Treasure in The Mail !

I received a box full of treasures in the mail the day before I left for a week away from home. These little kissing parakeets salt& pepper shakers were among them. Aren't they cute? How did Constanza ( Peregrine Blue) of Por Amor Al Arte* know I like parakeets? I have two ( Bob & Betty ). Look at the items I unwrapped from the tissue paper pleasantly fragrant from the soap , sachets, and scented candle inside ! I displayed them on the antique Kitchen Queen in my sun-room and the treasures look as if they have always belonged there.

This little Teddy Bear will be attending many tea parties this summer.I am sure she will want honey with her tea.

I have never seen such a box as this little ram's head , the size of a walnut, exquisitely carved.I wonder what teensy treasure I can hide inside it.All the items are sitting on a fabric tea towel I am going to leave atop the Kitchen Queen. I love the colors and they are perfect for my home.

The pot-holder colors are pleasing to me , Constanza made it herself. I might have to hide this because the granddaughters were making plans to turn it into a doll dress. The true treasure here is the heart of the lady who sent me this box of gifts, each item was obviously well thought out and packed with care. Thank-you Constanza! No, this goat did not arrive in the package but is fast becoming a treasure around here. He was not intended to be a pet, but has endeared himself to us all, especially the granddaughters. Buddy loves to snuggle and play with us. He also bonded with the granddaughters' pet kitten, sleeping with the kitten, playing with the kitten, and bawling pitifully when the kitten is taken away to play.Buddy also perked up my 10 year old goat Thorin,who leaps about like a baby goat with him. "For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also." Matthew 6:21~ "Treasure: Something very much valued." Amer. Dictionary of English Language ~ I have been having trouble with Blogger lately and although I was able to read your blogs, I was unable to comment on them. I was also unable to write and post my own. It is good to be back to blogging and although sometimes I get frustrated by Blogger, I remember what LindaSue of Buhl-A-Land said to me a long time ago, "It is hard to complain about a service that is free. " Also, Blogger does try to fix the problems quickly once they are known. Blogging is a treasure to me too, it has brought me the pleasures and treasures of friends like you . We are blessed, aren't we?

"It's A Gift To Be Simple, It's A Gift To Be Free.."

It's a gift to be loved...

...it's a gift to be happy...

...it's a gift to have enough food, and a place to call home...

...it's a gift to have family and people who love you...

...it's a gift to have sisters, a gift to have a parent or two who love you more than life itself, it is a gift to have Jesus as Savior. What more can we want for ?

The pictures above are of 4 of our granddaughters,the daughters of our oldest son. My husband and I have been away for more than a week, over the mountains and far away, visiting them.We had no television or internet, and spent the time just being with our granddaughters and sons, and youngest sons' wife Breezy. We brought the granddaughters home with us for summer vacation and are looking forward to fun times, sweet times, family times ~ building memories times. The trip home was enjoyable (excepting the blinding rain squalls ) as these little girls love to sing about Jesus and although they do have their sisterly spats, my husband and I have noticed these little girls love each other fiercely and are perfectly content with each other as friends and playmates. Makes our hearts glad."It's a gift to be simple..."

Saying Good-Bye To Someone Who Matters

My friend Pam has cancer, and more than a year ago was told she had until last summer to live. Well, she thoroughly enjoyed her days and made plans , and continued on taking trips, showing her miniature horses at the fair, enjoying family and friends, having tea parties . After surviving, and LIVING through the summer, she enjoyed the beautiful fall we had. The doctors told her to prepare for the end by Christmas... ...and she had a great Christmas with her husband, son and his wife, and her two grandchildren. Pam planned a trip to Europe and we fully believed she would be sending us postcards from England next week. God is taking her home to be with Him instead.Pam is amazing. Throughout this scary time she has not complained.She has enjoyed life to the fullest and the other day after visiting her in the hospital I realized what a big part of my life she has been, what an important part of my life she has been. Although we knew she was "terminal", I somehow never expected to have to say good-bye to Pam. Above is one of her horses & cart, her grandchildren and some of mine. She will be greatly missed by them, they all love her. "He has made everything appropriate in its time. He has also set eternity in their heart, yet so that man will not find out the work which God has done from the beginning until the end. I know that there is nothing better for them than to rejoice and do good in one's lifetime." Ecclesiastes 3:11,12

Tea Time Tuesday ~Royal Albert Dorchester Series

Tea time Tuesday is here again and I am having tea in my weed filled herb garden. Do you think weeds might have herbal qualities? Maybe I should check up on that, I might be wasting energy and time weeding needlessly. Anyway, back to teacups.Here is my teacup, from the Royal Dorchester Series. I had mint tea of course, but we are not growing mint in the herb garden, it would take over. The mint is growing near the front porch steps. Did I mention my herb garden is very weedy? My husband and I spent most of our weekend working in our gardens because this was the first nice weekend ( weather wise) we have had since last October. The weeds don't seem to mind the wet and cold weather and apparently partied all winter and spring. They invited their families and friends too. The extremely wet, cold winter and spring took their toll on my rosemary bush, and also killed off much of my thyme and sage. Why not the weeds too? I suppose my chickens & sheep are happy with the weeds as we toss wheelbarrow loads of them into their pens. The sheep and chickens gobble them up like kids eating ice cream and candy. Oh, sorry, back to my teacup. This teacup is from a series made by Royal Albert. The Dorchester series consists of 6 cups and saucers , each a different color. This is the only one in that series I own but I do covet the teal set. Please enjoy Tea Time Tuesday by clicking onto the links below . You will see some very pretty tea cups, tea parties, and tea times...maybe even some lovely WEED FREE gardens. "My green thumb came only as a result of the mistakes I made while learning to see things from the plant's point of view." H. Fred Ale

