Tuesday, December 9, 2014

Christmas Memories ~ Grandma Maxie ~


Hello sweet friends & Merry Christmas to you!
~~~***~~~
Who can estimate the power and influence
of the home recalled in memory?
The Spirit of God can
"stir up our minds by way of remembering."
They are precious nuggets to be stored away
and guarded within our hearts.
Oh the joys of taking a trip
down memory lane
and looking back over the years
into those childhood memories.
~~~***~~~
This is my grandmother Maxie.
She was my fathers mother.


Grandma went home to be with the Lord
just this fall at the young age of 97.
My Irish grandma was full of life, laughter and spirit!
She graced our lives and homes
 with a heritage of memories.
In memory I am a child all over again
with my grandmother Maxie and other loved ones.
The best way to describe my precious grandma...
She was young at heart ~ always.
She would unselfishly stop what she was doing
should I ask her to play dolls~
climb a mountain ~ play dress up ~ go swimming ~
ride her bike with me ~ do cart wheels ~
design & sew for me a pretty dress on her sewing machine ~
Lay on the grass and look for four leaf clovers,
(one of her favorite things to do by the way)
dance with me as grandpa played
polka music on his accordion ~
or just stop everything
and bake up some cookies together.
~~~***~~~
I was the first grand-daughter on both sides of the family
and was blessed to inherit
 grandma Maxie's name as my middle name.
God has graced me with many of her beautiful qualities
for which I am thankful for.
Along with inheriting her name,
I was given her hope chest
that was her grandmothers made of ceder wood.
With love and care grandma loaded my chest with
many of her used kitchen items.
These fiesta dishes that she had and used
in the beginning years of her marriage
were placed in that chest
and saved until I would marry.
My husband and I used those dishes
for years into our marriage,
and after nearly 36 years together
those dishes are now show-cased on our hutch
in loving memory of my dear grandma Maxie.
~~~***~~~
Grandma Maxie was a good cook
though she was not always in the kitchen
as I remember my Granny to be.
Grandma Maxie was a sincere lady
who set before us her values of working hard
along side of my grandfather
in his self owned business.
As grandpa aged with health problems,
grandma was a beautiful example
of showing love with a servants heart.
 ~~~***~~~
During the Christmas season
I find great joy in spending hours in my kitchen.
Oh... the smells and aromas,
the warmth of having the oven on,
the sounds of Christmas music playing in the background,
and the love that is poured into all that is baked,
then tied with a bow
in the form of a "goodie" package
and graciously given to loved ones whom
God has placed on my heart,
brings delight to my soul.

One of my favorite cookies 
that grandma made over the Christmas holidays
was her soft sugar cookies.
These sugar cookies are not like most
very sweet sugar cookies,
they are soft and cake like
with just a little crisp to them.
And just so you know,
one batch of these delicious tasting cookies
goes a long way, so spread the love with them!
~~~***~~~
Let us grace our homes with the delightful sounds
of Christmas music, and bake a batch of cookies.
Once baked ~ pour yourself a cup of coffee (grandma's favorite)
or a drink of your choice,
and enjoy relaxing beside the Christmas tree.

Soft Sugar Cookies
4 eggs & 1 egg yolk
4 Tablespoons milk
1 1/2 cup white sugar
1 Teaspoon vanilla
Cream these 4 ingredients together until light & creamy.
4 1/2 cups sifted flour (sift at least 3 times)
3/4 Teaspoon salt
1 Teaspoon baking soda
2 Teaspoons baking powder
Cut 1 cup of shortening in the flour mixture.
I use my hand held pastry blender and mix
until I have pea size pieces of the shortening.
Add the flour mixture to the creamed mixture slowly.
Grandma always said to HAND stir
the flour mixture into the creamed part as
whipping makes for a hard cookie.
This dough can be chilled if necessary.  
 

