Almanac for Homemakers

January Potpourri for Homemakers Thanks for joining me for our first month in the 1970's Almanac for Homemakers! We did it! Round two comes up tomorrow with the first day of February. We are wrapping up this month with some homemaking tips from our Homemaker Heroine. Now Potpourri isn't just for smelly good things. It indicates anything that is a mixture of things. Without further ado... Here is your January Mix 1 . "When it comes to snow in your area, join the children in sculpting an animal instead of a traditional snowman. Ice the surface by covering with a fine spray of water" That is actually pretty smart. I wouldn't know if this works because there is no snow here! 2. "To avoid laundry losses, keep a list as you send items to the laundry and dry cleaner. Check off the items when they are returned." I'm to lazy to purchase clothes that require special laundering services. 3. "Stains in th

Scotch Woodcock - Two Recipes "From Mrs. Beeton's nineteenth century homemaking guide: Spread hot buttered toast thinly with anchovy paste. Pour over a sauce made by stirring three beaten egg yolks into 1/4 pint cream, bring to a boiling point, but do not allow to boil or the sauce will curdle." This is a traditional Victorian recipe as you can tell because we get a return from Mrs. Beeton in today's Almanac post. Basically this becomes a creamy scrambled egg on toast with anchovy paste.  This is the second recipe for today "Add finely chopped hard cooked eggs to a white sauce that has been seasoned with anchovy sauce and paprika. Pour over toast." If you are wondering what eggs has to do with the title of the recipe just know that most Scottish recipes that contain chicken in it will have the word "Cock" in there too. (Don't blush you prudes) I'm not trying to be silly. (Get your head out of the gutter)

Finnan Haddie "This is a dried, smoked haddock available from fish stores and in season during the winter months." Mrs. Beeton makes a return in this Almanac post to explain the origin of this fish dish. I'm sure you were eager for further explanation. "This is the common haddock cured and dried, and takes its name from the fishing village of Findhorn, near Aberdeen, in Scotland, where the art has long attained to perfection. The haddocks are there hung up for a day or two in the smoke of peat, when they are ready for cooking, and are esteemed, by they Scotch, a great delicacy." Now I am sure you all are wondering what is up with this Almanac post. I am too! Yesterday, today, and tomorrow seem to be a preparation for getting your family to eat some traditional Scottish foods. So there was no other information here about it and so I naturally turned to Google. These entries might coincide with Burns' Night. Burns'

Menus for This Month "A January 'Dinner for 8 Persons' suggested in 1861 by Mrs. Isabella Beeton in her Book of Household Management published in that year was:" Let's pause right here for a moment. If you are as lost as I am you just know you are not alone. I had to figure out just who we were talking about before continuing on with this passage. Isabella Beeton In 1861, Ms Beeton published a book titled "Book of Household Management" that sold 60,000 copies in its first year. She was born in London and was a writer, editor, and journalist. She wrote for the "English Woman's Domestic Magazine" which was owned by her husband. She died at the early age of 28. Her name became associated with knowledge and authority on Victorian cooking and home management. In her book the excerpt for Dinner for 8 Persons consisted of 3 courses and a dessert. 1st Course: Mulligatawny Soup. Brill and Shrimp Sauce. En

The Importance of Reading to Your Children "Educators agree that most children who are good readers are those who have had early exposure to reading. They are read to by parents; they see magazines, newspapers, and books in the home; and they acquire a value for reading by seeing their parents read" Amen! We started reading to our twins early on. Small little baby books. One of my favorites was a book called "Eyes, Nose, Fingers, and Toes" It was Sesame Street book and they played along pointing to their eyes, nose, fingers, and toes. It was adorable They have since graduated to "Diary of a Wimpy Kid", comic books, and taking Accelerated Reader tests at school. They are super proud to read. Today's readers are enjoying some fun and comical books where as in my day books were not for little snowflakes. I was gifted books written by R.L. Stein. Goosebumps Look at that art work! It was the best! This quic

