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.

Monday 30 May 2016

No Place Like Home

Home is where friendships are formed and families are grown;
Where joy is shared and true love is known;
Where memories are made and seeds of life are sown. 
This is the place that people call home. ~ Author unknown


Welcome to No Place Like Home and Happy Memorial Day to all my American friends! I hope everyone has had a lovely weekend.



I think some of you got the wrong message last week about my blog party.
I am not stopping the party for the summer months, only the features

The other day I set a table with some peach and coral pink teacups and I made a cake to enjoy with our tea. 

This Irish Tea Cake recipe came from Elizabeth at The Daisy Fields and it turned out wonderfully well. 



Add a dollop of whipped cream with some strawberry preserves and you have a simple but tasty dessert to enjoy with your beverage. If you missed that post simply click here to visit it.

Now, on to my features from last week's party. 
Last week's party served up a plethora of ideas, DIY's and recipes. They were all splendid and thank you so much for sharing. I am honoured that you linked up to my party. You are a wonderfully talented group of ladies!

With rhubarb season upon us, why not make up a batch of these wonderful Rhubarb Cinnamon muffins, a recipe shared by Thelma @ Thel's Kitchen.


Trisha @ American Honey Home shared her adorable pump house which she and her hubby decorated. Too cute!




Bernideen @ Bernideen's Tea Time, Cottage and Garden shared an old ladder decorated with birdhouses for her garden. I think this is adorable!

Carrie @ Teatime Journeys shared a lovely Tour of Italy Tea. Everything looked wonderful from her setting to the meal itself.



You all know how my heart goes pitter-pat for pretty china and red/pink transferware. Debbie @ Debbie-Dabble scored when she found these JB Old Britain Castles dishes while out thrifting.




Julie @ Julie's Lifestyle shared a delicious Salisbury Steak recipe. Yum!

And for dessert why not try making Elizabeth's Mini Wimbledon Cakes.

Congratulations everyone and thank you ladies for participating last week. 

As a courtesy, it would be nice if you would have a link back to my party. 

Now let's see what you are creating in your home to make it a cozy place to come home to for your family, your friends, and yourself. 


Lord, this humble house we'd keep 
Sweet with play and calm with sleep. 
Help us so that we may give 
Beauty to the lives we live. 
Let Thy love and let Thy grace 
Shine upon our dwelling place. - Edgar A. Guest



Sharing from my heart ~ Sandi

Friday 27 May 2016

Peaches and Cream and Cake

...almost before Anne realised it, spring had come again to Green Gables and all the world was abloom once more. ~ LM Montgomery, Anne of Green Gables


Hi everyone! Hope you all had a good week. Here on the Island, the trees are all leafing out and everything is so fresh and green. My favourite time of year, bar none, when the trees take on a lacy appearance! 

One day a few weeks ago I went into Home Sense and found this teacup. In the store it appeared to be a deep coral and it really caught my eye. I am trying not to buy any more teacups but this one I found tantalizing. I had never seen one this colour before and because I am quite struck on the colour coral, I brought it home. 



Only thing is, when I took it out of the shopping bag, it was no longer a deep coral. It looked more like pink coral. Those fluorescent lights fool you every time. No matter, I still think it is pretty. I like the little butterfly and flower inside the rim too. What do you think? Would you have brought her home?



It is such a rich colour trimmed in gold and look at her fancy saucer! I am not sorry I brought her home. The mark on the bottom says Meritage.

I brought out my Queen Anne in pink coral with her garland of golden leaves to keep her company. 


As well and my Royal Chelsea in peach with her bouquet of posies inside the cup. 




All three teacups are in the same colour group so I thought they would be pretty on my tea table today.








This cream and sugar set had been hiding for a couple of years and I finally found them. {Found my Christmas teapot too. :-)}They are Skye McGhie called Country Rose. As you can see, the roses are peach roses.

A friend is the sugar bowl in the tea party of life,
Sweet and satisfying to the soul. ~ Unknown

I made a cake for our tea. This is Elizabeth's Irish Tea Cake at The Daisy Fields. This cake would be perfect for strawberry short cake. It's not too sweet and just the right consistency. It dimpled in the middle when I took it out of the oven but it is baked clear through.



