Almanac for Homemakers

April Potpourri for Homemakers Welcome to the last day of April! As is tradition, we have a mix of ideas, tips, and what have you's for the Homemaker. Create your own raincoats. Scotch-guard sprayed on any coat will make it water repellent. Follow the directions on the can. I looked up this tip and really it is recommended that you use Scotch-guard on rain coats to help them out if they have lost some of their water resistant coating. Teach all family members to stretch out both the shower curtain and the liner so that they dry after showering. I would go even further to remind your growing sons to not pee on the shower curtain during a shower. If you are a mom and confused just imagine a sprinkler going around the garden. Except its your kid in the shower. Save grocery bags and use them to line waste baskets. If you don't already do this, you are a jerk. Keep a list of Toll Calls near your telephone. Check the list against the bills

Cleaning Draperies and Blankets of Man - Made Fibers "There's a good reason for giving certain curtains, draperies, and blankets a thorough cleaning at this season. UGH I'm really sorry. This is never going to happen. I deliberately purchase items that do not need special washing. My family abuses everything in my house. The old saying of "This is why we can't have nice things" rings true within these walls. (My kid seriously just gave me a broken pen after I typed this) I have requested that my children do not receive toys on birthdays and Christmas because they lose parts or break the toy completely. One time my son was gifted a remote control car that, within 24 hours, he broke when he made a car wash for it in the sprinklers outside. The actual idea of me having a special rug in my home is laughable! I need items that are disposable if necessary. I have become accustomed to not having a special bond with

Spring Cleaning? It's "For the Birds" "If you shudder to think of spring and fall because they are housecleaning seasons, relax. It isn't necessary today to go through the trauma of tearing the house apart twice a year, or even once." Trauma. This is the perfect word for housecleaning. Our Almanac suggests that Spring Cleaning just ain't what it used to be. Let's take a look at history to find out what started our fixation on the ritualistic cleaning of spring. Nowruz Nowruz is the the Iranian New Year. Also known as the Persian New Year which falls on the first day of Spring. The practice of " khooneh tekouni" which translates to "shaking of the house" is practiced just before the New Year celebrations. Everything is the house is cleaned! Passover Before the celebration of Passover, Jewish people would rid their homes of every remnant of "chametz". Chametz is any food that was

Add Flowers to Your Cooking Repertoire "Candied violets or the petals of roses make festive edible cake decorations or garnishes for meats and salads." Edible Flowers Sound Familiar? This is the third post about eating plants. 1. Day Lilies 2. Dandelions  3. Flowers from your garden. Here is the thing about edible flowers. Just because you can eat them, doesn't mean that they taste good. Small flowers can be used as a garnish and it is ok if eaten. You can eat them in one bite with your food and they shouldn't over power the flavor of the main dish. Large flowers should be used mostly for decoration only and not really eaten. Being edible means that they are safe if consumed and safe to arrange around your main dish. The purpose of a garnish is to be edible, to complement the dish, and to actually make sense with your overall presentation. These are zucchini blossoms on this flat bread pizza. This actual

Pointers about Buying Asparagus "Fresh asparagus should be reaching markets soon - if it isn't there already. Asparagus is more expensive than other vegetables because much of the harvesting and preparation during processing is done by hand." AKA Sparrow Grass Asparagus is native to most of Europe, Northern Africa, and Western Asia. Only young asparagus is eaten before the buds have opened and the shoots become woolly. Asparagus is a perennial plant. It is also a succulent! If you take a close look at them you can see the similarities between the plant and a cacti. There is traditional green asparagus and white asparagus. To achieve white asparagus, growers will cover the shoots with soil so that there is no exposure to sunlight. This creates a "blanching" effect when the plant cannot achieve photosynthesis. The best way to prep fresh asparagus is the wash and trim the bottoms of the plant. The bottom near the root wi

Reminder: It's Time to Dig the Vegetable Garden "As a housewife, you already know the cost of food. One way you can save, and usually have better quality too, is by raising some of your own in a vegetable garden." Let me stop you right there Almanac. There is nothing about having your own garden that "saves" you anything. It takes time, prep, work, and constant attention. AND The money that you need to fund this entire operation. Especially if you want to protect your garden from animals and bugs. I had one garden one year and that was almost enough. I was gone from my home for a weekend and the entire thing died! You guys want a vegetable garden JUST GO RIGHT AHEAD! I will stop at the store and pick up my produce that is made by professional farmers. Support my local farmer at the Co-Op. Now I really do have to admit that my garden produced some amazing produce. I had basil, tomatoes, and gre

Use Dandelion Greens for Salad "When you cut dandelions out of your lawn, make use of them as salad greens. Gather them before the   flowers bud, cutting the plants at ground level with a sharp knife." Our Almanac really likes to inform us that you can totally eat things out of your lawn and garden that you normally wouldn't think about eating. We talked about eating flowers. We have even talked about eating bugs from your yard. Now we can add another item to the list. Dandelions. Everything about the plant is edible. Flowers, stems, and leaves are all good eatin'. Here is a simple recipe from our book: Wash the leaves several times and blot dry. Fry bacon to a crisp and leave the fat in the pan. Crumble the bacon over the greens along with a hard cooked egg. Pour the bacon fat over the greens to wilt them. Add vinegar and salt and pepper to taste. Toss and serve. I really don't know what I am more excited

