Happy Valentines Day!

Happy Valentine’s Day, my friends! I thought I’d share with you some recent finds from a shopping trip I took in Austin, Texas, with my budding antique-loving 10 year old niece, Olivia. We had a grand day shopping at Uncommon Objects. She scored a great mechanical pencil and a cute little painted wooden bug, plus […]

Read More

A Helpmeet (1890)

“A compendium of valuable information for women” so describes the title page of the 1890 book The Mother’s Guide and Daughter’s Friend. It’s true, this book covers just about anything a woman of the late 1800s might need to know. The anonymous author (who suggests that if you really must find out who [she or […]

Read More

Why Girls Go to College

Just got back from a jaunt to Southern Ohio to visit some relatives and learn more about our Moore and Patterson ancestors. We visited the old family farms, saw the house where Grandma Bailey was born, and tried to remember who was who on the family tree. Not easy! One favorite ancestor: Mae Patterson, who […]

Read More

He’s a Bust With Dust!

Q Dear Miss Abigail: How do you train your husband to help around the house? I’ve asked him, pleaded with him, threatened him, but he still can’t “see” the mess around him and will not take the initiative to clean it up. We both work out of the home with competitive salaries, and I feel […]

Read More

Cooking for Two

I swear that the color in this image is true to the original. Do you think I could adjust that brussel-sprout green? Never. 1965: Cooking for Two THE HONEYMOON IS OVER; the die is cast. You and you only stand between your husband’s and your own starvation. Either you surrender to the can-opener method of […]

Read More

Housewives 101

Q Dear Miss Abigail: Why did they have housewives in the olden days? Signed, Mime A Dear Mime: I’ve often wondered the very same thing. Here’s a bit of guilt ~ oops, I mean advice ~ that should give you some insight into those wacky olden days. Richard A. Wells wrote it in 1891 for […]

Read More

Why Aren’t You Married?

Q Dear Miss Abigail: What are some good responses for a single woman to use when she is constantly hassled about her non-marital status, for example, “You are so young, and beautiful, why aren’t you married?” I have found that my own personal response of “I like my independence, dammit!” has proven inadequate. Please help! […]

Read More