No Place Like Home # 2

November comes and November goes,

With the last red berries And the first white snows.

With night coming early, and dawn coming late,

And ice in the bucket And frost by the gate.

And the fires burn And the kettles sing,

And earth sinks to rest Until next spring. ~ Clyde Watson

Welcome dear friends! It is the last day of November, and it is also week two of No Place Like Home! I was very pleased to have you all participate last week. We had a nice number of links to make it interesting.

I have been busy baking, decorating, and taking care of things around the house with my hubby home. 

I have both my fruit cakes made now. I always feel a great sense of accomplishment when I get them made because they are a lot of work. One is light and the other is dark, both heirloom recipes from my two grandmothers. Neither one has nuts in it. I'm glad the recipe doesn't call for nuts because I cannot eat them any longer and to be honest, I don't nuts in a fruit cake any way. If you would like the recipe for the light cake or Sultana as it is really called, you may click the link and it will take you to a post where I have shared the recipe. Sultana Fruit Cake

Pieces of the cakes will be on their way to the States and out west to my family who live away.

My little tree in the living room is finished and I just have to finish the main tree in the family room. I really do need to categorize everything in the totes after this year. We have so many totes, and some are just filled with stuff I will probably never use again. Time to purge! 

I still have things from when we were first married, like the little turquoise drum below. I will never part with that one because too many memories are attached to it. I'm sure you all have ornaments like that.

My children all play instruments, including the drums. Actually our youngest played all the  percussion instruments so it is nice to have a drum on the little Tree of Memories. This tree is decorated in pink, teal, white and silver, as well as some delicate glass ornaments.

 

This is the tree at dusk with a little sparkly village nestled beneath the branches.

I am using this wreath I made a few years ago to decorate the patio doors in the dining area.

Christmas is such a busy time but oh, the joy and merriment it brings! How are all your preparations coming along?

Gifts of time and love are surely the basic ingredients of a truly merry Christmas. ~ Peg Bracken

I am delighted to have you join me today. If you have something to share, simply let me know in a comment and I will add your blog to the list of participants. I will be happy to come and visit you. 

Please share any of the following: Cooking and baking, recipes, antiquing, artwork, ceramics, crafts, crocheting/knitting, quilting/sewing, collections, floral arranging, home decor, homemaking tips, hospitality, refinishing furniture, tea time, tablescapes, thrift shopping etc....Maybe there's a new baby in the family or you have a new fur baby you would like to introduce us to. They are welcome too! Anything and everything which makes your HOME more enjoyable to come HOME to, for your family, your friends, and yourself.

My participants

Linda

Deanna

Amy

Kitty

Margie

Brenda

 Jocelyn

Mrs. T

Thelma

Barbara

Ellen B

Lorrie

Sharing from my heart ~ Sandi

Welcome to No Place Like Home Party!

HOME is where MEMORIES are made and TRADITIONS are created. ~ unknown

Hello dear ladies, and welcome to my NO PLACE LIKE HOME party! I am a little late getting started because we had an emergency a couple of weeks ago but all is well now and Hubby is recovering nicely. God is so good!!

I know my American friends are busy as beavers getting ready for Thanksgiving but I know that many of you are also decorating for the Holidays.

I have all my trees up but not decorated yet. I'm just getting started really but I do have the ribbon on the main tree in the family room.

Hubby got me this little red truck ornament this year and I'm so happy to have one. I have been on the lookout for a couple of years for one. I think it is adorable! The tree is loaded into the back of the truck and on its way home for a very Merry Christmas for the family.

I love getting a new ornament every year. How about you?

The big tree will be decorated with mainly red and gold, but many of my treasures will be on the tree as well which is why I call my trees, Memory Trees. This is a sneak peek...Big, beautiful red hydrangeas {with a touch of sparkle} and a sparkly gold ribbon is adorning the tree at the moment.

 

From home to home, and from heart to heart, from one place to another, the warmth and joy of Christmas brings us closer to each other. ~ Emily Matthews

I am delighted to have you join me today! If you have something to share, simply let me know in a comment and I will add your blog to the list of participants. I am looking forward to all of your shares.

Please share any of the following: Cooking and baking, recipes, antiquing, artwork, ceramics, crafts, crocheting/knitting, quilting/sewing, collections, floral arranging, home decor, homemaking tips, hospitality, refinishing furniture, tea time, tablescapes, thrift shopping etc....Maybe there's a new baby in the family or you have a new fur baby you would like to introduce us to. They are welcome too! Anything and everything which makes your HOME more enjoyable to come HOME to, for your family, your friends, and yourself.

* PS~ I am having trouble linking your posts. The new Blogger interface is making it very difficult. Some links I am having no trouble with and others are very challenging. So, please be patient.

Party Participants -

Kitty

Ellen B

Lorrie

Pamela

Michele

Jocelyn

Margie

Sandi

Sandi

Deanna

Jean

Mrs. T

Thelma

Linda

Amy 

Maristella

Cherie

Debbie

Schotzy

Sharing from my heart ~ Sandi

No Place Like Home Is A Go!

Good morning ladies! I am very pleased and relieved to tell you that my hubby is doing well and they have him on meds and off work for a while. So, I think/pray he will be alright. Thank you all so much for your prayers! They really helped both of us and our family. Prayer is powerful and it changes things! 

You know, I really am grateful for all of you. This Blogland of ours is like a little community where we all care and share. A blogger friend once told me that there are times when she thinks this group of friends is her only true circle of friends. We don't know each other in person but we may actually know each other better than our real life circle of friends and family members, because we allow ourselves to dream here and play and share with others. She believes the person we show here is the real person we truly are inside. She makes a very good point.

