Finding Rest in Ordinary Routines

Part of our property, here in Vermont.

 

I went in the garden this morning to get some blueberries.  We have had a gentle rain throughout the night. It has cooled the air.  I looked through the leaves of the plants seeking whatever berries were ripe.  Then I put them in a little bag to bring indoors to wash them. I felt grateful for nourishing food I didn't have to buy at the store. This not only saves me money, it also brings me quiet moments of rest and peace as I do the work to gather the little harvest. These little chores of home life are comforting, especially in hard times.

Our blueberries this morning.

 

Many are enduring financial, health, or family trials. Some are dealing with all three at once.  We need to keep our minds and hearts calm and steady in order to get through the rough days.  When things are very difficult around here, I think of my parents and my husband's parents. Their example was always to remain calm and go about their beautiful routine of ordinary living.  The troubles of family or worries of health did not stop them in their tracks. Being near them during such times, as we watched their example, provided us with a feeling of security and safety.   If the older generation was not worried or panicking, everything would be okay.  They had a foundation of trust and faith in the Lord.  This was the secret to their sense of calm in the face of every storm.

I have many things to do today and in the coming days. We've just been through several difficult days. But I know where to find my comfort. My mind is often filled with the words of soothing hymns.  I pray as I go about my domestic duties.  I am grateful for the beauty of life regardless of how hard the road often seems.

Blessings

Mrs. White

From the Archives -

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

 Encouragement and Manners - Waiting for the Door to Be Opened.

 Unwanted Advice for the Family - Quieting Myself for the Good of Others.

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

- It is an honor to be the bookkeeper for the house! - 

Find detailed instruction and inspiration in budgeting on a small income, along with a method for keeping a handwritten ledger, in Mrs.White's book:

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

 Paperback, 77 pages.

 

 

 

 

 

Stock up the Pantry

LOC: Home Canned Goods, Vermont, 1939.

There has been a great change in the way homemakers manage their kitchens.  It used to be that they would grow much of their own food in the garden. They would preserve this food and store it in a pantry or root cellar.  As time has passed, many have forgotten these necessary skills.  The supermarkets carry ready-made meals, frozen and canned goods and all kinds of treats and snacks. Many rely on the local store for their daily food instead of looking to the pantry or what has been stored away for the family's nourishment.

There have even been homes where there is nothing in the refrigerator and very little in the cabinets because the family is in the habit of eating out at restaurants and convenience stores for every meal.  It became a way of life for them.  Yet there are some homemakers who are looking to the past and trying to regain these old skills of managing a household and working hard in the kitchen.  

The way things have been, in the world around us, these last few years, has made many of us realize that those carefree days of eating out and living in the moment are no longer sustainable.  We have to be prepared.  We need to keep a good supply of nourishing food in the house. We need to stock up the pantry.

One way to do this, if one is not in the habit of gardening or canning one's own produce, is to buy a supply of canned fruits and vegetables when they are on sale at the market.  In my house I also want to keep canisters of oats, bags of brown sugar (for baking), and other baking supplies. 

Many of us realized the importance of stocking up during the pandemic.  The lesson of that event, when there were shortages in the stores and difficulty in going out, should not be forgotten.  This is the time of year when we need to prepare for the coming winter and the possibility of hard times.  

We need to have a good supply of a variety of nourishing food to last several months. This takes money and a great deal of planning and effort. If we do not have very much money to spare, try to at least get a few extra things each week. We need basic items, basic ingredients, so we can easily make healthy meals for little cost.  Now is not the time to try out recipes with expensive ingredients.  We need to spend our money wisely and make it last. 

This is what I am working on over the coming weeks.  Even though it is still summer, I know a cold and harsh winter will be here soon. I need to get busy making lists of all the things I need to fill up the pantry.  Supplies have gotten very low around here. I need to find good prices and start getting ready for the months ahead.  We must not only think of today or this month. A homemaker needs a long-term plan to see that her family has food on the table in good times and bad.  This is a necessary work. We do our part, combined with prayers for our daily bread. When we work together with the Lord, we feel so very blessed and content with His provision.

