Cookie Day 2011

I hadn't realized how long it's been since I'd written or how many life things had happened in the meantime, until yesterday when I was visiting with a friend about Christmas plans and was asked when my family was doing Cookie Day.  Well...
"We did that two weeks ago!" I replied. 
"Thanks for telling me..."

Oops.

I forget that there are some Chronicles readers who have been here long enough that they share quite a history (virtually) and look for certain annual events to be reported. And this is my online album and journal...not like I'm keeping this big scrapbook on my table that I'm adding memories and pictures to all the time. 

So.
Cookie Day.

It was little and quiet, nothing like the big, noisy apron-smocked gathering of last year!  In fact, due to distance, work schedules, illness and other appointments, everyone but Cari Mae and my little family missed it this year.  In looking back at all the Cookie Days we've had...8 in all...we're the only two who've never missed!  (A point we want highlighted and underlined in the annuls of Cookie Day History...)  Thanks to SKYPE, we were able to spend a little long-distance virtual time with Meghan and B.J. and their families, but it only made us miss them more, I think. 

When the kids and I got to Dad's, we hauled in tons of food and cookies, looked around at the tons of food and cookies that Cari and Karen had already prepared, and decided that we needed to call in reinforcements.  But who would answer the phone? Who would brave the waves of cookies and appetizers?

I'll tell you who....
Maggie's teacher and her husband, who don't know what Cookie Day is!
(We like to put them through all sorts of acid Eastern Montana endurance tests...and they keep answering the phone, if you can imagine.)
They called it Cookie-palooza and chalked it up to another "You people are nuts!" experience.  So far, they've noticed the common theme in all our gatherings is Excessive Food. 
Hey, we have to have SOMETHING!

Not many pictures because I just wasn't thinking.  In fact, most of the pictures were taken by Cari with my camera!  But such as I have, give I thee...


Great Grandma Dutton gave Angus one of Gramps' cowboy hats and he wore that thing all day!  And all day the next day.  And the next.  He's still wearing it, two weeks later, playing "radio" (which we finally figured out was "rodeo") in the porch. But that's another post...)

Piles of cookies...about half of what we usually have, though!  But still a respectable showing...
This year, Cari suggested we have a prize of some sort which turned out to be for Best New Recipe (after much discussion).  We tried to get Aaron Carroll to judge the cookies, but he wimped out after about three. Amateur.  :)
I think we decided that Cari won the prize, but I'm doing research for next year already....

Let the decorating begin! See the apron?  We have been waiting all year to bring them back for Cookie Day!

Every job needs an onlooker with good ideas...
Cari and Angus are a team and have been for a couple years now.  I don't know how that got started, but it works great and they're cute!

Great Grandma, getting in on the action...I don't think she ended up with frosting in her hair, even though she sat by Msr. Dollop.

We really are quite serious about our cookies...

Maggie Belle, taking a little break...

Painstakingly placing the final touches on the snowman.  They laughed at my detailing!  But if I'm gonna make a snowman, I want a little orange carrot nose, darn it.  And the only way to find a little orange carrot nose is to pick through all the little shaker thingees until I can find one.  It's a process.  And apparently it's an artiste quirk-y thing that not everyone has....?

This was the first year that Angus didn't end up with more frosting on his face than on the cookies!

Believe me, he got PLENTY of frosting on his cookies. 
Exhibit A:
(We couldn't lift them or they'd break....we had to SLIDE them to move 'em.)

Maggie incorporated all the possible components to make pretty, sparkly cookies!  I love the star on the stocking; that's hard to do, with a butter knife!

The little overdone snowman and his pal in green pajamas....

I'm not kidding; they laughed at the little touches, like blue eyes and stickie-uppie hair!

 THIS snowman made ME laugh, though, because he looks like he's spent some time at the cookie table and is a bit sugared out...
Love his snazzy red scarf, too!