Martha Stewart keeps making money. She has this week published her Homekeeping Handbook. Already it's number five on both Amazon.com and BarnesandNoble.com. I bought it too. (Plus it means I get to meet Ms. Stewart at the book signing next week.) I admire Martha, although I can't possibly keep up with her, and was interested to see what I might learn. She says it is a gathering of the things she has learned over the last fifteen years.
Let's take a sampling of what's in the book. I'll flip it open to three different sections and see what it's about. (By the way, that's my test for a cookbook too. I open it to three different recipes. If I'm likely to cook two or more of them, I'll probably buy it.)
OK...what's up first? Page 400 is in the "Laundry Room" section and talks about ironing. A description of irons and ironing boards. Following pages give how-to's on ironing pants, shirts and tablecloths. Valuable information, but I have to admit I haven't ironed my own shirts for years. It's simply to easy to pay 75 cents for the dry cleaners to.
Next...page 142. Kitchen section and recipe storage. Valuable tips on keeping your favorites organized. She even mentions my technique...sheet protectors in a divided three-ring binder. (More on that from me later.) Also a list of favorite cookbooks that provide encyclopedic type information. Including The Joy Of Cooking.
And, finally, page 624. It's the Heating and Cooling section and includes a description of portable air conditioners and "ductless mini-split units." OK...good information, but Martha's not the first I would turn to on this one.
So, is it worth it? I'd say yes and no. It looks to be one of those HUGE volumes (it numbers 744 pages and weighs in at almost five pounds) that one can pick and choose useful stuff from. For many of you reading this blog though, the information may seem elementary. I'll slog my way through it in the next month and see how I can use it. Stay tuned for a further review.
In the meantime, I'll suggest a couple of other reference materials you might find useful and more specific. Something I use quite often is How to Clean Practically Anything by Consumer Reports Books. I keep it in the utility closet and refer to is regularly when I'm needing to get wine out of a tablecloth or grease out of a shirt collar. I highly recommend it.
And, of course, since I'm from Texas I grew up seeing Hints from Heloise in the newspaper. Although the original Heloise is no longer with us, her daughter continues to provide practical advice for the home. Check out her books or visit her website at Heloise.com.
We all need help and there are plenty of resources out there. Whether it's Martha, Heloise or someone else, take advantage of others knowledge. Let me know what your favorite "go-to" references are. Happy Homekeeping!
Let's take a sampling of what's in the book. I'll flip it open to three different sections and see what it's about. (By the way, that's my test for a cookbook too. I open it to three different recipes. If I'm likely to cook two or more of them, I'll probably buy it.)
OK...what's up first? Page 400 is in the "Laundry Room" section and talks about ironing. A description of irons and ironing boards. Following pages give how-to's on ironing pants, shirts and tablecloths. Valuable information, but I have to admit I haven't ironed my own shirts for years. It's simply to easy to pay 75 cents for the dry cleaners to.
Next...page 142. Kitchen section and recipe storage. Valuable tips on keeping your favorites organized. She even mentions my technique...sheet protectors in a divided three-ring binder. (More on that from me later.) Also a list of favorite cookbooks that provide encyclopedic type information. Including The Joy Of Cooking.
And, finally, page 624. It's the Heating and Cooling section and includes a description of portable air conditioners and "ductless mini-split units." OK...good information, but Martha's not the first I would turn to on this one.
So, is it worth it? I'd say yes and no. It looks to be one of those HUGE volumes (it numbers 744 pages and weighs in at almost five pounds) that one can pick and choose useful stuff from. For many of you reading this blog though, the information may seem elementary. I'll slog my way through it in the next month and see how I can use it. Stay tuned for a further review.
In the meantime, I'll suggest a couple of other reference materials you might find useful and more specific. Something I use quite often is How to Clean Practically Anything by Consumer Reports Books. I keep it in the utility closet and refer to is regularly when I'm needing to get wine out of a tablecloth or grease out of a shirt collar. I highly recommend it.
And, of course, since I'm from Texas I grew up seeing Hints from Heloise in the newspaper. Although the original Heloise is no longer with us, her daughter continues to provide practical advice for the home. Check out her books or visit her website at Heloise.com.
We all need help and there are plenty of resources out there. Whether it's Martha, Heloise or someone else, take advantage of others knowledge. Let me know what your favorite "go-to" references are. Happy Homekeeping!
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