a flood prep blog...I guess

 so, for now, I guess I am not doing a scrapbooking blog, but a flood prep.  We live along the San Joaquin River in Central Ca...and the water is rising...  So, my scraproom is not workable.  THOUGH I do have some things at my dd's home, and maybe can continue scrapping.  DH just told me this is not a 'get through the weekend' thing...but could be a couple of months.  As the issue for us is not rain fall and flooding, but the dam releases, and later snow melts.   So, at this point we can only prep and hope that what we do is enough.  

here are final pics of the scraproom.   Took me about 3 evenings.   Phase one was removing what was irreplaceable to me, finished scrapbooks, Stampin Up stamps and inkpads (had quite the collection) and some punches, CTMH stamps...you know, all my stamps.   A friend took those to store for me.

then I packed my current projects 'crop style', this is what is in my dd's garage.  That way, if a crop happens, I can still go!  Saved my cutterpillar paper cutter and cricut.  Not all the carts.  I still do it the old fashioned way, as my Gypsy went kaploooey.

then moved everything up.  If water is only inches, I am okay...if it is more than a couple of feet, well, don't want to go there.  

I think I will still 'bin' these kits...help them be a little more waterproof...just in case.

My Ikea carts are saved!  ha!  Dd has my blue ones (no longer manufactured) and with the help of my granddaughters my Son took the 2 beige ones yesterday.  DGD also took my old American Girl doll (okay dd's when she was growing up) with her clothes.  

We had a group of friends helping and sandbagging yesterday.  Dh concentrated on lifting up the garage contents, as well as creating a better sandbag wall.  I gotta say, we are surrounded by some terrific people.   Dh is hoping to do a 'surf and turf' thankyou dinner for all of them in the future.  

the view from our porch.   

a friend took this pic with his drone on Weds...yikes!

So, until we have to leave...we will get what we can done.  and know that it is all in God's hands.

uh oh, the water is a risin'

and we are in flood prep mode.  Berms are being built, sandbagging starts tomorrow and the past couple of nights, I've been packing what I can from my scraproom.

A friend offered to store some of my things, so I packed 6 plastic bins with my completed scrapbooks, (not all are in there) and stampin up and CTMH stamps.  Figured those cannot be replaced.  Still not all...but most.  Here are the emptied shelves and cabinets.

I also packed up my current projects 'crop style'.  Well, the 5 grandkids books...and the papers related to those pages and some embellies and tools.  Well, I told my dd 'crop style', but gotta admit, went a little crazy.  So, the car is FULL!  I actually felt quite desperate while packing.  Included my cricut and the fave carts...and my cutterpillar paper cutter.   ooooooh, need to grab the small one also.

So, tomorrow, hope MJM will get me more bins and I will spend some time packing what is left in plastic bins and moving stuff up off the floors and hopefully if we don't get more than a foot or so of water in the house....will be okay. 

Yup, and I do have other rooms I should be doing also. ha!  

  Still hopeful  we won't get any water in the house, wouldn't that be the ultimate???  But the estimate is that by Thurs late morning, the river will be high enough...keeping fingers (and toes)  crossed...but preparing just in case.  

And we count ourselves very lucky we have a bit of time to prepare...

Subs and club for Feb...

ooooh, when I typed 'subs' it took me back to growing up in Texas and we would get 'subs' or 'po-boys'...ya'll remember those meaty, melty cheesy delights on a bun?   siiiiiiiiigh My mom would make hers with a touch of 1000 Island...then toast that critter till the bun and cheese were just right.

VERY happy mail day over here.  Except for MJM texting me on Thurs..."there are 4 packages here, did you fall off the wagon?"....siiiiigh.  NO not off the wagon, yet.  These are my 'obligations' made before the freeze.

Gossamer Blue, what I noticed as I pulled these embellies out..??? They are Gossamer Blue brand...not a mix of other embellies.  I have always LOVED the stamps...but having a set of washi, chipboard and diecuts also...happy dance

and as I pulled these out, LOVE the colors.  They are not 'wimpy'.  Yes, I scrapbook girls ...but sometimes it is good to have some saturated blues and pinks...

