Peaceful Homemaking

Library of Congress:  New Bedford, Massachusetts family in 1942

Lately, I have been too tired to do the shopping.  I have been running low on many supplies for the kitchen. Each day I would think, "well I better go to the store tomorrow."  But somehow, I came up with an idea of what to bake and cook so I could stay at home. I was too weary to do errands.  I wanted to put off the shopping as long as possible. I am also struggling with the grocery money this month. So many bills come to us in the Fall months.  We just paid our annual property taxes. The insurance on the house needs to be taken care of in the coming weeks.  I need to save up for these big expenses. I have to make do with what I have on hand, as much as possible, right now.

In order to save money I have been extra busy in the kitchen.  One day I made homemade Italian bread to go with a simple spaghetti dinner.  The fresh baked bread helps fill everyone up.  It was a great deal of work but we all enjoyed it very much.

I baked muffins, brownies, and a simple white cake.  There was always some kind of home-baked treat for the family. I love homemade food, especially to enjoy during tea breaks.

Through all the work, I find the greatest happiness in hearing precious old time sermons on my kitchen radio.  I have a CD by Dr. Clyde Box, called, "A Faithful Man- Who Can Find?" This is old southern preaching.  I also listen to Dr. Charles Stanley.  I love the beautiful, inspiring words that give one an incredible sense of peace and joy in life.  This is what I look forward to doing while I am baking and cooking and cleaning - hearing the old gospel preaching that comforts the soul.

Each morning I wonder what I can cook for the family. Each day I am amazed that even though I have no money in my purse this week, the Lord helps me come up with an idea of what I can make from my limited pantry.  I have not been in need at all, and I am so thankful.

My grown children and grandchildren visit me often. I love offering them food from my kitchen. I will happily cook and bake and work hard to give them comfort and happiness. Food makes us happy! It is a blessing!  Even though we live simply and do not have very much, I am grateful.

These days, I think we need encouragement in trusting God for our daily bread. I think we need to focus on our homemaking and be careful with what we already have in the pantry.   Our culture seems to constantly distract us into doing projects that are the latest trend, or that we should be buying the latest gadget, or trying out the latest new recipe. All the while we are overwhelmed with ads and commercials.   These things should not consume our everyday thinking.  It will take away our feeling of contented peace.  I would love to read more about homemakers who are just peacefully, and sweetly, keeping the home.

I love remembering the old days of my childhood.  My mother always made a good dinner each night at the same time.  It was the quiet hour of the day. The world was shut out for a time.   I always felt safe and comforted to be home.  I hope we mothers of today can give that same feeling to our own families.

Blessings
Mrs. White

From the Archives -

A Place to Rest Weary Hearts - Lingering by the Hearth.

We Need More of This  - A Church Diet for the Family.

Thrifty Wisdom from the Old Days - To Earn and Not to Spend.

Find Home-keeping Inspiration, in Mrs.White's book - For The Love of Christian Homemaking.  Paperback, 274 pages.










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Autumn Scenery in the Vermont Countryside

Autumn Scenery near Mrs. White's Vermont Home.

I had an early morning errand today. I went to my daughter's house to babysit and have a brief visit.  On my travels, I stopped to get some video footage to share with you.  I wanted you to see the Vermont countryside at this time of year.

If you are receiving this post by email and cannot see the video (below), please go directly to the blog to view.









I hope you enjoy the scenery as much as I do! Thank you for watching!

Please note: You can access all the videos I have posted by visiting this link: "The Legacy of Home TV."


Blessings
Mrs. White

From the Archives -

Tools for Peaceful Living - The Secret to a Happy Home.

Remembering How it Was to Take Care of the Family - A Comforting Sick Room.

Being Content with Simplicity - Standard of Living.

Mrs. White's special book for homemakers:"Introduction to Home Economics:  Gentle Instruction to Find Joy in Christian Homemaking." Paperback, 200 pages. 

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Leaf Season in Vermont

Leaves on Mrs. White's back property in Autumn (photograph taken last year).

We often see tour buses coming through Vermont during the months of September and October.  It is a wonderful place to see the changing of the leaves at different times throughout the state.

This year I wanted to try to capture the falling leaves on video. I kept waiting for just the right day, hoping to see all the trees on our back property looking their colorful best.  I also wanted the best lighting, and the nicest time of day.  Then we had several days of rain and I was unable to get outside. So today, when I looked out the window, I noticed a beautiful, windy day.  It was the best chance I could find to get a video to share with you.

Lake view of early Autumn near Mrs. White's Home.  (Photograph was taken last year.)

I was babysitting some of my grandchildren this afternoon. I took them outside with me so we could watch the leaves falling.   We brought the video camera and were able to put together a short little walk on our property so you could get a glimpse of the end of the beautiful season.  The scenery is not as pretty as it was a few weeks ago. Most of our leaves have already been raked and made neat.  (Just a note: The grandchildren can be heard, but are not seen.)

  The video is below:









Thank you for watching!

 If you want to see more of the videos I have posted, please find a link on the left sidebar of my blog. Just click on the photograph under the caption "The Legacy of Home TV" or you can use this link: "The Legacy of Home TV."


Blessings
Mrs. White

From the Archives -

See Last year's Autumn pictures with beautiful piles of leaves - "Autumn in Vermont."

Remembering the example of my Mother-in-law - "Classic Old Fashioned Housewife."

Careful Home Economics - "Feeding the Family."

Find Home-keeping Inspiration, in Mrs.White's book -Mother's Book of Home Economics .  Paperback, 312 pages.










