Cleaning Day - Modern Technology - are we missing something?

Modern technology gave us the means to make chores in life easier, quicker and free up time for us to spend time with families or doing things we enjoy. But are we?

The Dishwasher - There was a time when dish washing was done by mother and daughter; it was also thought of as their bonding time. They would discuss issues in the young woman's life, solve problems, wipe tears, give opinions of fashion and even have a few good laughs. Growing up, I never had a dishwasher - it was always Mom and me, sometimes my married sister joined us. I remember talking about boys, bras, fashions, situations at school... it was a short time of bonding that left me feeling loved, safe, and secure. What happened to that time? Do mothers and daughters still have a few moments where men/boys are sparse so they can tell secrets?

The Washing Machine - Now this will take some back! I cherished the days I helped Grandma do the washing. She had one of those old style machines with the big rollers. She would load her bras and girdles into the round tub with Ivory soap; I loved watching the bubbles form into a lather like substance. Then I would be on the receiving end as she pushed each garment through a roller to squeeze out the suds. I'd drop the garment into a tub of water. She'd feed it into another roller, and I'd guide the item through and drop it into a tub of clean cold water... During this time of washing Grams undergarments I noticed the difference between what she wore and what my mom, my sister, and I wore. She would tell me delightful stories about the "evolution of the undergarment" and what she wore as a child in the early 1900's, her first bra and so on. Do young girls have this opportunity to learn such historical trivia and have such bonding time with their Grams?

Dryers - Before homes had clothes dryers, the clothesline was an important fixture in the yard. I used to love how ours would turn in the breeze and how the sheets would smell as they flapped in the sunlight. Mom was convinced the sun killed those nasty germs and bleached out the whites. It didn't matter to me, I just loved crawling into a freshly made bed at night and smelling the sunshine in my pillow. Grandma had long ropes running from her house to the garage and when the weight of sheets got to heavy, Gramps would place long poles under the lines for added support. He seemed to know when Gram needed his help and would appear out of nowhere. No words were spoken, just a simple nod from Gram acknowledging the lines were high enough. They would share a soft smile, Gram would give Gramps a gentle kiss with a sparkle in her eye before he returned to his chores. My heart would flip at the sight of such a simple expression of love. Do men & women silently help each other simply out of love or has modern technology taken that as well?

Modern technology certainly made household chores easier and quicker. Everyone said it would give families more time together; couples time the needed; individuals time to do things they enjoyed such as hobbies. As I look around me I see people using this time to work more, argue more, and spend more time doing individual activities. Am I missing something? Are we?

Humpday Help - Just an Ordinary Day

Ack! I'm late! After getting the boys off to school this rainy morn, I took hubby to the airport then with toddler in tow, when to the grocery store for a can good sale. The only thing wrong with that sentence is taking the toddler to the store. Ugh! For a three year old, Nate the Great is a determined fellow. As I was carefully selecting the can goods to stock my pantry, so was he... with the most expensive items! Along comes the temper tantrum as I put his items back on the shelf. *sigh* Just an ordinary day for me.

Now he's eating lunch while I nibble on a piece of homemade raisin bread and sip vanilla caramel flavored coffee. Ahhh..... Even the guinea pig is quiet right now.

Oh, that bread went down to easy. I sit and think of the other day when I made it with Nate's help. He carefully poured the ingredients into the mixer along with extra raisins; his tongue ever so slightly sticking out of his mouth. We had flour all over the place but he was so darn cute!

As I sit back with that thought, I take a sip of my coffee. For a moment I think of all the hands and human ingenuity that brought this heavenly beverage to land in my routine. Amazing... when you think about it.

I open my window. The birds are unusually loud today. Perhaps they are grateful for the rain; perhaps it's one last chance at having a juicy worm for a meal. The weather seems to have washed away the troublesome pollen and has brought the autumn air smelling of leaves and earth.

It seems blessings fall; no matter what the day. As I think about my ordinary day, little miracles of life are all around. This beautiful, heartbreaking wonderful world is an ongoing love letter from God. We just need to stop and read it.

"Earth's crammed with heaven, and every common bush afire with God." - Elizabeth Barrett Browning.

Cleaning Day - Banana Bread

When you are cleaning the kitchen don't throw those brown bananas away! I found a super easy banana bread recipe.

