"Bloglovin" and Keeping in Touch

Hello dear bloggy friends~



 

 

I hope you're all enjoying a beautiful Sunday afternoon and Happy Canada Day weekend to all of my Canadian friends!

As most of you know tomorrow, on July 1, Google Reader is shutting down, so I have transferred all my favourite blogs to Bloglovin.

The Bloglovin button

 

is on my sidebar between my Google Friends and Linky Friends. Just thought I would let you all know should you wish to follow me using Bloglovin. Let's keep in touch, OK?

Have a beautiful day everyone and take care!

Sharing from my heart~ Sandi

HOME

"A favorite plate, a coffee mug,
An old stuffed couch and threadbare rug;
A rocking chair, a feather bed,
A picture of grandma and Uncle Ted.

Our home is filled with warmth and love,
Prayers and gifts from heaven above.
Please bless these things that we love best,
O dear Lord, please bless our nest." ~ Veronica Curtis


Hello friends~ Welcome to my HOME where you are encouraged to come and share anything and everything related to your HOME!


What have you all been up to since Summer arrived? Hubby and I have been to the beach and what a joy to be out there again! It's so peaceful. To hear the sound of the lacy edged waves splash upon the shore. To dig my toes into warm sand again. To sit back and gaze up at the clear blue sky is Bliss! We love our beaches!

I've been gathering roses from my rose bushes.

I think this is the best Summer by far for roses here on the Island. My bushes are loaded with blooms.

This week I hosted a Summer Tea Party where I shared a new gifted teacup from a dear friend.

Isn't it sweet?

Another very dear friend arrived for a visit yesterday bearing these gorgeous peonies. Aren't they scrumptious?

Bliss!

I had promised to share my recipe for Marshmallow Cream which I served with fresh fruit at my tea party. 

Marshmallow Cream
1-8oz package of cream cheese, softened
1-8 oz. jar of Marshmallow Fluff
1/2 tsp vanilla
Zest of 1 orange

Beat softened cream cheese until smooth. Add Marshmallow Fluff and vanilla. Beat until fluffy. Add orange zest. Serve with fresh fruit. Yum!
Yield: about 2 cups.

Home is where your story begins.

Now here are a few posts which caught my eye last week~

Diane @ An Extraordinary Day made a French Provincial Screen from found doors along the roadside. Fabulous!



Schotzy @ Wings of Eagles shared a beautiful patriotic tablescape. I love her blue transferware with red table coverings! 

Janet @ Rosemary and Thyme also shared a beautiful tablescape. This one is so pretty and aren't her napkins gorgeous?



This patriotic centrepiece was created by Creatively Sams. Isn't it pretty?




Lynda @ Lynda Bergman painted this gorgeous scene in a skylight. Isn't it fabulous?

 

Thank you all for your visits and comments. I would love to have you share something pertaining to your HOME. Simply create a post and come and share it with us.

"Lord, this humble house we'd keep
Sweet with play and calm with sleep.
Help us so that we may give
Beauty to the lives we live.
Let thy love and thy grace
Shine upon our dwelling place." ~ Edgar A. Guest

I am joining the following parties as well~

Homemaking Link Up ~ http://www.hopeineveryseason.com/
Home and Garden Thursday ~ http://www.adelightsomelife.com/
Share Your Cup Thursday~ http://jannolson.blogspot.com/
Cottage Style Linky Party~ http://lavendergardencottage.blogspot.com/
Tutorials Tips and Tidbits ~ http://www.stonegableblog.com/
Home Sweet Home~ http://thecharmofhome.blogspot.com/
Open House~ http://blog.bernideens.com/

Please share any of the following~ Crafts, DIYs, floral arranging/gardening, home decor, recipes, thrifting, tea time and tablescapes,  crocheting/knitting/quilting/sewing, etc....Maybe there's a new baby in the family or you have a new fur baby you would like to introduce us to. They are welcome too!

Anything and everything which makes your HOME more enjoyable to come HOME to, for your family, your friends, and yourself.

As a courtesy, please link back to me so that your visitors may find their way here to visit with all my lovely participants.

