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.

Wednesday 25 May 2011

Tea Time Tuesday

A kind word is like a Spring day.~ Russian Proverb

Welcome to Tea Time Tuesday ~
Hello tea friends! I hope you all enjoyed your weekend! This is the second last tea party for the month of May. Summer is on its way!

NOTE~ I have been making my rounds visiting this morning but Blogger will not let me leave a comment. I did want you all to know that I have been stopping by and I am enjoying your posts.


I was going to have a Cream Tea today but since it is rhubarb season here on the Island, I have made some Rhubarb Crisp to enjoy for our respite.


It is hard for me to fathom that some of you have never had this wonderful and versatile treat. Rhubarb, I mean!


There are so many things that you can make with these bright red stalks: Rhubarb cake, chutney, cobbler, crisp...


...jam, muffins, pudding, pie, sauce, etc. It's almost endless the things that you can make with it! The bright red stalks make for a pretty and yummy dessert.

Add a dollop of fresh whipped cream and yum!!


For a lovely cup of raspberry tea, you might add a few fresh raspberries to the bottom of your tea cup and pour in your tea. Let sit for a bit and if you wish, add a slice of lemon.


For today's tea, I thought I would use something a wee bit unusual. Why not use my cranberry jug and basket for the containers to hold the milk and sugar instead of the usual china ones.



Cranberry glass, or Gold Ruby glass as it is known in Europe, is a red glass made by adding gold {111} chloride to molten glass. The most famous period of cranberry glass production was in the 19th century Britain during the Victorian era.


These pieces were given to me by my hubby once upon a time. I have set them on a little Royal Albert Lavender Rose tray to catch the spills... Add a sugar tong and, Voila!


The cranberry glass goes well with my Lavender Rose so I chose to use this teapot today.


All God's pleasures are simple ones; the rapture of a May morning sunshine, the stream blue and green, kind words, benevolent acts, the glow of good humor. ~ F.W. Robertson


This past weekend we Canadians have been enjoying the long Victoria Day weekend.


We celebrate Queen Victoria's birthday today...


and also our own Queen Elizabeth's which is actually April twenty-first.


Canadians consider this to be the unofficial start of Summer. Barbeques have been fired up and the garden centers are very busy. Very soon I will be enjoying my tea out on the deck.

Hubby and I also enjoy taking our coffee or tea down to Victoria Park to watch the boats sail in the harbour. This time of year we get many cruise ships in as well.


When I think of Victoria's birthday, I automatically think of Victoria magazine from which the magazine takes its name.


Queen Victoria brought much beauty and loveliness into her era and those of us who enjoy all that loveliness try to incorporate some of it into our homes. Victoria magazine helps us do just that with pages of inspiring and pleasing ideas.


This sweet little teapot is adorned with the pearls my Auntie P gifted me with. She found them while she was in  Scotland and thought I would like them. She was so right! The creamy white rose is one from my anniversary bouquet and I'm drying it.

Anyone for chocolate?


The Victorian era corresponds with the reign of Queen Victoria in England 1838-1901.


The period is beloved for its attention to high morals, modesty and proper decorum, as inspired by Queen Victoria and her husband Prince Albert.


I like to incorporate a little beauty and loveliness into my home, don't you? I enjoy using simple things like flowers and candles; sometimes even a strand of pearls. What are some of your favourite ways of adding loveliness to your home?


"A cheerful look brings joy to the heart, and good news gives health to the bones." ~ Proverbs 15:30


Thank you for stopping by for tea today. It's always a pleasure to have you!
On June 13, I will be having a Father's Day Tea and the following week on June 20, I will be hosting my Summer Dreams Tea. I hope you will join me for both of those parties as well as the usual ones I host every week.

If you would like to participate in Tea Time Tuesday please use the inlinkz below to sign up.

I am happy to join the following hostesses as well:

Kathy~  http://blissfulrhythm.blogspot.com/
Victoria - A Return to Loveliness

Marty~  http://astrollthrulife.blogspot.com/ 
Table Top Tuesday

Martha~  http://www.marthasfavorites.com/
Teacup Tuesday
Terri~  http://artfulaffirmations.blogspot.com/
Teacup Tuesday

Wanda Lee~  http://silkenpurse.blogspot.com/
Teapot and Tea Things Tuesday
Pam~  http://breathoffreshair-paperbutterfly.blogspot.com/
Teapot and Tea Things Tuesday
Wanda Lee~  http://theplumedpen.blogspot.com/
Tea For Two and Wednesday Tea For Me and Thee

Donna~  http://thehomemakingarts.blogspot.com/
Tuesday Tea

Lady Katherine~  http://ladykatherineteaparlor.blogspot.com/
Teatime Tuesday

Miss Spenser~  http://missspensersblog.blogspot.com/
Teacup Thursday





Sharing from my heart~ Sandi

Oh, My Poor Tulips!

Good morning bloggers~ I am still not able to comment on most blogs today. It seems the blogs that have a certain format are the ones that are having difficulties. If you have to sign in to your Google account to leave a comment, it just sends you in a loop over and over again. It's frustrating!

Now for the ongoing saga of the crows and the tulips~



Well, the crows have broken off every single tulip in my back bed and now they are working on the other bed. We have had tulips in this bed at the top of our driveway for years and they have never bothered with it. Now, all of a sudden they are picking at these tulips too.



There were at least two tulips picked off last evening.



I'm thinking the only way I'm going to get to enjoy them this year is to cut them and bring them indoors to enjoy for a few days.




Some of you have suggested getting a big owl and putting it near the garden. We don't want to do that because it will scare the songbirds too.

Some have suggested taking down the birdbath because that is where the crows are dumping the broken tulips. We would prefer not to do that either as we enjoy watching the songbirds drink from it.

We are just heartsick over this! Last year, the black bandits pecked the begonias to death and put their food in the birdbath. They also were dancing in the silver mounds.
This year they started putting food once again in the birdbath so Hubby is no longer feeding them.

Who can understand the mind of a crow? We have fed them for years and never had any problem with them. Now it seems they have declared war on our property and us!

Anyway, the black bandits will have to look elsewhere for their dinner because our hands will no longer feed them.

Sharing from my heart~ Sandi