Archive for January 23rd, 2012
Records in the Household – A Vintage Idea
“I finally worked out what my husband calls my “time-and-worry-saving family cabinet.’* I bought a drawer, illustrated herewith, of 3 by 5 inch filing cards. The drawer will hold a thousand cards costing about 75 cents. I divided the cards under subheads which I will classify later, and which, of course, must depend upon the needs of the family. I keep this drawer on the top of my desk, where I can use it every day, and when you see how much information is packed away into that little drawer fifteen inches long I think you will be surprised.” ~Christine Frederick, The New Housekeeping
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By now I know, if you are a regular reader of the website or blog, that keeping up with things in the home goes a bit better with a Homemaking Notebook (or is it Home Binder? Or Housekeeping Notebook! Oh goodness I can’t keep track). What ever you call it it can make things run really nice and smooth.
Sometimes we think things like this are brand new and someone just thought of them in the past few years. But truthfully they have been around a while. They went forgotten when homemaking was no longer vogue. And have come out of hibernation again in the last few years because…well goodness it just works!
I’ve worked through a few Homemaking Notebooks in my home trying to improve on them etc. No matter how often I’ve tried though, for my day to day stuff, I need something small and compact. For long term records, schedules, appointments, the binder works well. But for day to day stuff I work within a small comfy cozy space and a spread out full sized binder is just too big.
So the past week or so I’ve decided I want to dust off the idea keeping house with the card file and make one that I LIKE!
I first read about them in my Emilie Barnes books Survival for Busy Women and More Hours in My Day. Emilie discusses how to put a housekeeping card file together and use them these nifty boxes to organize your home and daily activities. I’ve also read about them in the S.H.E. (Sidetracked Home Executives) books. They are put together a tiny bit differently there. Not much to be an issue but I’m going with the Emilie Barnes version. I believe there are less divider cards and the less the better for me.
By the way if you want to know what I am talking about check out Spring Clean, Year Round. She has put a lot of work into these lovely boxes. Since I’m going to “try” to do some customizing in mine I thought I’d better go ahead and make my own. Besides I’ve been really crafty (for me) as of late and this is something I really want to do.
So far what I have in my head is an idea and some templates.
I’ll start talking about the process tomorrow and I’ll post some more about Housekeeping Card Files on the site in the weeks to come.
Stay tuned (oh the quote up top was the vintage part).
Blogging Schedule. Do you have one?
I noticed my friend Roxanne over at HavenofHome has a nifty new blogging schedule. I love her blog because she posts these thoughtful everyday things with occasional (more often than not) touches of the past.
Anyway it got me thinking that I probably should have a blog schedule and get my head out of the clouds. Truly some days I forget I have a blog. Life does intrude you know.
I also like that she has given herself weekends off. That is so important.
So in the interest of keeping organized even on the internet I’m going to try and give myself a blogging schedule because I really like to take action on timely advice such as this. I’m also going to shamelessly copy Roxanne’s ideas for what to post when as this is the sincerest form of flattery. Okay I did change a little bit.
So here is the goal…
- Monday: Vintage Stuff
- Tuesday: Cleaning – or series
- Wednesday: Goals update
- Thursday: Cooking Stuff
- Friday: Crafts of other blog sightings
- Saturday and Sunday: No posts
Here is a tip. Never look for my blog posts in the morning. I’m not a morning person. I may blog at midnight though so you could see it the next morning. This is something I really need to rectify but so far it’s working for me.
So I guess I’d better go do my food stuff blog and write this schedule down so I know what I’m supposed to do.
Do you keep a blog schedule? I guess in the business world it’s called Editorial Schedule.



