Don't Despair ~ Be Thankful !

" And it is good to take time to be thankful , for it is all too easy to let the world's trouble sweep over one in a dark flood and to fall into despair. "  Gladys Taber

" Be anxious for nothing , but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God."   Philippians 4:6

Christmas Cabin & Give-Away

 Here are two Wee Little Sheep helping me announce my give-away. The little flock of 3 I am giving away will look similar to these two woolly sheep. The sheep are made using the wool fleece from my own flock of live sheep. The sheep are perfect for the Nativity scene with a 6" scale. The winner may choose to have the sheep wear bells, hearts, or no neck ornaments at all. All you have to do to get your name thrown into the bowl ( literally) for selection is leave a comment on a blog post. Your name will be entered every time you leave a comment.I will select someone to draw the name out of the bowl December 23rd, announce it December 24th and mail the little flock to the winner before the new year begins !Now, onto Christmas decorating, more specifically, our little Christmas Cabin.

 This log cabin sits atop an armoir between our living room & dining room. The cabin was built by my husband and 3 children years ago for a home-school history fair.It is furnished for my little Bear family now, and even decorated inside for Christmas. Outside the cabin it is the abode of a polar bear family and Santa Claus.

Thank-you for visiting, and please, don't forget to leave a comment for your chance to win a Wee Little Flock !

"In December the winter sun burns like white fire on the snow. Ice glitters on the cold side of the branches of the sugar maples, melts on the warm side and falls with a soft sound." Glady Tabor 'The Best of Stillmeadow'

Flying Goose Teacup~ Tea Time Tuesday

Last week I loaded up two of our dogs into the car and headed off to soak up the Autumn color. I also had a destination in mind, a small town nearby that has a row of antique stores on it's main street. I did not care if I found anything to buy, but teacups were at the top of my list of desirable purchases. Boy oh boy, teacups are expensive!Since I really don't NEED any more teacups I am picky about them. They have to be appealing to me and fairly cheap. Look at this teacup I found! This looks like a flying goose to me. I am not sure what the black thing is, maybe the tree trunk, or something more sinister. When I first glanced at this teacup on the shelf in the store,behind a lot of stuff, I thought the black was a fox or cat after the goose. Can you see the detail on this saucer? The gold is very bright, the green leaves of the tree are so delicate. Somehow this teacup manages to be bold and delicate at the same time. The china is so fine I can see the design on the front through the back. I am sipping tea from this cup right now as I write this post and I can see the liquid through the outside of the cup even though the lights are dimmed in this room. The lady who sold me this teacup said she would sell it to me for $6.00 because it was unmarked. We both held the saucer up to her sunny window to make sure there was no mark and although we saw a small green blur, there was no apparently visible writing or marking. My receipt from her reads " unmarked cup and saucer- $6.00 ". You can see the reflection of me taking the picture of the opposite side of the cup . As I was preparing this Tea Time Tuesday post I again held the saucer slightly slanted under a bright lamp and wouldn't you know it, there IS writing! Very small, but very clear tiny green letters saying "made in Japan".The way the letters appear make them seem like they are supposed to be a secret, only to be seen in a mysterious way, I like mysteries. Does anyone out there have a clue about this teacup and saucer? Sipping tea out of this teacup is like sipping tea out of a delicate gilded eggshell. I truly love this beautiful gem of a teacup, this treasure I found on a bright and colorful October drive through beautiful country. The day I came home from a glorious day with a treasure, a treasure to share with you! I am leaving you with this quote from a favorite author who's books are a treat to read as you sip your tea by the fireside or sunshiny porch. "As October ends, the air begins to smell of windfalls that have been frosted. The leaves drift down, and most of the branches are bare.We see more sky. Night shuts down early. I miss the long summer twilights, when day seems to linger indefinitely. But the mornings have a sparkle , and I love to see the shadow of the house silver with frost when sun has melted the rest of the crystals on the lawn." Gladys Taber Please, pour yourself a cup of tea and share a bit of time with these ladies, you won't be sorry, they know how to do Tea Time Tuesday right !

• Terri at Artful Affirmations
• Martha at Martha's Favorites
• Lady Katherine's Tea Parlor
• Pam at Breath Of Fresh Air
• Wanda lee At The Silken Purse
• Sandi at Rose Chintz Cottage