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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.

Thursday 26 July 2012

A Sentimental Afternoon...

Hello everyone. I hope you are all enjoying your week.
I am sitting here with my cup of tea and reminiscing ....

Tomorrow, July 27th, would have been my father's birthday. Had he lived, he would have been 85.
Like my hubby, he preferred strawberry shortcake to birthday cake!


My Daddy favoured the Royal Albert Old Country Roses pattern and he had a couple of pieces of it which were passed on to me but he never did get a teacup. So, my darling hubby got me one in recognition of  Daddy's birthday so I could drink from it, in remembrance of him. My hubby is the best!


I will use it only on special occasions and give thanks for the wonderful father and husband who God blessed me with.

As I sit here with my cup of tea and reflect upon my memories of Daddy, I cannot help but think of those days gone by when he and my mother loaded up the car with my brother and me, and the camping gear, and headed for two glorious weeks at the beach.


My brother and I loved building sand castles on the shore and running through the woods to the canteen where we bought Popsicles and Lick-a-maids. We liked to explore too.

Come the end of July or early August, we always headed for the big Family Picnic. My mother always packed the big picnic basket to take with us.


We would leave early in the morning to catch the ferry to Nova Scotia, which was where my father was from.

Courtesy of the Internet

Once we drove off the ferry, we would make the drive to my grandparents' or one of his sister's homes, and we would spend the weekend.... Are we there yet?

I would sing all the way over and all the way back. I was the family canary!

The yearly Family Picnic was one of the highlights of summertime. My brother and I were so excited to get together with our many cousins and eat as much pie as we wanted!

When Daddy's family got together, there was always lots of laughter. He had five siblings and he was the baby of the family. He was a character, so he kept everyone in  stitches. He really was just a big kid himself!

At the picnic, there was wall-to-wall food and everything was home made back in those days. There was creamy potato salad, {Mum always made the best} succulent fried chicken, juicy hamburgers, ice cream, fruit cobbler, and of course those mouth watering pies! 


I remember well... One whole sideboard or table would be filled with those pies. The ladies in the family must have been baking for days for there was apple, blueberry, cherry, coconut cream and butterscotch, pumpkin, lemon meringue, raisin, mincemeat, and rhubarb. I may have forgotten a couple. And the best part; we could have any kind we wanted and as much as we wanted!

In those days my favourite was always blueberry and my mouth could attest to that! Nova Scotia, especially the area where my father grew up, is the blueberry capital of the world so blueberry pies were very plentiful.


We played lots of games and at night, we sat around the campfire to roast marshmallows and hotdogs.


Staying up late was a real novelty because my brother and I didn't get to do that very often.

This is a picture taken at one of those family get-togethers. I believe this was at my grandparents' 60th Wedding Anniversary. My father, my first baby boy, and me.


I miss those days! Most of them are gone now; my grandparents, most of my aunts and uncles, and even some of my cousins. After my grandparents passed, my father was the first one in the family to go. I have two aunts and an uncle left on my father's side of the family, and they are getting up in years. Time passes so quickly!

If you still have your father with you, give him a big hug and tell him how much you love him!

Thanks for the memories, Daddy. You will always be in my heart. 



Sharing from my heart~ Sandi

24 comments :

  1. What a beautiful post and tribute to your father Sandi! I bet he was so proud of you! I am so blessed to still have both of my parents. Not a day goes by that I don't talk to them or see them.

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  2. This is a heartfelt post, Sandi, and aren't you fortunate to have wonderful memories of your dad and all of those family picnics. My parents are gone now, but I still haves aunts and uncles in Cape Breton. I'll have to head there this year or next to visit with them.

