Thinking Autumn Already?

We have just returned   from Boston   seeing  our   kids.....can   one ever see your  kids enough....  this time  I  went to  share in  Amanda's   wonderful  baby shower....  She is so blessed by such marvelous friends  both at  work and at  church,as  well,   as  friends  as   close as  family who   just   simply  love her  .....     Just  a few  are  shown here with   our darling   Amanda.  

So on this visit Lynn and I took  Amtrak   on this  12 hour  trip .. our  first  Amtrak experience together....  so   I was   very limited in  what I could purchase  on this trip...but   what can I say...when  Amanda   says, "Wanna go to 

?'
We dont have   one      anywhere nearby so...  I told her, "only if I can  rent  a part of her closet     just until  we  visit again if Isee  something I can't live without!"  And I did... actually,  Amanda found  it for me...
  I  didnt take a photo...  they were  wrapped up so   well,   but   she found  exactly 6  of these!

  I actually   bought  6  soup bowls.....  regular  price  at Replacements,  16.00  each.   At HG  there were 2.99  each. In other words,  all  six  for  just over the price  of 1.....  I call that a bargain!I   dont   have this pattern,  but I do have   these.

  The Herdsman... 
which  I   think  are  just perfect for  autumn settings  like this one....so Im sure   my  herdsman  lives in the country and   harvests the hay  for his  beautiful sheep....   and I  can already   begin   thinking about     a  new   setting  ....   we will be  returning to   Amanda   in a  few weeks  after the baby   comes....when they  decide  they are ready to   ask us to   come....or become  desperate to have us   what ever comes first!
Open House Party at No Minimalist Here
Favorite Things Thursday at Katherine’s Corner
Home Sweet Home at The Charm of Home on Thursday

Wendy at The Shabby Nest for Frugal Friday

Sweet and Simple Friday   at Rooted in Thyme

Diann at The Thrifty Groove for Thrifty Things Friday

Debra at Common Ground for Be Inspired Friday

Kate at Chic On A Shoestring Decorating for Flaunt It Friday

Messianic Passover

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And he said, "Go into the city to such a man, and say unto him, The Master saith, My time is at hand; I will keep the passover at thy house with my disciples."

Matthew 26:18

This week Passover is celebrated,  to  commemorate  God's deliverance of the Jews from  their  slavery in Egypt....  It  is  in remembrance of how  He  told them to  sacrifice a  spotless lamb and  paint its blood over the lintels of their homes  so the death angel  would pass over them when he came to kill every  first born son of  Egypt including  the son of Pharoah....   a Messianic Passover  is the fulfilment of this   blood sacrifice  through the  spilled blood of Jesus Christ on the cross   to  deliver those who   will believe  He is who He says  He is, the son of God, from their  sins  and   give them the gift of   eternal life...When God instituted  Passover,  he told the people to keep it  forever....  I believe that  since   we are grafted into    family of God's  chosen  people  it   is beneficial for us to   keep it, too,   in Messianic form...  which  ritual  is  found here.

  I  am  not  able to    be prepared  for this   this year,  but I wanted to  repost last year's Seder.

"Because it was such a special celebration I enjoyed with   Lynn , and because our dear Amanda and Joshua were not able to be with us, I did take some photos to commemorate this wonderful experience.

I am always excited to use Lynn's mother's china which I love so much!

Lynn's placesetting included the 4 cups for the fruit of the vine.

The Seder plate included the parsley for dipping into the salt water representing new life mixed with tears and sorrow.

Also the bitter herbs, Maror, (horseradish) along with the sweet, fruity charoset ( a mortar-like paste made of ground apples, nuts, honey, dates, dried cherries, and wine. Again, the dipping of the bitter and sweet, which comprises the Christian experience. A roasted egg represented new life.

At the far end of the table are the basin water and towel for the ceremonial hand washing.

Lynn explained the importance of the matza.


 You  can see   we both had  copies of the Haggadah  with   speaking parts for  us both...   This is especially  a wonderful family   practice as there are wonderful   passages for  children  and  the  Holy Story becomes   so  much  more alive  in their hearts...

