Frugal Boot Campe: How To Cook A Wolf by M.F.K. Fisher

It seems as though I've heard of this book forever and ever.  I finally broke down and ordered it after it proved utterly elusive on any thrift store or even library shelf.  Originally published in 1942 during WWII and rationing, Ms. Fisher updated the book in 1988 with additional notes included in parenthesis.   This is the copy I own, a 1988 copy.  Prices on Amazon range from under $3 to upwards of $50.  Pick and choose and get a decent copy that will last you a while.  It's a darned good read and not just a cookbook.  In fact, it's more good read than cookbook though there are recipes included.

Fisher wrote this book during world war bombing blitzes and ration coupons and food shortages.  Her title refers to the wolf at the door.  Practically she suggests that when the wolf is at the door you invite him in and make dinner of him.  And then she goes on to highlight various international recipes that can adapt to a bevy of substitutions and still be good food.  She suggests that nutrition be balanced daily overall and to skip the rather illogical practice of trying to balance each meal.  As she rightly points out quite often we don't want a fully balanced meal starting with breakfast.  In her estimation the day should start out with a pot of hot coffee and a platter of hot toast which one would eat with butter if it's to be had and jam and have all you want.  While lunch might well be soup and a salad (encompassing most of the day's vegetable requirements) followed by fresh fruit and supper be a light meal of meat and potato and dessert if you must.

Frugal Boot Camp: The I Hate to Housekeep Book by Peg Bracken

The I Hate to Housekeep Book by Peg Bracken, written circa 1960 or so, is available on Amazon, Ebay, and at Alibris and even on Etsy.  Prices range from $1.22 (Alibris) to $44 (Etsy for a signed first edition copy).  There is no shortage of this book;  it's available just every where online and likely no shortage at any good thrift store either.  I purchased my own copy at a thrift store for under $1.

Though written in a very tongue in cheek sort of way, make no mistake, Peg Bracken knows her stuff.  She starts right away in Chapter One with absolutely practical advice:  Don't cover things up!  As she points out we have tile in our kitchen so that we can easily clean spills...so why are we tossing a rug down in front of the stove and sink?  That one made me stop and think a moment.  I realized I do it because I like the softness it adds to an otherwise hard room that tends to echo sounds.  I always buy the sort that I can toss in the washer though.  That's just the tip of the ice berg of practical home cleaning advice. 

She goes on to suggest these things in Chapter one:

Keep pots and pans out of sight.  Hanging pots and pans adds to visual clutter...and you'll be obligated to keep them super spic and span otherwise they are an eyesore.

Each time you give the house a good deep cleaning start in a different room.  She surmises (rightly!) that we often run out of steam before we are done and if we start at a different point each time we're bound to eventually get the whole house clean.

Act immediately on housewifely impulses.  Soap, water and a sponge now accomplishes more than putting off a task until you have a special cleanser or tool meant just for that task.  How right she is on this one!  Soap, water and a sponge did more for the railings of the front porch than waiting two years for paint could ever do!

Frugal Boot Camp: The Complete Book Of Home Management

The Complete Book of Home Management by Elva Anson and Kathie Liden.  This book is available on Amazon for $.01-$10.  I found two copies on eBay for $4.50 and $4.99.

I'm not sure just where I acquired this book but it was on my bookshelf.  This is one of three books I've read over the weekend.  It wasn't a hard read.  It's a decent book, probably more suited to those who are actively parenting but not a bad book to refresh thinking.  I'm going to pass this one on to one of the younger girls in my family, I think.

The book has good practical information.  Originally published as The Compleat Family Book ( still available on Amazon and eBay for under $4)  in 1960 and being reprinted several times, the information in it is not dated.  It's all good practical advice.

The book begins with the supposition that you want to change your family and home.  It's a Christian based book and there are several references to scripture and putting God first in your life, your marriage, your family and home. As you all know by now, I whole heartedly agree with that! 

The first chapter introduces the idea that change can be had if one is willing to adjust attitude and thinking, words and actions.  The authors suggest half steps to goals.  One of my favorite lines in this chapter reminds that even if you move two steps forward and one step back, you're still making progress.   This moderate approach is repeated all through the other chapters, as well. 

Weekend Reading

I've been saving up some posts over the last few weeks that I thought you all might enjoy as much as I have.  We'll start with the two freshest and work our way down the list I'd saved.

