A Quiet Rest and A Blogging Break

Mrs. White's Thanksgiving Table with homemade cloth napkins.

I need to take a break. I have gotten a little run down over the last few months. I need to step away for a short rest and just focus on quiet and gentle living.  I want to come back here to the blogging world with a plan that will not wear me out.

I hope to return sometime in the new year.  I am grateful for you all!  I will miss your sweet encouragement and kindness.

Please feel welcome to visit here and to read the archives. I will check comments and emails each week. Thank you so much for your patience and understanding.


I hope you had a wonderful Thanksgiving.  (I added the name of the giveaway winner on my post for "An Old Fashioned Budget" book.)

May your Christmas be blessed and joyful!


Blessings
Mrs. White


 From the Archives -


Creating Happiness - The Cultured Society of Home.

Peaceful Living - A Covered Bridge and Graceful Living in Rural Vermont.

Remembering the Old Ways - The Blessing of Being a Half - Southern Mama.

Find detailed instruction and inspiration in Budgeting on a small income, in Mrs.White's book:

 -An Old Fashioned Budget: Humble Financial Management for the Christian Housewife.  Paperback, 77 pages.










An Invitation - Just click on this link to Subscribe to The Legacy of Home and have it delivered directly to your email. (Be sure to check your email to verify your subscription request, so it will go through.)

A Humble Thanksgiving and a Giveaway

Library of Congress: Sunday Dinner at the Martinetti Home, December, 1942, New York.

This Thanksgiving will be a simple one for us.  I am used to large family gatherings with grandparents, children, and grandchildren.  Last year was the first small dinner with only my husband and I, along one little grand-baby, to enjoy the meal. This year it may only be two of us that will be here. Sometimes my grown children may surprise me and visit at some point, but it is not always possible once they are older with families of their own, job commitments, and difficulty with traveling. This is normal and okay.  I will get phone calls of well wishes and that will be wonderful.

I am used to a large grocery list of all the necessities from our traditional dinners from my childhood.  This year, I have decided to spend less in order to conserve money for other needs.  We will still have things like pumpkin pie and apple pie, but without the ice cream.  We will have dinner rolls, cranberry sauce, corn, turkey, stuffing, gravy, and mashed potatoes. I bought most of these items a few weeks ago, when the prices were all low.  It will still be lovely, even without the extras we are used to, such as cheese and crackers, fresh grapes, apple cider, nuts, chocolate cream pie, and a vegetable tray.  I think, at times, we get so used to wanting an abundance of food that we may end up spending more than we can afford.  This year we will have a humble Thanksgiving and we will enjoy it very much.

I remember always dressing up for dinner.  We wore our nicest clothes, much like one would for the old time Sunday Dinners after church.  Thanksgiving is a wonderful holiday and a special time of giving thanks to the Lord for our blessings.  I still insist the family wear their nicest clothing, and have great joy in looking our best for the occasion.  I will do this, even if it is just the two of us. (But since my husband is disabled and has a great deal of physical difficulties, I may just request he wear his nicest lounging clothes!)

My mother would set the table with her best dishes. She used her nicest serving bowls and everything looked so beautiful.  This was part of presenting one's best in thanks for all we have been given.  I will do this as well.  I will not mind doing all the dishes.  I will just take my time.  We will dine with my nicest tableware, the prettiest tablecloth, and beautiful cloth napkins.  I do not have a seasonal set of dishes (such as one called "Friendly Village") but someday I hope to have one added to my household. I love seeing the gorgeous table settings of others, but have accepted that it is not a practical expense for me, at this time,  I love pretty things, but will happily wait, and dream about having them someday.

Our humble table will be managed with gracious hospitality.  It will be a peaceful and pleasant day. We will have prayers, and read the Thanksgiving Proclamation by George Washington. I have this printed out, and saved, to bring out each year.  It will be a simple day of thanks and happiness.


 I would like to offer a giveaway:

  I would like to give away a copy of my newest book:
"An Old Fashioned Budget: Humble Financial Management for the Christian Housewife."  It is paperback, 77 pages.

You can find out about this book on my previous post - "An Old Fashioned Budget."

 (If you have already read the book, it would be so helpful to me if you would leave a review on amazon.)



  
To enter for a chance to win a copy of this book, all you have to do is leave me a comment, telling me about a humble Thanksgiving.  

This may be how you afford the groceries for this special meal.  Or how your grandmother made an affordable Thanksgiving dinner for your family. Perhaps you have a wonderful childhood memory or something from your own home, hosting the dinner yourself.   What ways do you budget your grocery money to afford all the food?  What advice can you give for setting a welcoming table?

