Friday, December 28, 2007

New Diary Entries for 1927

I've been looking through Grandma's 1927 diary and appears she took advantage of the new year to renew her commitment to writing something every day. So, there will be new diary entries beginning January 1st!

Friday, December 21, 2007

Christmas Candy

Making Christmas candy was a big part of the holiday celebrations for the Grandma.

Here is Grandma's father's cinnamon candy recipe, provided by Aunt Marjorie. We still use it today.

Grandpa Campbell's Cinnamon Roll

2 cups sugar (granulated)
2 Tablespoons flour (slightly rounded)
1 cup milk
1 lump butter
1 teaspoon vanilla
Pie pan with 1/4" +/- cinnamon spread in the bottom)

Have everything ready before you start. Have a clean marble slab or countertop greased with butter, and have a small lump of butter ready to grease your hands when ready to knead candy. Have 2" - 3" cold water in the sink, and have a lump of butter (Mother used to say "size of a walnut") and vanilla standing by the sink. I use a 3 or 4 quart dull pan (shiny stainless steel would scorch the milk).

Mix sugar and flour, mashing flour lumps into sugar with spoon so all is smooth, then add milk. Start cooking while stirring till sugar pretty well dissolved, but never stir once simmering commences. When gently boiling, cover for a few minutes. On my stove, I cook halfway between medium and medium-low to soft ball stage (234 degrees on my thermometer).

Immediately move pan to cold water in sink and add butter. Let it cool a few minutes and add vanilla, then beat (slowly will do it) till it becomes dull & no longer shiny. Turn it onto a greased counter, rub butter on your hands, and knead until you can form rolls (about the size of a roll of quarters) and roll each formed roll in the cinnamon. When firm, store in a tin until needed, then cut into little slices.

Enjoy and Merry Christmas. The next post will be Grandma's diary entry for January 1, 1927.

Tuesday, December 18, 2007

Saturday, December 18, 1926

This would be Grandma's birthday.

She had a ring with the birthstone for December in it, which she gave to my youngest sister, her only granddaughter who also had a birthday in December. And, if she hasn't already, we would expect my sister to give that ring to one particular niece some day, the only girl in the next generation with a December birthday.

Monday, December 17, 2007

Friday, December 17, 1926

Grandma had no more diary entries until she started her new "book of remembrance" for 1927.

At the end of her 1926 diary, she included these names and addresses, some friends long forgotten, others (the Jordan's) were her uncles, brothers of her mother.

Mrs. CC Cunningham
26 Fowler Ave
West Lafayette, Ind

H. L. Barnhart
2615 Mills Ave.
Indianapolis

Flora M. Hipp
222 Central Ave.

Andrew Jordan
208 S. Seventh Ave.
Maywood, Ill

James Jordan
221 N. Wood St.
Gibson City, Ill

John Jordan
716 N. Market St.
Bloomington, Ill

J. J. Morgan
4841 N. Capitol Ave.

Tomorrow, December 18th, is Grandma's birthday. Born in 1892, she would be 115 years old if she were alive today. Remember, the oldest person in the world lives in a nursing home not far from Indianapolis, and she was born in April 1893.

New posts of the diary will start on January 1. In the meantime, check back as I will post some of Grandma's candy recipes. Candy making was always a big part of her holiday preparations.

Monday, December 10, 2007

Friday, December 10, 1926

No diary entry today! I guess Grandma was too busy making candy, getting ready for Christmas. She made candy every year for Christmas, as she had quite the sweet tooth.

Sunday, December 09, 2007

Thursday, December 9, 1926

Thursday, December 9, 1926
Rainy

Mama came over early to let me go down town. Papa took me out to lunch which I enjoyed very much. I shopped and got everything from furniture (doll) to fire engines and was so laden down I hardly got on the bus. However, I made it and felt after I got home and inventoried that I hadn’t got much after all. I’m afraid my little gifts will seem cheap to the others, they are the best I can afford.

(Aunt Marjorie wrote, "Mother seemed to give us gifts we liked. Except... when I was 12 or 13 she refused to get me the Max Factor make-up I saw in the drugstores, which I was very sure would make me beautiful!"

Is anyone really satisfied with the gifts they get others?)

Saturday, December 08, 2007

Wednesday, December 8, 1926

Wednesday, December 8, 1926
Warmer

Ironed and mended and put the clothes away. I answered the door when sweaty from ironing, stood there a minute in the draft and felt myself taking cold began to sneeze right away so began doctoring up but felt awfully bum by supper time. Went to bed early instead of sewing as I wanted to.

Friday, December 07, 2007

Tuesday, December 7, 1926

Tuesday, December 7, 1926
Cold and rain or sleet

A glare of ice everywhere. Gilbert started out but couldn’t walk except on the grass and as there was no grass down town where he would have to transfer he came back and called a taxi. The $1.15 was cheaper than a broken leg. All had melted by noon. I washed. Dick and Albert busy writing “po yems”. Albert is interested because Dick is of course. But I think Dick writes some pretty clever rhymes for a kid but I realize I may be prejudiced.

(A glare of ice could be our weather forecast for this same day in 2007. Gilbert had one leg shorter than the other so I would imagine that it was worse for him to walk on snowy or icy sidewalks than for others.

And what mother doesn't think her kids are clever and talented? I doubt any of those "po yems" were kept, but they'd be interesting to read.

Aunt Marjorie wrote, "Dick and Albert always liked "po yems". I still have a little book called "A Child's Garden of Verses" that I believe Dick & Albert gave me for Christmas when I was probably about eight. Several years later they gave me a big book of James Whitcomb Riley's "Complete Book of Poems". I gave that to my youngest granddaughter. I also remember that Dick was clever at drawing cartoons and caricatures."

Wednesday, December 05, 2007

Sunday, December 5, 1926

No diary entry today. I assume it was a typical Sunday... church, Sunday school, visiting Grandma's parents... maybe see a movie. I am still surprised that movie theaters were open on Sundays in the 1920's. Must have been about the only thing open!

Tuesday, December 04, 2007

Saturday, December 4, 1926

Saturday, December 4, 1926

Found of the floor of living and dining room while cleaning house. Not mussed up as much as sometimes.
1 airplane
1 doll chair
1 base ball
1 doll bed
1 market basket
1 tin cup
Pad for kitchen
Felix
1 piece toast
1 can rubber
1 tin cart and horse
1 revolver
1 cake box
Gilbert’s slippers
Ned’s hat
1 news bag
1 can opener
1 bather belt
Dale’s good pants
Albert’s good pants
Dale's news bag
1 box lid
1 box (garage)
1 iron truck
1 piece broken airplane
1 crayon
1 pencil
1 toy racer
2 rag dolls
1 tin box
1 leather whip
1 skate key
Doll's shoe
1 empty box
1 tin man
1 pair scissors
1 pencil
1 “blown up” Jack
2 rubber bands
3 paper clips
1 wheel
1 safety pin
11 Lincoln logs
6 blocks
1 doll dress
2 handerkerchiefs
1 button
1 clothes hanger

Lots of paper for Dick just got through eating a bunch of butterscotch and chocolates with tin foil on them. I don’t know how it happened that there were no gloves in the pile or marbles.

(I guess it was hard to keep the room nice and neat with four boys and a baby girl!)