Things in Order Can Aid in Clear Thinking

Hello all you wonderful home keepers (and those that plan to be).  I am down to four days between broadcasts, so I am narrowing the time-gap.

Today I cautioned about getting too caught up in home business or ministry. The home itself is a business and a ministry.

I also read about the importance of fresh, free-flowing air outside of the house,  and how it improves the mind and mood.  We knew about this decades ago when our parents insisted on being outside at regular intervals throughout the day.

A way to subscribe to these posts will be on my YouTube channel.

When I post a video there, it will also appear here. That way, you will see when the blog is updated.

One integral part of good health is getting your beauty rest. This expression dates back to our grandmothers and great grandmothers day, and all it meant is that  early, adequate rest, could produce a healthy, happy looking countenance. 

 

The purpose of this program is to listen while you try to get some things one at home to make it all run more smoothly and comfortably.

 

                

Personal Greatness at Home

Hello lovely homemakers.

You didn't have to wait two weeks. This time it was only five days, so hopefully I can shorten the time between broadcasts.  

We are having very foggy weather.

This frozen web looks like a thread crochet piece.

Today's View:

I read this paragraph from Grammar and Composition I.  I am not sure what grade level it is intended for, but it is about finding "helping verbs." However I used it as an inspirational subject to discuss.

We should always be cheerful. The times may be difficult, but a sad and gloomy countenance will not make them easier. The flower is made by the sunshine; 

it is not made by the clouds. Our hearts can be filled with warmth from the good things around us. We may have troubles, but we should not allow discouragement. No one can be completely free from problems; we should extract courage and fortitude from them. We should look on the bright side of everything, and then we can receive the maximum happiness from each day.

I also talked a little about Proverbs, which means "comparison," or "comparable."

Wisdom is the principle thing; therefore, get wisdom. And in all your getting, get understanding. Proverbs 4:7

From Linda Lichter's book, "Simple Social Graces" (The Benevolence of Manners), I read the following:

While our generation seeks self-esteem, the Victorian culture sought self-restraint.

While most people today would ask, "Am I happy?", Victorians would ask, "Am I a good person?" In the pursuit of happiness, the first right step is to seek that which is good to do, not merely for one's self, but for others.

To spare yourself too much discouragement, restrain yourself from telling people too much of what you know, especially if they "turn and rend you".  I used an important Bible verse for this lesson.

Here is one source of the ancient history I described to you: https://www.britannica.com/event/Battle-of-the-Teutoburg-Forest

Please enjoy your home today while you listen to the broadcast. The video had a few "glitches" in that it stopped temporarily several times, but keep listening and it will straighten out.

Dress Up At Home

Greetings to you lovely homemakers.  I hope the last two weeks have been productive in your home.

We are having fog, and so I thought we should be as thrilled with a foggy day as we are with a sunny one. My mind is plotting out a special fog fiesta or some kind of fog celebration. A few years ago I had fog fashions and fog tea. You can find those by typing them in the search area at the top  left of this blog.

This gentle horse came quietly by my path to greet me as I was taking my Austen walk today.  So sweet!

I thought you might like to see what you got for me last week:  I ordered some comfortable velvet-like cushions for the tea table in the living room, You also might enjoy seeing the colors of the evening view coordinate so beautifully with my aqua/turquoise chair pads and table cloth.

And now for the cream, as Emma would say. Today I talked about:

Dressing for small, simple acts at home such as checking your mail both outside and on your device, answering a card or letter, prayer time, a Jane Austen walk indoors or outdoors, doing the laundry (yes, other people will see you), or cleaning the kitchen. I even feel I am a better listener if I am fully dressed and all fixed up when talking on the phone. It gives me a clearer head for making a list.

I also cautioned everyone about allowing people to "make merchandise" of you when they discover your many talents and skills.

Then, I spoke of the way the outside working world is more confining than the home, that you never can make any progress there, and that the home can accommodate your needs and nurture your talents because there, you are free.

Also, we need to recognize the fruits of uncertainty, little faith, panic and fear may be in hostile reactions to we who are happy at home. Frightened friends believe what they are hearing from the non-believers. I read from First John, chapter four, the following:

 Dear friends, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God, because many false prophets have gone out into the world. This is how you can recognize the Spirit of God: Every spirit that acknowledges that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is from God, but every spirit that does not acknowledge Jesus is not from God. This is the spirit of the antichrist, which you have heard is coming and even now is already in the world.

