Madison118

“Go to church.
Don’t fight.
When you have problems,
sit down and talk them out.”
Mary Lois’ Famous
Painted Cookies
Since their retirements, their
time has been spent relaxing at
home and enjoying the little things
life has to offer. Gerald laughingly
talked about how he “enjoys
fooling with the flowers” and his
Mary Lois has a local claim to
fame as the baker of some of the
best Christmas cookies you will
ever eat. These light, delicate,
beautiful cookies have been one of
the highlights of the Christmas
Gerald and Mary Lois know
that, in addition to all of the little
things like family trips and special
cookies, the key ingredients to a
successful marriage are as follows:
“Go to church. Don’t fight. When
Cookies
• 1 cup Imperial Margarine
• 1 cup sugar
• 1-½ teaspoon vanilla
• 1 egg
• 1 teaspoon water
• 3 cups Gold Medal flour
• 1-½ teaspoon baking powder
• ¼ teaspoon salt
love of golf up until recent years.
Mary Lois can be found almost
every day enjoying coloring in
season for many years among their
family and friends. If you ask her
about them, she will surely hand
you have problems, sit down and
discuss them and talk them out.”
Mary Lois added that “young
Icing
• Confectioners’ sugar
• Milk
• Food coloring
adult coloring books. “I usually do
one page around the news time,
and if I’m not too sleepy, I’ll stay up
and color. They are very relaxing!”
she beamed. The pair of them also
greatly enjoy watching sports as
well, Mary Lois perhaps even more
than Gerald. The Pittsburgh Pirates
and the St. Louis Cardinals will
you a sheet of paper with the recipe
lovingly scribbled on it, glowing
with pride. “They are fun to make
and I hope I’ll be able to do it this
year,” she said. “Just a few weeks
ago, my nephew’s wife came by
one night and they made those
cookies for Halloween. We used
to make them for birthdays and
people are missing out on
conversations with their loved
ones because all of them have
these phones in their hands.”
So keep these tips in your box
of recipe cards, and know that
these little things have cooked up
a wonderful life and marriage
for people like Gerald and Mary
Thoroughly cream margarine, sugar, and
vanilla. Add egg and water. Beat until light
and fluffy. Combine flour, baking powder,
and salt. Blend into creamed mixture.
Divide dough in half. Chill for 1 hour.
On lightly floured surface, roll dough to
1/8 inch thickness. Cut into desired shapes
with cookie cutters. Bake on ungreased
cookie sheet at 375º for about 6-8 minutes.
Cool slightly and remove from pan.
always be held in prestige in the
Rayburn household.
everything,” Gerald reminisced.
Lois Rayburn. n
Mix confectioners’ sugar and milk.
Add food coloring for desired color,
then ice.
Hometown madison • 9