Precious Gifts At Just The Right Moment & Update

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Hi everyone!!! :) :) :)  How was your day today? Mine was good. I had lots of calls today and with the exception of two customers who were not "happy" no matter what I did, my customers were especially nice today :) :) Oh, Here's the photo of a giveaway I won over at Prairie Flower Farm a couple of weeks ago :) :) Isn't it sweet? I really LOVE it!!!! Click here to pay Linda at Prairie Flower Farm a visit. She's a really sweet lady, who knows all kinds of wonderful farm and homemaking stuff....plus she LOVES Jesus Christ.

This gift came at exactly the right time....Why? God KNEW I would need some extra  love/encouragement in the form of a very sweet gift :) :) :) At first I was going to turn the guinea feathers into a project...but Linda packaged it so sweet...I'll leave it the way it is!!! It'll remind me of farm life, my sweet friend....and the love/encouragement of Jesus Christ she pours into everything she does...for her family and for others around her!!!

There's a peek at the sweet note that Linda wrote to me. I won't show all of it, because it's just for me :) :) :) I hope you understand...However, see that lovely purple Tazo tea bag? I'll enjoy a cup of that while I watch the elimination round of "Dancing with the Stars" on tv tonight!!!

Aren't the tags the cutest, too? Very sweet...and now I've got "pumpkin pie lattes" from The Human Bean on my mind....It's like the pumpkin pie in a coffee cup :) :) :) Yummy!!! That's just one of the things I love about Linda...all the attention to detail :) :)

Oh, I bet you are wondering what I meant about getting this gift at the time God knew I would need it most? Well, as most of you know, my dad and I have been going through some challenging times at work. My dad lost his job today...and that's all I can or will say about that. Needless to say, my dad is sad...however, he is also relieved!!!!   Continue to pray for him and myself, as I am now the only income earner in the family...for the time being..I'm NOT worried though....

I really do need a little calendar for my purse. This will be perfect!!!!! The one I currently use is too big for my purse...so this will be nice to have when I'm out and about or at work :) :)

The whole time I was  at my computer taking calls today at work...I was thinking of one thing only...well, actually TWO things...Number One: The joy of the LORD is my strength...a truth and a promise in my book :) :)...and Number Two: God will work this out!! He will watch over my tiny family. He is faithful and He ALWAYS keeps His promises..Okay...I guess that's more like five things...but that's alright :) :) So when I came home and I saw Linda's gift...this is just what I needed :) :) :) 

I immediately set to work photographing this special gift...and putting some Scripture to go along with it.  As I was searching, I found that the entire phrase "...the joy of the LORD is my strength"...is only found in one place...Nehemiah 8:10. For those of you sisters wiser in the faith, let me know if I'm wrong..but I even checked the Blue Letter Bible online...



Speaking of which, there's a website that's really great for looking up Bible verses, reading Scripture etc. It's called the Blue Letter Bible...It has all different English translations of the Bible...so you can look up a Scripture in one translation, and even have that translated into another English version. Click here to visit this really neat website.

I first heard about this from my father a couple of years ago. For a period of about a year, my father and I didn't have a car. So we literally had to walk EVERYWHERE, including the library...and I didn't want to carry my Bible with me, because it would get really heavy while walking. So I'd walk to the library and spend an hour on the computer just reading my Bible...and that was how I did part of my devotions for awhile. It's a bit unconventional...but at the time it worked and was a real ministry to me...

Oh...and while I was pontificating on why the "joy of the LORD is my strength" was only found in one spot in all of Scripture...my dad reminded me that all Scripture is God-breathed and profitable for teaching etc...and He reminded me that God's promises back then, are still promises today.

Then we started telling silly jokes...and I'll end with a funny...Bear with me...I'm going to take a little liberty here..

