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.

Sunday 31 March 2013

Happy Easter, Dear Friends!


Good morning dear bloggy friends and Happy Easter! 




He is risen!

"I serve a risen Saviour; He's in the world today.
I know that He is living, whatever men may say.
I see His hand of mercy; I hear His voice of cheer;
And just the time I need Him,
He's always near.

He lives, He lives!
Christ Jesus lives today!
He walks with me and talks with me
along life's narrow way.
He lives, He lives,
Salvation to impart!
You ask me how I know He lives?
He lives within my heart."
~ Alfred H. Ackley, 1887-1960 



Sharing from my heart~ Sandi

Friday 29 March 2013

Good Friday

Hello dear bloggy friends~ I hope you are all enjoying this sacred day, Good Friday.

It is a day that I like to reflect upon and give thanks for the greatest gift ever given and if it wasn't for His sacrifice, I wouldn't be who I am today. Thank you, Lord!



"See, from His head, His hands, His feet,
Sorrow and love flow mingled down;
Did e'er such love and sorrow meet,
Or thorns compose so rich a crown?" ~ Issac Watts


Happy Easter!

Sharing from my heart ~ Sandi

Wednesday 27 March 2013

HOME


"Home is a place you grow up wanting to leave, and grow old wanting to get back to." ~ John Ed Pearce
 
Welcome to my HOME, dear friends!

What a wonderful variety of posts we enjoyed last week. I was hard pressed to choose some favourites but a few really caught my eye.


Lizy @ Just Dip It In Chocolate created the cutest Caterpillar Spring wreath. Love the tiny flower pots she used.



Janet @ Rosemary - Thyme shared her exquisite orange sour cream pound cake adorned with an assortment of lovely roses. Mmm!


Bernideen @ Bernideen's Tea Time Blog set an adorable tea table filled with bunnies and beautiful pansy china. So whimsical!


Eileen @ The Art of Living Beautifully shared her beautiful tulips. Aren't they a gorgeous colour?



This is the Winter that doesn't want to go away. So what does one do? Well, we bring out our pastels and pretties and attempt to bring a bit of springtime into our homes. 

Now that I'm starting to feel better I am itching to do some Spring decorating. Last year I created these hydrangea topiaries and matching wreath for my fireplace mantel. I am sharing them with you today because I know many of you have not seen them before.

 
 
They were a lot of work but worth it. Fluffy hydrangeas and sparkly butterflies bring a softness and springtime prettiness to my mantel.
 

 


 
 
I am still debating whether or not to paint my mirror. 
 
 
 
If you would like to know how I created them please go here to check them out.

Do you have something HOME related you would like to share? Just create a post around it and link up with me. Everyone is welcome!

Wishing you all a Happy and Blessed Easter.




"For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish, but have eternal life." ~ John 3:16


As a courtesy, please link back to me so that your visitors may find their way here to visit with all my lovely participants.

I am joining the following parties as well~

Homemaking Link Up ~ http://www.hopeineveryseason.com/
Share Your Cup Thursday~ http://jannolson.blogspot.com/
Cottage Style Linky Party~ http://lavendergardencottage.blogspot.com/
Tutorials Tips and Tidbits ~ http://www.stonegableblog.com/
Home Sweet Home~ http://thecharmofhome.blogspot.com/
Open House~ http://bernideensteatimeblog.blogspot.com/


Sharing from my heart~ Sandi

Monday 25 March 2013

Tea With Friends For Tea Time Tuesday


"Come and share a pot of tea, My home is warm and my friendship's free." ~ 'If Teacups Could talk'- Emilie Barnes

Hello dear friends and welcome for tea. I want to thank you all for the wonderful turn-out we had last week at my Spring Tea Party. It was a delightful week visiting all your springtime posts.



This week I am having Tea With Friends
I have met so many wonderful ladies here in blogland and so many of you are especially thoughtful! Thank you for your on-going friendship and your prayers; I am starting to feel better.

So today's tea is all about friendship and teacups.