Heat oven to 350'. Grease 9"x5" loaf pan.
1/4 cup shortening
3/4 cup sugar
2 eggs
2 cups Jiffy or any baking mix
1 cup mashed ripe bananas (2-3 medium)
1/3 cup chopped nuts - optional

Cream shortening and sugar. Combine remaining ingredients and mix until well blended. Pour into prepared pan. Bake about 55 minutes. Cool on a rack before slicing.

While cleaning the kitchen this morning, I found several bananas left over from last weekend's camping trip. Ewe! I don't like throwing food away and this is a great recipe to use. It's simple and my family loves it. For fun I add a little nutmeg and brown sugar on the top before placing it into the oven.

I like to use farm fresh eggs. Visit your local Farmers' Market or watch for signs along country roads. They run about $2 a dozen.

Banned Book Week

From classics like The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn to the Harry Potter series, the list of books frequently challenged and banned includes many esteemed favorites. Each year during Banned Books Week, librarians are called upon to confront the practice of censoring children’s literature. The annual event, started in 1982, offers the perfect opportunity to teach kids and their families about intellectual freedom and individual American's right to freely access information.

When Books Are Challenged
Questioning whether certain books are appropriate for children is reasonable; some books just are too mature or difficult for some young readers. It’s important to listen to parents’ concerns and be prepared to guide kids who come to the library.
Our desire to protect children, however, should not come at the risk of jeopardizing young readers’ First Amendment rights. As the American Library Association’s Library Bill of Rights states, a person's use of the library may not be restricted or limited because of age.


Celebrate your freedom... read a banned book!
The list:

1. Scary Stories (Series) by Alvin Schwartz
2. Daddy’s Roommate by Michael Willhoite
3. I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings by Maya Angelou
4. The Chocolate War by Robert Cormier
5. The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn by Mark Twain
6. Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck
7. Harry Potter (Series) by J.K. Rowling
8. Forever by Judy Blume (Wow. A Judy Blume book. Apparently only I thought Judy Blume was synonymous with teenage pablum.)
9. Bridge to Terabithia by Katherine Paterson
10. Alice (Series) by Phyllis Reynolds Naylor
11. Heather Has Two Mommies by Leslea Newman (lol! This one isn't a surprise.)
12. My Brother Sam is Dead by James Lincoln Collier and Christopher Collier
13. The Catcher in the Rye by J.D. Salinger
14. The Giver by Lois Lowry
15. It’s Perfectly Normal by Robie Harris
16. Goosebumps (Series) by R.L. Stine
17. A Day No Pigs Would Die by Robert Newton Peck
18. The Color Purple by Alice Walker
19. Sex by Madonna

20. Earth's Children (series) Jean M. Auel
21. The Great Gilly Hopkins by Katherine Paterson
22. A Wrinkle in Time by Madeleine L’Engle
23. Go Ask Alice by Anonymous
24. Fallen Angels by Walter Dean Myers

25. In the Night Kitchen by Maurice Sendak
26. The Stupids (Series) by Harry Allard
27. The Witches by Roald Dahl
28. The New Joy of Gay Sex by Charles Silverstein
29. Anastasia Krupnik (Series) by Lois Lowry
30. The Goats by Brock Cole
31. Kaffir Boy by Mark Mathabane
32. Blubber by Judy Blume
33. Killing Mr. Griffin by Lois Duncan
34. Halloween ABC by Eve Merriam
35. We All Fall Down by Robert Cormier
36. Final Exit by Derek Humphry
37. The Handmaid’s Tale by Margaret Atwood
38. Julie of the Wolves by Jean Craighead George
39. The Bluest Eye by Toni Morrison
40. What’s Happening to my Body? Book for Girls: A Growing-Up Guide for Parents & Daughters by Lynda Madaras
41. To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee
42. Beloved by Toni Morrison
43. The Outsiders by S.E. Hinton
44. The Pigman by Paul Zindel
45. Bumps in the Night by Harry Allard

