Plant Care

 My pothos and my ivy needed attention, so yesterday, with the sun shining, I felt motivated to give them what they needed.

My pothos was full and lush looking in this photo.  However, it was straggly and in need of a good watering  yesterday. (it no longer lives in this place)  

I trimmed it up a bit, and am starting some cuttings from it to make more plants.

I also gave it a good dusting.  It's a very pretty plant and I want it to thrive.  I may need to transplant this one into a bigger pot.

My ivy did get repotted into a bigger pot and its very happy.

It now has room for its roots to spread out and I think it will fill out a bit more now.

The sun is shining again today and it's going to be 50 degrees!  I'm not sure what I'll do with my whole day, but I am going to juice some lemons, and freeze the juice.

Have a lovely day.

Tea On Tuesday

 

I have been wanting to host a tea for friends, and have been putting it off due to cov*d. With numbers miraculously dropping (due to a change in how the test is run), and some spring like temperatures,  I am thinking that I can plan a small tea to host at my home.

I think I've mentioned that the chickens are going to live at Lindsay's house now and they are moving Saturday morning. Tim says that he is going pressure wash the driveway, and the concrete pad of the dog/chicken run.  The fencing is down already, and at Lindsay's so it can be set up there when they move the chickens and the coop. 

I have plans to use the concrete pad for an outdoor sitting area. I'd love to have a she shed type space at one end (don't know if that will ever happen), and I am planning an outdoor fire ring and seating at the other end.  I'll do potted plants, and Tim has mentioned a pergola.  This is the ideal entertaining space.

So back to the tea, I'd love to have tea sandwiches, quiche, scones, and some desserts.  I'll have a variety of teas, and I have lots of teapots and tea cups. 

I miss gathering with friends and having conversation. 

"No matter what is happening in your life, you always offer tea."  Clementine Wamariya

I don't know all of the states or countries you live in. All have different rules, but our state does allow dine in seating for restaurants, and I have been to my favorite tea shop a time or two this last year, so I know that it would be fine to have friends gather at my home. I just wanted to put that out there to quell any concerns.

 

Weekend

 

I'll get to our weekend, but first I want to say "Happy Anniversary!" to our daughter Lindsay and her husband Joseph. They've been married seven years today!

If you are interested in a wedding post it's {here}. 

We had a very nice weekend, starting with breakfast with my inlaws on Friday. Saturday I did some cooking for Sunday lunch with a couple from church. Sunday was church and lunch with new friends, and old ones.  

I made a ham for lunch on Sunday, and had made potato salad on Saturday, which required potato peeling, chopping, and cooking, cooking bacon, making hard boiled eggs.  Lots of steps but so delicious. I make it how my mom made it and it's my favorite. We also served baked beans, and gasp! store bought pies. Apple, chocolate cream, and our friend Denny brought a cheesecake.

Around our table we had Tim, Kyle, and I, Kamryn and Klaire, Wes and Rachel, our friend Denny, and our new friends Chris and Margaret!  We had a really good meal and conversation.  I love getting to know people. They were high school sweethearts, and we found out they were born the year Tim and I married! {grin} 

I really love that our church is made up of all ages, older, middle age, young adults, teens, and lots of kids.

I'm excited that March has arrived! It's meteorological spring! And we turn the clocks forward on the 14th! 

Did you have a good weekend? 

Friday Five (Links)

 

Hi Friends! For today's five I thought I'd share some links to things that interest me.

1. www.davidaustinroses.com

By far my favorite English Roses. Thankfully I have a local nursery that stocks David Austin roses.

2. Essential Oils - I diffuse them daily, use them in my skin care routine, use them for sleep support.

I'm also trying out a cbd muscle rub, Tim uses supplements from them, and I've bought a few calming oils to use when the grands are here!  I use Young Living, and if you are interested in trying something contact me, and I'll help you get started.

3. George News - www.george.news  

This is a news website that I find interesting. I follow them on Telegram, and they have a YT channel as well, where they host live chats for followers and share other interesting videos. (a lot of them are military videos, such as the B2 bomber flying, or planes refueling in air.)

4. Old World Design Society - Angela Reed of Parisienne Farmgirl blog has launched a seasonal society that includes a magazine (only digital issues are available now), a private FB group, and a few other perks.  I joined and let me tell you, that I am really enjoying it. The FB group is amazing for inspiration from other society members as well as Angela, the magazine is really nice, too. Old World design is not just one style, but it is beautiful and being a fan of English Country style, it is right up my alley.  Angela also hosts a podcast with Shaye Elliot of the Elliot Homestead, and they also both have YT channels with beautiful videos.