Blessings

Mrs. White

 

From the Archives -

Old Fashioned Thrift in Hard Times - A New England Winter on a Small Income.

A Restful Retreat - The Privacy of Home Life.

Old Fashioned Home life - Summer Days with Small Children.

 

 

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

 

For happiness and cheer in the kitchen:

Mrs. White's old fashioned cookbook focuses on serving meals and setting the table in a humble home.

"Serving in the Kitchen: Cookbook with Recipes, Advice, and Encouragement for the Christian Home"

152 pages, paperback

 

 

 

 

 

Restful Projects at Home

Seasonal room for writing at Mrs. White's house.

We have been enduring an unusual heatwave.  It used to feel like it was much cooler here in the mountains of Vermont in the summer months.  I am not prepared for such a long stretch of hot weather.  This has affected the type of things we are doing at home.  When some of the grandchildren are here for a visit, we stay in the cooler rooms, by the fan.  I am not baking as much. I am limiting kitchen work.  We need to stay cool and as comfortable as possible.

One afternoon, as grandchildren were here, I set them up with little projects. The boys were content with a variety of toys and games.  But grand-girl wanted something more interesting to do.   I got out my sewing box and scrap fabric. I set her up with a little chair and a tray-table for a work desk.  She was delighted!  I had to demonstrate how to set up the needle for hand-sewing.  This was something I had already taught her about a year ago, but she had forgotten. She quickly got the hang of it and was busy making little bags and such to hold miniature toys.  Before the children went home that day, I said to grand-girl, "The next time you come over, bring some of the stuffed toys that have holes in them and I will show you how to fix them."  Sure enough, on the next visit, she brought three little toys that needed repairs.  She got right to work after a simple explanation from me of the easiest way to fix them.  She did a wonderful job and was very happy.

When we do not have company, I have been working on a little book project. I sit in our seasonal room by the french doors.  It is much cooler in here than other rooms in the house. I have a fan nearby and my small computer desk.  I work on an old laptop computer which doesn't have internet access.  I have been typing nearly everyday as I work on completing this project. It is a little different than other books I have done. I hope it will be ready next month. 

I am feeling incredibly worn out.  Yet I feel so very blessed and grateful.  It is so nice just to do little projects at home and enjoy the family.   

I lost a recent post here about the flooding we had.  All is well now. We are tired but we are okay. Thank you for your encouraging words and prayers! We are grateful!

Blessings

Mrs. White

From the Archives -

Advice for a Happy Home - Peaceful Living by Rules.

Careful thrift in the Home - Reducing Expenses.

A Peaceful Old Fashioned Bible Time - The Prentiss Study. 

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

  For Encouragement in Christian Homemaking, order Mrs. White's book,

 "Homemaking for Happiness: Wonderful Days at Home."

You will find essays, articles, and diary entries about life in a Christian home.

Entries are arranged by season, and include:  "Keeping a Frugal Kitchen;" "Missing the Lilacs;" "An Evening Walk in the Garden;" "At Grandmother's House;" and "Chores for Grandchildren."

You will also find a few photographs showing a little of the local landscape.

Paperback, 228 pages.

 

 

My Housekeeping Journal

Journal notebook on Mrs. White's table.

There are days when I don't feel like I have accomplished much at home.  I may be busy, doing too many errands, or just not feeling well. Since I have a basic schedule and routine for housework, things don't get too out of control.  In other words, the house stays decent and somewhat neat.  

This reminds me of the example of my mother.  It was in her nature to do those little jobs that kept the home looking nice.  Even in her older years, as she walked with a cane, she made keeping house look like it didn't take much effort.  This was because she paced herself, took many breaks, and kept up with the little chores throughout the day.  I will always look up to her as an example of an excellent homemaker.

I found a way to motivate myself to do my daily housework.  I received, as a gift, a lovely journal notebook. It has a ribbon marker and is over 300 pages long. I thought it would be a good idea to write down whatever work I did for the day. This will help me feel like I have accomplished lovely things to maintain the house.