A few months ago, I featured a teacup that Deb @ Just Cats sent me just because I thought it was pretty. Then a few weeks ago, she had a Giveaway and I won! It arrived in this pretty box along with a sweet card and some Camomile tea. Thank you, Deb!


Isn't this teacup sweet? She is vintage and she features gold trim on the handle and foot with a lovely stippled gold gilded edge. Delightful sprays of pink roses and blue flowers adorn both the cup and the saucer. She also has a lovely spray of posies just inside the cup, something lovely to look at while sipping your favourite tea.


Her name is Roslyn Moss Rose fine bone china, made in England by Reid and & Co. Longton, Staffordshire Potteries, dated 1937- 46. This design was later used from 1947 by Royal Albert.


A few months ago, Nancy @ Two Cottages and Tea sent me one of her teacups because I had the mate to it and she wanted me to have it. Unfortunately I couldn't find any info on it.
This teacup is a lovely shade of blue encircled with pink roses and it is a Colclough also made in England. Aren't these teacups beautiful all stacked together?


"The daintiness and yet elegance of a china teacup focuses one to be gentle, to think warmly and to feel close." ~ Carol & Malcolm Cohen

You will notice a lovely card in the background. It too was sent to me by one of my tea friends. She created it herself and sent it just to let me know she was thinking of me. I love it!



Over the past several months, friends have sent me an assortment of tea. I feel so blessed! Today I am enjoying Bigelow Eggnogg'n tea sent to me by one of my tea friends and it is delicious!

"Our friendship is like a pot of tea...
a special blend of you and me." ~ Author unknown

Hubby surprised me with the lovely roses.



And the teacups are basking in their loveliness.



Happiness is sharing tea with friends.



"Tea is a hug in a cup." ~ Author unknown


Speaking of friends, there is no other better Friend than the Lord Jesus who took upon Himself the sins of the world so we could have a new life and spend eternity with Him. Only believe!
This Easter let us all remember the sacrifice He made for us and thank Him for His most extravagant gift.

Happy Easter dear friends!

"He was wounded for our transgressions, He was bruised for our iniquities, the chastisement of our peace was upon Him; and with His stripes we are healed." ~ Isaiah 53:5



Do you have a special teacup you would like to share? Perhaps you have a lovely teapot or coffee mug you would like to share with us. We would love to see it. Just create a post around it and link up with me and I will be happy to come and visit you.

I am delighted you have stopped by for tea today! Your presence always makes my tea party that much more special and I am happy to see all your tea things, whether you have shared them before or not. This tea party is all about sharing your joy of tea time and any thoughts you might have on the subject. You may be as creative, fancy, or as laid back with your tea time as you wish!

If you wish, you may do coffee instead of tea or the following is acceptable too: Hot Apple Cider, Hot Chocolate, Lemonade, Iced Tea or iced coffee, or Punch in a lovely bowl.

I am joining the following parties as well~

A Return to Loveliness ~ http://www.adelightsomelife.com/
Tea Cup Tuesday~ http://artfulaffirmations.blogspot.com/
Tea Cup Tuesday ~ http://www.marthasfavorites.com/
Tuesday Cuppa Tea~ http://antiquesandteacups.blogspot.com/
Friends Sharing Tea ~ http://bernideensteatimeblog.blogspot.com/
Homemaking Link Up ~ http://www.hopeineveryseason.com/
Home and Garden Thursday ~ http://www.adelightsomelife.com/
Share Your Cup Thursday~ http://jannolson.blogspot.com/
Cottage Style Linky Party~ http://lavendergardencottage.blogspot.com/
Home Sweet Home~ http://thecharmofhome.blogspot.com/


Sharing from my heart~ Sandi

Wednesday 20 March 2013

HOME



"Home, the spot of earth supremely blest,
A dearer, sweeter spot than all the rest." ~ Robert Montgomery

Hello my lovely friends and welcome to my HOME!

Yay! Spring is finally here! Too bad Winter didn't realize it. We have a big snow storm barreling across our little Island today and it's dumping a great deal of snow on us. But tomorrow is supposed to be sunny so we will enjoy our first of Spring tomorrow.

