I forgot to show you my Shepherd's Fold finish.  I had most of it finished before the Jamboree but after that I did the ribbon edging on the pin cushion and I finished the fob.  I stitched the fob over one, they are just too darn cute over one and then because I had the ribbon for this piece I used it instead of making cording.   This was such a wonderful series, I'm hoping there's more to come, but if this happens to be the end,  I'm planning to finish the inside of the box and add a few things myself.  We got the JABCO pins (shown, sticking in the pin cushion,) made just for the Shepherd's Fold and of course I had to have those, and since  we sell them in the store I just snatched a set for me.   Most of the editing I did on this piece took place on the piece that goes in the lid.    For some reason I missed the explanation of the words on the pieces and couldn't understand why we were stitching those particular words or what they were suppose to mean....so I left them off.  After stitching the box lid and the pin cushion, I realized what it all meant, but I had already stitched the first two pieces and then stitched the fob and I wasn't going back.  I loved the Merry Cox saying for the etui I had just finished for a gift, and the phrase she used was  so perfect  with one word changed I put the verse on this box as well.   I didn't stitch the flower basket on the top because it threw me off, so I just mirrored the fence and moved the bee skeps over and voila....top was done. The flower basket I left off the design I'm going to stitch and put it on the inside, either as the inside bottom of the box or under the lid.   This was a fun and easy stitch, once I made up my mind about how to edit the lid design.  .  Usually other than the lettering the ladies from Shepherds Bush now use (I loved their old lettering),  I don't change anything on their pieces because I just love their designs so much.  And every time I change the lettering, I change it to the old Shepherds Bush lettering, so is that really cheating?  In fact I have just about everything they have designed, either in my stash or stitched.  I think you could say I'm a Shepherds Bush stalker!    But sometimes you just have to step out of the box. As usual I whined about the flower basket to Sara so much she was screaming, "For God's sake, please just take it off and stitch something else."  It took me forever since I felt I was being disloyal to the Ladies of  Shepherds Bush but once I did make the change I was thrilled as I love the piece so much.  Last night I stitched the accessory pieces to the "Sweet Heart of Mine." and finished the Bargello heart.  The heart  really is so lovely to stitch, my mind keeps racing to find other ways to use the same heart.  I really can't wait to show you.  Between being frozen by the time I get home from the shop, and Michael, I'm not getting much stitching done.  This heart should have been done in one night and it's taking more time.   But today is Tuesday so it's a no shop day, just a school day.  In fact, yesterday also became just a school day because when I got up it was raining and between rain and cold I decided to keep the shop closed.  It is really too difficult keeping Michael busy while we are in the shop.  So between my whining and Michael....it was easier to stay home.  Keeping a 13 year old occupied is not the easiest task, however, as I've said a million times, Michael is eager to please (certainly not the typical teenager) so when he senses I'm about to go over the edge he finds something to do so I get a break.  He loves to go out to eat, so I told him we'd eat out while he was with me.   This is as much for my benefit  though as it is for him, for two reasons.  I didn't want to cook an entire meal every night and so going out was easier.  So Friday night we picked Sunset Grille (duh, as if you couldn't guess), and then we were going to Walmart to get his "beats".  Michael's big gift from me for Christmas were "beats" by Dr. Dre. ( He wanted them wireless, which was information that his mother failed to pass on to me, but was apparently the most important part.)  So before Christmas, Mary and I were shopping at Best Buy and I looked at the Beats and decided to upgrade to the Solos to make the gift more fabulous.  So I went from $199 to $265, but I wasn't really satisfied with this purchase because I don't understand why they cost that much, or even what difference there was in the 2 that I was choosing between, but it was for Michael for Christmas so I just did it.   Christmas morning he opened the box, shouted "yes, I got my Beats", and of course   after a few seconds looked at me and said, "are these wireless."  To which I  replied, "Well at that price I would certainly hope so."  But, of course, they were not.   So while he acted grateful, (you know when a 13 yr. old is disappointed because of his face and body language) so I told him we would go to Walmart or Best Buy and get him the beats that he wanted and since Brian was salivating over the Beats, I gave them to Brian with Michael's permission.    So after Christmas I took Michael to Walmart where we looked at the other headphones and were told by the sales clerk that they were all wireless.  I said to her, "first I know for a fact that the solo's aren't wireless because I already bought a pair and they weren't."  She kept saying they were all wireless and I kept saying they weren't and Michael was getting to the point where he was saying he'd take them anyway (after I gave the others to Brian...I don't think so).  To prove they  weren't wireless I purchased a pair, opened the box, showed it to the girl and said, Now I'm returning them because they aren't wireless.)  The man working at the register (his first return, of course) wasn't sure how to do a return and this became a 15 minute fiasco and a supervisor had to be called.  