Cuppa Tea and A Recipe

Gratitude unlocks the fullness of life.
It turns what we have into enough, and more.
It can turn a meal into a feast, 
a house into a home, 
a stranger into a friend. ~ Melody Beattie

It's been a cold week here on Prince Edward Island. Yesterday we had snow flurries. The poor tulips that have finally poked up through the sod in my little heart shaped garden are not happy, I'm sure. 

This week I cooked a small turkey and made a casserole with the leftovers. I also have a broth made waiting for home made soup. I love leftovers because they go such a long way. 

This recipe came from a lady in New Brunswick when we lived over there. It is very filling and makes a lot. It is perfect to take to a pot luck or when feeding a crowd in your own home. It serves about 8-10.

Overnight Chicken {or Turkey}

3-1/2 to 4 cups macaroni
2 cups milk
1 can cream of mushroom soup
1 can cream of chicken or celery soup
2 cups cooked chicken, diced
1/2 lbs. Velveeta cheese, cubed
1 can mushrooms
1 small onion, chopped

Topping: bread crumbs or crushed potato chips. I used crushed cracker crumbs.

Combine all ingredients except topping.
Put in buttered casserole dish and refrigerate overnight or all day. Remove and mix well. Top with crumbs and bake at 350 degrees for 50-60 minutes. I hope you enjoy it.


We enjoyed this last night with a yummy Broccoli salad, one of my hubby's favourites.

I have a busy weekend ahead of me so I am combining my recipe and my tea time together into one post.

I found a new teapot the other day. It is a small one which holds about two cups of tea that is perfect for a tea for one. It is a Grace teapot so you know it was a good price.

Tea time is me time, a time to savour and reflect. It's a time to share a cup with friends, a time of  comfort, camaraderie, and closeness. ~ Sandi 

It goes well with this small Royal Albert teacup and saucer.

These fluffy hydrangeas at the grocery store were beckoning to me to take them home, so I did. I like the subtle green tint.

I am just finishing up this book written by Karen Kingsbury called Every Now and Then. It's a wonderful story of faith and a K9 team. I really enjoy this author's writings. Have you ever read any of her books?

Enjoy your tea and your weekend and thank you for stopping by for a visit. God bless you!


 I am joining the following parties as well~

 Tuesday Cuppa Tea
 Bernideen's TTCG Blog Party
 Tea Cup Tuesday
 The Art of Home-Making Mondays
 Share Your Cup Thursday
 Home Sweet Home


 Sharing from my heart ~ Sandi

No Place Like Home # 25

Hello and welcome my dear friends to No Place Like Home!

We had a couple of really nice days so Hubby and I took advantage of them and spent some time at Victoria Park and out at the North shore. Hence my blog post called North and South. 

We checked out the shore at Brackley Beach and found a few brave souls enjoying the beach in spite of the cold weather. We also enjoyed the sights at Victoria Park in Charlottetown. 

If you would like to see this post just click here.


Last week's party served up a cornucopia of home decor, ideas and recipes. They were all marvellous and thank you so much for sharing. You are a wonderfully talented group of ladies! I have broken my features down into categories and I hope you enjoy them!

Day Dreaming-

Judy @ Gold Country Cottage presented us with a lovely post filled with beautiful images and a trip down memory lane. 

Tea Time and Tablescapes-

Jocelyn @ Just a Little Southern Hospitality shared a beautiful table of white on white using fresh gardenias from her garden. 

Schotzy @ Wings of Eagles shared her gorgeous peonies and the makings of a tea party.

Crafts/Sewing-

Mimi @ A Tray of Bliss shared her lovely French inspired pillowcases she made. Stunning!

Mrs. T. @ Across My Kitchen Table shared an exquisite tablecloth she embroidered. One of the prettiest I've seen!

Recipes-

Valerie @ Cottage Making Mama shared her recipe for Hobo Dinners. Great for a summer barbecue.

And Susan @ Culinary Envy shared a recipe for these scrumptious Caramel Banana Poke Muffins. Yum!

Congratulations, Ladies! 
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.

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

North and South

Wouldn't it be an exhilarating tonic for the soul to take a moment to appreciate the simple, good things in life which are so bountiful? - anonymous


Hello friends! Hope your week has been a lovely one.

Three times this week my hubby and I have had the opportunity to go down to the boardwalk at Victoria Park and enjoy the scenery. Although the grass has yet to turn lush and green and the branches on the trees and bushes are still bare, it is lovely to sit and take in the beauty all around us.

