Throwback Thursday: Women in Jackets

Here's my caption:

"We all took the same Pinterest class but our jackets all turned out differently."

What's your caption? Leave it in the comments below.

Memory Monday: Family Facial Traits Across the Generations

my sister and my mother

FAMILY FACIAL TRAITS ACROSS THE GENERATIONS

I have always found it interesting how family looks pass from generation to generation, sometimes passing from one generation to the next, sometimes skipping several generations and suddenly showing up again.

I noticed this when my son grew first grew his beard. The hair on his face, though thick and black, grew along his jaw lines on both sides of his face. No matter how long he had the beard, it stayed like that. It also looked just like the picture of my mother’s Mennonite ancestors, so I figured it was just part of his “genes.” That was until I received a picture of my father’s grandfather (who was never a Mennonite). They had the same beardline (I don’t know if there is such a word, but it fits). When I showed it to my son, he stood in front of the bathroom mirror—looking at himself, then at the picture, then back at himself.

I also was surprised when I went through my mother’s pictures after she passed away. I found two that really surprised me. I guess because I don’t notice facial features as much as I should (a writer need to take note of what her characters look like, but that is one of my weak spots), I never realized how much my older sister and my mother looked alike when they were younger. Below are the pictures I’m talking about. What I noticed when I first saw these two picture was the same tilt of the head, the same smile, the same chin.

my mother

my sister

When I told my daughter that I was going to blog about how much my mother’s picture looked like my sister, she said just like she and I look alike. (Sorry, I had to take a moment and look at the family pictures that line our hall just to make sure of what I am going to write next.) And she is so right—same chin, same cheekbones, although she has my mother’s smile, while my son has mine—funny, I’d never noticed that before. I may have to go back and carefully examine the pictures I have of my ancestors. Maybe, I find some others who have my smile. By the way, my son is also the only one in our immediate family who has brown eyes—you have to go back to his grandfather to find those.
Who do you look like? Which of your facial characteristics have been handed down across the generations? Hairline? Shape of your smile? Earlobes? Eye color?

Throwback Thursday: Brooding Girl

Here's my caption:
"How many times do I have to tell you I don’t like my picture taken?"

What's yours?
Leave your caption in the comments below.

Memory Monday: Household Hints from the Past (and my comments)

My maternal grandmother

HOUSEHOLD HINTS FROM THE PAST AND MY COMMENTS
Recently I came across an interesting book as I was researching—Willy Lou's House Book. It was published in 1913, when my maternal grandmother was only eleven years old. I wonder if her mother (one of my maternal great-grandmothers) used any of these hints or if she had other ways of handling the same things. I know I have other ways of dealing with them or thoughts about the way they did it back then. See my comments in bold following each hint.
To Remove Ink
Chloroform will remove ink stains from white goods if used before laundering. Buttermilk also will usually remove ink stain. If the chloroform doesn’t work, you will never know since you will be asleep. But then again as you fall asleep, you might knock over the buttermilk you had in reserve and it will clean the ink stain—MC.
Fish-Bone in Throat
A fish-bone can be dislodged from the throat by using a gargle of vinegar, the acid dissolving the bone. This one I wonder about—how long does one have to gargle in order for the acid to dissolve the fishbone—MC.
To Kill Cabbage Odor
When cooking cabbage or cauliflower place a cup of vinegar on the stove. It will help to kill the odors and also keep the flies away. A few spices may be dropped in the vinegar if liked. I love this one. I keep imagining what the kitchen is like—the smell of cooked cabbage or cauliflower battling the fragrance of hot vinegar with the scent of cinnamon or allspice acting as referee, all the while watching flies buzzing around at a safe distance outside the kitchen—MC.
To Smooth the Flat-Iron
When the starch sticks to the flat-iron, rub on a piece of fine wire screening. The screening may be placed on a paper on the ironing board and the iron rubbed over it. This is better than scraping with a knife and saves time. Wax in a cloth is also good to rub the iron with. I won’t be able to use this hint since I don’t have a flat-iron. Actually, I don’t have a flat-iron or an iron. You might say my dryer is my iron. The clothes go in damp and come out wrinkle-free, and if I forget about them and they are left too long and get wrinkled, I just toss in a damp towel and run them again (and again if I forget again)—MC.
How to Iron Clothes
When ironing never use a dirty sheet on the ironing board or the clothes will be a bad color. This one makes me ask what made the sheet dirty in such a way that it will leave a bad color—MC.
Marking Medicine
All medicine bottles and boxes should be plain ly labeled and nothing ever taken in the dark. Do not keep poisons with other drugs in the medicine cabinet. Poisons should have a place of their own far from drugs intended to be taken inter nally. There is not enough care paid to this. Little bells can be tied to bottles containing poi sons. The bell will always ring when moved. While I think is the best tip—bells on poison bottles, the thing is that I don’t have bottles of poison, and I don’t have a medicine cabinet. But still a good idea—MC.
To Clean Pillows
Feather pillows should be washed occasionally to keep them sweet, fresh and light. This is quite a task, but it well repays one. Make a bag of strong muslin, larger than the pillow-ticking. Stitch all around, leaving an opening of about a half yard. Open the pillow about the same distance. Take the bag in your lap, leaving the heavy pillow on the floor in front of you. Place the bag over the pillow, baste to gether carefully and then stitch down. Shake the feathers into the muslin bag. Put your hand all around in the pillow-tick after separating from the muslin bag, to collect any feathers that may not have gone into the bag. Stitch the bag up tight. There should be plenty of room for the feathers to lie loosely. Have a good warm sudsy water in which there has been a little borax added to soften. Souse the bag up and down, and press softly with the hands. Repeat the process in different waters until the last water is clear, then you may know your feathers are clean. Run through a very loose wringer, so that the feathers will not be broken. Hang in the hot sun. The bag containing the feathers must be hung out each day for several days, say ten days, as it takes a long time for feathers to dry perfectly, and then the air helps to lighten them. Have your pillow-ticking washed and ready for the feathers when dry. Many times pillows have been thought worn out and this treatment has made them quite as good as new. This is a better treatment than a com pressed air process. July is a good month for this work as the sun is hot. Hang the bag on a line so that there is a better circulation of air through the feathers. Forget this hint. I just will buy a new pillow—MC.

