Tea and friendship Tuesday's..........

Welcome to Tea and friendship Tuesday's hosted by Charli and Me. A fun post that can be filled with recipes, teapots, teacups, tablescapes, stories, poems, quotes, and interesting facts related to tea, friendship, or both. A post to share anything you would like with a friend! If you would like to join me, just grab a button, write a post, and then leave a comment here so my friends and I can pop over for a visit. Otherwise, I hope you enjoy my post......

Good morning everyone. I'm so glad you decided to stop by. Would you like to see where we have been spending most of our time? We have been out in our yard where everyday a new flower seems to bloom........

I especially love my Lillie's. My hubby laughs because I get so excited when a new one

blooms. Charli loves to

sniff them. She sort of pokes them with her little snoot....

Today I'm serving espresso and biscotti. I sorry I didn't have time to bake but I have a wonderful bakery in my area that makes the most delicious biscotti I've ever tasted. The espresso is dark and rich in flavor. Can you smell the wonderful aroma? Biscotti is just wonderful dipped in espresso. If you don't like your espresso black we can have espresso con panne, which is an espresso served with a small dollop of whipped cream. Which do you prefer?......

"I shot an arrow into the air,

It fell to the earth, I know now where;

For so swiftly it flew, the sight

Could not follow it in it's flight.

I breathed a song into the air,

It fell to earth, I know not where;

For, who has sight so keen and strong

That it can follow the flight of song?

Long, long afterward, in an oak

I found the arrow, still unbroke;

And the song, from beginning to end.

I found again in the heart of a friend."

-Henry Wadsworth Longfellow-

Happy Tea and friendship Tuesday everyone!...

Charli and I hope all of you have a wonderful day ♥

With warmest regards, Carol

Blue Monday.....

Welcome to Blue Monday, hosted by my friend Sally, at http://smilingsally.blogspot.com/ A weekly post where some of us gals get together to share something blue. Thank you Sally for hosting this fun post! If you would like to join our group, or you would like more information about us, just click on the above link to reach the official Blue Monday web site....

Here comes Charli. She doesn't miss a thing.She knows it's almost dinner time at our house.....

Although we have a patio, with a table, and umbrella we sometimes prefer to have dinner out in our yard on warm summer evenings. Something simple like pizza or a salad is always good. We get a lot of shade in the evenings from our fence and bushes so it is especially nice to sit out there. We like to light tea lights and sometimes our Coleman lantern when it gets dark. We also will have a fire in our fire pit if we decide to go way out back by our other four seat swing. We like to play a little music, listen to the birds, and enjoy our flowers. What about you? Do you enjoy eating outside in the summer? I always love hearing from you....

Happy Blue Monday everyone!......

I hope you are enjoying your day ♥

With warmest regards, Carol

A Mad Tea Party!.....

A Mad Tea Party!......

Have you heard the news? There is a Mad Tea Party going on right here in blog land. It is hosted by Vanessa, at A Fanciful Twist, http://afancifultwist.typepad.com/a_fanciful_twist/2009/05/a-party-a-party-a-mad-and-gloriously-enchanted-party-a-secret-revealed.html Thank you Vanessa for hosting such a lovely event!
That's right a Mad Tea Party! How much fun is that?....

I just happened upon this oh so enchanted blog today and all I kept thinking was,
"I'm late. I'm late for a very important date!" How can I possibly plan a tea party now? Oh how I wish I would have know about it sooner. I wanted so much to participate. You know how I just love tea parties. Yes, well it was much to late for me to plan a tea party. Dear me..... I was so disappointed.....

Then I started thinking "and a bright idea came into my head." Why not have a Mad what if Tea Party! Yes that would certainly do and it would be so much fun!

The very first thing I would do is send out invitations to all of my dear friends here in blog land. I do hope all of you will join me...

Then I said to my self wouldn't it be fun if the illustrious and oh so talented Johnny Depp would agree to be my guest of honor? Oh the joy! He would of course come to my party all dressed up in his Mad Hatter garb. Wouldn't all of you be totally surprised!....

Of course a party just wouldn't be

a party without hats. Come along now..... Oh you all look very stylish indeed!...

Presents!.... Everyone has to have presents!... I picked up some cute little note pads especially for you. I do hope you like them.....

Cupcakes, cookies, and cake, oh my!.......I am also serving orange spice and cinnamon tea. Eat, sip tea, and enjoy yourselves. No need to worry here. You see it's all calorie free...

Do you like the centerpieces I picked out? I thought they were rather pretty and festive......

The tables cloths and napkins will all be done in a black and white checkerboard
pattern with white linen underneath.....

