Wednesday 7 March 2018

What's On Your Workdesk Wednesday - Week 457

Afternoon Deskers,

Here I am back for another WOYWW after last week's absence. No reason for missing a week except that there really wasn't a great deal happening on my desk. Last week was, in fact, a bit of a write-off craftwise ... I blame the cold. It was freezing with below zero temperatures for much of the time, though we certainly didn't have anything like as much snow as many of you I'm sure. Not that I've been completely idle - it's just that I've been busy doing other stuff. However, here is a desk shot of sorts.
Not my usual workdesk but the worktop to the left of it. Usually this is my die-cutting station but, as the jigsaw is still on the desk, the machines have been temporarily relocated in the spare room and I'm using the worktop for the making of scrap layout kits. After sorting through my stash of pretty patterned papers and cardstock it is now sorted into coordinated/matching sets which are stored in plastic bags. Now I'm working on the next stage in the process which is to match up the kits with embellishments and alphabets. The pile to the right are the sets waiting for embellishments, etc., and the box that can just be seen on the left contains sticker sheets and alpha sets. That's my collection of enamel dots hanging above and just below that is a pile of index cards - useful for including notes in a kit if it occurs to me that there is just the right photo somewhere.

And talking about photos.
As mentioned earlier, I haven't been completely idle. I spent quite a few happy hours sorting through photos ending with three more albums filled. Each of the 12 album holds 200 photos - 2,400 in total - and I've only reached year 2005! There's an order for three more albums on the way.
Here's another job done.
I have quite a collection of recipes that my late mother saved. Some are cut from newspapers or labels from cans of food, others she has written out by hand onto index cards, post-it notes or scraps of notepaper. I've now collated them and put them in this recipe journal to be passed on to my grandson, the one that is a chef. Goodness knows what he will make of some of the recipes which date back to the 1940s when food was on ration!

There's been quite a few more hospital visits and clinic appointments for both the EM and for myself - mine much more routine than his but still requiring a lot of sitting around, waiting. And that means I've got through quite a lot of audio books - too many to share here so I've picked out two I particularly enjoyed.



I know! Frances Hodgson Burnett's The Secret Garden is a children's book. But I've decided to take a trip down memory lane by listening to as many of the books I can remember from my childhood. This one is the first and I absolutely loved it. The story of the orphan, Mary, and her spoiled little cousin, Colin, and their discovery of the secret garden was even better than I remembered.


This is the book I'm listening to right now - At Home: A Short History of Private Life read by Bill Bryson himself.  In the book he 'covers topics of the commerce, architecture, technology and geography that have shaped homes into what they are today, told through a series of "tours" through Bryson's Norfolk rectory that quickly digress into the history of each particular room.' Absolutely fascinating!



That's all from me today. I'm off to make a cuppa and a bit of lunch before settling down to check out what's on everyone's desks this week.

Have a lovely WOYWW and a wonderful week ahead.

16 comments:

Sarah Brennan said...

Hi Elizabeth, great idea to put together scrapbook page kits; it will make scrapping a lot quicker once you start in properly. Good luck sorting out 2005 onwards, hope the albums turn up soon. Sarah #7

glitterandglue said...

Afternoon Elizabeth. A really productive few days when you couldn't get out. Great work - well done. Now it's all sorted, photos are at the ready.... lots of great ideas for pages can come springing to mind. A lovely idea with the recipe journal. When we sorted my parent's house we came across mum's old recipe book - and discovered not only her writing, but her mum's and her grandmother's. So I have food ideas going back 4 generations now. As you say - some quite interesting!! Oyster soup was one. Can you imagine being able to afford that now???
Take care. God bless.
Margaret #3

shazsilverwolf said...

Hi Elizabeth, that book sounds fascinating. i love to learn about the history behind places. Hope you are both doing good. Have a lovely week, Hugs, Shaz #4 XxX

Annie said...

