Sunday, August 26, 2007

Monday, August 27, 2007

Thank you so much for all your comments about my prairie dolls! The fact that I hide them on my sister when she visits has become a bit of a joke between us after all these years! I did like the sharing custody idea though, so I may let her have a turn someday. ;0)


Several weeks ago I mentioned finding a few things while antiquing. One of my finds was a book from 1938.


It's called Foods and Home Making by Carlotta C. Greer.


Grab something to drink and let's look at it together. And pay attention because there will be a quiz at the end!


TO THE TEACHER
"Not only should pupils be taught how better to do important things, but additional interests and activities should be revealed and made desirable to them. In Foods and Home Making are included many suggestions and devices to stimulate pupils to participate in home activities and to do their share in making their homes attractive and happy. "

There are 7 units and 43 chapters in this book. Most of the photos are black and white, including this picture of two rats. One of the rats didn't get enough calcium.

The funniest part is that someone has written on the rats in pencil. Evidently, the small one is named Laverne and the large one is Viola!


Ewww!! It doesn't look like Laverne and Viola made it. Aren't these strange pictures for a homemaking book?!


Let's look at the Kitchen Efficiency and Charm chapter:


"How can a kitchen be made attractive? How many hours of the day does your mother spend in the kitchen? Does she usually spend as much time in the living room as in the kitchen? Since a home maker spends so much time in the kitchen, should it not be a pleasant place?

A light kitchen is attractive. Every kitchen should have at least two windows. When possible these should be placed on two sides of the room, so there can be good ventilation.

Color makes a kitchen attractive to most persons. For kitchens having north and east windows, buff, pale yellow, or pale salmon are pleasing colors. Since warm light comes through windows facing south or west, pale green, gray, or blue is suitable.

My kitchen has already failed this class!

Inside cover


Lastly, we will read about Good Manners at the Dining Table.

-Before one starts to eat, the napkin must be unfolded. Unfold it completely if it is small; if it is large one fold may be left in it. Sometimes it is well to wipe the lips before taking a drink of water to avoid staining the glass.

-Every normal girl or boy wants to appear well. One thing to do to appear well at the dining table is to hold the fork correctly.

-It is wasteful to leave food on the plate. If we are to leave practically no food on our plates, we should make it a rule not to take more food that we can eat or should eat. Leaving no food on our plates also means that we should learn to like all or almost all foods.



Quiz time! The owner of this book took the questions very seriously. She wrote some of her answers down in the back of the book!


1. If you are sent to market to buy tea for the older members of your family, who prefer the beverage served with cream, what kind of tea leaves would you buy?

2. What is a silence cloth?

3. Suppose that you are having a meal at a friend's home. On the table near your cover is a dish of preserves; there is a spoon on the table beside the preserves. Suppose the hostess says: "Mary, will you please start passing the preserves?" What will you do with the spoon beside the preserves? Will you help yourself first? To whom will you pass the preserves?

4. How high should a work table be? Give a reason for your answer.

5. How thick are the walls of a refrigerator?

I can tell you that I didn't do very well on the quiz! I hope you found all of this as interesting as I did!

50 comments:

Anita said...

Yes indeed Kelli, that was very very interesting!

When I was a kid, it was always a rule not to leave any food on the plate and my mother never threw away ANY food. Her mother followed that rule and so do I!

By the way, that's a very nice stand you put that book on! Is it an antique one, too!

Hope you'll have a wonderful new week!

Hugs, Anita

Rowan said...

What a great book, I loved peeking into it with you. I'd love to know the answer to the passing the preserves question - as a guest I'd take a spoonful of the preserve first and then pass the dish and spoon to the person on my right - but would that be the correct thing to do?!!

Unknown said...

My, word! I KNEW being a wife and mother in the 21st century had its advantages! I bet I would FAIL that quiz.

I did notice in one picture that the work table looked very low. Even for my 5 foot frame I would have a sore back.

That was fun. What a find!

Unknown said...

The preserves. I'd take the lid off, if there was one, place the spoon in the preserves, and pass it that way. And I'd probably help myself first. that is what I was taught to do, but I'm not sure if it is correct or just efficient for my busy mom to instruct her kids that way

Anonymous said...

