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.

Saturday 31 July 2010

Spiritual Sundays


Hello friends! Welcome to Spiritual Sundays hosted by Charlotte and Ginger. Please click here
http://bloggerspirit.blogspot.com/ to visit these charming ladies and their Spiritual Sundays participants.

OBEDIENCE TO GOD IS AN EXPRESSION OF OUR LOVE FOR GOD.


God requires the obedience of His followers, and Jesus placed great importance upon it. When we are obedient, we show God that we love Him and have more faith in Him than we do ourselves.

Oswald Chambers wrote: "The Lord does not give me rules, but He makes His standard very clear. If my relationship to Him is that of love, I will do what He says....If I hesitate, it is because I love someone I have placed in competition with Him, namely, myself."


"This is the love of God, that we keep His commandments." - 1 John 5:3


Thank you for stopping by. My son and his family are home for two weeks so this will be my last Spiritual Sunday post for a couple of weeks. I pray that you all have a lovely and blessed weekend.


Sharing from my heart~ Sandi

Pink Saturday


Hello pinkie friends and welcome to my Pink Saturday post. As always, we want to thank our lovely hostess Beverly for hosting this fun event every week.

This has been an incredibly busy week getting ready for my company. Nothing like company coming to get the house cleaned up and the junk cleared out. Hubby has been teasing me all week about the number of boxes I had saved 'just in case I need them.'
Today I would like to share something a little different. It is all pink and it's all leading up to an exciting announcement..... Talk about Christmas in July!


One can't have a party without pink balloons, can one?

Pink roses, is there any other colour that bespeaks romance and femininity as well?
OK, slip on your best pink bracelet.Pink diamonds are precious but there are some things in this world more precious than diamonds!

There are some gifts so sweet they don't require a bow!
Isn't this pink baby bonnet just darling? Pink, ribbon, and lace, how sweet is that?
This frothy and sequined little pink baby's dress is adorable, isn't it?
Love these little pink lacey-frilled socks! I've always wanted to buy one of these headbands!Well, after having three precious baby boys myself, who I wouldn't trade for anything in the world by the way, and then being blessed with four sweet little grandsons, I had pretty much given up on ever having a granddaughter.... Then lo and behold, this past week, my middle son and his wife, who flew in at 1:30 AM this morning, with my little not quite two year old grandson, had it confirmed that their baby on the way is indeed a girl! I am so excited! After almost thirty-six years of buying blue, I get to buy pink!!


I am going to get a little pink princess for Christmas! What wonderful news, and all in time for Christmas in July!

I am going to have some pink lemonade and celebrate!

Would you like to join me?



Here's to GIRL POWER or should I say PINK POWER!

Happy Pink Saturday everyone! Be sure to visit all the pinkies lined up at Beverly's!
http://howsweetthesound.typepad.com/my_weblog/
I wish you all a very pink weekend.

Sharing from my heart~ Sandi

Monday 26 July 2010

Tea Time Tuesday


Welcome, dear friends, to my 27th Tea Time Tuesday!

It is July 27th and today would have been my father's birthday. He passed away fifteen years ago and I still miss him very much! With your indulgence, I would like to pay tribute to him in this week's post. You see, Daddy loved his tea!

Daddy was a handsome man who possessed old-fashioned values. He was known for his quick wit and great story-telling but he was also known as a man of integrity.
He made his living as an accountant but he enjoyed many hobbies, one being a wood craftsman. He and my mother created many wonderful things together while I was growing up. I remember one time he had built a bridge out of match sticks and a store owner in the City asked to display it in his shop window. He built our first home when I was three and he was always building or designing something.

He was quite a character and made many friends throughout his lifetime. He had great compassion for the poor and he was always lending a helping hand.
Among his many attributes, he was a church deacon and sang in the church choir. He worked with the Red Cross and he was a Boy Scout leader. He enjoyed all manner of sports. He played hockey and baseball, he bowled, curled, and played golf, among other things. Until later years, he was always on the go and was not idle for long. He was often called upon in the community to help out when someone was in trouble.

My Daddy was a prankster and loved to keep his friends on their toes. One story I heard related at his funeral was from an RCMP officer who had been one of Daddy's best friends. He told of how one day he had gone to get a shirt out of the closet and found all the shirt sleeves had been tied together! He knew Daddy had been there!

The photo below was taken of Daddy as a young man when he worked as an accountant at Westinghouse. I'm guessing it was taken about 1948 or '49.


I miss you, Daddy. You will always hold a special place in my heart. Always remembered and always loved!

July 27, 1927 - May 27, 1995

My father had always loved the Old Country Roses pattern but because I had started my mother on the Lavender Rose pattern he did not want to infringe on my starting her collection. So, he gifted her with these two pieces of Old Country Roses which are now in my possession.

A china basket


And a china boot.


