Lavender and Lace for the End of February

If a kiss could be seen I think it would look like a violet. ~ LM Montgomery - Anne of Avonlea


Welcome friends to a Lavender and Lace tea. 

It is near the end of February and I thought I would share all of my purple tea things. This lovely Royal Albert Violets teacup I shared with you last week along with its mate.

Do you think amethysts can be the souls of good violets? ~ LM Montgomery - Anne of Green Gables

Like most of you teacup lovers, I would dearly love to find teacups for all my family members' birthdays but here on the Island they are very hard to come by. So far, I have birthday cups for a grandson and granddaughter; October and December.

I know some of my friends celebrated a birthday this month; Bernideen and Kitty; Happy Birthday!! I know there are many more February birthdays out there but I'm not sure who you are. I hope it was a month of blessing for all of you.

My teapot, Pretty Pansies, you have all seen before and it looks nice with my teacups. When I see a pansy, it always looks like it is smiling at me.

These teacups are made by Gracie China. Pretty little violets! 

The matching plate to the teapot is also Pretty Pansies.

These are my Valentine roses which I dried and look what a lovely colour they are! They almost match the purple in my china although the camera has changed the colour somewhat. They really are more of a lavender hue.

A sweet lacy bag filled with fragrant lavender. It has a satin ribbon handle which gives it the appearance of a wee purse. It was a Giveaway win years ago from Kathy at A Delightsome Life.

Vintage lace and silver. I adore vintage silver tea spoons! These little spoons I use often. I also love vintage lace. I think it adds a touch of yesteryear to a table; the time when ladies dressed in lovely apparel with hats and gloves. A genteel time when manners were still in style.

The cameo I wore on my wedding day. It's a bit tarnished, but dear. That day it was worn on a velvet ribbon around my neck.

I have Blueberry oatmeal muffins for our tea today. These are very moist and healthy too.

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

Please help yourself to some tea and a muffin. A warm blueberry muffin and fresh creamery butter. I had planned to make Jean's muffins but I didn't have any cornmeal on hand. Next time I will make her blueberry cornmeal muffins. If you would like to try my recipe you may click here. 

 Stash organic Lavender-Tulsi herbal tea.

I made a double batch of muffins so there are plenty to enjoy. I especially enjoy a good muffin in the wintertime.

One last peek at my February Violets. Good-bye February!

Thank you lovely friends for stopping by. It's been a wonderful winter here on PEI. I can't remember a winter so mild with so little snow. I hope it's lovely where you are. 

{Parts of this post are a re-post with some updates.}

I can hear Spring beckoning!

Internet

I am sharing this post with the following parties ~

 Tuesday Cuppa Tea
 Friends Sharing Tea
 Home Sweet Home

Sharing from my heart ~ Sandi

All Things British for Tea Time

Attitude is a little thing that makes a big difference. ~ Winston Churchill

Hello dear friends! Won't you join me for a little conversation and a cup of tea? I love that quote by Churchill! It can make all the difference in how your day goes. Or your life for that matter.

My ancestors originated in England, Germany, and Ireland but I want to focus on England today because that is where Royal Albert china was first  produced.

Oh to live in an English cottage with a gaggle of geese outside your door and a flock of yearlings in your meadow. ~ unknown

My late Uncle Doug who passed last May was my beloved Auntie P's hubby. I was very fond of him and he used to regale me with stories of his homeland, England, including The Potteries. He loved the Lord, my auntie, his tea, gardens, and the old country. He and Auntie took a number of trips back to England and returned with all kinds of tales. He made England seem more real to me and I hung on every word. I adored his accent, his charm, and his wit. Like many Brits, he liked milk in his tea and those little tea sandwiches with the crusts cut off. I always tried to indulge him when they visited. I miss him and will always cherish the times we spent together.

What is it about the English countryside - why is the beauty so much more than visual? Why does it touch one so? ~ Dodie Smith

One of England's greatest monarchs was Queen Victoria and we Canadians celebrate her birthday every May because we belong to the British Commonwealth. Although this is February, it is widely rumoured that one of Victoria's favourite colours was purple. Since February's flower of the month is the violet, I am sharing my two February Violet teacups by Royal Albert. 

Life is like a cup of tea...it's all in how you make it... unknown

Both of these sets were gifted to me. One was a house warming gift from my hubby's late aunt and the other was my late MIL's birthday cup. Hubby's sister had her mother's cup and saucer and when she found out I had one, she gave the other to me. I have been waiting till now to share them. 

Isn't it so pretty with its violets and that little hint of teal in the background? A very attractive combo!

As a nation, the British drink 165 million cups of tea daily. That's enough to fill six Olympic sized swimming pools. - Internet

I am having Earl Grey tea today. According to statistics gathered from the Internet, the Brits drink more tea than anyone else. One of their favourites is of course, Earl Grey. 

According to historians, the Earl Grey blend could be named after  Charles Grey, the British Prime Minister in the 1830s. Rumour has it that he received the first tea as a gift from a Chinese woman. But according to Twining’s, the tea was a unique infusion which was presented by a Chinese envoy to Lord Grey. - Internet

In any case, it is a favourite with many of us.

I am also using my Sadler teapot called Spring Crocus which had been a Giveaway win a few years ago. Sadler is also an English maker. Aren't the hues lovely! Among the posies are daffodils, irises, tulips, violets, crocuses, forget-me-nots, etc.

The weather is so mild right now that it feels like spring is in the air so beneath it all I have used my damask tablecloth called Spring Blossoms. 

I had a friend over for coffee the other day and we enjoyed some butterscotch pie. I still have a few pieces left so let's have some with our tea, shall we?

Getting back to Victoria... She was empress of the world's largest ever empire, and her name denotes an entire era of British history. She had such a marvellous influence on that period that she will be long remembered and revered.

