Dear Kitchen Saints,
Ya know in the old days the Mothers of the Home did all of their own baking. A few times a week they made yeast bread. Many of them had large families and would make a dozen loaves a week or more. When they ran out of yeast bread for the week, they made a few batches of baking powder biscuits or cornbread. This was weekly baking.
Dear Kitchen Saints,
Ya know Jim and I raised six children. And it wasn't easy, either, as some of you know from raising your own large brood. Between Aunt Toot's family and mine, we represented thirteen children. She had seven. And we often traded recipes or told each other where the best buys were.
Dear Mothers,
I have a while to write before Baby David gets here. This morning, as I prayed about what to write, I just felt like, "Oh, Lord, give me a word about homemaking to the mothers out there. They need it so much."
Dear Christmas Mothers,
Last night on the response group, we were writing about being frugal in our housekeeping.
When Jim first became a Christian, and then we had added three more children to our first three, I was to do a lot of praying about being frugal. I felt I was on a mission. To me, the Lord had called me to a high calling of motherhood and I just wanted to be able to make it without going to work.
Ya know, in the old days, the Mothers sewed all their families' clothes. And when a garment would get a hole in it, the holes were patched.
This morning, as I was up praying, I was thinking "Wow! It won't be long until Christmas." Ya know, Papa and me raised 6 children and we love Christmas. I should be writing about Thanksgiving, as it is the next holiday. But if you have a large family, as Papa and me raised, you have to think of Christmas even in October.
We had bad news yesterday. Our son John was to start his job at Applebee's yesterday and they are just goofin' off with him. Told him to come back in a week for orientation. John had worked for Applebee's for 7 yrs in Missouri and was making good money as a cook. He hasn't been out of work since he got married, so this is kinda scary for him. He and Christine will look for work today. Christine has only worked a few days at a time. Some weeks not at all. But, anyway, I will watch Romeo today so they can look for work.
Last night on TV, Jim and I watched the Gaithers. We enjoy their singing. And yet I kept thinking to myself how much I would love to be listening to bluegrass music. I have some, and I know when I get the house to myself I will be listening to it. Also some of the other music from the Appalachian mountains. I long to take my place next to some of the people who have known the deep grief and suffering. The out of the mainstream folks who are poor and somehow made it. I almost quiver as I write. I so long to hear their voices. Voices of a hard pioneer stock.
Last evening, just before I was about to go to bed, I got Annie's email and then Tracy's, asking me to write about the Depression era Mothers and what they would have done in times as we are now living. I prayed about it last night and talked to Jim about it. Jim had such a spirit of God on him as he spoke to me. We have had a hard time lately ourselves. Jim said to tell the families to just stock up on canned things for the winter. And if you have fresh produce out of your gardens, "can it." Jim isn't one with words. But as he spoke, I could see that the Lord was speaking through him.
Good Morning! I wanted to write down some more meal ideas. You got the ones yesterday, right? The ones about cooking ideas for large families?
I was talkin' to Jim yesterday about some of the big meals we used to have when all the children were home. Jim said he still loves hamburger gravy. I would fix this gravy and have peas and mashed potatoes. Mary, our youngest, tells me that my ground beef tastes better than any she has ever had. She says that's my specialty ... fried hamburger. I will have to have that put on my gravestone if I get rich enough to buy one.
