Tea on Tuesday - Emilie Barnes Books On Tea

Today, I thought I'd share the books I bought as a young married woman, that helped me in my love of tea, and planning tea parties!

I know many of you are familiar with Emilie Barnes and her delightful books.  I was priviledged to go to two of her seminars.  When I went to the first one, I found a kindred spirit in Emilie!

What books about tea do you love?  Is there an author you most relate to?

Sharing with Bernideen (I'll be back to link)

Tuesday Cuppa Tea




Also for those who are praying for Josiah (friend of the family):

Update on Josiah:

Jolene said that Josiah, although still quite sedated, was able to give the "thumbs up" a couple times and acts agitated when the nurses do things he doesn't like.  These are good signs.  They continue to slowly awaken him and this process could take most of the week depending on how he responds.  Pray that his brain activity will be normal and he'll be able to wake up soon so they can have a better understanding of what his rehab will look like.  

There was a wonderful article in the newspaper this morning.  Below, is the link if you would like to read it!  I am meeting Jolene at the hospital for lunch today so hopefully I'll have some more details on how we can specifically be praying for Josiah and their family.

The article below is about the day of his accident, the above information is the latest on his condition.  I'm seeing answered prayer in every update!

https://lancasteronline.com/news/local/at-baseball-tournament-a-moment-of-silence-for-seriously-injured/article_317216ec-945d-11e8-80fb-ebf3f86fadc5.html

Bathroom Vanities Refresh

I finished repainting the bathroom vanities this weekend.  I'm happy with how they turned out. (Ignore the green walls.  They are on my 'must go' list)  I used Magnolia Home by Kilz Trim and Cabinetry paint in True White.  I used semi-gloss.  

I reused the hardware that was already on the vanities using Rustoleum's Hammered spray paint.  I like how the hardware looks in black against the white.

The bathroom in the hallway looks good, too!

Working on prioritizing my projects list.  I am definitely going to paint the kitchen and living room and the hallway white, and I am probably going to paint the interior doors (at least the ones in the hallway)!

Friday Five

I've had a busy week, with long days, so I slept in a bit today!  I need to drop Kyle later at friends' house, then groceries!

Now onto the Five!

1. I repainted my bathroom vanities yesterday.

I'll show you an 'after' when the hardware has been repainted and put back on.

2. Another Rose....

This one is growing by the deck at the back of the house.  Part of it had become diseased, so we cut it back, all the way, thinking we'd pull it out.  We didn't do that and the last few years its grown back and the roses have been so sweet.

3. I went to a local lighting store and looked at catalogs.  We have a broken pendant light in the kitchen (over the counter) and so we are going to move a matching one from over the sink.  So, I need to find a pendant for over the sink.

4.   My Mother's Day begonia is thriving, but the tablecloth is not.  Too many storms.  I'm buying a new one today.

5. For Vee - 

I've had an update on the young man I requested prayer for - 

Josiah remains in an induced coma.  His brain pressure and vitals were good yesterday. He had a procedure to insert a filter to prevent blood clots and that went really well.  Thank you to all who are praying! Praise God that Josiah is holding steady now and lets pray specifically that their would be no permanant brain damage from the accident and all the swelling. 

Thanks again for your prayers.  I'm talking to God about full recovery with no lasting damage to his brain!

Have a good weekend, friends!

This And That

I just have random things rolling around my mind this morning, so I thought a This and That post was in order.

I reorganized this cabinet that sits next to the kitchen door, but is mostly a part of the living room.  I kept everything I had on here, except a few canning jars that have now gone down to my basement storage area, I simply rearranged it. I like it better.

Mostly, I rearranged the books and split them up.  They used to be on just two shelves, but I think this arrangement looks better and more cohesive.

I've decided to paint the living room, kitchen and hallway white.  I've not had white walls in this house ever, and we've been here for 17 years!  I'm continuing my quest to refresh and update the house!

You know I've mentioned the app Marco Polo to you.  Its video texting.  This past few weeks its been so great because I've been able to MP with my sister in law who is keeping the whole family updated on their missions trip to Kenya, and with my niece who was wanting advice on painting her kitchen cabinets and knew I'd done mine.  Its been fun to watch the project and see the painting of rooms that have been done, as they are refreshing their house, too!

Now on a much more serious matter - 

We are praying for many friends right now.  The world is full of hurting people, and I'm glad to know that I can ask my heavenly Father to work for good in their lives.  I want to share one of them with you and ask you to pray.  

