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The Workbasket – September 1952
It recently occurred to me that I never did finish sharing my collection of vintage Workbasket magazines. It’s time-consuming to choose and scan the “precious” little tid-bits from each issue, but oh-so-much-fun to share. So let’s see… looks like we’re ready for September 1952. Crocheted hats are kinda in right now. Just trying to visualize how that one would look made…
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The Workbasket – June 1952
This issue of the Workbasket magazine is from 59 years ago– June 1952. Such a pretty lacy crocheted doily on the cover. I can’t quite make out what’s in the dish, though. Can you? I think maybe it’s candy and/or nuts. I can’t think of anything else a 1950s housewife might keep in a fancy dish on the side table.…
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Things I Think About on the Night Shift…
[Written in the wee hours after tending to my sick husband:] When my sisters and I were in high school we thought we’d like to become nurses. We were avid fans of nurse novels. Our favorites were the Cherry Ames books and Avalon romances with nurse heroines. The stories made nursing seem so noble and glamorous. As it turns…
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Supper or Dinner?
Do you call the evening meal “dinner” or “supper”? Being from the south, it’s supper to me! I just can’t get used to people calling their evening meal “dinner”. Dinner is a big meal in the middle of the day… like Sunday Dinner or Thanksgiving Dinner! Otherwise, we have lunch in the middle of the day and supper in the…
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Christmas in the Country
Usually we stay home for Christmas and have a quiet celebration with “just the four of us.” This year we decided that our family gift would be a trip to Arkansas to spend Christmas with my parents. We left on the evening of Christmas Eve. As we traveled on Christmas Day we “enjoyed” scenery similar to this: Most of the…
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Christmas Memories
When I was growing up we stayed home for Christmas most years… and usually it was just our family– my parents and their five children. A few weeks before Christmas Dad would inevitably tell us, “Well, kids… I’m sorry… but it looks like it’s going to be a pretty small Christmas this year.” So we would brace ourselves and mentally…
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The Wood Cook Stove
Last week I hosted a giveaway for a copy of my family cookbook. Annette @ The Ward House commented on the cover picture. She said it looks almost exactly like the stove they currently use. So I decided to tell the story of “our” stove. About 45 years ago my grandparents moved to the Ozarks. At that time, they heated…
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Making Butter – a tutorial
When I was growing up we almost always drank raw milk. We didn’t own a cow but we would buy fresh milk from a neighbor who did. We made our own butter, too. Recently I bought a half-gallon of whipping cream and then didn’t end up using it all before the expiration date, so I decided my children could learn…
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The Girl I Used to Be
Being in Louisiana this past weekend has brought back so many memories of my junior-high years when we lived there. It is hard to believe that’s been 30 years ago. The experiences I had there are still fresh in my mind, yet a lot happens in 3 decades! I’ve been trying to remember the dreams and aspirations I had as…
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Family Time in Louisiana
I love living in the Northwest, but my roots are in the South. It has been 14 years since I have been to Louisiana, so in spite of the circumstances I am thoroughly enjoying my time here. I had forgotten (or maybe just didn’t appreciate before) how good the food is! We got here Friday morning and so far I…