Question: Who was the second shortest person in the Bible?
Answer: Knee High Mia...(Nehemiah)

Question: Who was the first shortest person in the Bible?
Answer: Bildad the Shoe Height (Shuhite)  :) :)


Okay...I hope you enjoyed the humor. It's good clean fun :) :)  Thank you so much for praying for my dad and I....your continued prayers are always appreciated!!! That's the news from Oregon today. Extra love and hugs, Heather :)

Heather's 13th Tea Time Tuesday and Teacup and Tea Things Tuesday for October 5th, 2010

Hi everyone....

How was your weekend? Mine was good. I went shopping at  yard sales AGAIN this last weekend...and stumbled upon this little gem. It's not old at all...in fact, it's still quite new.  However, it's so lovely and it only cost me  $0.25. It's a rather "modern" looking teacup...modern for me, because it's more of a straight up and down shape :) :) :)



This cup is full of color and detail....even the handle. Take a look...I LOVE the matching rosebuds on the cup handle !!!


The roses on this teacup are gorgeous. So I had to take a series of photos from left to right, so you can really see everything!!!

Of course, the backstamp is beautiful, too. As you can see this design was copyrighted in 1992. So it's not very old...but that's okay. It will be "old" one day :) :) This design is called "English Rose" by Roy Kirkham. It's fine bone china made in England. It's fine and beautiful :)


This teacup wouldn't be complete without a secret rose on the inside rim :) :)

 

That completes my tea for today :) :) :) Thank you for stopping by to say hello!!! I'll make sure and stop by for tea and see what you all have to share. I LOVE tea and you ladies always are so encouraging!!! Thank you!!!

 

That's the news from Oregon today. Love and hugs, Heather :)

More Yard Sale Treasures & Thank God for Nice Fathers

Hi everyone,
      I hope that you all have been having a really good weekend so far. I did work this morning and now I have a couple of days off from work. My father and I did some yard sale shopping and grocery shopping today. This post is particularly photo-heavy. So I'll be "few" on the words today...well, maybe I'll use a smaller font to make up for my talkative nature :) There were four yard sales that yielded some very nice items today.

This is a comforter that I purchased for my father. It said "twin -sized".  However, I think it's actually a full-sized comforter. My dad will be able to use/enjoy this come winter. This is like new and was only $5.


These are two more "quilted" pillow cases. I can never have enough of these, especially when one set is being laundered, I have a clean set to put on. These are "dirty"...clearly they need a good washing...but check it, These were only $0.25 EACH!!!!


Here's some close up detail of the pillow cases. I love the used of flowery fabrics here :)


Here's a bunch of other stuff...now the teacup is not part of today's yard sale finds. That was a previous yard sale!!! You'll notice that metal pail and the little "light" house...both a very cute French shabby chic. There was a LOT of that type of thing today at yard sales...interesting..but these two will work for me :) Take a closer look below....

This is a genuine cast iron baking mould/pan. Isn't it cool? There's one just like it pictured in Maryjane Butters "Ideabook - Lifebook - Cookbook"  The lady that sold this to me didn't even know it was actually meant to be used. She just had it hanging on her wall...Well, lucky for me :) :) This was only $3.


This I found at  a HUGE yard sale near a local bank.  It's a scone cozy...for $0.50. I'll keep this for a tea someday....


Here's the bottom side of the scone cozy.  I didn't have scones to put in to demo this ...BUT I think you ladies can figure it out :) :) :) Can't you just imagine some delicious scones here at a tea all decorated in pinks and whites?


Now this is a china piece missing a lid...but it'll be a nice container for some flowers. I purchased this at the same bank yard sale...and it was only $1.  If anyone knows what this is, please let me know.  It looks like a super-sized sugar bowl. It's really large....

.....and the backstamp is a recognizable name...and super cool looking, too.


This pail will be cute for holding flowers.  Dad says "artificial" flowers...not sure why, but it only cost $2 and the little French shabby chick house with battery powered tea lights was only $1. It'll look cute on my shelf!!! The pail was from the same lady who sold me the cast iron baking mould. Oh...and check out the close-up photos  of these tins...also from her...


