The Top Lady Behind the Green Baize Door at Downton

In Edwardian England, the Green Baize Door, a thick woollen cloth used on tables and doors, of the grand Manor Houses of the day, separated the paid staff from the family members of the house.

From the 1860's until WWI, around 1.5 million paid career servants served as the largest single occupation in England. To be a member of The Servant Class was considered by the mostly poor, rural society of the day, to be quite dignified as a profession, and a good opportunity for a young person with no opportunity, or no family, to be gainfully employed.

As a paid servant, the room and board was free, one received a small salary and retirement, (although the average  annual salary was about half the cost of one fancy meal of the landed gentry class), one had the chance to meet, and possibly marry a peer, and one had the opportunity to learn the etiquette and manners of the day, and many marketable skills. If successful within this life of servitude, with time, one could move up within the hierarchy of paid servants. The positions towards the top of the hierarchy for women included Housekeeper, Nanny, Governess, and the number one position was the Lady's Maid because in this position, one was the closest person in proximity to the Lady of the Manor House.  

Behind the Green Baize Door last Sunday night we discovered Lady Grantham's long time Lady's Maid, O'Brien, suddenly and stealthily departed Downton to work for another Lady in Scotland. O'Brien met her new employer while she was traveling with her present employer, Cora, Lady Grantham of Downton Abbey. O'Brien's reason for leaving Downton had to do with hair.

The distinguishing quality which separated a Lady's Maid from a House Maid in Edwardian England, and up until the beginning of WWII, was the ability of the Lady's Maid to style hair. Her talent as a hairdresser, which required a course of study and training, assured her employer she could keep up with the latest trends and ever changing hair fashions of the day, and this special skill more than justified her keep. The Lady's Maid also had to be quite proficient as a seamstress, able to sew, mend, alter and refurbish the Lady's wardrobe which saved on the dressmaker's bill. The Lady's Maid as well accompanied the Lady on all her travels, and was responsible for taking care of the Lady's jewels.

So, if one chose to live within this old world order, the Lady's Maid position was the job to have had.

Handwritten Thank You Note APP Now Available!

Yes, there is an APP for Handwritten "Thank-You" notes (available for your iPad, or iTunes only). The APP by the name "Felt" after you pick out the style and type of note, will scan your hand written words, print it, seal it, stamp it and send it for a fee ($4), but you will still have to write the note. So, here are 4 quick steps to help you write the often dreaded "Thank-You" note:

1. Dear __________,     (You are 1/4 of the way done already!)
2. Your lovely Christmas cookies were so pretty, we did not want to touch them, but after longingly gazing at these delectable delights, we dug in and consumed most of your delicious cookies for dessert, then ate the remainder of these treats for breakfast on Boxing Day. (Mention the gift and how you will use it. Never begin with "Thank You for the..." - unless you are 8 yrs old)
3. Thank you so much for your thoughts this Christmas. We will remember your delicious cookies for years to come. Have a nice New Year and we hope to see you soon. (Now, say your 'Thank-You' and add a personal sentiment)
4. Love, your grateful Niece, Susie Q.                                                                                                                                       So, write your Thank-you notes before you sleep and all will be well :))                

Celia's Book Club: Happy Holidays to all, what a fun book swap we had...

Celia's Book Club: Happy Holidays to all, what a fun book swap we had...: As usual, our get-together was filled with fun and laughs, with a great group of well-read people who brought a favorite to put under the ...

Reading books will take you to places you have never been, teach you things about life you did not know, and most importantly, let you know others may have the same or similar problems or circumstances as you have, and let you know you are not alone in your daily struggles and triumphs. Books will set your soul free! Happy New 2014! 

Big Christmas Dinner Dining Tips for the Big Table with the Big People

So, you are eating Christmas Dinner at the big table with the big people. You can do it! Here are a hunk of happy helpful tips for all ages to help you navigate through the big meal: 

• At the very least, treat your chair like a Church pew and sit up straight. Don't forget to smile big:))
• After you sit down, don't touch, eat or drink anything. Don't even put your napkin in your lap until the Host places his or her napkin in their lap, signaling the beginning of the meal.
• Have an age appropriate blessing in your head, just in case you are called upon to say Grace.
•  Just like in the movie "Titanic," do as the famous character the unsinkable Molly Brown says: "Just work your way from the outside in," the key to the place setting universe.
• If you are still, or ever confused about the flat silver or table accouterments, simply pause, look and observe others around the table. 
• Hold your fork like a pencil, not like a shovel.
• As your Mother has told you 1000 times, chew with your mouth closed and keep your elbows off the table.
• If you are passed a dish you dislike, smile broadly, say a polite and enthusiastic "Thank you," and keep the dish moving, passing it immediately to your left.
• If you need to leave the table for any reason, simply say: "Please excuse me," and place your napkin in your chair, the International silent signal for "I will return, please do not take my plate." 
• Pace yourself with others at the table and when you are finished with your meal and are excused from the table, place your napkin to the left of your plate and remember to push your chair back in, under the big table.    

So, impress others with your positive attitude and table appropriate conversation. Laugh, enjoy, and have big fun being with your family and friends at Christmas and during the Holiday Season.

Please remember for the Holidays: "What we keep we lose, only what we give remains our own."

Christmas Giving

My school motto repeated every day was:

   "What we keep we lose; only what we give remains our own."

Good words to live by. Happy Christmas to all.:))

Book Review: "The All Girl Filling Station's Last Reunion" by Fannie Flagg is a Life Fulfilling Adventure

A Life Fulfilling Filling Station Reunion Review:

Just when you think you know who you are, with the opening of an envelope, your family, heritage, and life changes forever. Fannie Flagg's new novel: "The All Girl Filling Station's Last Reunion," craftily cross stitches two different families, cultures, and times in American history together.

One story smacks of the old South in present day Clear Point, Alabama, as the Simmons family struggles to become more modern, tolerant, and multi-cultural. Sookie adores birds but acts like a tiny titmouse of a woman as compared with her blue jay of a mother, Lenore, who constantly criticizes Sookie. She doesn't understand why, until at age 60, opens an envelope and begins a journey to find her life's purpose.

The other story, unfolds inside the envelope, and tells the tale of the Polish Jurdabralinkski family in 1938 Pulaski, Wisconsin. Their four daughters work as attendants in their father's filling station. Fritzi, the oldest, becomes a wing walker, learns how to fly the plane, then joins the military as a pilot just as World War II begins. Two of her sisters follow her lead. Women's rolls change overnight.

Success of a family is no longer determined by who has the most complete set of sterling silver, or the finest pearl necklace. Family players come and go from the Thanksgiving tale, but family remains family. Success is no longer defined by what we have, or have achieved in life, but by what we ourselves become.

As a member of the Real Simple Magazine's Readers Panel, this review has been published on p. 34 of their November issue.

Sally Belle's Kitchen, a Richmond Tradition, and Why Your Mother Told You To Dress Up When Running Errands

Remember your Mother telling you to always dress up when leaving the house, even if only going to the grocery store? Well, I ran into Sally Belle's Kitchen to grab a boxed lunch, and poof, I'm on the video and voice over. So, one never knows!

SFA Blog: Boxed Lunch: A Portrait of Sally Bell's Kitchen in...: We're just back from Richmond, Virginia, where we celebrated Women at Work in RVA for our annual Summer Symposium . It was an incredib...