Purple Pansies and Violets, Roses and Tulips

Call me old-fashioned but I believe that...enjoying the simple things in life, being thankful and content with what you have will give you a sense of well being, peace and joy. ~ unknown

Good morning dear friends! It's the last week of February and I thought I should bring out my Purple Pansies teapot and my RA Violets teacups for the month of February. My roses from Valentine's Day are still doing well and Hubby brought home some pretty tulips so I have set everything out on the table in the front room. 

My crocheted tablecloth is on the table and I especially like it this time of year because it looks like it has snowflakes crocheted in it.

My dear son fell on the ice on Valentine's Day and he has a bad concussion so I made some chocolate chip muffins and we took them over to him. I knew the boys could all enjoy them. The next day I made another batch of muffins because my hubby likes them too. So, we will have some muffins with our cuppa today.

I have two of these February Violet teacups. One was from my hubby's aunt and the other belonged to his mother. I treasure them both especially now that both ladies have passed.

The Purple Pansies teapot usually only comes out in February as do the teacups so I'll enjoy them for a few more days.

When we sip tea, we are on our way to serenity. ~ 

Alexandra Stoddard

The violets and the tulips remind me that Spring is on the way! Although we are still having snow storms {in fact, we're having a storm today} and there is a lot of ice around, we know Spring is only three and a half weeks away. I will be happy when it arrives. It has been a long winter with snow arriving in November and never leaving.

I know two of my blogger friends celebrate a birthday this month. Happy Birthday, Bernideen and Kitty! 

Have a wonderful week everyone, and prayers for my son would be appreciated. Thank you and the Lord bless you!



Sharing from my heart ~ Sandi

Valentine's Day Fun with My Hubby

A bell is no bell 'til you ring it,
A song is no song 'til you sing it,
And love in your heart
Wasn't put there to stay -
Love isn't love 
'Til you give it away. ~ 
Oscar Hammerstein, The Sound of Music 


Hello my dear friends! I hope you all had a wonderful weekend and Valentine's Day was a delight for each of you.

Valentine's Day is special and it's not limited to just sharing it with your sweetie either. It's a day to do something special for someone you love. I always get my mother a Valentine card and flowers. When my guys were growing up, I always baked a chocolate heart cake and because I drew a lot in those days, there were homemade valentines all over the house. It was fun to do that for my kids.

My son's girlfriend brought me these chocolate kisses.

When I was a little girl, my father used to take us camping every summer for two glorious weeks. Oh, we had so much fun! But you know, we never had S'mores around the camp fire! Can you believe that? We roasted marshmallows and hot dogs but never ate S'mores. And even though my hubby spent a good deal of his childhood at the beach and did some camping too, he also never had S'mores.

On Valentine's Day, Hubby didn't want me to have to cook so he brought home Chinese food. One of these days, I would like to attempt to make my own Chinese food.

And guess what we had for dessert? You guessed it! We had S'mores! I wanted to do something fun instead of making an elaborate dessert. 

Valentine's Day usually includes candlelight and chocolate and we had both with the S'mores. 

I thought about throwing a blanket on the floor in front of the fire and having our S'mores there. But I'm not seventeen any more and my back wouldn't have appreciated it! So I set everything on the table.

Life is a journey, and love is what makes that journey worthwhile. ~ unknown

I got a nice big pillar candle out and I used my three tiered cake stand for the goodies to make the S'mores. Well, he was surprised! 

At first he thought we were having a fondue but I haven't had a fondue in years. When I told him we were having S'mores, he wasn't sure what that was. So, I showed him how to roast his marshmallow over the flame and put his S'more together. 

Hubby doesn't enjoy drinking from a teacup so I am using my Johnson Brothers mugs.

Tea is a time in which we were perfectly contented with ourselves and one another. ~ Charles Dickens

We had so much fun roasting our marshmallows and smushing them between the graham wafers with a piece of chocolate bar.

There was a sweet surprise in this little package; a heart pendant. Hubby had left it tucked in alongside the tiered stand.

