Faith Family Friends

Celebrating the Joy of Living & Home Making ~

Baking, Cooking, Decorating, Tea Time, and taking Inspiration from those I love and the world around me...

A sharing of my heart and my home from a Christian perspective

...with a wee bit of whimsy added.

Wednesday 30 September 2009

A Dessert and A Rooster For REDnesday!


Hello friends~ Today is Wednesday and that means it's another REDnesday with Sue over at It's A Very Cherry World!

A month or so ago, I participated in a Rooster Party and would you believe I am still coming across roosters in my home? I don't know how I ever overlooked this guy, but I did! He adorns the mega cup and saucer which holds this arrangement of flowers. He's kind of hard to see and that is why I forgot about him! The cup and saucer are both rimmed with our exciting colour- red. If you look closely, you will see some reds among the flowers too.

Also today, I would like to share a scrumptious dessert I made for Bible Study the other day; Chocolate Cake with Raspberry Sauce and whipped cream. I made the cake from scratch but you can always use a boxed mix. The red raspberry sauce is easy to make and if there is any left over, it is delicious on a homemade biscuit! My red paisley teapot and one of my red toile mugs made it into the picture too.
If you so desire, here's the recipe-

RASPBERRY SAUCE

2 cups frozen raspberries
1/2 cup white sugar
1 TBSP. cornstarch
1/8 tsp. salt
1/4 cup sugar

Heat the raspberries in a saucepan.
Add the 1/2 cup of sugar.
Bring to a boil and then add dry ingredients.
Cook until thick and clear. Chill.
Serve over cake and add a dollop of whipped cream.
Enjoy!


Thanks for stopping by and please visit Sue and all her red participants by clicking on the link or the REDnesday button on my sidebar. http://suelovescherries.blogspot.com/ Have a wonderful day everybody!



Sharing from my heart~ Sandi

Tuesday 29 September 2009

A Friendship Award

Good afternoon everyone~ The other day my friend Charlotte at Charlotte's Weblog http://char72.wordpress.com/ was giving away this darling Friendship Award to all of her bloggy friends and since I am one of her friends, I gratefully accepted it!
Thank you, Charlotte! Charlotte was one of the first people to befriend me when I first started to blog so I have a special place for her in my heart.

This weekend, I have a very big day coming up and since all my faithful Followers are the ones who have made this possible, I would like to pass this award on to all of you. So, if you are a Follower of my blog, please accept this award and know that I appreciate every one of you!

Sharing from my hear~ Sandi

Monday 28 September 2009

Blue Monday


Good morning everyone~ It's Blue Monday and I want to thank Sally for hosting again this week.
I have a few blues for you today. I will start with Hubby's medals that he won for running races and marathons. They are red, white, and blue. He ran for a few years and then got into weight lifting which he is still into. He is in great shape!
He had also won a few ribbons; among those there are some blue ones, but I can't find them.These are the medals that my grandsons Cameron and Brent won in soccer this past summer. Again in blue and white. Sorry I don't have any pictures of them wearing the medals. They were so cute!Then there is this wall plaque which is above the door in the office. It is one of my hubby's favourite verses from the Bible. When we lived in New Brunswick, we had lead an adult bible study on Sundays evenings after the service and when we were leaving the province to move to Prince Edward Island, one of the things they presented us with was this plaque. It brings back fond memories whenever we look at it! It is blue also.
"Be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind." Romans 12:2 is the text written on it.


Thank you for visiting today and please make your way over to Sally's to see all the other blue offerings today. Click on the Blue Monday button on my sidebar or the link http://smilingsally.blogspot.com/ Have a wonderful week everyone.

Sharing from my heart~ Sandi

Saturday 26 September 2009

Spiritual Sundays

Hello dear Friends~ Today I was going to share a poem with you but I ran across this devotional and thought I would share it instead. The reason being, I am astonished at the number of believers in the Church today who have gotten their focus on to worldly things instead of heavenly things. I have been guilty of this myself! We are busy seeking after those things which shall pass away. I think this devotional puts it very plainly where our focus should be.


