Faith Family Friends

Celebrating the Joy of Living & Home Making ~

Baking, Cooking, Decorating, Tea Time, and taking Inspiration from those I love and the world around me...

A sharing of my heart and my home from a Christian perspective

...with a wee bit of whimsy added.

Tuesday 31 March 2009

My Mother's Surgery Has Been Scheduled


Hello everyone. My mother's surgery has been scheduled for 2:00PM {Atlantic time} Wednesday afternoon. Please keep her in your prayers. She is very weary and anxious at this point. It is almost a week since she fell and broke her hip! God bless and Thank you! Hugs ~ Sandi

Monday 30 March 2009

Blue Monday


Hello ~ It's Blue Monday again and I want to thank Sally for hosting this fun event. You can click on the bluejay button at the right on my sidebar or click this link http://smilingsally.blogspot.com/ to visit other blues today.

Today I have three 'blues' to share with you.
~ First up is this little blue hand painted birdie with a nest of three blue eggs. It is part of an Easter arrangement on my coffee table.

~ A Windmill thimble that came from Holland.
~ One of my many birdhouses. I love the crackle finish on this with the gingerbread trim; and as you can see, it has a blue roof with blue trim!
Well, those are my blues for this week. But before I go, I would like to thank you all for praying for my mother! She is still in the hospital waiting to have her surgery. They have the part all ready to put in but they are delaying the surgery until it is safe to operate. Her blood is still too thin. In the meantime, she is still in much pain from the broken hip. Please continue to keep her in your prayers. It really is helping! God bless you all! Have a Happy Blue Monday and a lovely day everyone.

Saturday 28 March 2009

Spiritual Sundays ~ The Power of Prayer


Hello dear friends~ Please take time to visit the Spiritual Sundays website to be refreshed and inspired by what others have to share this weekend. Just click on the button on my sidebar.

This is a bit of a departure from what I normally share for Spiritual Sundays, but I felt the Lord was telling me to share about my mother.
A month ago, my mother was here enjoying a visit with my family and she got to hold her new great-grandchild. Now, a month later, her whole world has been turned upside down! One never knows what a day or a month will bring!

A few of you are aware that my mother took a bad fall on Thursday this past week and is in the hospital waiting to have surgery.

When my husband and I visited her last night, she was in incredible pain and was shaking so badly that she couldn't even hold a cup of water. My mother is very frail and has several medical conditions also. I was so overwhelmed by the state she was in last night that I had trouble sleeping. One feels so helpless at a time like this and it bothered me that there was nothing I could do to help her feel better. In the middle of the night when I couldn't sleep, I prayed! I also decided to ask everyone I knew to pray for her. This morning on my Pink Saturday post, I again requested prayer for her. I am just a daughter in need of comfort for her mother!

There are literally people all over the world praying for my mother! What an incredible thought that is! What an extraordinary tool prayer is!

When Hubby and I went in to see my mother today, I didn't know what to expect! She was sleeping when we first arrived but she awoke shortly afterwards. I was pleased to see her trembling was not as severe, her colour was better, and she had had a good night's sleep! She was having less pain today also. I know it is not just medicine and I know it is not just coincidence! I know it is because of the prayer going up on her behalf!

She has a long way to go towards recovery. They have to build her a new part for her hip and then there is also the chance of her hemorrhaging. She has been on a blood thinner for a number of years due to heart problems and they are waiting for her blood to thicken before they operate. She is at high risk in her present state.

So, after telling you all that; I want to thank you ahead of time for your prayers. She has yet to have her surgery. It may be tomorrow, it may not be till Monday. But she is in God's hands.

I am including a photo of her so you will have an idea what she looks like. I don't know about you, but it's nice to be able to see who you are praying for, if possible! She would not be happy with me for putting her picture on here, but what she doesn't know, won't hurt her! I know you won't tell her. Thank you from the bottom of my heart for your prayers. The Lord bless you.

THE MOST POWERFUL CHANNEL OF COMMUNICATION IS PRAYER!

"Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus." - Philippians 4:6-7 {NIV}

Pink Saturday


Good morning Pinkies~

I had prepared my post well ahead of time because my mother took a fall the other day {Thursday} and broke her hip. She is in a lot of pain and has to have surgery. I am not sure what the next few days will bring, so I decided to get my pinks ready early. I would appreciate your prayers on her behalf!

This is one of my favourite hats, modeled by my toile bunny. As you can see, Bunny is propped up by a pink cushion on my pink flowered sofa.

I used this pink pillar candle wrapped with pink sheer ribbon to decorate the mantle for Easter.
This big ceramic planter with the pink flowers had once been home to a lovely floral topiary I had made. It now awaits something new. Not sure what just yet; maybe another topiary. We'll have to wait and see!Have a lovely Pink Saturday everyone and please drop by Beverly's at How Sweet the Sound to view lots more Pink. You can click on the link http://howsweetthesound.typepad.com/my_weblog/ or the Pink Saturday button on my sidebar.

Thursday 26 March 2009

A Good Bargain ~ and A Quick Fix!

'Morning everyone~ Did you all enjoy the Toile Party the other day? I know I did! I visited all 98 participants. There are some lovely toiles out there and lots of scope for imagination.

Last Saturday afternoon, I went browsing in one of my favourite stores and I found this apothecary jar. I was so excited to find it at such a good price! It was regularly $24 and I got it for $8. It will be fun using it in an Easter vignette.

I also found this cute birdhouse....You know how much I love birdhouses! I just couldn't leave the store without it! It looks wonderful in my green toile bathroom.What do you do when you need a sweet fix and there is no candy in the house? I went rummaging through the pantry for something quick to make. There was a white cake mix and a tub of chocolate frosting in there so I set about baking a cake. Well, the cake turned out an odd shape {perhaps my eggs were too large??} and even the frosting wouldn't have hidden it. So, I decided to cut the cake up and use it for a strawberry shortcake. Voila! Strawberries and real whipped cream. Mmmmm! It was better than a frosted cake!
Well, I hope you all have a wonderful 'Berries n' Cream day!
I leave you with this scripture verse ".... Give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus." 1 Thessalonians 5:18

Tuesday 24 March 2009

The 2009 Toile Party


Good Morning Everyone~ Today I am happy to be participating in the Toile Party of 2009. This lovely toile gala is being hosted by The Pretty Organizer at http://prettyorganizedpalace.blogspot.com/

I am just giddy with excitement because there are all kinds of ladies out there who love toile as much as I do! We are sharing our love of toile by showcasing our toile vignettes, toile-themed rooms, and whatever toile we may have.


So sit back, relax, {as much as one can relax when perusing all these romantic toile blogs}, and sip on a cup of coffee or tea in your favourite toile teacup or mug. It's going to be a wonderful day filled with romantic toile eye-candy!
These are my contributions ~
~ This is my Rose Chintz coffee set.

~ Some toile birdhouses above my kitchen cabinets. ~ Only the best for my chickens! They need some toile too! ~ Toile oven mitts.~ The patio doors in the dining room at Christmastime; toile curtains on the window and toile plates above.
~Red check chair pads.~ Some of my toile dishes displayed in the dining room.
~ This is the Den. I have bits of red toile in here and a blue toile umbrella stand.

~ Some of the blue in the guest room.

~ My green toile bathroom which is still a work in progress.

~ Toile in the living room too. A chocolate bunny under glass awaiting Easter. Hope he doesn't need replacing before that! I love chocolate too! *Smile*~ While I was getting my toile pictures together for this post, I received a lovely note from my Auntie P in New Brunswick. She sent it in this pretty toile card. I thought this was a good way to end my toile post.
May you all have a lovely day of Toile and I pray we don't suffer too much from toile withdrawl once this day is over! Please be sure to click on the Toile Party button at the top of my blog or click on the link at the top of this post to visit other toile lovelies. Enjoy your day & God bless you!

