Hello Old Friend!

Nineteen 12 hour days with only one day off in the middle of that mess and I have conquered 95% of the project.   Next week will be ticking and tying with the attorneys to make sure all the exhibits are referenced correctly and trust me, this will all be done during normal working hours.    It was a welcomed treat to wake up and not have to go to work and to find a long lost comforting friend sitting in wait.   Ahhhh.....a couple or three cups of coffee, stitching and a lazy morning for me. 

 Really love the colors and the cute flowers.

I picked up this goodie at a craft event in June.   Just love the whimsy of it.   Not sure what I am going to do with it.  It is a neat way to use old buttons.   The booth has tons, in all kinds of color combinations.....wish I had bought more.

Not the best display but my vaaaahhhses have yet to be unpacked.  Furniture back in place but the contents of cabinets, bookcases, etc., still in tubs.   My mission today will be to finish painting the bookcase and unpacking a couple of tubs - sorting and minimizing as a go.   I am liking the cleaner, less cluttered look.....probably won't last but a girl can dream.

Look at the support I am getting!    Appears Buddy is too tired to help me with a few house projects.   Males!    I guess I will tackle the laundry and errands and putzing alone!  Have your rest Buddy, you apparently need it since you like to play and pounce all night long!  Such a tom-cat.     Thanks for stopping by......have a great week all!

And on day 15....

I crashed......I left work only an hour after close of business tonight came home and slept for two hours shoes still on and all!  I needed it.   I feel like I can get back on the horse tomorrow and ride out the duration.  My work project is going fabulous.  I created a big old database on our intranet with workflows to automatically forward tasks to the next person who has to review or approve each response.....and for the slackers.....the automatic emails started going out today for all unanswered questions.   I had a few push-backs......like, I answered that question; well maybe you did but you didn't submit it and keep that workflow happening!   If they think these are annoying, wait until 2 days before the deadline and the trigger is tripped for emails to the responder and their manager!  On the back end I have to export, format and verify language, verify attachments, etc.    I am the admitted bottleneck of the project.  But I uploaded another 99 files to the lawyers ftp site today.  262 responses completed along with  their various attachments, financials, and general support documentation down and 203 data requests to go.   I think we are in good shape but my boss is pushing for more which I really am not understanding......I mean really, deadline to the attorneys is August 1st.

I really know now what all work and no play is no good.  And I can attest the sleep deprivation is inhumane.  Let's see, I went to work on Saturday with my shirt on inside out!   Good thing it was only me and another girl.  It made for good comic relief.  I warned everyone at work weeks ago and I begged everyone at work to just leave me alone explaining the attention to detail needed on the project.    Long about Thursday, and no less than ten stupid interruptions in a half hour.......like....Robin, do you know the printer is out of ink?, or better, Robin, IT put in the toner in the printer! or the copier is out of paper, or what time does this morning's meeting start? or everyone that thinks they need to stop with their coffee and muffin and tell me office gossip.   Really?  They all think their interruption is worthy of being a $10M interruption........so I locked the office door...... needless to say, 2 minutes later when my girlfriend wiggled the the door handle, rapped on the window I was not a happy camper....and what does a sleep deprived, super stressed, incredibly burdened person do..... I stormed across the room and flung (and I mean flung!) open the door and firmly (maybe a little loudly) stated...."Is the building on fire?  Otherwise I can't imagine why......." and then I see that there is an officer of the company with a question.    Oops!   Good thing is that everyone on the third floor kept their distance the rest of the day.

On the home front, I have a pool that is on the verge of turning green from non-use.  I have been

I just had to run and get the camera when I went out to tend to the pool
after my little nap.   It was such a pretty night and it grounded me that
this is part of why we work hard....to have nice things at home.

living like a hoarder with boxes of things and furniture piled high and the cat's food and litter box in my bedroom.  Now that the floors and painting is complete, each night I have come home and try to do an hour of moving things back in place.  I am getting there.  Thankfully my kids were in town for the weekend and I stayed home on Sunday but physically worked at moving furniture and cleaning all day.  No rest for the weary I guess.   I have canceled my hair appointment but am not yet close to sporting the skunk strip down the top of my head.   Canceled my nail appointment - a treat to myself in recent months that I am missing.   Canceled my dentist appointment - now that's a heart breaker!

