
"For me, a cottage should be a sanctuary when the outside world is crazy, we need somewhere peaceful to go." - Brenda DeWitt (Victoria Magazine)
The Homemaking Cottage strives to create a peaceful and informative place online where homemakers can go to find pearls and gems of homemaking ideas, advice and wisdom. We thank you for visiting and hope you'll spend some time perusing our website.
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In the free magazine edition of the Homemaking-Cottage we’re featuring:
Martha Jefferson
By Janice Hayes
There are no known facial images of Martha Jefferson in existence although one silhouette does remain. It is simple, showing a small woman dressed in colonial garb, a white day cap on her head. Still, contemporary descriptions of Thomas Jefferson's wife do exist and they describe her as being a little over five feet tall, slight, with beautiful auburn hair and hazel eyes...
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1, 2, 3 Picnic!
By Kristy Powers
It's summer, and for some of you, this is great picnic weather. Others, like us here in Florida, may want to be inside around noontime! Either way, you can have lots of family fun with easy picnics.
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What We Call Home
By Kristy Powers
Probably many of us feel comfortable in our current homes, whether they are apartments, houses, or some other kind of dwelling, whether they are owned or rented, and whether they are large, small, or medium-sized. Most likely we've had time to set them up (and mess them up) in a way that makes us feel at home. I know I am comfortable in mine and feel anxious at the possibility of losing it...
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Our writers are hard at work to share original and creative ideas:
Family Fun at a Local Farm
By Jamie Turner
Local "pick your own" farms provide hours of fun for the whole family. Visiting these small and mainly family run farms is an easy tradition to start. The memories made will be talked about for years.
Before Heading Out- Crops and weather are not always predictable. Call the night before or early in the morning to make sure it is a good day to pick.
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Belle of the Barbecue
By Donna Bush
In Gone With the Wind, Scarlett O’Hara was the “belle of the barbecue” in her fresh green dress, wide ribbon, and floppy straw hat. Oh, she looked absolutely stunning and casually elegant, but the thought of keeping that fresh look on a blazing summer day is as stifling as that bone-crushing corset she wore. Backyard entertaining in the summer can be fun, but who wants to be outside when the thermometer climbs past 100? If you’re like me, you’d rather take a cool drink inside and keep your hair from frizzing out and your clothes wrinkle-free in the humidity.
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Curtain Topper Ideas
By Shiloah Baker
A well decorate window makes such an impact to the look and feel of a room. Window toppers can be pricey at a home interiors shop if you want to create a more creative or upscale look. Fortunately, there are many shortcuts for creating beautiful window toppers. Many of the items can be found at a discount store, around the house, or various places other than a high end home decorating store.
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Patriotic Charm
By Valerie Steadman
What does our flag mean to you? Right now, wherever you are reading this, I want you to take a moment and think about what the flag represents in your eyes. To me, the flag stands for sacrifice. It stands for the blood of sons and daughters who gave their all, their lives, for my freedom. The flag stands for honor, respecting those who have made a positive difference in history and in the lives of others. The flag is an emblem of reverence, and I often think of the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier at Arlington National Cemetery, crisp uniforms and the sharp click of heels. Old Glory can stand for many things to different people. With modern convenience, news, and politics, it can be easy to forget the sacrifices that our founding fathers made, but it will be to our country's detriment if we should forget.
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Picnics Made Easy
By Donna Bush
Summertime is picnic time. Getting out in the fresh air with family and friends to enjoy a delicious meal can be fun, but it can also be a lot of work. After all, you’ve got to prepare food in one place, pack it up, as well as other items, and then serve it in another. But don’t let that discourage you. Picnics can be simple if you follow these guidelines.
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Gluten and Dairy Free Zucchini Muffins
By Jamie Turner
These muffins can be enjoyed straight out of the oven or frozen for up to 1 month if baking ahead of time.
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Summertime Delights: French Tradition
By Donna Bush
One of our favorite summertime meals is so simple and easy, you may want to make it part of your menu all year round. (In fact, we adapted it for our Easter menu this year.) It all started with the Tour de France. Yep, a bicycle race. See, my husband is a cyclist. And I have a love of all things French. But to be honest, I’m not that thrilled by cycling. And he couldn’t give a rip about most things French. Still, I wanted to find a way to combine our two interests and teach our children a little something about French culture.
