Bittersweet Memories ~Fairy Tea-Party By The Pond (Tea Time Tuesday)

I am posting one of my favorite tea parties for this Tea Time Tuesday. My husband's parents enjoyed this tea party by our pond with us and 4 of our granddaughters. They had a wonderful time with the little girls, and the granddaughters loved their great-grandparents. My husband's parents both passed away in the last few months, his mother in November, his father just this January, making this post a bittersweet reminder of good times with loved ones we won't see this side of eternity.

Youngest Granddaughter, and youngest fairy at this tea-party.

The granddaughters requested a Fairy Tea-Party by the pond with their great-grandparents. They were very excited to wear wings and made sure great-grandmother had wings too.

Oldest and youngest granddaughters ( of 6) ready to flutter...

...come on, the tea-party is about to begin !

" I helped pick the food.Cheese and crackers and sandwiches."

Great-grandma Fairy and Great-grandpa visit with the little fairies. Lots of tea is sipped and the day is perfect for tea by the pond. Not too hot, not too cold, not too windy, no mosquitos or flies. Just a light pleasant breeze and dappled sunshine. Ducks swim by, granddaughters and grandparents laugh, a lot !

Dessert was of course the most popular part of the tea party.

Angel food cake with home grown raspberries and whipping cream, all the whipping cream any little or big fairy wanted to put on it.

Who needs anything else to eat when you can have this?

I caught this fairy mid bite to show you the teacup she chose for the tea party. She declared this was her favorite for the day.

The china teacup and saucer is White Trillium ~by Royal Albert.

This will be a perfect teacup in which to take tea come late spring when we have trilliums blooming all over our property, especially down by the pond.

The little fairies' Grandpa joins us. He is the oldest son of Great-grandparents. We have a wonderful time enjoying each others' company on such a pleasant day.

The day grows late and it is time for the great-grandparents to head for home. Great-grandma ( the oldest fairy at the tea-party) gets a little help from her oldest son, my husband.

I think she liked her wings.

The youngest fairy fell asleep in the swing by the pond.

Please visit these ladies for Teacup Tuesday and Tea time Tuesday. Martha*,Terri*,& .,Sandi *,  Bernideen *, Antiques & Teacups *. I have enjoyed these Tea Time Tuesdays very much and thank-you for joining us for tea today.

"The aspects of things that are most important to us are hidden because of their simplicity & familiarity." Ludwig Wittgenstein

Spot Of Gratitude For Simple Things

 Are you seeing spots? I see spots, and lots of them here on Cedar Pond. My Jacob Sheep are spotted, and the lambs are little jumping spots of joy. My sheep are simple pleasures. Just watching them brings me joy. This is Thora and her new twin ewe ( girl) lambs.

It is a real blessing to have twin ewes by Thora. The sire of these ewes is my new ram , Tonkin. I am thinking I will need to give these girls 'T' names...

As I did my daily chores I took an extra amount of time to simply stand & watch my sheep, chickens, ducks & turkeys. I realized I may not always have the pleasure of such abundance in the coming years, for who knows what the future brings? Ill health, a change of fortune, the need to occupy myself with other things...any and all could change my way of life in a heart-beat. I cannot bear to think of a spring time without new lambs and sweet , fluffy chicks. To not be able to sit by our pond and watch our silly ducks court, quack, and dive head first into the pond for things to eat leaving them bottoms up and making us laugh is a sad thought. Yet I know God in His wisdom knows us and what is best for us. Should he deem it best for us to live otherwise as we move on in the seasons of life, He has given us these times right now to savor and remember. I pause often to soak in the sights, sounds, and joys of today and remember the funny little antics of my farm animals. I make a conscious effort to appreciate the bounty I have here in the simple things. God is so good, praise him !

"Gratitude unlocks the fullness of life. It turns what we have into enough, and more. It turns denial into acceptance, chaos to order, confusion to clarity. It can turn a meal into a feast, a house into a home, a stranger into a friend. Gratitude makes sense of our past, brings peace for today, and creates a vision for tomorrow." Melody Beale

Spring Walk Around Cedar Pond & Tea On The Porch

 This Limoges teacup and saucer were given to me by my sister, via her friend Elaine. Thank-you Elaine,this is a beautiful teacup !

 Yesterday was unseasonably warm and sunny. I had considered not posting for Tea-time Tuesday, opting for a bit of gardening and a walk in the sunshine to drink in all the glories of new life beginning to unfurl and burst around Cedar Pond, but since I also wanted a cup of tea, I decided to combine my passions for both. Look at the exotic bird on this teacup, he looks fierce and proud and ready to fly.

