Antique Baby Sleigh

My Grandma Haney (most of you know her as third-person Grandma) recently moved down to Alabama, and the only thing I asked for from her house was this antique baby sleigh. It's not a family heirloom; she bought it at an antiques auction. I thought it would be perfect to decorate for Christmas, but I wanted it to look like it fit the time period. I had the idea of filling it with greenery and wrapped presents, but finding the right wrapping paper was difficult. I searched online for retro, antique or reproduction paper with no luck. My mom suggested scrapbooking paper. I found lots of great choices at a local scrapbooking store in Huntsville. The thick paper was more difficult to use than regular wrapping paper but I made it work. I had the idea of cutting a piece of fleece to drape on the sleigh like a blanket, and as a finishing touch, I included a stack of envelopes with our name and address on the top in brown copperplate calligraphy. I had the perfect empty spot for it in front of the bay window in the library. It fits with the room perfectly.

Butter Cookies

My recipe for Butter Cookies is delicious; I'm posting it here so that I can link to it on Facebook for someone. I've been making these every Christmas since I was 12. The recipe is from my old babysitter. I think about and miss her every time I make them.

Butter Cookies

One recipe makes about 25-30 cookies.

Mix together

1 cup butter, softened (2 sticks)
1/2 cup sugar
1 egg

Stir in

1 tablespoon pure vanilla extract
3 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon baking powder

Chill dough. Roll thin. Cut into shapes and place on ungreased cookie sheets (I line my baking sheets with parchment paper. You can reuse it for all the batches.) Bake at 425 for 7-9 minutes until delicately browned.

Icing:

1/4 cup butter, softened (1/2 stick)
2 cups powdered sugar
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1 tablespoon milk

Mix together butter and powdered sugar. Beat in vanilla and milk. (I use an extra tablespoon milk so it's not too thick.)

Note: These cookies freeze really well. You can freeze them already iced. Put wax paper between layers in an airtight container and freeze up to a month.