Down Memory Lane 2017

The birth of a New Year is a time of reflection, bringing with it an opportunity for change....for developing a greater appreciation of what is most important in life. ~ Victoria magazine

Hello dear friends! I hope you all had a nice weekend.

It's a bit late but I thought I would do a review of last year's posts. Better late than never as they say and the new year is just getting under way.

A new year is a new beginning and most of us have visions and dreams for the coming year. I had no idea what 2017 was to bring my way and sometimes it's better we don't know the future, isn't it? 

I am thankful for blogging and my many friends who stop by to read my blog and leave a comment. Without you this past year, I probably would have closed my blog down when I wasn't feeling up to keeping it going.

In January I shared my pretty Devon Cottage teapot with some cheery yellow tulips. You can just get a peek at my beautiful deep blue Royal Albert teacup my Auntie P sent to me from her collection. Tulips are a promise that Spring is on the way.

January opens the box of the year

And brings out days that are bright and clear.
And brings out days that are cold and gray;
And shouts, "Come see what I brought today!"
~ LB Jacobs

February is all about Valentines Day and amethysts. I set up a little tea using my purple tea things using my vintage Royal Albert Flower of the Month February teacup and saucer; a gift from Hubby's late aunt.

"If instead of a gem, or even a flower, we should cast the gift of a loving thought into the heart of a friend, that would be giving as the angels give." ~ George MacDonald

March was the beginning of my many trips to the hospital. The colours of my tea things are perky and helped to perk me up as well. Don't you just love daffodils? They look like frilly little cups that the fairies curl up in for a nap.

Springtime is like the land awakening. The March winds are the morning yawn. ~ Lewis Grizzard

April arrived bringing Easter with it and I decided to put together a wreath of teacups with one of my favourite teapots in the center.

I am beginning to learn that it is the sweet, simple things of life that are the real ones after all. ~ Laura Ingalls Wilder

May was a busy and difficult month. We lost two family members and I had the first of two surgeries. But I was thankful for springtime and the promise of warm weather on the way. 

This lovely teacup is one my dear Auntie P had sent me from her collection. It is a Paragon. Speaking of my Auntie, she was moved into a nursing home on Friday. I pray she will be happy there. I so miss her because we are no longer able to communicate. Any mail I send her now has to be read to her by someone else. Alas, no more intimate details and I miss that because she and I had shared everything over the years.

There is something in the nature of tea that leads us into a world of quiet contemplation of life. ~ Lin Yutang

June is always a favourite month and last year it was an exceptionally warm one for a change. I had my gallbladder out that month and was thankful to get that over with. I also learned there was no malignancy found in the tumours I had removed the previous month. The lilacs were in bloom and I love how they look with my Rose Chintz.

I wonder what it would be like to live in a world where it was always June. ~ LM Montgomery - Anne of the Island

July, I set up a little tea table out on the back deck using a favourite tablecloth; a gift from my dear blogger friend, Bernideen. She also made the collage for me that is my blog header. Thank you, Bernideen!

After all, the only real roses are pink ones. They are the flowers of love and faith." ~ Anne of Green Gables

In August my guys were all home. We spent time on the beach and enjoyed many meals dining out which was a nice change for me. I also did a tea in celebration of Tasha Tudor.

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

September was a lovely month and a friend had brought me flowers so I set a tea up and enjoyed all the posies.

For each new morning with its light,
For rest and shelter of the night,
For health and food, for love and friends,
For everything Thy goodness sends.
Ralph Waldo Emerson

October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month so I shared my pinks most of that month.

Happiness cannot be travelled to, owned, earned, worn, or consumed. Happiness is the spiritual experience of living every minute with love, grace, and gratitude. ~ Denis Waitley

Ah, November! The beginning of the holiday season calls for a little touch of Christmas and I used my green transferware.

The most trying hours in life are between four o'clock and the evening meal. A cup of tea at this time adds a lot of comfort and happiness. ~ Royal S. Copeland

December is of course the month we celebrate Christmas; our Lord's birth. It's also the month when we bring out all the bling.  

