Tea On Tuesday: Commemorative Tea Cup

Saturday we poked around a nice antique store, the kind with multiple vendors.  One had some nice tea cups and when I looked at them I saw this one with E & P and new it was special.

 Isn't it pretty?

It was made by Paragon to commemorate HRH Princess Elizabeth and HRH The Duke of Edinburgh's visit to Canada in 1951.  That's the year before she became Queen.

It had no price on it, so the nice ladies working there called the vendor while I continued to shop.  When I came back to check the price, they said, "Well its a commemorative teacup,"  my heart sank thinking it would be out of my 'willing to pay' range.  Then they told me the price - $5.50 - I said, "I'll take it!"  That's definitely in my price range!

This teacup is a nice addition to my collection of teacups!


Sharing at

Tuesday Cuppa Tea

Bernideen's Tea Time

Hawk Falls

Saturday, Tim, Rachel, and I went exploring in an area of our beautiful state that we've never really spent time in - the Poconos.  Its about 2 hours from our home and we've only passed through that area one time coming home from Vermont.

Rachel had a rare Saturday off from work, so we hopped in the car and headed out.  We'd already looked online for things to do, and thought that Hawk Falls, in the Jim Thorpe area, sounded like something we all could do.

The trail was about a mile long, a bit rocky in places but easy, I'd say.  I was more concerned about the return trip because it would be mostly uphill, but Tim found me a nice walking stick and it was just fine!

When we got the the falls, I was so glad I said, "yes," to this trip!

One of the things that was so amazing is that this is not far from the turnpike - in fact a huge bridge was visible from the falls and we could hear vehicles the whole time we were there!

It was such a beautiful day!

After the hike we drove around exploring a bit more, and then looked online for a restaurant.  What did we do before smart phones? 

One that interested us all was Roadies!  It said scenic views and they were right!

It was a bit windy, and there were a few pesty bees, but we enjoyed our lunch and the view!

We then explored a reservoir and park, and went to an antique mall in Weissport.  Tomorrow, I'll show you what I found there!

The days are fleeting and we are thankful for this day with our girl, and the time spent building memories together.

We Are Getting New Neighbors

 On the other side of that gold colored house is a very nice cape cod.  The cape cod property has a total of 10 acres and earlier this summer the property was for sale.  Then the sign went away and the section of land between the gold house and the hill of grass began to be mowed and then a few weeks ago, trusses were delivered and construction got underway!  The owner of the cape cod had subdivided his land and sold off 6 acres.  The house on that portion is going up quickly!

 This is a photo I took this morning as they began to do the trusses.

Here is a short video

By the time I came home from grocery shopping and errands this afternoon the trusses were all up, the plywood down on the roof and by the time they stopped working the roof over the garage had the felt  on.

We've heard that the Cape Cod is sold now, too.  It'll be interesting to see how this changes our neighborhood.  We have a quiet and peaceful neighborhood and I hope it stays that way!  

Here's to awesome neighbors!

A Bit Of Autumn Beauty

The leaves are changing late here this year.

Apparently, the peak change is this week up until November 1st.  We still have a lot of green around, and my Red Sunset Maples (which are very red this year, rather than the orangey-red they normally are) are finally turning!

This back area of our property always looks beautiful...

Here is a close up of the late afternoon sun on the trees. I think it is actually prettier earlier in the day.

This maple along the creek is finally turning, but look at the Burning Bush next to it and its still so green!

The hens enjoy this area in the afternoon.  They love jumping up for the berries on the Burning Bush.  That is a funny sight to see.

What is autumn like where you are?


ps- If you'd pray for my cousin Rob, I'd greatly appreciate it.  They are getting hospice set up so that he can get the palliative care he needs.  Please pray for the family, too.  Its really hard to see him this way.  Thank you sweet friends.

A Bit Of Farmhouse In My Cottage

I mentioned sometime this year that we had been given a lot of boards that could either be tongue in groove or look more like shiplap.