You say you’ve not done a lot craft wise but it looks a very productive week to me.....esp as I know some of the other wonderful creations you’ve been making too 😀😀😀
Hugs,
Annie x #14

Monica said...

Such a clever way to organize you supplies. Love the idea of listening to those old books. I share your "sitting around in doctors waiting rooms". So happy for a Kindle to help while away the wit.

Lunch Lady Jan said...

Genius idea about putting those recipes together for your GS - so much better than being stuck in a box somewhere!! And I have discovered that I have to be organised when it comes to making cards, I can't have random stuff shoved into any old box...my OCD strikes again :-D
And I adore Bill Bryson too, his humour is so like mine!!
Hugs LLJ 8 xxxx

Lunch Lady Jan said...

Me again! You're the only person to mention the lyrics! It's from a Bellamy brothers song and I quote:
Your beauty's so distracting
Hope it don't lead to my demise,
Can you please tell your boobs
To stop looking at my eyes.

It made me laugh cos it was so perfect!!!
Xxx

Helen said...

I was going to keep a book of my mother's recipes although I think my sister in law had it in the end - well, she does more cooking than me! hope you have a great week again - sounds and looks like you were very busy. Helen #1

Neet said...

Hope all is going well with hospital appointments for both of you.
What a mammoth job you have been doing - and still are - good luck with them all. Something to treasure for years to come.
Hugs, Neet xx

Heather M said...

Hi Elizabeth, I like the idea of kitting up the cardstock and embellishments. Lovely idea for the recipe book to pass to your grandson. I have my late mothers Mrs Beeton's Everyday Cookbook! She was awarded it in 1956 for top marks in one of her nursing exams. She had handwritten some recipes in the back. The book advises on servants duties, table decoration, etc ... but the recipes and photos are ancient, and measurements such as quarts, gills. Mind you when my mother was awarded the new updated version it had been in print for over 75 years, so that takes it back to 1870s I think! Thanks for stopping by and your kind comments. Enjoy yourself at the SECC show, and have a lovely week Heather x #32

Felix the Crafty Cat said...

Looks like this will be great when completed. Some of my favourites are so called children's books but definitely worth reading. Have a great woyww and a lovely creative week, Angela x18x

April said...

Love the collection of recipes - what a wonderful book of memories.
April #34

Julia Dunnit said...

The freezing temps have had us all trying to make the most and avoid cabin feve! I love that you’ve sorted and catalogued the recipes, your grandson will love that. A great gift. Must say that your scrapbook organisation is sublime...I pick a photo, then a page, then go through every box of tags, gems, embellishments etc until I find something I like to go with it all. Its a labour of love, whichever way! sure hope the hospitals are ple@ed with you both. The Bryson is the one of his collections that I had trouble getting through. I can’t actually remember why now, but ‘moaning’ comes to my mind. Strange!

Zsuzsa Karoly-Smith said...

Wow, you've been very busy organising your photos and recipes! These projects always appeal to me in theory but when it comes down to actually doing them, I always shy away LOL! You seem to have done a marvellous job and how lovely it is to save your mum's handwritten recipes! I have a few of those on scraps of paper from my late mother-in-law and I always think of her with fondness when I see them - they represent very precious memories. My husband is a great fan of Bill Bryson's - I've only read his 'Notes from a small island' which I found hilarious. Thanks for your visit earlier - wishing you a lovely weekend! xx

Annie Claxton said...

Goodness me, you have been busy - i love the idea of sorting your stash into kits ready to work with and what a great idea to pass those recipes on to your grandson. That book sounds like just my cup of tea, must see if I can get in on Kindle. Have a great weekend :o) Annie C #14

BJ said...

Oh Shoot, less than an hour to go to next week's WOYWW and just realised I hadn't replied to last week's comments yet!!! I was busy getting back into the world after being laid up with a bad back. Now I'm knee deep in egg cutouts yep on my desk awaiting midnight and desk photo! I'll really try harder this week! BJ#2