A young man from a family we know was in a car accident on Monday.  His car hydroplaned into a pole.  He has some major injuries, but the main concern right now is potential brain damage from brain swelling.  They anticipated that the swelling would stop last night and this would be a dangerous time for him.  Please pray.  An update this morning was that he has some fluid building up in his lungs, that they are dealing with.  He is in a medically induced coma right now, but we do know that before they did that he was able to move all his extremities, which is good, because he has a chipped vertibrae in his spine.  He has to have surgery on a broken femur, he has a broken wrist, shoulder and ribs, and a partially collapsed lung. He's 17 years old.

Thanks for your friendship, and for the chance to encourage and lift one another up.  I value your visits here.

59 Years and Counting!

Today is my Mom and Dad's 59th wedding anniversary!

Yes, they were babies, just 17 and 20!  She had a year of high school to finish and he was in the Navy.  He had to sigh her report cards, and if she was sick, he had to write her absent slip!

Three kids, two in law kids, 10 grandkids, 6 grandkid in laws, 7 almost 8 great grands have made their lives full and rich.

We are grateful for them both, for the goodness of God, and His faithfulness to them!  

Love you Mom and Dad!

Tea On Tuesday

It's a very rainy day here in Lancaster County, Pennsylvania, so the light is not very good but I wanted to share one of my favorite tea sets with you.

I found this sweet set in California last year.  I adore its tiny proportions and sweet blue and white pattern.


I'm off to make scones and lemon curd for a visit with a friend today!  I hope you have a lovely day.

Joining with - 

Bernideen 

Hydrangea Talk (On A Rainy Monday Morning)

We are going to be rainy all week, and I am not complaining! 

I wanted to show you my hydrangea.  I showed this photo with the roses and hydrangea together last week.  

The roses are gone but the hydrangea is going strong!

Do you remember this photo I showed with the filter to make the flowers more blue?  The filter made the flowers are deeper blue than they really are, but in my original photo they looked purple.

Here they are without the filter, not blue enough.

Here is a photo I took this morning without a filter.  This is their natural color.

Here they are in comparison to the other hydrangea I showed above that were with the roses.  They are from the same hydrangea bush!

I really do adore the deeper blue ones, but I love all hydrangea.  My limelights have a ton of buds on them and are going to be beautiful again this year.

I wanted to say again, how much I love this community we're building here.  So many long time friends, and a few new ones.  You've really blessed me by your presence and your comments!

Happy Monday, everyone!

Friday Five

We've had a lovely break in our hot, steamy weather.  The mornings have been delightfully cool and the high temps around 82.  Its still July so I doubt the heat of summer is over, but we'll enjoy this lovely break while it lasts.






1. This has been a big week for Sarah.  She got hired for her first 'real' job, and got her driver's permit.  I let her drive back roads yesterday and she did really well.  Come January we'll have another licensed driver in the family!  

2. I shared this on Instagram and wanted to share it here, too.  The Echinacea is doing great, despite our lack of rain.

3. I don't have a ton of blooms on this hydrangea, but they are so lovely.  (The deeper blue ones I shared are from the same bush)  These are David Austin roses as well.  The one on the left dropped its petals  this morning.  In this photo you can see how they go from a deeper pink to a very pale pink as they bloom out.

4. These Rudbekia are some of my favorite summer flowers.  They get to be about 6 feet tall, and are so cheery and pretty!

5.  These chickens are trained (by me) to expect a treat when they see me, or to at least hope for one.  Whenever I come outside, on the deck even, they gather around.  If they are not around I call "chick chick chick chick chick" and they come running from where ever they are!  

I've been enjoying the comments and am headed there to reply!  I was so cheered the other day and there were so many comments about tea and knitting.  I love the community that reads here!  Than you so very much!

Learning A New Knitting Stitch

As you know, I'm a very basic knitter.  I knit, I purl, and I do that in basic patterns.  I do love it, and I like having my hands busy with something in my freetime.  I've wanted to learn to do new stitches, and work my way from cowls, hats, and scarves to sweaters for my grandbabies, and maybe knitted slippers, too.

Its July, and hot as blazes outside, but I'm spending most of my time hunkered down in the air conditioning, so I thought it a fine time to bring out my knitting and try something new.

I found this neat stitch on Pinterest and watched this video.

I practiced with different size needles, and yarn and have settled into working with this for now - 

I'm having fun with it.

With it being high summer on the calendar, it seems a bit crazy that I'd be knitting, but for me Autumn begins at the beginning of September and if I wait to get started on projects, I won't have them done when we'll need them. 

Are you a knitter?  Do you knit year round? Are you working on projects or gifts?

Let's chat in the comments!

