SOME SNOW....FINALLY!!!!

Hi everyone,
How are you today? How was your week? I had a good week. Okay, well, there's so much to tell and I'm going to have a hard time containing myself :) :)  There's a show that I LOVE to watch on the CW channel called Heartland. It's from Canada. It's in it's 4th season there, but just in  Season 1 here in the States. If you have this channel, please watch the show. It's extremely family friendly and well written. One of the writer's on that show, also wrote many of the Road to Avonlea episodes. Here's a link to a song I LOVE from Season 4. click here to listen to it. You'll need to click the play button. It's so romantic and sweet. I think I want this played at my wedding someday!!! Oh, add to a my  future husband prayer list - he must love dancing with me, because I"ll want to dance at my wedding.
Okay, we finally got some snow here in town. I woke up to it this morning. Most of it melted by this afternoon. However, we're supposed to get more this week. Here are a few photos.

It wasn't a lot of snow in town. However, it was enough and that is all I care about :) :)  The mountains in the background are just beautiful in white. Combine that with the clouds and the sun peeking through and it's just beautiful :) I probably took over 40 photos of the snow today. It was hard to choose which to post here.

Here is my favorite mountain. I still don't know the name of it. I'm not sure I'll ever find out. It's kind of mysterious that way. Here you can see the blue skies trying to make an appearance amidst the gray skies. It was brrrr chilly today. Still it's really  beautiful outside when it's icy and white.

This sweet kitty cat is Sheeba. She belongs to my neighbor. Sheeba is an indoor cat. However, my neighbor will let her outside sometimes with adult supervision :) ) She's so sweet. You should have seen her experience the snow. She was the daintiest kitty you every saw and the way she walked in the snow was too cute. Sheeba also loves to be petted and scratched by people. Meeoww, more love and hugs, please, meeow :) :)

 My father and I went for coffee today. Well, just me, since I'm the only coffee drinker in my family.  That is an area where I could easily spend too much money. So I do have coffe fixin's at home. Today I needed super sweet coffee.  This was taken on the drive home.  It was just amazing. The clouds were so beautiful.  This kind of site never gets old for me. I always enjoy Oregon in the winter.

 This wrought iron table and chairs belong to another neighbor. I always admire this whenever I walk by. Since it had snowed, I  didn't think they'd mind if I took a photo. Doesn't it look romantic covered in snow?  I could imagine sitting here in summer with a nice cup of tea, a friend and some good conversation.

I hope you enjoyed my photos of the first snow here in town. Oh, the mail actually arrived really early today. In the mail was a wonderfully sweet surprise from Cindy Adkins. She has a a blog and an on-line magazine. Click here for the blog and here for the magazine. Cindy is a sweet blogger friend with an amazing amount of creativity. Here is what came in the mail today :) :)

Cindy sent me this necklace in the cutest little chiffon bag here with the satin ribbon pulls, her very cute business card and the beautiful tag that you see here. The tag has ribbon and twine at the top. Then these beautiful butterfly motifs with a beautiful creamy rose. Isn't just beautiful? She really has some amazing skill with altered art media. She can make something to fit any occasion or theme. So check out her blog and on-line magazine. I just might try making some tags of my own someday.

 Here is a nice close-up view of the shell necklace. It's a beautiful necklace and feels nice and heavy. The photo on her blog doesn't do this necklace justice. It's even more beautiful in real life, then when I first saw it on her blog :) :) :) I love the shell detail. It reminds me of the ocean. I miss the ocean. Oh, this necklace is also extremely well-made. I kept holding it and feeling it with my hands. It's beautiful Thank you Cindy .

 Cindy also has her own business card. Isn't this cute? This card shows just some of what she can do. I love all the different detail. The keys add a nice vintage touch.  A business or calling card is a wonderful touch. Not only does it remind me of the person who sent me this lovely gift. I'll keep it in a folder along with other business cards!!!