The first cup celebrated our deliverance from bondage!

Later we enjoyed the actual meal.

We enjoyed a Mediterranean roast chicken  with     fruits and  veggies , deviled eggs, roasted asparagus, and the remaining charoset.

In celebration of the sabbath we enjoyed lighting the menorah and just resting in its festive light!

 I purchased this candelabra    just for these special occasions....  "

Open House @ Bernideen's Tea Time Blog

Garden Inspired

So many things  are   touching my  heart,  my soul,  my inner  desire to   create  beauty around me.....   while  the   world seems to be  spiraling out of control,  I  am seeking   the  face of God,  and  He  fills me with  desire for more of His  handiwork..

I  am   compelled to plant and   see His  mighty hand  bring  forth   an abundant harvest..

Whether  I   am enjoying   my  Victoria  Bliss magazine,, and  revel in   gardens  in  the  parlor,

or   perusing    Southern Living    and  admiring   outer spaces...

 Or my   fanciful       books on tea,   these all  enliven my   yen  for   gardens,  gardens,  gardens  everywhere!!!!!

This ulitmately  brings on   my reverie  of being a child at home  and  enjoying  my mother telling me  that the  Easter  bunny lived  in the   old  pine tree  around which she had   designed  a lovely  rock garden....  she  incorporated  roses,   violas,  tulips,  jonquils, and    crosuses   in this  space and   it was where  she hid all the easter eggs  each spring...

So I started to accumulate   items from around  the house

The colors to me see just right!

 The worker  bunnies have  colored the eggs

while Easter bunny    is preparing for    the  big day!

That takes care of that!

  But  the reverie continues over   a nice  cup of Lady Earl Grey

 If  you   know me   even a  little  you know I love to plan....  and  now I am consumed with planning   a raised  garden.... over   a nice cup of  tea  in my  lovely  Syracuse ,Portland,  china  we inherited  from Lynn' s Mother....   

The tea pot is   made in  England, Windsor Rose.

 Planning  a  raised  garden is rather straightforward...

 Keeping  a journal of this, my first experience  with it,   will be  very  pertinent and  important to me personally..

So the coming days have a refreshed,  exciting  new purpose,    a time for   growing in my  personal  life, a spiritual and soul edifying experience,  and   a  wonderful   endeavor to  actually reap  a tangible harvest as well...I  am hugely  ecstatic! 

For it is written   about the last days...

Amos 9:14

I will restore the fortunes of my people Israel, and they shall rebuild the ruined cities and inhabit them; they shall plant vineyards and drink their wine, and they shall make gardens and eat their fruit.

A Return to Loveliness@ A Delightsome Life

Table Top Tuesday@  A Stroll Thru Life

Favorite Things Thursday@  katherine's Corner

Grace at Home@ Imparting Grace

Home Sweet Home@  The Charm of Home

Open House @ Bernideen's Tea Time Blog

Spring is on its Way!

Even though the   rain is  pelting down  in frozen pellets,    new life is springing forth from the  garden,  the  jonquils are  attempting to bloom today!

Of course, then, it's time to  bring out  the  bunnies and   begin  celebrating   the season of  new birth!!!!

Tabletops  throughout the house are  enlivened by the promise of  spring....  it  puts me in such a  cheery mood,  a tea break is  in the offing...

To quote, C.S. Lewis, 

Tea should be taken in solitude.

 Time to   enjoy    Royal Albert's   Provincial  Floral Series,  Alberta Rose,    with  a  bit  of  cinnamon  tea to chase away  the chill!

Peeking out from  under  an arbor of roses    the tea  offers  up its  savory sweetness to  co-mingle with their  marvelous scent!

 With the fresh  fruit  at hand,  my  cup of  spicy  warmth,   I take up  my  book,    Wings of Silver,

a lovely  compilation of  words  taken from    Jo Petty's  Introduction ...  "All the  wise  thoughts

have been thought already, thousands of times, but to make them truly ours,  we must think them over and over  again honestly until  they  take place in our personal experience." 