This is part of a set of four...for just $10...a little high...but super cute!!...and yes, I actually do use these :)


My dad saw a lady pull up and eye them...get out of her car...and my dad realized she was going for the cans. I had already told yard sale lady that I'd buy them...so my dad made sure to grab them all...and the lady saw my dad grab them all, and she went back to her car and left. That's part of yard saling...if you are interested, you have to snap it up, before it goes away.

Here's the cute little "light" house with battery powered tea light candles for $1. This same lady gave me a whole stack of "Victoria" magazines for FREE!!!!


....a stove-stop "Whirley-Pop" stove top popcorn popper for just $1...also from the same lady who sold me the cast iron piece and the super cute storage tins. I LOVE popcorn...but I don't like using an electric popper. This is better....

...and more fun to operate...popcorn kernels...a little oil....a medium-heat stove top burner...and a twist of the handle and voila...popcorn...nice and fresh...no  popcorn lung from the microwave :) These are spendy to buy new.


This is just a cute little storage container for liquids....like water...It was $0.25. My dad loves cold water and this will fit nicely in the refrigerator.  This was purchased from the couple who also sold the comforter at the top of this post.


The lady who sold me the French shabby chic "light" house...gave me all these  "Victoria" magazines for FREE. She didn't want to throw them away, but was hoping someone would come along who would appreciate them...AHEM....hello!!!! I will go through them and see what I can add to my decorating/homemaking scrapbook :) :) :)


I've been wanting a curling iron for awhile and didn't ahve the money to buy one. The couple who sold me the comforter and the water container, also had this...like new for just $1. What a blessing.

Okay, that's my yard sale finds for today. All good things...and once winter rolls around I'll be decorating my home. My dad and I will probably stop by our local Fred Meyer and buy some mounting hooks and nails to put some of this stuff up on the walls!!!! Do you remember that "house" from a previous post? What kind of paint would you recommend? I want to paint this by hand because of it's delicate detail...

I would ask prayer for work. It's been really challenging the last few days...and my dad and I are going through challenging days...and just pray that God would continue to provide for our needs!!! I'm thankful for a job that helps to keep a roof over my head!!! My coworkers are really nice, too...and they're a HUGE reason for why I make it through the day...today I was just thinking about Scriptures as the calls were coming in....anyway...please pray!!! Thanks!!!

That's the news from Oregon today. Extra love and hugs, Heather :)

My 12th Tea Time Tuesday & Teacup and Tea Things Tuesday for September 28th, 2010

Hi everyone....:) :) :) How was your Monday? Mine was challenging but also very good. Work is keeping me busy and I really like that a lot :) :) Plus, the people I work with are really nice!! Oh, so sorry that my tea post is a little late this morning. I meant to get this all ready last night and fatigue took over :)  So here we are. Here are my tea things for today. They are mixed with a few yard sale finds...because I'm contemplating a way of combining them in my home.

This next photo is a saucer that I've had for awhile now. It's all by it's lonesome. It belong to my grandmother, and her parents before that. I'm not sure what happened to any matching pieces. However, I wouldn't be surprised if my great-grandmother loved mismatched things just as much as I do :) :)


I LOVE the roses...and don't you just love the delicate powder blue around the rim outlined in gold? Oh, the saucer is sitting on top one of the doilies that I had purchased at an estate sale last weekend.


This is the backstamp. I'm not sure who made this. It says "Made in England Bone China"

Since this saucer was an "orphan", I decided to match it up with one of my orphan teacups...Although the patterns don't match exactly the colors in the Elizabethan tea cup and this saucer match quite well. I think they make a lovely "couple", don't you?