For a little touch of whimsy I've added colored chairs..........

I also picked up these darling pillows to put on the back of your chairs. Now there, does that feel comfortable? Shall we read a little bit of 'Alice's Adventures In Wonderland'?

"Twinkle, twinkle, little bat!

How I wonder what you're at!

Up above the world you fly

Like a tea-tray in the sky."

Well there you have it...

I hope you have enjoyed my little what if Mad Tea Party. If you would like to attend other Mad Tea Party gatherings just click on the above link.......

I hope all of you are having a truly wonderful weekend!......

Charli sends hugs and kisses to all of you ♥

With warmest regards, Carol

Hopeful Friday.....

Welcome to Hopeful Friday, hosted by my friend Cielo, at http://houseinroses.blogspot.com/ This post is dedicated to positive thoughts and inspirational messages. It is a post to celebrate God!
Thank you Cielo for hosting this lovely post. If you would like to join our group, or you would like more information about us, just click on the above link to reach the official Hopeful Friday web site.....

"Listen to me, my children:

I created you and placed you

in your mother's womb. I have

cared for you since before you

were born, I am your God

and will be all the days of your

life. Just as I was with you

as a child. I will carry you when

your hair is white and you are old. It is I who made you,

and I will be the one to take care of you and keep you safe."

-Isaiah 46:34-

Happy Hopeful Friday everyone!...

Thank you for all of the wonderful comments you leave on my blog. I always enjoy hearing from you. I appreciate and feel so blessed for each and every comment I receive.....

May the peace and love of our Lord be with all of you ♥

With warmest regards, Carol

Dogs on Thursday......

Welcome to Dogs On Thursday at http://dogsonthursday.blogspot.com/ A post where dog lovers like myself get together weekly to talk about our most precious little four legged friends. If you would like to join our group, or you would like more information about us, just click on the above link to reach the official Dogs On Thursday web site....

Good morning everyone! We hope all of you are doing well and enjoying your summer. We have been incredibly busy here enjoying ourselves, which thank goodness is so much different than last year when my hubby was very sick, and in and out of the hospital.......
Charli especially is enjoying her summer! She has been taking little trips with us, attending family parties, going for bike rides, walks, and playing in the yard. Some of you have asked how Charli does with the excitement, extra activity, and noise when we have or attend our family parties. Surprisingly she loves it and always manages to get her tiny little self right in the thick of things. I guess it's because we have so many family celebrations that she just considers it all to be normal. She loves all of the extra attention she gets. That, plus the fact, that she usually is with Peeper who is her best doggy friend in the whole world. It's interesting because on Father's Day there were some popping noises here and it didn't even faze her. Yet, the boys down the street can let of a firecracker and she literally freaks out. She will run to hide in the bathroom or closet, shaking and crying......

Charli has adjusted well to her new form of transportation. Now I have difficulty getting her out of the cart! Here she is just back from one of our bike rides.......

I was at Michael's the other day and they were already putting the fall flowers and pumpkins out. I think we better all get out and enjoy summer while we can......

Happy Dogs On Thursday everyone!.....

With warmest regards,

Booking Through Thursday........

Welcome to Booking Through Thursday at http://btt2.wordpress.com/ A post where book lovers like my self get together weekly to have informal discussions related to literature and books. If you would like to join our group, or you would like more information about us, just click on the above link to reach the official Booking Through Thursday web site......

This week our discussion is a follows:
"Browsing through my blog, I found a link to this post about the "Sorted Book Project" Go read it. I'll wait...
The idea is to take a few books and physically sort them in such a way that the titles make some kind of sense...something that I've never quite gotten around to doing and photographing, which fascinates me.
What title/combinations can you come up with? (Bonus points if you actually assemble the books and photograph them, like the original post.)"

My answer would have to be yes and no. I do have several collections of books like the 'Encyclopedia Britannica', 'The Great Books', and the Time Life series of art books that have been sorted and cataloged for me by the company. I also have a collection of medical and nursing books that on on the top two shelves of one of my book cases with titles like: 'Cultural Diversity In Health And Illness', 'Comprehensive Pediatric Nursing', 'Adult Development And Aging', and 'Nursing Theorist And Their Work' but they are not arranged in any particular order. The rest of my books are actually arranged according to size with larger books on the ends and smaller books in the middle. I have a general idea of where all of my books are so I really have had no need to organize them in any other way......
Happy Booking Through Thursday every one!.....
I hope you have a wonderful day ♥
With warmest regards, Carol

Tea and friendship Tuesday's..........