Well, I hope you enjoyed my look into the past, along with my thoughts. Do you have any comments about these hints, or do you have hints of your own from the past?

Throwback Thursday: Lean on Me

"Who do you think will give in first?"

There's my caption, what's yours? Leave it in the comments below.

Memory Monday: Facial Hair in My Family

Me, my husband, and our son

FACIAL HAIR IN MY FAMILY

One year after my husband went with our son to Boy Scout summer camp for a week, he came home with a beard, which he thought would make me fuss and cry out when he tried to snuggle with my neck. What he hadn’t realized was that the hair on his face had grown long enough that it wasn’t scratchy any more. I loved it!!! I loved the look. I loved the feel of it. So he kept it—for twenty years!

As I looked through our family pictures, I noticed something. A lot of my ancestors had facial hair, too. Here are some of their pictures.

One of my paternal great-grandfathers

My other paternal great-grandfather

One of my maternal great-grandfathers

My other maternal great-grandfather

Now, I have to admit that I never saw my father, my father-in-law, and neither of my grandfathers with facial hair. As a matter of fact, I remember quite well talking to my father-in-law (who loved his son very deeply) about it one day years ago. He said he would never trust a man with facial hair (actually, I think he said a man with a mustache). I looked at him and asked what if his son had a mustache, and he said he would never trust him either (and my father-in-law wasn’t smiling).

What are your feelings about facial hair? Do you love it or do you hate it?

Throwback Thursday: Snow Day

Here's my caption:

"Anyone up for a snowball fight? How about snow angels?"

What's yours? Feel free to put your caption in the comments below.

Memory Monday: How to Put Food on the Table

My third generation grandfather

HOW TO PUT FOOD ON THE TABLE

This is not about how to provide the income to buy food for a family. Oh, no, this is how placing food on the table for a dinner had changed in the last (almost) two hundred years.

Recently I came across a book from 1823 titled A Modern System of Domestic Cookery: Or, The Housekeeper's Guide. My 3X great-grandfather, pictured above, would have been alive at the time this book came out. I wonder if the following was the way his wife set out the food.

DIRECTIONS FOR PLACING DISHES ON THE TABLE.

Soup, broth, or fish, should always be set at the head of the table; if none of these, a boiled dish goes to the head; where there is both boiled and roasted.

If but one principal dish, it goes to the head of the table. If three, the principal one to the head, and the two small est to stand opposite each other, near the foot.

If four, the biggest to the head, and the next biggest to the foot, and the two smallest dishes on the sides.

If five, you are to put the smallest in the middle, the other four opposite.

If six, you are to put the top and bottom as before, the two small ones opposite for side dishes.

If seven, put three dishes down the middle of the table, and four others opposite to each other round the centre dish.

If eight, put four dishes down the middle, and the remain ing four two on each side, at equal distances.

If nine dishes, put them in three equal lines, observing to put the proper dishes at the head and bottom of the table.

If ten dishes, put four down the centre, one at each corner, and one on each side, opposite to the vacancy between the two central dishes ; or four down the middle, and three on each side; each opposite to the vacancy of the middle dishes.

If twelve dishes, place them in three rows of four each; or six down the middle, and three at equal distances on each side.

Note.—If more than the above number of dishes are re quired, the manner of laying them on the table must in a great measure depend on the taste of the dresser.

I put the food on the table in a little different way. For a family meal, I set out the main dish—if it’s a large casserole just out of the oven— in the middle so it doesn’t have to be passed around, otherwise the main dish goes in front of my husband (not because it’s his favorite—it’s just the default position). If we are having potatoes au gratin (which we usually do at a family dinner), they go in front of my son’s place (because it is one of his favorite things), mashed potatoes and gravy (if we’re having roast) in front of my daughter (her favorite), fruit goes in front of me (my favorite), rolls go wherever they can fit in, as do veggies, sauces, butter. I set of a salad bar over on the counter and everyone fixes their own combination before they sit down. Of course, when we have Papa Murphy’s pizza (my husband’s favorite), it’s all different. Everyone just has a pizza in front of him or her, with the salad bar still on the counter across the kitchen.

Yep, I think I like our way better.