Whatever you would like to share about your Thanksgiving would be a blessing for us all to read!  Just commenting here will enter you into the contest for a chance to win a copy of this book.


For additional Entries:
 

1. Post about this on Facebook.

2. Share this on your own blog or other social media. 

3.  - Subscribe to The Legacy of Home and have it delivered directly to your email. (Be sure to check your email to "verify" the subscription to make sure it goes through.)

*Please leave a separate comment for each entry.*

One random winner we be selected on Monday, December 2, 2019. (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. 

[Edited Update - This giveaway is now closed. The winner is "Judy." She has already been contacted and will receive her copy of the book soon. Thank you all so much for entering!]

Have a Happy Thanksgiving!

Blessings,

Mrs. White

From the Archives -

Remembering a visit to Plimouth Plantation - Preparing for a New England Thanksgiving.

Ideas For Happiness - The House Comes First.

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

Find Home-keeping Inspiration, in Mrs.White's book,

 -Mother's Book of Home Economics: Remembrances, Letters and Essays from a New England Housewife .  

Paperback, 312 pages.






An Invitation - Just click on this link to  Subscribe to The Legacy of Home and have it delivered directly to your email.  (Be sure to check your email to verify your subscription request, so it will go through.)

An Old Fashioned Budget

Cover of Mrs. White's book.

~ Our newest book, brought to you by "The Legacy of Home Press." ~



Here is a description from the back cover:

---------------------------------
   It is easier to earn money than it is to save it.  We really need to remember what it was like generations ago when saving money was a common way of life.   In this book I will share many ideas and a history of old time thrift.

I will explain how to start a financial journal (or money diary) as a bookkeeping tool to carefully monitor the household spending.  I will describe, in detail, how to set up an old fashioned, modest budget without using modern categories of spending that were unheard of by humble families in previous generations.

   You will be intrigued to read how a wife can carefully manage bookkeeping for the home in a family of limited means.

There are many modern budgets for the middle and upper classes.  Here you will find financial help for those living simply on a small income.
 ---------------------------------

Details:

 Every business has its own bookkeeper.  In like manner, every home ought to have a designated person to manage the household income. This slim volume is intended to inspire you to want to do your own bookkeeping for the home.

The chapters include:

1. Introduction  (Why we need a budget and bookkeeping method for families living on a small income.)

2. The Chosen (Will it be the husband or the wife who will keep the books?)

3. A Simple Budget  (An old fashioned, thrifty budget without modern categories of spending.)

4. We'll Get By  (Ideas and explanation for managing on a small income.)

5.  Yankee Thrift  (Old time thinking about saving money and practical living.)

6. Bookkeeping for the Home  (Fictitious Families are introduced to describe how this works.)

7. Money Diary  (Several Questions are answered to describe how to keep track of spending.)

8. The Writing Desk  (Inspired by the photograph on the front cover of the book - gives old time ideas of managing the house accounts, with practical suggestions.  - The picture was taken a few months ago by Mrs. White. It is the writing desk in the sitting room of Mrs. Robert Lincoln at her historic summer mansion in Vermont.)

9. The Old Fashioned Budget  (Detailed explanation of how to do this, along with an example from our fictitious family. Includes practical ways of really saving money.)

10.  A Trusted and Diligent Bookkeeper  (Full of helpful ideas on saving money and living on a small income. This can be accomplished with a trusted wife as she diligently manages the finances.)

The Appendix includes photographs of a handwritten budget and a sample spending diary.

I explain exactly what tools I use to do my bookkeeping (in a simple, old fashioned way).  I have been using this method for more than 30 years as a housewife. Like all families, we have had our share of mistakes. But the principles contained in this book have helped our family get through the good times and the bad.


This slim, 77 page, paperback book is available for sale through Amazon:

An Old Fashioned Budget: Humble Financial Management for the Christian Housewife.












Any help in spreading the word would be very much appreciated.  Also, if you are able to write a review on Amazon, it would be so helpful! Thank you so much!



Blessings

Mrs. White

From the Archives -

Gratefully Living on a Small Income - Standard of Living.

The Reality - Retirement Planning for the Poor.

Old Time Wisdom from Colonial Days - To Earn and Not to Spend.




An Invitation - Just click on this link to Subscribe to The Legacy of Home and have it delivered directly to your email. (Be sure to check your email to verify your subscription request, so it will go through.)

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.










An Invitation - Just click on this link to Subscribe to The Legacy of Home and have it delivered directly to your email. (Be sure to check your email to verify your subscription request, so it will go through.)

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. 

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