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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 12 September 2018

A Nod to Summer and A Wink at Autumn

To every thing there is a season 
And a time to every purpose under heaven. ~ Ecclesiastes 3:1

Hello friends! The last few days have been cool but it's warming up again on the weekend. Sadly, Summer is fading quickly and Autumn is knocking on the door. I am going to miss the warm weather.

Here on Prince Edward Island, we have two seasons that almost skip from one to another. Our Winters last so long that our Springs barely have time to sprout its greenery before Summer arrives. And Autumn barely winks at us before the cold of Winter sets in again which is why I really don't enjoy Autumn all that much. 
We had a very hot and unusual summer this year but we enjoyed it. Still it passed all too quickly. Ah, seasons! What is your favourite season?

Speaking of seasons, I will share just a few photos I had taken over the summer. Enjoy!



We visited our favourite tea room again a few weeks ago and the lovely hydrangeas are in full bloom.


As many of you know, we are beach people.
A day on the beach. Can you smell the salt air? 

I've shared this picture of my granddaughter on the beach at sunset before but I can't help but share it again. It was magical!

Last week, we took a drive down to Murray River which is east of us and I took this shot of the river with Queen Anne's Lace in the foreground.





With the cooler temperatures comes the inclination to nest. One day last week I made my wonderful Hamburger and Barley soup. It was a cool and drizzly day so this hearty soup was just right for warming the tummy. It was lovely with some crusty bread and cheese. Sorry, I can't share the recipe because I made it mostly in my head as I do with many of my recipes. I can tell you that it is filled with tomatoes, barley, veggies, hamburg, and lots of herbs.



Cakes are special. Every birthday, every celebration ends with something sweet, a cake, and people remember. It's all about the memories. ~ Buddy Valastro

This time of year I seem to crave cake a little more than usual. But this cake was baked for someone special; my son who just celebrated his birthday. This is a scrumptious two layer chocolate cake, sandwiched with strawberry preserves and whipped cream. The berries make it look so pretty! It was a big hit! 
Would you like a slice?

The plate is made by Wedgwood called Romantic England and depicts a home from 1605.

The cup and saucer are Vista made by Masons of England.

Steam rises from a cup of tea
and we are wrapped in history,
inhaling ancient time and lands,
comfort of ages in our hands. ~ Faith Greenbow


Next week, this wreath will replace my summer one on the front door.  Pumpkins will be squatting on the steps and mums will be replacing my petunias and pansies. 
Oh, dear summer, I will surely miss you! Although Autumn does have its benefits too. Like pumpkin pie and turkey dinners and walks through the woods with crunching leaves beneath our feet. 

I can smell autumn dancing in the breeze. The sweet chill of pumpkin and crisp sunburnt leaves. ~ unknown

Have a wonderful rest of the week, dear friends, and please pray for our friends in North and South Carolina as well as Virginia. Hurricane Florence sounds like she will not be too kind! Please, dear Lord, watch over them all and keep them safe!


I am sharing this with ~
Share Your Cup 
Home Sweet Home

Sharing from my heart ~ Sandi

15 comments :

  1. I know how much you love your summers on PEI, Sandi, and your photos of the hydrangeas, the beach and your darling granddaughter show your joy. I haven't loved summer since moving to Texas, but I do love the other seasons, even Winter here. Happy Birthday to your son! I'm sure he loved the cake, and yes please, I would love a slice and a bowl of your hamburger barley soup. That sounds so good and I will make some when our weather cools down. Barley in soup is one ingredient that I just love.
    Thank you, as always for your lovely quotes and sharing your pretty transferware pieces. Have a happy week, my friend! xx

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  2. Sandi- What a beautiful, beautiful post. I love all your pictures-they are full of love and joy. What a great birthday cake and, as pretty as it is, I bet it tasted even better. My Dutch neighbor use to make what she called "Homburg Soup" and it looked a lot like yours and was just absolutely delicious.
    I hope you have a great rest of the week. xo Diana

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  3. Hello Sandi - Summers on PEI sound absolutely lovely. Autumn lingers on for quite awhile here on our Island on the other side of Canada. We never get the winter that you experience. So I do love autumn, although summer might be my favourite season. Your son's birthday cake looks delicious, especially on that pretty plate. Hamburger soup is a staple around here when the weather cools down, too. It's so filling.
    Have a good week.

