Where has the time gone??

 I'm SHOCKED!!  I had it brought to my attention yesterday that I haven't posted since late July!  What happened to August??  It just disappeared!!! 
We've had such a busy summer....one thing stacked on top of another, that it's just flown by!  Well...I'm finally going to tell you about the classes at Thimble Creek in Concord, CA.... It was SO MUCH FUN!!!!  We drove down for the four days of classes (beautiful trip to & from!) and got all set up in Roxie & Joe's huge classroom (we brought a "FEW" samples to hang!)  They had the room all dolled up....the project supplies in those cute little suitcases... and big pots of zinnias marching down the centers of the tables!  So summer-y and happy!

 I know I have these pictures mixed up.....as to which class/which day etc... but they're an overview of who/what/where.  Oh, by the way....it seems that the color tinting is serious business...lots of concentrating going on here!

 Isn't that pretty?  There were so many great color-ers in all the classes!

 Questions????.... "Put the camera down and HELP!!!!"   I only seemed to get pictures during the color tinting phase....during all the stitching time, I was moving around the room and didn't have much time to get photos..............everybody REALLY DID STITCH during the class, I swear! 

 Everybody was so nice.......very fun to talk to!  All such great stitchers too!  If it hadn't been for the new cast-on stitch flowers I think many of them would have finished their entire stitcheries in class!  Really!  They were THAT FAST!!!!  The cast-on stitch???  You'll see it in some of the up-coming patterns.....it's SO COOL!!!!  And really fun to do....a little fussy, but worth the trouble!
Then..........................you have the troublemakers!!!!  This looks like the same type of person who would teach everyone Japanese curse words at a retreat! LOLOLOL!!!!  This is Nireko!  She's very pretty when she's not making this scary face, and is so sweet.   I just love her!!!

 OK.... now I have to show you some of why I haven't posted since July.  Also, why if you've ordered recently there may have been a little delay in getting your order.  We've been SWAMPED!!  This is a picture of yesterday's invoices.........the ones that got filled.

 These are the ones that we didn't have time to fill yesterday....they'll get filled today.

 These are the ones that Sheila didn't have time to charge out so they could be ready to fill for yesterday.............did I mention that there will be an inbox full of new orders today to add to these?

I'm not complaining!  It's great to be busy and I'm so glad that everybody likes the patterns and floss, etc....  It's just that we've come to a point where we can't keep up!  I'm so sorry if you've had an order that hasn't gone out really quickly because that's really what we shoot for. 

It's just been the three of us.  Cindy and Sheila are up to their eyeballs (I'm actually surprised that there hasn't been a mutiny!), I've been trying to help (so that puts a cramp in time to design new things).  We just hired Karen to help and I have an appt. tomorrow to interview someone else who hopefully will come on board also.  We'll get back up to speed as quickly as we can, I promise! 

 Thanks for being patient with us!