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.

Monday 27 July 2015

The Beauty of Roses for Tea Time

Welcome to Tea Time Tuesday my sweet friends!



There are always flowers for those who want to see them. ~ Henri Matisse



Isn't that a pretty bouquet? I asked my hubby to get me three roses; two red and one yellow for my tea today. He came home with quite a few more than three so I took a bouquet into my mother. I think I'll keep him!

Today would have been my father's birthday and so I am sharing my Old Country Roses because it was his favourite pattern.



Royal Albert Old Country Roses is one of the most popular patterns in the world and who wouldn't agree that this lovely pattern of red, golden yellow, and pink roses on a pure white background, trimmed with brushed on gold is so very beautiful? It sets a stunning table, I think.



My Daddy was very much a man's man who played every sport imaginable and enjoyed playing practical jokes on his friends. He did however enjoy the finer things in life too, like a pretty china pattern and flowers. 



He brought my mother roses every week because he thought they were the most beautiful flowers and he thought my mother was the most beautiful woman in the world.


I adore flowers, whether they are growing in a garden, arranged in a vase, or captured forever under glaze on china. ~ Sandi





My father didn't wish to infringe on the Lavender Rose pattern I had started for my mother so he chose just a couple of pieces of OCR for her because he admired them.


This is how I came to own these two special pieces; a little china basket and the boot. I often use these pieces for holding spoons during tea time.



The teapot was a birthday present from my family.



"Strange how a teapot can represent at the same time the comforts of solitude and the pleasures of company." ~ Author unknown


...and the antique teacup was a gift from my sweet hubby in remembrance of my father.



The sugar and creamer were antique finds.




....t'is my faith that every flower enjoys the air it breathes. ~ William Wordsworth

If you look closely at the tea set, you can see the difference between the vintage pieces and the newer piece. Can you guess what it is?



The teapot holds about six cups of tea so I have set out three teacups for you including the OCR cup.


Royal Albert Old English Rose


Royal Albert Tea Rose


Old Country Roses
"I believe I could be a model child if I were just invited out to tea every day." ~ Anne Shirley of Anne of Green Gables - LM Montgomery

My father preferred strawberry shortcake instead of cake for his birthday. And because it is berry season here on the Island, I made strawberry shortcake.



I make my shortcake biscuits the same way as my tea biscuits only I add some sugar and nutmeg to the batter. I brush the tops with cream and sprinkle on a little sugar too.


I took a survey and most folks prefer the biscuits to cake for strawberry shortcake. How about you?


Would you like to join me for some tea and shortcake? 


There is a difference in colour between the yellow roses on the vintage pieces and those on the teapot. The vintage roses have a peachy hue while the yellow roses on the teapot are pure yellow.

 You know, we are all blessed with special people in our lives. My father was one of those people. He taught me what was important in life and he took me to church every Sunday. I wish he could have lived long enough to see how his grandchildren turned out. He would have been so proud to know that one of his great grandchildren has been named after him.


My Daddy, my first baby boy, and me.

My Daddy has been gone a long time and if you still have your father with you, give him a hug today and tell him you love him. 


Thank you for joining me for tea today and God bless you!

"Honor your father and your mother, that your days may be prolonged in the land..." ~ Exodus 20:12




I am joining the following parties as well~

A Return to Loveliness
Tuesday Cuppa Tea
Friends Sharing Tea
Tea Cup Tuesday
Share Your Cup Thursday
Home Sweet Home


Sharing from my heart ~ Sandi

Monday 20 July 2015

Pretty in Pink and White for Tea Time


"Time spent in the company of a friend is like a golden moment in our day." ~ Ron Lessin 

Hello dear ones and welcome to Tea Time!

Hubby and I are on vacation; yay! So, for the next several weeks we will be on the go quite bit and I will most likely be slower getting around for my visits. Our middle son will be coming home for a visit during this time too. So, please bear with me. 

For our tea today, I have brought out some of my Royal Albert china.



I have set them out on the coffee table. The room is very bright when the sun is shining and oftentimes, it is hard to take pictures.




Lavender Rose 


Lavender Rose

We all love Summer

Friendship ~ Cosmos


Sweet vintage tea spoons - Evening Star by Oneida. These tiny spoons are part of a set my parents received from my grandparents as a wedding gift. You have seen them many times but I do treasure them and I always use them for tea!