I use my pastry cloth to roll these delicate cookies on 
and gently roll with my rolling pin.
Before baking I like to sprinkle with sugar
or colored sprinkles,
 but you may also add your favorite icing on top after cooling.
Bake at 375 degrees for 7 minutes.
Makes 68 or more cookies.
Enjoy!
~~~***~~~
"For unto us a child is born,
unto us a son is given:
and the government shall be upon his shoulder:
and his name shall be called
Wonderful Counselor,
The Mighty God,
The everlasting Father,
The Prince of Peace."
( Isaiah 9:6 )
  Look at the names that reveal the character of our Lord & Savior, Jesus Christ!
~~~***~~~
Our Precious Heavenly Father.
We love You, because You first loved us.
We praise Your Name
for the gift of Your Son, Jesus Christ,
whom we can have everlasting,
eternal life through.
Amen


O come let us adore Him,
Christ the Lord!
~ Debbie ~

29 comments:

Sylvia said...

Debbie, I could feel the love in your post. Christmas is a special time of year! Family and friends gathering and showing God's love. Every year my 6 grandchildren come on one special day and we bake our Christmas cookies together, this year it is on Dec.23rd, I look forward to making those memories with them. Have a blessed day my friend.

NanaDiana said...

What a wonderful, love-filled post about your dear grandmother. What a blessing she was in your life. I am saving that recipe to try. I really like a soft sugar cookie and have not seen a recipe quite like this. I'll let you know how they turn out. xo Diana

Julie's Lifestyle said...

Thanks for this wonderful post! I would love to try your cookie recipe. Wishing you and your family a Merry Christmas.
Julie

Stephanie said...

As Sylvia said, I could feel the love radiating from this post. I felt like you had taken me back in time with your memories. I was truly swept away, mom, and I didn't want the post to end...

Dear, sweet great-grandma...what a precious woman! She was one of the most loving and unselfish ladies I have ever met and you know what? You are just like her! You have followed in her footsteps and have one of the biggest, most giving and loving hearts. The two of you are two peas-in-a-pod.

A lovely post, dear mom. Great-grandma's sugar cookies are always a favorite during this time of year. I remember when you would make the dough for Azilee and me and we often cut out cookies making a mess in the kitchen, but you just let us have our fun :)

Enjoy your day! I love you!

JES said...

I enjoyed reading your homemaking history of Grandma Maxine! While you were leaving a comment on my blog, I had your page bookmarked to read during my tea time today. It just looked like the pleasant kind of reading I was in the mood for this afternoon and it didn't disappoint. Thank you for the encouragement and love for home that you shared through memory lane today :) And the cookies look scrumptious!

Celestina Marie said...

Dear Debbie, such precious memories with your grandmother. She was a great influence in your life and I know is so proud of you.
Love the cookie recipe and thank you for sharing it with us.
Like Stephanie said, you followed in her footsteps.
Thank you for sharing the loving Christmas memories.
Be Blessed my friend.
Love to you!

Wanda said...

Thank you for sharing Grandma with me. She is truly a wonderful memory for you and your family. I didn't know my grandmothers as they passed when I was a small child. But my mom, filled my life with memories, and yesterday I baked a fruitcake like hers and sat and reflected on how much she has influenced my life. She moved to heaven in 1991 but lives everyday in my heart and actions.
Blessings for a joyous Christmas filled with Christ's love.

Butterfly 8)(8 Bungalow said...

Beautiful memories. xoxo

Joyful said...

What a lovely post of memories. Thanks too for sharing your recipe. I love sugar cookies but can't eat anything so sweet anymore. Merry Christmas to you and yours. xx

Sola Scriptura said...

Such a heart-warming post! Thank you for sharing such lovely memories and the yummy recipe! Hugs to you.

FlowerLady Lorraine said...

What a lovely post! It has inspired me to make Christmas cookies. They are fun to eat and give a way.

Have a wonderful Christmas holiday season.

FlowerLady

Marilyn Mathis said...

Precious memories make life so much more enjoyable. You are so sweet to share them with us. Lovely blog pictures.

Bethany Carson said...

What a wonderful tribute to your grandmother. She sounds like such a special lady, and you have very special memories. Thank you for sharing her recipe with us. I will save it to try one of these days.

Vicky Hunt said...

Such a lovely post Debbie. I could tell how much your grandmother meant to you. What a special lady she was. Her cookies sound delicious. Sugar cookies are my favorite at Christmas. I pinned this recipe and will be trying it out soon. Have a blessed rest of the week.

Hugs, Vicky

Anne Payne said...