Very cool little book, but you've left me wondering the answers to all those questions!!! Please enlighten us - lol!!!

Alesha
www.xanga.com/akconklin

Anonymous said...

How fun

dot said...

Cute post Kelli! It reminds me of a health book we had in school when I was in elementary school. It said "One should take a bath every Saturday. Two quarts of water should be sufficient"!

Anonymous said...

Very interesting! Odd about the rat skeletons, though!

I don't know any of the quiz answers except #3. I would put the spoon in the preserves and pass them to the person on my right. I know the hostess always serves herself last, but I don't know if a guest would serve herself first or pass them first. Personally I would pass them since that's what she asked me to do.

I know the work table should be high enough that the average person can work comfortable at it while standing without having to bend over. These days there is a standard height, but I don't remember what it is.

Anonymous said...

Oh, BTW, I love what was said about not leaving food on the plate by not taking more than you need. I hate diet advice these days that advises leaving food on the plate and breaking the "clean plate habit." Better to take smaller portions and not waste food than to take bigger ones and leave some to be thrown away.

Tracy said...

My kitchen has failed, too. I have NO windows. Strange, I know. It's in the middle of the house, with the living room to the front, and the dining room to the back. It IS yellow, though!

Anonymous said...

How cool is that?! I love it!
And... well, I think that I might haved failed the test a bit.

Pen of Jen said...

What an amazing set of books that you found!!

I love the questions, and the absolute training that existed for our grandparents and parents.

Corny but we need to teach our daughters the 'Hidden Art of Homemaking'

Thanks Kelli!
Jennifer
penofjen.blogspot.com
mcbenningschool.blogspot.com

Anonymous said...

Oh my goodness I'm a home economics major and I think I'd fail miserably on this quiz :)
what a fun book, except for the rat part ...

... said...

i found it all very interesting. i love to think of the woman that actually owned the book and wrote in the back. what was her life like?

the book definitely gives you a glimpse into the past and how different life was back then. thanks for sharing.

Front Porch Society said...

I think I saw this book at an antique store, too. I was hoping it was a recipe book but it wasn't. lol.
So glad I don't live back when that book was written!! I would be the scandal of the neighborhood! lol. :)

Tammy said...

Wow...how facinating and fun!

I actually have a big collection of antique books, but this one is especially interesting!

And hey, my kitchen passed the test! It's a salmon yellow (sort of) with a a window on each side...but as for keeping it clean, right now I'm failing. That's my plan for this afternoon!

Thanks for sharing this- I have loved peeking into the past like this!

Marci said...

I love reading books like that. WE have lost the "art" part of homemaking in todays world.

Karen said...

ooops. I'm afraid the "etiquette" of another era has passed me by!
How neat to have found these books!

rohanknitter said...

That must be fun to look through - that someone gave the rats names really cracks me up.
I think it's neat that in days gone by, they gave attention and importance to things like that.

Susan said...

VERY interesting indeed!!!
Susan

Kelly said...

Very neat!!

You've been tagged at MrsB's. :-)

Anonymous said...

My kitchen's failed too, girl!

Jennifer said...

Too funny! and I also failed.... surprising how I found me a husband without knowing how thick refrigerator walls are! Haha!

I love this book :o) It reminds me of some of the readers my Granny has from when she was in grade school. (She's 82, so those books are close to 80 years old. Amazing!)

Have a great week!

Julie said...

Oh - I would have grebbed that book up as well if I had found it! I swear that I must own about a thousand books and love them all!

Tammy said...

Thanks for sharing your retro book...they are always interesting!
:)

Anonymous said...

I don't know any of the answers to the quiz, but I'm really interested in that silence cloth... LOL

Laverne and Viola must have been someone that the book's owner knew...

Thanks for sharing!

(My kitchen has 5 windows!)

Momma Roar said...

I love when you share your interesting finds with us!!

Disney for Boys said...

Wow how neat, I would have thrown myself at the chance to get that little treasure :-)

Thanks for sharing, hope you have a very blessed week!

Gena said...

I still have a problem with food left on the plate. That's probably why I can't stay thin.

I love old books, especially old books on cooking and homekeeping. What a wonderful find! There's a book sale coming up here in October that I can hardly wait for. It is huge and mostly old books for very little money. I'm saving my pennies!

