Tabletop Tuesday

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 Even as the  temperatures heat up in summer,  here in Virginia,  my decor   wants to cool down and  lighten up!!..   Since  my decor is Olde World  it is  a difficult thing to do to lighten up!!

  One way  is  in the  floral  table dressings, and of course, the  colors...

  By  our daughter's wedding  photo,  I have chosen a daisy  arrangement... I love the airiness and  delicacy of it!!!

  In the dining room, the hutch  is accenting the  whites and  lighter shades as well!

  The angels  bless me   right now,   their messages  for me, remind me to   lighten  the load of a heavy heart and stay focused on things from above!!!!
   My sheep reminds me  that  I am   a    lamb in the flock of the Lord...  Christ is my loving, and caring Shepherd!!!

Delightsome Rest

Kathy of   The Delightsome Life  hosts this  beautiful theme each week...      today    Kathy  shared  a wonderful  listing of  scriptures that  help to bind our hearts in communion and fellowship with the living God,  especially  as w e begin a new week, and attempt   put  the previous   excitements,  disappointments, frets, and    busy-ness  behind us....  to  find our peace,  our serenity, in  the One who loves us most and best,   our Father, Abba, in heaven...  
  I love that....     and it makes me  sit back and put my  Monday into perspective!
  Lately,  our  main purpose in life has been  taking care of  my Mom and Dad  

who a re living in  Assisted living now...
 the  finances,  the  insurance,  medical concerns,    their laundry, 

 getting their home cleared out and  ready to sell...   

everyday is a new challenge...  and  this weekend it  was  regarding  their automobile...   should we  sell  or keep it...  this weekend  we thought we had a buyer  but they wanted  the  cosmetic  concerns  negotiated and we needed to have estimates....so today we  were out all day    trying to get them...   so many    obstacles...  then  so much  money  for  the little  things that needed doing....   the balancing act we were trying to achieve  was  tumbling around us....      our  minds  were   filled  way past capacity of  frets, and concerns, and  figures, and  questions.... and with  more  appointments tomorrow ... 
  we  decided to just  take a drive   through the country... 

 in the mountains with the  windows down, and the wind  blowing away the cobwebs.... 
   
   What a glorious day  the Lord provided for us.... 
  clear,    breezy,     bright,   the  air so clear and  fresh!!!



I breathed  deeply  and  began to put put  trust and faith in the one who  created it all!   Who was  still in control,  holding all things together....  who knew all things, especially,  exactly, what we were  going through and had a plan laid out for us if we would but  trust Him to pave the way....
we  arrived  home  this evening  tired    but not    disheartened...   we still had questions   but soon  the answer came!
  The answering machine  told us  the  buyers  had  rescinded their offer...  and I realized immediately  that I was thrilled...   
because I know now it isn't the time to sell,,,  and  I think I don't even want to sell...  What peace comes knowing that  God  knew all along  what we needed and even though we may jump through hoops of our own making....   in the end,,, we will have God's perspective and then  we have  His gospel rest!  I thank Kathy for her timely  post on  resting  in the Lord....  and I especially  praise the Lord  for  plying His  Truth in our lives and  always  providing  the answers and the needs  if we will  but  put our trust in Him!   Tomorrow  when  I  keep my appointments  it will be  with a fresh perspective... one that will  be  a blessing instead of a problematic  situation!

  When  we have God at the helm, of our life,  and we   purpose to  give up the reins of control,     we  do find  a delightsome  peace and  purpose  that   surpasses all understanding !
                                                   Let me ne'er forget   from now on to  begin  my day    with a spot  of tea    in a favored  cup,   
but  mainly  with  the Word of the Lord  refreshing and transforming my mind  that I may ever remain in His rest!!!
Also  posting on

 Martha's Teacup Tuesday

Blue-tification

I am  sharing on Blue Monday  with Smiling Sally!

 Hydrangea season inspires me to  blue-tify  my home....   it is  so cooling and refreshing after  the  heavier hues...

God Bless America

Pink Saturday

For more  PS   visit Beverly here!!!
Happy Pink Saturday!

God Bless America

I am    starting  today  with a tribute to our nation's  fine history and our God given  national heritage  given to us by our Founding Fathers in  celebration  for our upcoming    National  observance , the Fourth of July ... I am so    convicted  of this  because of  the  major importance  of this  fall's election...  whereby, the very   fabric of  who we are and have always been as a nation  may  be in serious  jeopardy...

  I am thinking first of  all,   of the father of  our country... George Washington....  A  man of great  conviction and    a prime example to us all in  so many areas of his life...    I love this  painting of him  walking  in the garden with his   step children...  I can imagine him  using this special time together  instilling  the  high prinicples of  living  to them....

 Perhaps he  was  telling them.  

" It is the duty of all peoples of every nation  to acknowledge the providence of Almighty God, to obey his will, to be grateful for his benefits,  and humbly ask his   protection and favors"

   

George Washington at Mount Vernon With Eleanor (Nelly) and George

Ever  a man of  the   who  set the highest standards of living  for himself, even as a youth he  wrote a journal of  ettiquette and rules  for living...   he was disciplined  , yet  so gracious...and  ever the family man  even as he was a man of the people.

Washington And His Family

Jean Leon Gerome Ferris (1863 – 1930, American)

One might have heard him utter,

"Labour to keep alive in your breast that little spark of celestial fire, called conscience."

or 

"Associate with men of good quality, if you esteem your own reputation; for it is better to be alone than in bad company."

and most assuredly, 

"My mother was the most beautiful woman I ever saw. All I am I owe to my mother." 

