Park Bench at Mrs. White's House in Vermont. There is a way of quiet, peaceful living when one slows down and stays at home.  There is plenty to do in regards to the care of the grounds, gardens, flowers, and porches. The outdoor work is a lovely time of enjoying nature and seeing the beauty all around as the care and keeping of home is happening. Back inside the house, I tend to pace myself as I clean, organize, and work in the kitchen. There is so much to do each day that it keeps things interesting and pleasant to have a variety of necessary work involving my favorite place o ..read more

Library of Congress: Drawing Room Charles Edmonston House, South Carolina. It is wonderful to have a happy home. It is a blessing to be peaceful and content. We may be facing trials and problems each day, but our focus on goodness and faith can keep us calm.  I would like to share some suggestions that may help keep your days peaceful and give you some rest. It is a gracious way of living with gentle manners and a rule book for life.  The most important part of our life is to follow the precious commandments in Scripture. That, of course, is the first step. But there are al ..read more

A Country Road near Mrs. White's home in Vermont. I went on a little journey. We do not often take trips. When we do they are mostly for emergencies or medical reasons. This trip came upon us suddenly as medical care was needed for one of the family. We had to go to a hospital in the next state.  There is a wonderful doctor there who provides excellent care. Since we have not needed to go anywhere for a year now, it was a bit of a shock and I was not entirely prepared. But the Lord brought many blessings and comforts and we had a peaceful journey. During this trip I was able to ..read more

Tea Room at the Frederick and Nelson Store, 1913, Washington. There are very few opportunities to do any shopping in our rural mountain village.  It has not been much of a hardship since we do not have money available for spending.  We live by the old tradition of Yankee thrift and "getting by."  But sometimes there are things we really need. We have to save for a long time and prepare ourselves for a journey into an area where stores are plentiful. In the old days, a shopping excursion was an event.  You might be gone for an entire day or even overnight.  So ..read more

Hermann Pohle painting, 1901. It is always important to know when to speak and when to be quiet.  We are often having casual conversation with family members or friends and we may end up saying something that harms rather than helps. The biggest and most common example of this is when we offer a contrary opinion, without thinking, or give overbearing advice as an instant reflex when we should have kept quiet. This causes harm because it discourages others.  It makes them second guess themselves. It drags them down instead of lifting them up.  Many parents do this to th ..read more

Library of Congress: Rural winter morning with a church in the background, by W. C. Bauer, 1800's. We need more peace and cheer.  We are often encouraged by little quotes, devotions, and uplifting thoughts.  It is common to read digital words rather than having a book or paper in our hands. These digital words may be a quote we read on a website or on social media.  We appreciate the words, think about them, and then we tend to forget them. It would be helpful to have a little book in which to write down these thoughts and quotes. Each time we read something which chee ..read more

You can Follow The Legacy of Home by subscribing to the blog by email: Please Note: Due to financial issues involving working with email subscription services, we have had to set up our own method to keep readers updated about new posts here at The Legacy of Home blog. We have set up a simple site I refer to as ~The Parlor~ for the only purpose of notifying you of new posts here.  It is called: "Letters from Mrs. White."     This is a separate site where you can see post updates.   On the right sidebar of that site, you will find a box to add your email address ..read more

"A Country Home" by Frederic Edwin Church (1826 - 1900). Things are very quiet in the rural mountains of Vermont.  The winter keeps us mostly indoors. There is not a great deal of activity at this time of year.  On days when we do not have much company, there is less to do.  My grown children and grandchildren are my most frequent visitors, but not quite as often during cold winter days. When things are this quiet, I tend to think about what it may have been like for homesteaders in the old days. I remember the homemakers who lived out in rural areas and were confined ..read more

~The Legacy of Home Press presents our newest book "Born to Serve."~   "Born to Serve" is about the work of housekeeping. It was originally published in the year 1900 and was written by the famous minister, Charles M. Sheldon.  The overall theme of the story is to encourage us to do our work as unto the Lord.  Work that had been considered drudgery and for the lower class was to be elevated to something meaningful. The work of keeping house is a noble service and much needed. Here is a description:     "Barbara Clark, a recent college graduate, is unable to find ..read more

Mrs. White's wish book. In an effort to spend less money this year, I decided I needed a wish book. All through the year there are things that distract me with a sense of want.  There are little things I want to buy that do not cost much money. However, if I were to purchase every one of them, I would have no money at all.  The solution for me is to keep a wish book. Money is for food, clothing, shelter, and to help those in need. We must not be frivolous or wasteful. It is not okay for me to have things any time I want them. Yet, there is a time and a place for special gif ..read more