Housework in Dresses: A Photobiography (Part 2)

(Continued from Monday)

Here are the pics of Mrs. Happy Housewife doing her chores. Today is Kitchen Day. The chores I am doing in these photos are: sweeping front door, washing front door, sweeping and mopping kitchen floor, washing kitchen linens, and mending some clothes. Other items on my list of chores to do today are: fold and put away the last load of clean laundry from yesterday, clean bottom shelf of fridge, call for refills of some medicine, and get caught up with dishes (I didn't clean up after dinner last night. We had errands after we ate and then when we got back I played hooky and watched a movie with H. It was Alexander and I won't even bother to link it because it was terrible. I knew it would be so why did I bother?! Bad me.)

The two silly pics at the bottom are here for your amusement and to dispel the myth that housewives are uptight and have no fun. Also, they made the kids laugh a lot.

I am wearing a $1 jean skirt (yard sale), a $7 blouse (clearance at JCPenney's), a free scarf (MIL), $18 brown sandals (from Beall's Outlet and originally $60 - the same as the black ones yesterday), and free earrings (gift).

God, Family, and Country: The Poetry of Edgar Guest

I read an Edgar Guest poem today which I hadn't read before. "No Children" is posted on Doug Phillips' blog. Edgar Guest is not as well known as he should be. His poems celebrate all that is good: God, family, and patriotism. I first became acquainted with Guest about four years ago, thanks to the Ambleside Online homeschooling curriculum. "Home and the Baby" is my favorite of his works.

Home and the Baby

Home was never home before,
Till the baby came.
Love no golden jewels wore,
Till the baby came.
There was joy, but now it seems
Dreams were not the rosy dreams,
Sunbeams not such golden beams--
Till the baby came.

Home was never really gay,
Till the baby came.
I'd forgotten how to play,
Till the baby came.
Smiles were never half so bright,
Troubles never half so light,
Worry never took to flight,
Till the baby came.

Home was never half so blest,
Till the baby came.
Lacking something that was best,
Till the baby came.
Kisses were not half so sweet,
Love not really so complete,
Joy had never found our street
Till the baby came.

I also love "Treasures," "Sermons We See," "Good Books," "As We Prayed," "A Child of Mine," "What a Baby Costs."

You can read even more of Edgar Guest's poems here and here.

Lastly, I'll leave you with "No Better Land Than This," a very patriotic poem from an English-born member of the Press. Could such a man write such a poem in this day and age? I especially enjoy the last stanza.

If I knew a better country in this glorious world today
Where a man's work hours are shorter and he's drawing bigger pay,
If the Briton or the Frenchman had an easier life than mine,
I'd pack my goods this minute and I'd sail across the brine.
But I notice when an alien wants a land of hope and cheer,
And a future for his children, he comes out and settles here.

Here's the glorious land of Freedom! Here's the milk and honey goal
For the peasant out of Russia, for the long-subjected Pole.
It is here the sons of Italy and men of Austria turn
For the comfort of their bodies and the wages they can earn.
And with all that men complain of, and with all that goes amiss,
There's no happier, better nation on the world's broad face than this.

So I'm thinking when I listen to the wails of discontent,
And some foreign disbeliever spreads his evil sentiment,
That the breed of hate and envy that is sowing sin and shame
In this glorious land of Freedom should go back from whence it came.
And I hold it is the duty, rich or poor, of every man
Who enjoys this country's bounty to be all American.

On TV: Jane Austen Bio and P&P

A&E will be showing Jane Austen's biography this Friday, August 26 @ 7am ET/PT.

A look at the life of the British author whose imagination produced some of literature's greatest stories. Jane Austen (1775-1817) wrote two literary classics--"Sense and Sensibility" and "Pride and Prejudice"--before she turned 21. And although she never married, she led a happy and active life, seemingly untouched by the dramatic incidents that filled her characters' lives.

In the past, when the airing of her bio has coincided with a Jane-friendly movie, there have been scenes from the movie included in the bio. This was the case last year with Bride & Prejudice. So, this will probably be an opportunity to see scenes of P&P3. Also, A&E classroom will be airing its 6 part Pride & Prejudice miniseries on January 18-25, 2006. The P&P teacher guide is here.

Q & A: Sunflower Hot Pad Holder

Q. Joanna asked:

First time here and with a silly question-where did you get the sunflower potholder in the picture?

A. That's not a silly question. A pretty hot pad holder is vital to kitchen decoration. ;) That one was part of a hot pad holder/towel set my FIL bought me a few years ago at Sam's Club. You can't really tell in the photo but that hot pad holder is about ready to retire. It's pretty worn and a tad burnt. I'm merciless on kitchen linens. To find a sunflower hot pad holder of your own, I recommend Walmart, Target, or Big Lots. I buy my kitchen and dining linens at Big Lots. You can find many good deals there. I fondly remember the time I found there a dozen Revlon lipsticks for a dollar each. A penny saved is a penny earned, you know. Now, I have a question: why do I call them hot pad holders? I have know idea; I just always have. Am I the only one who calls them that? I wonder.