Here is a closer look at the tag Cindy made for me. It's so beautiful. She makes a lot of tags among other very lovely creations. Each item that she creates is so very different.   Look at all the lovely detail with the butterflies in various motifs, the beautiful glittery ribbon and the twine. Oh, and the beautiful creamy white rose is the added touch :) :) I may have to try making some tags of my own someday.  So if you have little bits and baubles of cool craft stuff laying around the house. Do not throw it away. Keep it in a cute storage area and save it to make a tag of your own :) :)

Thanks for visiting me today. I had fun showing off some snow ...finally. Thanks  Cindy for the lovely gift ;) :)

 I'm  trying to cut down the amount of time I spend watching television. However, one show I LOVE watching on Fridays is "Who Do You Think You Are?" It's a show that traces the genealogies of famous celebrities. It's really interesting. I've always been intrigued by family history. Every show is different and these are just people who learn amazing and surprising things about their families.

I made pretzels today because I was hungry. No, I'm not starving, but I was really fighting the urge to go grab fast food. Two reasons why I resisted the fast-food temptation: 1) It's not good for me since I'm overweight and I'm working on becoming LESS horizontally enhanced and 2) It's cheaper to eat at home.  So I had all the ingredients to make soft dough pretzels. They were really good. My dad was haunting the kitchen and stalking the oven, waiting for them to finish baking :) :) 

I'm going to work on some knitting items this week. I'm making some things for some people. Then  I'll be looking into what it costs to start an Etsy store and/or sell from my blog.  For those of you who do this already, do you find it easy to work with PayPal?

 I've noticed the new followers this week. Welcome, welcome. Please feel free to visit. I love having visitors. Thanks everyone for leaving comments, too. Your comments always make me smile :) :)

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

SUPER FUN GIVEAWAY OVER AT PRAIRIE FLOWER FARM

Hi everyone,
This will be a short post today. Oh, goody, Linda over at Prairie Flower Farm is hosting a super fun giveaway for a Gooseberry Patch Cookbook..it's brand new....and a hand-sewn by Linda coupon organizer. There are three colors to choose from, if you win the giveaway. So head on over there, tell her I sent you, and enter for a chance to win. Her giveaways are always so much fun...and it's a lot of fun to read everyones comments :) :)

I DIDN'T WANT MY   POST TO BE WITHOUT SOME SORT OF PHOTO TODAY. THIS WAS TAKEN ON FEBRUARY 21ST.

Let's see what else is going on today. My homemade laundry powder has done 13 loads of laundry so far...an I'm thinking it's going to last me a LONG, LONG time. This is awesome!!!

I have to do some paperwork for unemployment. It's not fun, but necessary!!!  I'm still job hunting. I'm also trying to figure out how I can earn some money from my knitting, since I'm passionate about that, too. Your prayers would be appreciated. Also if you have any advice about starting a small/home-based business, I'd appreciate it :) :)

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

BIBLE VERSE CRAFT PROJECT & COFFEE MUG

Hi everyone,  How has your week been so far? Mine has been good. Yesterday I was reading some blogs. I LOVE to read blogs. There are so many good ones out there with lots of practical tips, crafts, keeping a home etc. So for me it's about information and entertaining. Needless to say I was visiting a blog that encourages women to grow in their spiritual walks. The idea for this project came from a blog called "At The Well". Click on that blog title to read the article. Well, it really caught my attention because it aws talking about  two very simple ways to add beauty and Scripture to your home.  One way is to   write out a verse of Scripture, frame it and put it on  your kitchen windowsill. Another is to write out a longer piece of Scripture and place it in your bathroom, maybe opposite the toilet, so you have something encouraging to read :) :) :) There's also a book dedicated to stories you can read in the bathroom, depending on how long you 'll be there. No joke...the stories are actually really good..but that's another post ;)

First  select some paper.   I had some professional grade drawing paper samples. However, they were too thick. So I decided to make use of some scrapbooking paper  I had here in the house. I chose this nice creamy color. You will need some sort of a picture frame that stands on it's own for this project. Nothing fancy, but functional :) :)  In this case,  I cut the paper to fit a 4" x 6" frame.

