Why leave all this?!

Well, before I just up and tell everyone where I'm going on vacation in 13 DAYS! I'm going to finally relay my tropical storm saga. Living in FL (Tine you can come visit when you go to Disney World!) we have our share of hurricanes and the like. So, the first week back to school we were supposed to get some (I said "some") rain from Tropical Storm Fay. That basically means no sun, rain, gusty winds - stay home, don't drive (a gust of wind could blow you off the road). Most times these tropical "systems" as they're called move through or past your area in a 12 to 24 hour period.

My tree fell over because the ground was so saturated and the wind blew the basketball hoop over.

This storm was horrible. The meteorologists can sort of predict where the storms are going to go. The farther away from land the storm is, the less accurate the prediction. You watch the news and they say, "oh it's not going to hit the central FL area at all - it's going to north FL." So by the time Monday night rolls around, we're getting a call from the school saying the schools will all be closed, stay home. Still, it was only a mild storm, so everyone just thought it would be gusty rain. No one knew that it was going to go straight over the area where we live and sit and sit and sit.

Radar picture showing the tropical storm with swirls of rainstorms relentlessly pounding us.

It took at least 2 days to blow over and then it turned around and zigzagged back across the state. So we had rain for 2 days straight. Our city had a record rainfall of 30" and that was just what was measured. It was probably much more. That amount is what we get in 2/3 of the year! The ground was soaked. Streets were flooded. There was no school for the rest of the week because people couldn't get out of their neighborhoods safely or had evacuated due to their homes flooding.

When you can't go outside and play because the yard is flooded and there are 40 mph winds, you build a fort.

We had "wind-driven rain" damage. The rain blows through cracks along windows, trickles down the wall and then soaks up into the flooring. All the flooring in our bedrooms has to be replaced. It was so bad in the girls' room that we had to rip it up to prevent mold from growing.

This is the girls' room after we hauled all the furniture out and ripped up the flooring.

This is the boys' room. Big brother's bed is stored in the garage and the mattress has been flipped around to avoid water damage. Not as bad in here as in the girls' room, but still an inconvenience.

So now I have three little, giggly girls sleeping on an air mattress on the floor of my living room with their two dresses and all their other accessories. It is the exact same room where I do my sewing (usually after kiddie bedtime or during nap time). I had all these sewing projects to do before my trip, and they are not getting done. I don't even know if we'll get the new flooring installed before we leave. Here's the state of my living room:

You can click on the picture to see a larger view and read the descriptions. I was going for a panoramic view. At least we can fit three little girls sideways on an inflatable queen size mattress.

Now why would I want to leave all that?! There's only one thing (well maybe three or four or five) that could induce me to leave such domestic tranquility and bliss.

The most romantic place on earth!


The City of Lights!!

PARIS!!!

There were quite a few of you who guessed my destination. The lucky lady whose name I pulled out of the hat was Beeb. You'll be getting a little fabric (or sewing) token direct from Paris! Of course you'll have to wait until I get back for me to mail it, and hope that I'm willing to part with it. J/K!!

I think I'll be able to fit in another giveaway, if my schedule permits, before my trip. So don't go away! Check back next week.....Until then - Au Revoir!