Here I have served it with some strawberry preserves and a dollop of whipped cream. My hubby, who isn't crazy about cake, and I both enjoyed it and I will definitely be making it again.



I may even replace my shortcake biscuits with this cake, I like it so well. 

Hope all my American friends have a lovely Memorial Day weekend.



Thank you for visiting and enjoy your cuppa tea today!


 I am sharing this with the following parties ~

 Tuesday Cuppa Tea
 Bernideen's TTCG Blog Party
 Tea Cup Tuesday
 The Art of Home-Making Mondays
 Share Your Cup Thursday
 Home Sweet Home

 Sharing from my heart ~ Sandi

Monday 23 May 2016

No Place Like Home


The beauty of the home is order;
The blessing of the home is contentment;
The glory of the home is hospitality;
The crown of the home is godliness. ~ Author unknown


Welcome my lovely friends and Happy Victoria Day to all my Canadian friends! I hope everyone is enjoying their first long weekend of the summer.

We had a lovely but very busy weekend here on the Island. Over the weekend I posted about Queen Victoria and other members of the royal family.

If you missed that post you may click here to visit. Of course, we had tea as well.


Last week's party served up a plethora of wonderful ideas, gardens and recipes. They were all marvellous and thank you so much for sharing. You are a wonderfully talented group of ladies and I am honoured that you link up to my party! 

ANNOUNCEMENT concerning my upcoming blog parties for the summer months.

I consider every post you link up to be special and I am always thrilled to have you join my party. However, it takes a lot of time and effort to feature special posts. Sometimes it takes several hours to get them ready for my party. My life is about to get busier than usual and I don't have the extra time right now to be sitting in front of the computer.  

So, beginning the first of June I will no longer be featuring special posts. My party will go on as usual but the special features will not. 
Once summer is over and everything is back to normal again, perhaps I will resume the features once a month. I hope you all understand and will continue to link up to No Place Like Home. I love having you participate every week.

Now on to the posts that caught my eye from last week's party:

Fabby @ Fabby's Living shared a lovely Tea Time and Tablescape. She also shared her Old Fashioned Angel cake recipe that I know you will want to try.

Kitty @ Kitty's Kozy Kitchen shared a pretty tea time outside by her fountain with a scrumptious strawberry pie and recipe too.

Martha @ Lines from Linderhof shared how simply replacing an older chair with a newer found one can make a lovely difference in one's decor. 

Pat @ French Country Style shared her lovely spring garden with us. I can't wait for my Bleeding Hearts to spring up!

Actually there were several gardening posts I could have featured but then my posting would be too long.

Thank you everyone for participating last week. As a courtesy, it would be nice if you would have a link back to my party so that others may find their way here.

Now let's see what you are creating in your home to make it a cozy place to come home to for your family, your friends, and yourself.


Lord, this humble house we'd keep
Sweet with play and calm with sleep.
Help us so that we may give
Beauty to the lives we live.
Let Thy love and let Thy grace
Shine upon our dwelling place. - Edgar A. Guest





Sharing from my heart ~ Sandi

Saturday 21 May 2016

Celebrating the Royals

May your life always be like a teapot...overflowing to warm the soul. ~ Irish Blessing

Welcome dear friends to Tea with the Royals! This is our Victoria Day weekend and we are celebrating the first long weekend of the summer.



We are also celebrating Queen Victoria's birthday and for those of you who may not be aware, Canada is part of the British Commonwealth and therefore we have close ties to the UK and the Royal family. Queen Elizabeth is our Queen which is one of the reasons why the royals visit our country so frequently. 

Elizabeth II is, and has been since her accession in 1952, Queen of the United Kingdom, Canada, Australia, and New Zealand, and Head of the Commonwealth.



Internet

Queen Victoria, who was our reigning Queen Elizabeth's great-great-grandmother, was a much beloved queen and the third Monday of every May is set aside to honour her memory. 




