Rose Chintz Cottage

Monday, 7 December 2015

No Place Like Home # 6

"Somehow not only for Christmas
But all the long year through,
The joy that you give to others
Is the joy that comes back to you.

And the more you spend in blessing
The poor and lonely and sad,
The more of your heart's possessing
Returns to make you glad." ~ John Greenleaf Whittier

Welcome my lovely friends to another No Place Like Home where you are invited to share all your home related posts; DIYs, gardening, home decor, recipes, tea time, etc..

I had an exceptionally busy week so I didn't do any crafting although baking and decorating, there was plenty of that.

This is my new teacup which is perfect for the season. I do love cardinals although I have never seen a real one. I have plenty of cardinals in my home however. They are on the tree, on china, on wreaths, etc.

I enjoyed a cup of tea in this new teacup with some mincemeat tarts. If you would like to see more of this post, please check my previous post here.

There were so many lovely posts last week that I was hard pressed to pick just a few to feature. I would like to have featured a couple more but alas, there was no link back to my party.

Deanna @ Creekside Cottage shared with us a wonderful Tea in the Highlands. Her use of tartan, silver, red roses and candlelight, and exquisite teacups as well as wonderful food made this a hit with me. I would love to have attended.

Poppy @ With a Dash of Color shared a Scandinavian tablescape in rich reds, whites, and lots of sparkle.

Margie @ Tea in the Valley shared a Victorian Christmas at Dundurn Castle. Love the table top Victorian tree in the drawing room!

Judith @ Lavender Cottage shared her recipe for Scottish Dundee Cakes. Doesn't it look wonderful! Notice her cup?

And Debbie @ Debbie-Dabble shared her recipe for Sausage Filling. Debbie claims she doesn't like to cook but her filling sounds simple and delicious!

Thank you everyone for participating last week. As a courtesy, and if you would like to be featured, you should have a link back to my party. Please don't post any more than three links. Now let's see what you are creating in your home to make it a cozy place 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

An InLinkz Link-up

Sharing from my heart~ Sandi

Sunday, 6 December 2015

Coffee or Tea Time with the Cardinals

Hello friends! I hope your weekend is wonderful and you're enjoying this lovely season which is upon us.

It's quite a week I've had! I did some baking, some decorating, kept appointments, and I've had company. Then I went and got a bug of sorts for a couple of days. On Friday we had an ice storm with high winds which left us without power for about half a day which is why I am late putting up this post.

I finally have my tree decorated and now I'm just adding a few more Christmas touches here and there.

My fruit cake is made and I am working on a few other confections for the holidays. When my children were growing up I made fifteen kinds of sweets for the holidays. I make no where near that now and who needs all that sugar anyway?

Today I am using a large sized cardinal cup and saucer made by 222 Fifth called Holiday Wishes. Hubby surprised me with it because he knows how much I like cardinals. I believe it is the same as yours, Judith!

Do you like my teapot with the cardinal on top and the bow handle? So do I, but I can't find it! Hubby and I have looked through every tote, bag, box and cupboard and it is no where to be found. I misplaced this teapot a few years ago. Wish I could find it! It would look nice with my cup, don't you think? *sigh*

I have a few cardinals in my home.

A miniature gazing ball with a cardinal sitting on it and the cardinals my son gifted me with many years ago. I like to use them in different ways. This guy adorns a wreath.

I have two cardinals that sing, "Walking In A Winter Wonderland," a gift from my oldest, which I also can't find!

A cardinal teacup ornament

and this blown glass cardinal both of which my youngest son gifted me with.

He also gave me a cardinal thimble when he was doing his post-doc at the University of Illinois. I once collected thimbles, you see. I have collected a lot of things over the years. *smiles*

Maybe for you quilters, I will share my thimble collection one of these days.

My Auntie P, Uncle Doug and cousin Cynthia were over visiting from Moncton, NB this past week. We enjoyed our tea with pumpkin pie, butterscotch pie, and mincemeat tarts.

The party's on, the feeling's here,
That only comes this time of year,
Simply having a wonderful
Christmastime. ~ Wonderful Christmastime by Paul McCartney

This is the back of the teacup. I like that it has two different looks; a cardinal on one side and pine cones on the other. I also like to capture the reflection of Christmas lights in my cup. The teapot with the holly motif was a gift from my son and his wife a few Christmases ago. My tea is Stash Holiday Chai.