* Choose some drawing markers, drawing pencils, or both :) :)

I have this HUGE box of  professional and regular grade drawing markers, pencils, pens etc. Oh, remember my last post where I talked about credit cards. I also went through a period of buying stuff I didn't need and this box is proof of that. However, in this instance, I am glad to have these available. So, back to the subject, pick out some colors that you can use to decorate the paper.

* Choose a good black felt tip pen for writing out your Scripture verse or words of inspiration.

I chose three felt tip pens, because I was not sure if any of them worked. I also had  a test piece of paper to write on. It is always good to test out your writing utensils first, to make sure you get the right size line that you want.  Lucky me, all of these worked. So it was just a matter of picking one that I liked. I chose the pen on the far right because it has a .3 mm felt writing tip.

* write out the Scripture verse on your decorative paper

* also add some stickers or whatever you like ;) :) Actually, you might want to add the decorations first, before you write out the Scripture verse.

So here I added some stickers that I had leftover from Creative Memories. I put quite a few on there, because that's what I  like :) I also grabbed some of my green drawing markers and a green pencil to add some vines to the border.

*  Place completed project on your kitchen windowsill or anywhere else that needs a little extra beauty touch :)

Here is the finished product. It's really easy and you can decorate it however you like.  Oh, my friend Dorothy over at Notes from Mémère sent me this lovely little stand-up picture frame. So I thought it would be sweet to add a Scripture verse. My apartment has a really nice kitchen window above the sink with a windowsill. So this sits right above the sink. It's right in my line of vision when I wash dishes :) :)  I tried adding a little extra, like this green Depression glass piece.

 I also tried putting my most favorite coffee mug next to this. It's green, too. I can't decide which I like better. Although, right now, the coffee mug is winning :) :) Speaking of coffee, I need to go make a cup o' joe.   I LOVE coffee and I love tea. On that note, since most of you might be curious about the backstamp on the coffee mug, here it is...

I'm  going to see if I can find this company online. Vintage items and reproduction vintage items are wonderful. This coffee mug is super cute. I'm CONVINCED beautiful dishes and glasses make EVERYTHING taste better :) :) 

So I hope you liked my little craft project today. If you make one for your home, let me know, so I can come visit and see :) :)

There's not a whole lot going on today. The weather can't make up it's mind weather to rain, snow or shine. Or in some cases, all three at the same time. That makes for some really good conversations with friends, that's for sure :)

 I'll be job hunting, working on some home sewing - mainly my flannel quilt.  Plus, I'll be down-sizing and getting rid of some books. I'm going to try and sell them to a used bookstore.

God has given me a nice home, a nice family, my own upstairs bedroom with a nice big closet and window. Those are just little things that I'm grateful for today, too. That's the news from Oregon today. Love and hugs, Heather :)

THE STATE OF "THE HEATHER" ADDRESS

Hi everyone,
As many of you know I'm "in between" jobs. I was layed off from my job the week after Christmas. It wasn't a total surprise, since my job is seasonal. Last week, I received a letter from the local employment office. I had to come in for about 2 -3 hours, update my resume and math/reading skills test scores.

THIS IS JUST A RANDOM PHOTO FROM JANUARY 1ST. I DIDN'T HAVE ANY PHOTOS RELATED TO MONEY OR UNEMPLOYMENT. SO I FIGURED THIS WOULD BE BETTER THAN NOTHING. :) :) :) I was really upset about having to go downtown. Especially since I had done this class last year. However, this year it changed. It actually turned out to be a pleasant experience. Last year I had to sit in a boring classroom for three hours. I felt like sleeping and it was, in my opinion, a bit of a waste of time. However, this year, I was able to sit at the computer and do the work myself WITHOUT having to listen to someone drone on and on. Then when I was finished with updating my resume and completing the math/reading tests, I spoke with an employment counselor.