You should always be the best decoration in your own house. ~ Phoebe Howard


Tea! Bless ordinary everyday afternoon tea! ~ Agatha Christie

2017 was quite eventful for me and my hubby. With so many health issues to deal with and Hubby's retirement at the end of December, it was quite the year for change. I am praying this new year is an easier one with many more happy moments. Thank you for joining me today and may your new year be your happiest yet. 

God bless and watch over you all!

People who live the most fulfilling lives are the ones who are always rejoicing at what they have. ~ Richard Carlson 

I am joining the following parties as well~

 Tuesday Cuppa Tea
 Friends Sharing Tea
Share Your Cup
 Home Sweet Home

 Sharing from my heart ~ Sandi

Wintertime; A Time for Home

Winter is the time for comfort, for good food and warmth, for the touch of a friendly hand and a talk beside the fire: it is the time for home. ~ Edith Sitwell

Good morning dear friends and welcome to my little cottage!

It is time to tuck away the window display that I had out for Christmas. But before I do that, my wee china deer that my mother gifted me with years ago is making one more appearance.

I love figurines and ornaments! I especially love those that have a story behind them.

I am using what's left of my mother's Christmas arrangement for a centerpiece. 

Originally, that wee Santa hat was perched on a puppy's head. The arrangement was a gift to my mother from her sister. This picture really doesn't do it justice but you get the idea.

The puppy was designed with white carnations, black eyes and a nose. He had two front paws and ears as well. He was so whimsical! The bucket is a Christmas red and has birch bark around it with rope handles on each side. A matching birch bark bow is tucked into the greenery. A nice container to use again and again.

I have replaced the carnations and most of the greenery with some fresh evergreens from our back yard, then I added red roses and baby's breath.

Wintertime is the time for home, and a nice cup of tea in January is so welcome! Won't you stay and join me?

"Stay" is the most charming word in a friend's vocabulary. ~ Louisa May Alcott

My cups and plates are Victorian Chintz made by Burleigh of Staffordshire, England; a gift from my cousin, Val.

This mismatched cup and saucer are just pieces that I put together. Red/pink transferware looks so pretty in each other's company, don't you agree?

The teapot is called Valencia and I love the shape!

Tea towels make a cozy table covering on which to serve my tea. 

I made cupcakes for the grandchildren but I have lots to share. Would you like one with your cuppa?

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

Brrr! The weather has been bitterly cold the past two or three weeks but has moderated quite a bit which makes it lovely for getting out for some fresh air. So lovely in fact that Friday afternoon Hubby and I took our coffee down to the waterfront and sat in the car just to enjoy the view. Unheard of in mid-January on PEI! I should have taken my camera with me because I missed a very unique shot.

My son works outdoors every day but he still takes the pup for walks two or three times a day. The weather has been so cold, he hasn't been able to do that until the past couple of days. I'm sure the pup enjoyed stretching his legs in the fresh air too. The pup is a miniature pincher and he still looks like a young pup although he's getting up there in years! Isn't he adorable? His name is Spike.

Sometimes I'm really tempted to get myself a fur-baby. 

It has turned cold again since yesterday. Wintertime on the Island kind of dictates to us what we can do this time of year. We take each day as it comes and we try to make the most of it. 

Well, that's my post for this week. I hope you all have a marvellous day and thank you for joining me. 

I shall smile when wreaths of snow blossom where the rose should grow. ~ Emily Bronte

I am joining the following parties as well~

 Tuesday Cuppa Tea
 Friends Sharing Tea
 Share Your Cup
 Home Sweet Home

Sharing from my heart ~ Sandi

Tea with Anne and Me

The beauty of winter is that it makes you appreciate spring. ~ L.M. Montgomery 

Springtime, ah yes, I'm already thinking about it! 

Welcome dear friends and kindred spirits! I hope your New Year is off to a delightful start.

A new year, just like each new day, comes bearing its own gifts...untie the ribbons.

