Good morning !
Wouldn't it be great to have a gathering like these women? I bet these times were few and far between, considering all the chores a woman had back then.
A woman was expected to cook, clean, be a mother, wife, midwife, seamstress, tend to the livestock and be a nurse.
Here is an excerpt on the roles of a "great" nurse in the 1800's.
"The more quiet the nurse the better. Often sewing, knitting, or any other employment which would assist the nurse in passing the time, proves a source of real suffering to her patient. Reading in a quiet voice, combing the hair, gently rubbing the palms of the hand, will often induce sleep, when anodynes fail. Another important matter not to be lost sight of in a nurse is a cheerful obliging temper. Be always ready to humor a sick person in every thing that will do them no harm; never think of your own trouble, when you can, in the smallest particular, add to the comfort of the sick...It is not well to cross a sick person, if it can be avoided. A person with a gloomy disposition is unfit to take charge of the sick."
Being a nurse, I have to smile over the job description.
Can you imagine the cooking a woman did??
CORNED BEEF HASH
chopped corned beef
chopped boiled potatoes
butter
water
Salt if needed
Pepper to taste
The best hash is made from boiled corned beef. It should be boiled very tender, and chopped fine when entirely cold. The potatoes for hash made of corned beef are the better for being boiled in the pot liquor [liquid the corned beef was boiled in.] When taken from the pot, remove the skins from the potatoes, and when entirely cold chop them fine. To a coffee-cup of chopped meat allow four of chopped potatoes, stir the potatoes gradually into the meat, until the whole is mixed. Do this at evening and, if warm, set the hash in a cool place. In the morning put the spider on the fire with a lump of butter as large as the bowl of a table-spoon, add a dust of pepper, and if not sufficiently salt, add a little; usually none is needed. When the butter has melted, put the hash in the spider, add four table-spoons of water, and stir the whole together. After it has become really hot, stir it from the bottom, cover a plate over it, and set the spider where it will merely stew. This is a moist hash, and preferred by some to a dry or browned hash.
(Oh, and for anyone disconcerted by the direction to "put the spider on the fire" or feel that would be inhumane to arachnids....a spider is a cast-iron large frying pan or Dutch oven with three our four little legs on the bottom to hold it up out of direct contact with the fire. Users of modern cooking stoves are free to use regular frying pans and deal with spiders as your views on the sanctity of all life dictates. )or going out without food for days?"We had now again been without food nearly two days and a night, and having, by activity and freedom with plenty of pure air, largely thrown off our prison contracted ailments, our appetites had returned. Here was a chance. We were in sight of a farm house and between us and it was a large apple orchard in which we discovered a pile of hogs. Thorp still carried the butcher knife in his boot leg; we reconnoitered the premises and waited until midnight, when a jump, a scramble of pigs, a single squeal and the law of confiscation of the enemy's supplies is obeyed. The two hams are all we can take. With these we again start northward eating warm fresh pork as we go, raw and without salt, but it was good. "
Raw pork?? I can't even imagine.
If you would like to see more recipes, gardening tips , etc from the early 1800's ; here is the link.
http://www.civilwarinteractive.com/cookbook.htmThere is a load of information and images on that site. :)
I found this really great AND easy craft that I thought I would share.
It is from COUNTRY HOME
http://www.countryhome.com/projects/holiday/holidaypaperprojects_4.html
Now how cool are they??! I think I can handle making these!! I am going to put the battery operated tea lights behind them.
Do you love giveaways??thistledew farm and
clayhill farm have partnered with
brandyanne's candles and prims for an awesome giveaway!!! hurry over!!!
I am off to drink more coffee and clean house. :)
p.s.
Hartstone Pottery is having an online sale tonight with 40 % off! 6PM-10PM Eastern
sign up for all their specials!!
http://www.hartstonepottery.com/edited. i am back again.i received an award from annabelle @ http://1938elmstreet.blogspot.com/
The rules that go along with the award are to answer the following questions with one word answers...then pass it on to other bloggers- i am passing it on to anyone who wants to join. :).
1. Where is your cell phone? beside me
2. Where is your significant other? in the bathroom
3. Your hair color? red
4. Your mother? doesn't have time for me
5. Your father? having surgery in the morning
6. Your favorite thing? primitive magazines
7. Your dream last night? i don't remember
8. Your dream/goal? go back to work
9. The room you're in? living room
10. Your hobby? many
11. Your fear? something happening to my girls
12. Where do you want to be in 6 years? working, in a real house
13. Where were you last night? home
14. What you're not? hateful
15. One of your wish list items? a truck- even a used one would be great!
16. Where you grew up? cambridge, ohio
17. The last thing you did? painted the bathroom
18. What are you wearing? sweats
19. Your tv? on food network
20. Your pet? kitties
21. Your computer? Dell
22. Your mood? calm
23. Missing someone? yes
24. Your car? explorer
25. Something you're not wearing? shoes
26. Favorite store? pier one
27. Your summer? busy
28. Love someone? yes
29. Your favorite color? tan
30. When was the last time you laughed? yesterday
31. Last time you cried? two nights ago, watching a movie