Now that I know my hubby is going to be alright, I will go ahead with the No Place Like Home party. Bless you all for wanting to be a part of it. I know we are all very busy and it is about to get busier, but this is also a safe way to visit one another and say "Hello" as well as get some wonderful inspiration from our friends.

We all have so much to share, and you all have unique gifts that we look forward to having a peek at from the safety of our homes. 

So, I will get the party rolling on Monday, November 23. Like other years, everything pertaining to Home is welcome... Cooking and baking, recipes, antiquing, arts and crafts, crocheting/knitting, quilting/sewing, collections, floral arranging, home decor, homemaking tips, hospitality, refinishing furniture, tea time, tablescapes, thrift shopping, etc....Maybe there's a new baby in the family or you have a new fur baby you would like to introduce us to. They are welcome too! Anything and everything which makes your HOME more enjoyable to come HOME to, for your family, your friends, and yourself. 

If you wish to participate, simply leave me a comment on Monday's post stating that you would like to participate. I will go visit you and add your name and blog site to my participants at the bottom of each post. Let's have some fun, and I'll see you on Monday, the 23rd! Have a lovely weekend, everyone!

Sharing from my heart ~ Sandi

Prayer for My Hubby!

Happy Friday, dear friends! 

I was planning to begin my No Place Like Home party on Monday, November 16,  but we have had a bit of an emergency here this week.

My sweet hubby took a stroke on Tuesday and needless to say, I have been shaken by it. He has always been in excellent health so this is a major shock to our family. Please lift him and our family up in prayer. I will try to get back to blogging soon. Thank you so much for your friendship and your prayers. Hopefully all will be well and I will be back soon. The Lord bless you all!

Sharing from my heart~ Sandi

An Early Snow, A Party, and Some Good News.

Every second brings a fresh beginning,

Every hour holds a new promise,

Every night our dreams can bring hope and 

Every day is what you make it. ~ author unknown

Good morning, bloggerettes! I hope you all enjoyed your weekend!

I got up the other morning, to see this white stuff on the ground. A little disheartening and far too early!

On November 4, we got up to see this. This is PEI in the Autumn. It has since melted but...Winter settles in too early and this is why there are so many snowbirds heading south every Autumn. I often wish I could join them!

The positive is that it brightens up the landscape.

As I mentioned already, I am considering hosting another NO PLACE LIKE HOME party between now and Christmas. If you are interested, please let me know in a comment. I would like at least ten participants before I commit to it. I will use the same format as last year so it will be a little more work doing it this way and I have to make it worthwhile.

Tea time is in red and white today because of the flowers. I love the red Gerber daisy.

The teapot is Valencia and the teacup is Mason's Vista of England. 

The muffins are bran muffins fresh from the oven. Most of my recipes you can find on my sidebar. Just print what you are looking for in the "search this blog." 

I went looking for some specific items for decorating this year. Our main tree will be in the family room this year so I wanted some red poinsettias, roses, gold mercury glass ornaments, a wide wired gold metallic ribbon as well as some gingham red and white.

The red and white ribbon is pretty but it is not exactly what I wanted. I will probably use it for something else.

  

I did find the red poinsettias but the roses were too small so I got hydrangeas instead. I have been into Michaels three times but merchandise is slim pickings this year. 

The stores are having trouble getting inventory, so I will have to make do with what I have. The poinsettias are flocked with just a bit of red sparkle on the edges. They are large and quite pretty! The hydrangeas are lovely too with just a touch of sparkle here and there on the petals. 

Happiness is a gift and the trick is not to expect it, but to delight in it when it comes. ~ Charles Dickens

I have some incredible news which I am allowed to share with you now. I had mentioned a few weeks ago that I had had some news from my son who lives out on the west coast. He has been offered a wonderful opportunity by the company he works for and he is going to be transferred to the east coast which is where we live. He and his family will be moving to my previous hometown in New Brunswick and they will be only two hours away from us. He will be very busy overseeing all four Atlantic provinces but that also includes the Island so whenever he comes over here on business, we will get to have a visit. But any weekend or holiday we can see them too. My youngest grandchildren will be closer to us and that includes my only granddaughter who is nine. Needless to say, we are over the moon excited about this! 

 

Twenty-one years ago our son left home to go out west to Bible College. He spent some time in the Ministry but left it for another vocation. Since then, I have been praying that he and his family might eventually move back this way. Just last year, I had given up hope when he told me that they were probably going to stay out there. Of course, I was very disappointed, but I just accepted that it must be the Lord's will for them. Now it appears that my prayer is being answered after all. 

They are hoping to move east in May, but the threat of a second wave of Covid could put a hold on things. So, I am praying that the second wave will not be as bad as they predict, for so many reasons, and my west coast family can move home sooner rather than later. 

The Atlantic Bubble is the safest place in North America to live right now and the sooner they can get here, the better. 

I am eternally grateful for this answer to prayer. God is an awesome God for he knew the cry of my heart and that of my son as well! I believe one must never give up on their hopes and dreams.

You can see by the photo, he is a big Cowboys fan! He just celebrated a birthday on Saturday.

His sweet little wife is a nurse and New Brunswick will be blessed to have her!

What a wonderful thought it is that some of the best days of our lives haven't happened yet. ~ Anne Frank

Thank you for visiting today and be sure to leave a comment if you would like to party with me. Have a delightful week everyone!

Sharing from my heart ~ Sandi