As I was pondering what to share this week I thought about Anne of Green Gables. I've been thinking about her a lot lately. 

I suppose it's because I remember one New Years Eve my hubby, our youngest son who was eight years old at the time, and I curled up in the family room with some munchies to watch the Anne movies. It was a wonderful way to welcome in the new year and it's one of those lovely memories from when my children were growing up.

Have you seen the Anne movies or read the books? I like to read the books every couple of years. The Anne movies I am talking about are not the newer movies/series they have out. I am most disappointed in them for they stray quite a bit from the original story. I am talking about those with Megan Follows playing the lead role of Anne. I highly recommend those because they really are superb and follow LM Montgomery's story very well. The acting is so extraordinary, the characters will make you believe you really are in Avonlea. If you haven't seen them, you are missing out on a treat. 

Anne is our beloved heroine here on the Island and she is joining me for tea today. 

Most of you have seen the Anne doll that my father gifted me with his last Christmas. I cherish her and always think about Daddy whenever I look at her. My father knew of my love for Anne and he gifted me with two Anne dolls actually but my porcelain Anne will join us today.

She is dressed in her best pinafore and a calico dress. A pert straw hat with matching ribbon sits upon her head which has a full crop of red hair braided into pigtails. She has green eyes and freckles sprinkled upon her nose and cheeks.

When Anne was a young girl she possessed great 'scope for imagination' and she loved to dream about what it would be like to be a grown up. So, today we will enjoy a grown up tea with some treats left over from Christmas.

My Granny's pancake jug holding the ivy sits behind the teapot. The jug is over a hundred years old just like the Anne story.

I am using my snowflake teapot again which is adorned with an embossed snowflake motif. 

Won't you join me? I am having David's Tea Salted Caramel today and it compliments the Christmas treats.

Today we will live in the moment 
unless it's unpleasant in which case 
we will eat a cookie. ~ Cookie Monster

That quote made me smile and I just had to share it. 

Life is worth living as long as there's a laugh in it. ~ Anne of Green Gables

One thing we can all agree on; Anne made us laugh! I am very blessed to have someone in my life who makes me laugh. My hubby is such a clown and he loves to make me giggle. If I am upset or a bit down about something he will say, "Oh, there they are! I see your dimples!" Dimples really are my downfall at times. They're a dead giveaway when trying to keep a straight face. If you have them, then you know what I mean!

I have set out three pretty teacups; one for you, one for Anne, and one for me. 

Colclough made in England

Another Colclough. I have two of these teacups. I had one and then the other I received from Nancy a few years ago.      

This teacup and saucer is Elizabethan. This is the Island's provincial flower; the Lady's Slipper.

Each cup of tea represents an imaginary journey. ~ Catherine Douzel

My treats are all home made. 

I have set out donut bits, chocolate peanut butter bars, mincemeat tarts, sugar plums, and fruit cake. Please help yourself. 

"She had a good sleep that night and had awakened in the morning to find herself and the world transformed. It had snowed softly and thickly all through the hours of darkness and the beautiful whiteness, glittering in the frosty sunshine, looked like a mantle of charity cast over all the mistakes and humiliations of the past." ~ from LM Montgomery- Anne of Green Gables. 

Snow is like that. It covers all the ugly dried up leaves and debris making the earth appear as though a glistening white blanket had been flung down upon it making it fresh and beautiful again.

Tomorrow is a new day with no mistakes in it. ~ LM Montgomery - Anne of Green Gables

It's kind of like the new year! There are no mistakes in it ...yet! May we all use a little kindness toward others, use wisdom when we need it, talk less, listen more, and not waste a moment. Life is precious!

 Offer someone a smile even if you don't feel like it. It will make you feel better and it might just make someone else's day.

A smile is the best facelift. 

When we make a mistake, may we also learn from it and may we all shine like a light in the darkness. 

