Taking a break.....

Well here it is Halloween already! Hope you have your candy ready for the trick-or-treaters (I admit I've sneaked in one of the bags and eaten a few Snickers...).
Today's rant:
If any of you don't want to read my rants about JoAnn's you can scroll on past this part...but that place really gets me annoyed! They are always playing coupon games....like putting things at 10% off so you can't use your 40% or 50% off coupons. They used to let you use the coupons against the regular price of things if it worked out better than the sale price but now they don't let you do that either. The lines at the JoAnn's nearest to me are always terribly long and you're lucky if you can find a sales clerk to help you with anything. I recently took this little piece to get framed. I was trying to be economical so I stretched and mounted the needlework myself then took it in with a 60% off coupon for the framing. The price was good - no complaints about that. I asked for spacers and museum-quality glass like I always do. When I got it back I noticed the bottom of my piece looked a little crooked - my fault likely as I'm still trying to get better with mounting the needlework. I thought no big deal - I'll take the paper off of the back, fix the bottom part of the needlework and then put it back together and put new paper on the back.

"Captain's Inn" by Little House Needleworks
Stitched on 32-ct Pewter Lugana with Crescent Colours threads

When I opened up the back I noticed they didn't secure the needlework with any push-points or staples to hold it into the frame, and there was no spacers on the glass. This isn't a fancy heirloom piece, but spacers are inexpensive and they keep your needlework from pressing up against the glass. Anyway, I fixed the part on the needlework I wanted to be straighter and then I took it back to JoAnn's to complain about the other work. I couldn't find my receipt at home but it had only been 2 weeks so I figured they could look up my order in the computer there. Well 3 employees tried and had no idea how to find the order. Then they told me they could give me the spacers and staples to secure the needlework for free but they'd have to charge me for the labor to put them in! Can you believe it? I was trying not to get too angry...so finally I said just cut the plastic spacers and give them to me and I'll put it all back together myself. This is what aggravates me about them - I don't like taking my needlework there because I can't trust them to give me what I've asked for. If I hadn't opened it up I never would've known. I am positive I asked for the spacers and it was written on the order because I always get them. So as I'm leaving the framing clerk tells me "remember next time to ask for the spacers when you drop off the piece". I decided no response was best and just left. SIGH...can't anyone do things right anymore?? I feel like writing a letter to the store manager but it's probably a waste of time. I wonder if I even got the museum glass I asked for but I have no way of knowing. I remember years ago I went to reframe a little stitched piece that Michael's had framed for me. When I opened it up the needlework had never been mounted at all - they had just folded the sides under and laid it in there on the glass! I guess from now on I'll do it myself or take it somewhere I trust. Anyway, I do like the frame and I'm happy now that I finished it. Here's a closeup of one of the corners:

and other news:
I have to take a break from stitching and quilting for a bit. Sniff sniff.....I'm a little depressed about it. I'm having orthopedic surgery tomorrow morning on my right shoulder and since I'm right-handed, I won't be able to stitch or sew for at least 6 weeks. It all depends on what they find to correct when they get in there. I have bone spurs and if there's a tear in my rotator cuff the recovery could be even longer. I don't know how I'll survive without stitching! I guess I'll do more reading and maybe I'll kit up several small things for next year and play around in my stash. I have so many projects crying for attention - I'd like to get several smaller things done next year instead of starting more big projects. I'm taking at least a week off from work and then I can work from home for several weeks until I am cleared to drive again. My job is on a computer all day so it'll be slow typing with just my left hand. I'll still be visiting blogs and making lots of plans though! I had my left shoulder done 3 years ago (same problem) so I know what to expect. It won't be fun but at least when it's all over I won't be in pain all the time.
Have a great Halloween everyone and thank you so much for stopping by. I read every single comment and I appreciate all your kind compliments on my Goode Huswife finish! (You can bet it won't be going to JoAnn's for the framing!)

Goode Huswife finish & my special birthday!

Here she is in all her glory!

(no there's nothing on my linen on the left - just some shadow that sneaked into the photo!)

I love this sampler! It goes great with the colors in my house. Doing the verse on top was a bit boring but hey that's usually the case with samplers isn't it? There usually is some boring part of it you've got to trudge on through. I want to thank Terri B for inspiring me with the one she did last year - I shamelessly (okay I do have a little shame...) did mine in similar colors after falling in love with hers. But hey isn't that what blogging is all about? We share with each other, we inspire others, we enable, we cheer each other on even when we're in a stitching slump. It's hard for me sometimes to find the time to update my blog and read everyone else's (over 200 of you!) but I would miss it very much if I wasn't a part of it all. Sure I can show my finish to DH but he just doesn't appreciate all the work that goes into stitching and how excited we get about our projects. (he just wonders why it costs so much LOL)

This one will go on the framing list ......I've made good progress this year on reducing that list down by 8 or 9 things but I've still got about 5 more to do. The trouble is, while you try to catch on the framing you're still completing things and adding on more! I keep hoping I'll win the lottery and can run (a) to the needlework store or nearest computer to start ordering, and (b) grab all my finishes and run to the framers!

And....all of a sudden it’s that time of the year again – how quickly those birthdays roll around it seems. Normally I don't talk much about my birthday on my blog updates but this year it’s rather special. My birthday is Saturday – the tenth day of the tenth month of the tenth year........10/10/10. And not only that.......but I was born in ’55 (adding up to 10 again), and I will be turning 55 this year (another 10). Hey, how did I get so old?? I don’t feel any different inside but the alternative to not getting older is a lot worse LOL. So I plan to celebrate my life and have lots of fun because I’m still young at heart. (and I have a LOT of stitching still to get done in this lifetime!)


My dear husband and I are heading to Disneyland/California Adventure for 4 days to celebrate. I can’t wait to go. We went there for my 40th birthday and that was when I discovered that I am the same age as Disneyland because of all the special decorating they had in the park promoting “40 years of adventure” for Disneyland. I felt that was an accurate statement on my turning 40! So of course we had to go again when Disneyland and I turned 50 together and we had a fantastic trip staying at the new and luxurious Grand Californian resort. Now we are going again to celebrate me turning 55 and I know we’ll have a great time. We have reservations for dinner at a restaurant at Disneyland called Steakhouse 55 - can you believe it? This is getting very strange – I’m going to buy lottery tickets this week - – since the universe seems to be aligned maybe I'll be lucky! Thank you dear readers for stopping by to visit me!