Ken's Birthday!

My baby turned nine yesterday,sigh... We celebrated with ice cream cake.

Then we went to the beach (after riding the new roller coaster).

And the day ended with a beautiful Lake Erie sunset.

Happy Feast of the Assumption!

Here's the cake-- it doesn't look as good as when the girls were here to decorate it but I tried. And a special thanks to Tegan's rose for providing one last, late bud...

Assumption!

Tomorrow is the Feast of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary and my all time favorite Holy Day of Obligation! We will be attending the vigil mass tonight and afterwards we will have Silver Cake: Cream together a cupful of sugar with 1/2 cup butter and beat in the whites of 4 eggs and 1/2 cup cold water. Sift 2 cups of flour with a heaping teaspoon of baking powder and add gradually to batter, beating until light. Stir in 1 teaspoon of rosewater. Bake in a loaf pan at 350 degrees for about an hour. Frost with a rosewater flavored glaze.
This recipe came from a hundred year old(or maybe older!) cookbook my mother-in-law gave me. It is called Marion Harland's Cook Book. My copy has the first 80 pages missing so I don't have any more information than that. It has a lot more than recipes though, so if you need to know how to get rid of bed bugs, start a cooking fire in your stove (wood or coal) or plan a dinner party that will make your husband proud but not cost him too much money this is the book to go to!

Quiet but busy

That describes things around here lately. A lot of blog ideas have been bubbling around but none have made it to the blog, alas. Maybe after the soccer season? Meanwhile, my little girl has grown up, moved away, and started blogging...Tempest17 She's making her misanthropic way through our nation's capitol. Viewer discretion advised. Or don't read this blog with young children looking over your shoulder. And don't tell her father about that picture in the sidebar!

Rivendell update

As of August 1st I have walked 76 miles which put me just entering the Old Forest...