Crazy Cake

My cousin from Let's Make Mud Pies posted a cake recipe and asked what our favorite was. I replied that Crazy cake was a favorite growing up and it's my favorite chocolate cake. She hadn't heard of it and I promised I would write a post about it.

Here's the recipe:

3 cups Flour
2 cups Sugar
6 to 8 Tbsp Cocoa powder
2 tsp Baking soda
1 tsp salt
2 Tbsp Vinegar
2 tsp Vanilla
1 cup Oil
2 cups Water

 In a large bowl sift together flour, cocoa, sugar, baking soda and salt

 Make three wells in the mixture.

 In a separate bowl pour in but do not mix vinegar, oil and vanilla. Pour into wells. Pour water overall and  beat by hand. Do not use mixer. Pour into greased and floured pan.

 Bake at 350 for 30 minutes or until tests done with toothpick.

It comes out almost black and the top is a little firm. Oh so yummy.

Sonoma County Fair

Growing up we visited the fair as often as we could. It was always a great adventure for me because my mom would let me go off with my two girl cousins and meet at designated times for a meal. This was before cellular phones and we always knew we could find our moms hanging out near the pavilion and the food under the shade enjoying the free music.

This time we went just us four - the hubby, me and the boys. Hubby and the youngest loved the tilt a whirl.

I was excited to find my favorite foods a cinnamon roll and a combination plate from the mexican  food vendor.

The hall of flowers is always amazing. It is best to go the first week because towards the end the flowers start to die.

Family get together

My amazing aunt decided to have my uncle invite everyone over for a meal potluck style while we were visiting. There were about 35 of us there. Three generations.

Left to right. Ron, Skip, Teri, Cleo (my mom) and Daniel (my oldest).

Me, Tania and Cindi - we spent many summers having fun together.

The descendants from my great Aunt Arlean.

A break from the current posts.

We are in the midst of vacation posts and I have to stop and remember. The hubby's aunt and MIL's sister passed away early Friday morning. She'd had a heart attack and there were complications during her surgery. She was on a ventilator several days and now she is at peace and with Jesus. So thankful for the family that I married into.

‘He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death’ or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away.”

Revelation 21:4

Bodega Bay and coast drive

On Friday we drove up the coast to Bodega Bay and made the loop back to the town we stayed in.

Playing chicken with the waves.

Goat Rock Beach. For some reason I always call it Goat Head.

The oldest is like his momma he could stand there all day and look at the ocean.

No loop trip is complete with out a stop at Candy & Kites. 

The boys are like me MUST put our feet in the cold ocean.

The Charles Schulz Museum

One of our things to do while there was to go to the Charles Schultz Museum. The hubby loves all the Charlie Brown movies and we thought it would be fun. We were right. 

This picture is the gift shop and gallery.

Stained glass window.

A painting from Charles' home when his children were young.

There is also an ice skating rink there. We did not ice skate but watched others.

The House

We arrived at the house we rented in the evening and waited for the owner to text the key code to us so we could enter. We settled in and decided to go grocery shopping at about 7 pm. We needed to stock up for the week and eat some dinner.This is the ladder to the loft - yep it's like a ladder not stairs. The boys tried to go up but the height bothered them. So it was mom that slept up there every night. 

It seemed as if this was an office at some point. The front of the house is on a one way road that is a state highway that goes through town.

Oldest got his own room.

Small bathroom.

We slept the first night and I woke up before everyone else (like I usually do). I didn't want to wake anyone so I went out the back door and drank my coffee and called my mom who was in the hotel down the street from us. We talked about our drive and our trip to the local Safeway store. After a few minutes she said "Now that you've stayed in the house one night let me tell you what your aunt and uncle said about it." I paused because I couldn't imagine what it could be. She said that a while ago there were some ladies arrested there because the business that was there was doing more than massages. We had a chuckle. I made sure to tell the hubby about it to warn him because my aunt would probably bring it up. She did not bring it up around us our our boys which I was thankful for and I do not think the boys knew about it. Later that week we had a family get together at my aunt and uncle's home. Earlier that day the hubby and the youngest had gone to the park to play and the oldest and I were lounging around the house - I was in my robe. I heard a knock on the back door and I thought that maybe the repair man was there because the owner had texted that she was sending someone to repair the dishwasher and washer/dryer combo unit. I looked out the peephole and there was a man standing on the porch, his truck was parked in the driveway and it looked like he was a maintenance worker. I opened the door with my oldest towering above and behind me. The man said, "Oh I guess this is not what it used to be." I said, "No, it's not." He apologized and left. I told my aunt once we arrived at her house for the get together. I kept praying over the house each day we were there, help us leave a good mark on this house Lord.