Lavender Rose
"May your life always be like a pot of  tea... overflowing to warm the soul." ~ An Irish Blessing 


Cucumber sandwiches with fresh Island strawberries. Sometimes I prefer a sandwich to a sweet. How about you?



Shall we drink to Friendship?



My beautiful and fragrant roses are going through a dry spell and they have stopped blooming, so I picked up a bouquet at the grocery store.

Beautiful as they are, they have no fragrance.


No matter; tea will make it better! I love how the camera caught the light just so and there is a lovely pink hue in the picture.



I am always delighted to look out the window and watch my little goldfinches at the bird feeder. These little beauties sure enjoy sunflower seeds!


I am beginning to learn that it is the sweet, simple things of life that are the real ones after all. ~ Laura Ingalls Wilder 


Till next time, have a wonderful day and savour the sweet, simple joys around you!


I am joining the following parties as well~

A Return to Loveliness
Tuesday Cuppa Tea
Friends Sharing Tea
Tea Cup Tuesday
Share Your Cup Thursday
Home Sweet Home




Sharing from my heart~ Sandi

Monday 13 July 2015

A Dutch Treat for Tea Time


"I question not if thrushes sing,
If roses load the air;
Beyond my heart I need not reach
When all is summer there." ~ John Vance Cheney- Victoria magazine 



Hello dear tea friends and welcome to another Tea Time Tuesday! 

Ah, Summer! These days you will find Hubby and me relaxing at the beach as it is definitely our favourite part of summertime. 
We love filling our carafe with hot coffee and taking it with us early in the morning. Kicking back in a pair of capris and listening to the waves and the gulls flying overhead is bliss. Nothing is more relaxing to me than sinking my toes into sand warmed by the sun and drinking in the beauty around me.


My son and DIL {a little Dutch girl} enjoying the beach at sunset 

Our beaches are not crowded and one can walk for miles out there. It is our place for getting away from it all and allowing the peace and quiet to seep into our bones, surrounded by the sand, the sea, and the sky. 

What do you love most about the summertime?

My tea for this week is all about blue and white....


When my youngest son was home three weeks ago, he surprised me with a beautiful china mug. 

He had been to Germany in February for a Math conference and one of his stop-overs was in Holland. 


While there, he found this beautiful mug for me. Isn't he a darling boy!



This porcelain mug is handpainted according to centuries of old Dutch craftmenship and I knew right away it was Delftware as soon as I opened his package. Loving the windmills and the reticulated base. It's perfect for sipping tea or coffee.



I also have a windmill which was made in Holland.



It is actually a bank but I never use it for that. See the crazing on the bottom? I found it at a Dutch inn many years ago.




I have paired the mug and the windmill together for my tea today along with the new teacup I found at the PEI Preserve Company. 



I didn't have a plain white teacup, although I do have several cream teacups, so I brought it home with me. It too has a Holland mark; Old Amsterdam. The cup has a tulip design on both the cup and the saucer. 




Although it bears an Old Amsterdam mark, the teacup was made in England and it is called Diana. 

The teacup and the mug both have a tulip design.



Blue and white china graced by daisies and my Churchill Blue Willow teapot along with a Spode teacup made in England. 

My little china birds are joining us today and underneath it all is my cream damask spring tulip tablecloth.




Spode Blue Room


They're so friendly. Don't you think daisies are the friendliest flowers? ~ Meg Ryan in You've Got Mail


Flowers always make people better, happier, and more helpful: they are sunshine, food and medicine for the soul. ~ Luther Burbank


This is not a Dutch treat; just a simple pound cake served with fresh berries and whipped cream.  But it's a nice treat with tea. The small white plate is made by Ciroa and the blue one is of course, Blue Willow made by Churchill.



Today I'd like to sit and sip,
Forget about the world a bit,
Ignore the things I have to do,
And just enjoy a cup or two. - Unknown


Happiness is sharing tea with a friend. 


Won't you join me?

I am delighted you have stopped by for tea today! Do you have a favourite teacup/teapot, coffee cup/coffee pot, that you would like to share with us today? I would love to see it and I'm sure others would too! A trip to a Tea Shop is always fun and if you have a tea time recipe to share, we would love to see that too. 

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

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


Have a beautiful day everyone and God bless you!


I am joining the following parties as well~

A Return to Loveliness
Tuesday Cuppa Tea
Tea in the Garden
Tea Cup Tuesday
Share Your Cup Thursday
Home Sweet Home



Sharing from my heart ~ Sandi