MOTHER AND HOME.

Star (Christchurch), Issue 16329, 19 January 1921, Page 9

MOTHER AND HOME.

A careful student of the game of life once said. " If women would only realise how much of their life’s happiness lies in their own hands, they would be astonished to find how easily they can make or mar their own lives. ,J Let anyone who doubts the wisdom of this pause and look around her own circle of acquaintances, and she will soon see that the happiest women arc those, who look for goodness everywhere. You don’t hear them imputing selfish motives when they have a kindness shown them, and more than you. hear them publishing .heir friends’ faults and shortcomings. I lie result is that, looking lor goodness, kindness, and charity, they find them in all-direc-tions of life. And so could your own lives he happier by doing the same. IMPROYI NO TH K FT GUR E. The figure can be improved by various exercises. A very effectual but simple plan is to hold a stick across the back, keeping it in place by means of the arms. This not only expands the chest but straightens the back and broadens the shoulders. Another excellent exercise for the same purpose is to throw* one arm over the shoulder, and try io meet the Angers of 4.life other hand which is placed behind the back. When the shoulders droop or sag, a few simple breathing exercises should l»o taken, and the. stick exercise should be performed*. If tho chest. sags, thrust it forward, and practise ten minutes every day. MOSQUITO BIIES. A cure for mosquito bites will bo Mound in lemon grass oil, which is probably the boM remedy after the bite. Other essential oils, ruefi as lavender and verbena, are also recommended. New Marrow Dish. -A very good suggestion for cooking vegetable marrows is to peel one. remove the seeds, but it into convenient pieces, place them in a, stew-pan with a sliced onion and enough good brown . stock to cover. Season and cook gently*till tender. Remove the vegetable to n hot dish, anti thicken the liquor with *a little flour blended with cold water. Boil for afew minutes, add a grating of nutmeg, and straitv over the marrow. Brittle and Dry Hair. This lotion is recommended for dry or brittle hair. Take IJosi cocoa-nut, oil. lor. lanolinc, Idr glycerine, fifteen drops of rosemary, ten drops oil of bergamot. The fingers should Vie dipped in this, and the lotion rubbed in over the entire portion of the scalp. A litile generally goes a long way. and consequently tiie lotion should be used sparingly. Bn a Good Listener. The art of listening is well worth cultivating. A good listener is always appreciated. Just attend to the person shaking to you as if there was no one else in the world. At the right place make some brief rejoinder or exclamation. Never let your attention wander, and you will soon find yourself with the reputation of being a good talker. Moreover, a good listener is never regarded as a bore, which is so often the fate of the great talker. Preserving Apples. Straw ripens sour apples, w hile, in the ease of those w hich are mature in UlO first instance, they should he kept in a cold place in of-der to prevent the ripening process from continuing. Polished Floors. To maintain polished floors in ;> good condition it is necessary to have them properly stained. It is quite a simple matter to keep them so when once this is done. They should be rubbed daily with a damp clotli to remove the dust, and then thoroughly polished with soft cloths. It is only needful to have them polished once a. week with a good, reliable floor polish, preferably a home-made one. If there are any stains on the surface they should be removed before polishing. Applying a Fomentation. Hot fomentations ate often ordered to alternate with poultices, as they are lighter and gentler on tender surfaces. A fomentation is made by covering a redded basin with a towel and laying on top four, six, or eight folds of flannel, and pouring tbereon boiling water. Fold over tho towel, lift out, ot the basin, and wring thoroughly by twisting the ends in opposite directions, and carrv the flannel still in the towel to the lied fide. Shake before applying to allow the air to enter, and thus retain the heat longer. A few drops of turpentine sprinkled on the top is } a good counter-irritant. Cover com- ! plctel\ with a waterproof, and fix with j ;l bandage. Fomentations, like pout- ! lices, should be changed frequently, j They can only retain sufficient heat to ho beneficial "for about half an hour. \Yo 11 dry the skin and rover warmly to protect from cold or chillStoring of Herbs.—Bear in mind the fact thafTwhen the herb harvest starts, and crops are gathered in for winter use. -age. parsley, mint, and other herbs should be thoroughly w ashed first of all. They can then be dried, and placed in a tin lined with blottingpaper. The tin should be stood in a warm oven, and the door left ajar. Thus every bit of moisture can lie extracted from the herbs, since the blot-ting-paper absorbs the wetness, and the colour and flavour of the mint or parsj ley is retained.