A Mid Winter’s Tea

Hello! Do you remember me? I hope so!

I wanted to thank all of you for the lovely comments about how to finish off my little sparkly baskets for my tea give-away’s. Sadly, they never made it to the tea and are stacked on my dresser in the guest room. My table fell apart at the last minute so I decided to save them for another day. Who knows, maybe I’ll use one for a give-away on my blog…that would be fun.

I made the sweetest little center piece out of my green pedestal, a garden cloche, and a few rolls of ribbon. I liked it so much that I decided to keep it as a little display on my work table. 

It was such a busy day that I forgot to take pictures after I had set my table so your only getting a wee glimpse of what it looked like.

Another sweet center piece from one of the tables we had. I’m always amazed at how creative we women can be, aren’t you?

Each one of my guests was given a sugar shaker along with half a dozen Lavender Shortbread cookies and the recipe so they could make their own. Have you ever tasted Lavender Shortbread? It’s really delicious and super easy to make.

Well I have a busy day ahead of me. I’ve been pulling weeds and planting seeds while the sun’s been shining, but the rain is on it’s way…I love the rain!

I hope you all have a beautiful day!

Now as soon as they had come out of the synagogue, they entered the house of Simon and Andrew, with James and John. But Simon's wife's mother lay sick with a fever, and they told Jesus about her at once. So He came and took her by the hand and lifted her up, and immediately the fever left her. And she served them. Mark 1:29-31 Your home is your most personal space. No other place could be more private. So it's interesting that Jesus didn't confine His ministry to public squares -- He came to peoples' homes. Here in Mark 1:29, we see Him coming into Simon Peter's home, where Peter's mother-in-law was sick with a fever. The woman had probably never met Jesus, and maybe wasn't even aware that He could heal her. But Peter was. He and the disciples didn't hesitate to tell Jesus about her need, and Jesus acted swiftly. Tenderly taking her hand, He lifted her up, and "immediately" healed her (verse 31). Jesus touched her life that day, and she never even stepped outside the house. He had worked powerfully and quickly on her behalf, simply because Peter had asked Him to. You know, we can sometimes forget the urgency of Jesus' love. Jesus didn't wait for people to come to Him -- He went to them. He visited sinners in their most personal spaces, far from the "spotlight" and safety of the public arena. He went not only where He was loved, but where He was needed. While He visited Peter's house, Peter presented a need, and Jesus responded "immediately." Even at this early point in the book of Mark, it is already the sixth time that word, "immediately," has been used. And I don't think it's an accident. Jesus acted immediately, with urgency, because He loved people. We all have friends, family, neighbors, and co-workers who need the healing touch of Jesus Christ. Let me encourage you today to lift up the people around you to Jesus. Like Peter lifted the needs of his mother-in-law to Jesus, lift up your family and friends to Him, that He might heal them, and that they might encounter His love for them. Jesus answers prayer. He tells us in John 14:14, "If you ask anything in My name, I will do it." Maybe today, though, you are like Peter's mother-in-law -- you are the one in need of healing, whether physically, emotionally, or spiritually. You may have known Jesus for years, or perhaps you've never known Him. Whatever the case, let me encourage you that you don't even have to leave your house -- He will come to you. Wherever you are, simply ask Him to touch your life, and He will respond immediately, according to His perfect will. He loves you more than you will ever understand, and is thrilled to hear your voice. He urgently wants to give you "a future and a hope" (Jeremiah 29:11), because He loves you. Jesus wants to touch your life, and the lives of those you love, this very moment. Not tomorrow, but today. Let us never forget or dismiss the urgency of Jesus' love!

Taken from the Daily Devotion of Mike MacIntosh
Horizon Christian Fellowship

Sweet treats for my Friends

It’s almost tea time and I still have to finish the gifts for my guests.

I decided to make lavender shortbread this year and wrap them with pretty ribbon and a tag. The recipe calls for the shortbread to be rolled in course granulated sugar so as part of my gift I made these cute spice jars filled with sugar.

But I haven’t got a clue as to how to treat the tops and handles of the boxes that will hold all the goodies.

Any ideas?

The days are becoming warmer here as the sun is moving higher on the horizon, and so I begin planning my spring garden. For inspiration I've been looking through countless images of garden follies. Follies were important features in gardens during the 18th century in Europe and were usually constructed in the fashion of Roman temples and Gothic ruins. They are still very popular today.
Hubby and I are planning to build an outdoor sleeping area, in the vineyard, for hot summer nights. What plans do you have for your garden?

(Images: wikipedia, Redwood and Stone U.K. designs)

Paper Roses

Hello! How are you? I can hardly believe the month of January has come and gone… what about you?

I’ve been busy living life in the real world and enjoying a little extra time away from my work. It’s amazing how a job can consume so much of a persons time leaving little left for the funner things in life...like creating! Oh yes, I know, “funner” isn’t actually a real word, but I like to use it anyway.

There is one part of my job that I dearly love and that’s our annual Tea Party. This year it will be held at the end of February so my friend Nancy and I decided we better start early on our “Tea Treats”… before the month slipped away. We both decided to make cookies and package them up with pretty ribbons and bows…or paper roses.

This is what we came up with for Nancy’s guests. We started with a plain paper mache` box, then cut strips of pattern tissue 5” wide, folded it in half, and began to roll it into paper flowers. Tie it off with pretty ribbon, hot glue it to the lid, and “Viola,” you have yourself the cutest little cookie boxes ever!

I found this idea on Heather Bullard’s blog about a year ago and thought the idea was so sweet and perfect for a tea.

Oh, do you see the darling plate in the second picture? Nancy made them from tissue paper and glass plates…too cute, don’t you think? Me too!

Well, I’ll be spending my day working on my “Tea Treats” and when I’m done you’ll be the first to see what I came up with.

I hope you all have a lovely weekend…any fun plans?