In The Kitchen - Carrot Cake

For the three major holidays (Thanksgiving, Christmas and Easter) there were certain dishes that each family member was responsible for. For my mom, one of those was Carrot Cake. This recipe comes from a bag of Colonial Sugar. My grandmama found it after trying many recipes. She said that it was the cake closest to what she was looking for.

For me, the making of this cake is required for the holidays - even though I don't hardly eat it. If we didn't have this cake on the table, it wouldn't be the holidays.

Here's the recipe, on the cards my Grandmama originally wrote them on:

A Weekend Link - Vintage Halloween

Halloween's coming up and I'm remembering some of the different Halloween's from my childhood. Feeling nastalgic, I started looking for vintage halloween photos. Check out the 'Vintage Halloween' group on flickr for a selection of photos from throughout the 20th century.

Confederate Memorial Day

Today is Confederate Memorial Day in GA, MS, AL, FL & TX. It's a state recognized holiday and certain state offices (such as the GA Archives) will be closed.

It's a day intended to recognize the lives of those who served and died fighting for the Confederacy during the Civil War. One of the main ways that this holiday is celebrated is the displaying of the original Confederate Constitution at the University of Georgia, as well as memorial ceremonies at cemeteries.

I have many ancestors who fought in the Civil War, including: Wiley Powell (died in service), Richard T. Smith, William A. Craft, Nathan W. Hyler, and others.

Happy Birthday Georgia!

Today is the state of Georgia's Birthday! It's also officially Georgia Day.

Georgia is 276 years old, having been founded by James Oglethrope in Savannah on 12 Feb 1733. Today there will be a series of events by the Georgia Historical Society in Savannah. Events include a parade and birthday bash (on the 14th) and will honor Georgia native, Johnny Mercer.

Check out GeorgiaHistory.com for more information.

record the new too

I've been bugging my parents recently to see some of the "artifacts" from my childhood. My mom has my first baby tooth. My Dad has some of our baby shoes and our Christmas lists from kindergarden.

I want to record these items, much as if they belonged to a long ago ancestor. This is my history - and it's in danger!

The Christmas lists were written on adhesive paper, with little squares of sticker paper on it. The adhesive is gone and it's holding to its backing by habit. I'd like to see about what I can do to preserve it. For now, I've scanned the Christmas lists and posted them online.

I also found the photos from that Christmas. I was really shocked to find that we had the photos to match. We don't always have photos of special occasions - I think there's a large gap of Christmas morning shots after the third year. I'm really pleased to be able to have both, and they help to date each other. The photos are dated Apr '91, which means that it's Christmas 1990, when we were in kindergarden.

Memorial Day

In honor of memorial day, I remember my 4x great grandfather, Wiley Powell.

Private Powell enlisted July 29, 1862 as a private in the Confederate Army. A year and a half later, on January 24, 1864, he died in the hospital at Lynchburg, VA of “Phthisis Pulmonalis” or, Consumption of the lungs. He was buried at The Old City Cemetery in Lynchburg. He left behind a wife and ten children, the youngest less than a year old when he went to war.