Oh...here is the yard sale find I happened upon last Sunday.  There was a yard sale not too far from my home. It was this really sweet 80 year old lady who had some really neat furniture and other items she was selling. One thing I've discovered about Sunday yard sales, people will "negotiate" on the already low prices, simply because they want to get rid of items. She had a really nice electric mixer for $20, but that was way out of my budget. However, I did see this little beauty....It's a "house" for $5...used for displaying birds....However, I intend on using it for something else...:) :) :) :) It still needs to be cleaned...so please excuse the dust :) :) Oh, the lady sold this to me for just $2.


Just for fun I threw a couple doilies on there, a teacup with saucer, and my Foley triple screen sifter...not sure why I did that, but the items were in the neighborhood...:) :) :)

The "house" will go up on the wall soon...and the walls are a sort of off-white and this house is more of a creamy white color...well, very dirty, because it hasn't been cleaned yet. My dad said we should spray paint it...I vote for hand-painting because I don't want to breathe in propellant used in spray paints..Any ideas for colors? I thought maybe some pinks and greens...because somewhere, I will need to paint flowers :) :) :) This house MUST have painted flowers!!!

Oh, the lady who sold this to me was telling me some really neat stories...My favorite is about her and her husband. She said that they were married for 50-something years...and if he were still alive they'd have been married for 60-something years. So I asked her how old she was when they got married. She was 17 years old and her husband was 19....OH, my...romance and fidelity...gotta love it :) :) She  spoke very lovingly of him...and I could tell she was still in love with him :) :) So this "house" will always have that story to go with it.
Below is a close-up of my teacup and saucer sitting on a doilie!!! I really like the lightness of the colors. It's simple and elegant...and reminds me of a summer day...:)

I forgot to tell you about the resident black spider in the "attic" of this house. It was hiding in a corner...and when I saw it I "screamed". My dad, the hero, came to my rescue and promptly "dispatched" the spider. More accurately, he squished it with an empty toilet paper roll :) :) :) Yeah...keeping this house safe from spiders. I know they are God's creatures but they are scary to me.

The older lady told me about this little door. The oval window is real glass!!!! Isn't is beautiful? I'll need to be extra careful when painting around this...any ideas of what to put inside?

Knock on the door.....


....and it will open for you :) :) :)

Okay....so I did manage to find ONE more yard sale...and I bought these doilies...the green ones were $1 and the red ones were $3...for the whole batch...and I norm ally wouldn't buy such colorful ones...but I thought they'd make great plate liners until time allows me to make proper ones. These are great...and the lady that sold me these used to be an airline stewardess for over 30 years. She had some fantastic stories to tell...well worth the price of the doilies and then some.


That's about it for the moment. I hope you enjoyed my tea things combined with my vintage yard sale finds. I had a lot of fun and things are slowly starting to take shape.  I keep telling myself that THIS is my last yardsale. However, there's always something that NEEDS a forever home in MY home....of course :) :) So maybe once winter finally arrives, that'll be my time to stop...and spend winter decorating with all my finds :) :)

Thanks for stopping by to visit me for tea. I hope you enjoyed your visit. Oh, one last thing,  my dad has this Daily Walk Bible Calendar on his desk..and I make sure to change the page everyday. It's like a super mini devotional...which has been much needed lately.  Anyway, the verse for today was Psalm 100:5...in the King James Version reads "The LORD is good; His mercy is everlasting; and His truth endureth to all generations."...and then there was a lovely little quote from Isaac Watts...I have no idea who he is but the quote is lovely: " Wide as the world is Thy command, Vast as eternity Thy love; Firm as a rock Thy truth shall stand, When rolling years shall cease to move."

That's the news from Oregon today. Love and hugs, Heather :)

Bible Verse Sunday for September 26th, 2010

HI everyone....Are you having a good Sunday? Here's a Bible verse that I literally carry around with me everywhere I go. I didn't have any idea for a photo and I wanted to write out the ENTIRE verse...so I just photographed the index card upon which it was written. This one is in the New King James version of the Bible.