46. Deanie by Judy Blume (what is up with all the Judy Blume haters?)
47. Flowers for Algernon by Daniel Keyes
48. Annie on my Mind by Nancy Garden
49. The Boy Who Lost His Face by Louis Sachar
50. Cross Your Fingers, Spit in Your Hat by Alvin Schwartz
51. A Light in the Attic by Shel Silverstein
52. Brave New World by Aldous Huxley
53. Sleeping Beauty Trilogy by A.N. Roquelaure (Anne Rice) (I didn't know she put out trilogy based on sleeping beauty. I'll have to check that out.)
54. Asking About Sex and Growing Up by Joanna Cole
55. Cujo by Stephen King
56. James and the Giant Peach by Roald Dahl
57. The Anarchist Cookbook by William Powell
58. Boys and Sex by Wardell Pomeroy

59. Ordinary People by Judith Guest
60. American Psycho by Bret Easton Ellis
61. What’s Happening to my Body? Book for Boys: A Growing-Up Guide for Parents & Sons by Lynda Madaras
62. Are You There, God? It’s Me, Margaret by Judy Blume
63. Crazy Lady by Jane Conly
64. Athletic Shorts by Chris Crutcher
65. Fade by Robert Cormier
66. Guess What? by Mem Fox
67. The House of Spirits by Isabel Allende
68. The Face on the Milk Carton by Caroline Cooney
69. Slaughterhouse-Five by Kurt Vonnegut

70. Lord of the Flies by William Golding
71. Native Son by Richard Wright
72. Women on Top: How Real Life Has Changed Women’s Fantasies by Nancy Friday
73. Curses, Hexes and Spells by Daniel Cohen
74. Jack by A.M. Homes
75. Bless Me, Ultima by Rudolfo A. Anaya (Wow. There was nothing offensive in this book that I can remember.)
76. Where Did I Come From? by Peter Mayle

77. Carrie by Stephen King

78. Tiger Eyes by Judy Blume
79. On My Honor by Marion Dane Bauer
80. Arizona Kid by Ron Koertge
81. Family Secrets by Norma Klein
82. Mommy Laid An Egg by Babette Cole
83. The Dead Zone by Stephen King
84. The Adventures of Tom Sawyer by Mark Twain
85. Song of Solomon by Toni Morrison
86. Always Running by Luis Rodriguez

87. Private Parts by Howard Stern
88. Where’s Waldo? by Martin Hanford
89. Summer of My German Soldier by Bette Greene
90. Little Black Sambo by Helen Bannerman (LOL! This is my mother's favorite childhood book. I bought it for her for her birthday a few years ago.)
91. Pillars of the Earth by Ken Follett
92. Running Loose by Chris Crutcher
93. Sex Education by Jenny Davis
94. The Drowning of Stephen Jones by Bette Greene
95. Girls and Sex by Wardell Pomeroy

96. How to Eat Fried Worms by Thomas Rockwell
97. View from the Cherry Tree by Willo Davis Roberts
98. The Headless Cupid by Zilpha Keatley Snyder
99. The Terrorist by Caroline Cooney
100. Jump Ship to Freedom by James Lincoln Collier and Christopher Collier

Banned Book Week

Humpday Help - Very Superstitous

Today is the first day of bow hunting season. Dear Hubby packed his gear and headed for the woods. I remembered a day when he insisted on wearing "his lucky sweatpants" under his camouflage. Today, I think he nixed the sweatpants but has placed his faith in his old bow since it has been good to him over the years.

As I watched him leave from a doorway with two horseshoes nailed above, I thought of superstitions or "good luck charms".

Nailing a horseshoe over a door is a combination of two superstitions.
1. In early times,horses were considered magical. Because they could find their way in the dark, people believed they could foresee danger or could guide souls through the underworld. So anything connected with a horse was lucky.
2. Horseshoes are made of iron, which was considered protective. The Norse god of battle wore iron gloves and carried an iron hammer. Romans nailed pieces of iron over the doors, believing it could ward off evil spirits. In the 10th cent. Christians added their own twist to the superstition - the tale of a blacksmith named Dunstan (who later became Archbishop of Canterbury.) Dunstan had an unusual customer one day... he requested special shoes be made for his cloven feet. Dunstan pretended to not recognize him and said he would make the shoes. Instead he shackled the Devil to the wall and treated him so brutally that Satan cried for mercy. Dunstan released him only after making him promise never to enter a dwelling with a horseshoe on the door.