It is very nice to sit in the car and have the sun shine in warm and cozy while sipping our coffee. The boardwalk is on the south side of our Island so it's generally a bit warmer there. 

This is our parking spot by the boardwalk. Here we can watch all the big cruise ships entering Charlottetown Harbour.

Soon the sailboats will be sailing and the folks walking by on the boardwalk will shed their heavy coats and don their shorts and capris. Actually, there were a few yesterday wearing short sleeves and shorts.

There will be many folks walking their dogs and doggie greetings will be made. 

Squirrels chatter in the trees on the other side of us and in the background we can hear the balls flying back and forth in the tennis courts. 

We took a short walk up to where the canons are. Because it is higher ground there, the wind was whipping around and it was very chilly. 

These canons have been here since the seventeen hundreds. They protected our harbour and helped to ward off our enemies many years ago.

This is our view of Victoria Park from up on the hill. Looking down you can see where we park our car along the boardwalk, just before you get to the turn. To the right is a dairy bar where they sell the best fries on the Island, in my opinion.

The park was busy yesterday with lots of people out walking and getting some fresh air. The white house you see behind the trees is the Governor's Mansion. It has a beautiful garden in the summertime. Once the leaves bud out, that is a lovely place to take a walk.

Ah, yes, Spring is indeed here!

We decided to take a drive out to the north shore too since it was such a lovely day. On the way, we enjoyed seeing the livestock out in the pastures again. This farm is just seconds before you get to the beach.

When we drove by the first time, there was a sweet little calf getting his dinner from his mama. Unfortunately, they were all lying down on the way back. Notice the calves are all white.

The horse too was enjoying a munch.

The Gulf on the north side is very cold right now which contributes to our cooler weather. While our son out in BC is having temps in the high twenties {Celsius} we here are still not very warm. 

Brackley

Although clear of ice, it is too cold to go wading. Look at all those white caps! It was a pretty day with very blue skies above us.

Brackley

All of the bathhouses and canteens are closed until June but there are still a few brave souls who dress in their heavy jackets and go for a walk or a run along the shore. 

Brackley

These young ladies were braving the cold weather and had fun tossing the ball around! They even had bare feet!

On our way back to the car we met these young folks who asked us to take their picture. Of course we indulged them. The young fellow on the right didn't mind the cool temps because he's wearing shorts. Young people, eh?

Me, I think I'll stick close to the car and just snap a few pictures while we're out here. It's too cold for me.

In another couple of months, we will be able to go for a walk and feel the lovely sand between our toes.

Now, back at home, it's time for tea. Pink tulips and some yellow teacups bring a touch of spring to the table.

This cup is made by Paragon. She's a beauty with a cluster of pink posies inside the cup.   

This teacup is Royal Albert, called Shaftesbury, from The Festival Series. 

All that walking calls for a little snack. Chicken salad folded into a wrap and a Monaco double chocolate cookie.

Join me?

Thank you for visiting today. I hope you enjoyed our little outing to our north and south sides of the Island. Of course there is so much more to see. When it warms up, I'll take you on a tour. Enjoy your weekend everyone and the Lord bless you! 

We live in a world that is full of beauty, charm and adventure. There is no end to the adventures we can have if only we seek them with our eyes open. ~ Jawaharlal Nehru   


I am joining the following parties as well~

 Tuesday Cuppa Tea
 Bernideen's TTCG Blog Party
 Tea Cup Tuesday
 The Art of Home-Making Mondays
 Share Your Cup Thursday
 Home Sweet Home

 Sharing from my heart ~ Sandi

No Place Like Home

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

Hello dear friends and welcome to No Place Like Home!

Did you all have a nice weekend? My poor hubby was sick with the flu on Saturday so I was taking care of him. He rarely gets sick so when he does, it's a very big deal. Yesterday he was much better so we took our supper down at the boardwalk and enjoyed the scenery which we had missed all winter. Very soon the sailboats will be out again. Can't wait!

The other day I shared how I decorate with some of my plates. I also enjoyed a tea time with some scones and jam. If you missed that post you may click here to visit.

Last week's party served up a plethora of ideas and recipes. They were all marvellous and thank you so much for sharing. You are a wonderfully talented group of ladies! 

Here are my features from last week's party:

Pat @ French Country Style from the Foot of the Rockies shared how she was inspired by her trip to France to bring back French Country style into her dining room. 