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  3. What a wonderful post Sandi. I felt that way about my Papa too...my best friend and biggest suppporter. I still miss him. What a blessing from you husband, A keeper, definitely!
    Ruth

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  4. What a nice tribute to your dad, Sandi. Very precious memories that get us through the hard times. Hugs

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  5. What a sweet post. Memories are so wonderful! I also love that china pattern, though I don't own any of it.
    ~betty

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  6. A very lovely tribute to your dad, and how very thoughtful of your husband to get you the teacup.
    I loved hearing about your childhood, and the family get togethers. Thank you for sharing them with us.

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  7. A very sweet tribute to your dad! Love the strawberry short cake on our favorite dishes. I made a blackberry cake this week, stop by if you get a chance. I also come from a family of pie bakers. For some reason pies really intimate some bakers, the crust I think. Thanks for sharing, Laura

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  8. Oh what a precious post, Sandi.

    I am praying for your father's soul right now - and for you, such a sweet daughter.

    Beautiful post, thanks for sharing your heart, my sweet friend!

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  9. What a lovely tribute to your Dad, Sandy and your post brings up so many memories.

    I grew up in Cumberland County, N.S. and picked many a blueberry for pies and scooped many a blueberry during the season for money for school books and clothes. I have a couple of acres of blueberries here in Georgia but there is no comparison to the dense flavor of the little wild blueberries.

    Your picture reminds me of the red dirt beach and sand bars along the Northumberland Strait where we went swimming.

    And my two favourite china patterns are Johnson Bros. rose chintz and Old Country Roses.....love your post.

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  10. Hi Sandi, Thanks for taking us along as you reminisce about your father. What a lovely tribute! I enjoyed the photographic journey as well. As you know, I like Old Country Roses and I also liked the look of those pies!
    Blessings, Beth

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  11. what a lovely post. I miss my Dad too, he's only been gone for a year and I think of him every day. Thank you for sharing your lovely memories with us, Sally x

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  12. Querida, me ha encantado tu relato.
    YO perdí a mi padre hace muchos años, yo era una niña.
    Hay tantas cosas que me hubiese gustado compartir con él y que no ha podido ser.
    Pero lo que sí le dije fué muchas veces lo que le quería.
    Un beso

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  13. This is a beautiful post. I know what it is like to lose a parent, I lost my mom when I was 26. I still have my dad healthy and strong.

    Wishing you well
    Cynthia

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  14. Sandi, that was a beautiful post about your father and all the wonderful memories you shared about your summers and family visits. My father died in 1969 and I was only 19. It seems like a lifetime ago now. Blessings to you today. Hugs, Pamela

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  15. I loved seeing the pics and hearing your incredible memories, Sandie. Your love for your father and even your family is beautiful. Your love for your dad is a definite gift. I always have a sense of peace when I stop by....

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  16. What a sweet post about your Dad and all the wonderful memories of your family. Seems like the older we get the more sentimental we are and cherish the times with loved ones. Family is so special and such a blessing. Thank you for sharing this.
    Nancy

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  17. I was soooo moved by this post. My daddy is still alive and i Do plan on giving him a big hug.
    Thank You so much for sharing
    You really are Blessed
    Your Hubby sounds like the best.
    Take Care and God Bless
    Sherry

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  18. Oh Sandi...a touching and beautiful post about your father. I still have my dad, but my mom has been gone for16 years. I am going to see my dad tomorrow.
    Much love,
    Linda

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  19. Sandi, thank you for sharing your beautiful memories with us today!
    What a beautiful post about a very special man.
    I miss my father too, he's been gone 24 years.
    His birthday was the first of July.

    Your hubby is very caring - it's wonderful that he gave you an Old Country Roses cup to go with your dad's pieces!
    It will always be a treasure to you.
    You have good men and a lovely family, my friend.
    love..Trish xx

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  20. Beautiful and wonderful memories. The good old times will remain in our memories and we can just pass them on to our children, by taking them to the places we went, showing movies and pictures of our loves ones and eating our favorite foods together! Thanks for sharing
    Isabel

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  21. Loved reading this, Sandi. Beautiful memories and you have a lovely way with words in the telling of them.

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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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