Hang on Gulf Coast, hang on...

The news about Gustav is getting more worrisome by the hour. It's exploded from a tropical storm to a Catagory 4 hurricane in just 24 hours. I'm glad to see people taking the evacuation orders seriously - it takes a long time to get that many folks out of harm's way and time is running out. Terrible flooding is likely for East Texas also. I'm thinking of all my friends thata' way - I had to giggle a tiny bit at Bev Herman's blog - she spoke of having to choose which beads to pack. She filled a large suitcase and it was so heavy her husband could barely move it! They've left for Michigan. I'm pretty sure they're safe there. LOL-

Mom spent the bulk of the day steam cleaning the carpet in the house in advance of the class here tomorrow. What a lovely difference it's made!! We're now kicking ourselves for not having done it earlier. I worked on cleaning up the office and the classroom and figuring out what I need. This reminds me of when I did my first show with the kits - we needed everything from scratch. It's a big job, to be sure! I know the next home classes won't be this much stress. I've had to go buy everything from extra chairs to a white board and easel to drinks and snacks. I stocked up on beading mats and scissors. I've got exension cords at the ready. What am I missing? Oh yeah! Instructions! As per usual, those shall be written in the wee hours of the morning on the day of class. Ahem.

We took time out of our preparations for a quick trip to The Bead Jamboree at the Crockett Center and got to visit with our friends there. We saw Maureen from The Bead Corner, Jane & Robin from Jane's Fiber and Beads, Doug & Pam from Beadstuff, Kirsten from Kipuka Trading, and Dean and Connie from Two Crane's. We scored this amazing pendant from Dean & Connie - it's got small inclusions of druzy sparkles.