You wouldn't believe the obstacles I encountered trying to get this post up and running today! Worst of all, Linky wouldn't co-operate with me either but I finally got it. I contemplated canceling my HOME party this week but I know some of you really enjoy it.

I try not to share too much personal information on here because we all have our troubles and my desire is to keep my blog as uplifting and happy as possible. However, many of you have been wondering how I am feeling. Well, as many of you know, I am suffering with a great deal of back pain. 

The MRI showed that I have two herniated disks and they are pressing on the nerves which go into my hip and down my leg into my foot. I had my first physio therapy session yesterday and was all done in when I got home.
The good news is, my therapist is hopeful that he can get me fixed up so I won't have to have surgery. I pray he is right!
Then my darling son and DIL dropped in for a visit so I didn't get a chance to create this post until this morning. Therefore, I don't have anything new to share with you.

So, I will share a few pictures from my Spring Tea this week as well as a few features. I hope you enjoy them. My tea friends have already seen the tea party photos but many of you haven't.

I love this wee bird's nest my son found for me! It will be nesting season very shortly.


A stack of teacups ready to sip tea from.


We had fairy cakes with our tea.


And here is my Spring Tea table.


"Where thou art - that - is Home." ~ Emily Dickinson


The following posts received the most views last week.  Congratulations, ladies!

Penny's Vintage Home shared her lovely Hoosier Desk. I love her  collection of white ware and isn't that little lamb adorable!



Selep Imaging  shared a beautiful collection of vintage lace. Really lovely! I adore lace.

vintage lace rose

I usually don't pick favourites but there were two posts which captured my attention...

Linda @ The French Hens Nest shared her fabulous collection of blue transferware which was a gift from a good friend; a very good friend indeed! 



And Debbie @ Debbie-Dabble shared her adorable Easter tree. You must see her collection of cute bunnies and a childhood basket which she brings out every year. 



Thank you dear friends for visiting and thank you for being patient with me as well as for your prayers. You are all so kind.

Happy Spring!

 


Sharing from my heart ~ Sandi

Monday 18 March 2013

"Savour the Moment" Springtime Tea

"Love and friendship are the best sweeteners of tea." ~ Author unknown




Welcome dear friends to Tea Time Tuesday's, "Savour the Moment" Springtime Tea Party!

I hope you all had a lovely weekend and your week is off to a great start. It doesn't look much like Spring outside right now with the fresh blanket of snow we received last night but Spring is coming!

"No matter how long the winter, Spring is sure to follow." ~ Proverb

I am in love with springtime and I savour every moment! All of nature is waiting in anticipation for what is to come...

It is a glorious season of renewal and soon the songbirds will be back and I look forward to hearing their birdsong in the trees behind our home. Another thing I especially enjoy is the sound of the spring peepers singing.
Soon bright flowers will be putting on a show in their beds and the grass will turn green. The trees will be showing off their lacy boughs and bees and butterflies will be flying about.
You know Spring is here when you see new lambs skipping about in the fields and the cattle are grazing again. It's a wondrous season and I thank God for it. 

Now, I invite you to my table.



Springtime means the birdies will be nesting. Eggs snuggle up in the wee bird's nest my son found for me.

Under the cloche, I have my Lady Carlyle, Serena, and Princess teacups waiting for the Victoria Garden tea to steep. 


I am using my Sadler teapot today which I won in a giveaway from my friend Wendy at Once Upon A Rose Garden. It is covered with lovely Spring flowers and appropriately, is called Spring Crocus.


This time of year, one also thinks of wee chicks and bunnies as well as colourful Easter eggs.



Cup cakes or fairy cakes go well with tea.


My Serena teacup holds one of the fairy cakes. I must confess that Hubby had to get the cakes at the grocery store because I'm still not up to baking.



My Violets teacup also holds a cake. The frosting is piped on in pink and white with bits of lavender.  These fairy cakes have a surprise inside; a lovely strawberry jam. Perfect for fairies and tea friends.




