Decorate at Christmastime with ivy, which represents happiness and honor. Use ivy with an arrangement of polished apples. To polish the apples, put a little cooking oil on a paper towel and polish them lightly.

Orange salad

2 packages orange gelatin

2 cups boiling water

3 11-ounce mandarin oranges, undrained

1 can crushed pineapple, undrained

1 1/2 cups mini marshmallows

Dissolve gelatin in boiling water. Add oranges, pineapple and marshmallows.

Cucumber relish

1/2 cup sweet onions

1/2 cup green pepper

1/2 cup peeled cucumbers

1/2 cup sugar

1/2 cup vinegar

Dice onions, peppers and cucumbers, add sugar and vinegar and bring to boil in sauce pan. Serve warm.

Ben Franklin said that three people can keep a secret if two of them are dead.

Don’t talk about yourself, it will be done whenever you leave.

Looking back – prices listed at a grocery store in Birmingham in 1957: bacon, 29 cents a pound; steak, 29 cents a pound; loin steak, 69 cents a pound; pork liver, 19 cents a pound; eggs, 29 cents a dozen; bananas, 10 cents a pound; squash, 5 cents a pound.

Whenever you are making plans for the holidays, include your pets. Use a coffee mug holder and decorate it with small Christmas decorations and set it on the floor like a small Christmas tree. Gift wrap gifts for your pet and put them under their little tree and watch the delight in their eyes. I have done this for my cats and really had fun opening their gifts. Also, put snacks in their little stockings. You can buy these at most stores and hang them on a chain.

Have you ever thought about what people did before cookbooks came about? How did they know what type of ingredients to put into their cooking or how long to cook it? There were no cookbooks written until 1796 when Amelia Simmons wrote the first book, American Cooking.

Mason jars with sealing tops were patented in 1858.

Whenever having a dinner party by candlelight, use one unscented candle for each guest. Do not use scented candles.

Use men’s handkerchiefs for napkins and slip them through napkin rings.

To make marketing easy, outline your menu for the coming week. Make a list of staples that you will need. Shop whenever the stores are less crowded. Seasonings to keep on hand: cinnamon, nutmeg, garlic powder and celery salt. Keep a supply of muffin, biscuit and pancake mixes, and instant pudding. Also, keep a supply of food for your pets.

Potato patties

1 to 2 cups mashed potatoes; beat in 1 egg and shape into patties. Cook in margarine until brown on both sides. Cook potatoes before using them to make patties.