Wednesday, July 7, 2010

Remembering The Forgotten Homemaker....

This is the remainder of our Neighborhood Museum trip from last weekend... 
Freckles had a blast in this part of our trip.
Oh the modern technology we have today.
  Many women go through this life without even the thought of what our forgotten home making ancestors had to go through. If you would just stop for a moment and remember them and their labors. You would surely not take this easy life now for granted.
Not so long ago ...the first washing machines were invented for the weary homemakers of  yesteryear. Before then they had to wash their clothing and linens from their entire households by hand, in streams or even buckets. It was surely an all day affair, and not quite the easy task as we presently have with our automatic washing machines that do all the work for us... Let us not forget dishwashers too! It really is amazing that we even have machines that do that job too!


Women had to wash and scrub, wring out, hang to dry, iron, fold and put away. Ironing was another story. Today we have electric irons that plug into our walls, heat up to a very hot temperature, ready to press. Back then homemakers had to stoke the fires in their heavy stoves till it got hot, then had to heat the irons on top until it was blazing hot...  those irons were HEAVY.... 
When it cooled, they had an extra iron heating on the stove ready to use. 
I bet it took a lot of strength for these women to do a task 
that seems as easy as one, two, three to us.
This was a task that had to be done with other household chores 
and took the homemaker from sun up to sun down to complete. 
They even had to make their families clothing.
Unless you were rich of course.


Meals had to be prepared by scratch... It's not like they had a grocery store to run to with prepackaged meals or a fast food restaurants to pick up a burger when they didn't have time to cook a meal.. They had to milk their cows, collect the eggs, make their bread, kill their livestock for food, grow their own fruits and veggies and more.



Their kitchen tools were so primitive compared to what we are used to these days... I think we are quite spoiled. They had to cook over fires or huge black stoves. No microwaves there! Every thing was mixed by hand.. now we have electric mixers, blenders and kitchen aids to do it all for us.

They even had to labor just to make a pot of coffee. Grinding coffee was done in hand cranked grinders. We have the luxury of electric grinders or even pre~ground... as well as coffee machines and espresso machines... Heck, we can even grab a cup of Joe from a drive thru coffee joint... WOW!


I am grateful for what we have now.. just looking back at what we didn't have then. I truly have an appreciation for these luxuries so often taken for granted. I appreciate it so much I have brought many of these old fashioned ways into my very own home.I will admit... I LOVE my washer, my dryer, my dishwasher and microwave. I love that I can buy an espresso and have a meal out. I probably wouldn't trade it for anything now. Yet, I have thoroughly enjoyed learning myself and teaching my little girl the lost arts of the homemaker. That.... I would not trade for the world!
The Woman Who Fears the Lord
An excellent wife who can find?
She is far more precious than jewels.
 The heart of her husband trusts in her,
and he will have no lack of gain.
 She does him good, and not harm,
all the days of her life.
 She seeks wool and flax,
and works with willing hands.
  She is like the ships of the merchant;
she brings her food from afar.
  She rises while it is yet night
and provides food for her household
and portions for her maidens.
  She considers a field and buys it;
with the fruit of her hands she plants a vineyard.
  She dresses herself with strength
and makes her arms strong.
She perceives that her merchandise is profitable.
Her lamp does not go out at night.
She puts her hands to the distaff,
and her hands hold the spindle.
  She opens her hand to the poor
and reaches out her hands to the needy. 
She is not afraid of snow for her household,
for all her household are clothed in scarlet.
  She makes bed coverings for herself;
her clothing is fine linen and purple.
  Her husband is known in the gates
when he sits among the elders of the land.
She makes linen garments and sells them;
she delivers sashes to the merchant.
 Strength and dignity are her clothing,
and she laughs at the time to come.
She opens her mouth with wisdom,
and the teaching of kindness is on her tongue.
  She looks well to the ways of her household
and does not eat the bread of idleness.
  Her children rise up and call her blessed;
her husband also, and he praises her:
  “Many women have done excellently,
but you surpass them all.”
  Charm is deceitful, and beauty is vain,
but a woman who fears the Lord is to be praised.
  Give her of the fruit of her hands,
and let her works praise her in the gates


We may live in a world where everything is made to do everything for you...
But don't forget... The art of home making can still be enjoyed. I encourage you to take the time... make a meal from scratch, wash your dishes by hand a couple times a week, hang your laundry out to dry, sew a dress... The feeling is wonderful and rewarding to ones womanhood.
Don't let this busy world take the art out of the homemaker!

2 comments:

  1. Oh my gosh I want it all !!! I love seeing old kitchens, how fun xoxox Clarice

    ReplyDelete
  2. Did you know that when David was a baby I washed his diapers on a scrub board? My knuckles were raw. Then Grandma Great bought me a washer just like this one and I used it for at least 2 years. I was so glad when I got an automatic washing machine. Didn't have a dryer for years later. I used to hang the clothes on the line and one year in Colorado it snowed and David's diapers froze stiff as a board!
    Funny huh? I told you I was getting old.
    Love you

    ReplyDelete