I was going to go shiplap in the stairwell to the basement, up the huge wall that is difficult to do anything with and around into the kitchen. But I've changed my mind.  I decided to use the board vertically, tongue in groove style, as I think long term it will suit my cottage style better.

The stairwell has been a huge eyesore the many years we've lived in our cottage, and I had been eager to get this project started but having our own business means that sometimes our personal projects take a backseat to work.

This past Saturday, Tim got started on it as a surprise for me!

There is a lot more to do here, including painting the stairs and the trim, but I am excited that this project has begun!  I know it won't be finished until winter, likely, but this small beginning is thrilling to me!

Home Again

We hit the road Friday morning and had a good trip to Michigan.

We did have a bit of a slow down in the early afternoon on the Ohio Turnpike.  There was a fatal accident between two semis.  Such a sad thing.

Saturday we went over to my great aunt and uncles' home.  Aunt Nancy is my grandmother's youngest sister.  My grandmother was the oldest of nine children, and Nancy is the youngest.  She and my mom are only three years apart in age.  More like sisters, than aunt and niece.

 My aunts kids are in my brother's and mine age range but they are my mom's first cousins.  Got all that?  Anyway, we went to Michigan because my uncle has had some health problems and because their son, Rob is dying of cancer.  I won't give a lot of details here, but we did get to see him.  He is an amazing person.  Thinking of everyone else at this time, especially his kids (all adults) and his parents. My sweet aunt and uncle and the family are struggling, walking through this with him.  We went to be with them, and help distract and encourage while we could.  Rob is a believer, and is secure knowing he will be with the Lord.

I know so many of you are believers as well, and I would appreciate you praying for them all.  Some of them are believers and some are not.  We know that God can use this in all our lives to bring us closer to himself, and we'd like prayer for Rob's pain and for wisdom for him in making decisions.  

Thank you so much.

One thing my aunt wanted to do was to play rummy to have something to distract her, so mom, Nancy and I played hours of rummy.  They are good, and beat me most of the time, but I did win one game Monday night!

I also introduced my Aunt to Snapchat!

Monday while my aunt and uncle had appointments, my parents and I meet up with my blog friends!  Hurray!

 Here are Karen, Kathy, and me in a fun kitchen store in Milford.  Such a cute town!

We had lunch in town and talked for hours!

It was so special to have this time with them!  Kindred Spirits are everywhere, but as we said at lunch, sometimes Kindred Spirits don't live nearby!  I love that I have the privilege of knowing so many great women friends all over the country!  Such an encouragement to me!

We got home Tuesday early evening.  I drove the whole way there and back and was very pleased with myself.  Tim usually does the driving and I am the co-pilot! lol!

We saw such beautiful fall colors on our trip and I am excited to see what our trees look like in the morning!

Road Trip

I'm headed out in the morning with my mom and dad for a five day trip to Michigan.  Your prayers are appreciated for safe travels, and that we would be a blessing to our family.

If all goes according to plan, I'll get to see Karen and Kathy on Monday for lunch!  Yay!

I finished the scarf I made out of that beautiful peacock colored yarn

and I started one in Navy blue!  I'm taking it along on my trip, but won't work on it on the road much, as I am hoping to do a lot of the driving.

Have a great weekend!  I hope I can post from Michigan, but I won't have a computer, so I'll have to try it from my phone.  

Take care everyone!

Skinny Chocolate

Amy, a new friend to Creekside Cottage blog, asked me about skinny chocolate.  My friends, if you are a fan of chocolate, but you need to lose weight or just are cutting out sugar for the health benefits, this is for you!

As you know I follow the Trim Healthy Mama eating plan.  It has helped me lose weight, inches, and has helped to be healthier.  Skinny chocolate is one of the first things I made when I was just getting started.

The basic recipe is very simple.  Cocoa powder, coconut oil, and sweetener.   You can find this recipe here.

The recipe I made above has peanut butter, vanilla, and a bit of salt as well.  This recipe can be found here.