Tea On Tuesday

I thought I'd share an old photo that I 'watercolored' using the Waterlogue app.  I'd hosted a tea at church and brought everything home to clean.  The tea cups drying, after scalding, were so beautiful to me, I snapped a photo of them.

Do you find beauty in everyday things?  We can learn to see beauty everywhere, we just have to train our eyes to look for it!


Linking with Bernideen 

I've Been Dealing With Grief And Didn't Realize It

I'm sitting in my living room this morning, and I hear the sound of the cicada's singing loudly.  This is the first time this summer that I've really noticed them.  We are half way through July, and for us that means we have two more weeks before we get back to school! 

My grandma, G.Lily, always talked about how fast the years flew by, and its so true.  In a few weeks we won't have any non teens/young adults.  My baby will be 13!

When we are in the midst of our busy lives, its easy for the years to go by and hardly notice.  Then one day, you say how'd my kid get to be 29 years old?  He's older now than I was when I had him!  Crazy isn't it?

In talking about how fast life goes, and changes that are an inevitable part of growing and life, I realize I've not talked about something here on my blog that has been challenging for us as a family, but it was a necessary thing.

After 10 years at our church, we made the difficult decision to leave about 2 months ago.  Over the last four years nearly 60 people have left our church, including all the people who used to come over on Sunday afternoons and stay into the evenings,  building community and fellowship together.  It was a joy.  

Last year, we looked around and realized that nearly everyone who was interesting in building community had left the church.  We are still very close with them, and get together regularly.  We realized that the young adults in our church, had watched the community building and learned from it during these years, and they had built community together and share life together not just on Sundays but during the week, too.

These wonderful young people were now the ones at our home every Sunday and during the winter on Wednesday nights.  They meet for games and food, they have times of prayer and Bible study.  They've done it all on their own.  We couldn't be more proud of them.

Yet seeing what they had, made us miss what we had had.  It helped us realize that the dynamic at church had changed.  There were now only three families with kids.  We continued to pray about church.

Then Lindsay and Joseph left the church, and Joseph's sister Laura.  A few weeks later we left, too.  Since then its been a flood.  Joseph's brother Daniel left, then one of the two remaining families left.

We heard hurtful things like "well maybe now that the negative people are gone things might be better."  OUCH! 

Then the other remaining family left and a single guy.  Now the church has no families left, and no young people. 

I've been grieving.  My heart hurts at the loss of what we'd had there.  We've been going to a church we like, and giving ourselves time.  We didn't leave with anger, or bitterness.  We still care about the church and the people there very much.  We just knew it was time for us, as a family, to leave.

I also have realized during this time, that I'd started grieving last year, after another family had left.  I didn't recognize it, I called it "discouragement," but now I know better.

I'm seeing how this grieving has affected other areas of my life.  This last year has been challenging for me on many levels, I've gained about 15 pounds, and sometimes just couldn't muster the energy to do much.  I also lacked an enthusiasm toward life, which I've always had. 

That's changing, though, I can see it and feel it.  My old 'spark' is back.  (grin)  I've got a renewed sense of joy and I'm ready to tackle paint projects, homeschool, my eating plan and more.

I'm grateful for God who never changes, and is full of loving kindness and mercy.  He's been my constant friend throughout and I'm so thankful.

Thanks for listening friends.

Friday Five

Happy Friday, Everyone!

1.  Clark is 6 weeks old already!  This photo is from Emma's Instagram.

 2. My roses are still very pretty!

3. I love the pretty color candles on the chocolate cake.  This cake is from Costco (a warehouse store).  We think their cakes are delicious!

4. Tim and I sat in the cottage garden the other evening.  I deadheaded and he read.  We sat together then, enjoying the end of the day until the mosquitos drove us inside!  We did see a lovely sky...

5.  Sarah took this photo the other day, as evening was coming on.  The cottage garden from the living room window.

I had an extra busy week, with driving Sarah to her acting camp all this week, and babysitting my granddaughters.  Both girls had Hand, Foot, and Mouth virus, but Klaire was the most miserable, poor babe.  I've spent the last several days reading Susan Branch's books, Fairy Tale Girl and Martba's Vineyard Isle of Dreams.  I'm finishing that one this weekend.  What are you reading this summer?

I hope you have a lovely weekend!

You Must Have Been A Beautiful Baby...

She was a beautiful baby!  Now she's a lovely young woman, beautiful in spirit and in appearance. 

 Yesterday, she turned 16!  She's doing an acting camp all this week, so next week will be full with getting her driving permit, and interviewing for her first 'real' job.  

She's full of joy and exuberance, and we are so thankful for her!