I always have my little "portable" Bible underneath my computer  monitor at work...and this little index card with Philippians 4:8-9 written on it...sitting on top of that. I try to memorize Scripture at work...because I want to commit more Scripture to memory...but also because I don't want to get burned out at work. There are only so many photos of fruit etc that I can stand before it gets boring fast :) :) 

Also, this verse...among many others...helps me to keep things in perspective, especially when customers are being difficult etc.  Yesterday, my customers were really nice, but it was quiet and I wanted to focus my thoughts on something besides myself and boredom. So I was looking at this verse...and this idea poppped into my head to write down the keywords to help me memorize it. See the photo below...

In the NKJ version, the word see is actually "saw"...but I was trying to make it applicable to right NOW....but it still helps me to memorize it correctly :) :) :)

This paper is literally the paper I was  "doodling" on at work yesterday. I wrote 9:45 a.m. because that is when I thought up this idea...You can see my little "doodle" mistake and a drop of water I spilled on here.  Anyway, I was really pleased with this and the verse is an excellent measure for anything in life....one practical thing, is for what we watch on television. That's a challenge even for me sometimes..

However, at the end when I wrote "learn, receive, see"...."DO"...."peace"....think about it....put into practice what God has for us and we WILL have peace. He's the author of perfect peace :) :) :) He loves us so very much.

Anyway, that's my verse for today. That's the news from Oregon today. Bonus love and hugs from Oregon, Heather :)

Yard sales to the left of me. Yard sales to the right of me !!!

Hi everyone...How are you today? How has your Saturday been going so far? Mine was really good. I worked eight hours today. Then my dad and I went grocery shopping, yard sale shopping and then home :) :) Oh, remember last week how I was  moaning and groaning about not finding a blessed thing at any yard sale? Well, lo and behold, my dad and I managed to fine the only yard sale in town...or so it seemed. It was pouring rain...but these people had their garage cleared out, with all kinds of cool yard sale stuff inside. Check out what I found...You can see the price tags on the book and the triple screen sifter...I know that I payed LESS than all of this put together...but I don't remember how much.


I seem to remember paying $6.50 for everything...I'll have to ask my dad. I LOVE the Foley triple-screen sifter. It's 45 years old...and the cookbook was  published 1940...and the bowl...well, that's just Pottery Barn...BUT isn't it cute...and it would make a good Daddy cereal bowl :) :)

The bowl is from Pottery Barn. It's completely modern...but I love the clean lines...and it may be a modern piece of dishware...BUT I think it has a sort of vintage look to it..Isn't it purdy?


Here's my other cool find...My Foley sift-chine triple screen sifter :) :) :)  Now the very botton screen has rocks or dried up flower in there...can't figure out which..so I'll have to figure out how to pull it apart and clean it...but I think it would be cute for display too...although I do intend on actually using this!!! Could you see something like a nice Scripture attached to this?


This cookbook is by Ruth Berolzheimer and entitled "The American Woman's Cookbook". The original was published in 1938. This particular version was a third printing from 1940. What makes this book so special is that there are old recipes handwritten in there by the former owner of this book....including one for a nice pie crust :) :) :)


This is just a photo of one of the pages in the inside of the book. It's so vintage cute and makes me smile and laugh :) :)

Okay..so check it...after work today...my dad took me to four different yard sales. He was so funny. Actually, it's hilarious...because in the beginning before I developed my yard sale habit..He did NOT want to go to any yard sales. NOW he not only goes with me, but he'll hop out of the car and start browsing for things. Yeah....I'm so proud of him :) :) :)

Here are some of the items I found. This one is a set of standard pillow shams..in a wedding ring quilt pattern...or at least that's what I think it's called. They were only $2 for the pair together and extremely well made. Aren't they bright and cheery? Originally I bought them, so I could reclaim my blue/pink hydrangea pillow c ases with ruffles that my dad "borrowed" from me...now I'm not sure I want them back. Aren't these so fun? It reminds me of a country house....if a country house looked like a pillow sham :) :)


These items were purchased at two different yard sales.  The two round doilies, the rectangular doilie (that the cups are sitting on AND the round linen with the crocheted edging were purchased at an estate sale for $2. Two of them have stains that will need to be removed...but they're beautiful and clearly handmade by someone in the past.  The two mugs and the hand-cranked mixer were my dad's finds...those were $1 for the three things together. The other white mug and the linen square with the delicate green edging ...those were my finds for $0.50. I think the white linen with green edging must have been a hankie. It's so unbelievably delicate!!!


