Faith Family Friends

Celebrating the Joy of Living & Home Making ~

Baking, Cooking, Decorating, Tea Time, and taking Inspiration from those I love and the world around me...

A sharing of my heart and my home from a Christian perspective

...with a wee bit of whimsy added.

Sunday 31 May 2009

I will be taking a few days off


Hello everyone. I will be taking a few days away from blogging because there has been a death in the family. My husband's nephew by marriage has been killed in a motorcycle accident. He leaves behind a beautiful young wife, my hubby's niece.
I will be back in a few days. Please take care and the Lord bless you!

Saturday 30 May 2009

Spiritual Sundays



Welcome to Spiritual Sundays where we meet every weekend to share our testimonies, stories, poems, & songs, etc. It is a time to visit with other believers and refresh ourselves. I hope you will go visit other Spiritual Sundays sites by clicking on the Spiritual Sundays button on my sidebar.

Today, I pray you will be encouraged by this devotional from Oswald Chambers' book, "My Utmost for His Highest."

TAKING THE NEXT STEP

"....in much patience, in tribulations, in needs, in distresses" 2 Corinthians 6:4

When you have no vision from God, no enthusiasm left in your life, and no one watching and encouraging you, it requires the grace of Almighty God to take the next step in your devotion to Him, in the reading and studying of His Word, in your family life, or in your duty to Him. It takes much more of the grace of God, and a much greater awareness of drawing upon Him, to take that next step, than it does to preach the gospel.

Every Christian must experience the essence of the incarnation by bringing the next step down into flesh-and-blood reality and by working it out with his hands. We lose interest and give up when we have no vision, no encouragement, and no improvement, but only experience our everyday life with its trivial tasks. The thing that really testifies for God and for the people of God in the long run is steady perseverance, even when the work cannot be seen by others. And the only way to live an undefeated life is to live looking to God. Ask God to keep the eyes of your spirit open to the risen Christ, and it will be impossible for drudgery to discourage you. Never allow yourself to think that some tasks are beneath your dignity or too in significant for you to do, and remind yourself of the example of Christ in John 13: 1-17.

Thank you for stopping by today and I pray you will be filled with joy as you visit all the other participants. The Lord bless you!

Happy Birthday ~ Pink Saturday!

~"Happy Pink Saturday" ~

Our hostess Beverly at How Sweet the Sound is celebrating her Pink Saturday's birthday!

She has had people from all over the world participating in her fun event every week, and I just happen to be one of them.
So in honour of Pink Saturday's birthday, I have a cake to help celebrate the occasion. We can't eat it, but then there's no calories this way!
I don't know where I found this but it's pink and suits the occasion.
Happy Birthday, Beverly! Please go pay her a visit and all the other pink participants by clicking on the link http://howsweetthesound.typepad.com/my_weblog/ or the Pink Saturday button on my sidebar.

Now, on to my pinkness....I have a few things to share with you today....
I found this cute little cloche in a garden center the other day and it is a perfect fit for my little Rose Chintz demi-tasses. This pretty metal plant stand with pink roses on it.... My metal birdhouse and the stand almost look like they belong together. Lastly, there is this ceramic soap dish I made in the early nineties. I also made the little cherub that sits on the back of the tub. Of course, there would have to be a cake of pink soap in the dish!
The cherub is sporting a pink pearl halo. Thanks for stopping by today and remember to go check out Beverly's blog. Have a wonderful Pink Saturday and a lovely weekend. God bless you!

Tuesday 26 May 2009

A Blog Party!

Hello everyone~ Where would you live and what would your dream home be like? I received an invitation from Deana at Alchemy Fine Living http://www.alchemyfineliving.com/ to join her for her blog party.

This party is all about dreams; dream homes and dream locations. These are my thoughts about where I would live and what kind of house my dream home would be....


In the summertime, I would prefer to live on our little Island where I am now. To me, there is just no other place to be. We have the most amazing beaches here! Winter, however, is a different story! Then, I would prefer to be in a warmer climate..... perhaps Provence!I guess my dreams are a bit more down to earth compared to some! Oh, I could go wild but I think for me anyway, it's better to fantasize about something that is within reach!