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

Dewdrop Delights

"Gamma, what's dis?" Little 'J' was fascinated and excited by the dew drops in the Lady's Mantle we have growing all over our property. I told him they were dew-drops. "Shrewshrops?" Although he did not master the pronunciation of the word, his excitement and delight over dew-drops did not cease.He carefully emptied each little dew-filled leaf he encountered. We have a lot of Lady's Mantle around here, so Little 'J' had a very good time. "Earth's liquid jewelry, wrought of air." Philip James Bailey on dewdrops "The leaves of Lady's Mantle are like shallow pleated cups. The soft hairs make water form droplets that roll around on the leaves." About.com ~ I have always thought the dew-drops in Lady's Mantle look like diamonds when the sun shines on them. In the morning there are tiny dew-drops all around the edges of the leaves, making the whole leaf appear sparkly and jeweled. "Lady's Mantle ( named for the Virgin Mary ) is an old-fashioned flower still popular today for it's fuzzy, cupped leaves that hold water droplets after a rain." About.com ~ Little'J's delight over something so simple, yet amazingly beautiful ,makes me happy to be part of his life and also reminded me of the simple joys we forget to appreciate as we get older.Raindrops, dew-drops, miracles of God's creation. ~"The dew-bead. Gem of earth and sky begotten." ~George Eliot

"Let my teaching fall like rain and my words descend like dew, like showers on new grass, like abundant rain on tender plants." Deuteronomy 32:2

Blue Willow Ware , Tea Time Tuesday

Blue Willow Ware is one of my favorite patterns of china and I have been collecting bits and pieces of it since I was in my teens. Usually I would buy a saucer or bread plate found in thrift stores and the great quantities of Willow Ware seem to vary quite a bit in quality and price. I am very pleased and thankful for the Blue Willow Ware teapot my Father-in-law gave me recently. He knows I love the pattern, thank-you Dad ! Blue is my favorite color and I never tire of blue and white on my table. Blue Danube, Blue Willow Ware,and any other pieces of blue china that find their way to my home will also be used frequently. Many of the pieces shown here are gifts given to us with love from family members. My husbands' sister Judy sent me a box of lovely blue and white plates and saucers a short while ago, some of them pictured here. I was not expecting any packages in the mail, and when I got the package home and opened the box ...oh my, a true surprise and delight to my heart ,thank-you Judy! This is a tea/coffee cup I have shown before. It is my favorite tea cup and I use it often, drinking ONLY tea from it. My sister JoAnn and I spotted this tea cup in an antique store in a mountain logging town in Oregon a few years ago as we were driving home after visiting our Grandmother. See, a favorite teacup with many fond memories attached. I googled Willow Ware in researching it for this post and google alone pulled up hundreds of thousands of articles about the pattern. The pattern is commonly believed to portray the story of two doomed Chinese lovers meeting on the bridge and after death they are turned into birds. The story on Blue Willow Ware is supposedly Chinese but Blue Willow Ware was first made in England in 1780. It is still being made today. "The pattern would prove so popular it would be copied in a dozen countries by hundreds of manufacturers. Even the Chinese copied it in their hand-painted decoration." Wayne Mattox The options for collecting Blue Willow Ware are endless, thrift stores, garage sales, and even newly produced Willow Ware are readily available. The most beautiful Willow Ware I have ever seen was a child's tea set displayed in an antique store. The little tea set was in perfect condition, and the cups and saucers were egg-shell thin. The little set took my breath away. The price was very high and of course I could not justify spending so much money on a toy tea set and if I had I know I would not actually ever use it. However, I DO use all my Blue Willow Ware, and enjoy it every time I sip tea from the cup and saucer, or eat cookies and sandwiches from the little plates. Pour yourself a cup of tea in a favorite cup and visit the ladies listed below:

• Martha at Martha's Favorites*
• Lady Katherine and Lady Katherine's Tea Parlor*
• Terri at Artful Affirmations*
• Wanda Lee at The Silken Purse*
• Pam at Breath of Fresh Air*
• Sandi at Rose Chintz Cottage*

Scenic View On The Way Home ~ HOME !

My traveling companions Beatrix and Hawk peer from the back of my car as I take a walk down to the scenic view outlook.We have been gone for more than a week visiting the granddaughters who live 6 hours away on the other side of the mountains. On the way home I stopped to buy coffee for me and cheeseburgers for the 3 of us. Hawk and Beatrix look forward to their plain cheeseburgers! I also took time to take in the beauty of the mighty Columbia River across from the Wild Horse Monument just over the bridge from Vantage, Washington. Breath-takingly beautiful .The scenery here seems almost barren, yet just a few miles from here the freeway heading home takes me through the highest snow-capped mountains filled with lush vegetation and evergreen trees, then down into King and Pierce Counties in Washington where there is so much green it makes my heart sing ! I do love the place I live ~ even the rainy days, especially the rainy days. Hawk , Beatrix, and I will be much happier to get home so I do not linger long at the scenic outlook. "Where we love is home.Home that our feet may leave, but not our hearts." Oliver Wendell Holmes I am looking forward to reading and posting blogs again after being away from the internet, but now, a good night's sleep in my own bed !