5. The Daily Connoisseur - Jennifer Scott has delightful videos for living, caring for your home, wardrobe ideas, meal planning. She has monthly videos talking of an artist or author, interesting things to keep us learning. 

I am headed out with Tim to meet his brother, sister in law, and niece for breakfast. They are home from Africa for some meetings, and we have to take advantage of the opportunities to see each other when we can.

I hope you enjoy the links, and let me know of others than you may follow that would be of similar interests, etc.  I love learning new things!

Around The House

 

I love creating beauty in my home, it makes me happy.

This lamp with this mirror, especially in the evenings, is especially lovely to me.

A hyacinth from Aldi brings beauty and scent to our kitchen, and is a sign of spring to come.

However, no house is perfect nor are my photos. In the bedroom, there is an extra pillow tucked along the wall next to the bed. In the living room, with the beautiful lamp and mirror, is dust and a plant that's too big for the cool basket it's in. And behind the hyacinth are jackets on the backs of chairs.

Real life in a real house that is lived in by real people.

I hope you are encouraged to live a beautifully real life! Have a great Wednesday everyone!

Tea on Tuesday

 

One of my girls gave me this beautiful china mug a few years ago. Usually if I drink hot tea in the morning, or hot chocolate at night, I use this mug.  I don't allow people to use it for coffee, because I don't want the mug to get a coffee taste to it.  I have plenty of other nice coffee mugs they can use!

Do you drink tea?

My favorites are Irish Breakfast, Yorkshire Gold, Lyon's, Barry's. I like chai, and really like a chai latte. I like Paris tea by Harney and Sons, I like a London Fog, which is made with Earl Grey. I love Chamomile. My tastes keep growing and I've even had a few green teas, that I enjoyed. 

I really like this quote by Chaim Potok - 

" Come, let us have some tea, and continue to talk of happy things."

Weekend

 We had a very nice weekend.  On Saturday, the guys helped move Lindsay and Joseph's baby grand piano from my parents house to their house. Joseph's uncle (who is a professional piano tuner/piano mover) had all the gear required other than the muscle! That's where my guys came into the picture!

 

In the video you see our son Nate with Tim on the back of the piano (the heaviest part) and our sons in law Wes and Joseph up front with Joseph's uncle. Lindsay is there too, holding a strap and Nate's jackets.  It was hot work moving it upstairs from the lower level of the house, but then heading outside it was freezing cold! Tim said it was super easy getting it into Lindsay and Joseph's house!

Proud of them all.

In the afternoon my parents came over for a visit. We had lunch together, talked and talked, and they got home before dark.

L and J gave us an electric fireplace/tv stand that was in their house when they bought it.  Tim brought it home and we did some quick rearranging and viola'! We like it. We can use the flame setting without the heat, which is a really nice feature. We won't be putting the tv here but it's a nice surface for a lamp, a book and a cup of something hot!

I have a prayer request for a friend of ours, her name is Sue. She fell down the last four steps into their basement yesterday. Our friend Denny was at their house, and he said she fell hard. She hit face first, broke her nose, gashed her forehead, has some cracked vertibrae. She also broke both wrists. She is in her late 60's. She and her husband both have health issues, he has some serious ones, and she is going to have to be in a rehab place for some time. If you'd lift up Sue and her husband John and ask for healing, and wisdom. There is a lot of both needed.

Thanks so much. 

Not much else happening here. Well, that's not true. It's snowing again. Five inches due today.  

I think we'll have our fireplace going and be cozy.

Snowy Pattern And Some Thoughts

 We are in quite the snowy pattern.  Our normal winters are not this snowy, and while we haven't had huge accumulations, getting anywhere from 2-6ish inches every week is a lot for our area.

Tim was away at a training seminar all day yesterday, but this guy took care of the driveway.

Remember how I said, just a few days ago that spring was on the way?  It really is.  Next week we're going to have temps in the 40's and on Wednesday its going to be nearly 50 degrees! That's how I know for sure that the season is turning. We'll have more snow still, at least that's what my weather app says, and some cold days, too. However winters' days are waning.  I'm ready, are you?

On another note - have you heard about Pastor James Coates of Alberta Canada?  He's been arrested for holding church services.  There is an article {here}that tells about the church and their decision to meet, and {here}is an article about his arrest.  Please pray.

