Domestic

New Zealand Tablet, 8 June 1911, Page 1073

Domestic

_ BY MAUREEN

To Give Wood the Appearance of Ebony. Take 2oz of borax and 4oz of ebony, put this mixture on the fire and let it dissolve;in two quarts of water until a perfect solution is obtained, then add one tablespoonful of glycerine. : v- After mixing, add enough aniline black soluble in water, and the preparation will be ready for use. To Remove a Dirty Mark on a Dress. ; Anyone who is unfortunate enough to soil a new cloth costume should proceed as follows:—Take a piece of moist bread, and a little flour in a saucer; dip the bread in the flour and gently rub the soiled parts, taking fresh bread and flour each time.; If properly done, a very bad mark can bo removed. - . r 2 . " Bad " Bruises. .. - In the case of a bad bruise, the part swells-and then becomes, blackened. This discoloration is caused by the blood:escaping from the small bloodvessels which have been burst 4 by the blow; The . moist beat of hot, wet flannels makes the skin yieldto .this extra rush of blood, and speedy relief ensues. A bad bruise on a joint, such as the ankle or knee, requires attention in its treatment at the time. Care should also be taken to prevent over exertion. ■■■ ■ ■; v, A Cheap Recipe for Lemon Cheese. ’V/ Take two half-penny stale sponge cakes, loz of butter, one egg, one good-sized lemon, one tablespoonful of moist sugar. Crumble the sponge cakes into a basin, grate tho whole rind of “the lemon, then add all the juice; mix in butter with a fork, add sugar and egg. Mix well together, then it is ready for use; place a small piece into ordinary tarts, and bake as usual. This will be found enough to make twenty to thirty lemon cheese cakes. : . Oatmeal Biscuits. Ingredients; -Jib of coarse oatmeal, Jib of flour, Jib of butter, Jib of castor . sugar, one egg, quarter saltspoonful of baking soda, about half a gill of cold water. Method : Mix oatmeal, flour, sugar, and soda together in a basin. Melt the butter,' beat the egg to a froth, mix it with the water. y:: Stir butter into .the;, dry - ingredients, and make into a dry paste with the- egg and water. Roll out as thick as a crown piece, cut into rings with a tin cutter, and bake in a moderate oven on a floured tin for twenty minutes. Keeping a Bottle Hot. It is sometimes difficult to keep a baby’s bottle hot at night. The following plan acts splendidly, and is worth trying: — Cover a hot-water bottle with flannel in which a pocket the size of a baby’s bottle has been made. When going to bed, fill the water bottle with very hot water, and also the baby’s bottle as usual, and put it into the pocket that, has been made in the hot-water bottle cover. Cover the two bottles with a blanket, and when baby is ready for his food, it will be ready and warm for him. This plan ; may also be followed when baby goes out' in his perambulator. Time Savers. It will be found that if a little hot water is put into cake tins directly the cakes are taken out, they will bo much easier to clean than if they are left for some time to get* dry and cold. : ‘ v ! When separating the yolks from the whites of eggs, break them into a funnel, over a glass or cup, when the whites will pass through and the yolks will remain in the funnel: - When cleaning brass knobs or door knockers, protect the paint by a piece of cardboard, out of which a hole has been cut just large enough to allow the brass edges to clear. For a brass door knob slit the cardboard at the side, allowing the knob to pass through, and slip back firmly around the knob. n You can then clean the brass without soiling the surrounding paint, ■ Teething. ; . . The best way of getting over the troubles of teething is to begin early and build up the bodily strength by means of - suitable food, fresh air, and as much undisturbed natural sleep as the child is inclined to have. The irritation of gums may be relieved by gently rubbing them with the finger, and giving the: child a little cold water to drink. This is a simple plan of which very few people know the giGJit benefit. A teaspoonful of water generally suffices, and it may be taken from the spoon or sipped from a tumbler, the latter really proving the more cooling and soothing. Many mothers think that because flour and cornflour make a stiff jelly when mixed with boiling water they are more_ nourishing than milk. Yet it has been proved that neither of them- contains anythin which can help to build up the flesh, bones, and teeth of'a baby for it is not until the teeth are really through that a' child can digest any kind of starchy food.