If you are a keeper at home, here's a reminder to do the best you can. The body and the mind are the tools necessary for living a good life and for creating a beautiful life at home. As busy as a homemaker gets, it is necessary to take care of herself first. Taking a cool shower, adding soft perfume and dressing respectably, sets the tone for a productive day.
Sometimes it is difficult to know where to begin. Some women find it valuable to start at the entry of the house, which most people see first. Pretend you are having visitors, and you'll find the motivation for getting the house in order. After the living, dining, and kitchen areas have been cleared and made presentable, the bathroom and bedrooms can be quickly gone over and then there will be time to pursue something creative or something that really needs some attention.
Peace in the home contributes a great deal to its beauty. Decades ago, I spent an afternoon with a woman who lived in an apartement above the family store and gas station, in the country. She had no remarkable furniture or decor to speak of, but that memory remains in my mind as the most beautiful and peaceful times of my life. She had peace in her home, but she also had order, and cleanliness, and the things that meant the most to her.
A certain amount of handi-work, such as sewing, crafts, or gardening, settles the mind, and adds peace to your life, so it is good to include these things every day.
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A reminder to those parents who need information on dealing with troubled adult children, please be sure to read the article by Doug Philips, here http://www.ladiesagainstfeminism.com/artman/publish/article_2379.shtml
Also, there is still a parents site that you can visit, which may have articles on it to your benefit. Comments are open and you don't have to use your name. You can view it by writing me first at ladylydiaspeaks@comcast.net
A comment came in about dressing in the heat, which said it was too hot to wear modest clothing. Have a look at the photographs of women on the streets and boardwalks during hot summer vacations, and see what they wore in the 18th and 19th centuries. You can read about their clothing in Linda Lichter's well-researched book, "The Benevolence of Manners" (available at Amazon, ebay, and other places), in which it is explained how they layered their clothing for maxium coolness or heat. We all knew even back in the 50's, that white clothing was cooler and the natural fibers kept you feeling dry.
13 comments:
Yes, being covered in the heat is important. I know that some believe to wear less, or close to nothing is what will keep you cool. The truth is to have your skin covered from the sun. If one would look at farm workers in hot countries, and even the Mexican labor in our country they wear long sleeve shirts and big hats.
In the hot Mediterranean climate most everyone is in long robes and head coverings. I personally wear long sleeved white cotton, or white linen blouses to keep cool. I love my white cotton blouses, they feel like soft silk, I have had them so long.....
If you've ever sat on a hot, sticky seat while wearing shorts or a short skirt, you appreciate the value of having lots of cloth around your body!
Another point to consider is that the Bible says to be modest... not just in winter, fall, or spring -- we are representing the Lord at all times, and we must dress to reflect that.
Not only that, but as you and anonymous have said, being covered actually keeps a body cooler.
Thank you for your encouraging thought-provoking (and sometimes convicting, lol) posts! They are a true blessing to me (and others, I know) as we strive to be different in this world around us.
I read other blogs but I always, always get such a blessing from reading Homeliving Helper. Thank you for encouraging me to have a beautiful life.
Mrs MacKenzie
It's true. The colour and the natural fiber go a long way to keeping you cool. Also common sense helps. I love the Noel Coward saying, "Only mad dogs and Englishmen go out in the midday sun." I expect it was because they didn't have the knowledge to stay indoors (or under shade) in the hot countries that they colonized whereas the 'natives' did. But you're quite right, the pictures of men in their crisp linen suits and the ladies in their white dresses are indeed edifying to see.
Thank you again.
Suzanne
Thank you also for mentioning another book. I have Linda Lichter's book Simple Social Graces that I have mentioned to you before, but did not realize she had other books for us to read.In so many ways big and small you have both enforced the views we already held dear but that the world seems to think out of step and given us new ways to be the women God intended us to be.
It is the same book. When it was republished, it was given a new title, "The Benevolence of Manners." It is "Simple Social Graces" as well.
I really enjoyed your article. It is really hot most of the year where we live, and sadly many women,even in church,don't really dress modestly on account of the heat. It's a sad fact that I've never personally heard modesty preached from the pulpit.I believe that many ministers are afraid that people will get offended & leave & yet the Word is meant to convict as well as encourage. I tend to burn easily anyway so am usually well-covered even in the heat. People usually say to me that I look overdressed or "hot" in the summer & yet I look at photos of my great grandparents & they were even more covered without the convenience of an airconditioned shopping centre to escape too !
I agree that flowing dresses are far more comfortable than shorts in Summer(I only use shorts now over my bathers to swim in)& will definately be thrift shopping for some elegant modest dresses next Summer.
Claire
Thanks for your uplifting words on femininity. I agree so much with what you say. It is difficult at times when no one else around seems to believe and dress as I, but I only have to turn to your blog for encouragement.
I have begun my own blog now, because I have been so encouraged by blogs such as yours. Keep up the good work. It really does speak to us!
Sincerely,
Benita
www.homeschoolblogger.com/Benita
Oh, indeed! Some people here in East Texas think I'm quite mad for wearing "itchy hot dresses" in this tropical climate, but they don't understand...
There is nothing cooler in the world for me to wear than my favorite dresses. One is a striped cotton and the other is a black-and-sky-blue two-layered rayon. (Fortunately, I don't look too weird because there is a large population of United Pentecostals in town. While I'm not one of them, it's easier to blend in; they look nicer in this town than they do in most others I've been.)
I think many women these days think that dressing up is hot and uncomfortable because the last time they wore a nice dress was while their mothers still put them in crinolines and tights. (Oh, I hated those!)
Mrs. Bartlett
My favorite natural room scent is fresh coffee. I don't drink coffee anymore but I like to get a little of the cherry scented, grind it and make it on top the stove and set it so simmer for awhile. You can put a drop of vanilla in water and simmer it also, as well as any spice in your pantry.
To the woman who submitted a comment about being pressured to earn money outside the home, while raising small children, we will address this issue possibly in an article. You are not alone! Because of the worlds lures and pressures, some husbands do want their wives to work. They want better things and they feel anxious about mounting debt. You can read the articles about living on one income and get some courage.
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