Keep Road Salts Washed from Your Car "Ice and Snow-Melting salts and chemicals splashed up underneath your car and on its finish can quickly create rust conditions. Make it practice at this time of year to wash the car often." Being from the south, I have not had to worry about this kind of thing. When the winter weather got bad the town just closed down. We recently purchased a used SUV and it came from the North East and there is some rusting on the bottom of the vehicle because of salt used on the roads. We also recently sold our Mini Van and a plus to selling it was that there is no rusting on the bottom because we didn't have to drive on roads too often that were salted. So this is actually really good advice for your resale value and general upkeep of your vehicle to make sure you are cleaning the build up off to prevent future problems. I've got no jokes for this... except maybe Make sure nothing "BoUnCeS uP iN yOu

How to Make a Kitchen Pan Rack "A satisfying chore for a miserable January day is to make yourself a handsome kitchen rack for hanging pots and pans It's easy!" Pump the brakes 1970. You are way to excited about handing over a DIY project to me. Reading this Almanac entry, I am seeing a lot of drilling, securing, and gluing. But Wait! There's More! You also get to sand, wax, stain, or paint. None of these verbs and adjectives make this seem easy! From the look of our Homemaker Heroine, she excelled in Shop Class. Me...? Oh....well I can sure follow a set of IKEA instructions (or have my husband do it)  My pots and pans are sitting comfortably in a cabinet that closes most of the time if a lid hasn't fallen in the way. I am also not sure if I have any room on my wall to hang some really heavy kitchen artillery. There is nothing in these instructions about safely securing this new thing to your wall so you don't r

  The Joys of Making Your Own Ice Cream "The freezers you buy these days are sometimes motor-driven, so, if you wish, you can escape the old-time chore of hand-turning"  In the 1970's, ice cream makers were branded as "freezers" and evidently electronic ones were really spiffy to find in those days.   Now making ice cream requires placing ice between the containers in the freezer. Which in winter you can find plenty of ice just hanging around! Sprinkle the ice with some rock salt and turn the freezer until the ice cream mixture is well frozen. Now I know I made a confession yesterday but I feel the need to unburden my soul. I have an Ice Cream Maker that is still new in box that is in the garage and I have had it for probably three years now. I also have some ice cream salt for it too! I've just never had the urge to make my own ice cream. Is there really some hidden joy I am missing out on by not making my own ice cream?

First Aid for Your Wood Furniture "When wood furniture accumulates scratches and other blemishes, only complete refurbishing can restore the original appearance. Before going to the expense of a professional job, or starting this task yourself, try some first aid" Ok 1970's.... First of All Does IKEA furniture count as wood furniture? Second of All My kids are the destroyers of all things so there better be some good stuff in here. Honestly, I love this picture for today! It's like you stumbled upon a beast in an enchanted castle where the furniture is so happy to see you taking care of them. Geez if my furniture could talk it would sound like an Intensive Care Unit. So onto Furniture First Aid! 1. Nut Meats Say Wha  The oil from a Brazil Nut can provide enough color to hid minor scratches 2. Coloring Crayon Literally just take a crayon the color or your wood piece and try to hide your mistake This is my favorite t

Keep Your Staples Fresher by Storing in Jars This is not just a chic way of sprucing up your pantry organization. Our Almanac entry today says that storing food in airtight glass jars will keep your food safe from insects and provide an easy way for you to see what you will need to buy at the market. I must say I never thought about using glass jars until I started buying in bulk. Check my Costco list in this post. I have jars for bulk seasonings, rice, flours, etc. I started saving jars too! It's an inexpensive way to collect them and recycle. Use empty jars for making your own dressings, storing food, or even disposing of cooking oils. I never pour oil and grease down the sink. It can cause plumbing issues later. If you are from the south you are probably already to this along with saving butter containers to use for storing leftovers! Who knew the 70's would be a place where we started some kitchen storage trends. I guess the saying o

Use Outdoor Equipment to Sleep More Guests From the title I bet you can guess what this is about. SLUMBER PARTIES! I guess in the 1970's it was just a novel idea to take an outdoor camping sleeping bag and use it for extra people that would need to sleep in your home. In 2018 we have outdoor sleeping bags, indoor nap mats, trundle beds, and even air mattresses. There are even themed "Glamping Parties" where you add chicness to a slumber party with indoor tents and camping food to enjoy inside. The idea of this Almanac post is to think about the year and guests that might come over to crash at your house. Do you have enough to accommodate guests? My kids are still young so we have not had to worry too much about sleep overs. We have had friends come over for a visit but we promptly kick everyone out when bedtime draws near. I have had family come and crash for a week or more and the reason that works out so well is because they are

