Quote of the Day

When I put on longer skirts I shall feel that I have to live up to them and be very dignified. (Anne of Green Gables, XXX)

"It Pays To Be Agreeable"

"It pays to be agreeable. We are all like huge magnets, and we tend to attract those things which we ourselves send out. If we are coarse and unrefined, we attract to our company those people who are also coarse and unrefined. If we are disagreeable and unmindful of the rights of others, they in turn will be disagreeable to us, and unmindful of our rights. And similarly, if we are kind and agreeable, we are bound to meet and attract people of the same kind.

There is a pretty little story of a woman and a child, in which the simple friendliness of a little girl opened the door for a woman whose life had been embittered by much hardship and disappointment. She was strolling one day through a mountain farm-house. she did not know where she was going, and she did not care. She just wanted to forget, forget.

She stopped near a well and gazed angrily about her, wondering how there could be so much peace and quite in a world that held nothing but turmoil and heartache for her. She was an attractive woman, and her smart clothes and haughty bearing was a disappointing contrast to her scowling face and angry eyes.

Suddenly she glanced down. A tiny girl was watching her intently - a little girl who had lived all her seven short years in the untutored expanse of the mountains. The woman was annoyed, and she did not hesitate to show it.

'What are you looking at; what do you want?' she demanded irritably.

Instead of returning the frown, the child smiled and stepped a little closer. 'I was just thinking how pretty you face would be if you smiled instead of frowned,' she answered.

The woman's face relaxed. The bitter look in the eyes vanished and was replaced by a bright new light. The scowl became a greatful smile, and with an impulsive sob of pure joy, she knelt down and hugged the little girl who had been the first in a long time to speak gently to her, the first in a long time to return her frowns with sincere smiles of friendliness. And when she finally left the little child, and returned to the exacting conventionlities of the town, she was a nobler, better and finer woman.

The simple heart of a child who knew no other creedor or law then the sincere love of all mankind triumphed over the bitterness of a woman who had known years of education and worldliness.

Culture is of the heart and spirit rather than of the outward appearance. But it is by what we do and say that we prove that it truly exists within us." 

From: Book of Etiquette Vol. 1 By: Lillian Eichler Copyright: 1921

Christmas Gifts

"Gifts that can be used, or that really give pleasure to the person receiving them, are the proper ones to select. Gifts that cannot be used or enjoyed by those receiving them show either bad taste or else a lack of thought on the part of the donor. A beautiful Christmas card may give more pleasure to some persons than any other gift that could be selected. It is not the cost, but its fitness, that makes the worth-while gift." (Elementary Home Economics)

Hand-made gifts are especially desirable, because they represent time and thought spent for the purpose of giving pleasure to those receiving the gifts. The following are simple gifts that can be made at home.

Potholders
Pillowcase
Doll Dresses
Drawstring Purse
Apron
Decorative Pillow

How To - Prilgrim Mother Costume

Pilgrim Mother - Full, plain skirt, white kerchief, small white cap, and large spectacles. A gentleman's linen handkerchief, put around the neck and crossed over the bosom, answers for a kerchief. The cap, too, can be made of a large handkerchief in this way.

Fold the handkerchief in the manner shown in Fig. 206; lay it flat upon a table, and turn the folded corners over as in Fig. 207; turn up the bottom edge over the other, and roll over about three times (Fig. 208); take the handkerchief up by the ends and the cap (Fig. 209) is made.

From: The American Girls Handy Book by: Lina Beard and Adelia B. Beard
Copyright: 1887

Directions For Working in the Sewing Room

Personal appearance: The hands should be washed before beginning any sewing. With a wool dress or skirt some kind of sewing-apron should be worn, so that the work will not become soiled from rubbing over the dress.

Position: Sit erect with back against chair and with feet on the floor. Hold the work so that there is no need for stooping over. Never pin work to your knee when sewing. Sitting with a table in front of you, when sewing, is the best plan.

Care of work: Needles should never be left in the material when one has finished sewing, because dampness may cause the needle to rust and this injures the material. Thread-ends on all spools should be slipped through the groove made for that purpose. The tape-line should be neatly folded, and all other equipment in the sewing-box placed in order. All materials used should be neatly folded before they are placed in the box, basket, or bag.

From ~ Elementary Home Economics: Cookery, Sewing, and Care of Home by: Mary Lockwood Matthews Copyright: 1921

Welcome!

Welcome my dear readers! Through this blog I'll be sharing with you all various subjects of home life. Mostly the forgotten arts of home life, like sewing, cooking, etiquette, etc....

Ashley