Announcing the tea winners...

The excitement was high this morning in anticipation. I wrote out the names on slips of paper, and my helpers gathered around to fold them and take turns drawing names...



Drumroll, please...

















In case, you weren't sure about some of those, here is the final list:

Cinnamon
Becky (V says...)
Jennstar
Angel~a
Kat
Carmen
Marnie
Char
Fontaine
Brandy
Jennie
Katharine (love that spelling, btw)
Beth in NZ
Jen

And Kristina. I decided that since you were the first to comment (and you are the closest to delivering a baby - my sympathies to you at this stage in life) that I'll be sending you a package, too!

And those of you who see me in person on a regular basis (Lucky you!), I didn't put your names in the basket, but I did save out some teabags to share with you.



And now, please join us in the celebration dance! :)



I just want to let you know that the unfairness of this whole thing really stinks in my opinion. I really, really wanted to send every single one of you a package, but 43 (well, 42, since Stacy only wants the Oreos ;) is just a whole lot more than 12. I did stretch it a tiny bit to 15, maybe you noticed.

So, email me your addresses ASAP! (csenecal1@verizon.net) I'll be working on putting the envelopes together over the weekend.

And if your name was not chosen, please understand that I wish it had been, and scroll down to the next post for a bit of a "consolation prize."


Have a great day!
Love,

For everyone...

I made up this recipe card the other day, intending to print it and tuck a copy into each envelope along with the teabags, but my printer is refusing to cooperate, so I'm posting it here in full resolution as a bit of a "consolation prize." Feel free to print as many as you like, and be sure to try out the recipe at least once. Your family will thank you! :)


Note: If you double it, use 2 9x13 pans. We tried to double it in an 11x14 pan, but it just doesn't come out the same.

Bisquick substitute (makes 6 cups):
5 1/2 c. flour
1 tsp. baking soda
3 T. baking powder
1 c. shortening


Enjoy!

A place of my own...

Oh, to have a place of my very own.

A place of quiet and order
Where nothing gets moved out of place
Or even "borrowed" for a time.

A place of beauty and light
Where nothing gets broken
Or dirtied by little hands.

A place of quiet
Where I can express myself
And create
And rest in that accomplishment
For more than just the one moment
That it takes for it all to be destroyed again.

A place where I make all the decisions
And I remain in complete control.
Where people can be counted on to behave
And act their age.
Where my ideas and words are appreciated
And I am never taken for granted.

Not that I would move there for good.
Oh, no! My real life
(though the perfect opposite)
Is far too good to leave behind.
But just for a short time each day...


Ahh, I do have a place just like that.
It is here.
On my blog.

Thank you for sharing this special place with me.

♥


Love,




P.S. See what I mean?



So much for my project...
But would you trade?

Almost over...

Fall, that is.
In my little spot in the world, anyway.

I've been needing to stock up on flour, oats, yeast, spices and other basics that I buy once every couple of months from a Mennonite bulk food store about 40 minutes from my house. Since my schedule is flexible this week, when I woke to streaming sunshine, I thought I would take advantage of the nice day for a drive. But do you know what I found?

It's basically over. Other than a few little mostly-dead leaves hanging from the very top branches, the trees are bare. The branches aren't completely gray yet, only brown, and the grass is a very faded green. I'm already missing COLOR.

Good thing I've saved a handful of pictures from a month or so ago. I just knew I'd be in need of something pretty to share soon enough.

Drink this in...




Can't believe I almost deleted this magical shot because of a bit of blur...


That day - that color, that sunshine, that warmth - seems so long ago already.


I'm thoroughly enjoying the tea comments. Only one more day!
I'd better get busy preparing those envelopes. This is so much fun. :)

Love,

An Invitation to Tea...

I've prepared a special treat to share with you...




Would you prefer Irish Breakfast tea in the pretty blue-flowered cup?



Or is this lovely lavender cup of Lady Grey more to your taste...



The Oreos are an extra special treat that I've been saving for the two of us today.



* * *

After our recent discussion on tea, I took a bit of extra time in the tea aisle and chose some new brands and flavors to bring home with me. I must admit to not being able to drink a few of them, the flavor was so adverse to my taste. The children and I took time to admire and appreciate the lovely pink hue of the Passion tea before I unceremoniously poured it down the drain. That was after we all took little sips and made faces at each other. It was pretty to look at, anyway.