1. Pots & What To Do When your Clothes Don't Fit!	2. More Cha cha Changes	3. Pendelfin and pics of a Thinner Me!
4. Blooms	5. A Red, White and Blue Greeting	6. Happy 43 Years to Us!
7. Vintage Pressed Glass Candlesticks	8. Just Cats	9. Wanna See What I Bought?
10. Antique Pinks and Greens	11. Family Fun for the 4th	12. The Secret Garden
13. The Spirit Of Femininity	14. Shabby Chic Giveaway	15. An Annual Treasure
16. Garden Fireplace	17. A Quick Photo Op	18. Cupcake Kitchen
19. My Sunbathed Bathroom	20. Morning Light	21. Rita's Roses
22. Pink and Green	23. iris	24. TutorialPaintFauxBricks
25. Front entryway makeover	26. Pamela Gordon	27. French Impressions Part IV
28. SwedishCornerDownUnder	29. Homemade Ice Cream	30. Quiet Charm
31. Romantic Red, White, & Blue

(Cannot add links: Registration/trial expired)

Sharing from my heart~ Sandi

Tea Time Tuesday

"Then followed that beautiful season...Summer...
Filled was the air with a dreamy and magical light; and the landscape
Lay as if new created in all the freshness of childhood."~ Henry Wadsworth Longfellow

Happy Summer and welcome to Tea Time, my lovely friends!

Has your soul been touched to its very edges by a bloom yet? My roses do that for me. At last, I have been able to gather a bouquet of roses from my own garden for my tea table.

It's no secret that I love my old-fashioned roses. I guess they are a bit like me; old-fashioned at heart. These roses are Theresa Bugnet and they smell divine! I love their layers of frilly, fluffy petals. Sometimes they are so large, they resemble peonies.

They last only a short time before their soft, silken petals fall one by one onto the grass or table. But oh my, the exquisite joy they bring to my heart!

"The serene philosophy of the pink rose is steadying. Its fragrant, delicate petals open fully and are ready to fall, with regret or disillusion, after only a day in the sun.

It is so every summer.

One can almost hear their pink, fragrant murmur as they settle down upon the grass:
'Summer, summer, it will always be summer.' "~ Rachel Peden

By now you know that roses will be my flower of choice for the first of my Summer tea parties.

"Happiness is a perfume you cannot pour on others without getting a few drops on yourself." ~ Ralph Waldo Emerson

I thought today would be the perfect time to introduce my newest teacup. This Regency bone china teacup was gifted to me just a few days ago by a very dear friend. It doesn't appear to have a name so I have named it after the beautiful lady who gifted it to me, Luella.

Pink roses on a white background and gold trim; perfect for my shabby romantic cottage decor! 

"Feeling gratitude and not expressing it is like wrapping a present and not giving it." ~ William Arthur Ward

Luella had purchased the teacup while she was shopping at her favourite out-of-province store and she thought of me. The store had had a tea party and they were selling off their teacups.

It just so happens that I have another teacup which is a very good match. This one is made by Royal Albert and I received this one as a wedding gift many years ago. Don't they look pretty together?

The roses and placement are identical on these two sets even though they are made by two different companies. Luella's roses are just a little deeper pink.

Hubby brought home some lupins for our party today.



My little turtle has joined us.

Since I am not able to set up a tea out of doors, I have selected a toile quilt as my table covering  and my lace parasol is being put to use, creating what I hope will be a decent Summer Garden Tea party.

Tea sandwiches are Cucumber with cream cheese on white bread and Egg salad on whole wheat; two of our favourites around here.

I have some fresh fruit with Marshmallow cream too and I will share my recipe for this on Wednesday at my HOME party.

Tea is poured.

We're having Lady Grey.

Happiness is sharing tea with a friend.

"There are always two cups on my table." ~ Tang Dynasty

I am sharing this tea party with Terri at Artful Affirmations for her Garden Tea Party.

Some of the other pieces I have used for my party today~
Gracie China
Grace Tea Ware 
Johnson Bros. Rose Chintz
Syke McGhie
Pink Depression glass & pink hobnail
Lead crystal votives and vase
Oneida 

I am delighted you have come to tea today and I would love for you to join me by linking up some tea things of your own. Simply create a post around a special piece of china, teacup/teapot, coffee mug, or a tablescape and I will be happy to come and visit you!

