How long have women worked for a better future? It’s been over 100 years ago that the Farmer’s Wife magazine asked its readers the question, “Do you want your daughter to marry a farmer?” The magazine received responses from women all over the United States. Laurie compiled many of these glimpses into farm wives’ lives and paired them with traditional…

Are you good at finding time to read or whatever activity rejuvenates you? I love this encouraging story. It IS possible to fit moments of rest and relaxation in throughout the day, even in 1936. In the case of this mother, reading was her refreshment of choice. I get time to read just about like a smoker gets time to…

…we women should seek first the kingdom of righteousness in making ourselves efficient users of those things around us, things we can be bountifully supplied with at all times, before we aspire to become users of articles that come from distant parts and are not always easy to get.  -1905 Healthy, “clean eating” websites can be a little wearisome nowadays. …

I’m always on the hunt for books on homemaking. Unfortunately, most of them are intensely practical. The old ones are the worst. They’re dry, how-to manuals that talk about running a home by modern scientific methods–the square footage needed for a bathroom, how to clean your rugs, the caloric needs of a school child, etc. Vintage homemaking books typically miss…