As I've sampled various teas by Tazo, Stash, Good Earth and Twinings, I have thought of you and wished that I could share this opportunity in real life, and the more I thought about it, I thought "Why not?" And so I have set aside 36 tea bags, some my very favorites and others that I need to get rid of because I won't be trying them twice. I'm not telling which is which since your opinion may be different from mine. I'm dividing them into sets of three and putting them into envelopes along with a little handmade something from me.




I would like nothing better than to send one to each and every one of you, but I've decided to stick with only twelve - an even dozen of fun little packages. And I would like to share these with my regular readers**, so if you have commented here before or if you have been lurking (now's the time to confess) for more than a few months, leave a comment sharing your favorite tea and how you like it.

On Friday morning, I will write your names on strips of paper and have my children choose 12 names out of the pile.


Until then, I'll be cuddled up under a blanket enjoying my book* along with many cups of hot tea! (That is what I do all day, you know.)







I'll be back on Friday to announce the winners...

Wishing you all a wonderful week!

Love,



*The Hidden Hand is Elisabeth's all-time favorite book. Captivating characters, an intricate plot and 462 pages of small print that share a delightful story woven with the truth that God's Hand is everywhere, guiding the lives of men. She has read it countless times and claims that it never gets old.
{ETA: I have had several questions concerning this book. The author is E.D.E.N. Southworth. The blue letters are a link to the source. (Don't know why they've changed the cover color??) I highly recommend many of the Lamplighter books. They make great keepsake gifts for the children. We have built up quite a collection over the years.}

**International readers can play, too!

Newly remodeled...

I thought you might like to see a few pictures of my husband's latest remodeling project - one of our apartments. Chris, Anthony, my dad, my nephew, and Elisabeth have been working on it for the past few weeks and it turned out beautiful.

I hope the pictures don't make you too dizzy. Elisabeth was commissioned to take pictures and she got a little carried away with her passion for angles. Then again, maybe a few good neck stretches will be just what you need right now.


The living room...



Entry door on left, closet on right...



Bedroom to the right (with a walk-in closet that opens under the staircase for storage)...



Full bath off the bedroom...



The pretty little kitchen off the end of the living room...



Facing the kitchen from the dining room...



The laundry room...



Two of the hardest-working and best-loved men in my life...




* * *


Just a few things I wanted to mention...

1. My father-in-law came home from the hospital today! My kids are ecstatic; they missed him sooo much. Thank you very much for your prayers and please continue to pray for his health. Cancer is a terrible thing.

2. I knew it wouldn't last long. My hubby is already planning his next project. They'll be building a ramp for Papa this week. I love at-home projects!

3. I forgot to mention that I turned the code feature back on for comments. I know how much of a pain it is and I know that I myself have not left comments in the past just because I was too lazy to complete the process, but after getting all my comments sent to my email lately, I've discovered that certain sick people have been leaving indecent advertising links on random older posts. I know that my own daughters and many of yours read my blog often and I certainly consider it a serious responsibility to keep this a safe place. So please be patient and understanding when that annoying code pops up to protect us from SPAM. Doesn't that stand for Severely Provoking Advertising Methods?

4. I have been featured in Tipnut's Crafter's Medley. Some great ideas there if you're looking for homemade gift ideas for the upcoming Christmas season! This has seriously increased my number of visitors here, too, which makes me happy! :) So welcome to those of you who have wandered over and I hope you'll be back for more Daily Pleasures.


Love,

Happy Serendipity...

The LORD bless thee, and keep thee:
The LORD make his face shine upon thee, and be gracious unto thee:
The LORD lift up his countenance upon thee, and give thee peace.
(Number 6:24-26)



* * *

This is the blessing that came to mind as soon as I saw this picture. The sun was bright and the girls were silly.

I shot manually so that the camera would interpret the light correctly, but apparently it decided to override my decisions anyway and create this gorgeous canopy of sunbeams as the light bounced off my lens. A perfect example of serendipity:

Serendipity is the effect by which one accidentally discovers something fortunate,

especially while looking for something entirely unrelated.

I've asked God to bless you with happy surprises today.
Although I am a firm believer that He always does, but we so often miss them because we're looking in all of the wrong places.

"Every day holds its share of simple pleasures; we must only open our eyes to see them."

Happy Serendipity!
May God bless you richly.

♥


Love,