What's on Your Workdesk this 130th Wednesday?

This past week has truly been a whirlwind. Bloggers I intended to visit, didn't get visited. Comments I would have left, didn't get written. Sometimes I can make it around to everyone (or nearly everyone), but last week became the week I didn't sleep, and instead shopped with my holiday guests, decorated my house for Christmas while my week long guests slept, and cooked more well balanced meals than I have had (much less cooked) in a LONG time. And of course that meant the internet and computer action were nearly lifeless, aside from the pre-scheduled posts.

Hopefully everyone will be as understanding as Julia of Stamping Ground, Lady of the Links, who says to get to who you can. And I will do better this week, at least that's the plan!

But first, this week it's all about the rework.



On my main floor craft room table is a rocking horse Christmas decoration that I bought new last year, but must have packed incorrectly. When I unwrapped the package, one of the horse's ears was broken. I was SO lucky to find it. WOYWWendy is pointing in the direction of the ear.


Using E-6000, I reattached the ear and all is now well.


Moving to my basement studio, I have a couple of projects. I am setting up a new Teflon heat resistant craft sheet. And I have dedicated a spot to my craft-based iron which now lives in the basement.


To the right of the desk are the remains of a rocking horse mobile. I found two of the strings had broken and the mobile had fallen from its suction cup on a window. In order to repair the mobile, I have to decide which thickness of fishing line I want to use in the repair.


As I head to the next desk, you are able to see (on the extreme right second shelf) where I keep my wind chime repair equipment, including several different sized spools of fishing line.


On this desk, I am getting ready to gesso a few wood blocks.


I finally decided I could work on more than one block, if I did the prep work in the basement.


And to show the approximate size of the room, I have moved my chair out away from the desk. I hope everyone is having a wonderful WOYWW and your desks are more productive than my two that are displaying rework.

Cup and Saucer Tea

This week I join Kimmie on Tea Tuesday at the Cup N Saucer Tea Room with my friend Sally. There used to be three tea rooms in Wichita, now there is one.


The sun is definitely in the Southern hemisphere because this building is facing north. I couldn't see anything when I took this shot, not even my image in the glass or the "OP" sign.


We visited this tea room a week or so before Thanksgiving, so there was a definite autumn feel to the window display.


My friend Sally and I were quickly seated, but we had already eaten lunch and wanted only tea because she had a doctor's appointment across town about an hour after we sat down.


All I wanted was tea, so got up to take a few shots before our tea arrived.


They weren't kidding. Collectibles were everywhere.


It didn't take long for our pots of tea to arrive. I appreciated the eclectic mix of cups, saucers, and tea pots they used.


The lighting in this place was HORRIBLE, so I did the best I could by lightening the pictures in Photoshop.


I hate to say this, but


it wouldn't take me very long at all to get tired of that rose wallpaper!


I may not live in the real OZ, but I live in the land of OZ and I was off to see the Wizard while Sally insisted we buy dessert.


I guess it's only fitting that many of the stores in Wichita have images like these this time of year. One of the networks runs the show for several nights about now and US 54, which runs from east to west through Wichita, has been designated the "Yellow Brick Road."


Back to taking more photos and less jabbering.


Those blue and white dishes would go great in my kitchen! And that's the type of turkey I like to see on Thanksgiving.


More collectibles, less roses.


Oops, spoke too soon.


Back at the table, our desserts had now arrived. Sally got bread pudding with lemon cream, and I am always a sucker


for pie. Chocolate is pretty high on my list of delights, and this was made right there at the tea room. Unfortunately, we had to leave before I could finish my pie or my tea.


One last quick look around before I had to leave.


I only wish we'd had more time to enjoy


both the surroundings and


our tea.


Maybe the short time in the Cup N Saucer was for the best, though.


After all, I may never get the image of all those roses out of my head!

Happy Tea Tuesday. Please visit Kimmie for links to see what all my tea drinking friends have been up to this past week. And is it too late to say I hope you had an awesome Thanksgiving?

The lost week

Many of my blogging friends must wonder where I disappeared to. Many have even left me wonderful and thoughtful comments over the last five days, none of which I have answered. Nor have I been to their blogs. What started as a week that should have been very relaxing, turned out to be one I must call the "lost week." For during that week (and weekend) I lost track of time, days, nights, sleep, and was on the computer a total of about 30 minutes.


It all began last Monday when I invited my friend Sally to join me for a trial meal. If I am preparing a big "shindig" I will often try a few recipes on my friends, and I did just that last Monday before my friends were to arrive. What I was "really" trying were the creamed onions, and my first time making a new sweet potato recipe. I added the green beans, baked potato, and (sadly not set) jello I made just for Sally. The verdict was the creamed onions were too seasoned because I used too much fresh thyme. The sweet potatoes were perfect because they were not too sweet, or too juicy. And Sally gladly took the jello mess home that I made just for her. I knew it would firm up overnight.

My friends who joined me over the "lost week" asked that I not show their faces, their outlines, or their names. Since they read my blog, there was no way I was going to promise something I wouldn't deliver. So everyone remained anonymous.


I tried to figure out how to turn these next photos into a mosaic, but I ended up wasting precious time I could have spent posting this and visiting a few blogging friends. I was attempting to show how I put 8 people at a table where I had enough plates and such, but not enough cups or napkins. So, I


mixed up the napkins and used different napkin rings, as well as


different cups for each person.


I didn't remember that I had two


different styles of small bowls,


until I had them out


and was about to set the table. Needless to say, it was crowded, but we had more than enough food for everyone. And that was true the entire weekend. I don't think I've cooked so much and so often in years!


After we ate, some wanted a nap, others played scrabble, and I was lured to the front porch by the sounds of the wind chimes singing in the very high wind.


The next morning, while everyone slept, as is my custom, I was up before dawn, ready to decorate my house for Christmas. Only Bleubeard and I were awake and you can tell how dark it still is.


I had the house decorated before my company woke.


I was trying to stay quiet while others slept, so my photos were a bit blurry.


I realized after I took this photo that I had to add a rock or something to the pot so the tree would not flop over. However, I was just trying to get everything finished before it was time to fix everyone breakfast.

Needless to say, after everyone woke to a Christmas household, Friday was a day out and about, but I didn't even take my camera since it would have made a few of my guests nervous. And Saturday, we made the rounds in the neighborhood, where there are several small family owned shops. It felt good to visit places I wouldn't normally, since like so many other people, I have a tendency to shop the big box, corporate owned stores.

My friends left Sunday afternoon and it was time to go to my friend Sally's where we were going to have a belated Thanksgiving dinner, this time with her preparing most everything and me bringing a couple of leftovers.


I had trouble believing it was the end of November when I looked out Sally's back patio windows and saw all those green bushes. Even the grass that had not died out due to the severe summer heat was green. I'm sure winter will come soon, but for now, I'm just thankful for all the decent weather we are having.

It's now time to catch up on my sleep. I think I'll sleep the entire day today (Monday). Hopefully, the lost week was not as lost as it might have been and I will be able to catch up with all my blogging friends over the next couple of days. But for now, it's time to catch up on sleep!

Silent Sunday: Exploration Place's Flight Exhibits (part 1)