plesant all day
warmer this evening-
Done every day general work
stewed apples for supper-
wrote a letter to Clara with Aunty writing too-
Sent birthday card to Delbert-
Mended Mothers dress and made new button hole-
Harry called about an hour this afternoon-
Showing posts with label birthday. Show all posts
Showing posts with label birthday. Show all posts
Sunday, December 14, 2014
Thursday, October 16, 2014
Friday, October 16, 1936
Mothers birthday
I made a birthday cake and decorated it very pretty with Voguls decorations^-
I dug a pail of potatoes-
Clara and Lloyd sent a bouquet of crysianthemums beautiful things-
Mother was pleased and liked her cake & flowers
Aunty has had stomach trouble today-
vomited terribly-
feels better this eve-
Mother has been good today
*Harry did not come
^I can't seem to find anything about Vogul's or Vogel's cake decorations, but I did find this site about birthday cakes. About half way down it mentions (children's) birthdays in 1936. Another site is The Food Timeline: cake history. <image by Heather Dolton, Pastry Chef. Check out her Facebook page >
*This line was written vertically up the left hand side of the diary entry.
I made a birthday cake and decorated it very pretty with Voguls decorations^-
I dug a pail of potatoes-
Clara and Lloyd sent a bouquet of crysianthemums beautiful things-
Mother was pleased and liked her cake & flowers
Aunty has had stomach trouble today-
vomited terribly-
feels better this eve-
Mother has been good today
*Harry did not come
 |
| Cake by Heather Dolton, Irene's great-granddaughter^ |
^I can't seem to find anything about Vogul's or Vogel's cake decorations, but I did find this site about birthday cakes. About half way down it mentions (children's) birthdays in 1936. Another site is The Food Timeline: cake history. <image by Heather Dolton, Pastry Chef. Check out her Facebook page >
*This line was written vertically up the left hand side of the diary entry.
Sunday, May 25, 2014
Monday, May 25, 1936
plesant & cool all day
Made oat flake cookies and helped a little in the garden-
Harry planted peas corn, string beeans, lettuce beets, parsnips & potatoes-
Harry took Mother & I to Ithaca this afternoon and ordered coal and got tomato onion, & pepper plants.
Iliff with us this eve- Mother good
*Harry got me ice cream & birthday^ card.
*This line was written up the outer, left-hand side of the entry.
^ Today would have been Irene's 134th birthday. My daughter, Fiona was born on this same say as Irene in 2001.
Made oat flake cookies and helped a little in the garden-
Harry planted peas corn, string beeans, lettuce beets, parsnips & potatoes-
Harry took Mother & I to Ithaca this afternoon and ordered coal and got tomato onion, & pepper plants.
Iliff with us this eve- Mother good
*Harry got me ice cream & birthday^ card.
 |
| Irene Smith Dolton b. May 25, 1880 |
*This line was written up the outer, left-hand side of the entry.
^ Today would have been Irene's 134th birthday. My daughter, Fiona was born on this same say as Irene in 2001.
Happy 134th Birthday Irene!
Happy 13th Birthday Fiona!
Saturday, May 24, 2014
Sunday, May 24, 1936
rainy afternoon-
Harry Baker came for dinner
brought strawberries for shortcake
I combed mother's hair and washed her neck and ears. etc-
Iliff came this eve and brought me a card also cards from Florence & Mildred & a nice pair of silk hose for my birthday-
Mother very good today-
Harry Baker came for dinner
brought strawberries for shortcake
I combed mother's hair and washed her neck and ears. etc-
Iliff came this eve and brought me a card also cards from Florence & Mildred & a nice pair of silk hose for my birthday-
Mother very good today-
 |
| Hallmark card 1936 by L. Loft |
Friday, May 23, 2014
Saturday, May 23, 1936
plesant all day. warmer
made layer cake.
Leroy Bower drilled corn today-
was here for dinner-
Harry Baker & Kenneth Wright brought a coal box on a truck-
a bushel of seed potatoes & chicken wire fence-
Mother run away after supper to Evans' before I missed her.
Was mad because I came for her-
Elnora & Susie Harring helped me get her home-
*Rec'd birthday card from Hannah
*This line was written up the outer, left-hand side of the entry.
made layer cake.
Leroy Bower drilled corn today-
was here for dinner-
Harry Baker & Kenneth Wright brought a coal box on a truck-
a bushel of seed potatoes & chicken wire fence-
Mother run away after supper to Evans' before I missed her.
