 

 - To find out more about this blog, or Mrs. White, please visit our About page. -

 Help For Homeschooling:

Seeking a Thrifty and Simple Life: Encouragement for Christian Homeschooling by Mrs. White

Paperback, 112 pages

As you read this book, I hope you get a sense that, no matter what is going on in the world, every home can be a homeschool.