HERE ARE SOME SOCKS THAT I MADE AWHILE BACK. YOU WILL PROBABLY RECOGNIZE THESE. THEY SURE ARE BRIGHT.
I know quite a few excellent resources for job searches here in Oregon. Many of them have links to companion sites in other states. Let me know if you want some links to those sites. In any case,  in Oregon, you are REQUIRED to be registered with "iMatch" skills, in order to receive unemployment benefits.  Click here to visit the "Working in Oregon" website - the official site for unemployment and looking for jobs. When you look on the right sidebar, there's a link for "iMatch skills". It takes a long time, intiially, because you do basically have to upload a resume on their site. however, once it's on there, it's very easy to update. It is just one tool for job searches.

 I POSTED ABOUT THESE EARRINGS YESTERDAY. I ABSOLUTELY ADORE THEM. THEY SO EXPRESS ME PERFECTLY :) :) :)
Another site I use is from one of Oregon's region employment offices. It's fantastic and has links to all sorts of various job search sites. There's links to what the main careers are in the state, what future projections are etc. Plus there are free on-line tutorials to help you build up your skills. It's fantastic, because they really provide a large number of resources. You do need to take the initiative and use those free services. Your tax dollars go to pay for this...so use it, since it's free :) :) Oh, here's another website that is awesome for job searches. My father actually told me about this one. I've applied for a couple of jobs this way. It's called LinkUp. Click here to visit their site. It is a very basic job search engine. When I visit this site, I type in the city,state where I"m looking for work and it brings up a list of jobs.

In any case, this will be my first post on finances etc. I guess you can call it that :) :) It's not a fun place to be. However, I am learning a lot and through this time have been  learning to really make my money stretch really far. 

Next Wednesday I'll share about how well I was doing financially, got messed up with credit cards, and how I'm slowly getting my financial house and my peace of mind back :) :) I didn't use my first credit card until I was 27 years old. Up to that point, I paid cash for everything. Within the space of a year, through very unwise decisions, I ended up owing money. I have paid it all off...but it took me four years to do it.  I do have some medical bills that I'm still paying on...but no more credit cards for me. I literally use cash or my debit card.  So for me personally, in addition to looking for a new job, I am PASSIONATE about getting out of debt. This is my personal conviction about what I feel is right for me. I am NOT speaking for anyone else. Fiduciary wisdom/finances are so personal...but I really want to encourage you that there is hope, no matter what situation you find yourself in. Plus, I also hope that as I share my story, I can keep someone from making the same mistakes that I did : :) :) 

Pray that God will give me wisdom.  I am a bit nervous, but at the same time, I feel it's a necessary step. Plus it will keep me accountable, too. Anyways, I'll try and limit my version of money talk to Wednesdays. 

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

TEA CUPS & VALENTINE'S DAY SURPRISES

Hi everyone,
 This isn't a traditonal tea post today, but I did want to share some of the surprises that I received for Valentine's Day.  How did you spend your Valentine's Day?  I took my father out for breakfast at The Black Bear restaurant.  Click here to visit their main website. As far as I know, they're only on the West Coast. Oh, it's so down home. Do you have any place like that where you live? They make a seriously delicious breakfast, and their buttermilk biscuits are ginormous. My father was so excited.
I also treated my father to a Sierra Mist and myself a coffee from The Human Bean. The Human Bean is my favorite drive-thru coffee stop :) :) You can click here to visit their website. The girls at our local stop know my father and I. The drinks are good and the service is good, too :) :)

Then we came home and just did our usual stuff. When the mail arrived, two lovely surprises were waiting for me in the mailbox. So cool. Here's a photo of what I got: 

Here's what I got in the mail. Well, not all of this. Some of this stuff was already  in my house.  However, what I did receive was the lovely letter with the green and pink florals plus some earrings from Bramblewood Fashion. Then the pastel card with stripes and flowers came from my friend Jennifer. Both were totally unexpected. However, the fact that they arrived on Valentine's Day was so cool. It felt really good to have someone think of me. I suppose I should thank the mailman for delivering those items yesterday, too.

