Merry Christmas and Happy New Year from Gwen!

Mike and Leslie want to wish you all a Merry Christmas and Happy New Year but they are busy and are letting me do it this year.

I don't know exactly what to do so I am just going to show you some of my pictures. That should make you Merry and Happy! Enjoy!

Here is me playing on Leslie's foot. What a great game. She hates it though when I bite her toes.

This is me getting my blow dry after my shower. I love the hair dryer! Notice that Leslie takes care of drying me before she dries her own hair! Isn't she thoughtful!

And this is me enjoying my nightly Cool Whip snack. I love Cool Whip!

If you haven't already seen my video, I recommend that you visit this website at http://members.aol.com/lescarroll/Gwen_Movie.mqv. Turn up the volume really loud so you can hear everything that I have to say! You'll need the Quicktime Windows 7.1.3 viewer. If you don't already have it, click here, it's free.


This is a picture that I found on the computer that Mike and Leslie labeled Colonial Gothic. Don't they look funny?

Completed Martha Washington Cake

Here is a picture of one of the round 8" iced Martha Washington Great Cakes that I finished this morning before our Holiday Party. I believe everyone enjoyed the cake that tried it.

And althought the many people and kids stressed Gwen during the party, she seems fine now after everyone has left.

Martha Washington Cake

I had received a recipe at Mount Vernon for a cake that Martha Washington supposedly made (see Great Cake Recipe from Mount Vernon). It calls for 55 eggs, 4 lbs of butter, 5 lbs of flour, 4 lbs of sugar, and 5 lbs of fruit. Since I got that recipe I have always wanted to make it. I did that today. Well, at least the cake part. Tomorrow, I will do the icing.


I ended up with 3 complete two-layer cakes (2 8" round and 1 9" square) plus I have one oblong one-layer cake. When I cut the cake pieces to get it to lay flat on the layers, I got to taste it.


The cake is certainly different. I don't like fruit cake with all that sweetened fruit. There is none of that in this cake. I added just fresh fruit and nuts except for some dried blueberries and cherries (not dried sweetened cherries that taste like they were made by some chemical company found in fruit cakes today). The cake is moist, firm, and sweet. The icing is going to make it sweeter (and better). I plan on serving it at a holiday party that I am having at the house tomorrow.


I also finished my apple center piece and the stairway decorations. I finished the wreath the other day but only remembered to take a picture of it today. I put out the candles on the windows and the poinsettias at the fireplace. The house is ready for Christmas!


Happy Holidays everyone.

Gingerbread House

Pictures of this years Gingerbread House!