“Fidgeters begin at any early age to drive the people around them crazy,” reads advice from Secrets of Charm, which was written in 1954 by John Robert Powers and Mary Sue Miller. Let’s read on: “As children, they seem to wiggle everything, including their ears. A grown woman usually confines herself to twisting a handkerchief or […]
Category: Advice
All advice posts go here.
Hallowe’en Suggestions
Hi kids! It’s Halloween time again (or Hallowe’en, if you celebrated this back in 1905). I consulted with Mrs. Herbert B. Linscott’s Bright Ideas for Entertaining to find some fun party tips for you this year. First, some decorating ideas: ~~ Have mirrors everywhere: big mirrors, medium-sized mirrors, and little, wee mirrors, all reflecting and […]
Dressing Appropriately
I thought I’d do a bit more research on what might be appropriate to wear this weekend at the opening of the play inspired by my book, Miss Abigail’s Guide to Dating, Mating, and Marriage, or at any theatrical production, for that matter (as I’m now a season ticket-holder at Arena Stage in D.C.). I consulted […]
Is a Man Abnormal if He Likes Art and Dislikes Sports?
I’ve got a husband who likes art and dislikes sports (and he seems to be well-adjusted), so I was a bit intrigued to read this excerpt in a new addition to my collection, the book Sex Questions and Answers: A Guide to Happy Marriage by Fred Brown and Rudolf T. Kempton. I’m not sure what […]
It’s Fun to Be a [Popular] Girl
Along with the rest of the nation, I’ve been watching and enjoying Glee. And as a card-carrying lifetime member of the band geek club, it’s been bringing up all those lovely memories of the popular kids vs. the geeks “battles” that went on ~ most of you probably had some experience, whatever side you were […]
Looking for Glove Etiquette or Info on the Sears Discovery Charm School?
With the site redesign, I had to completely redo how my old advice pages were displaying. They are now all blog posts. Two popular posts from the old site are now in new locations. If you are looking for glove etiquette, it’s here: https://www.missabigail.com/advice/beauty-and-charm/2010/08/glove-etiquette/ And the one on the Sears charm school is here: https://www.missabigail.com/news/2008/01/sears-discovery-charm-school-ring-any-bells/ […]
Summertime Hints
Founded in 1868 by J. R. Watkins, the Watkins Company, as evidenced in their company history, was a pioneer in natural products to cure, clean, cook with, drink, and kill insects with. Elaine Allen, Director of Home Economics at the company, put together the 1941 book Watkins Household Hints which I perused this morning to find some random […]
How to Display the Flag
I’ve seen American flags hanging from bridges overhanging the highways. I’ve seen them attached to cars and motorcycles, whipping in the wind as the vehicles pass by. I’ve seen paper flags taped to windows and doors. I’ve never seen so many flags. But do we really remember how to treat them correctly? Here are a […]
Twelve Steps to Success in Public Speaking
I’ve been busy preparing for a talk I gave last week at the American Studies Association conference in Detroit. I was on a panel that discussed secondhand shops and thrift stores, and told all about purchasing books for this site. Since I spend more time behind the safety of the keyboard, I was a bit […]
Speech Now, or Forever Hold Your Peace
Q Dear Miss Abigail: My boss has asked me to give a presentation at a conference, but I’m so nervous and don’t think anyone will listen to what I have to say. Do you have tips that will help me get through this? Signed, Olivia A Dear Olivia: How fitting this question is, as I […]