been packing for Expo...sooooo excited

Yesterday was an 'odd' day for me, got to babysit my dgd, Kyleigh (@ 2) and my dgs, Jase (4 months), instead of the usual work from the other kids' home.

My son and ddil went to the memorial for Sgt. Lunger in Oakland.  My son is a police officer in the area, and knew Sgt Lunger.  They did not get home till close to 9pm.   It was a loooooong day.
for those out of the Bay Area, Sgt Lunger is the Hayward police officer who was shot during a traffic stop.

Luckily, Kyleigh's mom set it up so I could tag team with a friend, Tammy.  2 grandma's spending the day with the 2 babies.  Fun!  Today, Jase's  parents took today off,  as family drove in from Oklahoma for the weekend...so I have today off, my 'normal' job is to watch the baby and do some accounting work from their home.   (my oldest granddaughter, age 6,  took off with another friend and had a date day with her and 3 other kids)

Of course, as ya'll know a day off, does not translate to a day OFF.  It means doing the laundry, housework you put off all week because you are not home to do it.  So, though I got to sleep in till 6am...I have been going all morning.   But did get freezer and fridge and pantry cleaned of expired food, grocery list, bank deposit ready, laundry in dryer, dishes in dishwasher started, cat boxes are cleaned.   siiiigh.

and I've been packing for Expo...did this part last weekend.

An Idea that I once saw for Washi,  the loops are a little big on this 'caribiner with wire' set up, so could only use the wider tapes.  Will probably bring something for the smaller ones....don't know yet.

Been toying with the idea of one of those old fashioned straw holders...but at Expo, don't want to have too much taking up too much table space....ya know?

Today has been some embellies, like the washi, last minute pics, and charging what needs to be charged.   Camera, portable charger for phone, Gypsy...

Gosh, almost overwhelmed, going to be able to be creative.  Wow, time set aside...I am looking so forward to this.  Only problem, I have been shopping like crazy for it.  Aren't I supposed to shop there?    But put in an order for baby boy stuff on Scrapbook.com...ordered more washi thru Etsy...have a couple of Echo Park kits coming from Amazon.   siiiiiigh 

I will be a concentrating  on grandkids.   I will work on the 2 girls, Thurs night and Friday. on the baby boy on Saturday.  (next year that will be boys, as there is another one 'in the oven' so to speak). Thurs night can be a bit hard to get pages done, as it is the make and take crop and vendors do mini demos.   Not that I do not like the demos, do learn new products and stuff...just makes it tough to get layouts done.  

A problem, I cannot find a couple of 'idea books'  Now with moving the crop room, I guess that is to be expected.  One of the ones I cannot find is the Kiwi Lane Idea book, I worked their booth last year specifically to get that book...and other product...but I cannot find it.   It actually was very fun booth to work...but did not sign up for anything (even classes) this year.  Just wanna crop (and shop) and hang out with 'the girls'...yay!

summer church hop

I teach Sunday School...and don't get me wrong, I love the kids and love doing it.  BUT we go to a small church that only has one service.  So, when you teach kids, you don't get to participate in church.   Now, for  the younger kids, there is a rotating teacher schedule.  Where you teach every other Sunday, (though with a lack of volunteers, even that has been sidelined)  but for  my class...nope.  It is hard to get people to volunteer for children's church when there is only one service and double hard to get people to volunteer for my age..4th thru 6th grade.  Most parents want a 'break' from their kids Sunday morning..and don't want to be in the classroom. 
(I do have a terrific assistant...he is a former youth leader...but he has a busy schedule and comes in when he can)

But this summer  Children's church has been suspended.  Lack of volunteers.  So, I've had a couple of months off.  Well, except the Sundays the kids and I decide to meet for a special project.

The other Sundays, dh and I have been going on our own church-hop.   Not with the goal of leaving our church, but to see and hangout with our friends around town who go to other churches.  (though there is a serious shake up going on at our church, for those of you who might like to pray for us...pray for God's will and His Spirit)

First  was the Covenant Church...dh is good friends with the pastor and a few men from a community Bible Study he attends.  It was cool.  They had a missionary family that the pastor 'interviewed' ....  they are in Tanzania, Africa.  But, we will probably be back to hear a sermon.  They have a weekly 'potluck' and get together after service. 