Monday 23 March 2009

Blue Monday



Good morning everyone. I have hesitated for quite some time, to participate in Blue Monday because I don't have a lot of blue in my home. However, I do have a couple of blue rooms so I decided to take a look around. The more I looked, the more I found. So, here are a few of my blues for you today.




Hubby and I are into books in a big way! We have books all over the house. Almost in every room of the house, you will find books. Bibles, study books, dictionaries, novels, biographies, decorating books, ect, ect. However I have decided to limit pictures of books to this Devotional Bible for Couples and the stack of books that Hubby uses to study by. They are photographed on our navy 'blue' sofa in our den.
Yes, someone likes ice cream!
Some of you are going to wonder about me, but I have yet to put away my Christmas Village! It is still spread out along the ledge in our Family room, mainly because we like the soft glow of the mini lights. I plan to put it away this week. Honest!! One of the houses is 'blue,' so I decided to take a picture of it to show you. It has snow on the roof which I applied myself and you can see the sparkle from the light off the camera! Lastly, there is our provincial bird, the Blue Jay! {Sally, you'll like him!} I have this picture on my sidebar for interest's sake.
Well, there you have it! I'll see what I can come up with for next week. I probably have more 'blue' than I realize. Thank you Sally for hosting this fun event. Now go visit Sally and more 'Blue' folks by clicking on the link http://smilingsally.blogspot.com/ or the Blue Monday button on my sidebar. Have a nice day everyone!

Sunday 22 March 2009

Spiritual Sundays


"The Greatest Commandment"
"The most important one," answered Jesus, "is this: 'Hear, O Israel, the Lord our God, the Lord is one. Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength. The second is this: 'Love your neighbor as yourself.' There is no commandment greater than these." Matthew 12:29-31 {NIV}
I wonder, how do we measure up to the keeping of these commandments? Do we love the Lord that much all the time? Do we love our neighbor as much as we love ourselves? If we're honest, we have to admit that it's not always that easy. It takes a contrite heart and a right spirit within us to do that.
Someone said, "I'm just as good as the next guy. I'll make it to heaven."
I have to ask the question, "How good is good enough?" The Bible says no one is good enough.
We cannot get to heaven by holding on to our parents' apron strings. We cannot get to heaven by holding on to our doctrines and theologies. We cannot get to heaven by being a great worker in the Church. We cannot get to heaven just by going to church.
There is only one way: By believing in Jesus Christ and having a relationship with Him.
It's all about relationship!
Jesus Himself said, "I am the Way, the Truth, and the Life. No one comes to the Father except through Me." John 14:6
SITTING IN CHURCH DOESN'T MAKE YOU A CHRISTIAN ANY MORE THAN SITTING IN THE GARAGE MAKES YOU A CAR!
Please click on the Spiritual Sundays on my sidebar to the right and visit Spiritual Sundays for wonderful stories and inspirations. The Lord bless you.

Saturday 21 March 2009

Happy Pink Saturday ~ Happy Spring!


Good morning everyone~ Happy Pink Saturday & Happy Spring!
What fun to be participating in Pink Saturday again. It's also Spring, and we've waited through a long, cold Winter here in Canada for it to arrive!

Today I would like to share with you, three Pink items~

This little heart-shaped pink ceramic pin, my sister-in-law gave to me the day we had a baby shower for Zachary when my son and his family were home. Wasn't that kind of her? It's very Easter-like and Spring-like, don't you think?

Then there is this adorable love birds ornament that my sweet hubby gave me as a gift one year. It is special not only because he surprised me with it, but also because I used it as a cake topper on a wedding cake at my son's wedding reception. One of the birds got the end of its tail broken off. I'm not sure when that happened, but it is still sweet.

Finally, this is one of the first pieces I ever tole painted. It is a pink rocking-horse door stopper.
Thanks for stopping by and have a wonderful 'Spring-is-in-the-air' Pink Saturday. Be sure to click on the link to sweet Beverly's "How Sweet the Sound" to visit other pinkies today. http://howsweetthesound.typepad.com/my_weblog/ or click on the Pink Saturday button on my sidebar.