An Old Rule for Choosing Lubricants and Polishes An Old English saying is "Use animal on animal, vegetable on vegetable, and mineral on mineral" 1970's you've lost me But then again I have never been this type of homemaker or home up-keeper. I have Pledge for dusting and even dusting is a big unmentionable in our home. Because I don't dust and don't you dare mention it. But here is where they expand. Don't put a mineral oil on wood (vegetable) or leather (animal). OK! This I can make sense of. But when we talk about 1970's oils and greasers I think of ... To achieve this characteristic of a "greaser" one would have to use Pomade or Petroleum Jelly. Now Pomade in the 18th century was made primarily from Bear Fat So Animal on Animal Hey-Yo!

How to Search for Home Improvement and Repair Ideas "Have you ever strolled through one of those huge modern stores that used to sell nothing but lumber and building supplies? They are now likely to call themselves home improvement centers. They offer all sorts of things for sprucing up a home." These are the first few sentences from our Almanac today! My my my how the times are a changing. Modern stores that carry all sorts of things for your home. In 2018 we have Super Stores that carry groceries, clothes, home improvement items, automotive parts, and gardening supplies. They also have toys which we casually plot out shopping routes to ignore if our kids tag along. Here are some items they suggest to get. Bathtub Seal Porcelain Repair Drapery Cord Lazy Susans Louvered Shutters How about a string of beads to divide room space in a novel way? Oh geez Beaded Curtains guys! I love it! I've been blessed to be

Hickory Smoked Barbecued Lamb Riblets Doesn't that sound yummy!? Does it taste yummy? I wouldn't know Today's Almanac post is about making faux BBQ foods in the winter without going outside and grilling in the cold weather. The idea is to bring some summer feeling to this January weather. Sounds great! However, I didn't make this recipe tonight. I didn't even pull anything out of the freezer to thaw. (whoops, throwback to my planner post ) This almanac was written for the homemaker. The family stone. The one and only Mommy. In 1970's America we could have easily had our shit together to get a menu ready for the week and make some oven ready bbq lamb riblets for our family. 2018 holds some different dynamics. I'm a working mama. I don't work full time but even so my day consists of making sure everyone is dressed appropriately, have lunches for school, get our smallest one to daycare, and get to work on tim

Can You Replace a Fuse, Shut Off the Water? Good questions Answers to both is a solid NO I totally get the importance of this but I am not savy when it comes to this at all. We had to call someone recently to check out a leak and we had to walk around looking for the water shut off outside. The dude had to dig... DIG To get to the valve to shut off the water. So no I have no clue. Every house is different and in the last 8 years I have moved 5 times. Unless every house just comes with a complete binder of tell all I will have no idea what do for anything. See our Homemaking Heroine. This is me in the event of a blown out fuse box. "Get to the shelter kids! The end is nigh!" I have a bag of IKEA tea candles just for this occasion.

Today's Almanac Post What's an Axminster Carpet? ... What is with the 1970's and woven tapestries? I can't even today. It is a rug But it's not just any rug. It's name brand. Straight outta Axminster England. Your grandma's grandma probably had one of these in her parlor.  You know what I got? A floor lamp from IKEA. Actually I have a lot of things from IKEA. A toddler toy storage shelf. Kids dressers. A lovely lamp. A large pink rug for my daughters room to cover a stain. A coffee mug and a vanilla scented candle. I've followed in the steps of the minimalist movement in the sense that I want my things to make sense for what function they have to assist my life. Does that make any sense? I can't with a rug that is just there for the name sake. The queen of England is not coming over for noon tea and if she did I can assume she would like my lovely IKEA lamp more than the cer

10 Ways to Save Money When You Grocery Shop The 1970's Homemaker was just as budget conscience when it comes to the grocery bill as we are today! There is a lot of sound advice that is still applicable today as it was then. I think it is wise to remember the wisdom of those who have the life experience we have yet to get. So with that I'm going to run through our Homemaker Heroine's tips and spin it on our 2018 experience. 1. Refer to the Notes You Made on Your Calendar Oh you thought we wouldn't talk about this again! Well you was wrong! Plan out your dinners for the week and make a list for the ingredients you need. 2. Keep a List of Food Staples and Cleaning Supplies What do you always need? What are you running low on? For me I have laundry detergent, dish soap, dishwasher pods, etc. that I always make sure I have enough of. As well as toilet paper and paper towels! 3. Take Advantage of Sales Today there is an app for that! I use