I'd rather have Jesus than silver or gold;
I'd rather be His than have riches untold;
I'd rather have Jesus than anything
This world affords today. - Miller

It seems there are two kinds of people in this world: those who have an eternal perspective and those who are occupied with the present.
One is absorbed with the permanent; the other with the passing. One stores up treasure in heaven; the other accumulates it here on earth. One stays with a challenging marriage because this isn't all there is; another looks for happiness in another mate, believing this life is all there is. One is willing to suffer poverty, hunger, indignity, and shame because of "the glory which shall be revealed" {Romans 8:18}; another believes that happiness is being rich and famous. It's all a matter of perspective.
Abraham had an "other world" perspective. That's what enabled him to give up a piece of well-watered land by the Jordan.{Gen. 13}. He knew that God had something better for him later on. The Lord told him to look in every direction as far as he could see and then said that his family would someday have it all. What a land grant! And God promised that his descendants would be as numerous "as the dust."{v.16}
That's an outlook many people can't understand. They go for all the gusto right now. But God's people have another point of view. They know that God has something better later on!- David Roper

"I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us. - ROMANS 8:18

Thank you Charlotte and Ginger for hosting another Spiritual Sundays. I hope everyone visiting my blog today will take a few moments to visit these ladies and the other participants found here http://bloggerspirit.blogspot.com/ You may also click the Spiritual Sundays button on my sidebar to go to the website. There, I know you will be encouraged and prayed for.

The Lord bless you all.

Sharing from my heart~ Sandi

Pink Saturday

Hello and Happy Pink Saturday to you all!
Autumn is in full swing now and I'm thinking about Christmas which is the norm for me this time of year. I am making plans for decorating, what to bake this year, and of course, presents.

So, in keeping with this line of thinking, I would like to share this from last year's holiday season.
My pink toile angel and a glittery pink candle centerpiece. The lamp is pink too but no longer has a place in the living room. It now lights up the family room.

Now on to today's pinks ~
Two pink apple mugs which were a gift from a secret sister once upon a time.

A tiny rocking chair with a pink fabric throw on it, accompanied by a tiny straw hat.
Lastly, my dried hydrangeas courtesy of Carolyn at Aiken House and Gardens http://warrengrovegardens.blogspot.com/ They are just starting to turn pink. You can see a tint of pink among these exquisite blossoms. Aren't they beautiful? I just love them!Thank you Carolyn! If you haven't already visited Carolyn, then please do; you will be pleasantly surprised! She is a wonderful gardener and homemaker and she possesses a great eye for detail.
Thank you for joining me today. Please go on over to see Beverly and her party of pinkies for today's offerings of this luscious colour. Just click on the link http://howsweetthesound.typepad.com/my_weblog/ or the Pink Saturday button on my sidebar. Enjoy your weekend everybody!

Sharing from my heart ~ Sandi

Wednesday 23 September 2009

REDnesday and White Wednesday

Good morning everyone~ I am joining Sue at "It' A Very Cherry World" for REDnesday. Nothing very exciting today, just a few things in the office.
Our son Jordan gave his father this bobbly-headed Steve Yzerman for Christmas last year. Hubby is a Detroit Red Wings fan so he loved the ornament! This has a place in the office.

Also in the office is this wonderful old can which holds pens, pencils, markers, you name it.

And there is this old red sports car pencil sharpener which had belonged to one of our boys. We have kept it and yes, it still works! And what is a pencil sharpener without a red pencil?Thank you Sue for hosting REDnesday and please go check out the other reds today at http://suelovescherries.blogspot.com/


I am also joining Kathleen today for "White Wednesday" at Faded Charm for the first time. Those who have been following my blog may have seen some the whites before so I hope you will forgive me for showing them again! Some of these are metal and some are wood. Some I have painted and others came painted white and distressed already which is a look I love.
This is a chippy white painted lantern in my little garden.The bird was a brown rusty colour and I sprayed him white and did some distressing. He looks much better.
This is my Eiffel Tower which has been in my home for several years. It was a brown metal and I painted it white just a week ago. It looks better too.
This was a black wrought iron and I painted it.

The little metal table had been in our home for over thirty years and it had always been black, which I painted white about four years ago!

This is one of my favourites! My rooster was a brown metal and I painted him white. He looks so much more handsome and he knows it!The lantern and the little birdhouse above both came in white.
The white coffee table had been a dark brown walnut which I painted about three years ago. It had been in our home for over thirty years also. It looks so much nicer painted white and distressed. A close up of the leg.Lastly, is the plaster pedestal in the living room which I use as a plant stand. I've had it for a good many years too.