"Never lose an opportunity of seeing anything that is beautiful, for beauty is God's handwriting - a wayward sacrament. Welcome it in every fair face, in every fair sky, in every fair flower, and thank God for it as a cup of blessing." ~ Ralph Waldo Emerson



As a courtesy, please link back to me so that your visitors may find their way here to visit with all my lovely participants.

I am joining the following parties as well~

A Return to Loveliness ~ http://www.adelightsomelife.com/
Tea Cup Tuesday ~ http://www.marthasfavorites.com/
Tuesday Cuppa Tea~ http://www.antiquesandteacups.info/
Tea In The Garden ~ http://blog.bernideens.com/
Share Your Cup Thursday~ http://jannolson.blogspot.com/
Homemaking Party~ http://www.hopeineveryseason.com/
Cottage Style Linky Party~ http://lavendergardencottage.blogspot.com/
Home Sweet Home~ http://thecharmofhome.blogspot.com/

Thank you for joining me for tea. You are welcome to share coffee instead of tea or any of the following~ Lemonade, iced tea or coffee, hot apple cider, hot chocolate, punch in a lovely bowl. Have a beautiful day!  

1. Romantic Tea Party	2. Oh Little Birdie	3. Summer Picnic Tea
4. Red, White, & Blue Tea	5. Ruth, Antiques And Teacups	6. Snap @ Twisty Lane
7. Kitty's Kozy Kitchen	8. Two Cottages and Tea	9. Diann @ the Thrifty Groove
10. Lavender Cottage	11. Penny's Vintage Home	12. Summer Brambley Hedge
13. Meditation and a Cup of tea	14. Country Blessings	15. Martha's Favorites!
16. Antique Pinks and Greens	17. Johanna	18. A man's best friend
19. Pink Tea on the Veranda	20. suzyq-atthefarmhouse	21. Baskets of Tea!
22. Tea In The Garden	23. Adderley Robin's Egg Blue	24. Afternoons In The Garden
25. A Birthday Tea Party	26. Veronica Roth	27. Tea in the Garden
28. Christine	29. Forty Ways to Use It Up, Wear It Out, Make It Do, or Do Without	30. Miaa Kathy@The Writers Reverie
31. Moss Shoe Flower Arrangment

(Cannot add links: Registration/trial expired)

Sharing from my heart~ Sandi

HOME

"Let your boat of life be light,  packed with only what you need - a homely home and simple pleasures, one or two friends worth the name, someone to love and someone to love you." ~ Jerome K. Jerome

Hello friends and welcome to my HOME~

Are you enjoying these last few days of springtime? This time of year feels so young and fresh to me, just like childhood.

I enjoyed having all my boys home for a visit. As it happens, I did take a spill while they were here but I had the pleasure of them waiting on me which was a nice change.

Thanks guys!

Lately I've been enjoying sipping tea from my Royal Albert Summer teacup which I found hidden away in an antique shop last Summer.  

I've been loving my new pink teapot which I found after Mother's Day for forty per cent off.

I'm sure all of you tea lovers agree that we love our tea all year round, even on a warm day.

These two HOME posts had the most views last week. Congratulations, ladies!

Penny @ Penny's Vintage Home shared her charming front porch. Love the cosy feel here with that pretty rug!

Debbie @ Debbie-Dabble shared her lovely 'Secret' garden which is she and hubby Joe enjoy snuggled away from the rest of the world.

Now, I would like to share with you some posts which caught my eye from last week's HOME party.

Gina @ Victorian Wanna Be baked this beautiful cake to match her pretty tea set for her Garden Tea Party. Isn't this a darling picture!

Nancy @ Two Cottages And Tea set a beautiful tea table out in her garden surrounded by white lilacs. Beautiful transferware and the scent of lilacs with fresh berries too; heavenly!

Carolyn @ Aiken House and Gardens also set a beautiful white tea out in her garden, and it's so charming! And yes, I've seen this garden in person; lucky me!

Maureen @ It's All Connected shared her tutorial on how to make these lovely curtains for her porch; simply dreamy!

