It was pretty scary in the beginning. We were given gas masks and goggles and I remember thinking, what have we gotten ourselves into?

We wanted to do more than send money. So we went and tore these people's homes down to the studs so they could have the insurers come in and see whether the house was worth rebuilding. But these people were rebuilding their lives.

It was so rewarding. Who got more out of this? It's a real toss-up.

In the Beginning was the beginning of quilting in Seattle. It is the first place I went, long before I did a store or ever thought of a store, and I have been in business for 25 years.

Although many Americans are beginning to recognize the importance of washing their hands, we still need to reach many others.

We've had four confirmed fatalities that are storm- related, and right now we're beginning a damage assessment. We have a lot of debris, downed trees, and approximately half a million homes are without power.