Well, I hope you enjoyed my whites. Thank you Kathleen for hosting White Wednesday. Please click on the link http://fadedcharmcottage.blogspot.com/ to go visit her and the other participants. Have a wonderful day everybody.

Sharing from my heart~ Sandi

Saturday 19 September 2009

Spiritual Sundays

Hello Friends ~ As I was pondering what to share today, I happened to pick up Oswald Chamber's book, "My Utmost for His Highest," and I opened it up to a certain page where a paragraph jumped out at me! It is something I've often wondered about.
Take my hubby for instance.... Before he knew the Lord, he was a happy go lucky guy who never seemed to let too much bother him. He was always in good humor and he rarely if ever lost his temper. He was very charming, friendly, and everyone, or almost everyone liked him. One would never guess that he had a need in his life. Yet, when the time came for him to make a decision for Christ, he did it because he became aware of the void in his life and nothing or no one could fill it but his Creator. It was only after his initial response to salvation that he realized just how much he needed God. Nothing could fill the void like his Creator. The wonderful traits of my hubby's personality took on a new depth. He was happier and enjoyed life even more than he did before. But it also made him acutely aware that there were others who were lost. When he stands in the pulpit, leads a Bible Study, or talks one on one with someone who is searching for answers, he becomes sharply intent on getting the message of the cross across to those who need salvation.
Yes, he is a different man today. He is a better man!

"......People want the blessing of God, but they can't stand something that pierces right through to the heart of the matter. If you are sensitive to God's way, your message as His servant will be merciless and insistent, cutting to the very root. Otherwise, there will be no healing. We must drive the message home so forcefully that a person cannot hide, but must apply its truth. Deal with people where they are, until they begin to realize their true need. Then hold high the standard of Jesus for their lives..... Thousands of people in this world profess to be happy without God. But if we could be truly happy and moral without Jesus, then why did He come? He came because that kind of happiness and peace is only superficial. Jesus Christ came to 'bring....a sword.' through every kind of peace that is not based on a personal relationship with Himself."
~ Oswald Chambers

"I did not come to bring peace but a sword." Matthew 10:34


Please join Charlotte and Ginger and the other participants at Spiritual Sundays to be refreshed and inspired. There, you will find poetry, stories, songs, and testimonies of the goodness of God. Perhaps you will have some questions answered! Click on the link http://bloggerspirit.blogspot.com/ or the Spiritual Sundays button on my sidebar. God bless you and have a wonderful weekend.

Sharing from my heart ~ Sandi

Pink Saturday

"Happy Pink Saturday" Good morning and welcome to my blog. Today we are celebrating pink again; a soft, dreamy, feminine colour which always makes a 'girly' statement.
Beverly, I thank you for hosting this event again today and I hope you will all go pay her a visit and the other pink participants too. Simply click on the link http://howsweetthesound.typepad.com/my_weblog/ or the Pink Saturday button on my sidebar.
This week, I would like to introduce you to Patricia at "Coquettish Fleur." She has a wonderful blog with many vintage touches. Please go check her out today at http://coquettishfleur.blogspot.com/
Today I have a couple of pinks for you~

This past week, a friend and I went down to The Old General Store in Murray River, a small town on the Island. They have all sorts of wonderful things at the store and lo and behold, I found this! A Coventry Garden Tea-for-One set and it was 30% off!
I had gotten the matching handled plate down there last year, and I was thrilled to find the Tea-for-one set there also! I found the matching round scalloped plate at the hospital gift shop. I love this pattern! I am collecting these little tea-for-one sets and now I have three of them. Many folks when they come to visit me, like to have different teas. So, I thought it would be a nice idea to serve tea in their own little teapot.






Love this little silver one with the white flowers on it!

Next door to the Old General Store is another shoppe where they sell all kinds of merchandise; carvings, ornaments, rocks, jewellery, etc. My friend can't wear jewelery with any metal on it except gold and at this store, they make a necklace for you using only a leather cord and the stone of your choice. She bought three necklaces for herself and she treated me to this one, a pretty polished pink stone on a brown cord. You can adjust the cord as long or short as you like.
Thank you for stopping by today. Please make your way over to visit all the other pinkies and have a wonderful Pink Saturday weekend!

Sharing from my heart ~ Sandi