Time for tea~ My hubby and I are on vacation and the other day we went out to breakfast at one of our tea rooms here on the Island. The Prince Edward Island Preserve Company is a lovely place set in a pastoral setting on twelve acres carved from the hills and shoreline along the River Clyde. Country gardens surround this wonderful tea room and preserve factory.
One can sit and enjoy a nice cup of tea or a meal and later browse the premises where they have a wonderful selection of china, gift baskets, and souveniers. They make preservative-free jams, jellies, and salsa right on the premisies. They also sell their unique blend of teas and other wonderful things that make my heart go pitter-patter!

For breakfast that morning, I had ordered a pot of Victoria Garden tea and delectable French Toast. The tea arrived in this wonderful blue china teapot complete with its own matching cup and a tea strainer. The tea was a wonderful blend of Ceylon black tea, Chinese gunpowder tea, lavender, vanilla, and rose petals.



It was a delicious tea.
The French toast was a small bagette dipped in a concoction of maple syrup, egg, and cinnamon, then lightly sauteed and topped with fresh strawberries and blueberries. The final presentation was served with a sprinkling of powdered sugar. Yummy hash browns were on the side. It was so good!
This is the view from our table; beautiful country vistas!
Love the reflection of the church in the river. You can see part of the garden just below our window.I love this view too; New Glasgow is such a pretty village! The fish stained glass is an interesting border on the windows, don't you think?Later we browsed the preserve section of the establishment and to my delight there were dozens of lovely china teapots and teacups! A bus load of tourists had arrived while we were there so taking pictures was quite difficult. I did however manage to take a few. And to my surprise, my sweet hubby surprised me with a new teapot which I will share with you another day. I had shared it previously on Pink Saturday.
This beautiful blue and gold tea-for-one was priced at one hundred dollars! Lovely but a little too pricey for my wallet!


These darling little teapots were made in New Brunswick which is where I am from originally. Each one was topped with a sweet little bird. Each teapot also had glitter sprinkled on the top; really sweet!

This darling little rose-adorned covered jar is called an egg cod. I have never heard of an egg cod before; not sure what it is used for. Perhaps a little jar in which to keep your boiled egg warm?
It was thirty-five dollars and no, I did not purchase this either.

They had a whole shelf filled with this lovely pansy patterned china. Like I said, it was such fun looking at everything! I could have taken a dozen pictures but the tourists really made that difficult.


"There is a great deal of poetry and fine sentiment in a chest of tea." ~ Ralph Waldo Emerson
Well, ladies, that is my tea for this week. I hope you have enjoyed your visit today and I thank you for stopping by. If you would like to participate in my Tea Time Tuesday party please let me know in your comment. Just share a teacup, teapot, or some china used in a tea. You may also do coffee, iced tea, or chocolate. A scripture verse, poem, or tea quote would be welcome too. Either of the two Tea Time buttons near the top of my sidebar are available for you to use in your post if you wish. Please be sure to link back to me so that your visitors may find their way here to visit all my lovely participants.


PLEASE NOTE:
Next week, on the 3rd of August and the following week, August 10th, I will have my son and his family home from Vancouver so I will be doing things a little differently those two weeks. I will be pre-posting Tea Time Tuesday those two weeks and I regret I will not be able to add your links to my post other than the hostesses of the other tea parties. I hope you will try to visit me just the same and I will try to visit as many of you as possible. On August 17th, I will be back to host my Tea party as usual.



"Whoever drinks of the water that I shall give him shall never thirst; but the water that I shall give him shall become in him a well of water springing up to eternal life." ~ John 4:14

The links with the stars ** before their names are my fellow tea party hostesses.
All the participants listed are in the order in which they first started to participate.


PARTICIPANTS





















"Come and share a pot of tea, My home is warm and my friendship's free." ~ Emilie Barnes

I am getting close to having 300 followers. Who would have thought that there are that many folks interested in my little blog? I'm delighted! So, I think it's a time for a celebration. When I reach the 300 mark I am going to have a Giveaway and of course it will be tea related.

Sharing from my heart~ Sandi

Sunday 25 July 2010

Sunday Scripture


Hello everyone~
It's been a busy week. After spending the day at the beach yesterday and doing some running around, it's nice to take a break on this quiet rainy afternoon. I have made myself a cup of Earl Grey tea and I'm going to sit and reflect upon all the blessings in my life.


My very quiet household is about to become a beehive of activity as my middle son and his family are arriving this week. My little grandson Zachary, who is almost twenty-three months old, will I'm sure, keep the entertainment flowing while they are here!


"Whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report; if there be any virtue, and if there be any praise, think on these things." ~ Philippians 4:8


I am so very thankful for my family. A family that is close, loving, and growing!
Wishing you all a lovely day filled with God's blessings.


Sharing from my heart~ Sandi

Friday 23 July 2010

Pink Saturday ~ Welcome

Hello Friends~ A warm welcome awaits you here at Rose Chintz Cottage. Please come in and allow me to pour you some tea. I just love the company!



