My Dad was a personal chef and taught me how to cook. The tips that I picked up in home economics cemented my desire to try to impress others with my dishes. Have taken a few culinary dessert courses over the years. The sewing class was also favorite. Made baby sister her first dress when she came home. That was a special project the teacher let me do instead of the planned gift. Still like to sew by hand though. Very therapeutic.

I hate to sew and not a big fan of cooking but I do enjoy baking.

I enjoyed Home Ec also. The kitchen stations look the same as the ones in junior and high schools. I made my first dress in junior high along with some other students. And teacher conducted a fashion show in front of the entire student body!

All the men in our family cook. The women too but it is the men that are competitive.
I sewed a shirtwaist for a school project..beautiful cotton fabric..I can see it now...tiny brown acorns ..I did not have enough time to finish..we had to wear it on a certain day. I pinned the waist and put it on...straight pins...mistake... My friend Eileen used to make all us girls bikinis..and matching jams...do you remember jams?? Long surfer shorts.. We lived in Fort Lauderdale then.
Just kids 13-14..those bikinis Ok for flat chests not so much for the bosom-y. Trouble ensued if we got wet.

I remember I liked to cook in Home Ec, but even though I could sew, my mom was a professional seamstress so I really saw no reason to duplicate her efforts She didn't like to cook though and my dad liked my cooking better (standing joke in the family was he used to say that when she got her first microwave instead of burning things she could disintegrate them ) so I learned to cook and do canning and freezing. When the girls were babies I thought now I would sew their clothing to save money, but they outgrew everything before I finished it I tried to teach the girls to cook as they grew up but they had no interest. Now they are both great cooks As I'm reading your posts about your husbands cooking I'm thinking, do you think there is a REMOTE possibility that my DH will ever learn or like to cook like the girls eventually did I'm really not holding my breath on that one even though I keep telling him you CAN teach an old dog new tricks

MISSINGROSIE said:

Our Home Ec class had treadle sewing machines ... No, I am not that old ... the school was that old ... I still hate to sew. I made such a mess on my projects in home ec ...

Ginny re: husbands cooking: My sister and I were laughing about that last night. She is putting in a LOT of overtime right now and her husband is waiting for her to get home to cook him dinner. This is a man who can fly an airplane. Drive a race car. Take an engine apart and put it back together. You get the idea. He can do things he wants to do. He says he can't cook. What he really means is he doesn't want to cook ... You can guess how well that one is going down these days.

She is going to give him a list of restaurants to go pick up dinner so it is waiting for her when she finally gets home. He no longer has to wait for her to get home to eat and she doesn't have to listen to him complain and she has dinner ready and waiting for her when she finally drags herself in the door. We are hoping he can go the distance.

I actually loved home ec too -- we didn't have treadle sewing machines at our school, but I had learned to sew when I was about 12, on a treadle machine that my mom bought at an auction. I had never enjoyed playing with dolls, but learned sewing by making a ton of doll clothes. And by the time I was out of high school I was making most of my own clothes. I still wish that girls had been allowed to take "shop class" when I was in school, though !!

I knew how to sew and cook before the 7th and 8th grade Home Ec class. That was an easy A for me! But the teacher had to break me of some bad habits or shortcuts in sewing that my mom had taught me. Mom and I rarely used pins, they were just in the way. Somehow I managed to sew lovely things without pins. Teacher had to show me how to use pins. Every girl had to sew a gymbag to carry our gym clothes home on Fridays. Remember white cotton Gym blouses that snapped up the front? We all learned embroidery by embroidering our names on it. Every girl had one! Mine was bright yellow. I wonder where it went?? I did learn to cook some great things though. The Taco Salad Dressing recipe from 7th grade I still use.

Ugh, don't get me started on the gym clothes, Cheryl... we had "romper-type" outfits, first navy blue (bad enough), and then a kind of coral color. Gag. I loved sports, but HATED those "gym suits."

We had the rompers for Junior High School. But dressing out was optional. Luckily my HS was up with the modern things like snaps. hahahaha

RoseBlush1 said:

Our Home Ec class had treadle sewing machines ... No, I am not that old ... the school was that old ... I still hate to sew. I made such a mess on my projects in home ec ...

Ginny re: husbands cooking: My sister and I were laughing about that last night. She is putting in a LOT of overtime right now and her husband is waiting for her to get home to cook him dinner. This is a man who can fly an airplane. Drive a race car. Take an engine apart and put it back together. You get the idea. He can do things he wants to do. He says he can't cook. What he really means is he doesn't want to cook ... You can guess how well that one is going down these days.

