This Little Boy Just Loves His Tea !

Remember these little teacups I showed you last week? I have searched and searched the internet for any information on them, but have found none. If anyone can tell me about this little set please do! I bought these for $3.50 in a small crafter's mall. It was in a booth selling doll clothes and anything a bit upscale that would go with dolls. Last Wednesday I had an Alice In Wonderland themed tea party for our daughter's 4 children, my nieces' 2 children and 2 of her nephews. I will show the tea party in my next post, but today I am focusing on these tea cups ( after all, it is Teacup Tuesday ) and the little tea drinker who loved them! This is our youngest grandchild, Little 'J' sipping peppermint tea from the butterfly handled tea cup while his cousin looks on. He did not even take time to stir in sugar, just plain peppermint tea. He is still sipping peppermint tea here. He loved the tea, and gulped it down quickly, handing back the empty tea cup to whomever he could get to refill it.

Do you think he likes the tea?

Here it is later in the day and he is still coming back for tea, making sure his tea is served in these cups! I put out sturdier cups and saucers for the boys, but Little 'J' insisted on drinking his tea out of the dainty butterfly handled teacups with the morning glories gracing the top of the cup and the saucer.

Mo tea ? That is how he asks for more tea.

My little grandson and myself after a fun day . We sit together in the shade while the bigger kids run and play. We sipped more tea together, and ate a few more goodies. This was a great tea party! I think I will always remember this summer as one big tea party. Good times and blessings ~ sharing a cup of tea, with family, friends, and YOU! Thank-you~ Pour yourself a cup of tea, sit back and click onto the names of these ladies to see more teacups and all things tea : Martha* ,Terri* ,Lady Katherine*, & Wanda Lee *. Enjoy! Leave these ladies a comment if you like what you see, they love comments almost as much as they like tea time.

Words Can Hurt ! Use Them Carefully~

"Sticks and stones may break my bones but your words will never hurt me!"

We all know this is not true. How often have you wielded words as a weapon and later regretted it? How often have you had words lobbed at you that maimed? Sticks and stones really might break bones and even cause scars, but careless or cruel words pierce the heart and can hurt so deeply and for so long that one would rather the wounds be physical. Angry , self-righteous words can be the worst, especially if one is slinging them around as the "words of God". Speaking or writing truth without love often inflicts the deepest wounds and instead of bringing others to the knowledge of God , or causing them to seek Him , these words do the opposite. "Words- so innocent and powerless as they are, as standing in a dictionary, how potent for good and evil they become in the hands of one who knows how to combine them."

Nathaniel Hawthorne I decided to quote those more qualified than I in the use of words to encourage their proper use. Remember, words can be very powerful, use them carefully!

"Words in haste do friendships waste." Mark Twain

"Kind words can be short and easy to speak, but their echoes are truly endless." Mother Teresa

"A harsh word stirs up anger..." Proverbs 15:1

"A soothing tongue is a tree of life." Proverbs 15:4

"Like apples of gold in settings of silver is a word spoken in right circumstances."

Proverbs 25:19

"Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be acceptable in Thy sight O Lord." Psalm 19:14

Tiny Teacups & Turkeys In Teacups

It is Tea Time Tuesday! I get to show off a teacup or two and this week I have chosen two teacups I think are from a child's tea set. Look at how tiny they are in comparison to my thumb. If you click onto the picture you can see the delicate gold butterflies on the handles. The morning glories are very well painted and the china is translucent. There are no markings at all on the bottoms of these cups and saucers. I will be using these teacups at a tea party I am having for grandchildren and a great-niece and nephew this Wednesday. I hope to remember to take pictures to show you next Tuesday!

Do you remember my turkeys in a teacup? These little turkeys were so tiny two of them fit in one of my favorite teacups.

Soon, the teacup was a tight fit...

...then only one turkey would fit, and not very well.

The turkey just looks at the teacup as if to say "Lady, you're nuts if you think I am going to fit in that cup!"

So I got a bigger teacup!

See, two turkeys fit into this teacup, but they are a little cramped.

Today I offered the turkeys the chance to sit in the teacup again.

I don't think it's going to happen, do you?

Pour yourself a cup of tea and visit these ladies to see many other teacups and tea times; Martha*,Terri *,Lady Katherine *,and Wanda Lee*. Remember, you are blessed!

How Can I Keep From Singing?

"My life goes on in endless song Above earth's lamentations I hear the real, though far-off hymn That hails a new creation." "Therefore, if any man is in Christ, he is a new creature; the old things passed away, behold, new things have come." II Corinthians 5:17

"Through all the tumult and the strife

I hear it's music ringing, It sounds like an echo in my soul. How can I keep from singing?" "Is any among afflicted? Let him pray. Is any merry? Let him sing psalms." James 5:13

While though the tempest loudly roars, I hear the truth, it liveth. And though the darkness 'round me close, Songs in the night it giveth. ..."proclaim the excellencies of Him who has called you out of darkness into His marvelous light;" I Peter 2:9

"No storm can shake my inmost calm, While to that rock I'm clinging. Since love is lord of heaven and earth How can I keep from singing?" "Oh Lord, my rock and my Redeemer. Psalm 19:14 "We love because He first loved us." I John 4:19

