Lil' Patch

Wise Words from Marmee

"I want my daughters to be beautiful, accomplished, & good; to be admired, loved, & respected; to have a happy youth, to be well & wisely married, & to lead useful, pleasant lives, w/as little care & sorrow to try them as God sees fit to send.  To be loved & chosen by a good man is the best & sweetest thing which can happen to a woman; & I sincerely hope my girls may know this beautiful experience.  It is natural to think of it, Meg; right to hope & wait for it, & wise to prepare for it; so that, when the happy time comes, you may feel ready for the duties & worthy of the joy.  My dear girls, I am ambitious for you, but not to have you make a dash in the world, -- marry rich men merely because they are rich, or have splendid houses, which are not homes because love is wanting.  Money is a needful & precious thing, -- &, when well used, a noble thing, -- but I never want you to think it is the 1st or only prize to strive for.  I'd rather see you poor men's wives, if you were happy, beloved, contented, then queens on thrones, w/o self-respect & peace...

"...better be happy old maids than unhappy wives, or unmaidenly girls, running about to find husbands," said Mrs. March decidedly.  "Don't be troubled, Meg; poverty seldom daunts a sincere lover.  Some of the best & most honored women I know were poor girls, but so love-worthy that they were not allowed to be old maids.  Leave these things to time; make this home happy, so that you may be fit for homes of your own, if they are offered you, & contented here if they are not.  One thing remember, my girls:  mother is always ready to be your confidant, father to be your friend; & both of us trust & hope that our daughters, whether married or single, will be the pride & comfort of our lives."

~~Marmee -- from "Little Women" ch. 9.

Free Historical Literature Online Library

Interested in the history of agriculture?  Check out this online library- The Core Historical Literature of Agriculture by Cornell University. 

There is also another site by the same group- HEARTH with titles related to Home Economics.  While the introductory statement on the home page is _______ (I'll let you fill in the blank with the adjective of your choosing ), and written by a woman who equates a home economist's life to a "female ghetto", though an "important one"; and who also states that home economists had a major role in the development of the "welfare state"...the site itself does have lots of historical books that might be of interest to you.

This one caught my eye, as making things is a favorite activity of persons in our household:

Box Furniture: how to make a hundred useful items for the home 

And the Good Housekeeping magazines from 1885-1950:

Good Housekeeping

Have fun!

Catherine....thankful to be living and thriving in the "female ghetto" today  

This Weeks Menu

Our 25th wedding anniversary!! 

Tobin works so no holiday bbq for us.. already had it!

Independence Day Chicken and More

I think I'll make this Independence Day Chicken tonight.  I have chicken breasts that won't wait for the 4th, and this sounds pretty tasty.  Not sure what our entire menu will be for the 4th of July...but, it will certainly have lots of red, white, and blue treats! 

I definitely plan to make a version of this Fruit Salsa and Cinnamon Chips.  I think I'll skip the butter spray and just brush my tortillas with melted real butter, use honey instead of sugar; and I may vary the fruits a bit...you know how I love to tweak recipes .

Now I must go water the tomatoes, so I'll have lots of beautiful reds for the turkey burgers and the salad bowl this weekend!  Have a great Monday .