 My two Labs, full sisters from two separate litters born here on Cedar Pond accompanied me. They sat for this picture after already swimming in the pond. They love to be with me, and if a walk around the pond is called for, they know they are going to have a great time. Their names are Willow (left) and Bea. They know their names too, which makes it easy for me to walk with them, because I know they know who I am talking to or commanding as we walk. Example: "WILLOW, NO !" and Willow knows she is to stop what she is doing, but Bea continues on. My dogs love, know, and obey me, and know I mean what I say or command them. This is always so important when you have dogs and also what makes having dogs  a blessing ,rather than a problem. When they remember who is the boss in the pack ( and they know it is me) they are secure and know how to behave, not out of fear, but confidence, knowing the way life operates is consistent.This also offers them freedom . But I digress.

Willow, Bea, and my husband's dog Hawk romping and splashing in the pond.

 I was overjoyed to discover the crocuses were blooming and my husband's honeybees were buzzing  and humming in and out of them and the many primroses we have around Cedar Pond.

The ducks have been amorous for the last month, which is a sure sign that no matter the temperature spring is on its' way. Here are my 2 Call ducks, the drake is forefront. He is a seasoned veteran around here, surviving the devastating coyote raids, and fathering quite a few ducklings.

Look, the ducks have begun to lay eggs. So have my turkeys. When the ducks and turkeys begin laying eggs, it is a sure sign spring is here, no matter what the weatherman says.

The lambs were sunning themselves against the sun-warmed tree stumps, yes...lambs and warm places to sleep outside mean spring is here.

The teacup bird. Is this a Phoenix or pheasant ? Does anyone know? I have searched and searched the internet for any information on this teacup, to no avail.

The roses on the other side of the teacup.

" M-Fires, Limoges Made In France "

I sipped a cup of very hot mint tea from this cup after my walk around Cedar Pond. The sunshine cheered me until sunset. The walk around Cedar Pond was a reminder to me the seasons come and go and usually life will continue in the patterns God has established from Creation. My animals and the wild birds and animals who have chosen to reside here have an instinct He created that causes them to live accordingly, and produce young, rear them, and then start again all over the next season. Yes, the spring mating rituals of the wild birds, the beginnings of nesting time, the new lambs, newly laid eggs of my ducks, chickens, and turkeys all point to spring as having arrived here. Bring on Spring!

 

A very happy Labrador Retriever. Bea is waiting for me here on our private road beside the pond to throw her a stick. If she is very lucky, I'll throw it into the pond so she can swim and run in the mud before returning it to me. A romp in the pond and the mud, a few sticks to fetch, a bit of digging, and time with the person they love. Life is pretty simple for a dog, and life is really pretty simple for us. Someone to love, someone who loves us. Chores, work, and tasks that are needful and remind us we are needed. A simple cup of tea....not so very difficult, not so unobtainable, and a good reminder of the many blessings we often forget to remember because a lovely teacup and sustaining cup of tea are simple blessings beyond measure, and shared in good company are priceless.

 

I am sharing a bit of tea with the ladies listed below, please check out their tea times! You'll be glad you did. ~

• Bernideen's *
• Antiques and Teacups *
• Terri*
• Martha*
• Sandi *

Tea Time Tuesday ~ With The Thursday Ladies

 

My favorite of 4 tea cups in this set I bought 2 years ago. It is a pale minty green chintz pattern, and comes in a beautiful box to store it in with the 3 other chintz teacups in this set. I used the chintz teacups for a ladies luncheon last Thursday.

I will call these lovely ladies the Thursday Ladies. We gather once a month on Thursday to share a meal together and study the Bible.

We are studying I Samuel using Myrna Alexander's book 'After God's Heart".

Mothers are welcome to bring their children, and the children have their own table. I have always appreciated homes open to children, and the opportunity for children to gather with us is also an opportunity for mothers & grandmothers to enjoy their company, and also teach them how to behave properly when they are in someone else's home.( these are pretty well behaved children , so it is no trouble to enjoy each other and them!)

If you look closely at the table, you can see the Chintz teacups.

Inside the box.

 

"Gracie China, Chintz Collection " made in China

 

 

 Having so many beautiful teacups and china I love, it is a pleasure & a privilege to share them with friends and family. Did you know hospitality, or being hospitable ~"receiving and entertaining guests generously & kindly" (Webster's Dictionary ) is commanded by God? Hospitality requires nothing more than a welcoming heart and willingness to share your hearth and home. Hospitality does not require fancy table settings and food, nor does it require a perfect home.I Peter 4:9,10 says, "Be hospitable to one another without complaint. As each one has received a special gift, employ it in serving one another as good stewards of the manifold grace of God." Sometimes simply sharing a cup of tea with someone and offering a listening heart and a prayer is all it takes to show true hospitality.

