The Company Ready Home

Library of Congress: Mrs.Schulstad and her daughter setting the table for dinner. South Dakota, 1940.

There is usually a main room where guests first see when they enter a home. This is often a kitchen or living room.  These are the common rooms we housekeepers try to keep the neatest.  We also do our best to keep the bathroom tidy.

It is not possible to keep all rooms, of a house, perfectly organized and spotless at all times. This is because we do not live inside a magazine cover photograph. Our homes are not going to be "picture perfect." But we do well when we keep the main rooms company ready.

I have often read of the different temporary homes which Caroline Ingalls and her family lived in.  She did a few specific things on a daily basis:

1. She always swept the floors each day, even dirt floors in a sod house.

2. The beds were made each day. She made her own, and directed her girls to make theirs.  This was an expected chore.

3.  After each meal, she and the girls would wash and put away the dishes. She would put a clean tablecloth on the table. Then she would put the Kerosene lamp neatly at the center of the table. It made things look pleasant and tidy.

4. All were expected to sit up straight and use their manners, even if they were camping near the river on their way to a new homestead out west.

There was a time when they didn't have much and the children had been sick with Scarlet Fever. I believe this was in the book, "On the Banks of Plum Creek."   Some company was stopping by unexpectedly.  Ma (Caroline) worried about what food she could serve, since nothing special was available at the time.  Laura, who had been taking care of everyone said something like, "If it is good enough for us, it is good enough for them!" This is so sweet because the way in which they lived, good housekeepers, hard workers, and simple living with dignity, made any meal they served to the family, or to guests, a blessing.

In these modern days, we can certainly take a few minutes throughout the day to keep things neat.  I like to polish the bathroom sink, wash mirrors and put out a fresh towel each day.  I also make my bed each morning, and open the blinds to let in the cheerful sunshine.   I straighten flower arrangements (these are assorted plastic flowers that make things look extra nice all year round), straighten chairs, and put everything "to rights" in the main parlour. This helps to keep our home looking inviting and pleasant. 

It is good to just keep the house looking nice in case unexpected guests show up.   When my parents were in their elder (retirement) years, they used to do some extra tidying on Sunday afternoons, as that was the common time when church members would stop in to see them once a month or so.  Mother would be sure to have some coffee cake on hand for refreshments.  She and Dad would dust the furniture and vacuum the carpets. They would make the kitchen counters and table look extra pretty.  This was for "just in case" company came. If nobody stopped by that week, they would enjoy the special treat and the extra lovely home regardless.

Years ago, one of my grown daughters used to love to drop in for a surprise visit. She lived a few hours away and I never knew when she would just show up for the night, or for a day- visit.  I always wanted to have a warning so I could buy special foods I knew she liked.  As the years went by, I realized that I would much rather have her just show up unexpectedly. Surely she would enjoy any food we had on hand because it would be made with love. It was much more fun to have her come by without a warning. She loved to see how happy and surprised I was to see her! 

In my childhood home, special treats like cake or popcorn were reserved for once a week or special occasions.  Often this was on a weekend.  If company happened to stop by, they would share in the refreshments.  If they happened to show up on a weekday, they would have the common fare of whatever meal we were having - nothing special.  But we made sure our house was always decent and neat so we could share our happy home and life with our guests.

Very often, "Nothing special" in a cared- for, humble home is just what company would love to see.

To have a company ready home just means we housekeepers are doing our job of keeping a decent and tidy home. We look as nice as we can (as representatives of our homes), and gladly welcome weary visitors with a smile and with grace.

Blessings
Mrs. White


From the Archives -

The Way it Was - Retirement Planning for the Poor.

A Happy Marriage - Serving Mister.

Training Children - Nobody Wants to Clean a Messy House.

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

Mrs. White's nostalgic book for Mothers:

"Old Fashioned Motherhood: Baby and Child Care Advice from a New England Housewife." 

62 pages, paperback. 

Poverty in the 1800's

Betsy Moody was the mother of nine children.  She lived in a beautiful house in Northfield, Massachusetts in the early 1800's.  She was expecting twins when her 41 year old husband died suddenly leaving the family in dire straits.  There was a mortgage on the house, but because of favorable laws in those days, the creditors were not able to take away her home.  Instead, they took just about all her possessions, including the firewood needed to heat the home, in order to recover the debt.

Betsy was the mother of the famous preacher, D. L. Moody. The way in which she brought up her children and retained the family homestead, as a widow, is inspiring. 

Her brother came to her aid by providing such necessary things as firewood. They were also helped by the local pastor. Her older children worked in nearby farms (as was common in those days) to help feed and support the family. The work they did helped them to learn skills and built a tremendous work ethic, making them hardworking, dependable and successful. 