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All-American Baked Beans
By Donna Bush
Looking for a simple side dish for your patriotic barbecue? This recipe, originally from Gooseberry Patch, is one of our family’s favorites. It involves little more than opening cans, dumping ingredients into a crock pot, and then turning it on and walking away to spend more time with your guests. I love that it goes together quickly and is ready in as little as two hours. Of course, you can let them simmer longer if necessary. But if you want to pull something together in a hurry, this will fit the bill.
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Red, White, and Blue Decorating
By Donna Bush
Whether you’re celebrating Memorial Day, Flag Day, the 4th of July, or Labor Day, or just want to bring a touch of patriotism to your home, you can look no further than a red, white and blue color scheme for a perfect setting. For an easy, fun take on a patriotic tablescape, try mixing red bandanas, white eyelet and blue denim. What could be more all-American than that?
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Ham and Broccoli Calzone
By Raejean Roberts
Place on greased cookie sheet and brush with remaining egg. Bake at 400 degrees for 20 minutes, until golden brown. These are great to make extra and freeze!
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End of Summer Celebrations
By Raejean Roberts
Many Arizona schools use a modified traditional schedule, which means we only get about 7 weeks of summer vacation. That’s fine with me since by the end of July, we’re pretty withered – so the kids might as well go back to school and enjoy the air conditioning. Since our summer vacation is winding down, I’ve been thinking of some entertaining ways to say good-bye to summer vacation.
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Backyard Bliss
By Donna Bush
The weather has finally warmed up and we’re headed outdoors more than ever. Let those kids run around, toss a Frisbee, make mud pies, blow bubbles and pick daisies. There’s no better place than your own backyard for an afternoon of Otter Pops and lemonade, lounging in a chaise or lawn chair and letting the answering machine pick up the phone.
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Camping - Your Family Mountain Top Experience
By Raejean Roberts
I am not a camper. I don’t even wish I was a camper. I have a hard time understanding why normal, civilized people would spend a week planning, shopping, and packing to leave the comforts of home we have worked hundreds of years to acquire. If camping is so great, why did people invent houses and indoor plumbing? If being dirty is such a treat, why do most homes have at least two showers in them?
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Beware: I Brake for Cemeteries
By Jamie Turner
It was just another summer of visiting the grandparents when something extraordinary crossed my path. A woman visiting the area dropped off a folder filled with information about our family. A goldmine awaited me as I flipped through the charts and read the names of my forefathers. What I soon learned was that names and dates were fine but the real treasure was in the stories. I have been on a never ending adventure tracking down the finer details ever since that summer in my teenage years.
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How to Identify a Phony Freebie Site
By Trina Boice
I love freebies, but how do you differentiate between a free sample from a legitimate company that's trying to solicit new customers from a data harvester that will lead to lots of spam and never send you any freebie?
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Rhubarb Pie
By Valerie Steadman
Rhubarb is a tasty alternative to fruit, especially in pies. This pie recipe is deceptively easy, and so delicious you'll wonder why you've never tried rhubarb before!
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All About Rhubarb
By Valerie Steadman
I grew up with two large rhubarb plants in our garden. They were large and ornamental, and looked a little like Hosta plants. They were, for the most part, ignored by my parents, they finding little use for this treasure trove of flavor. When I began to run my own kitchen, I came across a recipe from my great grandma for rhubarb jam. And I discovered that the true benefit of rhubarb is not good looks, but flavor.
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A Place Called Home
By Donna Bush
What is it that makes a house a home? You may spend months searching for the perfect furniture, paint and draperies. Invest your time studying the practice of feng shui and rearranging your belongings frequently to get the mood “just so.” Place dozens of perfectly posed family portraits on all your walls and bookcases to greet your guests.
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Salmon Pasta Salad
By Donna Bush
My husband requested pasta salad as a side dish for Father’s Day dinner. In general, I find pasta salad kind of ho-hum. I’ve never really liked it, but I wanted to fulfill his request on his special day. So I took a little time to think about what he might like. The beauty of starting with a basic dish that is “ho-hum” is that you can jazz it up in countless ways and customize it to your own tastes and dietary needs to make something spectacular. My husband has had some cholesterol issues and we’ve been able to stabilize them by including omega-3s in his diet, so I kept that in mind when planning the recipe.
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