Welcome to Tea and friendship Tuesday's hosted by Charli and Me. This is a fun post that can be filled with recipes, teapots, teacups, tablescapes, stories, poems, quotes, and interesting facts related to tea, friendship, or both. It is a post to share anything you would like with a friend! If you would like to join me, just pick up a button, write your post, and then leave a comment here so my friends and I can pop over for a visit. Otherwise, I hope you enjoy my post........

"There is no wilderness like life without friends; friendship multiplies blessings and minimizes misfortunes; it is a remedy against adversity and it soothes the soul."
-Baltasar-

Good morning everyone! I hope all of you have had a wonderful week. Today I'd like to share several awards with you that I have recieved from two of my very dear friends here in Blogland......

The first award comes from my sweet and lovely freind Sally at http://smilingsally.blogspot.com/ Sally and I have been blogging together for approximately a year now. Some of you may already know her. She is the host of Blue Monday. She is a wonderful gal! Sally offered this beautiful friendship award to all of us who follow her blog. I would in turn like to do the same. Please except this lovely award from me in the spirit of friendship. I hope all of us will remain bloggy friend "Sister's for Life." Thank you Sally for this darling award.....

This second award comes to me from my wonderful and sweet new friend Eileen at http://www.ummasworld.com/ Eileen has the most beautiful blog all about family, friends, and all of the things most important to her in life. I hope you will stop by to see her. She is a truly lovely gal! Thank you so much Eileen for thinking of me......

Now this award comes with some rules:

1. Say thanks to the person who gave you the award.

2. Share ten honest things about yourself.

3. Present this award to seven other bloggy friends.

4. Tell the people you have chosen them and ask them to provide a link back to you.

Well, here goes......
1. My life was forever changed the day my paternal grandmother died. I was eleven years old.
2. At one point in my life I wanted to be a nun. That was, of course, before I discovered boys :>)
3. I haven't had many great expectations in life, and I live simply, so the least little pleasure or thing that comes my way has always brought me great and profound joy.
4. I am really just a big kid at heart.
5. I have always been a home body. No matter where I go, or what I do, home will always be and forever remain where my heart is.
6. I was a very impulsive, and I guess you could say, some what of a bad child much to the dismay and exasperation of my parents.
7. I cannot cook or bake without making a mess. (I'm talking BIG mess here.)
8. It really goes without saying that I love my family more than anything else in this world.
9. Sometimes my hubby calls me Lucy because of what he calls my Lucy type antics.
10. I have several little pet peeves that just drive me insane.
Well there you have it. I have listed ten honest things about myself. Now I'm supposed to bestow this award on seven other bloggy friends, but being the rebel I am, I would like to offer this award to all of you who follow Tea and friendship Tuesdays instead. I hope you will want to participate. I think it's a great way to get to know one another a little better!
Happy Tea and friendship Tuesday everyone!.....
I hope all of you have a beautiful day!......
With warmest regards, Carol

Blue Monday

Welcome to Blue Monday, a post hosted by my friend Sally, at http://smilingsally.blogspot.com/. This is a weekly post where some of us gals get together to post something blue. Thank you Sally for hosting this fun post! If you would like to join our group, or you would like more information about us, just click on the above link to reach the official Blue Monday web site......



Yesterday at our house was so much fun! We had our annual Father's Day celebration. Here is a little centerpiece I picked up at Michael's. I thought it looked rather festive with it's Red, White, and Blue......
I always make my hubby's mother's potato salad for our family parties. This year I added some flags to the top. Thank you Judy http://justalittlesomethingforyou.blogspot.com/ for this fun idea......





Of course we had to have a cake which is my favorite part of any celebration. It's also Ryan and Aaydens. Don't you just love the shirt design on the top of the cake? I especially liked the blue stripped tie....

I served the food on blue plates, with blue napkins and silverware.......

My sneaky hubby picked up Ryan the day before Father's Day and they made water balloons. The morning of our party my hubby hid them in three different buckets out in the yard. When the time was right the fight began between father's and son's. Michael, Khory, Ryan, little Aayden, and even the unexpecting dad's had a ball!......

After the balloon fight was over the older boys lit smoke bombs which come in deep rich colors. Then the little ones pulled cords fastened to the ends of fireworks. When the cord is pulled, a little pop is heard, and an array of different colored streamers fly out. It was fun and the kids loved them. I picked them all up at the dollar store. We don't have sparklers or anything like that. I think they are to dangerous and especially since my cousin Sharon suffered third degree burns as a child from a sparkler........

More blue on the umbrella of my food preparation cart.......

And where was Charli while all of the festivities were going on? She was out in the yard being her silly little self....

Happy Blue Monday everyone!

I hope you have a lovely day.

With warmest regards, Carol