So, I Lied

If you didn't stop by since last Wednesday or Thursday because you believed me when I said I'd be away and not blogging . . . we'll, you'll see I lied. But it was only half a lie, because I WAS away at a retreat. Staying in a hotel with a business center and computers. So I blogged. It's an addiction! What can I say?

Want to see one of the projects I worked on while I was at the retreat? It's the second block of Comfort & Joy, the block of the month that Anne Bryson of Cottons 'n Wool is making us work on hosting.

By the way, I met a few of Anne Bryson's and Anne Sutton's friends at the retreat. Unfortunately, they made me promise that what happens at the retreat, stays at the retreat so I can't say more right now. (Call me.)

And here's a recap of the first three blocks of Comfort & Joy. The fourth block will be due in a couple weeks, so I can't sit back and rest just yet.

Now that I have some photos to share, let's backtrack a little. Remember the really yummy chai latte I mentioned? Here it is:

Sitting right next to Gran's tea goodies. Beautiful, right? But innocently lurking on the top tray--at an angle I don't think you can see very well--is a dainty tea sandwich filled with beef tongue. I know--tongue is supposed to be good, but I don't know--it just doesn't SOUND like it would be. But Gran was brave and ate it. I really wish I'd gotten a photo of her face as she took the first bite--priceless! Seriously, though, there's something wrong with removing the crusts but leaving the tongue, you know? Anyway, Gran and I will be going away on another little retreat with our stitchery friends later in the summer and we're supposed to make one of the meals while we're away. We're considering tongue. It should be good for a laugh if nothing else.

At any rate, no tongue for me, thank you very much! Just a nice tomato bisque and a shrimp salad that I forgot to photograph, darn it!

The other stop we made on that first day that I forgot to tell you about? Paris Flea Market in Livermore. The shop is open one weekend a month, and our retreat coincided with the shop's open weekend. After we checked into our hotel, we headed back out. The one drawback? No air conditioning in the shop and it was a very warm evening. On the positive side of the scale, though, was that there were "gold" coins hidden throughout the store, and I was lucky enough to find one that gave me a $25 gift certificate toward my purchases. Yeah!!! I found a few things here and there--an old, small (child size) wooden bench or stair painted blue sometime in antiquity, a covered basket to keep a quilt "kit" in (I'm thinking I'll put the fabric I've set aside for Pumpkinville in it), a couple little decorative watermelon ceramic pieces for the hutch in my kitchen, and a few little gift items for a couple friends.

I kind of wanted to go back again during the weekend because I "remembered" that I'd like to look for some decorative picture frames, but we never made it back. Actually, Gran said we could go but I'd have to drive, and there was a long, VERY, VERY high and narrow overpass between the retreat location and the shop, and driving on those things (and bridges) panics me no end, so I decided it was better to just stay put. Better for my bank account too. Maybe next time.

I have more "stuff" to tell you about and show you, but it will have to wait, because I have to go back to work tomorrow and it's time for bed. Come on back then. Oh, it will be nice to sleep in my own bed again!