I sometimes "knock on wood" for good luck. Do you?
In the Middle Ages, churchmen insisted that knocking on wood was part of their tradition of prayer, since Christ was crucified on a wooden cross. Both Native American and ancient Greeks developed the belief that oak trees were the domain of an important god. By knocking on an oak, they were communicating with him and asking for his forgiveness.

How about throwing pennies into a wishing well? Come on, admit it.
Ancient people believed spirits living in springs and fountains demanded tribute - usually flesh. Young Mayan girls, for example, were sometimes tossed into the Well o Sacrifice "to marry the spirits". I'm glad today we just toss a couple pennies in a well for good luck.

Do you pull on that wishbone saved from the Thanksgiving turkey? We do, the boys love the tradition!
Over 2,000 years ago, the Etruscans believed that chickens (which squawk before they lay an egg) could tell the future. The powers extended to part of the bird's skeleton, too. So when a sacred hen died, the Etruscans put its collarbone int he sun until it dried out. The people would pick it up, rub it, and make a wish. It became known as the "wishbone". Later it became a symbolic tug-of-war; not everyone would get their wish and it became a contest to see whom the gods favored.

Funny how such traditions are passed through the years. I remember sitting on my grandmother's porch with my cousins watching trains go past. We would each pick a color of what we thought the color of the caboose was - whoever ended up being correct would have good luck all day. We would hold our breath every time we went past a graveyard.

While riding the bus, the boys pick up their feet every time they go over railroad tracks. Dev has his lucky glove for baseball. Trev was born on the Friday the 13th, so in his case... it's a lucky day! I still pick up pennies (only if they're heads up), put them in my pocket for good luck. Oh... I even have a special pen I sign my books with!


What superstitions do you have? Tell me, I'd love to hear. I promise I won't tell... cross my heart.

Humpday Help - Personal Landscapes

When the week seems to be dragging and your mood is low, try to think back to a place in your childhood... a landscape where you felt free. Now grab a cup of your favorite beverage, sit down, relax... and put yourself in that place.

Some of my best memories are from time spent at the family cottage. My grandparents built the small structure in the 1950's to give the family a get-away, a place to hunt and fish, a place for grand kids to enjoy. The building was small, built on a cement slab but had large bay windows overlooking the lake and a wonderful loft where kids preferred to sleep.

I always woke early but would lie in my bed listening to the birds outside and Grandma moving around in the kitchen until my cousin Randy stirred. From his bed he could look down the loft fold-away staircase into the kitchen and had perfect view of the stove. This vantage point allowed him to see when the bacon was done cooking and upon his observations we would manage to be the first at the breakfast table.

After the meal we usually went for a walk in the woods until the sun rose higher into the sky warming the lake. We would then race into the water and spend the entire day pretending to be aquatic. Only at the promise of a evening bonfire would we return to shore.

Finding bonfire wood was one of our few chores at the cottage; that and emptying the honey dew bucket. Ewe! Anyways, during one of our hunts for twigs and decent bonfire wood we found a giant wooden spool... the kind cable is transported upon. We dragged that spool back to the beach and played games with it all summer until it mysteriously disappeared.

I always felt good being at the cottage. Perhaps because I was surrounded by family, perhaps it was the effect of nature on me. When I was alone, I believed I was closer to God. He whispered to me in the trees of the woods while birds sang His praises. I felt His touch when the gentle breeze caressed my face while sitting on the end of the dock.

The cottage is much older now but the water is still clear and God is still there. Now a third generation frolics on the beach, searches for bonfire wood and waits for bacon to finish cooking.

Now it's your turn to enjoy your personal landscape.

Cleaning Day - Give yourself a hand

Here it is, Monday. I've been up for four hours and have swept/mopped the floors, did five loads of laundry, and tidied the kitchen. Then I noticed how dry my hands were. Here's a few tips for those dishpan hands.

* Rub olive oil into your hands before cleaning. Especially if you wear cleaning gloves - which is a very smart thing to do, but not everybody feels comfortable wear those big ugly yellow things.

* Silicone Glove is a lotion sold by Avon. Many women (and men) state how this seems to protect their hands. (My Mom used it all the time, but Dad preferred Corn Huskers he purchased from the pharmacy.)

* Mix together 1/4 cup of ground almonds, a beaten egg, a handful of comfrey root, and a tablespoon of honey. Coat your hands with the mixture, pull on an old pair of leather or cotton gloves and wear overnight. Rinse your hands in the morning and repeat this for a week. Your hands will feel very soft and supple.