Thanks for sharing your book. By-the-way, I'm clueless about that quiz. I think I failed.

Mimi said...

very cool and interesting book...
of course you do realize that the reason that so many people have a weight problem today is because our mothers made us CLEAN OUR PLATES and leave no food on the plate...

mrstlc said...

Kelli-
I do not have a blog, but regularly visit yours. I found Anita's blog Ein stuck garden--but am not able to visit it as I do not know how to contact her for permission--would you forward my request to her please? I love her garden, my brother and his wife live in Germany, and viewing her blog makes me feel a little closer!
I'm mrs tlc when I comment, my email account is scmagoo@sbcglobal.net
Thank you so much.
-mrstlc

Paula said...

Kelli,
One of my collections is vintage children's/text/homemaking books. You have a great find. Exactly the kind of book I would have purchased. Enjoy!
Paula

Anonymous said...

Back to the dolls for a quick second, my grandma from Nova Scotia made me one that looks just like the one on the left! I still have her and somewhere in my sewing room I think I have the pattern for her....Mcalls around 1970 or so. I found it on ebay by accident one day. Some of your clothes match mine but all your knitted clothes are "custom made"

Lynne said...

Oh my-if I was a homemaker back then I would have been the talk of the town and not in a good way! I probably would have kept "Laverne" and "Viola" as pets!
That is a great find and I'm going to research that silence cloth.

Lori said...

I agree this was a very intersting.
I would't do very well on the quiz either.

HsKubes said...

What an great find!
The rats were an 'interesting' touch. lol

~ Christina

Cherish the Home said...

Oh how neat! I just love old books. (o:

Ele at abitofpinkheaven said...

I just love old books. They are the best! I see you also like Tasha Tudor. I am a fan also.

Julieann said...

I so enjoyed this post Kelli--what a find you have. Your commentary on Laverne and Viola made me giggle:)

Julieann

Britta said...

Thanks for your nice compliment Kelli. I really love it that way, colorful and bright. Makes me imagine the summer will stay forever. Britta

Lena said...

Well, yes I did. The whole time I was reading along with you, I thought "What an interesting book, and it's a little strange too."
I wonder what women in the future will think of us and the way we think about, and do things?

Gina E. said...

Hi Kelli,
Thanks for commenting on my tablecloths at Patra's Place - nice to see you!

Hootin Anni said...

I do know what a silence cloth is....my grandmother used to have them and she embroideried [if there is such a word] each edge with baskets of flowers...then tat the lace.

Great post Kelli

Heather K said...

Hey Kelli... some of those old books are pretty humorous to read! I'll give your quiz a try
1. Black tea??
2. No idea what a silence cloth is!!
3. I'd put the spoon into the preserves and pass it to the left.
4. 36"... I have no idea why.. and that was a wild guess... maybe so that it's the right height for kneading dough etc... preparing food.
5. oh who knows?! Lets say about 4"

Heather K said...

PS
I wouldn't take any of the preserves first.
We were taught that as kids if someone asks for something to be passed you do NOT use it first...even if it's just the salt or pepper!
When are you going to enlighten us Kelli??

Anonymous said...

Come check out my pics from my trip to see my brothers.

Myrna said...

How fun! I'm sure I failed. What in the world is a silence cloth? I missed that sessioon in Home Ec class.

Thank you for your comment on my Texas post--We will definitely have to get together sometime when I'm in the area. I was in Denton, Frisco, Irving, and someplace off of Preston Rd. I couldn't believe what all we crammed into those two days! I am always amazed at the continuing growth in the Metroplex--AND the traffic! Oh! My!

Jenn4Him said...

Interesting book. I think I need to paint my kitchen now. Oh, and I did not pass the quiz. Is there a re-take opportunity?

Creative Life Studio said...

How fun, Kelli! This must have been a book in a classroom, but never one that I was in! I can assure you, I would have loved it, though.

I am assuming the answers to the quiz can be found in the pages of the book. The only ones I would attempt to answer would be that I would help myself to the preserves first and then pass and then I think that I would have a work table reach my waist, whatever that height. I've never been able to select a height for my counters before though, but if we're putting in two windows on either end of the room for an nice cross-breeze, we may as well work on the counters too! ;)

Anonymous said...

What a delightful book :)