Was mad because I came for her-
Elnora & Susie Harring helped me get her home-
*Rec'd birthday card from Hannah
*This line was written up the outer, left-hand side of the entry.
Thursday, May 1, 2014
Friday, May 1, 1936
Aunty's - Harry's birthday
Had a chicken dinner and birthday cake for supper-
Aunty and Mother got Harry a pair of pig skin driving gloves and Clara got him a bath robe and Aunty a china cabinet for her dishes-
Harry took Aunty and I to the Strand Theater^ to see Franchot Tone and Loretta Young in "The Unguarded Hour."*
Mother was bad and would not go so Clara stayed home.
*The Unguarded Hour came out in theaters on April 10, 1936. The trailer is from the Warner Brothers Archive on YouTube.
^The Strand Threater was in Ithaca that, during Irene's diary, showed movies in between live theatre productions.
I would like to take a moment to thank Julie Demers, an adjunct professor of English at Sage College of Albany & The College of St. Rose, both in Albany, NY, for including Irene's diary in the list of potential topics for her student's final research papers. I would also like to thank the two students who choose to study Irene's diary through this blog, Jayme (at St. Rose) & Elisabeth (at Sage). I visited Sage today & was able to witness Elisabeth's presentation first hand. She even made oat flake cookies using the recipe I provided! I brought the diary so Elisabeth, & the entire class could touch it & read it. This is the way to make history come alive folks.
Had a chicken dinner and birthday cake for supper-
Aunty and Mother got Harry a pair of pig skin driving gloves and Clara got him a bath robe and Aunty a china cabinet for her dishes-
Harry took Aunty and I to the Strand Theater^ to see Franchot Tone and Loretta Young in "The Unguarded Hour."*
Mother was bad and would not go so Clara stayed home.
*The Unguarded Hour came out in theaters on April 10, 1936. The trailer is from the Warner Brothers Archive on YouTube.
^The Strand Threater was in Ithaca that, during Irene's diary, showed movies in between live theatre productions.
I would like to take a moment to thank Julie Demers, an adjunct professor of English at Sage College of Albany & The College of St. Rose, both in Albany, NY, for including Irene's diary in the list of potential topics for her student's final research papers. I would also like to thank the two students who choose to study Irene's diary through this blog, Jayme (at St. Rose) & Elisabeth (at Sage). I visited Sage today & was able to witness Elisabeth's presentation first hand. She even made oat flake cookies using the recipe I provided! I brought the diary so Elisabeth, & the entire class could touch it & read it. This is the way to make history come alive folks.
 |
| Elisabeth Lavelle & Tisha Dolton (me) after the presentations |
Tuesday, April 29, 2014
Wednesday, April 29, 1936
Iliff's birthday
plesant morning but thunder showers this afternoon
Harry and Clara went to Ithaca shopping all day.
I raked the south yard
Mother was very restless because Clara was away and had a real spell when Clara came home about 5-30 P.M.
quiet this eve-
(Mom & Dad broke out the genealogy this past weekend & have been looking it over in earnest. Mom's been adding research from Ancestry.com & we may have some new information soon.)
plesant morning but thunder showers this afternoon
Harry and Clara went to Ithaca shopping all day.
I raked the south yard
Mother was very restless because Clara was away and had a real spell when Clara came home about 5-30 P.M.
quiet this eve-
(Mom & Dad broke out the genealogy this past weekend & have been looking it over in earnest. Mom's been adding research from Ancestry.com & we may have some new information soon.)
Saturday, April 26, 2014
Sunday, April 26, 1936
Sunday very plesant but cold wind
Harry took Clara, Mother, & Aunty top Half Acre for afternoon-
Mildred Searles came and got me to spend the afternoon and evening with them to celebrate Iliff's birthday*
Aunt Parmeal^ and Susie was there-
and Donald, Francis and little Donnie to supper**
*Iliff's birthday was April 29th. Mine is April 24th & I am having my 40th birthday party today 78 years after my grandfather's 39th birthday party.
^Mom says her name was actually Pamelia Apgar, & she died in 1937.
**Frances is Mildred Searles' sister. She married Donald Sharpsteen & had one son also named Donald. Frances died in a tuberculosis sanitarium in the Adirondacks a few years after this. Donald remarried & Donnie didn't have contact with his mother's family until he was in college.
