Pink Saturday ~ Pink Treasures

Hi everyone ~ Happy Pink Saturday!
I can't believe Saturday is here again so soon!

I have a lot of pink in my home, so coming up with pink certainly isn't a problem for me. These are my contributions for today:

This ceramic bonnet hangs on the wall in the bedroom. I made it in the early nineties, using a dry-brushing technique. There is a pink flowered plant hanging not far from it.

The Christmas angel, I thought I would show one more time before putting her away till next Christmas. She's pretty in her pink toile gown and feather wings. She is accompanied by the pink lamp and sparkly candle centerpiece. Lots of pink!
Last, but certainly not least, is this pink, stained-glass butterfly. It was the last gift I received from my best friend, who passed away in 1990 from breast cancer. Whenever I look at it, I think of her, and I still miss her. I am thankful for the wonderful friendship we shared and all the lovely memories I have. The little butterfly is beautiful, just like she was! Well ladies, those are my pinks for this week. Hope you enjoy your weekend, and be sure to click on this link to go to other wonderful pinks, hosted by Beverly at How Sweet the Sound- http://howsweetthesound.typepad.com/my_weblog/

I've Been Honoured!

Lots of good things are happening in my life these days! We've had a tremendous answer to prayer in my family, for which I am so very grateful to the Lord for. My son Joel and his family are arriving home next weekend, and I'm going to finally get to hold my newest grandbaby.

And I have been honoured with another lovely award.

My friend Judith @ http://judithsquietmoments.blogspot.com/ over across the pond in the UK, has blessed me with The Love Blog's "The Spreader of Love" Award. With Valentine's Day just around the corner, I think this is just the cutest award!

So, I'm sending big hugs and a big thank you to Judith for thinking of me. I also agree with Judith; that awards are meant to be given away.

I have several friends that I hear from on a regular basis, and I want you to know that I appreciate every one of you! But there are three in particular that I would like to bless with an award this time around. I hope you will receive them in the spirit in which they are given!

Ginger @ http://enchantingcottage.blogspot.com/

Joyfulsister @ http://encouragementfrommyheart.blogspot.com/

My Auntie Phyllis who doesn't have a blog of her own but is always there encouraging me on. This is for you too. I love you!

Thank you ladies for your encouraging words and thank you again to Judith. Enjoy your weekend everyone!

More Updates in Rose Chintz Cottage

Well, here I am sipping a hot cup of Cranberry Apple herbal tea. Mmmm, so nice on a cold winter's day! I love how it looks red in the teacup!

Today I will show you pictures of some updates we've made in the kitchen, dining, and living rooms.

When we bought our home thirteen years ago, it had a black floor in the kitchen, dining, and front entrance! Yes, that's right; black! I told the contractor I couldn't live with black floors so he agreed to put down a creamy white floor with an aqua diamond in it which I had picked out. {I'm sorry I don't have a sample of it any longer. I must have thrown it out when we laid our new floors.}

We were in the house about a couple of years before I painted the walls a pretty light aqua, one of my all time favourite colours, which I carried all the way into the living room. I put up wallpaper and a matching border, called Satin Romance. Don't you just love that name? They had a lovely sheen to them and they were very pretty at the time.

Since then, I have repainted all the walls. Country Cream is on the walls in the kitchen, dining, and down the hallway. Then we added a chair rail. A pinky-taupe colour called Eagle's Nest, is in the living room. Most of my married life, I have had blue in the living room. So, when we bought the new house, I felt it was time for a change. I had special ordered this new sofa in aqua and rose florals with two wing back chairs in a rose-coloured moire, a french fabric, and cushions to coordinate. {These pictures were taken at Christmastime, so the room has been rearranged since then.} Now I am anxious to change the look of the sofa, so I will settle for a slip cover. I still like the aqua; it's a very summery look, but a slipcover would give me a change.Three years ago we laid this new floor which looks like tile, in the kitchen and dining areas. I find tile very cold under foot so we opted for a look alike. I wanted to lay a wood floor in the kitchen and dining room but we had been getting water underneath the patio doors so it was recommended that we put down the other. I'm quite happy with the warm beigey-tan colour. It has really warmed things up! Of course, since we put down the new floor, we haven't gotten any more water; go figure! Next time, we will put down the wood floors, but that won't be for a while!

