OT: And so it begins/Bring it on Rita

I've been thinking about you today, Tina. Make sure you have some quiet activities for the kids and some hand quilting for you. I can't imagine what the Katrina evacuees are going thru right now.

Actually, I was just thinking about that Mary. The quilting.

I was thinking, well, I'll have some Hug blocks to catch up on, and Mimi's quilt to still hand stitch.... Blocks! Duh, when the power goes off, I won't be able to sew blocks! It just suddenly occurred to me, I might just get a chance, and the motivation, to do it the old fashioned way! Hand pieced HUG blocks! What a cool idea! Ok, can you tell I'm a child of the 60's, or what? Far too dependent on modern convenience.

I will make sure I have plenty of needles, thread, tape, thimbles, etc. so that even when the power goes off, I can hand sew. I think I even have a Fons & Porter book that "teaches" you how to hand piece! LOL

Thanks for the thoughts Mary! Hugs, Tina

Tina, vent as much as you like here. We can't do much to help, so if listening helps, I'm all for it! Best of luck that Rita decides to fizzle before she reaches you.

WOW, I just had a lightbulb moment! Sandy, you CAN help I might need a place to stay..... You know, Las Vegas would be good for me right now. Yep, I'm sure my doctor would agree. I need to get far, far away from the stress of hurricanes and such. And I feel really confident that Henderson would be a good, dry place for me. Uh huh..... Put on the tea kettle, I'll start packin' Hubby and the kids will have enough canned food to last em till I get back, yeah, I'm sure

Tina, the happiest soon-to-be-evacuee in Houston! Yeeee Hawww, Las Vegas here I come! Viva Las Vegas!

ROTFLOL

If you hope to do hand stitching with no water or electricity, better get some baby wipes. Just washing your hands gets to be a major production. My next two hurricane survival kit items will be a baby pool to fill with water for sloshing whatever and a fine thermos. I've decided if I knew we were about to lose power that a thermos of coffee could hold down some of the mayhem. The major question here is will the blue plastic roofs we have roped on hold during a big wind? We will do all we can think of to secure them. Polly

I'm with ya there Polly. DH and I would probably not survive hurricane mayhem with children, and NO coffee! We've already prepared for that. (Thank God for a Scout husband and a Scout son!) We've got camp stove, coffee pot and propane and LOTS of dry coffee! We can withstand anything now! LOL

Thanks for the advice on baby wipes, I hadn't thought of that, DH just called from store, (third trip today) and I told him, Baby Wipes! What a great idea!

Holding you in my heart Polly, God knows you guys can't take any more over there!

Hugs, Tina

I'm hoping it misses you. Scary stuff. Keeping you in my thoughts and hoping for the best. Gen

Ignore the optimists that tell you to fill your bathtub. It will seep away. Clean your kitchen trash can, put it in your bathtub and fill it. While you're waiting for the can to fill, check your medicine cabinet. What does your supply of Immodium, peroxide, Benadryl and SpongeBob bandaids look like? I know, I know, back to the store for DH. Polly

Hugs Tina! Sincerely hoping Rita fizzles. Michelle

Gotcha covered there Polly - oh, and BTW, DH came home from the store with 5, count em 5, boxes of baby wipes, OMG! ROFLMAO

He is an Eagle Scout and safety freak - so he always has on hand those HUGE industrial size bottles of peroxide, alcohol, etc and fully stocked industrial first aid kits. We have tons of Strawberry Shortcake Boo Boo boxes, as well as Batman and Spiderman and for the less adventurous, there's always those industrial strength/size bandaids in DH's first aid kit. Hey, if you weren't hurtin before, you definitely will be after you rip one of those suckers off your skin!

HE, that is Commander in Chief of all Safety and Preparedness Operations/DH, insisted that I clean out both bathtubs thoroughly, plug them and have Glad Wrap/Saran Wrap standing by. I WILL use water out of the bathtubs as well as the washing machine which will be filled to Super Large capacity. yeah, uh huh, sure thing buddy

I have enough Ziploc/Glad storage bags to freeze and hold a few gazillion gallons of water as well as all my important paper work (Hopefully, Rita won't show up and I'll have tons of "squishie" bags to fill, muhahahaha - how does Wendy do that wicked laugh thingy?)