Internet


All the time I was ironing I was trying to think of a name for a new island Diana and I discovered up by the brook. It's the most ravishing spot, Marilla. There are two maple trees on it and the brook flows right round it. At last it struck me that it would be splendid to call it Victoria Island because we found it on the Queen's birthday. Both Diana and I are very loyal. ~ Anne of Green Gables by LM Montgomery


Victoria Day is also a day to pay homage to Queen Elizabeth II whose birthday is actually on April 21. 

FYI: 
Elizabeth's father was George VI
George VI's father was George V, Elizabeth's grandfather.
George V's father was Edward VII, Elizabeth's great grandfather.
Edward VII's mother was Queen Victoria, Elizabeth's great great grandmother.

Also it's interesting to note that Elizabeth's husband, Prince Philip, is a great great grandson of Queen Victoria, making Elizabeth and Philip third cousins through this relationship. 



Prince Albert - Internet

Queen Victoria and Prince Albert married on February 10, 1849 and had nine children. Their children married into other royal families throughout Europe.

After her beloved Prince Albert died, Victoria wore the colour black for the rest of her life. That did not necessarily mean the colour was her favourite. She was in mourning for her prince.

I went on line trying to determine what Victoria's favourite colour was because I thought I would set my tea table in that colour. However most sites claimed it was black although a few said purple. 



In any case, I will use some Royal Albert china as well as Maxwell and Williams to celebrate this special occasion and it's not going to be black although black can be very elegant.

The roses were all too expensive this week so I picked up some pink carnations. I like carnations and their spicy fragrance. 


To be overcome by the fragrance of flowers is a delectable form of defeat. - Beverly Nichols

And since I have pink flowers, my china will have to have some pink in it and what better than a little chintz. I do believe the Victorians loved the colour pink.



Maxwell and Williams is the maker of my Rose Bud teapot as well as the matching teacup. 



Royal Albert Old English Rose is also on the table because they look so pretty with the other pieces. 


Avon shape


Hampton shape


I thought this quote by Marlene Dietrich was cute:

The British have an umbilical cord which has never been cut and through which tea flows constantly. It is curious to watch them in times of sudden horror, tragedy or disaster. The pulse stops apparently, and nothing can be done, and no move made, until "a nice cup of tea" is made. There is no question that it brings solace and does steady the mind. ~ Marlene Dietrich 


I had planned to bake a cake but I ran out of time. Perhaps I will get it made later and if I do, I will do another post. 

Thank you for visiting today. It promises to be a beautiful warm sunny weekend and today we are spending it with our grandsons. So I have to run. Have a splendid long weekend everyone and I will see you on Monday for No Place Like Home.


I am joining the following parties as well~

Bernideen's Tea in the Garden
 Tuesday Cuppa Tea
 Bernideen's TTCG Blog Party
 Tea Cup Tuesday
 The Art of Home-Making Mondays
Share Your Cup
 Home Sweet Home


Sharing from my heart ~ Sandi

Monday 16 May 2016

No Place Like Home


A real home is a shelter from the storms of life, a place in which to relax, a place of peace and rest. ~ Dr. Clifford R. Anderson

Hi everyone and welcome to No Place Like Home!

Can you believe it is already the middle of May? Wow! Time is sure flying by.

I took the weekend off from posting because I needed a break but I did make some Tuna Rolls and will share the recipe with you. 

I imagine many of you have already made these over the years or something similar but I will share just in case you haven't. When I first started to make these, they were all the rage at baby showers and other get togethers but they are also wonderful as a snack or with soup for a light meal. My family loves them! I always have to make them when my guys are home. 


Tuna Rolls
1 can solid tuna, drained
1/2 cup pickle relish
2 TBSP chopped onion
1/2 cup Miracle Whip
1/4 cup ketchup
1/4 cup diced cheese
1/4 cup celery
Mix together and fill rolls or spread thickly on hamburger buns. Heat in 325 degree oven for 12 minutes. Makes about two dozen. 
I used hamburger buns for a snack but I would fill finger rolls for a special occasion. If you double the recipe it will make about 48, plenty for a large group of people.



I am always happy to have you join me each week and last week served up some wonderful posts including gardening, home decor, and great recipes. Thank you so much for sharing. You are a wonderfully talented group of ladies.