Chenille Is French for Caterpillar Chenille is something I have always attributed to Christmas presents. Overly priced sweaters you give your mum. What do you think of when you hear the word 'Chenille'?  A rug, carpet, bedspread, or bathrobe? The yarn used for Chenille products are fuzzy like a caterpillar Hence the word Chenille. This technique was believed to have originated in France in the 18th century. Due to industrial advancement, chenille became popular again in the 1970's. If you take a moment to Google "1970's Chenille" it is all over the place. The style of woven fabric was the thing! Blankets, rugs, coats, and even hats! Think back to your gam gam's house and you might even begin to remember that Chenille was all over the living room. Furniture under that plastic was probably chenille. The best think I found was Chenille Birds! I can't even right now! I gotta go and buy some

"On wintery roads, it is often difficult to avoid hitting a dog that chases your car." Hitting an animal while driving can be a traumatic experience for both the driver and the animal. More animals will die of shock after being hit by a car than from their injuries. In 2010 my lab was hit by car. In fact, she was chasing the car, running along side it, and the driver couldn't see her and slowly ran her over. She ended up with a broken leg and some road rash. I love my dog but she is dumb. At now 10 years old, our family dog Boomer is still around and doesn't chase cars anymore. A few years later, my husband hit and killed our neighbors dog. We were all really upset about it. The same scenario happened. Their puppy had a habit of chasing us as we drove off for the day or coming back home. He never stopped even after some close calls. One day the inevitable happened. There are a couple things to learn from this post today. 1. Please

Help for Homemakers Available from U.S. Government Today's reading left me scratching my head. Look at this picture! Dude is showing off his pamphlets! Have you heard of the Superintendent of Documents? ... If you have you might just be a know it all. The Superintendent of Documents is part of the Federal Depository Library Program. The FDLP provides free, ready, and permanent public access to Federal Government information, now and for future generations. Laurie Hall is our current Superintendent of Documents. ... From what I can gather, in 1970 information that would be useful to a homemaker would have been magazines, government pamphlets, and booklets. You could write to the Superintendent of Documents requesting any material on homemaking and homeownership. This information would be sent directly to you! Today we can get on the computer and search anything we need to know! Magazine, blogs, and news articles are at our dis

Rhubarb The yummy, stalky, poisonous plant that your gam gam made pies out of. Today's Almanac post is about Rhubarb Recipes! How do you even take these things and turn them into delicious filling for pastry lined pie tins? Let's check that wika wika Wikipedia In China, rhubarb was used as medicine and is cited in the Divine Farmers Herb-Root Classic. This text was believed to be written between 200 and 250 A.D. Rhubarb was most likely used as a laxative. The poisonous characteristics of our favorite pie filling is Oxalic Acid that is a Nephrotoxic and Corrosive Acid. This is dangerous to kidney functions. It can cause at least kidney stones and at worst kidney failure, convulsions, and death. Some leafy greens that do contain a small amount of oxalic acid are in very low amounts and can be minimized by the cooking process. Rhubarb is special in that cooking does not remove most of the acid and the amounts present are high.

Today's Almanac Post How to Prepare Citrus Fruits for Fruit Cocktail I read through this page and it is basically "How to Peel an Orange" 1. Peel the oranges  or grapefruits if you are feeling frisky  2. Slice them along the membranes 3. Put in a bowl 4. Mix with sugar or grenadine syrup Refrigerate Add slices fruits to the mix before serving  You guys...confession time I don't care about making fruit salads This week I am changing jobs, my youngest is changing daycares, and this week or month has been super stressful. There is no fruit cocktail that will help me now. UNLESS Let's put these oranges to better use by marinating them in wine! SANGRIA! This recipe is courtesy All Recipes from user HJACOBY link here What you will need 1/2 Cup Brandy 1 orange, sliced into rounds 1 lemon, sliced into rounds 1 lime, sliced into rounds 1/4 Cup Lemon Juice 1/3 Cup Frozen Lemonade Concentr