Mom's Sugar cookies

One of my favorite holiday activities this year was making sugar cookies with the boys. This sugar cookie recipe goes back to the early 1900s and my Grandma Helen McDonald Livingston, she brought it into the family and it is one of those recipes that you really should have someone coaching you through the finer points. For me, that was my mother and I so excited to start the tradition with my boys. It just felt good to me, the smell, the texture, the old family cookie cutters and most of all vividly remembering of my mother helping me when I got stuck with lumps in the dough or couldn't get the right consistency and her hand mixing the dough with me. I've made and consumed more of these cookies during the holidays than I care to admit, and ask any of my siblings, the taste of them is like going home. Anyways, here are a few shots of the task in action:

Harrison was actually a great little cookie

maker and stayed on task for at least the making

of the dough and a dozen or so cookie cut-outs.

But you can see he was really drawn to the flour

part of the whole deal. At some point I looked up

and saw flour EVERYWHERE and had to just press on

realize this is what making memories is all about.

Even the messy part.

Success!

My little taster.

Carter loved the cookie tasting too.

This is the tin can that mother kept all of the special

cookie cutters, flour sifter, and rolling pin. I will continue

to keep them in it.

So much flour that Carter pretty much was covered

in it just by playing in the kitchen.

The cookie cutters, the ones with the metal handles

are the really old ones, cool huh.

Sadly, I didn't take any pictures of the decorating part, but of course Harrison loved it! He DUMPED sprinkles on the cookies and they did look pretty neat. Should have taken a picture or two, but don't worry many years to come of this recipe, I assure you.