“The best and most beautiful things in the world cannot be seen or even touched. They must be felt with the heart.” Helen Keller
Why did I start this writing with a question? Well this is about a 'Lane' tradition and it always starts with the question Will you?
Many years ago in a little town up the road a piece from Knoxville, called Rogersville, I developed an 'affair of the heart' with a recipe for sugar cookies that a very special friend and neighbor always made for her family as one way to show her Love for them. Pat Lee, is now and was then, a shining example of, and a jewel in the crown of womanhood. When I met Pat and her family, I was a young mother with a seven year old son and a two year old daughter. We were renting this lovely home next door to the Lee's and we developed a lifetime friendship with them. We loved living in Rogersville. It was the closest place to home we had experienced so far in our marriage. During this time, Curt was, the Chief of Security for TVA at Phipps Bend Nuclear Plant, as well as striving to obtain his college degree in the evening. Curt was burning the candle at both ends, trying to make a better life for our family and he did achieve his goals. In his lifetime, he never stopped setting goals and looking towards the future, he was never satisfied he always wanted to achieve and do more.
Pat was a living example of my ideal of what all women should be. She was the for real 'June Cleaver' of the 70's and 80's. Probably many of you do not even know about 'Leave It to Beaver' but it was a favorite TV show during the day. I will tell you just a little background about her. She was married to Crockett Lee. They had four children. Kathy, Diana, Bobby and Susan. At that time they had one grandchild Travis. She took care of her aging parents, she was an active member of her church, she was very civic minded, and was gracious, kind, hospitable, generous, and giving to a fault. Her home was warm and cozy. She was very attractive, but what made her so, was that her beauty began on the inside and then flowed out. I have seen her at 6:00 am and at 2:00 am and at 6:00 pm there was never a hair out of place, or was her clothing in disarray. She was there for her family, her friends, her neighbors her, church and her community. As I came to know Pat, I soon realized that she lived her life humbly and gratefully and was able to accomplish so much because of her love of Christ and his teachings. Christ was at the head of their household and their family. They lived their life in such a way to always glorify Our LORD. When I read Proverbs 31:9b-31 'The Wife of Noble Character', I have a vision of Pat Lee. Pat made an indelible impression on me as a woman of fine character; her example encouraged me to strive to develop into the kind of faithful Christian, woman, daughter,sister, wife, mother, and friend that she is. I have had a few glimmers of her abilites, but I have never achieved my goal to gracefully follow in her footsteps.
Needless to say Pat, in the gracious way that she had about her, kindly shared her very special cookie recipe with me. We and our children, and our children's children, have been making sugar cookies together for at least 37 years. We started out making them for Valentine's Day, always making them in a circle, sprinkled with nonpareils. Originally the circle was because I only had a biscuit cutter, so that is what we used, but I also found this quote that explains it better:
'If you love someone, put their name in a circle, instead of a heart, because hearts can break, but circles go on forever.'
Eventually we also began making them at Christmas with real cookie cutters and for school parties, ect. It was a time when the whole family would gather around the table and share time together making these tasty treats of the heart.
I am adding a note here: Many of you have probably noticed that I usually wear a gold necklace with a ring and a carved heart in it; it was Curt's wedding ring and a special heart that he had made for me on the necklace. On my last trip to Amy and Mark's in Virginia I had put it on first thing in the morning as always, and went about my day. There had been some really cold and snowy weather, we were running low on grocery's so I bundled up and went off of the post, where they live, to the grocery store. When I came back to my car to put the groceries in the back, I just happened to look down and there in the snowy sludge was a gold necklace shining I bent down picked to pick it up and realized it was mine, the ring and the heart were not anywhere to be found. I was heartbroken beyond words at the immense loss of not one, but two treasured pieces that tied me to my dear husband. They have been my comfort for the last four years and it is a loss very hard to bear, and to even mention here.
When Hunter came along and was around three years of age he and I and Curt would make cookies for Santa every year. The first year he was helping set a milestone. Curt had given me a Kitchen-aid mixer and I was still trying to get the hang of it. Hunter was helping to mix everything up. We had the shortening, sugar and eggs mixed and we were ready to add the flour mixture. I in my wisdom....not....turned on the mixer on high-speed sending the flour every where, all over the counter, the floor, Hunter and me! I said Hunter look what you did...he looked at me deadpan and said "Memommie you sure did make a mess...I didn't do it!" Needless to say every year he brings that up when it is cookie making time.
(Last year it was ironic that Mr.16 year old Hunter did the exact same thing in regards to the flour, and Chris and I even found some weeks later on the wall trim above the table)
Now there is Oliver, Sophia Rose, and Lydia Mae and Hunter has become the lead maker and baker. Every year except for 2010 we have made cookies for Santa. I have always asked Hunter this question. "Hunter are you too old to make cookies?" The answer has always been 'NO' I hope in my heart of hearts that he always sticks to that firm conviction and remains steadfast in his desire to continue to make these tasty treats of the heart.
As another generation of cookie makers come into the fold of The Lane cookie making tradition. I hope to be there, along with Curt's spirit, sharing the love, the stories, taking pictures, giving suggestions, getting out all the ingredients, and cleaning up after-wards. We will watch, cherish, and cheer them on, as our loves of a lifetime continue to make the circle of tasty treats of the heart from generation to generation.
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| Valentine's Day Cookies |
So on Valentine's Day the first words have always been as we talked to our sweet ones "Will You?" and hopefully the answer will always be the same "Yes I Will". I will be your Valentine, today, always and forever. Valentine's for a lifetime.......
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| My Valentine for a Lifetime he always said yes! |
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| Last Road-trip to Chattanooga to try out the New Hyundai January 2010 |
So My question to you is "Will You?"
Pat Lee's Sugar Cookie Recipe
Ingredients:
4 1/2 cups sifted flour
1 cup shortening
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2 eggs
1 cup sugar
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1 teaspoon of vanilla
1 teaspoon of soda
4 tablespoons of milk
1/2 teaspoon salt
Cut shortening into flour.
Beat eggs, then add sugar, beat again.
Combine milk, soda, salt, and vanilla
Mix all ingredients together.
Dough will be soft and pliable. Do not over work the dough.
Flour pastry board or cloth as well as your rolling pin and cookie cutters
Roll dough about 1/4 inch thick, these cookies should not be thin.
Cut out with cookie cutters of your choice.
Bake at 350 degrees for approximately 8 minutes depending on your oven.
These cookies should be light in color and not dry in texture, but chewy.
Sugar Cookie Frosting
3 cups powdered sugar
1 cup shortening
1/2 cup milk
1 tsp vanilla
dash of salt
Mix everything together leaving the milk until last,
gradually add milk as needed for the desired consistency
for spreading on cookies.
This frosting recipe will freeze well if you have some left over.
It is delicious on chocolate cakes also.
As a side note: This is one of Chris's little treats. He has always got in the freezer and opened up my saved frosting and dipped in a spoon and ate until his sweet tooth was satisfied. When he and Barbara were first married and arrived in the middle of the night for a visit, he came into the house went in the kitchen, opened up the freezer and got out a small white container. Barbara said "Chris what are you doing? About that time he started laughing...as this little note fell out..he picked it up and read what it said " Hi Chris, glad your home. I hope the frosting is to your liking! Enjoy! Love, Mom." I think Barbara thought we were both a little crazy.
And she wasn't too far off the mark, at that.
I hope your family enjoys these treats of the heart as much as we have.