I knew that sweet Ashley from Bramblewood Fashion was sending me something homemade. However, I had no idea what it was. Oh, I was so EXCITED to get a real letter. It's becoming a lost art. So I'm seriously thinking of  reviving this art in my own personal life. Anyways, Ashley sent me this really sweet letter and fabulous earrings. I LOVE them. They're heart-shaped and very romantic. Click here to pay her and Gabrielle a visit over at Bramblewood Fashion. Oh, they're sweet young ladies, both have great photography skills, and Ashley has some serious dress-making skills. Peruse her website, and look for the video she posted where she creates a dress from scratch.

This is how I usually store my earrings. I use a teacup and hang the hook earrings off the rim of the cup.  It's a bit unusual. At the time I didn't have a jewelery box. Now I don't even want one. I like finding alternative uses for my teacups. This is way cuter and it adds a bit of whimsy decor to my life, too :) :) This is a close-up of the lovely earrings that Ashley sent me. She also has an Etsy shop, so you can order some things for yourself, too. The rose teacup is sitting on top of a pillowcase I found at a yard sale on Saturday. I'll share about that another day. It's so cute and has all the right colors.

 Here's the lovely card that my friend Jennifer sent to me. She's a wife and mother now to two beautiful boys.  We've known each other since junior high school. She loves Jesus Christ and has been such an encouragement to me, as have lots of other friends from my Christian school days :)  Jennifer included a surprise in here too, but that I'll keep private just for me :) :)  Isn't it great when those types of unexpected surprises come your way. I'll pray that God surprises you in a way you don't expect this week :) :)  God is so good  and loves us so very much :) :) :)

In other news,  I sometimes sign up for freebies when time permits. I received a free sample of some teeth whitening strips and some foundation. I haven't decided if I'll post photos of that. Maybe I will, since I'm trying to live a more frugal lifestyle.

I went to church last Sunday and it wasn't easy. I LOVE Jesus Christ, but this day I just wasn't "feeling" it. When I'm feeling discouraged, church is exactly where I need to be.  Plus, my father was preaching this day, too.  Well,  after it was all said and one, I was so glad that I went. I was blessed by the message and encouraged by the new friends I'm making at church. My father talked about Peter, the disciple of Jesus... I didn't take notes, because I just wanted to listen. The one thing that really stuck out at me was just how messed up Peter was and impulsive, too. However, Jesus didn't get on Peter's case for messing up. He did ask "Peter, do you love me?" "Yes, LORD, you know I LOVE you." I think that it's so easy to berate ourselves, especially in Christian circles and feed ourselves lies that are just that...lies. Jesus loves us so very much, and it's amazing how that truth can change your life. I choose to accept the truth of God in my life :) :)  

One last funny, our worship leader had concluded worship and was encouraging everyone to get some coffee, treats and greeting one another. The way he said it made me laugh a LOT. Quote "Say hi to someone next to you, grab a donut and rejoice in freedom in America" :) :)

Oh, I've noticed you people new to my blog. Welcome and thank you for following my blog. If you are a follower or a visitor, I love to hear from you !!!!

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

TRYING A FONT THAT'S EASIER TO READ

Hi everyone, I'm trying a different font today. I want to make sure that  EVERYONE can read my blog easily :) :) So let me know what you think of this one :) :) I went to the salon yesterday, had my hair cut, colored and my eyebrows waxed. I do love waxing. It was a treat yesterday for sure. That's the news from Oregon today. Love and hugs, Heather :)

THOSE CRAZY KUREYON SOCKS!!!

Hi everyone, I had spent some time yesterday and today preparing my post, but I couldn't get my "crafty girls" font. So I deleted it. Now I'm starting over.  oh, you may be wondering why all the festivities today? Well, my sweet friend Parsley over at Seasons of My Mind is have a crazy sock party :) :) When I read about this, I immediately knew this was for me :) Click here to pay Parsley a visit. Let her know that I sent you.

