In the preface to 2002 Household Helps, editor Janet D. Myers wished the book would “be called upon many times to shorten the labors of those who are responsible for the welfare of our American families.” Since I’ve mostly been cooking breakfast these days (who needs lunch or dinner, when there are so many sugared cereals […]
Category: Advice
All advice posts go here.
Eat More Vegetables
Q Dear Miss Abigail: How can I get my my boyfriend to eat vegetables? Signed, Matthew A Dear Matthew: I searched high and low for some good advice to pass along about the value of eating vegetables, and found many standard references in home economics books teaching young women how to plan menus for their […]
Meals Out-of-Doors
Ah, summertime. Hooray for our Red, White, and Blue, and for the season of hot dogs, lemonade, and popsicles. Here’s a few tips about the fine art of eating outdoors, from Mary Lockwoods Matthews’ somewhat repetitive Elementary Home Economics. 1928: Meals Out-of-Doors Most boys and girls like to go on picnics. A picnic lunch may consist […]
Advice to Cooks
This past weekend I found the perfect birthday gift for my dear friend Sarah. The Thermo-Spoon, in its original package and still containing the illustrated recipe book, looked as if it had never been used in the thirty-some-odd years since it was marketed. I don’t know why ~ according to the instructions, as you stir […]
Enjoy TV In Your Bedroom
Ah, 1971. A fine year for decorating the home, from what I can tell by looking at the really brightly colored rooms in a book recently donated to the collection by my mom. According to a chapter titled “Television: The Right Type and Size for You, and Where to Place It”: There is little doubt […]
Basics of a Beautiful Room
Couches. You don’t think too much about them until a really gigantic one shows up on your doorstep. This happened to my friend Deborah recently. A birthday present to herself, the new furniture was overwhelming. I suggested that to fully appreciate it she needed to embrace the couch, become one with the couch ~ or […]
Color and Light
As I work to make my house mine by painting every wall possible, I figured it would be only be appropriate to post something related to color and light. You can’t imagine how many hours I’ve spent staring at paint chips wondering how they’d look on my walls. So what do you think of a […]
Rooms that Reflect Personality
As you can probably imagine, I’ve got a lot of books (and other stuff), and not a lot of space. I’m feeling a bit cramped. But I’m confident that it’s for the best ~ as Elizabeth Ogg says in her book Decorating The Small Apartment (1949), it’s okay to display my treasures in my home. I […]
A Bath-Room
Mom and I spent some time perusing some of my books while she was here over Thanksgiving, including a one appropriately titled Mother’s Guide and Daughter’s Friend, which was written by “an old practitioner” in 1890. This bit about building a tub was one that mom insists you read. She is a mother, after all. She […]
Care of Pets
These tips for pet owners are in celebration of the arrival of my new dog Frieda, rescued from the Washington Humane Society. I thinks she might just be the most perfect dog in the world! Now on to the selection. Maybe it’s just that new pet owner thing, but am I the only one out […]