Internet

She adored fashion and apparently she kept absolutely every piece of clothing, from her mother's clothes to her own baby clothes. A staff member once said that going into her wardrobe was like a history of 100 years of fashion. Victoria is responsible for making the white wedding dress popular. {info I gathered from the Internet}


Victoria adored her husband, Prince Albert, whom we all know the famous Royal Albert china was named for. Most of us know, she mourned for her Prince the rest of her life when he passed and she wore black until the day that she too passed in 1901.

Victoria loved dogs, as most of the royals do, and her favourite was a little King Charles Cavalier spaniel named Dash. This Victoria, played by Jenna Coleman, is petting her Dash. He was a little tri-coloured dog that accompanied her everywhere. 

courtesy of the Internet

I find it interesting how the Brits love their dogs as well as their tea. We all know that Queen Elizabeth loves her corgis. This little guy obviously adores her from the way he is looking at her. 

Internet

My mother, when she was younger, bore a striking resemblance to the Queen in this picture.

Other famous people such as Barry Gibb of the Bee Gees has always loved his dogs. He also has to have a cup of tea before he goes on stage. 

courtesy of the Internet

When Barry's brother, Robin Gibb passed in 2012, his beloved Irish wolfhounds were part of the funeral procession.

Paul McCartney loved his dog, Martha, an old English sheepdog. Both Barry and Paul wrote songs about their dogs.

courtesy of the Internet

I'm sure you are all familiar with Robert Crawley's fondness for his yellow lab in Downton Abbey. How I miss that show!

courtesy of the Internet

I don't have a fur baby myself but would love to have one. Fortunately, my children have pets so I get to enjoy them when they visit. We have two cats and two dogs in the family. 

The kitties...

Merlin

Minnie

The pups...

Boomer

Spike

The weeks of February are slipping by and it has been somewhat of a trial for me. So this post is meant to be a bit on the whimsical side today and I had fun gathering info about my subjects. I hope you enjoyed it. May this beautiful day bring you joy and please do enjoy your cup of tea and your fur baby should you have one. Thank you for visiting and God bless you all!

Humour is the spiciest condiment in the feast of existence. Laugh at your mistakes but learn from them, joke over your troubles but gather strength from them, make a jest of your difficulties but overcome them. ~ LM Montgomery

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

A Little Blue for Valentine's Day

Love is a language spoken by everyone but understood only by the heart. ~ Author unknown


Welcome to my cottage, dear friends!

These beautiful tulips are gracing my table right now. Aren't they pretty?

Valentine's Day is just a couple of days away and it is the perfect time to decorate a tea table for the occasion. Alas, all of my valentine items are packed away so I had to make do with my little girl ornament wearing her red hat; a gift from my son and daughter-in-law. She's admiring the tulips. 

A Christmas ornament which is still hanging on our four foot tree in the family room is perfect. This ornament was a gift from a blogger friend and I think it's so sweet snugged up to the jug of tulips. It has a red snowflake stitched on both sides. 

I did manage a heart shaped paper doily on the plate.

I have been using a lot of red and pink china lately so I decided to use my blue today. Now that I think about it, I should have incorporated my heart teacup and saucer. I forgot so many things in this post.

Come and share a pot of tea. There's just enough for you and me. And if by chance we drink it up, we'll make ourselves another cup. ~ unknown


My Churchill Blue Willow teapot holds the tea. 

The Johnson Bros. Devon Cottage plate serves up two pieces of cheesecake; triple chocolate and strawberry swirl.

All you need is love. But a little chocolate now and then doesn't hurt. ~ Charles M. Schulz

I always make my own cheesecake but I am unable to do any baking at the moment so I will have to make do with bakery goods.

I thought a mix of blues would be nice. The cup to the left is Royal Homes of Britain made by Enoch Wedgwood and the other is Blue Willow by Churchill.

I see I forgot the napkins and spoons. I also forgot the chocolate hearts. *sigh* Oh well, you get the look I'm going for, I'm sure.

Love seems to be something that keeps filling up within us. The more we give away, the more we have to give. ~ Mr. Rogers

Do you have plans on Valentine's Day? We have Bible Study that night so we will celebrate another evening. Our group normally has a Valentine's pot luck meal but we've only had one study since the first of January due to snow storms. A meal we can do another time. 


Another shot of these lovely tulips.

I brought out my SnowBabies for the winter. The majority of these little ornaments represent family members. I think they're so cute!

Have a lovely day celebrating with your valentines. Whether your valentines are big or small, they're all precious to us. And remember the One who first loved us and gave Himself as a ransom for us. His love is the best love of all!

I am joining the following parties as well~

 Tuesday Cuppa Tea
 Friends Sharing Tea
 Home Sweet Home


Sharing from my heart ~ Sandi

Break Time

Good afternoon dear friends and Happy February! How are you all doing? I have been feeling a bit worn out lately so I've been taking a break. Last week I had a lot of appointments and I wasn't able to get a post ready. I hope to be back to normal by next week.

Last night I watched the super bowl with my hubby. I still don't quite get all the plays but because some of my guys enjoy it and one of my little grandsons plays, I thought I had better take an interest in it. The things we do for the men in our lives, eh? Did you watch the super bowl?

Please help yourself to some refreshments while you're here. 

I love this beautiful Royal Albert teacup which I found in an antique shop a couple of years ago. There is no name on it only a number.

Tea is like a hug and a handshake; something about it warms friendships and inspires confidences. ~ Victoria

I have some treats as well; pound cake sandwiched with chocolate, home made cinnamon rolls, which are my hubby's favourite, and egg salad sandwiches.

Do take care and I'll be back soon. Hugs to you all.

Sharing from my heart ~ Sandi