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Pacing Oneself to Keep House

Pink Flowers on the Table at Mrs. White's Home

I do not have a maid to help me keep house. There is no staff of workers to cook, bake, clean, decorate, and organize.  There is no accountant to keep the finances in order. I do not have a hostess to welcome and care for guests and residents here at our Estate.  Groceries are not delivered.  The shopping and errands and the management of the entire household is not completed by a head - housekeeper. Most homemakers do all of these things, and much more.  They do it alone.

There is a way to do these things, in a gentle, gracious way.  I will share with you just two common ideas. They are basic and ordinary, but can make all the difference:

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1.  Keep a Weekly Schedule.

If you do the shopping on Wednesday (for example), the heavy cleaning on Thursday, the Laundry on Friday, etc.  You will not be trying to do it all in one day.  If some emergency happens, or you are not feeling well, you can just do the basics and not worry about it.

If I am going to bake homemade bread on Tuesday, I will not go out on errands. That would be too much of a drain on my energy.  If I am going to deep clean the house on Thursday, I will not make homemade pizza.  We have to balance the heavy and light work for each day. This is part of pacing ourselves to do the many different tasks in a day.

2. Keep a Daily routine.

I believe the most time consuming work, each day, happens in the kitchen!   Pace yourself to have the energy and the peace to prepare these meals.  (If you have children who are old enough to help you, all the better!  It is a joyful time to prepare and serve food with the family's help.)

There are three meals prepared and served each day.  Many homemakers provide the family with easy food for breakfast and lunch. The main meal of the day is often served at the dinner hour.  It is the old, traditional "supper time," where all the family is home together for the evening meal.   This will vary in each home, depending on the family schedule. For example: If Dad works the night shift, perhaps the family enjoys a big breakfast or lunch together.
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If we kept a daily journal of all the things we do in a day, it would make us tired!  Yet in the midst of all the work, we can have many moments of laughter, tea breaks, walks about the garden, times for reading and resting, and just enjoying family visits in the parlour.   We can learn, through practice, to do all the work of "keeping house" in a gentle way, by avoiding stress, rush, worry, and fear.

Think on that which is good, and pretty, and pleasant. Focus on the beauty around us.  Be grateful.  Be courageous when you are weary.  Rest as often as necessary. Pace yourself with little simple jobs,  with plenty of tea breaks, seeking contentment and joy in home life.


Blessings
Mrs. White

From the Archives -

Inspiration from the Mother of D.L. Moody - Poverty in the 1800's.

Precious Manners with Children - Tea Time: The Importance of Formal Ceremony at Home. 

Practical Help - The Secret to a Happy Home. 

Mrs. White's special book for homemakers:"Introduction to Home Economics:  Gentle Instruction to Find Joy in Christian Homemaking." Paperback, 200 pages. 

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Tour of Vermont - Scenic View of the Countryside in Summer

Early Morning in Summer - at a lake near Mrs. White's Vermont Home.

This is the Sixth post in my series of touring Vermont.  (Please click on any picture to make them larger.)  I have lived in this state for 16 years and rarely stopped to look at the sights.  Starting in 2017, I made the effort to stop and visit some of the places that I see on my travels. This does not mean that I would need to spend money, but that I would take a few moments of rest and visit some of these places, instead of just rushing through life and never taking a scenic break.


The tour:  A Scenic View of the Countryside in Summer.


On my travels through the state, over the last couple of summers, I stopped to get some photographs to share.

Cows and Farmland.

 There are many beautiful farms we can see as we drive on the main roads throughout the state. The grass is so lush and green in the summer months.

Barn at Roadside.

I love the mountain views behind the farms.   These are country roads and are very peaceful.

A Farm in the distance.

You will not see these views in the cities of Vermont.  But they are lovely to see on the outskirts of the busy towns.

One of the Lakes on a country road.

There are many lakes in the state.  Some have sandy "beach" type areas near the water. Others just have grass and mountains. They look almost untouched.  Since there are no billboards allowed here, and very few signs, it can be a peaceful retreat to spend time here.

A Charming Pink House in a Tourist Area of Southern Vermont.

 I was intrigued, this summer, when I drove by a lovely pink house in southern Vermont!  There was a great deal of traffic on this road. It was right near a busy tourist area.  On my way back home (from an appointment) it was much quieter in the area, and I was able to stop and get a picture.

This is the same lake as in the first picture. It is near Mrs. White's home.

There is a beautiful lake near our home. It has a boardwalk and benches.  There are also boats. It reminds me of my Massachusetts home, where we had many yacht clubs.

An early Morning view of a lake, with boats, near Mrs. White's home.

I hope you enjoyed the sights! Thank you for reading!



** My next stop will be - Life in 1910 -  Lincoln's Home at Hildene.**



The First Tour was -  A Vermont Christmas Tree Farm.

The Second Tour was - The Trapp Family Lodge in Stowe Vermont.

The Third Tour was - King Arthur Flour in Norwich Vermont.

 The Fourth Tour was - Afternoon Tea at The Governor's Mansion.

The Fifth Tour was - A Visit to the Vermont Country Store.



Blessings,
Mrs. White


From the Archives -

Taking Care of the Family - In Pursuit of Christian Duty.

In Case you Wondered - The Secret to a Clean House.

It's What you Make of it - The Cultured Society of Home.

Find Home-keeping Inspiration, in Mrs.White's book -Mother's Book of Home Economics .  Paperback, 312 pages.










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