My Grandma's Orange Cookies

I love my Grandma. She was a wonderful baker and always made Christmas special. In a fit of nostalgia my sister had my mother send her Grandma's recipe for Orange Cookies. No Christmas was complete for us as kids with out getting to have some of these wonderful treats.

Grandma Fern’s Orange Cookies

2 cups- white sugar
1 cup- butter, lard or Crisco
1 cup- buttermilk/sour milk
2 eggs
juice of orange (1/4 cup)
1 tsp. Baking soda
1 tsp. Baking powder
4 cups of flour (enough to make a soft dough)

Put soda in buttermilk/sour milk, put baking powder in the flour

Icing
2 lbs powdered sugar, 1 stick butter melted and cooled, orange juice to make consistency to spread (juice of about 2 oranges), grated orange rind of 2 or 3 oranges

Note- to make sour milk 1 Tbsp vinegar in 1 cup of sweet milk

Bake 375 degrees for 9-10 minutes
Makes 4 dozen

I love the lack of directions. Everyone baked all the time back then. So you just knew how to make cookies. For those wanting a little more direction - Cream sugar and butter, Add egg and beat, Combined milk, oj and soda in a small bowl, Combined flour and baking powder in another small bowl, Alternately add liquid and dry ingredients to sugar, butter and eggs till soft dough forms. Chill dough for about 1 hour. Roll out on a lightly floured surface to about 1/2 inch thick. These are more of a soft cakey cookie. Cut out circles with a floured biscuit cutter or glass (about 2 1/2 inches each). Bake. Cool. Ice. And eat. Merry Christmas.

And the Award for Best Photographer Goes To...

I realized that I didn't give credit to our wonderful photographer.

Christina Cole Photography!

Christy is the best! She was sooo patient working with our crazy kidlets and my ideas for photos.

This running shot is exactly like I had hoped it would be. Don't you love the energy!

Strike a Pose

Two notes at the outset.

1- Yes it's been forever since I've posted. It appears that for me Homeschooling and posting don't mix. I'll try to work on this.

2- Photo heavy post alert. For our Christmas present to the Grandparents we had our family picture taken. It had been about four years since our last family photo, and seeing as Little Miss is two (the same age Princess was in our last family photo) it was about time.

How cute are these kids? I love this photo!

Yep, that's my boys for you. Stick = sword.

I wanted to get a photo of them "sword fighting"

because this is what they are always doing.

How sweet are these two?

Ya just gotta love her smile!

I really love this pose. Check out the two bookends. Silly geese!

Together Forever!

Happy Birthday Mom!

Hi Mom! See I'm posting, for your birthday!

Just thought that I would let you know that I love you.

Thanks for always being there for me and loving me.

You're the best!

Lions and Tiger and Bears, Oh My!

One of the things that we have always liked about the part of Ohio that we were from is all the great places to go hiking. Just with in a few minutes of each other are John Bryan, Glen Helen, and Clifton Gorge. Since the Little Red Hen had her In-Laws with her, and Grandma VO could use some piece (I mean peace) and quiet we decided to go for a hike. The little girls fell asleep on the way there so we mommies hung out at the cars while the girls napped. Uncle Dan, Grandpa and Grandma G took the troops for the hike.

Ya gotta love all the fun of climbing and getting to explore caves. The Master, my nephews nickname, even got to find a "wild bear" (Uncle Dan).