Shop Stitching, RUSH job 3

I usually stitch a canvas starting in the upper right-hand corner, and move down.  On this canvas, first I did the basketweaved tree in hand and then put the stocking on a frame.  I tried to work from the top down, doing the row of houses.  But I put in green metallic French knots on the wreath of the first house.  They were just too bulky and looked like a green smudge.  Metallic French knots on 18mesh are a real pain to cut out!

I still haven't decided what I'm going to do with the large wreath.  I want to eliminate all of the shading, but still preserve the holly look.  I have done most of the taupe wallpaper.  Now I'm doing white for the edge of the mantel.   I'm anxious to get to the garland resting on the mantel, but I need to finish the white so the shades of green can "hang over".

Yesterday I had a customer in picking up finishing.  A thunderstorm erupted in the area.  While Lisa was remarking to me that she hadn't had any power outages this summer (to my husband's irritation this happens often during thunderstorms here), when there was a loud crash and the lights went out. The lightning had struck the transformer that is somewhere close behind the shop.  That was at 2:45pm.  It's difficult to select colors of yarns  with no lights.  I waited for a customer who had called to say she was on her way.  Then, I called my husband to come get me.  To my surprise, the shop phone worked, though it wouldn't let me put on the answering machine.  I had to stop and think and retrace my morning opening steps to be sure I turned all the lights off so they wouldn't come on and be on all weekend.