Beautiful Homemakers

 Hello, Beautiful Homemakers!   In today's video we continue discussing scenes from William Makepeace Thackeray's story Vanity Fair.   The subsections of Chapter 12 of the 1922 original Fascinating Womanhood pamphlet #6 is called "More of Becky Sharp's Stratagems," "How She Applied the Principles," and "Joseph is Enthralled."   I read you 4 vignettes from Vanity Fair and also cover a few points Mary Rizza brings out in her article Sharp at Heart: Why We Should Resist the Appeal of Becky Sharp .  Becky is adept at using FW principles; however, she is manipulative and insincere, and does not possess the worthy character that a true Fascinating Woman nurtures and develops with her acquaintances, and in her relationships. Becky is also adept in portraying "Beauty in Distress."  The most important sentence is "Could anything be better calculated to emphasize her tenderness, her feminine frailty, her helplessness in a cruel world, and...

 Hello, Beautiful Homemakers!   I begin this video with what I forgot to say in the last video, but remembered to put in my last blog post.  Here it is again, since that was several weeks ago! At the Dance:  Why do men prefer women in dainty, fragile, soft, and delicate gowns versus short, black, body-hugging dresses?  Because the fabric conveys the qualities of the wearer herself. (Remember how we have discussed how your clothes 'say it for you'?)  Men want dainty, fragile, soft, delicate women for wives.  If you must wear black, don't imitate a street walker. Wear soft velvet, or dainty tulle or chiffon, or have lots of delicate lace covering your back and arms.  Don't show too much cleavage!  Don't let your skirt be too short.  If your dress dips down showing some cleavage, then your skirt needs to be longer.  If your skirt is above your knees, then your decolletage needs to be covered.      [Also, a...

   Ten years ago my parents celebrated their 50th wedding anniversary. We had a party and my brother and I shared a few memories of growing up. Here are mine: I am so thankful for my parents. Many people have asked, “Do you really know how lucky you are to have them for your parents?” And believe me, I do know. For one thing, we all actually liked it when my dad came home! Some friends would think they’d have to leave, or even hide, but I knew that if we had made a fort that day out of chairs and blankets, my dad would go through it! If we played with cars and made block towns, it would stay up for my dad to admire. We were excited when he came home! We also loved rainy days at our house. Not just because of the rain, but because we knew that when we got home from school, fresh hot chocolate chip cookies would be coming out of the oven. We’d run home! Even my dad didn’t mind the traffi...

 Hello, Beautiful Homemakers! In today's video we cover a lot of ground in Pamphlet 6 of the original 1922 Fascinating Womanhood pamphlets. We discuss: Gaining Immediate Notice, if circumstances allow: "You are the helpless beauty in distress again, and the man feels challenged to prove his superiority by finding a way to show you that exhibit."   A Stroll Through the Park, with the most important sentence being: "Every time one of them takes your hand to help your tenderness over this, that, or the other obstacle, he feels the contrast between your womanliness and his manhood - a good feeling for him to have, and a feeling that is a genuine pleasure to him."   Making the most of a picnic:  "The modest little thing naturally became even more frightened at such a proposal; she blushed, became confused, and finally became so daintily reproachful that the man was enchanted.  And when he finally persuaded her to place her confiding, trusting hand in his, and th...

Hello, Beautiful Homemakers! The first subsection of Pamphlet 6 that we are covering today is Stratagems that Win the Notice of Men .  They ask you to review chapter 8, exercises 1-6, 9-11, 13, and 14.  This is found in Pamphlet 4.  (See video and information at the end of this post.) The most important sentences in this section is:  "Nothing you may do to attract attention will be of much avail if there is, either in your manner, your voice, or your apparel, the suggestion of strength, manliness, efficiency, ability, or severity. The woman who is obviously able to kill her own snakes simply cannot attract favorable attention from men, no matter what arts and devices she employs..." This man discusses why ultra-feminine women are so desirable to men, and I highly suggest that you watch it: The next subsection is called The Manners that Focus Attention .  This section has several examples that I disagree with.  I tell you what the book says, and why I think...

