The rollercoaster, flowers, a finish and an update...

I have a friend, a fairly new friend but still a friend. I'll call her Deb cuz that's her name and I wouldn't know what else to call her. :) Deb was at Last Saturday Stitching this past weekend and she mentioned that she reads my blog. She also said, not exactly of course, cuz I'm old and can't remember exactly what she said but it was something to the effect that the titles of my posts catch her eye and depending on what the title is she always wonders whether it's good news or bad, should she read the post or not. So tonight when I sat down to write I was trying to think of a good title that would catch Deb's eye and make her wonder. So did I? Huh, huh, did I? Did I make you wonder Deb?? I hope so!

My red hibiscus bloomed this week. The buds are
so cool and alien looking and then the flower blooms
and it looks like this. Next year you all need to remind
me to put a tomato cage around these bad boys, the buds
are so large and heavy that the stalks are laying on the ground.

You are probably wondering what the roller coaster has
to do with the flowers. I'll tell you. Nothing. They have nothing to do with one another. I just wanted to share them with you.

Right now I feel like I am riding a roller coaster. When I came home from vacation and got back to the shop, Mary Ann informed me that they were not going to renew the lease and we would have to be out of the shop by Aug. 31st. This was a bit of a shock to me as I thought we had until the end of October. I was somewhat prepared for the end of October. I was not prepared for the end of August. Mary Ann was quick to explain this didn't necessarily mean we were closing permanently. Just re-organizing. They hope to find a less expensive building to rent or perhaps they would work out of their house. They have even considered moving in with the guy next door at the vacuum cleaner store. He's open to it. He's been wanting me to come work for him for months. The problem is....while I like him fine I don't think I can work for him. One minute I think I can and then he opens his mouth and says something and I just know I would kill him if I had to work for him. On the other hand, it's a job and I really need a job. But it's vacuums. There is nothing creative in selling vacuums. Especially the way he expects you to sell. On the other hand, if Mary Ann could move the framing and cross stitch into his shop I could still do the job I love. As long as vacuum cleaner guy wasn't there telling me to make sure I keep the 20.00 bills out of the 10.00 bill slot in the cash register. So depending on the hour or minute, I'm out of a job, I'm selling vacuums, I'm working out of M's house, or we are all in one place together....you get the idea. I'm up and down all day and all night and I don't like it. The ride is making me sick to my stomach. And I can only imagine how Mary Ann feels. Sometimes, I wish I had never found a job that I love so much. It's my dream job. It wouldn't be so painful if I hadn't had this job. But it's also one of the best things I have ever experienced in my life. It will be very hard to go back to serving lunch at the school or to learn how to sell vacuums. I was hoping you wouldn't mind saying a quick prayer for all of us. I'd appreciate it. Okay, Debbie Downer is now leaving the building!

I wanted to share with all of you a finish by Mary Ann. Less than a year ago, M. didn't stitch much. she
had stitched some in the past but not for quite a while. Since we started the stitching group and added the cross stitch supplies, M has been stitching almost constantly. I'm so proud of her! Last week she completed her first large project. Cirque de Carreaux by Ink Circles. I finished the framing of it today. I had a hard time finding a frame I liked to go with this piece. Nothing was exactly what I wanted. I came close with a dark blue frame but it still wasn't right. So we went out of the box on this one. I took a black frame and gave it a deep purple wash. I hadn't ever done that before. Even at wholesale, this frame was expensive and I didn't want to ruin it. I'm glad we took a chance because we both really like how it turned out. I'm not sure you will be able to tell in the picture though. The before looks more brown than it really is. The after looks a tad more purple than it really is.

And finally, an update on my Live, Love, Laugh piece. Almost done now. I just have the border to do and a couple of random black stitches.


And now my friends, it is past my bedtime and I am tired so I will bid you all a good night and a pleasant tomorrow! Thanks for stopping in and double thanks for leaving a comment so I know someone is reading my drivel!