Well, folks, I guess turning 55 isn't so bad. I had a great birthday
yesterday. A month or so ago, my LNS The Sampler, announced they would
be having a special 20th anniversary stitching workshop on September 20.
The day long workshop featured a couple of my favourite designers, and I
jumped at the chance to sign up. Nan Caldera (Just Nan) and Charland
Garvin taught the classes. Nan does not normally teach except to the
needlework trade, and Charland has also cut back on her teaching to
concentrate on designing.

Nan managed to fly in from Georgia just ahead of the bad weather, and
Charland is Toronto based so she didn't have any problems."

We started with a meet and greet Friday night where the designers kindly
autographed pieces of theirs which I had stitched, and then on to
Saturday where we spent the day working on three different projects.
Nan's project was a lovely ornament called "Special Delivery" which she
customized just for The Sampler, and Charland had a sweet needlecase
stitched on banded linen. The owner of the shop, Tatiana, also taught a
small scissors weight project. The day included door prizes (I won the
first one), continental breakfast and lunch.

Oh yah - the S.E.X.? I spent (or would have had I not had shop credit
from the models I stitch, and a 20% discount) over $175 (including tax)
for just two patterns. Well to be exact, two patterns plus the fibers
which are all silks and metallics. One by Charland is a large sampler
based on the life of Elizabeth I , (unfortunately, she doesn't have a
picture up on her website yet) and the second is one is Just Nan's
"Common Ground" (well, I actually didn't get all the fibers for that
since I have a full set of Splendor silks which I will use.)
http://www.justnan.com/jn102.html

What was especially neat was that despite the weather (the tail end of
the hurricane) we had several stitchers from New York, and one from as
far away as Missouri.

When I got home, there was a big bouquet of flowers from my DH, who also
took me out to dinner, and then yesterday we went to my sister's place
for a family birthday party.

I'm also feeling a somewhat relieved since earlier in the week the DH
was very under the weather (including two visits to emergency) for a
fever, aches and a rash. Finally when he got to see his own doctor on
Friday it was diagnosed as shingles - by then too late for the anti
viral med to do any good. I'm more than a little ticked off at the
emerg doctor (same guy both times) who thought Bob simply had a bad
sunburn (the rash was on his scalp). He's a lot better, but shingles
are one of those things that linger and the pain can go on for weeks
(and according to some information) even months and years. I'm very
much relieved that at least we know what it is.

I think I'll just go and fondle the silk threads for awhile G

Marg