For one reason and another, I had not had a chance to make the Princess' French chocolate cookies. Not wanting her to be without a yummy treat for her display, I took the dough up to bake there, right before the program. (They were doing Christmas Around the World, and I guess the Princess didn't realize that Germany has all the best cookies. <img src="/ubbt/images/graemlins/pfft.gif" alt="" /> )

I went as fast as I could, but also had to set up the book display the best I could. Next thing I knew, the play was starting and I was nowhere near done. I stood right outside the kitchen to watch the play, just ducking back in every now and again to check the cookies.

The bad thing about those things is they had to be dipped in powdered sugar after they baked. So I was trying to do that really fast, wearing a deep red shirt and black skirt, and regretting that I had already taken my apron off so I would be ready to play the piano during the offering.

Well, the inevitable happened. Just before I had to go and stage up front on the other side of the church, a cookie flew through the air and landed on my shoulder, dumping powdered sugar all the way down to my ankles as it rolled.

In my haste to dash to the bathroom and get cleaned up, then race to the front of the church, I forgot I still had a batch of cookies in the oven. By the time I remembered, it was too late to go and get them myself. At last I managed to get a message to the teacher while I was playing (hope nobody was listening to that part - unlike Mom, I do not play and talk very well together), who told Neaksis, who fixed it all for me.

It was a good thing, since after I started playing the offertory, they discovered they did not have anything, and could not find anything, to take up the offering in. So I ended up playing forever, instead of about 3 minutes.

The rest of the evening went smoothly, the play was ADORABLE!!!, and I don't think too many people noticed the waves of hatred emanating from the Virgin Mary (the Princess) as she held her infant tenderly and watched Val, aka Gloria, take center stage for a stunning solo.

Then, while I was signing books, a lady came over and asked if she could borrow my pen to copy a recipe. I watched as she went back across the room and copied down our French cookie recipe from our display, without having any idea it was ours. Well that made me happy all right. And when I went home, I still had powdered sugar on my shoes.

(Hint: it's not coal.)

It's probably some sort of pre-coal that I have to turn into coal MYSELF before I can use any of it.

Hi Josie - did I miss something? Is there a thread about your name change, or ???
This last is just because I am curious.