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