Debbie, Thank you for sharing such sweet memories of your Grandma Maxie! Those cookies look delicious. I remember playing at my granny's growing up. She had a fantastic treasure trove of goodies in her garage :) She wasn't much of a cook but she loved ice cream! I could always count on getting a scoop before bedtime. It was Skinner's Vanilla from a local dairy, and oh my, it was the best!!! Oh, Thanks for helping me remember that today! {{hugs}}

Cranberry Morning said...

What a beautiful post, Debbie, and a sweet and loving tribute to your Grandma! What an example and inspiration she was. I love seeing your Christmas decorations, that pretty pastry cloth, and the sugar cookie recipe! Have a wonderful Thursday.

Robyn said...

Oh my goodness, Debbie, I teared up reading this as I remembered all the wonderful times spent with my Grandmother in her kitchen. What a beautiful tribute you have written! I loved reading every single word! You give us so much each time you share! Thank you, friend. xoox

Camille said...

Mmmm....those cookies look wonderful my friend. Thank you for sharing the recipe. I will have to give them a try. And...I enjoyed reading your memories of your grandma...what a blessing. Hugs to you! Camille

kitty@ Kitty's Kozy Kitchen said...

I loved reading this memory-filled post of your Grandma Maxie, my friend! She lived a wonderful, fulfilling life, didn't she? I can just picture her looking for four-leafed clovers. You sent me a copy of this cookie recipe and I must try them. I so loved getting a glimpse of your hutch, filled with her fiestaware dishes. You and Stephanie have such a cozy decorating style. Love to you and Merry Christmas!

Deborah Montgomery said...

Your grandmother sounds like such a wonderful person! What good memories you have, and a beautiful legacy. It's being passed down through you, and now through dear Stephanie.
I like soft cookies, too; those sugar cookies look so good. And you're right; a batch of cookies can spread so much love!!

Debby Ray said...

What a beautiful post, Debbie...I can tell that your Grandma Maxie was a very lady! She was the same age as my mom when she passed. The way you described her reminded me of my MIL. She was like that with my children when they were little...always playing silly games with them, crawling around the floor, etc. The cookie recipe you shared looked very similar to my mom's...they were not overly sweet but had a very special texture...always decorating them with the colored sugar. Grandma Maxie would certainly be honored with this sweet tribute to her. Have a blessed weekend!

Debby Ray said...

I meant to say "very special lady"...I am bad about leaving words out :)

J said...

I came here after reading your comment on Judy's blog. I knew I would love the work of someone so kind as to allow a pet rabbit to live with his people like a member of the family! I was not disappointed! Beautiful tribute to dear grandma, lovely sentiments on the true meaning of Christmas, warm, happy photos of a cozy home, and such pretty music to set it all off!
Merry Christmas!

White Lace and Promises said...

Oh what a beautiful post! Made me think of my precious memories.

Dianna said...

Dear Debbie,
I noticed that you had visited my blog today and given me a "follow", so I wanted to come by and say thank you and "hello". It is so nice to meet you.

Thank you so much for sharing about your grandmother Maxie. She sounds like such a lovely lady.

Reading here brought back precious memories of my own grandma. She would have been 100 had she lived just four more months...and she was in her 90's before she seemed "old" and I say that with the greatest respect for her.

Thank you so much for sharing here on your beautiful blog!

Oh...and I wanted to mention that those beautiful Fiesta dishes that had belonged to your grandmother Maxie were made right here in West Virginia...only a few hours from where we live.

Have a wonderful week!

Rosemary and Thyme said...

What a beautiful and tender post. What a blessing to be able to enjoy your beloved grandmother's kitchen treasures. I am sure she had an amazing life with great stories to tell.

The cookies look delicious. I always enjoy a good sugar cookie recipe and I am certainly going to give this one a try.

Wishing you a wonderful week,

Janet

JES said...

I am so glad you were able to join us at the link up this week! You already know how much I enjoyed this post and I am sure it will be a blessing to others :)

M.K. said...

When I saw your grandma Maxie's photo in this post, I smiled right away and the first thing I thought was, "Oh! She looks like fun!" I know she was (and is!) Thanks for sharing. What a life of testimony to you! THe recipe looks lovely :)

Angela said...

Hi Debbie, I just had to stop back by and say that these cookies have been a real treat! We had so much fun making, eating, and sharing them :) Thanks again for sharing with us! Have a very Merry Christmas! Joy to the world...our Lord has come.

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