Wildflowers in a Tin Can on a Windowsill

“After Laura and Mary had washed and wiped the dishes, swept the floor, made their bed, and dusted, they settled down with their books. But the house was so cosy and pretty that Laura kept looking up at it.

“The black stove was polished till it gleamed. A kettle of beans was bubbling on its top and bread was baking in the oven. Sunshine slanted through the shining windows between the pink-edged curtains. The red-checked cloth was on the table. Beside the clock on its shelf stood Carrie’s brown-and-white-dog, and Laura’s sweet jewel-box. And the little pink-and-white shepherdess stood smiling on the wood-brown bracket.

“Ma had brought her mending-basket to her rocking-chair by the window, and Carrie sat on the footstool by her knee. While Ma rocked and mended, she heard Carrie say her letters in the primer. Carrie told big A and little a, big B and little b, then she laughed and talked and looked at the pictures. She was still so little that she did not have to keep quiet and study.”

“The clock struck twelve. Laura watched its pendulum wagging, and the black hands moving on the round white face. It was time for Pa to come home. The beans were cooked, the bread was baked. Everything was ready for Pa’s dinner.”

On the Banks of Plum Creek, p. 301-302
by Laura Ingalls Wilder

Posted under Encouraging Quotes, Homemaking, Homeschooling, Recommended Reading
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Posted under Current Events, Frugality, Mothering, News, Recommended Reading
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While about my house, I kept hearing a voice calling very loudly and noticed that it sounded like it was coming from a pipe. I found this little friend in a steel pipe outside.

Posted under Life at Hidden Pines
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I read The Home Has a Heart by Thyra Ferré Bjorn many years ago as a new mother and dearly loved it. I had to return it to its owner then, but finally have my own copy now. I am thoroughly delighting in re-reading it through fresh eyes. Written in 1968, The Home Has a Heart is a cookbook and so much more. Each chapter represents a month of the year and there are stories or wisdom shared about that month. I love reading how women endured hardships gracefully in the past or ran their homes efficiently, and there are many of these stories in the book. After the stories is a sample menu that Swedish ladies would have served in their homes, along with the recipes for them. Then each chapter closes with a “Gold Nugget”, which is advice about the family, advice on homemaking, or perhaps advice for spiritual activities in your home.

For example, chapter 2 describes February, the month to celebrate love. The author shares a story of how her mother’s father showed her love by disciplining her. The mother then told her daughter of how she blessed her father for his discipline because he knew she would have children one day and would need to teach them right. The daughter (the book’s author) told her mother that she had indeed brought her up right, because she “never let me get away with things.” There is lots of wisdom in this chapter about loving our children and keeping vigil over their souls and characters. The menu in this chapter is crisply fried bacon and sausage, potato patties, lingonberries, pickled cucumber, hard tack (bread) and butter, apple-kaka with vanilla sauce for dessert, and coffee or tea, and milk as beverages. After the recipes, Mrs. Bjorn adds, “Let every February be a happy month and serve lots of smiles with every meal.”

What I love about this book is the passion it portrays for the family and home. There are so many wonderful quotes that bless me. Here are a few:

“A long time ago– so many years ago that I could almost write “once upon a time”– the pride of a woman’s life was her home. Cooking to her was an art and even though there were few fancy ingredients readily available, she had a magic tough. By taking a pinch of this and a handful of that, using so many shakes and so many strokes, she would create in her mixing bowl a substance that, when baked in a wood stove without temperature control, would come out to perfection. But the biggest ingredient, always sprinkled liberally into all mixtures, was love. And the atmosphere that surrounded the cook was one of gratefulness– for being alive, being married, having a large family to cook for, a house to live in, and pots and pans and all the other household tools to work with. The home did not need to be furnished elaborately. It had other attributes– the aroma of bread baking in the oven, the smell of soup simmering on the stove, the scent of delicately spiced meats. These were the things that made the menfolk set their feet toward home when day was done and brought the children bouncing into the kitchen tired and happy from play.

“That housewife did not need to use rouge on her cheeks. The roses painted there were done by Mother Nature and contained the glow of love and excitement.

“Yes, that was a different life from the one in our push-button world of today; it had room for peace and gentleness and togetherness. Thankfulness was a virtue and those people possessed it; they knew how to appreciate life. Those women did not have the education of today’s housewife, but they did possess wisdom and with that key they unlocked the wonders of each new day. And in spite of all they had to do, they seemed to have time left over just to sit and think and dream and be happy.” (Chapter 1, p. 23-24)

~~~*~~~

“It is fine to have a system. A home is as important as any business firm and how smoothly would a business run if it did not have a system?

“If we neglect our homes, we sin against them. There are so many things for a good housekeeper to do, but the chores can be fun. I feel as though I am playing a game, and every day I thank God for the privilege of being a homemaker. I think a home that is loved reflects a spirit of joy. And a very rewarding part of homemaking is planning the right foods for a family.” (Chapter 2, p. 26-27)

~~~*~~~

“In March it is wise to clean cupboards, and cabinets. The closets need a good airing and all the clothes need to be hung on the line in the backyard.” (Chapter 3, p. 33.)

Along with a recipe for Swedish Plättar, which is a type of pancake, Mrs. Bjorn shares memories of her mother making them. She says,

“A when you eat your plättar, think of eight children standing in line refilling their plates over and over again and of a Mama who was never too tired to make as many as her little ones could eat.” (Chapter 3, pg. 35)

~~~*~~~

I plan to add more quotes as I have time. They are very uplifting and encouraging for mothers and homemakers. Please do so get a copy for yourself and plan to highlight, as I have done.:) You can purchase it for less than $2.00 on Amazon.com. I plan to collect more copies for my daughters and for ladies that are dear to me. I also would like to get the other books that Mrs. Bjorn has written.

Posted under Biblical Womanhood, Book Reviews, Encouraging Quotes, Homemaking, Mothering, Recipes, Recommended Reading, The Family
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This recipe was given to me by my friend, Debbie. It is very easy to make and very delicious!

Chicken Pie

1 cooked chicken deboned and cut up into small pieces
1 cup chicken broth (or as much as you like)
1 can cream of chicken soup (I use homemade)
1 can mixed vegetables, drained, or frozen mixed veggies
2 boiled eggs, chopped (optional)

Place chicken in bottom of casserole dish. In bowl, mix soup, both eggs, and vegetables. Pour over chicken.

Topping:

1 cup milk
1 cup self-rising flour
1 stick butter (melted)

Mix together and pour on top of pie. Make sure it is covered completely. Bake at 350° about 1 hour until crust is brown.

*You can also just use 2 already-made pie crusts. Just break apart and put on top of pie. Dot with butter.

Posted under Recipes
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