She is going to give him a list of restaurants to go pick up dinner so it is waiting for her when she finally gets home. He no longer has to wait for her to get home to eat and she doesn't have to listen to him complain and she has dinner ready and waiting for her when she finally drags herself in the door. We are hoping he can go the distance.

My tax time hours are the mirror image of your description of your sister and her husband cooking! Tell your sister good luck

Legalily said:

My tax time hours are the mirror image of your description of your sister and her husband cooking! Tell your sister good luck

I've never had to walk in those shoes, so I am not telling her anything ... I want to keep my head exactly where it is ...

Unfortunately growing up, my mother never taught me how to sew, cook or anything like that or much of anything else for that matter. I owe the cooking part to my Grandma Lillian. I took 1 home Ec class in high school. And learned how to hand sew basic things from both my dad & grandma. I never used a machine - wouldn't even begin to know how it works or turn the the thing on. Would love to learn, though.

I am a generalist. I believe people should know how to do many things on their own. Even if they chose not to devote much time to any one skill. While my dad was teaching me electrical and mechanical things, my mom taught me how to knit, crochet, sew by hand and with a machine. I even won the school contest for sewing in the 6th grade. I do not sew much now except for the odd repair. I teach a class: Spices and Seasonings. I love to cook and try new dishes. It keeps me busy (and fat, gained 10 lb. this last year my doctor just told me) and makes life more interesting. I have worked as an electrician, plumber, roofer, carpenter, cabinet maker, auto mechanic, locksmith, computer repair, and others that skip my mind at the moment. Though "retired" I still teach photography at the UW in Madison, WI. Gene

I can do fine sewing by hand ... needle point, knitting, crochet, quilting, etc. just don't let me near a machine ... I cook many things from scratch, but since I live alone and don't have access up here to the variety of ingredients that once were easily available or even good produce, I've simplified that process a lot. I've acquired the ability to be far more handy about repairing things since I bought my home up here and since I can look things up on YouTube, but don't take on really complicated projects.

I do try to avoid the "I-can't-do-that mentality, but I have gotten myself into some really awkward messes because I've over reached my skill level .. .

btw ... I do have to eat my mistakes. That can be quite difficult at times ... I'll never forget my experience with the never-ending spaghetti squash. That small squash lasted forever. I made several different dishes out of the leftovers, but the leftovers kept on coming. I never did manage to use it all up. I am actually afraid to buy another one ...

RoseBlush1 said:

I've never had to walk in those shoes, so I am not telling her anything ... I want to keep my head exactly where it is ...

Good choice

gasrocks said:I am a generalist. I believe people should know how to do many things on their own. Even if they chose not to devote much time to any one skill. While my dad was teaching me electrical and mechanical things, my mom taught me how to knit, crochet, sew by hand and with a machine. I even won the school contest for sewing in the 6th grade. I do not sew much now except for the odd repair. I teach a class: Spices and Seasonings. I love to cook and try new dishes. It keeps me busy (and fat, gained 10 lb. this last year my doctor just told me) and makes life more interesting. I have worked as an electrician, plumber, roofer, carpenter, cabinet maker, auto mechanic, locksmith, computer repair, and others that skip my mind at the moment. Though "retired" I still teach photography at the UW in Madison, WI. Gene

Do you hire out - I'm thinking January through April 15

Ginny beat me to it...I was thinking about adding an apt over the garage...opps first I have to build the garage....

gasrocks said:I am a generalist. I believe people should know how to do many things on their own. Even if they chose not to devote much time to any one skill. While my dad was teaching me electrical and mechanical things, my mom taught me how to knit, crochet, sew by hand and with a machine. I even won the school contest for sewing in the 6th grade. I do not sew much now except for the odd repair. I teach a class: Spices and Seasonings. I love to cook and try new dishes. It keeps me busy (and fat, gained 10 lb. this last year my doctor just told me) and makes life more interesting. I have worked as an electrician, plumber, roofer, carpenter, cabinet maker, auto mechanic, locksmith, computer repair, and others that skip my mind at the moment. Though "retired" I still teach photography at the UW in Madison, WI. Gene

I totally agree with you, Gene -- the more we know how to do, the more interesting our lives are. Too many young people seem to be avoiding learning even the most basic skills for day-to-day living, by living at home with their parents longer and being content to have everything done for them.

Lyn -- spaghetti squash composts nicely (or you could always feed it to the deer)