It must be summertime!

Kitty @ Kitty's Kozy Kitchen shared her recipe for these delicious strawberry & Nutella crepes. Yum!

Kathy @ A Delightsome Life shared the fabulous transformation of her dresser into this French  style. Aren't those hydrangeas gorgeous?

And Debbie @ Debbie-Dabble shared her newly painted milk can. That's a sharp-looking milk can and as soon as I'm up to it, I must give mine a new paint job! Thanks for the inspiration, Debbie.

Thank you everyone for visiting and leaving your nice comments. I love it too when you link up with me.

If you have something HOME related, please write a post about it and link up with me. I will be happy to come and visit you!

Have a beautiful day, dear friends and Happy Summer!

"Dear God,
Protect our going out and coming in; let us share the hospitality of this home with all who visit us, that those who enter here may know Your love and peace." ~ Author unknown


As a courtesy, please link back to me so that your visitors may find their way here to visit with all my lovely participants.

I am joining the following parties as well~

Share Your Cup Thursday~ http://jannolson.blogspot.com/
Cottage Style Linky Party~ http://lavendergardencottage.blogspot.com/
Home Sweet Home~ http://thecharmofhome.blogspot.com/
Open House~ http://blog.bernideens.com/

Please share any of the following: Cooking/baking, recipes, antiquing, artwork, home decor, ceramics, crafts, crocheting/knitting/quilting/sewing, floral arranging/gardening, homemaking tips, hospitality, refinishing furniture, renos, tea time, tablescapes, thrift shopping etc....

Maybe there's a new baby in the family or you have a new fur baby you would like to introduce us to. They are welcome too! Anything and everything which makes your HOME more enjoyable to come HOME to, for your family, your friends, and yourself.

1. French Impressions Part II	2. National Pride	3. Strawberry Jam
4. Potting Shed from Old doors and windows	5. Summer Flower Garden	6. Strawberry Whipped Sensation Pie
7. Scenes from a Cottage Garden	8. Faux Brick Patio Refreshed!	9. Vintage French Provincial Screen
10. Book Page & Mason Jar Tablescape	11. Decorating Mason Jars	12. Late Lilac?
13. Delicious Oatmeal Bread recipe	14. Loaded Baked Potato	15. Southwestern Steak Salad
16. Chicken Pecan and Pear Salad with Yogurt Dressing	17. Spring Tablescape	18. Teacher´s Gifts
19. The Lost Art of Teatime	20. iris	21. Patriotic Centerpiece - tutorial
22. French Imppressions Part III	23. Romance in the Garden	24. Here Comes the Bride!
25. SwedishCornerDownUnder	26. Summer Lunch in the Boathouse	27. Simple Farmhouse Mantle
28. JBigg	29. First Comes the Messes	30. AGiftForMonica

(Cannot add links: Registration/trial expired)

Sharing from my heart~ Sandi

Tea Time Tuesday

"I wonder what it would be like to live in a world where it was always June." ~ L. M. Montgomery


Hello dear friends~ Welcome back to Tea Time! I have missed you all and I hope you are looking forward to sharing tea with me today.

I have been super busy with appointments and company since my last tea party and I am so ready to relax with a nice cuppa tea. How about you? I really love it when you drop by to spend some time with me.

"I believe the nicest and sweetest days are not those on which anything very splendid or wonderful or exciting happens, but just those that bring simple little pleasures...,"~  L.M.Montgomery 

Since my last tea party, the lilacs have bloomed.

 My bleeding hearts have been putting on a show for a few weeks now...,

 ...and my bridal veil is prettier than it's ever been.

There are hundreds of tiny rose buds on the rose bushes and I cannot wait for them to burst forth so I can once again enjoy their lovely blooms and scent.

How luscious this time of year is! A billion shades of lovely green mixed with a myriad of blossom colours offer up a divine banquet of nature inspired eye candy for us to indulge in. 

And speaking of lovely....!

I found this wonderful teacup last year at an antique shop.

It is called Summer from the cottage series by Royal Albert 1984, very appropriate for today's tea since this week ushers in the new season. 

This quintessential English teacup depicts a charming thatch-roofed cottage scene complete with geese in the yard. I wish I could transport myself into that blissful little scene!