In the meantime, I'm very content with what I have.

We replaced the silver carpet in the living room, and laid a wood floor in there and down the hallway.I had the built-in china cabinet put in, which you've already seen earlier and then proceeded to paint white, all the oak trim on the main level. Most of the dark wooden furniture pieces; the coffee table, mantle, and stereo cabinet in the living room, I also painted white. I think white is one of the freshest, chicest colours there is to decorate with! Don't you agree?

Are You Seeing Red?

We have extremely high winds today! It's cold and blustery outside and I thought a bit of red would warm you up. I'm sure some of you are familiar with the pattern called Florence.

Tea anyone? Just let me know you're coming and I'll bake up some Blueberry muffins and bring out my special cheeses from Holland.

Stay cozy!

Faith & Answered Prayer ~

Faith~ is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen. - Hebrews 11:1

Have you ever been in a place where you had 'almost' given up hope?
Well, I was, and that is why a couple of weeks ago, I shared with you that there had been an ongoing situation in my family that had gone from bad to worse. I couldn't share the specifics but I did ask you to pray.

Well, I'm thrilled to report that God has answered! It is nothing short of a Miracle! and I want to say Thank you to those of you who prayed. You know who you are!

Thank you from the bottom of my heart!

I believe that God has heard our prayers and what had looked like a hopeless situation, He has turned around. Now there is hope and I have the Faith to believe that all will be well! There is much work to be done; but now I can see God working. Praise the Lord!!

When things can't get any worse, look up and expect God to come through!

He is the Miracle Worker!


Have a wonderful day and the Lord bless you!

Our Little Cottage

I thought perhaps some of you might be interested in seeing our little Rose Chintz Cottage. I will start by sharing some of the changes we have made on the inside before showing you the outside.

Thirteen years ago, when I was still quite ill with the MG, we downsized because the house we had been living in previously was too much house for me to handle in my condition. So we bought this brand new builder's bungalow with a back split in the basement.

It is a very plain little house with no fancy trim work, gingerbread, or bay windows, which I love, by the way. But we have made some changes on the inside which I think have really made a difference.

After the walls were all painted, I proceeded to paint white, all the golden oak wood trim, on the main level. It took me a very long time but it was well worth the effort when I was finished. Someday I plan to paint the oak kitchen cabinets a creamy white or perhaps an antique white, and add an island.
After all the painting was done, the first big change we made was, we ripped out the hall closet which was between the living room and dining room. In its place we had a very good friend build a wonderful little china cabinet which I designed myself. I added a white metal plaque to the top of it and some crystal knobs to the doors and drawer.

The opening in the center of the cabinet is for displaying my Nativity at Christmastime, but in the meantime, I display my Rose Chintz coffee set.

In the cabinet, I have all my beautiful Rose Chintz and red toile dishes.

The Rose Chintz has quite a history. Whenever we visited my Auntie P who lives in New Brunswick, which is where I am from, we always enjoyed having our meals on her wonderful Rose Chintz dishes. She was given the dishes for a wedding present and had added to the pattern over the years until they were no longer available.

I have loved the pattern ever since I was a little girl because the pattern conjures up all kinds of wonderful memories of my childhood in New Brunswick. The pattern makes me happy when I look at it, and when I got married I tried to get the same dishes but they had stopped making them by that time. I was so very disappointed!

Then, lo and behold, one day a few years ago, I was surfing the 'Net and came across the dishes on a French Country table scape. To my sheer delight, when I looked further, they were selling them on EBay. So, my son would bid on them for me and I acquired several pieces.

The candlesticks were a gift from my son who thought he was getting the same pattern but it wasn't. But it just so happens the pattern goes perfectly with the Rose Chintz.