 This lovely book , a gift to my mother  many years ago,  sat on her  coffee table  over the decades,  seldom opened  in recent time,  but now savored  for its  wisdom and  glory,  for much of its text  originates  from  God's Word!

A  wondrous  book to  mull over  with tea!

One  truth  in the section  entitled, "Joy"...

 "The flower that follows the sun  does so even on cloudy days"

... such   a word of wisdom  that even  the   flowers of the field  understand yet,  man  can not seem to  hold on to...  we may grasp it for a time,  then  it  falters  when  cloudy days  come....

We truly may remember the  lilies  of the field...   

Luke 12:27

 Consider the lilies how they grow: they toil not, they spin not; and yet I say unto you, that Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these.

All   they   do is keep  looking  up....   all they need  is provided  by    the  Father!

 A  bit of time carved out of an afternoon  to  cherish  a cup a tea  over  some  wonderful  words of life and joy!...  these words  really spoke to the  wanderlust in  my  heart...

"To be happy at home is the ultimate   aim of all ambition.... he is happiest who finds his peace   in his home.....A man travels the world over   in search of   what he needs, and returns home to find it"....

  and    a    really   wonderful one to live by..

  "activity and sadness  are incompatible"....

 Well,  back to  my teatime,  before the  chill robs me of its  grandeur!

Mosaic Monday @ Dear Little Red House

A Return to Loveliness@ A Delightsome Life

Table Top Tuesday@  A Stroll Thru Life

Favorite Things Thursday@  katherine's Corner

Grace at Home@ Imparting Grace

Home Sweet Home@  The Charm of Home

Open House @ Bernideen's Tea Time Blog

Matters of the Heart

There is nothing  like    getting  together  with your  sisters in Christ   for   fellowship and   prayer...
Leisuring over our  cups of   tea and coffee, sharing   our lives and   what  we  are  learning  through our  Spirit life is  a  precious treasure to us....   and  God is moving  so much   in each of lives,   there is never a dull  moment....

We  enjoyed  our  wonderful  Valentine Brunch this morning....celebrating   Judy's birthday!...   it was so great   getting together   as we do every Saturday to pray,   but   today  for   a bit of fun, as well..   well, to  be honest  we always have fun!!!!  But   today  the  Spirit   flowed , not only  in  our time together,   but in the preparations as well.
 Last week I  shared about the  tablescape here.
This morning  I wa s  anxious to  get the cooking   done....
  You'll want to   see  what  we   ate   ...  it  was   fabulous!!   Click on!!!!!

A Closer Look

As I  look around  the  house,   I   use my critical eye  and  wonder, "  what  am I  trying to convey, here"?

I  hope it demonstrates  a n appreciation  for   grace,   both  in gentility and in  God's  perfect  gift to us, in His Only Begotten, Son, Jesus Christ....

Perhaps, one might  suspect    a n appreciation  of  classical thought and    the blessings  we  have in   understanding the past....

If one were to take a much closer look, one would suspect an even deeper context of my reverence for God's Word... we are told to "write them on the door frames of your house and on your gates."Deuteronomy 6:8...

I choose to write them on the walls of our home especially this one that reminds me to put on the full armor of God!!

Ephesians 6:10-18

¹⁰ Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. ¹¹ Put on the full armor of God, so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes. ¹² For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms. ¹³ Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand. ¹⁴ Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place, ¹⁵ and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace. ¹⁶ In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. ¹⁷ Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.

¹⁸ And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the Lord’s people.

It does  attempt to   create   for  Lynn and myself  a reminder to us that  we a re  God's  beloved  children,  that our  one  true love and trust  is  only    in Christ Jesus, our perfect  visible representation  of the invisible God....   and  we  find our   perfect  shelter and safe haven  under  His everlasting wings!!

Open House Friday @Bernideen's Tea Time Blog

Mosaic Monday @ Dear Little Red House

A Return to Loveliness@ A Delightsome Life

Table Top Tuesday@  A Stroll Thru Life

Favorite Things Thursday@  katherine's Corner

Grace at Home@ Imparting Grace

Home Sweet Home@  The Charm of Home

Open House @ Bernideen's Tea Time Blog