She walked him through it and then left, before he was finished.  So the man looks at me and says, O.K. come again.  I said, excuse me but I should be given a receipt of the return.  He said no, you don't get one, I said yes I do, he said no you don't  and then I make the fatal mistake, and said, "When I have had to return something in the past I always get the original receipt along with the return slip."  And then this jackass says, "So you buy a lot and then just keep returning it?" and this idiot was serious, not joking.   I walked away before I took a flying leap at this idiot and sent him to the ER.  You know if I landed on him he was going to require some serious help from the paramedics.  Anyway, I then went to customer service and asked if I should have received a receipt of the return.  This woman said, no you don't get one.  I said, "Really,because when I've returned to you in the past, which I've only done 2 times and nothing in the last 2 years, I was always given a slip showing the return had been made."  She said, "Well they  do give you back the original receipt with a slip showing the return." (isn't that what I just asked her?)  So she called back to electronics and informed the other clerk I should have gotten the original receipt back, which I hadn't, and a slip showing the return.  He came running up and said, "Oh, I was trying to find you to give you this."  It was just the slip showing the return and at that point I just took it and left.  OMG, I hate our local Walmart.  While I thought the Super Walmart would be great, it isn't.  I try never to shop in that store, and this experience only highlights why. But I was back to no "beats."  However, Sara, Michael and Vernon were going to Baltimore and stopping at the Annapolis Mall so Michael asked if he could get them there.  I said yes because that got me out of going to different shops trying to find wireless.  So I handed him $300 and was grateful to be done with it.  Of course, Michael came back from Annapolis because the beats he wanted were $375 and he thought that was too much.   So on  Friday while discussing what he'd like for dinner, Michael said "can we go to Walmart to get my beats because I've decided I do what them and I looked on line and they do have them. I'd really like to have them to take to the rec  program on Saturday."    OMG not Walmart again, but since I'm the grandparent I said I'd think about it.  But first we had to go to dinner.  We get to Sunset and find that they are closed for the week...CRAP!!!!  Can this day get any worse (and of course it can).  So I decided we'd go the Walmart and get the damn Beats and then find a place to eat.   We get to Walmart, thank God the other 2 clerks from before weren't there and we begin our quest.  The young woman there felt they were all wireless, so I went through the whole thing over again, with Michael chiming in so she looked it up on her phone.  She felt they were wireless regardless because she could see the connection on the picture.  However, that wasn't to charge them that was to connect them to your other device.    So after a brief discussion I said, "come on Michael we're going to Salisbury."  Meanwhile I didn't want to go to Berlin, let alone Salisbury.  But off we go and we went to Best Buy first where I gratefully paid a total with tax of  $402 for those idiot head phones. (I have to wonder who the idiot is...the person who is selling them and the person buying them...uh, oh...I think I found the idiot.)   Then Michael decided on Applebees for dinner, so off we go.  He brought his beats into Applebees but after a few minutes decided to put them in the car.  So he went out and took what I felt was way too long to return so I started panicing with visions of Michael being kidnapped and what the hell was I going to tell Sara, in my head.  I have always imagined the worse.  If I didn't hear from the girls when they were away I always had visions of them dead on the side of the highway and would panic over it.  After what felt like 30 minutes, but was probably about 5, I decided to see if he was just standing outside or was missing and there he is sitting in the car talking on his phone. He takes one look at me and hears me screaming at him and rightly decides he better get off the phone.  After a major discussion (one sided since I'm lecturing him rather loudly) he starts to cry and wants to go home.  But we had already put our name in with the hostess at Applebee so I said, stop it and come on.  Amazingly enough, when food is involved, Michael forgets everything else and we had dinner after which we went home.  I thought my day from hell was over, but no, not quite!  At home Michael tries to connect his beats to his phone and finds he needs a newer cell phone to do this.  I just looked at him and said, "I'm done.  You know your mother says you can't get a new phone until your birthday in March (I already made the mistake of asking her if I could get him the IPhone 6 for Christmas) and you are just going to have to wait and we're not taking those beats back!"  They did connect to his Ipad so he was still somewhat thrilled as the sound was great and at least he could use them.  My day is over, now it's just sit like a log and watch Gold Rush...I think I can do this.   Then Saturday morning he discovered he could hook the "beats"  to his phone if he used the cord, he had just received in the mail which has 3 different connections on it, so while he cannot become wireless with his phone until March, he seems to be satisfied.  I am now done with Christmas, once and for all.  Thank you Jesus!  Now can someone explain to me why a set of headphones costs $402.00 with tax?  OMG....I'm sounding more and more like my father....and that's not a good thing.  Talk to you soon.