Harry took Clara, Mother, & Aunty top Half Acre for afternoon-
Mildred Searles came and got me to spend the afternoon and evening with them to celebrate Iliff's birthday*
Aunt Parmeal^ and Susie was there-
and Donald, Francis and little Donnie to supper**
 |
*Iliff's birthday was April 29th. Mine is April 24th & I am having my 40th birthday party today 78 years after my grandfather's 39th birthday party.
^Mom says her name was actually Pamelia Apgar, & she died in 1937.
**Frances is Mildred Searles' sister. She married Donald Sharpsteen & had one son also named Donald. Frances died in a tuberculosis sanitarium in the Adirondacks a few years after this. Donald remarried & Donnie didn't have contact with his mother's family until he was in college.
Wednesday, February 12, 2014
Wednesday, February 12, 1936
Lincoln's birthday*
Cold but moderating a little
14 [degrees] above zero at noon
Made chocolate pudding and cup custard and oat flake cookies today-
Done all the chores and swept and dusted-
Mother has been fine today
Rec'd a letter from Clara to Aunty-
*Irene made a point of saying it was Lincoln's birthday even though her diary has some pre-printed historical facts for each date. This leads me to believe that his birthday was important to her as a remembrance. I have a friend who's mother used to make a special cake for Lincoln's birthday. I can't remember if it was a log cabin, or just a log. (Image comes from Wikimedia Commons & is in the public domain.)
Cold but moderating a little
14 [degrees] above zero at noon
Made chocolate pudding and cup custard and oat flake cookies today-
Done all the chores and swept and dusted-
Mother has been fine today
Rec'd a letter from Clara to Aunty-
 |
| Abraham Lincoln in 1863 daguerreotype* |
*Irene made a point of saying it was Lincoln's birthday even though her diary has some pre-printed historical facts for each date. This leads me to believe that his birthday was important to her as a remembrance. I have a friend who's mother used to make a special cake for Lincoln's birthday. I can't remember if it was a log cabin, or just a log. (Image comes from Wikimedia Commons & is in the public domain.)
Saturday, February 8, 2014
Saturday, February 8, 1936
Mildreds* birthday
Made a layer cake^ and tapioca pudding for dinner-
Dressed a rooster and done all the chores this A.M.
Cleaned the kitchen this P.M.
Harry and Clara came about 10- o'clock this eve-
Mother was quite difficult this afternoon and evening-
Weather moderated some today-
*As stated before, Mildred Searles is the oldest daughter of Irene's friend Florence Searles, & her husband Adelbert. Mildred was born in 1910. Mildred's sister Frances married Donald Sharpsteen & had one son, also named Donald. The younger Donald is my father's only cousin. Frances died of tuberculosis in a sanitarium in the Adirondacks when she was only 25 years old.
^I do have a recipe or two of Mildred's. To celebrate her birthday today I used her chocolate cake recipe & baked a layer cake. The recipe is below.
Mildred's Chocolate Layer Cake
Ingredients:
2 1/2 c. brown sugar
1/2 c. shortening
3 eggs (large)
2 t. baking powder
1/2 t. salt
2 1/4 c. flour, sifted
2 t. vanilla
1/2 c. buttermilk (or sour milk)
3 oz. unsweetened or semi-sweet baking chocolate
1 c. boiling water
Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees F. Grease & flour two 9" round pans.
Beat brown sugar, shortening together. Mix in eggs.
Beat in salt, baking powder, & 1 c. of flour. Mix in another 1 c. flour. When mixed, add remaining 1/4 c. flour, & vanilla.
Mix in buttermilk until combined.
In heat proof bowl, melt baking chocolate in boiling water. When chocolate is completely melted, slowly add the mixture to the cake batter. Beat one minute.
Pour 1/2 batter in each pan. Bake 28-34 minutes. Let cool 3 minutes. Remove cakes from pans to continue cooling on wire rack. Assemble layer cake with your favorite icing.
The cake is moist & not too dense. It has more of a subtle, milk chocolate flavor, & is not too sweet. I only made a 1/2 batch of icing (the recipe on the inside of the Baker's chocolate box), & used all of it. I'm not a big icing fan, so it is a very thin layer. I like it, but I think most people would prefer more of a chocolaty flavor.
UPDATE: My pastry chef sister suggests cutting the flour to 2 c & adding 1/4 c cocoa powder. This would make it a bit moister & more chocolaty.