A pretty spray of flowers adorns the inside of the cup and a whisper pink trim is found on the scalloped saucer and the base of the cup. 

I really love this teacup; it's one of my favourites!

"You can't get a cup of tea big enough or a book long enough to suit me." ~ C.S. Lewis

I found this little creamer at another antique shop. It is made in Bavaria and has a small chip in the rim.

"Usefulness is not impaired by imperfection. You can drink from a chipped cup." ~ Greta Nagel

The teapot is a new find which I got for forty per cent off. It is made by Ganz and I love the soft  pink colour.

I'm having Darjeeling tea today. Do you like lemon in your tea? How about a lavender shortbread cookie with your cuppa.

You have all seen my Colclough teacup above before.

Happiness is sharing tea with a friend.

While we're enjoying our tea, why not take a peek at Carolyn's new book.

You all know Carolyn of Aiken House and Gardens. She has compiled some of her favourite photos and turned them into a dreamy book. Included in her book are some wonderful quotes as well as some of her own words. She even shares a favourite recipe.

Isn't this a beautiful cover?

Says Carolyn, "Summertime is the perfect time to enjoy afternoon tea in the garden. It is so peaceful to sit among the blooms and blossoms, listen to the song of the birds, and take in the fragrance of the roses, lilacs, or whatever happens to be in bloom; watch the butterflies fluttering about, and maybe even spot a little fairy or two!"


A week ago, our local newspaper wrote a lovely article about Carolyn and her gardens as well as her book.

You know, Carolyn and I used to play together when we were little girls and it comes as no surprise to me that the little girl grew up to become one of our Island's favourite gardeners, and now an author.

This book is sure to please everyone and would make a delightful gift. If you haven't already sent for a copy then please do visit Carolyn's blog, Aiken House and Gardens and ask about it. I know she would love to hear from you.

Next week, Terri @ Artful Affirmations is hosting a Garden Tea Party. 

I know she has been working for weeks to get ready for it and it is sure to be a lovely time. 

Thank you for joining me for tea today. It's nice to enjoy your company once again. If you have a favourite teacup/teapot or coffee mug, please write a post about it and link up with me. Teascapes and tablescapes are welcome too. Have a beautiful day. 

I am joining the following parties as well~

A Return to Loveliness ~ http://www.adelightsomelife.com/
Tea Cup Tuesday~ http://artfulaffirmations.blogspot.com/
Tea Cup Tuesday ~ http://www.marthasfavorites.com/
Tuesday Cuppa Tea~ http://www.antiquesandteacups.info/
Tea In The Garden ~ http://blog.bernideens.com/
Home and Garden Thursday ~ http://www.adelightsomelife.com/
Share Your Cup Thursday~ http://jannolson.blogspot.com/
Home Sweet Home~ http://thecharmofhome.blogspot.com/

If you wish, you may do coffee instead of tea or any of the following is acceptable too: Hot Apple Cider, Hot Chocolate, Lemonade, Iced Tea or iced coffee, or Punch in a lovely bowl.

Thank you for joining me today. God bless!

1. Rosewalk Cottage	2. Coffeeberry Cottage	3. Diann @ the Thrifty Groove
4. Two Cottages and Tea	5. Johanna@Silber-Rosen	6. Week end Finds
7. From Russia with love	8. Lavender Cottage	9. Kitty's Kozy Kitchen
10. Mz. Witherspoon's	11. Ruth, Antiques And Teacups	12. Morning Glory Tea
13. Snap @ Twisty Lane	14. Millie	15. Miss Kathy@The Writers Reverie
16. Maria Andrade - The poor man's silver	17. Spools for Tea	18. Turquoise Tea Time
19. watermelon	20. Martha's Favorites!	21. Terri
22. Getting Outside with a Cup of Tea	23. Time For Tea	24. Oriental Tea
25. Luján Fraix	26. Bernideen's Tea Time Blog	27. Tressmanes & Vogt Gilt
28. Veronica Roth	29. A Journal, A Pen and A Cup of Tea	30. Finders Keepers

(Cannot add links: Registration/trial expired)

Sharing from my heart~ Sandi