But above all, Im sure that his family heard him pray...

"I now make it my earnest prayer, that God would have you, and the State over which you preside, in his holy protection, that he would incline the hearts of the Citizens to cultivate a spirit of subordination and obedience to Government, to entertain a brotherly affection and love for one another, for their fellow Citizens of the United States at large, and particularly for their brethren who have served in the Field, and finally, that he would most graciously be pleased to dispose us all, to do Justice, to love mercy, and to demean ourselves with that Charity, humility and pacific temper of mind, which were the Characteristicks of the Divine Author of our blessed Religion, and without an humble imitation of whose example in these things, we can never hope to be a happy Nation."

Oh, we have drifted so far from these happy and powerful sentiments as nation...

I encourage all who have read this post to begin praying fervently throughout this election cycle for a return to godly principles and a spiritual revival that is so desperately needed!

  

Blue Mood

  I am all out of wack this week...   just  getting over   my  viral sinus  problems,,,  and   splitting my time  between home,   my mom's  house  getting it  cleaned out, painted, and ready   to sell, and  visiting with my parents in Assisted Living...   Sometimes I dont know if Im coming or going...   but  yesterday it was  just good to  stay home and  get  ready for  my dear friends today!...  My house  really needed a bit of attention!

 I have posted that I was inspired by cooling blues...  and  

  So  I  tried to allow the blue to spill out of the dining room and into  the living room a s well!


Robin's egg blue  silk pillows on the sofa ,  


  and an arrangement of  silk hydrangea on the floor by the fireplace 

the Jim Shore angel collection on the bookcase
 
 all add just the touch of blue to the room to  bring a bit of  coolness to the mood!
 I am also sharing on  
  Home  Sweet Home Friday

Show and Tell Friday 


Feathered Nest Friday 

Soup Glasses

This is the third Thursday of June   which means it is thrifting week at The Delightsome Life where Kathy hosts this  wonderful    theme  each week.

Previously I shared about  preparing for  my luncheon I had today....   and I was so inspired by the   wonderful  recipes  in  Tea Time magazine... when I saw the gazpacho  recipe    which I shared in the previous  post,  I  knew that would  be just the thing to take the heat off  our  visit!!   In the  first photo you  met  my dear friends, Dottie, Judy, Lynne, and Colleen!  and if you look closely,  you'll see our gazpacho, first course!...    But as I was  mixing up  the delightful  mixture,     I was thinking...  what one earth will I serve them in!
 I needed dainty  bowls,  or  glasses,  but alas, I had nothing...  then I remembered as I have been  dispensing with my mom's household  and  preparing their home for sale, I had cleared out her china cupboard and found 6 champagne glasses  that I had laid  aside for  an estate sale.... I hurriedly  sent  my hubby over to retrieve them...  and they were the perfect  serving size!!!

  Now  how  thrifty is that... free!!!   Now that isnt likely to happen to me anytime soon!     For me now  because I love  gazpacho so much, I need to keep these glasses....  I  now need to find  storage space for them...   That will come at a dear price, ...... I  need  storage space!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
  

Sista Luncheon

Tablescape Thursday

It's Thursday,  and today  I  have been so privileged to  host my dear prayer sista's  for luncheon...

I am also  sharing on  Favorite Things Thursday..  because nothing  is more  fun to me than  that!!!

  

Of course, this still being hydrangea season,  I  cut some  lovely blossoms  this morning  and mixed in some  store bought white  mums  to  give an effect of daisies....  as I was  inspired by my  table topper I decorated with  blue  white, and yellow... very cheery indeed!

  It is so hot and humid here today, the cool blues were a  refreshing respite...

My white  South Hampton  china from Mikasa    on  alternating yellow and blue mats   suited the occasion.

I never tire of my  Zwilling J.A. Henckles, Vintage  1876

 stainless...   the quality, patina, and  weightiness of it  is timeless..!!

   

It  goes with  everything, every occasion!

When the ladies  first entered the dining room,     there was a collective, "ah,",,   the  cooling atmosphere   and tone of the  setting  was just so  right for  the hot morning..

To begin our  luncheon  I  was a delighted to serve  a new  recipe  for me....

  Ice cold gazpacho

3 cups spicy vegetable juice

1/3 cup chopped Roma tomatoes (approximately 3)

1 cup chopped red bell pepper

1 cup chopped green bell pepper

1/2 cup seeded and chopped cucumber

1/2 cup chopped red onion

1/2 cup chopped fresh cilantro

1 teaspoon minced garlic

1 tablespoon lemon juice

1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
1/4 teaspoon hot pepper sauce

 • In the work bowl of a food processor, combine 1 cup vegetable juice, tomatoes, red bell pepper, green bell pepper, cucumber, 

onion, cilantro, and garlic. Process to desired consistency.

Repeat with remaining juice and vegetables.

• Add lemon juice, Worcestershire, and hot pepper sauce. Cover,

and refrigerate for 4 hours.
I had received this recipe in an email from Tea Time magazine this week .. and inside that was a huge listing of wonderful tea party recipes found here,
and it was very simple to pull together this morning!!
I wish I had taken a photo of my salad... but things got so exciting I forgot... heheheh. but now that the fresh basil is so prolific I made a sliced tomato, fresh sliced mozzarella, and cut up fresh basil salad.. and I baked a loaf of tuscan bread served with creamery butter,, while the gals provided Chic Filet's chicken strips, slaw, and a fresh fruit bowl, and a most decadent chocolate pie from Marie Callendar! Might I add, a great time was had by all!!!!!!!!!!!