"When the first baby laughed for the first time, its laugh broke into a thousand pieces, and they all went skipping about, and that was the beginning of fairies." ~ J.M. Barrie- Peter Pan





Now let's enjoy some tea, shall we? This tea is a ceylon black tea with china green gunpowder, vanilla, rose and lavender flowers. Lovely!





Thank you for coming to tea today. Your presence always makes it that much more special. A Happy Spring to you!   


"For flowers that bloom about our feet;
For tender grass so fresh and sweet;
For song of bird and hum of bee;
For all things fair we hear and see,
Father in heaven, we thank Thee!" ~ Ralph Waldo Emerson


Do you have a favourite teacup/teapot or mug that you would like to share with us today? I would love to see it and I'm sure others would too!
If you wish, you may do coffee instead of tea or the following is acceptable too:
Hot Apple Cider, Hot Chocolate, Lemonade, Iced Tea or iced coffee, or punch in a lovely bowl.

As a courtesy, please link back to me so that your visitors may find their way here to visit with all my lovely participants.

I am joining the following parties as well~
A Return to Loveliness ~ http://www.adelightsomelife.com/
Tea Cup Tuesday~ http://artfulaffirmations.blogspot.com/
Tea Cup Tuesday ~ http://www.marthasfavorites.com/
Tuesday Cuppa Tea~ http://antiquesandteacups.blogspot.com/
Friends Sharing Tea ~ http://bernideensteatimeblog.blogspot.com/
Share Your Cup Thursday~ http://jannolson.blogspot.com/
Cottage Style Linky Party~ http://lavendergardencottage.blogspot.com/
Home Sweet Home~ http://thecharmofhome.blogspot.com/
Pink Saturday ~ http://howsweetthesound.typepad.com/my_weblog/



Sharing from my heart~ Sandi

Wednesday 13 March 2013

HOME


"Home is where the heart can laugh without shyness. Home is where the heart's tears can dry at their own pace." ~ Vernon Baker


Hello dear bloggy friends and welcome to my HOME where you are invited to share anything pertaining to your home.

With Spring just a few days away, I thought I would share a few of my bird houses with you. I have bird houses throughout my home because I find they lend a sense of charm to one's environment. I also love our little feathered friends. Most of my bird houses are painted white although I do have a few that are not. Today I will share some of those that are not white.  

These birdhouses greet you as you come in the back door. They are both covered with a toile fabric. I love them!


The little white birdie was once an ugly brown and mustard yellow. I gave him a coat of white and he looks much happier.


This bird house is Noah's ark complete with buttons and a birdhouse for the dove.



My last bird house is a little cottage with rockers on the front stoop. This one is special to me because it was painted for me by an artist friend for my birthday one year. Curtains and flower boxes adorn the windows while flower pots and bird houses grace the shelves out front above the rockers. Isn't it charming?




"People usually are the happiest at home." ~ William Shakespeare

Now I would like to share the top viewed posts from last week. Congrats everyone!

Bernideen received the most views with her beautiful Spring tea table upon which she shared her latest thrift finds. Simply charming!




Wanda Lee  set an array of lovely tea time treasures for friends to enjoy. Each vignette is a work of art.


Judy shared a charming post recalling memories of tea time with her beloved grandmother.  Heart warming!



I thought it interesting that all three posts were centered around tea. Must be that Spring is on its way.

Thank you for your visits and lovely comments every week. If you would like to share something, simply write a post and link up below. I will be happy to come and visit you. And to all of my Irish lovin friends, Happy St. Patrick's Day!


I am joining the following parties as well~

Home and Garden Thursday ~ http://www.adelightsomelife.com/
Share Your Cup Thursday~ http://jannolson.blogspot.com/
Cottage Style Linky Party~ http://lavendergardencottage.blogspot.com/
Home Sweet Home~ http://thecharmofhome.blogspot.com/
Open House~ http://bernideensteatimeblog.blogspot.com/

Sharing from my heart~ Sandi