A Time of Reflection

I'm so glad I live in a world where there are Octobers. ~ LM Montgomery - Anne of Green Gables

Happy Friday, dear friends! Please forgive me for not posting sooner. I have been so busy with appointments, company, and a delivery that I just couldn't find the time until now. 

I just finished making a big pot of chili for supper this evening and I decided to sit down and give you an update. 

I know some of you have probably wondered how we fared through Teddy, and the answer is, "Very well!" Thank you so much for your prayers and kind thoughts in regards to our safety. Teddy was a three compared to Dorian's nine last year. For that, we Islanders are so thankful! We received more rain than with Dorian but the winds were not as high therefore we were spared a lot of damage. Whew!

I am borrowing a couple of photos from my past postings because I did not have time to set up a tea this week. They reflect an Autumnal setting with the fruit and cheese.

I would like to share this reflection from one of my tea books. It is thought provoking and part of it is a quote from someone I have always admired. Have a marvellous weekend, everyone! 

"One of the ways in which we may experience true happiness is to "sip" from the supply of talents and abilities God gives us and use them to benefit others. "Sipping" doesn't require spending great amounts of time. Neither does it require extraordinary or professional helping skills."

Helen Keller, blind and deaf from the age of 19 months, had a remarkable sight when it came to viewing life's priorities. She said, "Many persons have a wrong idea about what constitutes true happiness. It is not attained through self-gratification, but through fidelity to a worthy purpose."

How miraculous it is that God has built an automatic measure of happiness into every act of self-sacrifice. Take a sip of happiness by serving others! - Excerpt from "Tea Time with God."

Sharing from my heart ~ Sandi

Changes, Surprises, and A God Thing

And all at once, Summer collapsed into Fall. ~ unknown

Good morning friends! Thank you for visiting today.

There is a change in the air. The songbirds are getting ready to fly south and I shall very much miss them. 

It's hard to believe Summer has come to an end.

We just cleaned out the last of our petunias for another year, and yesterday we drove out to the country to get some pumpkins for decorating. But we will wait until after Teddy before we arrange them.

It is still a little early but soon the leaves on the trees will turn colour, putting on their last show of the season. Somehow, this time of year always makes my hubby and me sad.

With that change however, comes a craving for more comfort food; hearty stews, spicy chili, and cheesey casseroles.

 

I made a rice pudding the other day for the first time in ages and it was so good! I oftentimes make a brown sugar sauce to pour over it. When we first moved to Prince Edward Island, we boarded with a lovely Christian lady and she always served her rice pudding this way. It was one of my favourite desserts, and I decided to serve it the same way when I grew up. She was a fantastic cook, much like my beloved grandmother. My family loves the pudding with the sauce on it!

This week, I felt like gingerbread cake and since I had all the ingredients in my kitchen, I made one. 

I am having a slice of cake with my cuppa today and I am using one of my favourite teapots from Hampstead which I found at the Anne of Green Gables Store a couple of years ago. Isn't she pretty?

My Aynsley teacup which looks lovely with the teapot.

Serenity is a solitary cup of tea; pleasure is sharing it with another. ~ Victoria magazine 

 

Mmm, a slice of warm gingerbread cake and fresh whipped cream.

 

My favourite roses; white with a hint of blush pink were in the store so Hubby got them for me. These roses of such a delicate colour always make me happy!

Two weeks ago, I received a surprise in the mail... 

We sometimes in life, meet people who leave footprints on our hearts. If we are really fortunate, these people become a part of our lives and continue to bless us. Such is the case of my daughter, Carina, who lives out on the west coast. Technically, she is my daughter-in-law, but I prefer to think of her as my daughter; the daughter of my heart!

Unknown to probably everyone, I have always wanted a gold pendant in the shape of the letter "J" that represented my three sons whose names all begin with the letter J.

Just recently, Carina saw a friend wearing a pendant that represented her three children whose names all began with the letter L. Carina decided she wanted to surprise me with a letter "J" pendant. 

How could she have known? She had no idea that I had always wanted one, and not only did she bless me with a gold pendant, {I prefer gold to silver jewelry}, she also got one with Swarovski crystals embedded in it. I also love bling! She shopped all over town with my little granddaughter until they found the right one. The gold chain she found in one store while the pendant itself came from a Swarovski store. Carina went to a lot of trouble to get this for me but it was also a fun outing for both mother and daughter.

 

The pendant couldn't be more perfect and they couldn't be more excited to bless me with it!

A beautiful card accompanied the gift. She has never done this before; just sending me something out of the blue, so I was and am delighted by her thoughtfulness! 

I am convinced this act of kindness was a God thing because He was the only one who knew I always wanted a pendant like this. He also knows how hard the past number of years have been for me, particularly this past year. I believe it was God who prompted Carina to gift me with this exquisite pendant because this is one of the ways He is letting me know He is with me and wants to bless me. He was the only one who knew how I was feeling and He delights in blessing His children. 

I simply had to share this with you. For anyone who is quietly suffering, the Lord knows how you are feeling, and He cares about you. It gives Him pleasure to bless His children.

Before I close, some of you may know that Hurricane Teddy is churning its way up towards us and is supposed to make landfall on Tuesday night into Wednesday. The Island and our neighbouring maritime provinces are still recovering from Dorian's devastation last September. The Island has also been hit very hard in our tourism industry because of the pandemic and we can't afford another catastrophe on top of that. If you think of us, would you please pray that Teddy will head off in another direction and spare us, or that this storm will be kinder than Dorian was? Thank you so much, and God bless you all and keep you and your loved ones safe! Big hugs to all my friends out there in blogland!

Sharing from my heart ~ Sandi