Then, a hop to our own church, with me upstairs I haven't heard a sermon.  It was the start of a series on Matthew...what did Jesus say about ______?   I liked it, it was a good sermon. Kinda wish I could hear the series (good thing they post online)

 Then we visited the church we went to when we first moved to town.  First Baptist.  So good to see old friends, as one of the gals said, it felt like a 'reunion'.  Just loved seeing their grown kids and the next generation, their grandbabies.  siiiiiiiigh.    Again, the pastor did not preach, had a guest speaker...but he was good.  About being content not apathetic.  I was thinking about what he said the next day, so to me, that was a good sermon.  This is a church where everyone hangs out after. It was that way 20 years ago when we went.  What is most exciting to me is seeing the next generation taking ministry into their hands.  The kids my son went to Youth Group with are the ones running the yearly VBS and children ministries on Sunday. 


Last Sunday, the Christian Fellowship.   Very cool, we got to see 2 young people get baptized.  Very warm, friendly people.  Lots of positive energy, and I liked the worship...simple but heartfelt...I got tearful  while singing Oceans.  Dh knows quite a few through his work for the local homeless shelter.   The sermon was on Psalm 91...simple, heartfelt, to the point...we really enjoyed it.  They had a bbq after...but we did not stay.

Fun thing about summer church hopping, sometimes there is food involved!  ha!

So, back to our church next Sunday.  Told the kids we would get together to chalk paint jars.  I also gave them a month assignment of spending time getting to know Jesus.  I have been reading Matthew for myself and a couple of books.   I also bought them Max Lucado books...thinking of doing a 'right/left' game to give them away.

Then back to Covenant to hear dh's friend teach...and a visit to our kid's 'mega church' in the next town.   And that should take care of our church-hop.

Upheaval...

After 10 years in the home, we are going thru room by room and making changes.

First and wonderful step was moving the my scraproom.  I now have the 'suite'...which means my own bathroom also.  ha!    Only problem, not much scrapping bing done.  DGD has named it the 'girl cave' though, now that I have a grandson, we will need to change it.

I got the suite with one condition, scrap stuff can no longer be piled up throughout the house, I had it in the hallway, office, front room.... Now it is pretty much consolidated.  I little still in the hallway.

So, I've created 'stations' throughout the main room.  This is my 'other crafts'...with emphasis on Sunday School prep.  Right now it is full of jars and my chalk paint.

This is my 'stamping' station.   Though a lot of stamps are stored in the upper cabinets.  Having a friend who was a Stampin Up consultant is dangerous for the collector minded.

General view when you walk into my room.

shelves next to the door.  flowers, ribbon, buttons, mainly

of course, small tv for dvd's and mini boom box for music

the wall with my Sunday School, stamping stations

cabinets directly across from those stations.  need Stickles?  this is the place to go.

in the Binders are some of my acrylic stamps.  I belong to a stamp club, Stamps of Life, my Prima Paper dolls, and mini stamps in baseball card pages.  

Work stations!  Mine is the one directly in front, Dgd's is to the side (she has the puppy and mermaid pic flanking her spot)  Those uppers are filled withStampin Up stamps and Inks.

Center station, where I keep what I am working on currently, (this was a mini book filled with the Wishes for Baby cards for my grandson)  and a small desk for dgd #2, so she can have 'her space' when visiting.  Not that she is one for sitting...siiiiigh.  Just to the side you can see my cricut cutting station.  Also has an Ikea cart, with Slice stuff too.

Off the room is a hallway, was a separate entry for the suite when used by my mom.  These are my cricut carts...Organized by type and yes, alphabetically, but I am not OCD. On the side walls I have the Ikea curtain rods with clips, going to put up layouts.   As soon as I can get them out of storage.

this is the former bedroom of the suite, now storage.  Papers, albums, idea books, embellies

When my ddil walked in for the first time, her comment "Now you ARE crazy"  ha!!

I have other curtains, these are my dd's ...  Mine are an old Chinese print drapes...fun!!  But gotta get the guys to switch the hardware.  

Closet...crop stuff and some sewing ...no room for a sew spot...yet!

and cuz I did not want to end the pics with an ugly closet...a vase I painted for dgd#2, cuz every 18 month old needs a vase!!!   Just an old spaghetti jar using chalk paints.

Right now, Dh is having all our wires put into the walls, so no more tripping on wires around computers and tvs.  Just about every room is affected and boy, what a mess they are making.  But I tell myself it is like road work, will be worth it when they are done.

Next area is the hallway leading into the suite.  We are deciding on some shelving.  I have old, really old, Ethan Allen shelves that were my dad's.  I remember them from his house when I was in high school.  and how many years is that?  But it is time to update.  And being a scrapper...I can take pics and do a layout about the memories.    

 Dh is wanting built ins ... I am pushing for one of those old library bookshelves with the ladder on a track.   like this...