Not Only For The Birds !

Bird nests I have collected or been given over the years served as the table centerpiece for our Thursday Ladies Luncheon & Bible Study.  

The nests are resting on beds of moss I placed in goblets and covered with a small glass dome. The eggs in the nests are from my doves.

Since I used birds and their nests as the table-scape theme I had to buy some of my favorite candy, those robin egg malted chocolates . They're so pretty, and tasty too.

I put another bird's nest in an old Mason jar with it's original canning lid.

Bird nests and bird coffee cups, naturally they go together !

The napkins match the table-runner. I bought them together at a store called Tuesday Morning.

The birds' nests I have were used then abandoned by the birds only to be found and used by me . ( recycled ? ) Yes, the birds' nests are not only for the birds.

Mint chocolate brownies I baked using a recipe I found in an issue of Tea Time magazine.

One of the ladies in our Bible study just turned 80 years old . I told one of my granddaughters I want to be like this lady when I grow up,but my granddaughter told me I was already grown up . This lady is lively, funny, a true artist ( the painting kind ) who has her works exhibited locally, teaches art, and just brightens our time together.

We had a surprise guest at the luncheon. One of my sheep decided she did not want to raise her ram lamb so the little guy needs to be bottle fed. He is what we call a "bummer lamb ",a lamb without a mama . I named my little bummer 'Stormy' because of course it was raining and storming when I was outdoors trying to get his mama to nurse him. I ended up milking the mama ( you shoulda seen that ! ) to give this little guy the colostrum he needed to get him off to a good start. Here Stormy is being held by another luncheon guest , Robbie, who helped me feed the lamb his bottle.

  I treasure this time to gather with family & friends, share a meal, a cup of tea or coffee, and gather around God's word to learn about Him , pray for one another, laugh, and enjoy God's blessings, sometimes reminding each other that YES, we truly are blessed, even if at the moment we don't feel it. "Yes, I shall joyfully sing of Thy lovingkindness in the morning , for Thou hast been my stronghold , and a refuge in the day of my distress , O my strength , I will sing praises to Thee ; For God is my stronghold , the God who shows lovingkindness." Psalm 59: 16,17

Royal Tara Shamrocks For St. Patrick's Day

It is already March, and the day we celebrate Saint Patrick by wearing green and celebrating all things Americans consider Irish. Shamrocks, celtic music , eating corned beef, Irish soda bread , and many imbibe in maybe a bit too much beer. Me, I just got out some shamrock china and cleaned my home. Don't you love this little sugar & creamer ?

You can see just how tiny they are sitting next to Samantha, an American Girl doll I rescued from a thrift store a few years ago. Samantha is sipping her tea from a wee shamrock teacup . I have her out as I get ready for a special time my husband & I will have soon when one of our granddaughters comes over to spend a few days with us as part of her birthday celebration. She'll be bringing her AG doll along and we'll set a table for tea for all of us.

The sugar & creamer were made in Ireland by Royal Tara .

The cup & saucer were made in England by Sandford.

I find the history of St. Patrick himself to be fascinating. He was not Irish, but a Roman born in Britain. I imagine most of you already know his story, but it was not until I had children of my own that I discovered this while we were researching him for a homeschooling project. The stories abut him vary depending on the source, but we do know he was a Christian missionary who's faith and ministry had a lasting effect on Ireland, and many places beyond. If you're interested in the amazing role the Irish played in history you might check out 'How The Irish Saved Civilization'. So Happy Saint Patrick's day to you !

Join in the tea-time festivities with Terri * , Martha * , Sandi * , Bernideen* ,Kathy * & Ruth* . Now that spring-time is here there is even more fun for tea in blog-land . Happy St. Patrick's Day to you !

Spring Has Sprung , New Lambs & Flowers !

 Spring has sprung ! I am holding the third Jacob sheep lamb born within the last 24 hours. If you're interested in seeing more about my sheep and their lambs check out my other blog ~ Red Dog Spotted Sheep * . I am expecting 5 more ewes to lamb in a very short time. I am so excited !

 Ella & Fella have decided to nest in the pen we put up for them in the veggie garden . They have settled in to life by the pond very well. Ella built her nest of straw and although I took her eggs and gave them to friends to incubate , I put duck eggs under her. I want to be sure she will incubate and tend them successfully. Since duck eggs require pretty much the same care and time it takes to hatch goose eggs, plus, raising and tending ducklings is very similar, I thought this would be a good test of Ella's mama instincts. If all goes well she can tend her own eggs next year. To read more about Ella & Fella check out my poultry site. *

 Miss Marple is our only outdoor cat. We have a routine, she & I. We let her outdoors around midnight so she can stalk and kill vermin, and she usually comes back indoors before 2:00 a.m. This week I think she hankered for some sunshine outdoors and she hid in the upper part of our woodshed over- night where the squirrels hang out. The only reason I knew she was there because of the angry squirrel hovering in branches over her head, swearing at her. She looked pretty content in spite of the squirrel's harassment. ( Probably thinking of how yummy that squirrel would taste. )

There are not too many flowers blooming for our honeybees, but the hellebores, primroses, daffodils , and some native blooming bushes are buzzing with bees . I even have honeybees in my chicken food , carrying bits of the feed that is powdered. Anyone else find honeybees in the chicken food ?

