Steeped in Charm

Life gets so  hectic, doesnt it... sometimes, I  hardly have time to  get  it all done and  find time to rest and   just  replenish my  own soul...  but  then again, sometimes,  while in the midst of all the flurrying,  a  simple, wonderful pleasure  comes along....  I call them God's  special gifts  to me.  For example,  a month ago, Lynn and I were on a  trip  for a wedding and    we certainly didnt  have time to  take in the shops, but  while we were   out and about  just casing the area for goodies, there was a little Home Goods  store tucked in between  some  stores in a strip mall...  I  had just enough time to  run and  and  there it was  

The gorgeous New Country Roses  cup and saucer  by Royal Albert...    Such a  sweet  and delicate pink  with    bouquets of  lovely roses....  who could resist?  

Then  I worked a charity yard sale Saturday... I mean a huge  sale  that brought in thousands of dollars.. and when I   returned at the end  with my husband who was  helping with the  packing  away to take  the residuals to Good Will there it was  ....

Crying out to me  from the leftovers.."Please, take me home!"

The  most perfect ceramic sign, how  could a verified tea lover like me  turn that down...  so  what a  happy little vignette  these  items  make on my  side board.. even when life is hectic,  my  thoughts of tea  are  soothed  by the very sight of  my happy arrangement...

  

Make it Pretty 

A Return to Loveliness

Martha’s Favorites 

Tea Time Tuesday 

 Tuesday Cuppa Tea
Teacup Tuesday 

Friends Sharing Tea 

Share Your Cup Thursday

A Bit 'O Irish in the Planning Stage

                            
Well, today will probably not the last time I will  speak to this topic.....  because it is something very dear to my heart...It has been my dream to  visit the UK  sometime in our retirement... especially  I wanted to  visit Scotland.....I am  Scotcch-Irish  and I suppose  truth be told I  am probably more Irish  anyway, for my grandmother was  Higgins....  at any rate, Lynn and I will be touring Ireland next spring! And I couldnt be happier!  Today has been a most profittable day.. We  got our  renewed  documents    and  things are really progressing nicely  in our planning!

I have been spending time  looking at the many items  I will need...  such as  luggage for checking...

I am  thinking this 24 inch  by Swiss Gear looks  manageable...  and I  am a bit  concerned about  larger  cases  and going over the  weight limit of 50 pounds....  THis  case has  a great  review rating and is on sale  now at Amazon for  under $70.00 ...

I think if is  very  awesome that  a month ago  prior to knowing about this trip opportunity  I actually  found  last years  Irish travel guide  on sale at the used book sale at the library  for  $1...  It has offered many happy  hours of    dreaming  and   planning.

We will be flying into Dublin  and will actually  have quite a bit of  time on our own  so  Ive been checking out  popular  places,  including Trinity College  and   its Book of Kells,   which will be very convenient to our  accommodations...  and there  are  pubs a plenty in the environs...

Our 13 day tour will   take us  mainly around the  coastal  towns and attractions, both  medieval and    geographic,,   both of which  are   the ones of my greatest interest!

 When I think of the Ring of Kerry  which is very  nearly like Dingle  from the film Leap Year, which I  just  love to watch time and again...

because the  terrain is just so   awesomely  beautiful!!!

One of the   highlights of the trip  for us is the  Medieval banquet at Bunratty Castle.. 

 

When I think of Ireland I  always think of the  thatched cottages on the Emerald Isle... like the  one 

in The Quiet Man.... 


  and  glorious vistas  dotted with sheep


  Which makes me think of the  food....
 because of my  love of  sheep, I have never acquired a taste for mutton.. oh well, I suppose  it's now or never....   but  blood sausage for breakfast......????

 My daughter said I had to try everything!  Yikes!

 Now   when it comes to souvenirs   I'd love  a claddagh  ring.. I cant think of anything easier to  pack for the return trip!

 But I just may have to   ship back a bit of Belleek

and /or Waterford crystal or linens! 

If I can figure out    the euros and the pounds!

                              Thursday Favorite Things

Up close and Personal

Sometimes I  like to just get upclose and personal... whether  inside or out.....  a close up of my  gorgeous pink petunias  greet visitors  by the door...

The blue salvia  flanks my    statuary  on the wall... 

 A precious hand crafted and  painted  butterfly  my mother made  for me about 20 years ago graces  the dining room  arrangement on the sideboard... 

 My  style  is  pretty eclectic and  very    floral as I bring the out doors inside..... especially in spring...

 A mix of  all manner of items  displayed throughout.. like this  small hobnail  vase of violas,   I remember  this vase in my grandma's kitchen window..

 HAHAHA a leftover from March.... a Celtic cross hidden away in a sea of green silk hydrangeas...

 And always a bird or two, to remind me of our little Birdie....

This may be the last  time I will be  using  silk  blues this season, as my  very own hydrangea bush  has many  buds on it this year...   I am so happy about that!!!!! 

I confess that upclose photos today   made sense because the  rooms around  the house  as still in somewhat of a disarray...  Birdie's  play yard is still assembled in the living room,  and  the  dining table is  still  a gathering place for  things  ever sense the girls were here and  it   became the packing headquarters  as  they were prepapring to leave us...  what to   take and what to leave behind....sad to admit,  I dont want to put Birdie's  toys away.... it makes me really feel like Grammy CC  to have  them lying about... BUT  tomorrow is another day and Lynn and I  are determined we are going to get a handle on the house....  well, what I mean is...  there is simply too much clutter.... I  want to  cull out about a ton of stuff for a very important   yard sale  to help fund a young 6 year old's  cancer treatment from our church....praise God the   leukemia is treatable  but  the  chemo is very expensive....  what better time than this to  make a difference in my house   to help make a difference in  this  little boy's life!  

