Do you like mysteries?

Would you like to read a book about canoes, fishing, and mysteries? If so, the book you need is The Yellow House Mystery by Gertrude Chandler Warner. In this book, the Alden children go to Surprise Island to try to solve the mystery of their housekeeper's missing husband. In the yellow house, they find a note under a loose brick in the chimney. What they learn in the note leads them on an exciting adventure in Maine.

Rosenbaum Family Gingerbread Cookies

We made five different Gingerbread cookie recipes, and then combined two to make this recipe. These Gingerbread cookies are special because they are made out of maple syrup. They taste great, and they looked cute too, but we did not get any pictures.

Ingredients:
1 cup butter
2/3 cup brown sugar, packed
1 cup pure maple syrup
1 teaspoon lemon juice
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 teaspoon ginger
1/2 teaspoon cloves
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon baking soda
4-4 1/2 cups sifted flour

What to do and how long to bake them in the oven:
Cream together butter and brown sugar. Add remaining ingredients, except flour, and blend. Finally, add enough flour to make a soft dough. Refrigerate the dough for about an hour. Roll out dough on floured surface, and cut out Gingerbread people. Bake at 350 degrees for 8 minutes, or until lightly browned. Makes about 4 dozen medium-sized gingerbread people.

After baking, decorate with frosting, but do not make a fuzzy sweater!