This is the time of year I have trouble focusing on my indoor stuff and blogging because I want to be outdoors until dark. I am also spending a lot of time cleaning out animal pens and simply watching my animals. It is so hard to tear myself away from such excitement , I might miss something ! Lambing comes only once a year and knowing there is probably a time in the near future when I'll not be able to keep so many sheep and poultry I intend to capture and put to memory as much as possible. In case of failing memory, my camera is put to good use too. I hope your spring is bursting with good and wondrous things . ~

Tea-Party Memories

She loves her tea sweet !

This teacup is special to me. I have precious memories of a tea-party my youngest granddaughter & I had together almost 4 years ago. I can still picture her tiny hands stirring the sugar into her tea and watching her drink every drop of the sugary syrup she made only to have her teacup re-filled and carefully repeat the process. To see the original blog post click here*.

 

The tea-time Tuesdays have inspired me to make time for many tea-parties with my grandchildren over the years.As I was looking over some of my tea-time posts I realized we made many precious memories together and had a lot of fun creating our tea parties. Thank-you ladies who host this day every week and all of you who share your tea-cups, tea parties, and generous support of one another through blogging.

These ladies are hosting blog parties I enjoy, celebrating all things tea !

• Terri * at Artful Affirmations
• Sandi * at rose Chintz Cottage
• Martha * at Martha's Favorites
• Ruth * at Antiques & Teacups
• Bernideen * at Bernideen's Tea-Time Blog

Ivy Lea

 It has been rainy. Very rainy . We have had inches of rain in the past few days. Standing water and mud are everywhere outside . This kind of weather just cries out " stay indoors, have a cup of tea ! ".

 So I did, except for the brief bit of weak sunlight that stole through the clouds that brought the downpours took me and my teacup outside on the porch. Since I wanted to share this teacup  today I needed better lighting than the darkness in the house due to the clouds, and pictures taken by lamp-light don't often give a true impression of beautiful china. ( with my camera )

 The pattern is Ivy Lea by Royal Albert . I have a sugar bowl and creamer in the same pattern . The ivy intertwined with white flowers is so pretty .

 The very best part of beautiful teacups is sipping hot tea from them,

so I did.

 

I am linking up with these Tuesday Ladies of the Teacup :

 

Sandi at Rose Chintz Cottage *

Terri at Artful Affirmations *

Martha at Martha's Favorites *
Bernideen's Tea-time Blog *
Ruth's Antiques & Teacups *





A Truth

" The Bible is very easy to understand , but we as Christians are a bunch of scheming swindlers. We pretend to be unable to understand because the minute we understand we are obligated to act accordingly. " Soren Kierkegaard

Thank-you Sandra of Thistle Cove*  for this quote.( darn, I have no excuse ! )

Tea & Tragedy

 Tea and reading on a stormy day . A little contemplation too . The teacup is a gift from Linda Sue , one of my first blogging friends .Linda Sue lives in Texas. She and her husband Skip prayed for my family during some very difficult times and I believe we're friends though I've never met her or her husband in person. Linda Sue's beloved husband Skip is with the Lord now and she continues to be an encouragement to me . The book on top of my Bible is one Linda Sue is reading and I am thankful for her recommendation .This book references Job and his pain & suffering as written in the Bible. Ever read the book of Job in the Bible ? Until a few years ago I thought it a depressing book to read ( avoid ), but when crisis and tragedy struck our family and seemed to keep on coming with no happy ending in sight I found myself taking my cuppa and my Bible down to the table by our pond and reading...and reading. I discovered the book of Job in the Old Testament , a book of sadness and almost unbelievable tragedy, was also a book of encouragement in a dark time.

The teacup is Majestic by Royal Grafton . I think it is a classic beauty . Thank-you Linda Sue !

"Suffering leaves our idols in pieces on the ground. It puts us in a position to see that God sent His Son not only to suffer in our place but also to suffer with us. Our merciful friend has been through it all...And while He may not deliver us from pain and loss , He'll walk with us through it. " Hebrews 4:15-16 Tullian Tchividjian 'Glorious Ruin ' .

 

I am linking to these lovely ladies of the teacup for Tea-Time Tuesday :

 

Terri at Artful Affirmations *

Martha at Martha's favorites *

Sandi at Rose Chintz Cottage *