Here are my features from last week's party:

Debbie @ Debbie-Dabble shared her family of mourning doves that had nested in her hanging pot right outside her window. Aren't they cute!



Penny @ Penny's Vintage Home shared a unique 'junk garden' in her thrifted basin. Wonderful idea!

Sherry @ The Charm of Home  shared a lovely tea in the garden with a scrumptious strawberry shortcake. Yum!

Betty @ My Cozy Corner shared her exquisite spring roses. She has a wonderful variety.

Thelma @ Thel's Kitchen shared her recipe for these lovely lemon madeleines. If you enjoy tea time then these are a wonderful accompaniment.

And another recipe I would like to feature is from Susan @ Culinary Envy who shared these lovely little tidbits called Mind Blowing Brownie Bites. 

Thank you everyone for participating last week. As a courtesy, and if you would like to be featured, you should have a link back to my party.


Now let's see what you are creating in your home to make it a cozy place to come home to for your family, your friends, and yourself.

Lord, this humble house we'd keep
Sweet with play and calm with sleep.
Help us so that we may give
Beauty to the lives we live.
Let Thy love and let Thy grace
Shine upon our dwelling place. - Edgar A. Guest

Sharing this at Bernideen's Tea Time, Cottage and Garden party



 Sharing from my heart ~ Sandi

Monday 9 May 2016

No Place Like Home




Welcome ladies to No Place Like Home! I hope you all enjoyed your weekend.

Home; the place where our stomachs get three square meals a day and our hearts a thousand. ~ Charles M Crowe

As I mentioned in my last post, Hubby and I had a big weekend. We celebrated our anniversary, his birthday, and Mother's Day.



I usually make him an apple pie for his birthday but I had sprained a couple of fingers the other day so I decided to make something a little easier but something I knew he would love. This is my Quick and Easy Lemon Trifle. 



He loved it! It is simply an angel food cake torn into pieces, whipped topping, and lemon pie filling arranged in layers and refrigerated. Yum! I was hoping to make Mrs. T's Lemon trifle but because of my fingers, I had to simplify.

We joined my mother for a Mother's Day Tea at the nursing home and it was a great success. The picture is not very clear because Hubby took the picture with his phone and I took a picture of that so...As you can see, there were three kinds of tea sandwiches; egg salad, chicken salad, and lobster. Three kinds of squares; date, carrot cake, and lemon as well sweet breads; pound cake and banana bread. Tea and coffee.



Hubby and I also went out to a lobster supper on Sunday to celebrate our anniversary, his birthday and Mother's Day. It was quite the feast and I will be having lettuce and water for the next week or so.

This was what I had; breaded scallops, home made rolls and biscuits, seafood chowder, assortment of salads, and dessert. Well, Hubby had the strawberry shortcake. Actually, he had pie too. I was simply too full to eat anything for dessert.



It was a lovely weekend.

Last week's party served up a plethora of ideas and recipes. They were all fabulous and thank you so much for sharing. You are a wonderfully talented group of ladies! I have broken my features down into categories and I hope you enjoy them! 

Home Decor
Chloe @ Celebrate and Decorate with Chloe Crabtree shared a wonderful nautical nursery for her little granddaughters.



Recipes-
Jean @ Delightful Repast shared her delicious pasta and chicken with spring vegetables dish. Yum!

Tablescapes-
Jocelyn @ Just a Little Southern Hospitality shared her elegant tablescape set with pink depression glass and china. So pretty!

Tea Time-
Gina @ Victorian Wanna Be shared her beautiful Lily-of-the-Valley teacup and some vintage post cards.

Thrifting-
Cathy @ 1929 Charmer Cottage shared her fabulous finds while out thrifting with her sister. 


Thank you everyone for participating last week. As a courtesy, and if you would like to be featured, you should have a link back to my party.

Now let's see what you are creating in your home to make it a cozy place to come home to for your family, your friends, and yourself. 


Lord, this humble house we'd keep 
Sweet with play and calm with sleep. 
Help us so that we may give 
Beauty to the lives we live. 
Let Thy love and let Thy grace
Shine upon our dwelling place. - Edgar A. Guest 





 Sharing from my heart ~ Sandi