Mrs. Dunwoody's is loaded with timeless advice and tips for homekeeping, from a homemaker's daily routine, recipes for various house cleaning solutions, sewing tips, recipes for good 'ole southern food, a guide to entertaining, etiquette, letter writing, health and beauty, advice on marriage and family, planting a garden, and the book is filled with pages to fill in your own advice/tips/recipes/family memories and stories/and your family tree. This is a must for any woman who keeps a house!
Not Just a Homekeeping Book
This book is great! Fun for brousing through. It has a little of everything and would make a great gift for a bride or new home owner, or anyone who enjoys making home a cozy place. Based on Southern "receipt books" that Southern women kept after the civil war, this book covers everything from homemade, safe cleaning solutions to letter writing and etiquitte. Some of my favorite sections include "Mrs. Dunwoody's Essential Guide to Absolutely Delightful Parties", "Mrs. Dunwoody's List of Requirements for an Exceptional Spouse" and some great Southern recipes including "Captain Clemintine's Mint Julip" and "The Robert E. Lee Cake".
Chapter titles are: The Art of Homekeeping, The Cares of House and Home, Miss Sallie Anne's Splendid Directions for Laundry, Notes and Recipes from the Kitchen, The Art of Entertaining, Matters of Formality, Health and Beauty, Marriage and Family, The Garden, and Fill-In Pages-A Treasury of Memories.
I think my favorite thing about this book is the space at the end of each chapter for making your own notes. There's even a family tree to fill out, and a place to record births, deaths, marriages, etc., just like the old Bibles used to have. Lot's of cute, funny quotes too. For the price -you can't go wrong with this one.
What a Great Motivator!
This is a marvelous book that balances old-fashioned, practical advice with a healthy dose of motivational prose. You can keep a gracious home, just like "Mrs. Dunwoody".