We have to decide just how much our governments can demand of us.  If we take precautions and quarantine the vulnerable, the majority of people should be allowed to go about their normal daily lives.

If the Super Bowl can have people attend, and protests can have thousands, why can't churches meet?  The church involved in this had no cov*d deaths of their congregation, but they have had a member die because they couldn't get their cancer treatments due to cov*d regulations.

People everywhere should be concerned. Today it is covid, tomorrow what will it be? Many countries have been very totalitarian with their lockdowns.  At one point in Australia you were not allowed to go out to exercise or even to walk your dog. In Germany, they can forcibly remove you from your own home if you have cov*d.  

It's all madness, and where does it end?  

Spring Is Coming

 I know that for much of our nation we are having very cold temperatures, and last night I went out to our co-op meeting and I nearly froze! The mild daytime temps had fled and the wind had picked up and it was sooo cold!

 However, in the last week or so the birds have become a lot more vocal, we've seen the sun again (at least for a brief time) today, our creek is running with more water in it. Right now I can hear the birds chirping outside.

I've begun to make small changes in the house to reflect the changing of the seasons. After all the seasonal changes come on slowly at first, then we become more aware of the signs of change, and then one day we know we are in the new season.  That's how I'm approaching my spring decor this year.

I put my white matelasse bedspread on our bed, and added these pretty pillowcases that Rachel gave me.

It's brightened up the room, and given it a quick refresh.

I turned the pages in my Edith Holden book "The Country Diary Of An Edwardian Lady." I keep this book on the small bookcase at the end of our hallway.  

I've begun to take down faux winter greens from my table centerpiece, and today the greens and ribbon above the countertop will come down.  I think I will use grapevine garland and maybe some faux ivy.

I wanted to show you my waxed frames. It has added just a touch of sheen, and I like it.

I've hung them back up in the bedroom for now.  The black frames enhance these watercolors beautifully!

So, while I know we have a month of cold temps ahead of us, have hope my friends.

"That is one good thing about this world... There are always sure to be more springs."  L.M. Montgomery

Spring is about renewal, and I sense a renewal coming in many arenas of life.  I love to see God at work. 

 

Tea On Tuesday

 

I've been out of the habit of posting tea related posts on Tuesdays, but I hope to change that.  Some of the best times I've had have been over a cup of tea, whether at a tea shop, a tea party I've hosted, or just drinking a cuppa while my husband read in the evenings to our family. (We read through several good book series together which was fun!)

I've thought that I could do a tea related post and we could chat together in the comments. Wouldn't that be fun?

Weekend

 

We had a nice weekend, I hope you did, too. 

Friday, Tim had an inspection and then he and I went to a local cafe (Amish owned) and had lunch.  

We were chatting about a conversation I'd had with of our our daughters, which he found funny, so he was texting her to tease her.

He's still so handsome!

I've been reading lite fiction to counter all the stress of our nation right now.  I read The Enchanted Barn, last weekend and started The Substitute Guest at the end of the week.  Didn't read much this weekend but this is my favorite Grace Livingston Hill book.

I like to keep my hands busy so I started a new cowl in soft greys, pinks, and red.

I couldn't watch the impeachment trial in the Senate this past week, though I kept up with it and watched clips. It makes me sick to see the hatred people have for 45. It's based on lies and it's irrational.  Its shocking to see that someone who comes from outside politics is the one who really does things for the people of our nation and politicians from both parties don't like him for it.  They want to destroy him because he knows their secrets.

We've really become awakened to the fact that our politicians don't really serve us, they serve those who put them in office (financially) and they serve themselves.  So much of foreign aid money gets laundered back to them.  It's so corrupt, I'm not sure how it could be fixed.

Maybe if we actually ran the country according to the Constitution we might actually get serve the people of our great nation.

I will go on record here to say that I thought Trumps lawyers did a great job. They didn't have lie or manipulated information.  They didn't have to rely on hearsay.  They just showed the full truth.  The media has been so bad in manipulating the narrative, by only showing clips of statements 45 made.  For the first time many people actually got to see the whole of speeches etc, that 45 gave and prove that the media had worked to give the impression of something else.

We need to continue to pray for our nation.  I believe that God is not done with us yet.  I also know that all over our nation are freedom loving, peaceful supporters of the president. 

I hope that whatever your weather is like, you are safe, well, and warm.  Our friends in Texas are really in a cold weather pattern!

Let's make this a good week, and encourage one another, and as I heard someone say recently, "Let's not be our brothers' keeper, let's be our brothers' brother."