Thanksgiving Day

 I am so thankful for my LARGE family and feel so blessed! We may not have a lot of material things but we are richer than most. We have each other and an ABUNDANT supply of love. As you can see our family gatherings are VERY informal and lots of fun.
My Mom, brothers and sisters- Teresa, Freddy, Noel, Allen-front row Me, Mom and Beth.

 My family- Our beautiful daughter Ange, Gary and me.

 Ange (our daughter) and her Granny (my mom)

Cousins-Bri, Brandi and Ange

 Standing room only. There was 35 of us, plus Aunt Sue, Aunt Alta Jean, Howard, Joey's uncle and friend. 40 in all!

Very informal food line.

The line is STILL going.

 Ange, Taylor and Heather Fe----Cousins------Ange (my daughter) was the first grandchild in the family. Heather Fe (Noel and Fe's daughter) is the youngest grandchild.  Ange is 31 and Heather will soon be 2.

 My brother Noel and his wife Fe.

Ange and Gary---this girl loves her Daddy

The last bit of color. I LOVE fall in KY,

 My Weiner Girl. I love her so much.

 Our Brandfords still showing off.

 This little maple is SO pretty. The sun was shinning on it just right!

 My Keeley girl. I sure do love her.

 I love fall in KY.

My Cleveland Pears. I love their colors right now. Beautiful.

Southern Wayne County KY Fall-2010

*Click on pictures for larger viewing------ Lorrie (IA), Jennie(IL), Laurie(IL), Sue , Frank, Carol and me at Mill Point. I LOVE this place. It is BEAUTIFUL. I was so thankful for the tripod and Lorrie's camera.

I love the view from Mill Point. Southern Wayne Co. is beautiful. Can you tell that there is usually wind blowing on top of that mountain? ha

 Lorrie (IA), Elizabeth(NJ), Cindy(MO now KY) and me on the Freedom Bridge. This was Elizabeth's first trip to Wayne Co. I know she has lots of fun memories.

The firepit at Golden Pond.

Beautiful Fall Colors in Kentucky.

What is left of the old homeplace.

Thanks Elizabeth for the beautiful photos. We had lots of fun.

We had so much fun going to Mill Point. Lorrie's jeep just plowed right through those deep stinky mud holes. :) That girl loves that jeep and 4-wheeling. I was trying to tape some but it was just too rough and I sure didnt want to fall out in that stinky mud.  Thanks for the picture Laurie.

The view from Mill Point is breathtaking. Not sure I would've had the nerve to drive a new jeep there but it was lots of fun. Awww so many wonderful memories of our Old Kentucky Trees Gathering.  I cant wait until next year!

Grandma Vaughn's Devil’s Food Cake with Cocoa Icing

A page from a letter found in my grandma’s stuff included a cake recipe. Recipe typed as written:

Vena, if you want a good Devil’s Food cake try this one; uses sweet milk instead of sour. So often I don’t have any sour. I do have canned milk. Do you know how to sour milk? Use tablespoon of vinegar to 1 cup of sweet milk. And another thing; use 1 tablespoon cornstarch instead of an egg if eggs are scarce and high priced. I did with this cake. Used chocolate icing with powdered sugar, coffee, etc. like I gave you one time. John said it was good and he hardly ever eats dark cake Tom says.

So here it is: 2 cups of sugar-1/2 cup lard or butter-2 eggs-1/2 cup of cocoa-1cup sweet milk-1 level teaspoon soda- 2 cups flour-2 teaspoons vanilla (if lard is used, add pinch of salt). Cream shortening and sugar, add eggs and beat well; dissolve cocoa in ½ cup hot water, beat to smooth paste and add to above, then add milk and vanilla. 1 level teaspoon soda sifted 3 times with 2 cups of flour, add to other and beat lard. Makes large 3 layer cake.

I always sift flour, etc. several times always mixed evener, I think.

Was on a circular from McNess Company as advertisement.

Filling with it is:

Cocoa Filling: 2 heaping teaspoon cornstarch, ½ cup water, 1 teaspoon vanilla, ½ cup sugar, ¼ cup of cocoa. Mix sugar, corn starch and cocoa, add cold water, cook in double boiler. Add vanilla and spread between layers. Ice with Cocoa Icing.

Only 1 page of this letter was found in a little very worn old “scrapbook” that my grandma had. I do remember eating Devil’s Food Cake with Cocoa Icing at her house and I am guessing it was this cake. There is no mention of what degree it was baked or for how long. The letter was signed Love, Ermma…I have no idea who Ermma was. I have not found an Ermma in our family tree so she must have been a friend?

I will be adding this recipe/story to the Wayne County Hertiage cookbook. If you are from Wayne Co or have Wayne Co. kin  maybe you too could share a story and family recipe? Maybe Aunt Laura, Grandma Bessie or a special friend from church made the best recipe you have ever eaten of fried chicken, potato salad or banana pudding? If so, please share that recipe and a story when, where etc. Let their memory live on. Contact me or the Historical Society.

Old Rugby Church

This morning I attended the old English colony church. A new experience for me. I  had never attended an Episcopal church. Quite different than what I am use to. I enjoy new experiences. :) I feel that is important for me so I can broaden my horizons.

Historic Rugby Lantern Tour.

 I had never done the lantern tour at Rugby. Folks that live in the community dress in period dress and go to the old colony cemetery to portray some of the first English Settlers. What a wonderful way to tell their story and share the history of Rugby with others!

 Guides for the tour.

 Singing at the beginning of the tour.

Charles and Lavone portraying some of the first settlers. Lavone portrayed Thomas Hughes' (founder)mother. Charles portrayed her gardener and caretaker. They done a wonderful job sharing the history of the Hughes' and this Historic English Colony.

Fun Weekend in Rugby TN. Thanks Charles and Lavone.

 Yes, there was a skift of snow on the ground Saturday morning in Rugby TN. Burrr

 I traveled down to Rugby TN to a Nature Gathering Class. What fun!

 Lots of wonderuful plants around this old homeplace.

 Wonderful finds ready to start the arrangements.

 Mid-morning and still some snow on the holly.

I found out I would rather gather than arrange. Dicie and myself with our arrangements.

Beautiful Springs Around Mill Springs Park

*Click on photos to enlarge

Our Historical Society Offered A Genealogy Lock-In for Old Kentucky Trees

 Elizabeth from NJ and Lorrie from IA doing genealogy research.

 A rainy day outside but the Old Kentucky Trees researchers were having a ball digging through files at the Historical Library.

 Renee from CA and Barbara from KY.

 The Historical Society was so glad to offer the "Lock-in" for the researchers.

 Sandy and Dale from Maryland.

 Yes, it is dark outside and 10:00 p.m. comes way to soon for serious researchers.

Old Kentucky Trees is an Internet genealogy group that have family ties to Wayne County KY. The Historical Society gladly offered a "Lock-In" for them to do research. We had folks from-KY, GA, CA, IA, MO, IL, MI, SC, NJ and Maryland. * Click on pictures to enlarge

Fall in Southern KY

 I took a walk on my lunch hour and the trees on the street below mine were beautiful!

 Beautiful colors.

 Soon they will all be on the ground :(.

 Nothing like the mountains in Southern KY.

 This was once a seedling that we transplanted from the Owltown Cemetery. It is going to be a beauty someday.

Love the burning bush.