Hi All! We are up here in the stormy Pacific Northwest getting blown around. We now have rain - rain - and (did I say...) RAIN! - and hurricane forced winds. Yikes! I still have power and as far as I know the only people without power are on the coast. All of us live inland enough that we are still keeping warm. (Actually, Doug is close to Puget Sound, so he may get his power knocked out - I'll check in with him....) Now they are worried about flooding since the temperature has warmed up and all the snow is rapidly melting. I guess the weather is getting a head start on us this year.

I talked to Mom on Saturday morning and she was babysitting the "grand-dogs"for Anna and Dan while they moved into their new home. What a messy and cold weekend to move! Mom said she was moving her latest quilt project upstairs and would spend the snowy day working away. Mom and Anna collaborate on quilts and are working their way through the family to keep us all warm with a homemade quilted treasure. I was sorry she wasn't able to make it over the mountain to the cookie exchange, but glad to know she was at home, safe, warm and contented with her project.

This past weekend was Cecile's 16th Annual (or so, she's lost count) Cookie Exchange! My good buddy Cheryl and I left from Portland as it was beginning to snow - a rare occurrence here and certainly not this early in the fall/winter season and it kept up with us as we trekked northward. We stopped at Tammy's home and picked up the yummy chocolate cookies she'd made. Tammy is sick with a cold and is having to get her homework done and office work caught up as well as her winter illness over with so she and Dick can take their annual holiday venture to Hawaii mid-month. Poor sister! She was really sick.

Then, Cheryl and I headed over to pick up Cyndi, her cookies and stuff. The snow continued to fall and as the day progressed toward 1:00, Cheryl and I called ahead to our favorite chef Jake Langston, (the football player son of Cyndi and Dave) for a lunch request. He was happy to accommodate us with a yummy grilled cheese sandwich - three kinds of cheese, ham and nicely toasted on dark bread. (Sometimes he puts in a thin slice of apple, but said the apples they had weren't crunchy enough!) We were racing to get to Seattle by 2:00 - we didn't quite make it by-the-way - and the weather was beginning to hinder traffic so I just ran in - Cyndi and Dave loaded the car while I grabbed our sandwiches! What nice thing have I ever done to deserve such service?! Jake cheerfully handed me the warm sandwiches with a smile and a chorus of "I'm the Sandwich Man", sung to the tune of the "The Candy Man". (How does a 14-year-old even know that song?!) Cheryl and I gratefully crunched on our lunch while we three continued north.

By the time we arrived at Doug and Cecile's home - beautifully decorated for Christmas - all was covered in snow! We piled in the house and watched the snow fall all night on the pines through their huge picture windows - into the next day. I was surprised that so many of the "regulars" made it in the weather, but we had 8 cookie bakers show up. Our annual shopping trip had to take a hiatus, however since the weather outside was truly frightful.

After the last local guest left for home, Cecile put a lasagna in the oven and we opened a Christmas jigsaw puzzle and sat around and laughed and worked well into the morning on the thing. What a warm and delightful memory. Cecile's mom, Denise, was stranded with us since her husband was unable to make the 45 minute drive to get her as they were closing the roads, so Doug added another log to the fire and we kept her captive to our antics. (Poor Denise!)

Aside: Could someone help Cecile and I settle a bet? (We bet a latte!). In the Original "Miracle on 34th Street", at which department store did Natalie Woods stage mom work? One of us says Macy's the other says Kohl's. I'm sure I'm right!!! Please comment back so I can get a free coffee out of the deal!! Thanks.

At one point, Cecile sneaked downstairs and started serenading us with Christmas carols on the piano. We were upstairs putting the puzzle together and singing along. When she got to the song "Gloria". Cyndi told us that when Jake was small, he thought the Latin words were in English and said, "It's Aunt Chelsea's daaa- ay off!" Wouldn't you sing, too if you got the day off?! And who is Aunt Chelsea? How funny!! I'll never sing "In excelsis Deo" again. We then had to sing it several times with the updated lyrics!

We headed home the next day laden with tons of cookies safely stored in the trunk and out of temptation's say - hurrying once again, but this time southbound. We dropped Denise off in Auburn and then raced to the auditorium where Kyle (Cyndi and Dave's oldest), was playing with the Symphony Orchestra for a Christmas performance. Cheryl and I had to get home so we couldn't stay. We just dropped Cyndi at the door - about 10 minutes late - and as she made her way to Will Call to pick up her ticket, she found $37 floating in a frozen puddle! Whoo hoo! It pays to be late sometimes!!

Cheryl and I stopped in at Tammy's to bring her cookies to her. Tammy, who was feeling a bit better, had made us homemade lentil soup and foccatia bread. Wow! We eat well on these trips!! The rest of our trek home was uneventful. Thankfully! The wind kept roaring and the rain was coming down in buckets! My windshield wipers never went flinging across the freeway although I kept them on the fastest they would go much of the way. Many schools and roads are closed today because of the power outages and flood conditions. I am home in my cozy office - still in my sweats and slippers. (I won't confess the time of day as I write this). Brother Glenn is, (hopefully), coming over tonight to help me get my Christmas tree. If it's horrible weather, maybe we will have the pick of the crop. Mwa-haahaa! A little weather can't keep us down!!!

I realize I have no pictures of the cookie exchange since I left my camera in the car the whole weekend and haven't filled you in on our Thanksgiving, but Glenn is putting together a family video so I'll post that when he gets it done. Since my son Ty was in Florida for the holiday this year, we all taped him a "hello" so he would get really homesick - quit his job - and head on home. (sigh! That's his mom's wishful thinking...) Glenn does a great job making our home movies interesting. More to come on that later...

My list of overdue phone calls to you all is getting longer and longer. I wish I had more time to keep in touch. I'd love to hear from you all! If you ever want to call me, please feel free. Have a great week and try to keep the true meaning of Christmas in your hearts during the hustle and bustle. Love you!
Blessings,
Sandi
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