Hello, Beautiful Homemakers!     I begin today's video with a partial comment from Aurora, with her permission.  It can be found in its entirety under the video FW3.4 "Why Being Too Nice Breeds Contempt."  She talks about how she has been showing her DH appreciation, and how she is trying to stop taking control, and the profound effect it has had on her marriage.  She changed just a few things, and BAM! he's acting like a completely different man.   Appreciating your husband, relinquishing control, and letting him lead makes a difference!  Let's squash our inner "Superior Wife."   We are beginning Pamphlet 6! Chapter 12 is entitled "Making Men Notice You." The most important sentence is "...what really attracted the man in each case was the opportunity to act the part of the 'superior' male in soothing that timidity, in protecting that tenderness, in aiding that helplessness, and in justifying that dependence."   This does not...

 Hello, Beautiful Homemakers! Today I am reading a 16 page booklet that changed the life of my family.  I discovered it just a few months ago and got in touch with the author.  V. Glenn McCoy and his wife and family gave me permission to read this booklet to you on YouTube. During the last 5 minutes of the video, after I finish reading the booklet, I share these verses: 2 Thessalonians 1:7-9 1 Corinthians 15:1-4 Romans 6:2-7 and Galatians 3:22, and 3:26-27. The background of WHY I chose to read this booklet to you (Most of this is NOT in the video, but I know my loyal subscribers will appreciate the full story) In mid-2024 my husband and I were still on our church search.  He dragged me to many a service with rock concerts that, frankly, disgusted me.  In one service, people in the audience bowed to a jesus idol and a fake prop-bible. We left this service half-way through at my insistence (because that breaks the 2nd Commandment).  In the majority of church...

 Hello, Beautiful Homemakers! Today I've got a story, actually an old e-mail from 2018 from Craig Huey, about the Christmas Story: "Five Little-known Facts You've Never Heard about the Message of the Manger." 1.  A manger?  Or "the" manger?  Luke 2:7; 2:12; and 2:16  Why is this important? 2. Priestly shepherds would watch the birthing process of lambs, inspect them immediately after birth, and protect it from becoming injured or blemished after birth. How did they do this? 3. Migdal-Eder is a watch tower mentioned twice in the Bible as Tower of the Flock:  In Genesis 35:21 and Micah 4:8.  The shepherds could observe a flock of sheep from a high position, and bring ewes about to give birth into the base of the tower where there was... 4.  The feeding troughs weren't made of wood, but of ....   New-born male lambs that were without spot or blemish were wrapped in "swaddling clothes" to prevent them from thrashing around and bruising thems...

 Hello, Beautiful Homemakers! Today I am reading you Chapter 2 of Carolyn Haywood's Snowbound with Betsy for Homemaking Storytime.  I loved this book as a child and was thrilled when I found it for a quarter at a library sale, as online it was selling for $325 (this was in the late 1990s). I would often read only Chapter 2 during the busy days of December, because it's such a cheery little chapter.  I read the book to my son at least three times.  So I thought I would give you a little taste of it, too. Reading this book reminded me of another story I had heard, long ago, and then it brought to mind Emilie Barnes, homemaker extraodonaire, who wrote 80 books! As a teen, I was lucky enough to attend her "More Hours in My Day Seminar" twice with my mom in the 1980s.  She lived in Riverside, California, and made the rounds to different churches with her seminar.  I still have my notes on Christmas.  Maybe I can share those with you next year. In the video...

Hello, Beautiful Homemakers!  This is the perfect time to decorate or clean your house while listening to Louisa May Alcott's An Old-Fashioned Thanksgiving: It's also a great week to think about printing out your Christmas card list and gathering supplies, and to buy Christmas stamps while you mail long-distance package.  For those who are interested, remember that Laine's service will be streamed on FB on Friday 11/22 at 1 pm PST.    Plan your menu and which dishes will hold what food.  Write a little list that you can keep in a homemaking binder to reuse year after year.  I have little index cards that I’ve cut into fourths that have the name of the food on it, to be placed on the correct dish the night before so that I do not forget to make something, or do not forget to take something out of the fridge that day. A typical Thanksgiving menu (for my non-American readers who don't know): Turkey Mashed Potatoes and gravy Green beans Corn Cranberry Sauce ...