A few times, the marshmallows got a bit crisp but I like them that way. As a kid roasting marshmallows, I tended to burn mine a bit because I liked them all gooey inside.

The supreme happiness of life is the conviction that we are loved. ~ Victor Hugo

I have to thank Margie for my coming up with this idea. About a month ago, she had shared about a S'mores tea she and her co-workers had at work. I thought it would be fun to do that for Valentine's Day. 

Valentine's Day is also the perfect time to honour a dear friend, a parent, or your family. Spread the love around.

Love first came to us from the Father and because of His love, we are reaping the benefits of it.
Have a lovely week everyone!

courtesy of the internet

Sharing from my heart ~ Sandi

Rose Chintz and Tulips

Life is like a camera...
Focus on what's important
Capture the good times
Develop from the negatives
And if things don't work out
Take another shot. ~ unknown

Hello everyone! It has been very cold here on PEI. At the moment, the sun is shining brightly but the temperature is cold at minus twelve degrees Celsius and a wind chill of minus twenty-one. So, what does one do when it is too cold to venture outside? Well, one hunkers down inside with a cup of tea or coffee. 

It was one of those weeks when I didn't have a lot of energy so I didn't get a post ready until the weekend. Extreme temperatures play havoc with my body and I figured I had better get a picture of these pretty tulips before they start dropping their petals. 

They were the most gorgeous shade of pink in the beginning but after a few days, they have faded and they are opening up to resemble something else. Tulips this time of year are such a welcome sight because they bring a little touch of Spring into one's home.

Tea is to the body as music is to the soul. ~ Earlene Grey

Tea is on the menu today as well as some sugar plums I had frozen from Christmastime. My family loves them and I have a few left to nibble on.

I brought out my Johnson Brothers Rose Chintz as I haven't used it for tea time in a while. I have many pieces of the pattern now since my auntie gave me all of hers and I use it every day. I oftentimes use other teapots but the colour of the tulips goes so well with the pattern. 

The curtains are drawn most of the way today because the wind is howling outside and one can feel the cold just looking out the window.

Another angle I thought was pretty. Yes, I have eaten one cookie already!

Tomorrow, there will be another snow storm with twenty to thirty cm of snow. The older I get, the more I detest the wintertime. I try to enjoy it but it's not easy. 

When one is sitting around home a lot like I do, you tend to do a lot of over-thinking. I am housebound most of the time because of a medical condition but I try to keep my mind active. These are the times when I have to turn my mind over to thinking on the blessings in my life and not the negatives so much. I'll be honest, I find wintertime the hardest. So, I drink some hot tea, read a good book, watch a good movie, or listen to music. On a good day, I will have a friend over for company.  And I pray. 

I often pray when I'm doing the dishes. The warm sudsy water on my hands is soothing and whenever I pull up a piece of pretty china from the water, it makes me happy. That's why I think it's important to use pretty china. Don't leave it in the cupboard until a special occasion. Use it now; enjoy it! 
In my case, the Rose Chintz reminds me of warm summer days and whisks me back to my childhood when I visited my auntie. Anyone who has followed my blog for any length of time  knows the story of the Rose Chintz and how special it is to me. 

Someone once said that if you have something in your home that is not beautiful or useful, then it's best to get rid of it. This is why I use pretty china. It is beautiful, it is useful and it makes me happy. 

How about you? Do you have pretty china that makes you happy? Do you use it often or does it sit looking pretty in your cabinet?

I lead a simple life and I enjoy simple things. A sunny day, the laughter and love of family, a message from a grandchild letting you know they love you, etc... My life is not at all the way I thought it would be but it's the life I have been given and I thank God for it.

Sometimes you have to let go of the picture of what you thought life would be like and learn to find joy in the story you're living. ~ unknown

I am planning a special treat for Hubby on Thursday. I'll tell you about it next time.

Have a beautiful day, dear friends, and enjoy it to the fullest. Happy Valentines Day!

Sharing from my heart ~ Sandi