Favorite Things - - Magazines You May or May Not Know

I love magazines!  I can't get enough of them.  If I am watching TV, I guarantee I also have a magazine in my lap.  A little habit I get from my mother.  She always had a magazine or a cookbook going while watching TV.  We don't "sit" well without a back up plan.

These are my five favorite magazines of the dozen I receive each month.

1. Victoria.  My friend, Janel, told me about this magazine and from the moment I saw it, I was hooked!  The pictures are superb!  There are articles about traveling, cooking, decorating and living the good life.  Beyond a doubt, this is my favorite magazine ever.  I never throw away a copy!  I read them over and over.  The pictured collections and place settings are beautiful.  We are collectors of dishes and pottery, but these books and magazines by Phyllis Hoffman blow my mind!

2.  Southern Lady.  This magazine is from the same publisher as Victoria, Phyllis Hoffman.  Again, great pictures.  I could hug the photographers!  A very lovely read too.  Great recipes each month.  This magazine is the written equivalent of sitting on a veranda drinking sweet tea.

3.  Celebrate.  Another Phyllis Hoffman publication.  Do you see a trend?  This magazine has lots of delicious recipes, gorgeous photos and fabulous ideas for entertaining.  The fall edition just arrived.  It reminds me of back to school, new beginnings and trick or treating.  Lovely tablescapes and decorating ideas for the fall season and Thanksgiving. 

There are several other Phyllis Hoffman publications including Sandra Lee Semi-Homemade, Taste of the South, Cooking with Paula Deen, and Tea Time.   All have the same beautiful attention to details.

4.  Country Living.  A favorite of mine for more than a decade.  For $1 or less an issue (by subscription), you get a boatload of ideas and recipes.  Very tastefully done.  They also give advice about antiques and collectibles.  I really enjoy this magazine and always have.

5.  Southern Living.  Another oldie but goodie.  Again, great ideas for southern style and comfort foods.  I love the recipes and the stories of the south.  Always makes me want to book a vacation to Charleston or Savannah.  Lovely magazine.

Oh, one more, why not?  Every Day with Rachael Ray.  For just over a $1 an issue, a wonderfully produced magazine that is about more than just awesome recipes.  Great fashion advice and home ideas too.  A little something about everything.

There are so many more, but those are the ones I would keep if I could only get five (or six).  Take a look next time you are in a store.  Or do what I do.  My Better Half takes me to Barnes & Noble, buys me a coffee and plants me in the magazine section where I peruse the publications and leave with a stack of those I think I can make a good home for!  As long as I purge the magazine cabinet occasionally, I don't have too many!  At least that's the story I'm telling myself.

How Did Our Ancestors Survive?

I am a huge fan of historical fiction.  I especially enjoy reading books about the late 1800s/early 1900s involving strong women and families of courage.  I get pulled into their worlds with wonder and amazement at how anyone could run a home without a computer, microwave, vacuum or well-stocked neighborhood grocery store. 

This weekend, I spent time watching the "Sarah, Plain and Tall" trilogy -- again.  I frequently feel the need to watch these movies, or TV shows like "Dr. Quinn, Medicine Woman," much to my family's dismay.  But I have to get my pioneer fix!  It boggles my mind that people survived before modern conveniences.  I ask myself over and over, "How did they do that?"  I watch in wonder as they cook huge meals, including bread, in a wood-burning stove.  I understand there is "television magic" involved, but for our ancestors, there was no such thing.

My question for you is this:  I wonder how many of us would "survive" if we were thrown into the lives of our great, great grandparents.  Could we cope in a world with horses instead of minivans?  Could we wake up before dawn to make food, milk cows, gather eggs, bake bread, chop wood, plow fields and clean barns?  I doubt I could, especially without Ibuprofen!

There are days when I spend hours in the kitchen making dinner and I have every modern appliance (including some Better Half wishes I would get rid of since I rarely use them).  I can't imagine making dinner without two ovens, a four-burner stove, a microwave with a turntable, an enormous food supply and my mother's 1980s Cuisinart food processor (which is still in mint operating condition despite it's outdated appearance).

I often try to explain to my embarrassed family where my fascination with fictional pioneers comes from.  I know it is probably driven by my love of home and family, but it is also from curiosity regarding these tireless men and women running households and farms under these conditions.  My amazement makes me want to do a better job with what I have to make my corner of the world a better place for my loved ones.