* For bad nails, immerse fingertips into a bowl of warm olive oil for 30 minutes a day until you see an improvement. (I did this prior to my wedding and I had amazing nails!) If olive oil is a bit sparse in your cupboard, fill a small bowl with water and add just enough oil to cover the water. Warm carefully.

* For stains that won't go away, rub hands and nails with the pithy side of a piece of lemon zest. Leave for a minute and then wash off.

* If you cook with cast iron or have a large wood cutting board, use lard to bring the polish back. Afterwards, rub your hands together and enjoy the softness in your skin.

There are so many products on the store shelves for dry, cracked, itchy, red... whatever state your hands are in. Through my confusion I think back to the work my grandmothers used to do, yet their hands, skin and hair was always nice. Perhaps in the old wives' tales there may be some truth!

Humpday Help - A Day Late

As you can see, I am posting a day late. Sorry, not writing tips. Yesterday was Weird & Wacky Wednesday. The schedule was so full with events by the time I finally sat down (10pm) I was amazed that everything was accomplished. Then I realized... I hadn't eaten dinner. Everyone else had pizza on the run. *sigh*

So, today I pulled out a cookbook the kids at my church put together. Prescipies, Holy-Some Recipes.

Enjoy this dish:

I Didn't Have Time to Fix Dinner Casserole

2 lb ground beef
1 small onion, chopped
2 (12 oz) pkg. frozen French fries
1 can Cheddar cheese soup
1 can golden mushroom soup

Pat raw burger evenly in to 9x13 inch pan. Sprinkle on diced onion. Pour soup over onion and beef, spreading evenly, being sure to spread to edges of pan. Sprinkle frozen fries over soup layer. Bake at 350 for 1 hr 15 min. Serves 6.


NOTE: Prescipies is a collection of recipes from members and friends; and sponsored by the youth of First Presbyterian Church, Saginaw, MI. All proceeds from the sales of this cookbook are donated to the Children's Mission - Heifer International. If you wish to purchase this book email me at maryquast@yahoo.com. $10 for the book $2 shipping, I accept money through PayPal.

Cleaning Day - The Miracle of Ivory Soap

I was at Trev's soccer game this weekend when I saw one of the other moms. She wasn't limping with pain in her legs like the last time we met. I commented on well she looked and she proceed to tell me a story of an old wives' tale regarding Ivory Soap. A friend of hers told her to hold a bar of soap (he preferred Ivory) for a few moments, it would take the pain away. She tried it, and to her surprise... it worked!

Just the mention of old wives' tales and Ivory Soap took me back to my childhood and the time spent with my maternal grandmother. She used Ivory Soap for everything... liquid for dishes, bar for bath, flakes for laundry. I loved that clean fresh smell of her pillow cases. Ivory Soap has been around for so long, it makes one wonder if some of those tales of this miracle cleaner are true.

To get a stain out - attack it right away by rubbing a bar of Ivory Soap directly on the stain, rinse.

This cleaner will remove coffee stains, berry stains, even mildew from garment! Ivory Soap is very mild; with an almost neutral pH, no perfumes, no moisturizers, no other chemical additives. It is gentle enough for baby clothes and those with sensitive skin.

As a child, my family spent much of the summer at our cottage that had no indoor plumbing. Gram would give my cousins and I a bar of Ivory Soap and send us to the lake to wash up. We had so much fun playing with that floating bar until it became so full of sand it eventually sunk and was never found. Needless to say, Gram managed to get us clean and keep us out of her hair for a while!

Laundry day at Grams was a blast! She had an old washing machine. One that you had to push the garments through a wringer into a tub of clear water to rinse then wring them again. I helped her on the days she had to do her personal items such as bras and girddles. But it was such fun to push, pull, dip, and wring the items all while enjoying that wonderful Ivory Soap smell.

Checking my cupboards, I realized I don't have any Ivory Soap. I think I will run to the market today to pick up a bar or two. After all, it works on dirty faces, grimy little hands, and will take stains off my son's shirts in a gentle manner. Maybe I'll try it for pain, too. Hmmm... I think I'll keep a bar in my bathroom... just for that wonderful smell.

Tah, tah... I'm off to the market. Have a great week!