I made the skinny chocolate above with a candy mold I bought this year.  This was the first time I had used it!  It was so easy to use, but if you don't have a candy mold, any plate or shallow dish will work.  I used a wide but shallow dish for several years.  After you mix the chocolate and ingredients you pour it into your dish or mold and I put mine in the freezer.  After it hardens you can pop the candy out of the mold or break it up if done in a dish or pan, and I store mine in a ziplock bag in the freezer.  It can be kept in the fridge.  If you leave it out too long it will melt.

Its tasty, and once you get started making it, you can play around with flavorings and add caramel instead of vanilla, etc.  Some people make the skinny chocolate and pour it on frozen nuts (peanuts or almonds) and let it harden in the freezer for a nut cluster type candy.

If you don't like the taste of coconut oil, use the unflavored kind.  That is what I do, but if you like the coconut taste then use an organic coconut oil.

Let me know if you make it and if you like it.  

Hooks And Needles

My Pinterest board called Hooks and Needles is full of great knitting and crocheting projects.  I've not made very many of them, but I do like to pin and save patterns that catch my eye.

I have made several cowls which is supposed to be like an Outlander cowl that Claire wears.  I used the pattern with thinner yarn and made it mobius and gave it to my mom.

Knitting it with larger needles and a thinner yarn gave me a looser pattern that she can wear over her shoulders if she wants too.  This is great for her because she tends to be very cold especially around her neck and shoulders.

I used one of the baby patterns to knit this sweet hat

I'm working still on the second glove of arm warmers. 

You can find the pattern here.  FYI - the website for this pattern is a bit risque' but there is a link there for a pdf of the pattern and that is what I printed off and use.


I want to make this sweater for Kamryn, but I'll need a lot of help with that front edging!

                                                        source

I bought a new skein of yarn today

Its a kind of blue green called Peacock.  Pondering what to make out of it.  Maybe a scarf for my auntie.

Better get busy!

Family Hike

Well, Tim and the kids anyway. (I can't do this kind of hiking with my bad lower back.) They took advantage of Rachel and Tim getting home early today, to get out into nature.  The sun is setting early these days so they left mid afternoon.  After their hike they picked up pizza for dinner, and when they got home, it was already dark.

They went to McCall's Ferry Park.

Here is an interesting post about McCall's Ferry and the painting of it that hangs in the White House.


As for me, I ran errands today, talked with a friend, worked on plans for my trip, did computer work, had a late morning deck date with my husband.  We are enjoying the autumn weather that has finally arrived!  I did the mowing of our property.  While they were gone I did some correspondence through email, and read.

I took this photo Friday while sitting in my van after I ate my lunch.  I'm enjoying my first ever jean jacket.  I wore it with this black and cream Old Navy graphic print knit dress, some leggings and my black boots.

I'm Hittin' The Road!

Fall is arriving bit by bit in our corner of the world.

I'm taking an impromptu trip with my Dad and Mom to Michigan at the end of the week.  My mom's extended family are all in Michigan, and we'll be visiting her Auntie (who is more like a sister) and Uncle, her cousins who are age wise my generation, but they are her first cousins.  The details are that my grandma was the oldest of 9 kids and her youngest sister is only three years older than my mom.  My mom is the oldest cousin and a few of her cousins are younger than me!

It should be fun.  I also am hoping to see my blog friends Karen and Kathy.  They are sisters in law.  Karen doesn't blog much anymore, but used to write Blue Barn Bulletin, and Kathy blogs at Kathy's Cottage.  I'm hoping the timing works out!



We went over to our friends home this afternoon and other friends were also there!  It was so fun and wonderful to spend a beautiful afternoon and evening together.  Roasting hotdogs, eating chili, salads, apple crisp and ice cream.  We enjoyed a fire and there was a hay ride too!

I am always grateful for time together with these friends.  Their friendships are a gift to us.

I hope your weekend was sweet as well.