Nanny Pauline's Recipes and Techniques

**k_hepburn** · June 20th, 2008, 01:20 PM

I hadn't yet had the pleasure of encountering your Nanny Pauline - an oversight that is speedily being remedied. Your stories about her, and about you, and her, and Uncle Howard are very funny and heartwarming, something which I've come to find a general trait of your postings. Thank you for sharing these stories, and recipes with us. I think a few people have already mentioned this in other threads, but you really should consider collecting those stories past and present that you have shared with us in a book. I'm almost certain, it would a great bestseller, and, more importantly, would bring a little wisdom, light and humour in to people's lives.

Greetings

katharine

(P.S. On calling her recipe book her "receipt" book - I wonder whether your Nanny Pauline had roots in some other European language than English. I used to do the exact same thing, which was probably due to the word for "recipe" in German being "Rezept" (while receipt is something entirely different - "Quittung").

**Gladtobemom** · June 20th, 2008, 02:50 PM

Nanny's mother was a "Methodist Church Pen Pal Bride" which was not that uncommon then. She was from Northern England and of Welsh descent. When her parents died of some sort of epidemic she was in teacher's college and had to quit, her church placed her with a family as a governess.

Nanny's dad got her name through church. He was from a staunch Methodist family and was looking for a farm wife with good morals. What he got was a schoolteacher/governess that wanted a home of her own and believed that women should vote and that men and women should be equals. She believed in equality and birth control--she was even arrested once for giving out imported birth control items and information about syphilis to women at Good Samaratin Hospital in Lexington, where she volunteered.

She was 29 when she married him. Their birthdays were 4 days apart (she was older). They died 4 days apart (him first).

They were still alive when I came into Nanny's life. Her dad didn't like the idea, neither did her sister. They thought I was going to be trouble and the whole handicapped thing weirded them out. Her mom thought I was just what her daughter needed. Nanny's mom is the one that suggested she be "Nanny."

**susiemw** · June 20th, 2008, 03:58 PM

Thanks so much for posting these. What a delight that you shared your Nanny Pauline with us. She sounds like a wonderful person.

Susan

**misstwist** · June 20th, 2008, 11:00 PM

Originally Posted by k_hepburn

(P.S. On calling her recipe book her "receipt" book - I wonder whether your Nanny Pauline had roots in some other European language than English. I used to do the exact same thing, which was probably due to the word for "recipe" in German being "Rezept" (while receipt is something entirely different - "Quittung").

"Receipt" was more commonly used than "recipe" in American English into the 20th century. Its use now evokes an "old-timey" or "country" feel.

**hurricane_gia** · June 21st, 2008, 02:21 AM

I think I'm going to need pictures, or a video . . .

**Gladtobemom** · June 21st, 2008, 05:29 PM

I was opening some boxes. I'm trying really hard to unpack everything and get rid of stuff that isn't used and not mementos. We have boxes we never even opened in California.

In a hat box under a fancy hat . . . I found a silk lingerie bag. It has a pair of Nanny's silk pajamas, a bra, a couple of pairs of stretch lace underwear, and some hair ribbons.

She used to come to my house on Saturday, stay over, and go to church and lunch with us on Sundays. She usually showed up with a hat box and a dress in a zipper bag. These were packed by her probably one of the last times she came over to visit.

Our guest room always had a couple of her hat boxes and she had a drawer there.

Oh boy . . . now what do I do?

Even after years, I still want her back.

**.Amanaka.** · July 6th, 2008, 06:02 PM

I was told that I should write of my experiences here, as I tried Nanny Pauline's scalp washing technique. Now, keep in mind that my hair is just past waist length and this was the first time that I tried it, so there was a lot that was... different.

I started out by very loosely braiding my hair, so that the scalp hair and just past my neck wasn't in the braid. Then I looped it over a coat hanger and clipped the ends to the braid itself with a plastic jaw clip. The hanger went on the shower curtain rail.

This was the easiest way that I have been able to scalp wash my hair in... ever. My length did get wet, but I didn't have to worry about it getting shampoo in it, so I was okay with that. Like I said, there are things that I can (and will) change the next time I use this method, but I can now say that I have a reliable scalp washing method!

**hurricane_gia** · July 6th, 2008, 06:20 PM

Originally Posted by .Amanaka.

Like I said, there are things that I can (and will) change the next time I use this method, but I can now say that I have a reliable scalp washing method!

What are you going to change?

**.Amanaka.** · July 6th, 2008, 06:39 PM

Originally Posted by hurricane_gia

What are you going to change?

Simple things, like the position of the hanger, the length of my braid. I figured out how I could give myself an extra inch or two, which would make it a little easier.