The butterfly is so beautiful..cannot wait to make these cards in my Journey kit.  Lots of glitter packs in the projects.  Gonna be fun!

Scrapbook Circle, so much fun.  yes Loved it too

My Feb Stampin Up club purchase, I tried to concentrate on the boys.  Won't the huggy monster make a great Valentine?   And it is Stampin Up's Sale A Bration

so this was my 'free' with $60 purchase set.

oooh to have time to play.  Going to work today, but it sounds like it could be my last Saturday...the team almost has the 2016 close and CPA binder done.  Just need to fine tune one more item....yay, yay, YAY!   

(though I will miss my after work Home Goods stop) 

Super Scrap Sunday!

did it!  After a Bible Study in the morning...one that looks like it will be excellant, I stayed in my pj's and scrapped the day away.   In Adriana's book finished the L.A. trip and did a Thanksgiving double page for Josh...At that point, decided to take a pics of my work space...ha!   I really spread out and am a messy scrapper.  I do try to straighten out after every layout...but this was different....

Fall papers lining the floor to the desk, and the shoe bins are filled with project life type cards for pocket pages. or journaling.  Also in this pic is Kyleigh's space...the small desk, white chair and rolling cart, we just set up for her.  The larger Ikea table is my 'project' desk, right now set up with baby supplies kept on hand.  Since the past 2 years I had 3 baby boys born...1, 2, 3...within months of each other.  She likes to put stickers in books and do a little 'drawing' with markers right now.  On her desk are stacks of my pics.  I recently revamped the frames around the house and those are the older pics taken out. (so it's a mess too)

My work area, with the layout in process...see that huge chipboard bird on a branch?  Y'all remember that collection?  It is very old...believe it was a Recollection or DCWV of woodland animals...it was one of the first 'collections' I had to have EVERY piece of...and oh, about 10 years later...I still have most of it!  

my work space to my left.  More pocket cards in back (Gossamer Blue sub)...tools and in front are thanksgiving themed stamps. My rolling cart to the side, more pocket cards and die cuts.  and other misc stuff I cannot figure out a home for.

and to my right...I tend to pile more papers and the album  I am working on on Adriana's workspace (when she is not there)

I like having the album on hand to put the layouts in as I go.  But I don't tend to do that at crops, because of the limited space.   

So, thinking since I have Thanksgiving out, I should do all 4 kids (Jax hasn't been born yet) then I can do the same thing with Christmas.  

Thinking about it, I sure don't have very many fall collections...Maybe because living out here in CA we don't get the fall colors the east coast has?   Same with snowy winter papers and stuff...

my Missy

This is Adriana, my Missy (at the time she was born, Betsy still worked for us and she called people "Missy', so I picked it up from her).  At 7 years old, she is my first grandchild...did I say 7?  I meant 7 going on 13.  There is a tendency lately to be a bit dramatic.  did I say a bit?  

She is like my little 'bff'...though when I said it to her a couple of years ago , she told me "No, Lainey is my bff"...pfffft.  But luckily for me, the kids lived here in Ptown (until recently) , and we are very close.  Adriana is very artistic and crafty, so we do spend time in the craft room...which she helped me 'design'.  She has her own work station and cabinet and Ikea rolling cart!   

When she was a younger we used to go to IHOP and order pancakes with an extra plate.  We would then take every syrup flavor and 'dip' our pancakes.  Yeah, she came home a little 'sugared up"and would bounce off the walls...but for some reason, both sets of kids have forbid me from doing it with the littles.  

She also used to call caterpillars, 'callipitars' and I catch myself saying it while reading "The Hungry Caterpillar" to the grandsons I babysit.

She and Gunny were the same age, and grew up together.  So she and Gunny were very close and he put up with a lot, that he would not do  with the other kids.  

She was always a bit of a hypochondriac.  ANY boo-boo or sickness would require immediate attention.  A scratch would need a bandaid...though I think I was blamed because I always bought the cute, cartoony ones.  

Now that they have moved 45 minutes away,  it is hard that I don't get to see her as often.  siiiiiigh,