Since then, my Auntie P sold her home and downsized into a condo, and she gave me quite a few of her dishes. Among them are little demi-tasses, double egg cups, and a gravy boat with the underplate. I feel very blessed to have acquired so many in so short a time!

The Lord delights in blessing us with the desires of our hearts. And even though it is a very small thing in His eyes, He knew it would bring me great pleasure to have them, so He has made a way for me to get them.

So, now you know where they came from. Every once in a while, I acquire a new piece which is like a small treasure to me.

The Rose Chintz is the inspiration behind all my decorating. It is a wonderful pattern for English Cottage or French Country decor, which are my favourites.

I will share more of Rose Chintz Cottage later in the week. Enjoy your day everyone!

My New SnowBaby

'Morning everyone. It's a cold one here on the Island today. It was minus 23 celcius with a wind chill of minus 33, when I got up this morning. Hubby has to work out in that today; poor guy!

Speaking of Hubby, he gave me a new SnowBaby for Christmas. Except for two, I have one representing each member of the family now.

This one represents me and my new grandson, Zachary. Zachary will be five months old on the first of February.

Zachary is coming to visit with his parents in less than two weeks; I am so excited! Because he lives way out in Vancouver, I'm only getting to meet him now.

This little guy doesn't know what he's in for.....Never ending kisses & squeezes from his grandmother!! I almost feel sorry for him! *smile*

Have a lovely day and stay warm!

Spiritual Sundays-

Hello everyone. I received this email one day and thought it was a good example of trusting God.

I'm not sure if this is a true account or not but I thought it was worthy to share today. To my native friends out there, I hope I have the story right!

The Cherokee Indian Youth's Rite of Passage

Do you know the legend of the Cherokee Indian Youth's Rite of Passage?

His father takes him into the forest, blindfolds him and leaves him alone.

He is required to sit on a stump the whole night and not remove the blindfold until the rays of the morning sun shine through it. He cannot cry out for help to anyone. Once he survives the night, he is a MAN.

He cannot tell the other boys of this experience, because each lad must come into manhood on his own. The boy is naturally terrified. He can hear all kinds of noises. Wild beasts must surely be all around him. Maybe even some human might do him harm.

The wind blew the grass and earth, and shook the stump, but he sat stoically, never removing the blindfold. It would be the only way he could become a MAN!

Finally, after a horrific night the sun appeared and he removed his blindfold. It was then that he discovered his Father sitting on the stump next to him. He had been at watch the entire night, protecting his son from harm.

We, too, are never alone. Even when we don't know it, God is watching over us, sitting on the stump beside us. When trouble comes, all we have to do is reach out to Him.

Moral of the story:

Just because you can't see God, doesn't mean He is not there.

"For we walk by faith, not by sight."

Please visit Spiritual Sundays for other wonderful stories and testimonies. Just click on the Spiritual Sundays picture on my sidebar and it will take you to the links. Thank you Charlotte and Ginger for hosting this.

Have a wonderful day. God bless you and make you a blessing.

Happy Pink Saturday!

Hello & Happy Pink Saturday!
Thank you Beverly at How Sweet the Sound for hosting this fun day! I have so many pink things in my home that it was hard to choose which ones to showcase this week but I did finally settle on these three below. I took several pictures of each item and tried to choose the best ones for this post. Hope you enjoy them!

This pink birdhouse is one that I painted many years ago. These were the colours in my kitchen at the time. Since then I have redecorated, but the little birdhouse still sits above the kitchen cabinets among many others.

This pretty little angel was a birthday present one year from one of my sons. Isn't she sweet, hugging her teddy bear, and wearing her green and pink nightgown? They are nice and cuddly under the pink blanket. If you look closely, you can see pink on her wings and the pink posies in her hair.


Lastly, I would like to share with you this little bell that my hubby surprised me with many years ago. I have a small bell collection which this bell is part of. It's not pink but the posies on it are. I thought the roses would be a pretty way to help display the bell too.

