Lost in a fog...

Hi everyone!  It seems like ages since I've updated my blog.  I keep saying that my life is not my own...and that's for certain sure!  Each of my days from Sunday to Saturday are chock full of things to do, and since I added work to the mix, I am struggling to keep my head afloat.  I'm tired...

Now before you message and tell me to take it easy with work, I just want to say, though it really tires me to go, I leave with a smile on my face because I've interacted with people outside my own family.  Right now it's only been 8 hours a week (with a few extra hours thrown in when someone shows up late or there are things to do).  I promise I'm not overdoing it, and I've been told I'm going to feel tired for quite a while.  But I'll be honest and say, I have to take naps now, and that cuts into my computer and stitching time.  LOL

Speaking of family, I had an unexpected and lovely surprise last week.  Two of my cousins came to visit.  One lives in Baltimore and had sent cards and messages on facebook during my treatment and was one of my biggest cheerleaders.  She doesn't live that far away, but she is one busy lady!!  It's just as much my fault that we don't get together as often as we should, but hopefully we'll remedy that soon.  The other lives in Pennsylvania.  She prayed for me the entire time, and sent encouraging messages on facebook too.  She traveled down to visit the one in Baltimore and they both came to see me last Wed.  I was tickled to have family visit, and it was great to see them!!  Thanks for visiting, you guys, I hope we get to do it again soon!  They were the first of my family to visit since I was diagnosed 18 months ago.  That's why I'm grateful for my friends who supported me.  You guys know who you are, and I just want to say, I love you like family, you mean the world to me!
Ok, here are my updates on my stitching...

The Samplar Romantique is coming along.  I finished September's issue and have to report that there are only two more parts to stitch, and they will be sent out on October 10th.  It's a beautiful sampler, but I feel oddly "rushed" when such large portions come out and have a due date.  I will be happy to finish this one!!  It's also one of my crazies!
Speaking of crazies, here is another.  This is an Ink Circles design.  This is the last of them, and I keep getting stalled on this one, I'm not sure why.  I absolutely love this design, so why am I finding it so hard to stitch it?  I think because with the overdyed thread, and the fact that I like to keep the colors balanced, I have to think about this one a lot AND there is a tremendous amount of counting on this one!  I am determined to finish it before the year is out though!!
I had to give my brain a rest AND had a touch of startitis a couple of weeks ago.  This is a SAL I've mentioned in the previous post.  I am ADDICTED to this one!  I'm hoping to catch up, but I'll be honest and say I probably won't.  The pieces are coming out far too fast, they are on 37 and I am on 21, but when my brain is tired, I go to this one to relax.  
Here is the Friendly Stitchers SAL.  Each month they have given us another stitch to do.  I've been able to keep up for which I'm grateful!
This is the Star Sampler, and I was able to finish the September installment as well.  I think this is a lovely pattern, and is still available on her website if you scroll back a couple of entries, you'll find the website.
Then there's my UFO.  I finished the other one I was working on, and I've loved this other UFO from the beginning.  It was offered on Wiehenburg yahoo group and was called the mystery sampler.  I love the colors...Egyptian nights from Silk n Colors, thread gatherers.  I would have to look back and see what fabric it's being stitched on but I do remember that it is 36 count over one.  I discovered a while back that I had made a boo boo, and knowing that frogging on 36 count over one is going to be soooooooo hard, I put it aside.  I've decided I love this too much to keep it hanging around, I'm going to finish the other motifs and then decide what to do with the "problem child" motif that I made a boo boo on.  Here's my progress from the last two weeks.
This last picture may look familiar to you.  Last spring one of my fellow breast cancer warriors was celebrating her 60th birthday.  She was the first woman in her family in several generations to reach the age of 60...the others died of breast cancer.  I wanted to make something special for her, so gave her this framed, stitched piece.  It's a pattern from Glendon Place.  She loved it so much she entered it in the County Fair.  Guess what!?!?!?!  Not only did it take first place, blue ribbon, but it won Champion in it's class!  I was floored.  I have never entered anything I've stitched in a competition before, honestly I just never thought it would be good enough, but now my friend says she's going to come next year and clean out my house and take it all to the fair.  LOL  We'll see...but I have to admit, it was an honor, especially with this special piece.

Ok, that's all the news for now.  I hope all of you are enjoying the "dog days" of summer.  *Hugs*