 

The Thursday Ladies have already been a blessing and the study of I Samuel promises to be one of personal challenge to me....learning to trust God as Hannah ,mother of the prophet Samuel did. "Turn first to God for comfort ( in times of pain & distress)not to something or someone else. And give Him your emotions." Myrna Alexander

 

I am linking with these ladies for Tea Time Tuesday ~

• Bernideen's Tea time Blog *
• Sandi At Rose Chintz Cottage *
• Terri at Artful Affirmations *
• Martha at Martha's Favorites *
• Antiques & Teacups *
•  

 

 

A Chicken For A Teacup & TeaTime Tuesday Is Lambing Time !

It is Tea Time Tuesday once again.Seems like the Tuesdays are flying by.It is also lambing time on Cedar Pond too. So much excitement calls for a cup of hot tea , then it is back outside to tend my sheep.Isn't this teacup pretty? I laid a few of the roses my husband gave me for Valentine's Day next to the teacup. They seem to have been meant for each other, my teacup and my roses.

While helping my husband's sisters clean out their parent's basement I came across these two little books.We had been separating the many books into 2 places. On the shelves will go the books worthy of placing up for sale or of possible interest to the many family members. In a big box go the books destined for the Goodwill. I almost tossed these books into the box.Then I took a second look.The 'Romance Of a Doctor's Visits' pub. in 1937,are stories the author says are , "true incidents in the life of the writer." I think it will be interesting.

This plain little blue book is by Amy Carmichael. It is titled 'If '. She writes in the first pages ,"such a booklet as this is not meant for everyone, but only for those who were meant to be under-shepherds." To learn more about this amazing woman, missionary to the vulnerable girls & women in India click here.*

Just one of many gems in this tiny book, and it pierced my heart.

Back to the teacup. It was made in England by Ridgway Potteries. I received this teacup in trade. I traded 2 frizzled bantam hens for this lovely teacup. Do you think I got a good deal? I know the lady who took home 2 of my fluffy, curly, frizzled hens was happy,she now has 2 broody hens to hatch out & raise her chicken's eggs.

This is Delilah. She had a handsome ram ( boy) lamb this afternoon.Here he is pictured still wet from the womb, trying to get up to find his mother's milk.I always find this amazing, new born animals walking within the hour of birth, seeking milk, and within a few hours are usually leaping and playing. If you would like to see the other new lambs click here*.

"If I myself dominate myself, if my thoughts revolve round myself, if I am so occupied with myself I rarely have "a heart at leisure from itself," then I know nothing of Calvary love."Amy Carmichael

For more Tea Time Tuesday delights, check out the links below, you'll be richly blessed !

Terri at Artful Affirmations *

Martha at Martha's Favorites *

Bernideen's Tea Time Blog *

Antiques & Teacups *

Sandi at Rose Chintz Cottage *

Don't Let Your Heart Rot !

"...as those who have been chosen of God, holy and beloved, put on a heart of compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience; bearing with one another, and forgiving each other , whoever has a complaint against anyone; just as the Lord forgave you, so also should you." Colossians 3:12, 13

"Not forgiving will rot your heart ~ forgiving before you are asked will set you free." author unknown

Sheep Shearing Time~ Valentine Surprise !

It is shearing time for my flock of Jacob sheep.I have them sheared, feet clipped, vaccinated, and if they are not pregnant, wormed at this time.Here is Thora, enduring the indignity of being turned onto her back for the process.

My sheep shearers are a father/daughter duo, and also our good friends, Dirt * and one of his 4 daughters, Bet*.

This is Tilda, she is 2 months shy of her 1 year birthday and a very small Jacob sheep lamb.

My oldest grandson & I love her. She is petite, very feminine looking, and over all an appealing sheep. She has 4 horns, and if she can refrain from head-butting her sister sheep, she might have a beautiful and well balanced set. She gets feisty about where she wants to sleep and if any other sheep are in HER place she takes them on paying no mind to extreme size differences, forgetting she is one of the smallest sheep in my flock.

Bet does a very fine job of shearing. Since Bet showed sheep for many years in 4H she tries to shear so as to preserve the fleece for those of us who process our wool for spinning.

Timmy, my wethered lamb is being sheared.Did I just spot something surprising? No Way !

Look at this! Can you believe it? I am trying to be careful how I word these pictures because so much comes to mind....

..so I'll leave it at this, Happy Valentine's Day!

I am linking up to a Valentine's Day Farm Blog-Hop, please join me!

Valentine's Day Boost My Blog Party *
&
 Self-Sufficient Home Acres *