Enjoy your day everyone and be sure to check out all the wonderful Pink things other bloggy friends have on Beverly's Pink Saturday. Just click on this link to visit-http://howsweetthesound.typepad.com/my_weblog/

"They Shall Rise Up With Wings As Eagles"

"Do you not know?
Have you not heard?
The Lord is the everlasting God,
the Creator of the ends of the earth.
He will not grow tired or weary,
and His understanding no one can fathom.
He gives strength to the weary,
and increases the power of the weak.
Even youths grow tired and weary,
and young men stumble and fall;
but those who hope in the Lord
will renew their strength.
They will soar on wings as eagles;
they will run and not grow weary,
they will walk and not faint." Isaiah 40:28-31

These are among my favourite scriptures in the Bible. These verses have helped me to keep going when I felt weak and tired. God does give me strength and any trial is mediocre in comparison to Him. He does have the whole world in His hands and nothing happens to us that He doesn't know about. His eye is on the sparrow, and His eye is on you and me!

I made this ceramic eagle back in the early nineties when I was trying to cope with Myasthenia Gravis, a form of Muscular Dystrophy. All my life I had been a very energetic young woman and all of a sudden, in the late eighties, I was hit with this disabling illness.
I had to learn how to cope with a body that no longer did what I wanted it to do. The MG robbed me of my strength and brought me to the point of weakness where I was forced to use a cane to get around. I was battered with all kinds of things; I couldn't shop, I couldn't sit or stand very long, so it kept me home from church for several years. I had to deal with my pride and all sorts of issues.
Do you remember those commercials on TV featuring the little white tornado that went through your home and left it sparkling clean? Well, I was that little tornado! And then I wasn't! It was hard on me! But during those years I spent at home, I soaked myself in the Word and in prayer. There was nothing else left for me to do. But it was during those years of being house bound, of being quiet, that I grew up in Him. He taught me much about life.
Today, I am able to walk without the cane. I am able to shop almost till I drop. *smile* And of course Hubby and I have 'both' been in ministry since then too. The Lord is good!
I am not cured because there is no cure for MG. However, I am stronger than I was when I first made my eagle. Most would look at me and never guess that I once used a cane to walk.
So what is my point you ask?
If you're going through a hard time right now, remember the eagle. He soars above the storms with wings spread wide. He is fearless and he is magnificent. He is a symbol of our God.
Our God, who is able to give you strength in your weakness and peace in the midst of your storm, whatever it may be!
Bless His name forever!

Spiritual Sundays

Happy Spiritual Sunday Friends~
Thank you Charlotte and Ginger for hosting this wonderful site each week.

This past week I received a few really interesting emails and one in particular had a great message in it. I thought I would share it with you this week.

Lord Prop Us Up

Every time I am asked to pray, I think of the old deacon who always prayed, "Lord, prop us up on our leaning side." After hearing him pray that prayer many times, someone asked him why he prayed that prayer so frequently.

He answered and said, " Well sir, it's like this. I've got an old barn out back. It's been there a long time, it's withstood a lot of weather, it's gone through a lot of storms, and it's stood for many years. It's still standing. But one day I noticed it was leaning to one side a bit. So I went and got some pine poles and propped it up on it's leaning side so it wouldn't fall. Then I got to thinking about that and how much I was like that old barn.

I've been around a long time. I've withstood a lot of life's storms, I've withstood a lot of bad weather in life, I've withstood a lot of hard times, and I'm still standing too. But I find myself leaning to one side from time to time, so I like to ask the Lord to prop us up on our leaning side, 'cause I figure a lot of us get to leaning at times. Sometimes we get to leaning toward anger, leaning toward bitterness, leaning toward hatred, leaning toward cussing, leaning toward a lot of things that we shouldn't. So we need to pray, "Lord prop us up on our leaning side, so we will stand straight and tall again, to glorify the Lord."

If you stare at this barn for a second, you will see who will help us stand straight and tall again.

Please check out other wonderful posts on Spiritual Sundays by clicking on the Spiritual Sundays picture on my sidebar. May you be blessed today and the Lord make you a blessing!