I decided to use this as an opportunity to keep up with my handwriting skills.  I write slowly and with a pencil. I am thinking I should be able to fit 2 or 3 days of notes on each page. I will not write down all that I do in a day, but some of the little and big jobs that stand out to me. I noticed that when I know I am going to record what I do, extra projects, such as long-neglected mending or organizing the desk, somehow get done as well!

 

Inside view of the housekeeping journal.

 

As I write out the work I have finished, I see a Bible verse at the bottom of the page in my journal. I take the time to read and reflect on its message. It is a quiet moment of meditation and a lovely break from the day's work.  This has become one of the many ways I am trying to make homemaking look pretty.

 

Blessings

Mrs. White

 

 From the Archives -

Old Time Manners - Waiting for the Door to Be Opened.  

A Simple Life - How to Stop Buying Things that Clutter up the Home. 

Ration Books from 1942 and helpful advice - Adapting to the High Cost of Living.

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

 

Find cleaning inspiration and encouragement in Mrs. White's book, "Gracious House Keeping."

"Gracious House Keeping: Advice, Encouragement, and Cleaning Help for the Christian Housewife."

Complete with Encouragement and Work Charts to cheer you along in your homemaking!

115 pages, paperback.

 

 

 

Shut in at the Homestead

Milk can and roses near the front porch at Mrs. White's House.

We are getting ready to be shut in from the outside world and just keep house.   It is nearly July but we know winter and the cold weather will come very soon.  This is the time of year when we have to prepare.  We need to stock up on food.  We need fuel for the heat.  We need money for winter and for when hard times come.  Most of all, we need to prepare our hearts and minds to enjoy a quiet way of life here at our homestead in rural Vermont.

Each week I head into town to buy supplies. When I get home, I am so grateful to be here.  Everything gets put away and we settle in to a routine of living a homemade way of life.  We make much of our own meals from scratch. We have a small garden which supplies us with nourishment from nature.  I always feel so blessed and thankful when we have food coming from our own property. 

The birds are singing so sweetly on the front grounds.  We take our little walks around the yard and check on our flowers and garden.  We see what work needs to be taken care of and we enjoy the peaceful sounds of nature.  Home is a wonderful place to be.

My husband and I have a wedding anniversary coming up soon.  Normally I will place our wedding album on the kitchen table so we can look back over the years and remember.  This year I want to do something different. I want to look ahead and dream of the future years instead of looking back. We rarely spend money on our anniversaries because money is always scarce. It is needed for necessities and emergencies.  Beautiful flowers on the table would be an incredible luxury.  Perhaps we will dream of planting enough roses, in the coming years, so we can have a free source to decorate our anniversary table.

I am trying to think of all the things we need to do before winter comes.  One of the trees on our property had fallen early in the year. It will soon become a nice stack of firewood for our wood stove to supplement the heat.  We need to organize and simplify many things.  Our bills and expenses must be as low as possible so we have enough money to pay our fuel bills.  It takes a great deal of creativity to stay home and happily settled throughout the difficult cold season. 

Yet all this work and planning brings a great reward. We are content at home.  We feel safe and blessed.  I know I will have to venture out many times for medical trips and errands, but for the most part, we will be happily shut in at the old homestead. We will work hard to spread peace and joy as we go about our days. We will do our best to provide a restful home for our children and grandchildren. And we will do it all while leaning on the dear Lord for our strength and provision.

Blessings

Mrs. White

From the Archives -

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

Wouldn't You Like to be a Member? - Mother's Benevolent Society.

A Gentle and Necessary vocation - The Basics of Lovely Housekeeping.

 

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

 A Simple Method for a Clean and Pleasant Home -

"Gracious House Keeping: Advice, Encouragement, and Cleaning Help for the Christian Housewife." 

Complete with Encouragement and Work Charts to cheer you along in your Cleaning and Homemaking!

115 pages, paperback.