Today......

Today is restful compared to yesterday!!

Yesterday was full of bread making and canning

and making several pans of Enchiladas, some

for the Shepherd's House on Monday

and one for our dinner and one for

a freezer meal (yay!! love it when that happens!!)

Today...I am blogging....studying for our Titus 2

Group tomorrow....this afternoon we get to go to

a friends for our monthly "Sewing Circle" (no one really

sews anymore, but sometimes.....)

Then come home take a "homemade" pizza crust out of the

freezer, spread it with some of that "homemade" spaghetti

sauce, top with "cheapo" pepparoni from Costco that is in

the freezer and some cheese that

is already grated and in the freezer.

WOW!

How easy is that?!?!?

My kind of day. :D

I ran across this quote this morning...it is so good for so

many circumstances in life, I just have to share it....

it is from an old magazine from 1993...

I think that word "inconveniences" can be translated to

mean anything that we are dealing with...

it could be something in our past, it could be illness,

unemployment,.....anyway, here it is.......

"God uses all those inconveniences to plant

tender seeds of endurance when

you are not even looking.

And before you know it, tiny sprouts of

perseverance and contentment

begin to crop up where resistance

and impatience used to thrive. You hardly

notice itin the beginning, but one day there it is -

the sweet flower of long-suffering

bloomingright there in your very irritation.

God has us here inthis flower garden of

patience, long-suffering,

and perseverance."

Have a great weekend!! See you Monday!!

A Rather Quiet Day........

Just a peek......

OK, I am back......I made it through the week, but today will

be a very "hardly do anything at all day"!!!!

e

The Tea went well. I ended up having 27. I am always happy

that Iam back in the kitchen and that the ladies have NO

idea what is going on back there, so many things were going

wrong, but on their sideit remained calm and enjoyable.

Praise God for that!!

e

When I do teas at the Hall, I bring most of the dishes home

dirty :( so have to spend the next couple of days cleaning

up at home. We werehome about 10:30 or 11:00 last night,

and sat up even later, AND I was up until 1 a.m. two

nights before Tea........so I for one

am very tired today, and doing Tea just does

me in for a couple days anyway. I am not

as young as I once was. :(

e

For today, I am still relaxing with my cup of coffee

and later this afternoon a friend will pick me up and

we are going to Lark Gardens new store Grand Opening.

It is a Lavender farm!! In the summer they

do Tea outside and in the winter you can arrange a

Tea inside and they have had their store inside their

home. They just built a new store!! The actually

sell Lavender Jelly!?!?! I must

experiment with that some day. :)

I am anxious to see this place....this is sooooo much

what I want to do!! Have a store and Tea

at home on my own property!! Maybe

some day........I will keep dreaming!!

e

I must go......thank you for all your wonderful,

encouraging comments lately.....

see you soon with wonderful pictures of Tea!!

Good Bye Autumn!!

Hello December!!

I Love Autumn and all it's colors and all the Fall dishes there

are to enjoy with squash and nuts and putting things up from the

garden or locally bought produce, I love it all.But I am always

happy to enter December. December is full of so much.

Celebrating the birth of Jesus Christ!!

That He came, only to give His life for me!!

Without Him I am nothing!!

e

Giving to those we love and care about as an expression of Him

giving Hislife for me. His coming to earth was a gift

for anyone willing to take it.

e

Taking time to find those people that may be without or not have

loved ones to share with and blessing them in some way.

This of course always depends on how we are doing, this year it

will be homebaked goodsor something handmade. We do have a

neighbor that keeps to himself out here and we take him a plate

of Christmas dinner at the end of the day. He is always

happy aboutthat. He prefers that to sitting at our table. :)

e

Everything is so beautiful in December, I love all the lights!! I wish it could look like that all winter long. In some parts of our town, they do keep lights up through the winter. :)

e

I love the smells December brings, cinnamon

and spices, pine, cedar....mmmmm!!

e

Every year, I try to slow down and focus on why we do what we do. This year that is even easier because we really have $0 to spend.....so I am having fun thinking of things to make

for my family with what I have. I am so happy that

I have a stash to build from.

e

I love creating memories, still today with grown children.....I have so many happy memories from Christmas with my Mom and Dad, I will cherish them always.

e

It is my prayer for you all to enjoy this season and remember to take time to reflect on Christmas's past and the present and how we can share the love of Jesus to those around us.

Bless You All!!

At the end of the day.........

Beautiful high desert sunset!

Tea Preparations.......

A perfect day of tea preparations.......

Watching Anne of Green Gables while stirring soap....... :)
Inspiration for an Anne Tea!!

Finding Joy!!!

Working on my Garden Tea today......setting up, finding centerpieces, decisions....long table, small tables??.....by the garden or in the yard?? Gathering teapots, teacups, dishes.....All the fun details to make it a very pleasant experience for all who attend............

Praying, step by step that God will keep me going and bless the works of my hands so that these women can relax, find a moments peace and enter into a couple hours of JOY in simple beauty.
I realized, I do not do this on my own, I so totally rely on God and His strength moment by moment....asking Him to hold me up, make all the food come out ok, for there to be enough....
Mostly, starting each day knowing and reminding myself again.....
"The JOY of the Lord is my Strength!"
Neh. 8:10

Next post..........Garden Tea!! Cannot wait, see you then. :)
The girls and I decided last night that the new Pride and Prejudice soundtrack would make WONDERFUL Garden Tea background music! :)

Tasha Tudor Day!

Many of you know that today is Tasha Tudor Day! In honor of her birthday....

After just doing Prairie Camp and having an upcoming Tea in a couple weeks, I said to my friends, "You should have a Tasha Tudor tea party and invite me!" And they did!!

This lovely row of lavender and a line of fruit trees are what greet you as you drive into their property.....
Then as you arrive at the

front door........

You are greeted by many lovely flowers........


The mother's sat around in the shade enjoying a tea party that the girls prepared....Scones, gingerbread made with honey :), watermelon......all very delightful! After tea, we went inside and watched a Tasha Tudor video.....
The girls present were adorned in their historic dress and enjoyed tea on the lawn with their dolls. Having dolls to tea is VERY Tasha Tudor indeed!

Look at what they did!! These are very "mini" scones, there is
really cream in that "thimble" size
creamer and very small cut watermelon.......


Their table is a cake stand!! How lovely!

The girls browsing through the garden.........
Close up, can you see that the
doll's dress matches her dress!!


Beautiful surroundings, quiet, restful.......
My friend who lives here, is allowing me to have a "Garden Tea" in her yard in a couple weeks. We are praying the weather holds out that long and that her garden will be as beautiful as it is today!!
I cannot wait to do the tea and
share that with you. :)

Quiet Places.........

Do you have a quiet place of rest, a place where you or your family enjoys putting their feet up and savoring a quiet moment. I have always tried to make inviting spots around my home for my whole family. This is a porch swing that is shaded in the afternoon.....this is the kind of place that would encourage my children to grab a book and do some reading alone or perhaps all of us aloud....on a hot summer afternoon. Or it draws my husband and I to it's coolness on a hot evening for a little conversation. Or even just a place for me to grab a cup of tea and slow down for a bit......savor these moments, have places around your home that draw you and your family in for quiet times together.........they will make memories not soon forgotten.

I plan on spending some time there later today, to wind down, gather thoughts in a day that is rapidly becoming overwhelmed by sign ups for Prairie Camp....someone coming to see our house this Sunday, that is for sale, so has to be beyond clean.....wedding gift to make.......and needing to take one step, one moment at a time and allow for a moments rest.