Dee wrote this week about the Housedress...I really enjoyed this post and was inspired to order four dresses for myself as 'at home' wear.

MSN had this slideshow over the weekend.  I loved looking at it and since we're going retro here anyway with housedresses, why not see what travel was like in yesteryear?

I stumbled upon this article about these 'crystal caves'.  Having visited Ruby Falls and seen some of these caves in nature series I am familiar with the idea, but these are truly spectacular.

Coloring being very popular for adults just now, I've got this on my wish list.

I thought the renovation on this home was intriguing, since they made it as it was when built in 1960.  The whole site is a fun one to read through.

I recall my first reading of the scripture referred to in this post and it struck me hard.  Loved this post!

New Blue House Journal Recipe Blog

This little recipe blog has been hanging about in the blogsphere for a good many years now, neglected and dusty and with a whole 11 followers.  I'm slowly getting it up and running and over time I'll even organize it a bit better but for now, here it is, debuting as a companion to this blog. 

https://bluehousejournalrecipes.blogspot.com/

I'll continue to add recipes as I have time to work on older posts from here and the old Penny Ann Poundwise blog.  I hope you all enjoy this added resource.

In My Home This Week: Hazy, But Not Lazy, Days of Summer

This week in my home, I:

...have another busy week planned.  I worked steadily all last week and knocked out a number of the items on my July Goals.  Not all of them complete but nearly every one of them started upon in some way and many of them are complete.  I shared a lot of that in my Frugal Friday post.  It's amazing how work can be economical...How so?

Well stop and think about it now.  Work generally involves building, repairing, maintaining or creating doesn't it?  I do all of those things in some form in my home six days a week.  Even if I'm not hard at work on the house or wardrobe or yard, there's this blog to keep up.  Most all of the work, except the blog, is all about saving money for this household.  Hence my statement that work is economical.   As one enlightened young woman put it to me one time, "Saving money takes a LOT of effort."  Yup.  That's called WORK.

I happen to like work.  I think it makes life interesting.  I like to read, too, and listen to music, and sit on the porch and do nothing.  It's striking the right balance that makes it all pleasant as can be.  Boredom rarely sets in if you have the mix just right, nor exhaustion, either. 

Besides work is good for what ails you...It got me through the week without missing that little boy too much.  How gratified I felt when he asked for me the other morning, so Bess called.  Josh took the phone and ran away.  I know, because I could hear him shaking the phone as he ran but he talked to me the whole while.  He reported the cats were 'Fine' and that the house was a house.  Beyond that it was just so much jabber but it was a start to a conversation and one I enjoyed. 

I started the closing of my booth this week.  I'm paid up through the end of July and I decided to cull a few things, put up a sign advertising everything 50% off.  I'll go about this slowly, clearing out a little each week,  thinking hard about whether to donate or keep for a bit, but not leaving myself a ton of work at month's end.  I found myself not in the least sad about shutting down the booth but philosophical.  It was a season and I enjoyed it.  Now it's time to move on, to let go so that I can be ready for the next opportunity to come my way.

Frugal Friday: Hup Hup Hup...Boot Camp Continues

A few years ago I purchased sturdy cotton duck slipcovers for two of my chairs and I've not one whit of regret over that expense.  But I also purchased at the time an ottoman cover.  Having seen how simple it was in construction I regretted spending the money.  It cost nearly as much as one of the chair slipcovers had...So making up my mind this past winter to change the color of the slipcover on the ottoman, I knew I would make it myself.  I used an old cotton flat bed sheet and the former slipcover as my pattern.  I had all I needed on hand to make this cover and so it cost me nothing but a couple of hours time.  No regrets...

Saturday:  I'm short on bread and there was just one bagel.  Bess prefers a bagel for breakfast so we left that to her.  I made scones, which are a richer biscuit dough.  They were mighty good. 

The baking powder I've been using up was dated expired in January of this year.  It's just fine, still raises dough but it's got hard and clumpy.  I find that sifting it makes it work better.  Lesson here is that just because it says it's beyond 'best' date doesn't mean you can't still use it.

We did both laundry and dishes this morning, a full load of each.  I filled the empty spots of the dishwasher with the coffee pot and sink stoppers and such.

I made John and I a scratched together lunch of leftovers from the freezer.  It wasn't particularly tasty but it filled the empty spots in us and that food won't be wasted or forgotten.

Baked a lovely peach cobbler this morning and put it in the oven while I was roasting a chicken for supper.