The children were required to attend church services, as were most all children of the time.  Their "mother instructed her children in the true religion of the heart that seeks first God and His righteousness."  The foundation of their home was strong in godly living.  They also learned compassion and charity from an early age:

"Mrs. Moody was tender-hearted, and the children learned the privilege of giving from their scanty store.  The hungry were never turned away from her door and on one occasion when the provision for the evening meal was very meagre it was put to the vote of the little ones whether they should give of their small supply to a poor beggar who appealed for aid.  The children begged that he should be aided and offered to have their own slices cut thinner."

The Sabbath was a wonderful time for the children.  The older ones worked away from home all week and returned each Saturday evening to be with the family. On Sunday, the family brought a packed lunch and spent the day at Church hearing 2 sermons and attending the Sunday School before returning home.  This precious time created a beloved "habit of attending God's house."

The children would bring home books from the church library for their mother to read to them.   She, herself, only owned 3 books, including the Bible, a catechism, and a "book of devotions."  She also read to the children each morning and prayed with them.

Betsy made home life attractive and pleasant for the children, despite her poverty. She did this by encouraging the children to open their home to friends. While the children played, "she would sit quietly with her mending," and provide a wholesome and pleasant environment of love and warmth.

I am amazed at how beautiful their house was, yet knowing how cold New England winters can be, I realize the Moody family did not have an easy life.  Yet, somehow, through their hard work, independent Yankee work ethic, and great trust in God, they succeeded!  It also amazes me to learn that Betsy lived in that same house until she passed into Heaven, at the age of 90!

Her grandson tells us that his father, D.L. Moody, "could never speak of those early days of want and adversity without the most tender references to that brave mother whose self-sacrifice and devotion had sacredly guarded the home entrusted to her care."

Blessings
Mrs.White

*Quotes, and photograph, in this post are from the book, "The Life of D.L. Moody by His Son," published in 1900.



From the Archives -

Old Fashioned Thrift - Retirement Planning for the Poor.

Taking care of Children - I Hear Angels Crying.

A Happy Marriage - A Wife Who Does Not Complain.

For encouragement and old-time advice that has worked for generations for homemakers, see Mrs. White's book: 

Living on His Income: Remembrances and Advice for the Christian Housewife 

64 pages, paperback.

ISBN: 978-0-692221-07-5

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

The First Housekeeping Day of the Year

Library of Congress:  1941 Georgia family saying Grace

The other night, I cleaned our kitchen and parlour before I went to sleep. I wanted it to look nice because that makes me happy.  I want to reflect a little on this since it is the first day of the New Year.

No matter how tired I am, I try to make the effort of having the main rooms of the house put "to rights" before I rest.  This often takes herculean courage and an incredible attitude of "with a will."

I am not young, nor am I old.  But life has taken its toll on me.  I get worn out incredibly easily.  I do rest when I must, but I have to get back to the duties of homemaking to accomplish lovely things here for my family.

The lovely things of home, for me, are just keeping things simple and peaceful.  It is peaceful to have homemade foods made on a daily basis. This keeps us nourished with wholesome food.  It is peaceful to fluff pillows and straiten the couch cover in the parlour.  I want the couch and chairs to look inviting so people can take the time of rest and refreshment here before getting back to their daily work.

I have grown children, a teenager, toddlers and babies here on a daily basis.  They play, eat, run around, and enjoy home.  They do not make "messes," they simply "live."  I clean up as we go, or when they are finished. They are my helpers as we often do chores together.  I feel blessed as I work as I am so grateful to have them all here. It is a privilege to be the wife, mother, and grandmother of a family.

Sometimes, if I am terribly worn out, I will leave the crayons on the kitchen table. I will leave my tea cup there as well.  I will leave the papers, and the cups from the children's juice.  I will leave the chairs out from the morning activity.   I am greatly amused when, later in the day, a little grandchild will come back to visit me, glance at the table, and looking worried, say, "Me`me didn't clean up the mess?"  It is funny because he knows how much I love to clean and he thought something was wrong with his beloved grandmother! This sweet little comment gave me the energy to get it all tidied up with his help.

We cannot have perfectly spotless houses in showroom condition. Certainly not.  But we can take the time, throughout the day, to be about the business of housekeeping. It takes work and effort and creativity to keep a home in order.  It also takes a cheerful willingness to make home a peaceful, happy place to be.

The nice thing about being a good homemaker is we don't have to wait for a New Year to start. We can start fresh every morning.

Blessings
Mrs.White


From the Archives -

Frugality - Poor and Pretty Living.

Happy Marriage - When Groceries are the Presents.

A Wonderful Kind to be - The Mother who isn't Busy.

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

Mrs. White's special book for Homemakers - 

"Mother's Book of Home Economics."


312 pages, paperback.