This is a sock yarn from a company called Noro. They are based in Japan and have such a wide variety of colorful and variegated yarns. It really is amazing. This particular sock yarn line is called "Kureyon" It looks a bit like the colors of punch or food dye. That's okay. Once in awhile I need some serious doses of color in my life :)

These are the socks from my perspective. Each sock was knit slightly different. It was definitely not what I intended at first. however, the end result is still a lot of fun :) :) I'm standing on top of my down comforter that I purchased at the thrift store. The carpet in my apartment is what I affectionately call "pooh brown"..sorry, there's no other word for it :) :) You wouldn't have been able to see the bright colors :) Yes, yes , it's true...I'm wearing electric purple velour pants. Very wild. My dad says anyone can find me in the dark if I wear these. That's fine with me. It makes me laugh and they are comfy.

I hope you had fun today at my crazy sock party :) :) Oh, I e-filed my taxes last Friday. My federal tax return came today!!!! So I'm going to help my dad  pay a couple of bills, getting a long overdue cut/color, brow wax and maybe a new piece of clothing :) :) Thanks for visiting me.

Oh, and I've noticed the new followers, too :) :) Welcome to my blog. Please, please, let me know how you found me. I'd love to know where all my visitors come from :) :) That's the news from Oregon today. Love and hugs from Oregon, Heather :)

FONTS ARE FABULOUS !!!

Hi everyone, This is just a test to try out a new font. If you go over to Linda at Prairie Flower Farm...well, say hello first, but she has a lovely tutorial done by her daughter. It shows you how you can change your fonts on your blog. It's really cool.  So I'm going to give it a try. That's the news from Oregon today.  Love and hugs, Heather :)

P.S. It worked!!! It worked!!! This font is called "CRAFTY GIRLS".  I think it is very apropos to my personality, don't you? How do you like it? Let me know :) :) :)

This is just a photo from January 1st - New Year's Day.  It was a cloudy, but very beautiful day  :)

MY 26TH TEAPOT & TEA THINGS TUESDAY AND TEA TIME TUESDAY - FEBRUARY 8TH

Hi everyone, I've missed you all. I was sick earlier this week. It was strange, but I'm feeling much better now. Hopefully all of you are managing to keep the "yucky cold/flu" at bay..

Thanks for stopping by for tea today. Oh, goodness, I had a hard time deciding what to show, because I LOVE it all :) :) Here's my tea for today. Sit, sip a cup of tea with me, and let's share some things with each other ;) :)

I couldn't decide what to share today. So last night I was trying various combinations of tea cups, pink Depression glass plates, and doilies. You'll recognize these tea things from earlier posts. It seems that I'm gravitating towards pinks and reds. They speak to me of romance, feminine beauty, charm, vintage loveliness ;) :)  The doily and the pink Depression glass plate are American made. The German demitasse with matching saucer were made in Germany.

Then, I thought, "No, I need something different. So I tried this combination with my English Rose teacup on the same  pink  Depression glass plate with the pink and white doily underneath. One thing you'll notice that's a common theme is that I like to layer different elements together :)  As far as I'm concerned, there is no hard and fast rule for decorating a tea table. If it makes you smile and fills your life with beauty, than it's right :) :)  Plus, life is always better with flowers around, even if they are on a teacup. Don't you agree?

 Still not sure, I tried a third variation. Now this pink rosebud tea cup with matching pink & minty green plaid saucer was also made in Germany.  This is the only set that I actually purchased in a proper tea shop called "Savoure". Isn't it beautiful?  Plus, I love placing my antique tea strainer with the minty green silk ribbon on top. The colors really compliment each other very well.

Oh, the tea strainer is so pretty.  Here it is without the cup.  It's old and the patina is faded. I'm not sure if this is  silver, pewter or stainless  steel. Any thoughts on how to clean it up and make it shine? Oh, you also have a nicer view of the pink Depression glass plate with the ruffled corners. Oh, I sure am in love with this glassware!!!

This was my original tea setting. It was very simple. There was no particular rhyme or reason to this, other than I like the way the colors blend together. This setting is on top of my vintage sewing box. I didn't set up tea on the table itself. My table has become my permanent craft table now. However, the top of my sewing box is perfect for some tea when I need to take a break.