You, dear children, are from God and have overcome them, because the one who is in you is greater than the one who is in the world. They are from the world and therefore speak from the viewpoint of the world, and the world listens to them.  We are from God, and whoever knows God listens to us; but whoever is not from God does not listen to us. This is how we recognize the Spirit[a] of truth and the spirit of falsehood.

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Ladies, the above verses may certainly turn out to be one of the greatest sources of relief, confidence, and personal happiness in this present day of political turmoil.

Exercise your faith beyond your basic belief in Christ, by putting it into practice. Take care of yourself, and pay attention to your responsibility of guarding, guiding and keeping the home.  Your family and your dwelling need you, and no one else will do.

Also I read from Bryan Koslowski's Jane Austen Diet about the Regency custom of eating their desseret (apple tart) immediately after a meal, rather than waiting until they "were not so full." It kept them from eating too much dessert.

Please enjoy your work at home while you listen to the broadcast today. If the weather is not suitable for being outdoors, try walking inside your house for a body warm-up. Sometimes I get up at an unearthly hour and do not want to disturb anyone in the house, so I go to the farthest room, close the door and walk in a small area, in different directions. You can do this in any small space, even your bathroom, and it is immensely helpful in the mind/body connection.

Create Your Own News

My subjects today:

-If you provide good bread and comfort at home, you have done something great.

-No need for guided imagery when you have the real thing at home.

-Alternatives to media with your subscriptions (video subscriptions that you like)

-Character studies in some old stories (but you can make up your own)

-Staying in your own "Inn"

-Keep a log of your home/house activities

-Keep your character in difficult times.

Please enjoy being home while you listen to the broadcast.

Home, As You Like It

Notes for today's lesson:

If you need help getting focused in the home:

~ Dress Up

~Walk slowly through the house 

~Sweep and pick up 

~Re-enter the house as a guest

~Consider your home as a dignified place

~To prevent the work being mechanical or uninteresting, listen to something as you go.

The skies are more clear now and we are enjoying sunshine part of the day.

I read from the book "Mrs. Dunwoody's Excellent Instructions for Homekeeping" which I received as a gift from one of my listeners. I'm very grateful for this book, since it gives me months and months of new content~ (smile)

I am so blessed by your kind attendance here and look forward to doing a great deal more to aid homemakers in their long days at home.

God Bless You All ,

              

Make Each Day Different When You Work at Home

Today I talked about ways homemakers used to distinguish one day from another, so that there would be some variety during the week.  From keeping journals to getting out a fresh kitchen towel or apron, there were various ways of doing this.

Now that so many wonderful people are home based, and this includes the men, I tried to address the subject of making each day different.

In general, I was talking to my grown grandchildren who are working in home businesses, but I'm sharing it with all of you.

Here is a potential list to consider: 

*A different shirt for each day of the week

*Day of the week food or flavor (This is Friday, so it must be flatbread)

*A different route for your daily stroll: This is Saturday, so let's walk south-west.

*Daily journal entry: what I wore, ate, heard, saw or observed, said, read, made, accomplished, felt.

*Sketch or doodle in your journal for each day of the week.

*Different 5 minute stretch or exercise each day

*Song of the day

*One piece of paper correspondence 

*Scent of the day --as natural as possible.

*Verse of the day

*Follow a cooking video or different recipe

*Create one small thing.

In each of these broadcast I try to stress the importance of dressing more formally for the humblest of  homes, to give the homekeeper/homemaker  a feeling of living in a grand place where you are expecting guest. 

I reviewed the January 1996 Victoria magazine, and mentioned a book called Perfect Preserves by Nora Carey. Recipes using preserved fruits were included in the back of this magazine; one being applesauce walnut fruitcake. (Do a search for the vintage magazine and the recipe).

Also, the scripture I quoted  was from Isaiah 8:12:

"...do not fear what they fear, nor be in dread."

Please enjoy the freedom of being at home while you listen today:

           

Good Caretaker

I hope you all had a happy Christmas season and are enjoying the new year God has given us.

Today I discuss the value of being a good steward (caretaker) of whatever undesirable dwelling you have (perhaps it is temporary) in order to be faithful in a little and chart your course for something better.

One essential for the homemaker is to have a steady, stable, determined attitude and a course to follow, free from fear and discouragement. I used this scripture:

2 Timothy 1:7  

 God gave us a spirit not of fear but of power and love and self-control.

 I also read the rest of the chapter in The Jane Austen Diet by Bryan Koslowski, "Jane Austen Eats Meat" about the eating customs of the Regency Era.