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 9 December 2019

"Christmas Time is Here" for No Place Like Home

Snow flakes in the air
Carols everywhere
Olden times and ancient rhymes
Of love and dreams to share.

Sleigh bells in the air

Beauty everywhere
Yuletide by the fireside
And joyful memories there.

Christmas time is here

We'll be drawing near
Oh, that we could always see,

Such spirit through the year.... ~ From A Charlie Brown Christmas

Hello my lovely friends and welcome to another No Place Like Home! 

I love the song above, don't you? I just love this time of year! Our kitchens are filled with the aroma of baked goods fresh from the oven. You know, those treats we only bake for Christmas? The Christmas lights twinkle from our trees and windows and the sound of music permeates every room of the house. There is a sense of expectancy in the air and one cannot help but feel thankful for such a beautiful season. 

I have been enjoying all the Hallmark Christmas movies. I have simply enjoyed them for the warm story they tell without the usual smut you see on every day TV. Oftentimes, I am inspired, how about you? I even learned of a new recipe a couple of weeks ago.

What is the Christmas spirit? It is the spirit which brings a smile to the lips and tenderness to the heart; It is the spirit which warms one into friendship with all the world, which impels one to hold out the hand of fellowship to every man and woman. ~ Anonymous

Today, I am having a tea time in front of the tree. I have set out two teacups; one for you and one for me.

Pretty teacups

I think it's important to take some time to relax and not allow the hustle and bustle to rob us of the beauty of this holiday season. 

Taking time for tea is a lovely way to just sit and savour not only tea and treats but the traditions passed down. Perhaps like I do, you have a tree that is filled with ornaments gifted to you by loved ones. I call both of my trees, Memory Trees, and I can recall pretty much who gave me which ornament and when. These ornaments make the tree so special.

Most importantly, it is good to slow down and remember the Reason for the Season; the first coming of our Lord Jesus. Think about how dark our world would be without Him.

Christmas is that moment in time when God, in His unconditional love, stepped out of heaven and onto earth, in order that we might one day step out of earth into heaven. - Charles F Stanley 




This wee Bible ornament came from a family member and I have had it for years. It holds the book of Psalms and Proverbs. 
The rocking horse is from Avon which I've had since my children were young.

This little drum is one of the oldest ornaments on the tree. It represents all of my children and their musical gifts. All of them play drums although our youngest prefers the keyboards and all the percussion instruments while the oldest guy loves to play guitar. Our middle guy loves the drums best of all.

This is a demi-tasse my beloved Auntie P gifted me with. I have two of them on the tree. They had been part of her Rose Chintz Collection before she passed them on to me. 


I have been doing some baking. I finally got my fruit cakes made and I am sending some to my two sons and their families who live away. 

The sultana cake above and the dark cake below. Both of which are heirloom recipes that have been passed down. The dark cake is moist enough that sometimes we use it for pudding with a sauce over it.
I also made some wonderful cranberry muffins for our tea today. These are really good!


The sugar on top makes them look like they have a dusting of snow.
I cut one open so you could see the cranberry goodness inside. They are very festive and moist.

What kind of treats do you bake for Christmas?



Home is the nicest place there is. ~ Laura Ingalls Wilder

A cozy atmosphere with Christmas lights and soft music, with a fire blazing in the fireplace. There truly is no place like home.

I am delighted to have you join me today. If you have something to share, simply let me know in a comment and I will add your blog to the list of participants. I will be happy to come and visit you.

Please share any of the following: Cooking and baking, recipes, antiquing, artwork, ceramics, crafts, crocheting/knitting, quilting/sewing, collections, floral arranging, home decor, homemaking tips, hospitality, refinishing furniture, 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.

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 let Thy grace 
Shine upon our dwelling place. -
 Edgar A. Guest

Party Participants:
Tea in the Valley
Kitty's Kozy Kitchen
Thelma's Days
Mrs. T's Christmas Kitchen
A Debbie-Dabble Christmas




Sharing from my heart ~ Sandi

12 comments :

  1. A lovely post, Sandi, full of the quiet joy of Christmas. Love your tea cups and the meaningful decorations on your tree. The cranberry muffins do look delicious.

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  2. Thank you for having us for tea today, dear Sandi. Both of your seasonal teacups are so pretty, as is your teapot. I'd love a cranberry muffin with my tea. Your fruitcakes also look divine. As always, your quotes you shared and the song, are so meaningful. Please include my post at your party.

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  3. I would love to join you for tea. Those cranberry muffins looks so delicious.
    You always have such pretty tea cups. I also made fruit cakes last week.
    You may share my latest blog on Christmas dishes. Thanks Thelma.
    https://thelma-day.blogspot.com/2019/12/christmas-dishes.html

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  4. Such a lovely post in photos and sentiment. I loved the quote by Charles Stanley.

    I am thinking about Christmas baking and hope to be doing some soon.

    Have and enjoy a wonderful Christmas season ~ FlowerLady

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  5. I would love the recipes for the fruit cakes,annrue@frontier.com

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  6. Your beautiful tea time in front of the tea would make the perfect Christmas card!

    Last month, I had a free preview of a channel (W network) which featured the Hallmark Christmas movies and I tried to watch as many of the films as possible before the preview ended. Heh.

    I loved seeing the demi teacups on your Christmas tree. How did you secure them on the tree?

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  7. So many beautiful things to see and so many beautiful thoughts in this post, Sandi! That December teacup is so lovely!

    I bake many different kinds of treats at Christmas time, from snack and beverage mixes to cookies to cakes and breads. Mostly cookies, though. For your party today, I thought I would share a post I wrote on how to make a Christmas cookie cookbook:

    http://mychristmaskitchen.blogspot.com/2019/02/making-christmas-cookie-cookbook.html

    Thanks for hosting! This is a wonderful post!

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  8. Sandi,
    Thanks so much for stopping by!! I need a shirt like your husband's that says " I don't Care"...Joe tends to complain a lot about trivial things to me so I really need that shirt!! LOVE your tea pot and tea cup...So Pretty!! Count me in on the party and once again rather than a link to a specific post, I am giving a link to my Christmas blog..Thanks for hosting!!
    https://adebbie-dabblechristmas.blogspot.com/
    Hugs,
    Deb

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  9. Good morning Sandi. Up very early after a difficult night for my husband, and saw your comment and reminded me I am missing your lovely blog posts. Such a serene and lovely moment reading your post... just what I needed. Love your pretty Christmas tea, and your demis on the tree. As you saw, it's what I usually do, and love them! Have a warm and blessed Christmas season if I am not able to visit before then. Hugs,
    Ruth

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  10. Life is so rushed now, all year round. It's lovely to take time for a calming cup of tea any time. The whole process of making a proper cup of tea is restful to me. You're so right about what's on TV. We don't even have TV reception (no cable or antenna) and haven't for many years. We mainly watch old movies and shows on Netflix and YouTube. Love that December cup!

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  11. Hi Sandi! I love this time of the year too! I agree, it's so important to sit down and reflect what this season is about! I love your pretty tea set and your ornaments. I just can't get enough of Christmas! Blessings to you and thank you for your sweet visit.

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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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