"Dear old world," she murmured, "you are very lovely, and I am glad to be alive in you." ~ Anne of Green Gables - LM Montgomery 

I'm so glad you are all a part of my world! I have made some very dear friends here in Blogland since I created this little blog of mine. I hope 2018 will allow me to keep sharing from my heart and maybe bring a little happiness or a smile into your day. 

Thank you for joining Anne and me today and the Lord bless you all! The majority of this post is a repost and I hope you enjoyed it.

The Lord bless you, and keep you; 
The Lord make His face shine on you,
...And give you peace. ~ Numbers 6:24-26



I am sharing this with the following parties as well~

Tuesday Cuppa Tea
 Friends Sharing Tea
 Share Your Cup Thursday
 Home Sweet Home


 Sharing from my heart ~ Sandi 

A Holiday Tea

More snow came before New Year’s, and the harbor froze over, but the gulf still was free, beyond the white, imprisoned fields. The last day of the old year was one of those bright, cold, dazzling winter days, which bombard us with their brilliancy, and command our admiration but never our love. The sky was sharp and blue; the snow diamonds sparkled insistently; the stark trees were bare and shameless, with a kind of brazen beauty. - "Anne's House of Dreams" - LM Montgomery

Hello my lovely friends and Happy New Year! I thought Lucy Maud Montgomery's quote was a suitable one to start this new year off with. 
We are in the deep freeze right now and before this first week of January is over we will have a storm move in which promises to blanket our little Island with mountains of white snow.

The week between Christmas and New Year's is a good time to relax and reflect on the holidays and the past year's events. The new year brings new dreams and new possibilities; a fresh beginning!

A new blown glass teapot ornament from my son.

It has been quite the year for my hubby and me! There were some lovely moments when our family was home to visit and there were some not so nice with health issues, some which are still on-going. 

My sweet hubby just retired last Friday after being employed thirty-two years with one of the biggest corporations in Canada. He had been a busy guy having been bi-vocational during a number of those years. I won't miss his four AM risings to go to work and I will be happy having him around for a few weeks before he starts working part time at something else. He has never been one to remain idle for very long.

I just celebrated another birthday and I decided to bring out my Old Country Roses today. It was a family tradition at our house to get your nose buttered on your birthday. My father loved greasing my face and oh, how I miss him! My OCR reminds me of him because he loved the pattern which is why I am using it today. So would you like to join me for some tea and goodies?

If you're a collector of fine china then you probably know the story behind this famous pattern. But if you are not familiar with its story, here's the scoop:

Royal Albert's Old Country Roses is the most recognized and most popular pattern in the world.
It was designed by Harold Holdcroft in 1962 and was inspired by a typical English country garden with flowers in bloom and is recognized by its signature clusters of roses in deep red, bright pink, and warm yellow, offset by delicately stippled 22 karat gold rims and accents. It is a beautiful pattern which brings a touch of class to any table; from traditional to modern to shabby-chic.

My teapot was a birthday present from my family a few years ago and the other pieces were antique finds. 

Now how about some treats with your tea? 

Joy is another name for tea at its best. ~ James N. Pratt

Hubby got me two lovely strawberry cheese cakes for my birthday treat instead of cake. Oh my, the sweets we have had in this house lately! We both want to cut back on carbs and sugar and having all of these tantalizing treats about makes it difficult. I did send my son home with a bag of homemade butter tarts so we have just a few of those left. 

I just took the tree down today and am slowly packing everything away for another year. 

Are you looking forward to this new year? They say if you don't have your health, you don't have anything. I have found there's a grain of truth in that although I can also count my many blessings and relish each day as it comes. 

May the Lord bless you all, family included, and be sure to do something nice for someone else today. Even a smile while standing in line at the checkout may help someone else feel better. You really don't know what the person standing next to you is going through. 

We make a living by what we get. We make a life by what we give. ~ Sir Winston Churchill

I am joining the following parties as well~

 Tuesday Cuppa Tea
 Friends Sharing Tea
 Share Your Cup Thursday
 Home Sweet Home


Sharing from my heart ~ Sandi