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  4. Dear Sandi:
    Your island is such a beautiful place to live. Your cake looks amazing and I am sure it is all gone by now! Delicious soup too! Soup weather is just starting up for fall so that would be perfect!

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  5. Your post made me smile...So adorable as ever!Gorgeous pictures!Your treats look delicious and I love the stunning transferware china.Blessings.

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  6. Being a Southern Gal, we pray for Autumn to arrive after our long hot summers. The humidity is the killer here. We are supposed to have a beautiful fall foliage this year as we had so much rain. Our winters do not really set in until January and February and spring shows up in March most of the time. We are beach people as well. Headed to the Gulf of Mexico this week and praying that no hurricanes come to plague us. I love your beautiful cake and the china. So lovely.

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  7. Oh my.. That cake!!! Your photos are beautiful, the beach looks amazing! We're boat people, although we didn't get out very much this summer. : (

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  8. Hi Sandi, such lovely pictures and the Hydrangeas are beautiful. My Limelights were wonderful this year. We had many torrential downpours they didn't end well.

    I bet the birthday cake was good. Chocolate, strawberries and whipped cream can't be anything but enjoyable.

    Enjoy the rest of your day

    Cindy

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  9. Thank you for sharing your summer pictures. PEI is on my bucket list so hopefully, one day, I'll get to experience these lovely images myself one day. I'm also salivating over that yummy birthday cake.

    I tend to favour the milder seasons of spring and autumn. Perhaps it's the unseasonably warm temperatures, but I haven't enjoyed a pumpkin spice drink yet.

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  10. This was a delightful post. That cake looks scrumptious!! I thought of you this past week. We were visiting a delightful little historical village that had many antique stores, and I noticed some of your Rose Chintz dishes there and thought of you. They were too pricey for me to buy, but I was tempted...but am trying not to yield to such temptations these days as I am thinking about "downsizing" sometime in the near future...just having a hard time committing to actually do it. But not yielding to temptation to buy was a good start! Hope you enjoy your autumn days while you have them. I am certainly a fall person...we don't have a true fall in Florida, but it is a lovely time that lasts several months here...we kind of have summer and not summer for our two seasons. LOL. Be blessed dear friend. So good to know you are feeling better.

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  11. Sandi, your photos make me long to visit your beautiful part of the earth! Your cake is a stunner and served on the perfect dishes for it. I'm not a fan of extremes in weather, so spring and autumn are my favorite seasons.

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  12. I think we have similar weather here in Ohio as you do, Sandi.

    This year there wasn't a spring and right now it is super super hot and muggy - truly unbearable - but sometimes when we get lucky we have a few weeks of really nice autumn weather - and I HATE being too hot, so autumn is my all-time favorite season.

    Your teatime and cake and pretty transfer ware is just lovely. Hugs.

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  13. It's easy to see why you hate to see summer go. I do love it and fall, but spring will always be my favorite season. I'm like a little kid when it comes to new growth in the garden. I get just giddy!! I am not a chocolate lover, but I would have to have a slice of that cake. The strawberries and cream make it look so yum!! Happy Birthday to your son and thanks for sharing with SYC.
    hugs,
    Jann

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  14. Such a wonderful YUMMY post . I to get giddy with new garden growth every spring and summer . Fall / Autumn are cozy times of the year for us with the warmth of cups of tea and hot chocolate to by a crackling fire and the smell of wood smoke in the air and of pies in the oven and snuggly sweaters and blankets MMMM ! Happy belated Birthday to your son . Yes I have been praying all are safe in these terrible storms in the south .
    Thanks for sharing have a wonderful week !

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  15. Simply beautiful photos! Your beef and barley soup looks so delicious. I will have to see if I can come up with something like it. Just looking at your pot full of goodness is making my mouth water!

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I am delighted to have you visit me and I read every comment. Please forgive me for not being able to visit you all as there are so many of you lovely bloggy friends now. I will visit as much as possible. I wish you a day filled with JOY!

Also, due to the amount of spam I've been getting, I have had to set Comment Moderation. ~ Sandi

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