We will all be sick next week if we eat all the damn Spam DH bought today (will definitely keep the Immodium handy) as well as tons of vienna sausages (bleck) and sardines (hey, I like those little buggers!)

I did have to send him back to the store a fifth time....... he forgot the groceries on the list for the dinner I was cooking tonight. Go figure.......

I have an extra kid that doesn't belong to me cuz her dad is evacuating her grandmother from Freeport, TX to Bryan.

I have an ADHD son who wants to help everyone but also wants to know if we are evacuating to our lake house TOMORROW and therefore he shouldn't go to school in the morning.

I have a teenager, who like all teenagers, wonders what all the fuss is about.

My mother is going to drive me, AND DH, insane!

I'm going to use the Margaritaville quilt that I am making for DH's best friend to smother him to death because he has gone as panic stricken as my mother.

The dogs keep barking everytime DH goes in/out the door with another bag, they are sure by now he will bring in one that has doggie treats in it.

My girlfriend is still trying to move into her new house, BEFORE the weekend, yeah right.

Dad's surgery was moved up from 10 a.m. to 7 a.m.

DH's big truck, the one we would use to evacuate in high water..... made a loud exploding sound on the way back from Home Depot.....DH thinks this means the compressor went and the alternator isn't going to work tomorrow morning. yippeeee

let's see, did I leave anything out?

Tina, thinking I will take tonights dose of medications, with a bourbon, STRAIGHT UP!

love you guys, you are terrific friends and wonderful support.

I'm off now until whenever tomorrow dad comes out of surgery and the hurricane that is my family, lets me check in on the computer.

PLEASE -- if Rita does come your way, remember to let someone here know you are OK ASAP. Even if you have to call one of us and reverse the charge. After not hearing from Polly for days and days (even tho' she told us she was gonna beat feet out of town), we don't want to have to wonder if you are all OK. So don't forget you Quilting Family who are all praying (or what ever works for everyone) for you. {{{{Tina & Family}}}} CiaoMeow >^;;^<

What a wonderfull idea! Sandy would you mind if I came too???? No hurricans here, just autum rains, but we could show Tina how to hand piece diamonds and infect another one with the virus ;-)

Uschi getting ready for her ususal "winter depression"

Tina schrieb:

I'm on the verge of naming baby wipes 'Miracle wipes'! DH squashed a cockroach on the carpet the other night and smeared guts into the carpet, disgusting, he tried to clean it up with paper towel but there was still a stain. I got out a wipe and got the stain out no problem! They're useful for more things than just wiping baby's bottoms.

Get the vaseline out, too... put a nice thick ring of it around the bathtub drain hole, then smoosh the plastic wrap into that, and then fill the tub. Helps prevent leaks.

Insurance policy, plane tickets out of town before the storm... ;-)

Kay

Tina - you're such a great example - you sound sane in an insane situation. Prayers already winging their way to ya - and circling your head.

Supporting thoughts and prayers enroute from up north. Sounds like you and your DH have most of the bases covered.... uh.... matches???? Coffeepot (percolator type or pot) that can be used on a propane stove??? (That was one of the hardest things to do without--- morning coffee ) Plenty of games / puzzles / coloring books & crayons / for the kids to keep busy. Battery operated radio?? The more I think about getting one of those satellite radios, the smarter it sounds . Good luck! AND, as somebody else said, get in touch with RCTQ to let us know you (& your Mammas & G'mamma) are safe also. ME-Judy

The tea kettle is ready, Tina! And I even have a choice of teas for you. Come on over! Clean sheets on the guest bed, clean towels in the guest bathroom...

Absolutely, Uschi! The more the merrier -- the house is small, but we'll make do. Hand piecing diamonds is guaranteed to keep everyone calm, too! :)

BTW, my DT also goes through "winter depression" when she's at home in France (right now she's living in China -- two more years), so I know what you're going through. We get lots of sun, even in the winter, here, so that should help cheer you up! :)