My grandmother used to have a hand-cranked mixer like this when I was younger. So when my dad spotted this, we had to buy it. Even though it's technically mine...it's officially called "Daddy's new toy"...He's so delighted because he can make scrambled eggs with this mixer and not use a fork anymore :) :) :)...at least that's what his plans are :) :) I've got to give it  a good washing first...same for the doilies, too!!!

This mixer is in outstanding condition...and my dad and I both agree it's probably from the 70s....It reminds us of ones from that decade...but no matter...it WORKS :) :) Oh, you can also see a bit of a close-up of that rectangular doily...very unusual...and all the doily  items are handmade.

I think this must have been a hanky. It's much too delicate to be anything else.  It was all by it's lonesome....so I gave it a home.

There's nothing old about this mug. It's just plain super fun!!! It's by a company that likes to take old vintage advertisements and put them on mugs :) :)...and coffee, is so appropriate for me :) :)


Here is a close-up of my mug and my dad's mugs. The dark brown ones are also made by hand. You can see some unevenness...but my dad LOVED these...and the price was too good to pass up. I'm not sure what he'll put in there....usually a soda pop with ice cubes :) :) :)


Here's a close-up of the green-edged hankie...This was either crochet or tatted...not sure which...but it is so delicate. The thread is literally sewing thread...it's so fine...and I can't imagine the skill it must have taken to make this. I wonder about the person who created this....lots of love went into this hankie!!!

 

There were a couple of yard sales downtown that I visited yesterday. I didn't buy anything then, but the houses were all built around 1910 or so...and it was clear this particular street was very old....It felt like I had stepped back in time. I forgot what year it was and I fell in love. Is it possible to fall in love with a street?  Every neighborhood has a street where it makes you stop and wonder....who was the smart/creative individual who designed this neighborhood?  I fell in love with every house and wished I could move there...

 

Work went well today. The calls were slow, but steady and my customers were nice to me today. It was funny, because I was hoping I'd get sent home early. My shoulder is acting up again...but no...I stayed the ENTIRE day and that's fine. It'll make for a nice paycheck on payday :) :) :) You know me...I LOVE to be able to pay my bills...hee hee hee ;) :) :)

 

I was able to talk with a dear blogger friend over the phone for the first time yesterday. It was so much fun. I was really encouraged ...and I'm afraid I talked her ear off....which is really unusual for me...however, it was fun :) :) She prayed with me...and ladies....it's awesome...take the time to pray for your friends. You won't regret it!! It's such a blessing!!!

 

Well, I could talk more...but I think I'll stop for now. Oh, I was working on memorizing a verse in Philippians 4:8-9...and I was so bored that I decided to memorize Scripture at work...and I came up with this way of memorizing this verse using key words...and I ended up with something really neat...but anyway, I'll share that for tomorrow :) :) :)

 

Pray for my shoulder. It's definitely a muscle between my right shoulder and neck...that acts up really bad at work...so pray that God will heal it or help me figure out what's going on. I'm going to ice it tonight. I do feel a tight muscle. It feels like a knot. Anyway, I was thinking about that today....and while it hurt, I was still thankful that I could feel something and thankful I could still do my job :) :) :) So I'm not complaining at all...but just pray. Is this some of the first signs of aging? Not sure...Hmm...at least I'll age beautiful :) :) :)

 

That's the news from Oregon today. Extra bonus love and hugs, Heather :)