HOME

"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

Hello my lovely friends and welcome to my HOME! I would like to wish all of my American friends a very Happy Thanksgiving and a Happy Hanukkah to all my Jewish friends!

I am delighted you have stopped by today and blessed me with your presence. I really do appreciate all of you, my bloggy friends.


Before I actually begin this week's party, I must share with you from a very thankful heart that God has just answered a very big prayer request concerning my mother this morning.

It is a very long story and I cannot go into specifics but it took a miracle for this to happen. And it took two years for this prayer to be answered. God is so good!

One thing I have learned well over the years is that prayer really does change things and we should never give up hope!

This week for my tea party, I shared a little bit of Christmas for my tea. The teapot was a gift from my son and DIL last year and the Spode mugs, I found out in Vancouver last Christmas for half price. They are a set of four.

My little tree is one that I set in a mercury glass hurricane candle lamp and decorated with mini lights inside the lamp and on the tree. I thought it looked pretty cute and gives off a soft glow.

As promised, I will share the recipe for the Cranberry Squares I served for tea this week.

Most of you probably have your own Cranberry Sauce recipe but this is mine which I also used in the square recipe.

Cranberry Sauce
4 cups fresh or frozen cranberries
2 cups brown sugar
2 cups water
pinch of salt

Bring water, sugar, and salt to a boil and boil 5 minutes. Add cranberries and cook until the skins pop. About 7-10 minutes.

Remove from heat and add 1/3 cup of orange juice. You could add a bit of orange peel too.
Cool and refrigerate.

Cranberry Squares
Mix together:
1-1/2 cups rolled oats
1-1/2 cups flour
1-1/2 cups brown sugar
1 tsp baking powder
Cut in 3/4 cup of softened butter and mix altogether until crumbly.

Press 2/3 of the oat mixture into a greased 9 inch square pan. Top with 1 cup of the cranberry sauce and then sprinkle the rest of the crumbs over the cranberry layer. Bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes. Let cool completely and cut into squares.

Here are some wonderful features from last week~

Ruth @ Antiques and Teacups shared a charming teapot made by Staffordshire. It is adorned with transferware scenes from the famous poem by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, "The Courtship of Miles Standish." Isn't it lovely!

Diane @ An Extraordinary Day shared her fabulous sweater stocking tutorial. Hers was also the most viewed post.

We have a tie for the second highest viewed posts:

Debbie @ A Debbie-Dabble Christmas shared the wonderful Christmas department in a Wegman's grocery store. What fun!

And Poppy @ With a Dash of Color shared her fabulous French Country bathroom. Just beautiful!

Dianne @ Shabby Gals shared her gorgeous 1933 chest of drawers which she transformed into a thing of beauty. It even has a jewelery box built into the top of the chest; quite unique!

Coming up, I will be hosting a "HOME for the Holidays" Party beginning December 11 until the 22 of December.

You are invited to share all your Christmas and holiday decorations, baking/cooking, tablescapes, etc. Anything and everything which makes your HOME a beautiful place to be during the holidays. I hope you will plan to join me.
I know there are lots of parties coming up in Blogland and I always say, 'The more, the merrier!' 

This is my button should you wish to use it.

Thank you dear friends for welcoming us into your homes every week and thank you for visiting me today. Have a wonderful holiday this week.

"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 beauty and Thy grace
Shine upon our dwelling place." ~ Edgar A. Guest

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~

What's It Wednesday~ http://ivyandelephants.blogspot.com/
Home and Garden Thursday ~ http://www.adelightsomelife.com/
Share Your Cup Thursday~ http://jannolson.blogspot.com/
Home Sweet Home~ http://thecharmofhome.blogspot.com/

Sharing from my heart~ Sandi