Made a layer cake^ and tapioca pudding for dinner-
Dressed a rooster and done all the chores this A.M.
Cleaned the kitchen this P.M.
Harry and Clara came about 10- o'clock this eve-
Mother was quite difficult this afternoon and evening-
Weather moderated some today-
 |
| Mildred and Frances Searles c. 1925 |
*As stated before, Mildred Searles is the oldest daughter of Irene's friend Florence Searles, & her husband Adelbert. Mildred was born in 1910. Mildred's sister Frances married Donald Sharpsteen & had one son, also named Donald. The younger Donald is my father's only cousin. Frances died of tuberculosis in a sanitarium in the Adirondacks when she was only 25 years old.
^I do have a recipe or two of Mildred's. To celebrate her birthday today I used her chocolate cake recipe & baked a layer cake. The recipe is below.
 |
| The recipe below in Mildred's handwriting |
Mildred's Chocolate Layer Cake
Ingredients:
2 1/2 c. brown sugar
1/2 c. shortening
3 eggs (large)
2 t. baking powder
1/2 t. salt
2 1/4 c. flour, sifted
2 t. vanilla
1/2 c. buttermilk (or sour milk)
3 oz. unsweetened or semi-sweet baking chocolate
1 c. boiling water
Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees F. Grease & flour two 9" round pans.
Beat brown sugar, shortening together. Mix in eggs.
 |
| Beating the eggs, shortening, & brown sugar |
Beat in salt, baking powder, & 1 c. of flour. Mix in another 1 c. flour. When mixed, add remaining 1/4 c. flour, & vanilla.
 |
| Adding final bit of flour & vanilla |
Mix in buttermilk until combined.
 |
| Mixing in buttermilk |
In heat proof bowl, melt baking chocolate in boiling water. When chocolate is completely melted, slowly add the mixture to the cake batter. Beat one minute.
 |
| Pouring in chocolate melted in boiling |
Pour 1/2 batter in each pan. Bake 28-34 minutes. Let cool 3 minutes. Remove cakes from pans to continue cooling on wire rack. Assemble layer cake with your favorite icing.
 |
| Chocolate cake frosted with chocolate icing |
The cake is moist & not too dense. It has more of a subtle, milk chocolate flavor, & is not too sweet. I only made a 1/2 batch of icing (the recipe on the inside of the Baker's chocolate box), & used all of it. I'm not a big icing fan, so it is a very thin layer. I like it, but I think most people would prefer more of a chocolaty flavor.
UPDATE: My pastry chef sister suggests cutting the flour to 2 c & adding 1/4 c cocoa powder. This would make it a bit moister & more chocolaty.
Thursday, January 23, 2014
Thursday, January 23, 1936
Clara's birthday
Christine's birthday*
Stormy and windy and cold wave-
Rec'd letter from Clara telling about a storm in Newburg-
Done all the chores today and hemed Aunty's dress and finished an apron for Mother
Mother has been pretty good all day-
*Christine refers to Christine Smith. I never met her, but I did meet her brother Chester Smith & his wife Laura when I was in high school. They grew orchids for Cornell University. You can see Chester & Christine's birthdays listed on the paper above.
Christine's birthday*
Stormy and windy and cold wave-
Rec'd letter from Clara telling about a storm in Newburg-
Done all the chores today and hemed Aunty's dress and finished an apron for Mother
Mother has been pretty good all day-
 |
| List of birthdays found in Irene's diary |
*Christine refers to Christine Smith. I never met her, but I did meet her brother Chester Smith & his wife Laura when I was in high school. They grew orchids for Cornell University. You can see Chester & Christine's birthdays listed on the paper above.
Monday, January 20, 2014
Monday, January 20, 1936
Cold but plesant
Shovelled paths and done chores-
Mother as been good all day-
We three sent cards to Clara for her birthday*
I wrote a letter and sent with birthday card to Christine-
I need to go over the genealogy with my mother this week. After that I will know when Clara & Christine's birthdays were. I believe they were around the 23rd of January.
Shovelled paths and done chores-
Mother as been good all day-
We three sent cards to Clara for her birthday*
I wrote a letter and sent with birthday card to Christine-
 |
| Typical Birthday card ca. 1936 |
I need to go over the genealogy with my mother this week. After that I will know when Clara & Christine's birthdays were. I believe they were around the 23rd of January.
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