Sunday...the Lord's Day...Let us Rejoice and Be Glad

And I am...first it's a gorgeous day here...temperatures are rising so I'm not going to be as comfortable tonight and may have to go to air conditioning. I'm sure the neighbors would prefer it as I snore like a man and I'm sure they are wondering what that horrendous noise is coming out my window. But it's been lovely going to sleep with the breeze from the ocean coming in my window. I took tablets to help me sleep for the last few days, but last night decided to do without because they make me sleep later and I so enjoy the hours between 6:00 a.m. and 9 a.m. It's usually still quiet and I get to stitch before heading off to work. Last night I finished my 12th Blackbird Stocking and am happy to be back on track once again. Of course I'm still behind, but perhaps now I'll get further along. This morning I worked on the Christmas Quaker piece and it's coming right along and hopefully it will be done by this fall. And I went to the stash this morning just for fun...a bit depressing actually because I found 3 or 4 things started and not finished....but I've moved them up in the stash pile so I'm ever hopeful. I want to also thank Rachael for her wonderful comments regarding the shop and our customer service. And all the ladies who have called, left e-mails, and left comments on the blog relating to the "crack whore" issue. While attorneys are now in the mix, we are ever hopeful that a sober judge, or perhaps a sober district attorney will see there isn't much merit in this case and when we give our side (which has happened yet) and show all the evidence (like the crack whores bag full of her personal items...which in actuality were our rolls of toilet paper and paper towels...along with the tool she used to break into the closets...not the brightest bulb in the package)...this will come to an end. Let's hope so anyway! Well, I went into the shop to work at 4:00 p.m. happy since I'd had 2 days off, and by the end of the night I was ready to kill. First thing I had was Nicholas, his sister and his mother in. The daughter took up residence on the chair in front of the counter (I'm rethinking having the chair there..) so she could whine every 5 minutes about what time it was and how long her mother was in the store. Her brother,Nicholas, found the friggin tape measures in the lamb, bee, etc. and continued to see how far he could pull them out, regardless of my continually saying, "Please don't yank on them like that because you may rip them out of the case." Of course, without turning around his mother would say, "Nicholas stop it." His sister whined incestantly "You're going to break them." And I, well I got a headache from this plus the fact that his mother's first question after looking in the showcase was "Where is that little pillow?" Knowing I had no pillows in the showcase I got my big butt out of my comfortable chair and tried to give customer service in a big way. But when I saw what she was talking about...hanging from a hook was Debbie L.' s Prairie Moon Americana scissor fob, I just knew we had less than an accomplished stitcher in the shop. So I said, "That's right here, it's a scissor fob." To which I got the usual question, "What's a scissor fob." Oh, I just knew this night was not starting out well. As it turned out, however, she spent over $100 so I was pleased with that, but still not sure I ever want Nicholas back in the shop. And then I got the usual spattering of people who didn't have a clue what the shop was and wanted to know how much the pictures on the wall were (I hate those questions because they are always followed with "Oh, I can't do it, I don't have time.) I just love people who think stitchers have endless hours to sit and stitch...like we're all retired or taken care of by wealthy husbands or wives (I said this just for Greg)...instead of the truth, that we're busier than they are and find the few moments in our day when we can sit and stitch even if it means we stay up later than we'd normally like to. And then I got a woman who was on a mission. She comes in, picks up my Nantucket basket with the quaker band, plunks it on the counter and says, "I need some fabric"...needless to say, I didn't have the first one she asked for, although she seemed to know nothing about what she was asking. Then she mentioned a second fabric, which we did have, and when I asked how much she needed she didn't know because she didn't know what was going on it. After a few questions, I discovered that she didn't stitch at all, but would buy the supplies and hand them off to a friend, so I suggested she find the pattern first and then we'd get the fabric. So then she see's the 40 ct. white pumpkins that Pat W. stitched for me for Christmas and asked about it. I asked what count her friend stitched on and she answered 28. I suggested she not take a 40 ct. over one project to her friend as they wouldn't remain friends. Then she tells me she also uses Ghost Stitchers. Then she got desparate to buy something, anything apparently (I usually love this type shopper...desparate that is)...she then went to yarn. She bought sock yarn with a child's sweater pattern which she was handing off to her daughter to do...at that point I gave up, sold it to her and waved good bye. Then a woman came in to return a wooden needlecase because she couldn't read the numbers on the diagram. I didn't have my glasses on and asked what numbers. They were so small I swear without glasses you wouldn't be able to see them. She complained about it continually until I said, "You know, I think they figure that you will take it to be enlarged." I thought this would shut her up while I happily refunded her money, except she got me so flustered with her constant complaining I charged her card instead of giving her a credit. I realized that, but then I had to explain to her what I did and once again, she was very pleasant about it and said that wasn't a problem. (thank God!) I felt that perhaps by this time I was out of the woods and to make sure I was I decided to close...it was after all 9:55 p.m. and close enough to 10. It was such an exhausting night I went home without doing any of the paperwork. I'm hoping for a better day today....please! Give me true stitchers....or at least one.