Home and Garden Thursday

Grace at Home

Cottage Style Party

The Charm of Home

A Moment in Time

 I never got around to sharing  about our  very special    visitors  from a couple of weeks ago.... when  the most  beloved  family members  are   home  for a just a few days,  time  seems to  fly....  there is never enough  time to just  catch your breath,   much less  sit and  savor  each moment..  This was our  third and  last breakfast...  the other two  were  so rushed,   we didnt even think to  get out the camera.  I was determined to send them on their way with   nice  warm tummies!We love our   fruited yogurt with granola  as our first course....

I wanted to show off to Amanda that  her  instruction to me on making poached eggs last summer wasnt lost on me.

We finished off our  eggs with a bit of English muffin and  country ham!

 Wee Birdie seems  pretty happy  with    her  morning    snack....   yum... mushed  boiled egg and banana! 

  I just love seeing her enjoy sitting tall like a big girl in the vintage high chair we refinished for her mommy 28 years ago!

 While I have these images  enblazoned on my memory!

I  really  love the    Torquoise plates and cups I got at Home Goods    ....  the mugs   feel so  good in the hand while enjoying  the morning   brew....  and    the  rim of each plate and cup is  embellised with  a ring of  fleur-de lis....   It doesnt get much better than that....  no  name  but these  lovely   dishes were made in Portugal...

Martha’s Favorites 

Tea Time Tuesday 

 Tuesday Cuppa Tea

Teacup Tuesday 

Friends Sharing Tea 

Share Your Cup Thursday

First Days after School Lets Out!!!!!

I taught third   or fourth grade for 30 years,  and  I loved  being with my classes.....  but   when we moved  here across from  an elementary school,    I have to say there  is so retirement peace like  the days following the  last day of  school....  The excitement swells into a great  crescendo  until the final bell  signalling no more school for 2 months....  at that time my  porch takes on new life...  breakfasts and  dinners  have new meaning  as we  enjoy the  serenity of dining  alfresco!

 One of my favorite  breakfasts  on the porch is  simply baked eggs  seasoned with  ham and  parmesan  and  English muffin  with  orange marmalade.... served 

with  a  lovely cup of arabica  coffee!!

Ahhh, a leisurely first cup of coffee  on these  luscious  mild mornings  is  my idea of luxury!

Make it Pretty 

A Return to Loveliness

OH, What a Father, He is

I  have just  very recently returned to blogging after a few weeks respite....  time does  become so involved,  that  I just havent had the time to compose, yet,  I am  filled  right now with  a  fullness of joy and  expectation,  yet  to  spill  it out on this post seems      forced  a bit... I  have been taking a   2 and half hour class  each week on  healing prayer...   now this is mainly spiritual healing.... I at first took the class because I so highly respect the teachers,  previous Bible  teachers I have  learned from. I wasnt so sure I needed  spiritual healing but was  actually thinking  I wanted to learn how to pray for and with others.... Well, I   was certainly wrong in that!   And I now  believe from what I have experienced, that  everyone  is carrying  hurts around in their hearts of some kind or another, that need the light of God's love and  mercy, and healing applied ...



We were told   in our first class  during a silent reflection time  that the Holy Spirit would  bring to our minds a memory  that God wanted to heal...  while I sat  there I thought  Id have to conjure up a memory,   but no!  There it was ,,, just as plain as anything...  a memory from when I was 9...   an event  that I never really had given what I thought... much  credence to,  just  a  non-intentional parental  action    that  planted a seed of rejection in my heart  that  had far reaching consequences.....  I could hardly believe  how   some missing puzzle pieces of my  life came together to    show me  cause and effect of  so many detached emotions and  what I now understand to be ungodly beliefs about life,,,,  ungodly expectations  I had,    which led to  other  actions!.....  One after another  through the last  8 weeks,   I have seen  how God was  at work in my life  even   at  a time when I didnt  have any idea that I  was  needing him..... mainly because I was too busy  trying to do it all on my own....  what a wonderful  God and Father, we have, even   when  our earthly father, as  much as he loved me and  tried   be the best father  he knew  how to be,   made  mistakes  through various  events in life,   we as children and teens  are so easily swayed  by  a simple wrong turn here and there...  I now see   what a gentleman God is...  He never openly intervened  but patiently  was behind the scenes orchestrating  and  working out  things  until  our eyes  were opened to  actually see  His gentle hand guiding us...  empowering us,,,   ..and silly us, thought it was us,  all along....  What a marvelous  Father  He is!

We're in the Pink

Happy Pink Saturday

Wow, the last weeks have gotten away from me....   so much has been happening....    I have no idea what happened to the month of May!

The good news is  that I am so joyful and fulfilled    and  things  are  looking rosy  as we  look to fill the calendar page tomorrow.

Right there is one  reason to be  so   full of the joy of the Lord....  because His mercies are new every morning....  and nothing is better than  spending a bit of facetime with our   most  blessed  family... Birdie  

  and her   sweet mommy!

  We were extremely blessed to get to  spend a few days  with  them   a couple of weeks ago..  It is amazing how quickly  babies grow at this stage....  and already just since  they have returned home,  Birdie is so much more active and  those gates around  their home are  probably being installed  as I type!  

We're definitely in the PINK!!!!

Beverly  at   Pink Saturday