HOME TOPICS.

New Zealand Herald, Volume XLIX, Issue 14927, 27 February 1912, Page 3

HOME TOPICS.

A HINT.

SOMETIMES you are annoyed by having' a grease spot on a valuable book or on the wall-paper. Lay a piece of blottingpaper over the spot, and hold a hot iron over that, not too near to scorch, and the • grease will bo drawn out. If any mark remains, put a little powdered calcined magnesia over it. A SKIN FOOD. A good skin food for the complexion is easily made at home, while it is costly to buy. Try the following, rubbing it well in each night. Take J,lb of the best lard, put it in a basin, and pour boiling water over it, and let it stand till cold. Pour the water off, and repeat the process, then take a fork and bent it well, adding six drops of tincture of-benzoin, or using it. plain, or with some drops of any perfumed oil with it. CLARET CUP. Put into a bowl the rind of a lemon pared very thinly, add a tablespoonful of icing sugar, and pour over this a wineglassful of sherry, then add a bottle of claret, mora cugar to taste, a grated nutmeg, and a bottle of soda water. Strain and serve at once. THE HOUSEWIFE AND HER BILLS.' Good management or bad is nowhere more clearly shown than in money pay- ! ment?. It is by far the wisest way either to pay ready money for everything, or to pay weekly or monthly, and when this principle is adopted, the end and beginning of the year loses its pecuniary terrors. V great saving can generally be effected by paying for 'butcher's meat at the time when it is bought, and if any one will take the trouble to try this method for half a year, or a month, and compare results with the usual plan of household book's for the same period, they will mo.s> certainly be astonished at the saving effected. This is not to say that the tradesmen may not be quite honest, but we are all apt to order more, or larger quantities, than are required, if we have them " put down," instead of paying on the spot, and the state of the purse at the time is a very useful check. A young housewife will find it a great help to par- ! eel out her money half-yearly in packets, representing coal, wages, rent, etc., as she i will then have a clear idea how much of what is left she can afford for weekly provisions and other necessaries. A check on i the purse is more than ever needful in these days of wild finance and high prices, ! and such small helps as those are by no ! means to be despised. In. summer.time it it a good thing to be specially careful not to buy larger quantities of meat and other perishable things than can easily bo used up, as they do not keep well in hot weather, and an extra pound or half pound of meat wasted, if often repeated, runs up the expenses very considerably. HINTS ON HOME NURSING. To nurse successfully a little knowledge is required. Most people think a poultice is the easiest thing in the world to make; and so it is. Yet very many do it in such a manner that it does more harm than good! Some women who are really sensible in most things have an idea that the water for making a poultice need not quite boil: that if they stir it downstairs in a cold basin, spread it, and carry it at their leisure through hall and passages until the bedroom is reached, it will still be hot enough. Then, some who have the care of an invalid will remove the old poultice before the kettle is even filled towards boiling the water for making the new one; and the poor sufferer will be left shivering for half an hour before the clammy substance is applied to the aching chest. A good way to make a linseed meal poultice is as follows: —Pour boiling water into a basin and over a spoon so as to make both thoroughly hot; empty this away and put sufficient linseed meal (which has sojourned in the oven for five minutes) into the hot basin; mix smoothly with really boiling water until is of the right consistency and free from lumps. Spread it evenly and quickly on a piece of soft linen; fold the edges over the meal, roll up the poultice, and use the wings of the wind to convey it to your patient. Remove the old dressing, unroll the new one, and alply it at once. A poultice made thus al* ways keeps hot, and is wonderfully comforting. The home nurse should be able to present gruel, etc. so nicely prepared that it is impossible for the patient to nay, " Oh, I never enjoy any of these sloppy foods, they always remind me of paperhaugers paste." To make gruel successfully great cr.re must be exercised.

To make patent groats gruel, the re quired quantity should be mixed tety smoothly and carefully with cold water; milk is apt to make it lumpy. When mixed it should be added to equal quantitifis cf boiling milk and water; boil all gently ft», 15 or 20 minutes. When done, $"&&£&)* fill a cup, and serve with cold milk m cream and castor sugar. _ , Benger's Food is much "HOT if" »»£•» rather thin; and this, too, •««* * «£# with water, and every tiny lamp prawd on w thi the back or spoon "*£• homer Poured into the boiling milk. K«S from the fire for 15 mmutes o *** it • then re-heat and serve. A little bit 11 . rated nutmeg added to each cupful entirely removes the flavour some object to*}and renders it* most JBalata.bjft. ';; ;