Pink Saturday has rolled around once again and we pinkie bloggerettes are sharing our pink treasures today. Our wonderful hostess Beverly makes all this possible and I want to say a big "Thank you" to her for featuring my little blog today! I hope you enjoy your visit here.


Before I move on to my pinks today I would like to mention that Mary over at Rose Brook Cottage http://rosebrookcottage.blogspot.com/ has a lovely blog that I just know you would enjoy visiting. She is a very talented lady and creates the prettiest things! These are some of her lovely creations; a perfect delicate pink! I am lovin the teapot! I hope you will also pay her a visit today.

A few years ago, my youngest son had gifted me with these gorgeous candle sticks. Love this pattern with the pink and burgundy roses sprinkled all over it! I also have the tea bag holder but I have always wanted another piece of this china. Then the other day my hubby and I were out for breakfast at one of our Island's lovely tea rooms where they have a wonderful selection of china teacups, mugs, and teapots. They also make their own jams, jellies, and salsa right on the premisies. I am in teacup heaven whenever I am there!

Lo and behold, they had several pieces in this same pattern! I was so excited to finally find a piece of the china pattern, and guess what? My sweet hubby gifted me with the matching tea pot! Isn't he a darling? I think I'll keep him!

The pattern is Rose Bud made of fine bone china by Maxwell and Williams. Pink and burgundy roses are sprinkled all over a white background, making for a delightful piece to pour your tea from. It is trimmed in gold. Purty?

Top view.Another photo of my newest treasure snuggled up to my pink roses.... Gorgeous!





A teapot bouquet....I'm having such fun with my new teapot!Perhaps I'll go back and treat myself to teacup sometime. Thank you to my sweet hubby and my son Jordan for these lovely china pieces!


And thank you for stopping by for a visit today. I hope you have enjoyed seeing my pinks. Please make your way over to Beverly's at How Sweet The Sound~ http://howsweetthesound.typepad.com/my_weblog/
to visit with her and all the other pink participants today.

Please stop by for Tea Time Tuesday for tea and I wish you all a wonderful pink weekend. The Lord bless you!


Sharing from my heart~ Sandi

Monday 19 July 2010

Tea Time Tuesday


Ahh, Summer! Welcome to Tea Time Tuesday, dear friends! This is my 26th tea time post and I want to welcome all my regular participants plus my new friends who would like to take part in Tea Time. We are having such a lovely time sharing our tea things every week and we're all meeting some wonderful tea friends as well.

So, please come in and make yourself comfortable. I will pour you some tea from my newest tea pot and we'll have a chat.

"There is no trouble so great or grave that cannot be much diminished by a nice cup of tea." ~ Bernard-Paul Heroux

My hubby and I are on vacation, or rather he is, *smiles* and we have been spending a lot of time at the beach. We find it so relaxing and peaceful there. We always choose a quiet spot and just sit back and listen to the sound of the waves and the birds. We like to go for walks and just enjoy the sounds of Summer.

At home, there is the scent of flowers on the air and the sounds of little song birds in the trees all around our home.

When I spotted these newest treasures a while back, I thought of all the things I love about Summer and these pieces just say it so well!


A tea pot and a tea-for-one set with the same pattern so I will share them both today.

The name of the pattern is Floral Treasures. The pattern is so soft and pretty with some of my favourite things on them; hydrangeas, little birdies, and a Frenchy script.

A lovely Coconut cake is standing by all dressed up in fluffy white coconut to enjoy with your tea.Or, if you prefer, a bowl of berries fresh from the field. Oh dear, you can almost see my reflection in the spoon.
The candles are lit and one of my little birdies has stopped by to join us.
"Find yourself a cup of tea; the teapot is behind you. Now tell me about hundreds of things." ~ Saki

A FRIEND

A friend is like a shade tree
Beside a summer way.

A friend is like the sunshine
That makes a perfect day.

A friend is like a flower
That's worn close to the heart.

A friend is like a treasure
With which one will not part.



"What a Friend we have in Jesus, All our sins and griefs to bear!
What a privilege to carry Everything to God in prayer.
Can we find a Friend so faithful Who will all our sorrows share?
Jesus knows our every weakness; Take it to the Lord in prayer."

~ Joesph M. Scriven {1820-1886} Charles C. Converse {1832-1918}


Thank you for stopping by for Tea Time. I hope you have enjoyed your visit and you will allow me the pleasure of your company again soon. If you would like to participate in my tea party, please let me know in your comment. Just share your favourite teacup, teapot, or china used in a tea. You may also do coffee, iced tea, or chocolate. A scripture verse, poem, or quote would also be most welcome. Either of the two Tea Time buttons near the top of my sidebar are available for you to use if you wish. As a courtesy, please link back to me so that your visitors may find their way here to visit my other lovely participants.


There are other ladies hosting tea parties today. Those links with the stars ** before them are those tea parties.

The participants listed below are in the order in which they first started to participate.


PARTICIPANTS