One of my treasured heirlooms is a canning book from 1963 that was my husband’s grandmother’s. As I’m processing my mulberry, strawberry, and blueberry jams I think of her, doing the same for her family. And I think about how times have changed, as I read this ditty in the back of the book.

How to Preserve a Husband

Be careful in your selection. Do not choose too young. When selected, give your entire thoughts to preparation for domestic use. Some wives insist upon keeping them in a pickle, others are constantly getting them into hot water. This may make them sour, hard, and sometimes bitter; even poor varieties may be made sweet, tender and good, by garnishing them with patience, well sweetened with love and seasoned with kisses. Wrap them in a mantle of charity. Keep warm with a steady fire of domestic devotion and serve with peaches and cream. Thus prepared, they will keep for years.

I finally got a chance to sit down and read through the gift sent to me by Marmee Dear & Co for being Blogger of the Week. All I can say is wow! I received Book #1 in her Hospitality Series, Spring Has Sprung, Celebrating Spring’s Arrival. This booklet is packed with great ideas for entertaining guests during the spring season, including recipes, fun activities, party favors and decorations, and heartfelt devotionals. I don’t often plan parties or get-togethers, because I’m just not domestically creative. I do better with throw togethers, or I drive myself nuts trying to come up with the right theme, or menu, or whatever. This booklet lays it all out for you, and is just what a gal like me needs as an inspiration.  And everything suggested can be made or bought with minimal time and/or money. I can’t wait to order her other seasonal treasures! Thank you Marmee, for your kind gift, and the inspiration to have a Spring Fling! Ladies, if you don’t visit www.MarmeesKitchen.com , you’ll never know what you’re missing. J

A Month of Menus (February)

I need to get back in the habit of planning meals, so I set up a month of meals for next month. The veggies will depend on what I get on sale (we shop every two weeks), and Sundays will be leftovers, or soup with sandwiches. My freezer is pretty full with meats, so I'm using up what I have and building my menus around that. Sorry about the formatting. I'm not sure how to make my table fit on the blog.