"When tyrants tremble in their fear And hear the death knell ringing, When friends rejoice both far and near How can I keep from singing?", "And men will say,"surely there is a reward for the righteous; Surely there is a God who judges on earth!" Psalm 58:11 "..."He thwarts the way of the wicked." Psalm 146:9

"In prison cell and dungeon vile Our thoughts to them are winging, When friends by shame are undefiled How can I keep from singing?' sung by Enya "The Lord executes justice for the oppressed;Who gives food to the hungry. The Lord sets the prisoner free." Psalm 146:7 "Some days there won't be a song in your heart. Sing anyway." E. Austin

Note: This song by Enya was not sung by her as a Christian hymn, but it is a song that comes to me so often when I am happy and contented for no particular reason.This song also comes to me when I am worried or distressed and I ask myself ~ "How can I keep from singing?" The truth is I cannot keep from singing and it is God who has placed His song in my heart~Praise him !

The pictures are of some of the flowers in our gardens this late in summer.

Granddaughters For Hire, And Fun!

My Little Tuscan Tea-Time At Home

The temperatures were in the 90's here and tea time was hot, very hot!

I decided to have lunch with tea in front of our dove pen, under the shade of a big umbrella.

Teacup Tuesday calls for me to highlight a special tea cup and so today I chose a teacup / teapot combo that also has many other unique dishes to go with it.

Here it is, isn't it bright and cheery? The weather just screamed for a bright and cheery tea table setting. ( and a fan) Doesn't it look like something you would see on a Tuscan table along with a hearty and wholesome meal? A meal you would absolutely need a nap after? A nap to sleep away the hottest part of the day and awake refreshed to resume where you left off any task or enjoyment ?My little pot is filled with peach tea.

Salad consists of lettuces fresh picked from our garden and sprinkled with red wine vinegar and olive oil mixed ( what else, it is a Tuscan-type tea) cheese, eggs gathered from my hens and hard-boiled,and olives, lots of olives.

Here is the tea cup and it's little pot side by side. Now this is a big cuppa !

Here is the surprising part. This whole set, and yes, I have a LOT more of it...comes from the Muckleshoot Casino! The Muckleshoot Casino is owned and operated by an Indian tribe from around here and no, I did not go to the casino to obtain this bright and cheery set of dishes , including the teacup and teapot. A dear friend and her mother ( mostly her mother) did and they gave this set of dishes to us knowing we would appreciate it very much. And we DO! Thank-you Barb and Mom~

Just look at this tea time lunch. What's not to like?

I must confess I am a glutton, yes, a true glutton for the olives. I can easily pass up desserts of all kinds, including all chocolates, but olives from the Safeway olive bar? Nope, gotta have some. Especially the cheese stuffed olives. I make a right pig of myself eating them. Have you tried them? You must. I hope this tea time made you very thirsty for a good cup of tea, iced or hot. You can see many other teacups, tea parties, and tea times by clicking onto the names of these ladies, they REALLY KNOW all things tea! Terri*,Martha*,Lady Katherine*,and Wanda Lee*.Now brew yourself a pot of tea and serve up a special treat. Invite a friend over and share the blessings God has richly bestowed upon you! Isn't life wonderful? ( Especially with tea.)

Joy In The Journey

"There is a joy in the journey

There's a light we can love on the way

There is a wonder and wildness to life

And freedom for those who obey. And all those who seek it shall find it A pardon for all who believe, Hope for the hopeless and sight for the blind. To all who've been born of the Spirit And who share incarnation with Him Who belong to eternity stranded in time And weary of struggling with sin. Forget not the hope that's before you, And never stop counting the cost. Remember the hopelessness when you were lost~ There is a joy in the journey There's a light we can love on the way. There is a wonder and wildness to life And freedom for those who obey". written and sung by Michael Card

"Consider it all joy,my brethren when you encounter various trials, knowing that the testing of your faith produces endurance, and let endurance have its perfect result, that you may be found perfect and complete, lacking in nothing, but if any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God, who gives to all men generously and without reproach, and it will be given to him..." James 1:2-5

The River Wall

This river, like most, is deep, wide and deceptive.It is a beautiful river and on this hot day I am sure it appears a reasonably safe place to swim. Appears!

The grandchildren were becoming weary of my watchfulness. They did keep their life jackets on though. Just past our son ( the adult in the picture) the river drops off and there is a strong undertow. The river is very cold too, and almost every day this past month the news has held stories of the sad demise of people, young men and boys mostly, who did not take seriously the danger of a river .

Our son began making a little walled-in area , and we took advantage of this to play in the river. Oh it was so nice!

He carried large rocks and worked, the children watched. Sometimes they helped a little.

He surveys his work, then adds more to his river wall. The pretty blue-green area of the river is very deep,there were young men jumping into it off the big downed trees on shore.

She is just enjoying the warm sun, the water running over her feet, and being with her dad.

Our two oldest Granddaughters.

This little granddaughter is such a happy girl, and time with her family is a joy to her.

Most of us were ready to head back up the long path to the camp site for the night, but our son just kept building this river wall, and his oldest daughter wanted to stay with her Dad.

The next day we went down to the river and there was a young family watching their little ones play inside the river wall our son made. It would be nice to think we might see this little wall next year on our camp-out, but the river will wash these rocks away, along with so many of the giant portions of fallen trees.