Guard Your Family from Electric Shock "Do you get a tingling sensation when you touch a lamp or other piece of electrical equipment?" Today's Almanac post is about being aware of electrical hazards and removing defective equipment. We should also be aware of where outlets are and covering ones that are not in use. Doing this will protect small children in your home. Take care of your cords that plug into an outlet. Make sure they are out of the way and protected from getting damaged. You should always be aware of how you are using your outlets. I still remember that scene in "A Christmas Story" when the dad was plugging in the leg lamp into the outlet with like twenty other things plugged in. Or even the scene from "Christmas Vacation" where the electrical outlet is a jigsaw puzzle. It's funny right?! Because it is so dangerous. We have space heaters and one of the most important all caps phrases in the

Check Those Labels When You Buy Clothing "There should be a label on every garment you buy. You may find two or more labels - both important to you and both required by the Federal Trade Commission regulations." The Federal Trade Commission was established in 1914. Our Almanac post today is about those labels on every piece of clothing. As consumers, we have the right to know what our clothing is made of, where it came from, care instructions, and warnings if there are any. This is how we know how best to wash our favorite dress. Is is machine wash or dry clean? Is the fabric safe for high temperature washing? This is how we know what that dress is made of. It is all cotton or wool or a blend? If is is a blend what are all the fabrics? This is useful for anyone who might be allergic to certain textiles. If you ever find a piece of clothing without a label, notify the store. They could be in violation of certain standards. I think tha

1853 Advice for Making a Home Happy "In 1853 the 216 page Skillful Housewife's Book  by Mrs. L. G. Abell was published. It included many recipes and directed itself to such other topics as household duties, health care, gardening, birds, and education of children." I really couldn't find much information about the author. What I did find is that Mrs. L.G. Abell was thought a very wise, informed, and skillful homemaker. Here is an excerpt from the book in our Almanac: "It is not the imposing majesty of a sumptuous mansion, nor the hollow glare of gaudy furniture, nor the obsequious attention of servants, that make the blessedness of a home. No, it is the steady exercise of those holy charities, that soothes our sorrows, and builds the nest of peace, love, and true enjoyment in our bosoms.  It is a mutual respect and attention, a kind consideration of each others feelings, under all circumstances - a sympathy in our cares, a regard to

Caring for and Using a Vacuum Cleaner "You can avoid many problems with a vacuum cleaner by knowing practical points about its care and building these points into your cleaning routine." Today's Almanac reading is about being smart with your vacuum cleaner. We had a small entry about this in the March Mix blog where I definitely said don't use your vacuum to clean out your fireplace. So let's go over a few more vacuum care tips. Before vacuuming your floor: Make sure you pick up any objects that could damage the vacuum. Pins, clips, or sharp objects. It might be tempting to vacuum up a lego that your kid has left on the floor for a week but maybe you shouldn't. Also, don't run your vacuum over the cord. You risk ruining the power cord and making a dangerous situation for yourself. Additionally, unless you have a wet vac, you should never try to vacuum up water or wet surfaces. Empty the container. You can overh

Child Development Books Help You "Keep Your Cool" "Although it is questionable whether you can follow any single book to the letter in raising your children, there are many which may help." Today's Almanac post about our kids being little turds. Seriously! Everyone has their own opinion on how to deal with kids and their negative behavior. We touched just a little on kids developing their behavioral skills before in this post in February. The key is to help yourself as your kid has a full blown tantrum at home or in public. Just listen to my tale: We have an ongoing battle with my toddler. He refuses to eat. Like food is what makes you live and this kid won't eat. I have seen kids eat and they are like unicorns. I love watching other people's kids eat because it gives me hope that my toddler will one day sit for a meal and not survive off milk and crackers. He attends daycare and eats well there. Snacks and lunch are

Housekeeping without Power: Laundering by Hand "Sometimes you may not be able to wait until power is restored to wash clothes. Prepare for this by having on hand the following necessary and helpful items:" Ah yes, the joyous past time of washing your clothes without the washing machine or power or anything. I briefly touched on this when we talked about Wringer Washers in March. Click here for the March Blog post! Our Almanac suggests stocking up on these items for your Doomsday Checklist: Bar of laundry soap, box of pre-soaking laundry formula, detergent suitable for hand washing, plumber's helper, washboard, clothesline, clothespins, wooden drying rack, and metal pants stretchers. If you were scratching your head wondering what a pant stretcher is just take a look. You can still purchase these today in 2018. They are mostly meant to keep your pants from wrinkling while also giving your pants that crisp creased look too. Now y

Spanish Rice a la Queen Isabella "Because our Spanish rice is fit for a queen, we've named it for the queenly friend of the dashing young sea captain from Genoa." If you were to travel to Spain or Mexico, you wouldn't see Spanish rice on the menu. You would simply see Arroz Rojo, or Red Rice. Traditionally, the red hue comes from using saffron in the rice as it cooks but tomatoes are more popularly used today to give the red color to Spanish rice. I have a great recipe for Spanish rice BUT It's a strict family secret that my mother in law passed on to me. You know when your mother in law entrusts you with a family recipe you do not break that trust! So in stead of giving away my super secret family recipe, I will leave you with a link to a simple recipe for Spanish rice. Click here for a recipe from Genius Kitchen! I put this recipe here because our Almanac has the best recipe for Spanish rice written by a gringo. Which

How to Contract for a Painting Job "It's the time of year again when many of us think about redecorating, especially interior painting. This is an improvement that any woman can undertake herself - and lots do. But suppose you would rather pay a pro to do it?" Today's Almanac post is about hiring a professional painter to repaint your walls. There is surprisingly some good information here. Let's take a look: Get a Referral Ask around to see who has a good reputation. Get a Signed Agreement Specify the price you will pay, what areas are included, they types of paint(s) that will be used, and what will be done to protect the floors and furniture. You also want something in writing about clean up after the job is done. Finally, when will the painting job start and end. Get that in writing! Insurance Make sure whoever you hire is insured. Employer's liability, public liability, and property damage insurance.  ...