Now this is a welcome site after 6 weeks of no furniture!

Getting by with a nightly glass of Pinot Noir (a new love that I was introduced to a few years ago) and leaving the TV on a night to drowned out the constant numbers and reminders and questions running at warp speed through my head, it's a bedroom sanctuary for me now that it is minus the cat's dish and litter box.

More than a few things to hang back on the walls.

Stitching, HA! I laugh in your general direction.   No stitching for me.....I do carry it with me every day just in case I want to do a stitch or two at lunch.....but lunch has been at my desk......and will be for a little longer.   I guess it is like my wubbee, my stitching that is not my desk!  I am halfway through this mega project and the end is in site....and although I don't expect it, I sure wouldn't turn down a little something something in the way of a bonus when I am done.

Oh I Love a 3-Day Weekend

Enjoyed a salted beverage

I wish we had one a month.  I guess there are those little things called vacation days that I could use to make monthly three day weekends happen. We had beautiful weather here in the mid-Atlantic.  My daughter, her husband and friends showed up and once the remnants of Hurricane Arthur rolled through it was a fab afternoon and evening.   I even needed to put on a sweatshirt sitting on the deck the evening of the fourth.

So let's see what's been going on in my corner of the world.   I have been getting up to speed with Mr. W. on the road.    All thoses little tasks like pool chemicals and recycling that usually just get done now fall to me.  At work, I have been gearing up for a $20M project that I have to manage  starting on Monday.  I have been working with our IT Dept to create a database with the work flows I need to automatically send assignments as well as reminders to the slackers.  Quite simply, I am the administrative funnel of the project. I am expecting hundreds of - more likely thousands when you factor in all the multi-parts Data Requests - will arrive from the Public Service Commission and the Public Advocate.  All the different departments will send me their responses for me to format, gather and label exhibits, get officer approval and forward on to the attorney's.  I am stressing that my co-workers will be waiting to the last minute that will result in work not flowing through that funnel smoothly.    Last case I work 46 days with only one day off.  By the end of the process I was on autopilot not remembering how I got to work or home.   I got home to find the cereal I put away in the fridge.  I am hoping this time that my being pro-active with using a SharePoint database to track everything will make it easier.   We shall see.

Everything came together like it was supposed to!

So because of work.....not been stitching much......it was a beautiful thing though when I reached that all important final corner and the stitches linked up!   Yeah.    I had hoped to be done by this weekend and I am close.   I have a couple of little motifs over one to add and then the verse.

I might just stitch another basket in the opening.

Oops! The grey flowers on either side of the center stem were to be all pink.   

I really messed up on the final center motif.  I used the wrong color and since it is one thread over one I decided it will just have to stay and will just add to the other anomalies of Grace's design.  As for the verse, I am thinking of changing it to a verse I have on a wall hanging which brings me to this.......

everything has been stowed like this since 6/6 when Mr. W.  helped me move it.   The wall hanging is SOMEWHERE in these mess.   Seems not to have bothered Buddy.   It is not on my last nerve....YET.

Painters come this week.  I am having a real issue with the painters but I think it is on my side of the equation.  I just have a hard time paying someone for something I can do myself.  It seems though I am known through my family as the one who never finishes projects so I guess I need to get over the painter.

After my son-in-law left on Saturday, Heather and I did a little crafting.   We decompaged the inside of the drawers to the J. P. Coats  two drawer I got.  We were going to use tissue pattern pieces but decided to go with the instructions cut into various shapes.

Not a good pix to see the cording we made.   I used one skein each of black and beige perle cotton to make a twisted cord that we put into the corners.

Thanks for stopping by.....that's all I've got for now......

Happy Birthday America!