I have always loved these antique silver spoons that I purchased at a yard sale last summer. These still need some cleaning, but I love the aged patina on them. Plus, for the purpose of decoration I like the spoon facing up. Doesn't it look cute in that small rose pitcher? These would look lovely with beautiful silk ribbons tied in a lovely bow.   What do you do with your antique spoons? In any case, I think the aged patina goes well with the beautiful roses !!!

 This is what I actually ended up having for tea this morning. It is very simple and appropriate for a single person. Actually, whatever makes you smile and brings your heart joy is appropriate for tea. The February 2011 issue of Victoria magazine was my inspiration. In one of the advertisements, there were these lovely shortbread cookies. So I purchased a box at the store this morning.

 Don't those shortbread cookies look absolutely delicious? My favorite flaky dough cookies weren't available. So I chose these instead. Oh, there's a history here. I'll get to that in a moment. Let me just say that of all the different tea cookies that one can make, simple is my favorite. Understated and elegant at the same time ;)

Here's the box that those lovely shortbread cookies came in. Oh, they were EXPENSIVE. I won't tell you what I paid for them. What I will say is that they are a product of Scotland. Also, when I lived in Switzerland,  I worked in a Migros store in Basel. My first job while there was stocking the cookie shelves, including these very cookies. I literally stocked hundreds of boxes on the shelves. Walkers shortbread cookies and I go all the way back to the summer of 1994. They are very buttery, dense and crispy - all at the same time !!!

Oh, I was feeling a bit rebellious today. Instead of proper tea, I had a nice cup of cafè au lait instead, with just a hint of sugar.  It's non-traditional. Some days it's a good day for a cup of tea. Other days it's a good day for a cup of coffee.  This particular teacup and saucer were gifts from my sweet friend Dorothy over at Notes from Mémère. She's a lovely lady who loves Jesus Christ.  Please stop by and say hello. Everytime I look at this china, I think of my friend :) :) :) This particular pattern is by Pope-Gosser and made in the U.S.A.

Usually my dad has no interest in tea. However, he said my tea setting was nice, except for one thing. "Spoons should be face DOWN. No one wants to grab a dirty spoon" says my father. Huh? Who knew? Well, I'm not going to say anything. I couldn't say anything, because it was hysterically funny. I tried them spoon-down and this is what they look like. My father thought it looked better. Now, my father will never drink tea. However, he has had his Pepsi in a teacup with ice cubes. Now talk about untraditional. However, it words for him  and he's happy with that ;)

 Now, this is what my sewing box normally looks like, when I'm not styling it for Tuesday tea parties :) Yes, I have a bit of everything on there, some sewing items, crochet cotton. Hey, it's pink :) :) Now I don't leave food on there.  This is what my messy tea setting usually looks like. In fact, I took my shortbread cookies and coffee upstairs. That's where I sit at my computer and share with all of you lovely people ;) :) Oh, I made quick work of those butter shortbread cookies :)

That's about it for the moment. do you ever have those days when you can't decide which tea setting to use? I have always enjoyed tea. Plus, when you are surrounded by loveliness, it's sometimes hard to decide which to feature :)  Thank you so much for stopping by to visit me. I always enjoy having you over here :)  Oh, I'm so happy about all the new followers, too. I notice each and every one of you.  If you leave a comment here, let me know how you found me ;)

I'm going to get my flannel quilt out and start working on that again. It's a quilt that I'm sewing by hand from start to finish. It'll sure be nice when it's finished. Oh, if you think on it, my friend Linda over at Prairie Flower Farm has a really neat praise report. Her family is going to adopt a precious young boy from the Ukraine.  Her son's family hosted him for Christmas. Here's the link to her site. Please pray for the entire process and for the family. This boy is meant to become part of their family. They are raising money to help bring him home to the United States. Oh, I have been praying long for this family. So have many other people. I know that their family would really appreciate your prayers. You can read through the various posts to get the whole story :) It's worth your time :)

Oh, so cool. My friend Melissa over at Lilac Lane is hosting a giveaway. There are many chances to win this whole week. Why? Well, for Valentine's Day of course. She has some beautiful fabric scraps plus a gift certificate that she'll be giving to a lucky person. Check out the button on my right sidebar for more details.

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