Homemaking Tip – The Schoolmarm

Before Grace moved in with Calvin and me people asked her if she was going to get a job while she was here and work until the baby came.  She debated and wondered what to do.  She knew it would take a long time to build a hair clientele, and doubted people would be interested knowing she would soon leave it.  She considered looking for another type of job.  Finally she asked Whitney, our friend in Colorado, what she would do and Whitney said, “Unless you need the money, I’d ask The Neighbor to teach me and learn what I could from her for the next year.”  Whitney makes me laugh.  The Neighbor, while friendly enough, is not an expert at one single thing.  However, The Neighbor has loved playing teacher and being the student.  We’ve had a fun time in our lessons, Grace and I.    

Grace leaves for Colorado in a few more weeks, but rest assured, we have crossed butter-knife swirls on cookie dough brownies off the list of things to learn.

Yesterday we made a couple of meals to take to friends.  One couple had a new baby so we put a bath-temp duck and washcloths in with the barbecue sandwiches and chips.  One sheet of tissue paper made a nice difference in how the little white basket of food looked.  

Grace also made brownies to take visiting teaching.  She wanted more than plain brownies so I suggested Cookie Dough Brownies, an old staple.  After Grace spread the melted chocolate chips on top of the brownies I showed her Decorating with a Butter-knife 101 that my sister Lynn taught me.     

1.  Frost the brownies or cake.

2.  Make diagonal lines in one direction with the knife edge.

3.  Make diagonal lines across the original lines going in the other direction.

4.  Smile that something so simple looks so good.

I am not as quick a learner as Grace.  I have flunked a few of the classes she has taught me so we’ll be working on pedicures, eyebrows, and hair right until she goes . . . and hope and hope that Grace can correct my mistakes when she comes for Ande's wedding.