Which end is up?

Hi all! Where do I begin? So much has happened since the last time I posted. My world is spinning out of control. As my wise Aunt Helen used to say..."Life by the yard is hard, but life by the inch is a cinch!" So I'm taking life by the inch.

On July 4th my cousin came to visit. We made a flying trip to DC to see the fireworks. Of course many of my pictures didn't turn out, but we stood near the Capitol building to see the fireworks and here is what we saw...It was an awesome sight, and while the Old Guard played the 1812 Overture the sky lit up and I had goosebumps while we celebrated the birth of our nation.

The very next day I started back to work. I found out that they were already 3 weeks behind in their orders so I've been doing my best to play catch up since then. I still have a few "old" orders to work up but for the most part, we are back on track. I can tell you I've worked some LONG HARD hours and lots of nights my feet are hurting when I get home, but it's a satisfying feeling when someone comes to pick up their framed piece and are excited about how good it looks! Did I mention that I work for FGI? We frame people for a living!

I had two days off before the boss left for his vacation. I wasn't ready for him to leave but have survived the past two days, so I guess I'll make it the next two weeks. LOL!! Those two days off before he left felt like heaven! I spent one day with my buddy, Sonya, stitching part of the day away...and look what I accomplished:
I finished my Christmas Quaker!!! I can't believe it's finally done. This was a SAL I followed through Wiehenburg with a piece coming out every week for 28 weeks. I finished up only a few weeks late (because I was home for so long I didn't get a chance to stitch on it for over a month!) I finished just in time to get it framed (if only I could find time at work to pick out my frame design). When it's done I'll post a picture. Don't hold your breath, it may be weeks before I get it done!

Last but not least is my Alla Turca. I apologize for the blurriness of the picture. I'm blaming it on the fact that I was tired when I took the picture, and decided I'll take a better picture of it next time. LOL I've finished part 7!! I'm right on time with this one! Hopefully I'll be able to stay on track with this one. I have really enjoyed stitching this! Only two more months to go!

While I was out working and stitching, Maureen stopped by and surprised me with an award! I'm so shocked and pleased with this, and as soon as I pick 7 people to share the award with, I'll post in on my blog. Thank you so much Maureen! I am always pleased when people leave a message I just never thought anyone would think that highly of my ramblings to leave an award.

I realized today how badly I'm neglecting my family. I was cootchy cooing my kitty cat this morning, he was giving me the "moony eyes" (his eyes look like big round glowing moons) and waiting for his scratches when I saw DH out of the corner of my eyes, perched on the edge of the couch waiting for me to pay the same kind of attention to him...LOL Of course I had to "baby talk" DH and pat his head and scratch behind his ears too! LOL

And today is the first day of DS's summer camp. He came by the shop today to say goodbye as he is off on a bus trip to Florida. He went to the same camp last year but the little group that went flew down. This year the group was much larger, so they hired a bus and are driving down. They assure us it will take 12 hours. They are leaving at 9 tonight, will switch drivers halfway and will arrive at their destination at 9 AM. My loving son told me he would call when they switch drivers (that would be at about 3 AM) and if I know my son, he'll definitely do that! LOL Since I have to work tomorrow, I'm turning the phone off in my bedroom! (Mother's are smarter than 9th graders!) He's a teenager, and his main objective in life is to tease the heck out of me...and he's very accomplished at this! I know this is going to sound sappy, but it's going to be so quiet around here without him. It will be nice to have some time to myself (I haven't had that in a very long time) but I think I'm going to miss him more than I think. It's only a week...right?

Whew, guess that's all the news that's fit to print. Thanks for stopping by! Until next time (and the way my life is going, I'm not sure when that will be) take care and here are a few *Hugs* to keep you healthy till I get back here!