Phyllis @ Relevant Tea Leaf shared a lovely high tea for some special friends. Isn't her table pretty?
Her menu was wonderful too.

Carmen @ Die Nameise shared the beautiful Blazing Star cushion she made. I love the sunny yellow of her daffodils too!

Amy @ A Day of Small Things shared some vintage treasures from her parents' home that tell a story. One was a chair from her childhood which was made even cuter with her little one sitting it.

And for my recipe this week ~ Mrs. T @ Across My Kitchen Table shared a scrumptious Lemon Bar Trifle she made for her daughter's birthday. Yum!

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.

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

Decorating With Plates

Spring had come once more to Green Gables....the capricious, reluctant Canadian spring, lingering along through April and May in a succession of sweet, fresh, chilly days, with pink sunsets and miracles of resurrection and growth. ~ LM Montgomery - "Anne of Green Gables"


Hello friends! Do you love china? I certainly do and I have loved it since I was a little girl. My Auntie P always set her table with Johnson Bros. Rose Chintz and I became smitten with them very early on.

Just before I was married, I started collecting favourite dishes and housewares but because we moved around so often, most of it had been given away. When my children grew up and moved out, I started to collect again. 

I have a few sets of dishes, numerous teacups and a collection of teapots. I used to do a lot of entertaining so I acquired many pretties over the years. Some were gifted to me by family and friends. Some even came to me through some of my dear blogging friends.

If you were to visit me, you would discover that the majority of my teapots are displayed above my kitchen cabinets. I actually started to collect teapots before I collected anything else. I think there is a whole lot of charm wrapped up in a teapot. 

Decorating with china brings a touch of nostalgia into one's home. I realize some of the younger folks think china is too grandmotherly but I disagree. Each piece of china, especially a vintage piece, tells a story. 

Some of my china is housed in a couple cabinets and some is displayed on shelves. I also have a few plates hanging on the wall. It is the plates that I want to feature today.


I have decorated mostly with my pink and red. These plates are above the patio doors in the dining area. 

The two on each end are made in England. They are Romantic England made by Wedgwood. The backs of the plates read that Huddington Court Worchestershire was the home of Robert Thomas and John Winter who were hanged and quartered as traitors in the Gunpowder Plot 1605. The history is rather disturbing but the scene depicted on each plate is indeed very romantic. I like the floral and berry edge around the plates.

The larger plate in the center is Memory Lane made in the USA. This plate has acorns encircling the edge.

This Masons Vista hangs on the end of one of the cabinets. 

This isn't a plate per se but rather a porcelain tray with handles. It is called Valencia. It is large enough to hold a teapot and teacup or the teapot with a creamer.

These are of course a few of my Johnson Bros. Rose Chintz saucers which decorate the wall as you walk into the living room.

And these are on the wall above the sofa. The pattern is Briar Rose trimmed with 22 carat gold. Sorry about the glare.

This plate which hangs in the office was left to my hubby by my father. It is a special edition plate. My father and my hubby both cheered/cheer for the Detroit Red Wings and of course Gordie Howe was the big star back in the day. Funny, the colour of the wall looks off white when it is really powder blue.

I have other plates too but this is enough for today. Do you like to use plates in your decor?

If you want a golden rule that will fit everything, this is it: Have nothing in your houses that you do not know to be useful or believe to be beautiful. ~ William Morris

For my treat today I have tea biscuits or scones, as some of you would call them, and strawberry jam. It is a cream tea of sorts. No Devonshire cream because Hubby doesn't like it, unfortunately, so whipped cream will have to do. 

I am using my Johnson Bros Old Britain Castles teacup and plate with one of my favourite red transferware teapots. Would you like to join me?

A cup of tea warms the soul like a good friend. ~ unknown

The plate below with the biscuit and jam on it is Cream Lace by Skye McGhie. I love the lacy edge! I always like my scones and biscuits the Devon way, with cream on the bottom and then the jam on top.

I'm so happy you could join me today! Wouldn't it be lovely if we really could get together for tea and a chat? What a wonderful time we would have. Have a beautiful weekend, my sweet friends, and I hope you will come back and join me on Monday for No Place Like Home.

I am joining these lovely parties as well~

 Tuesday Cuppa Tea
 Bernideen's TTCG Blog Party
 Tea Cup Tuesday
The Art of Home-Making Mondays
 Share Your Cup Thursday
 Home Sweet Home


 Sharing from my heart ~ Sandi