Wednesday, July 7, 2010

Summer Housekeeping

Summer House I




The hot summer days make it more difficult to keep house. I have been spending several afternoons in the backyard by the pool. Now lest you envy my pool, it is a 10 foot by 30 inch children's pool! But it is lovely to enjoy on hot days, nonetheless! 

How do you cook and clean and enjoy home on hot summer days? The old-time housewives would do their work early in the morning. I remember the way my mother-in-law spent her days. She had window-fans going to keep the house cool. There was always one room with an air conditioning for when thing got really hot! She did all her cooking in the cool morning hours. She would also serve sandwiches, salads, chips and cold drinks for lunch. She always pre-made gourmet burgers and baked potatoes which could be microwaved for a nice, filling supper.  Her recipe for burgers included cream of mushroom soup, breadcrumbs and eggs. She would mix up the ground beef with the ingredients and then shape them into patties before cooking. Often my father-in-law did the cooking outdoors on the grill. The house stayed fairly cool.

Evenings at home, were delightful and relaxing. Summer days can be enjoyed if we are able to do our homemaking in the early morning or late evening hours. I would avoid washing floors, vacuuming and heavy work to prevent heat exhaustion. But simple things like washing dishes, sweeping and hanging laundry on the line are pleasant morning activities for summer housekeeping.

When you are ready for your afternoon break, sip on ice cold lemonade, enjoy some cookies and have a lovely rest by the kiddie pool!

Enjoy the day!

Blessings
Mrs. White
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2 comments:

Beth E. said...

Those burgers sound tasty...I may have to try making mine that way sometime.

I work in the mornings, so working in the cool of the day is out for me. However, I do use my crockpot a lot. It keeps the kitchen (and the rest of the house) from heating up so much!

Anonymous said...

I guess I have been following traditions of the women who have gone before us and I didn't even know it! I have been doing my cleaning in the morning and at night because my kids want to be outside playing and they definitely like the pool here on base! Glad to hear that you are having a grand summer!
Sarah L.