I am drawn to many different styles of houses but if I was to have my 'dream home' it would be one level, with a front porch, a screened-in porch, and a two car garage, such as the design above and it would have to be near the beach! The house would be yellow as I always lust after yellow houses, it seems. And it would have cedar shingles on the roof. As you can see from the design above, it looks like it has been built in sections, which I love the look of. I don't know what style you call this, all I know is I love it! I love a house with lots of nooks and crannies! And I would like to have a cupola on the roof. There would have to be some gingerbread trim on it too as I love architectural pieces.
My dream home would have a bay window or two.
My dream kitchen would have big windows and the room would be flooded with light; sunny and warm. The cabinets would be an antique white or creamy white. The kitchen would also have to have an island with a prep area and a breakfast bar. A breakfast nook and a dining room are a must-have, as we entertain a lot.A favourite fabric for the kitchen.There would be a fireplace in the dining and living/family rooms. There would be a couple of niches as well. I love collections.
My decor style dictates that I would probably decorate with whites, creams, and lots of toile. A little French Country and a little English Cottage with some Traditional touches thrown in. I like to be comfortable without being too formal, and I like the look of the old with the new.
As I am a romantic at heart, I also lean towards shabby chic. I love white, pink and green, reds, aquas, robin's egg blue, and creamy yellow. I love blue toile as well.
I adore crystal chandeliers, and roosters make me smile! I love beadboard and pillars. An office with a big library would be wonderful as we love books.
Of the two dining rooms below, I don't know which one I prefer. I love the windows in the first but love the pillars in the second.My favourite rug.The master bedroom would be romantic with a sitting area and there would have to be an ensuite bath with a whirlpool tub and a huge walk-in closet. A fireplace would be nice too. I probably would not choose the blue toile however, as much as I like it. I am more apt to go with the green and white.I love these colours in the bath.Most of the gardens would be in the back where it would be private and secluded. There would be a cozy little guest cottage where my sons and their families could have their privacy when they come home to visit. A gazebo, bird houses, and the odd statue among the paths leading to a couple sitting areas would be wonderful too. I would love a pool surrounded by plants and flowers.
I love trees and scrubs so they would be plentiful. A little brook running behind the gardens would make it perfect! Most important of all, my home would not be a 'home' without my hubby, my family, and my friends around me. I think that is what makes a house, even your 'dream house,' a home!
Have a wonderful day everyone and please check out all the other dreamers out there in blogland today!

Monday 25 May 2009

Blue Monday


Blue Monday is here again and I want to thank our delightful hostess Sally for hosting this fun event. Sally is in the midst of packing these days and we want to wish her all the best as she and her hubby make this transition to their new location.
For years, I had a blue living room, and because we had three boys, there was always the colour blue around. Today, I have a home full of pink and yet, to my surprise, I still have a lot of blue around.
Three rooms are still painted blue; the guest room, the den, and the office. And of course where there is a room painted blue, chances are you will find more blue.

Today, I will show you the blues in our family room. I apologize for the poor picture/colour quality. The sofa and love seat look more gray blue but in reality, they are a very nice shade of blue.
Blue in the burgundy cushions.
I love this border! I know borders are not so much in vogue these days, but I love the coziness of it and the colours in it. It just pulls everything all together.
This is a painting from one of our parishioners. It is not possible to see all the beautiful detail in this painting but take it from me; it is beautiful! She was quite the artist in her day!
Finally, is this sweet little boy, all dressed in blue, and asking for God's blessing upon his food. Again, the quality of the picture is not very good; but you get the idea. This is a Bessie Pease Gutmann collectible, called "Thank You God." The detail is really sweet!
Those are my blues for today, folks. Please check out Smiling Sally's Blue Monday and other participants by clicking on the link http://smilingsally.blogspot.com/ or the Blue Monday button on my sidebar. Have a great Blue Monday/Memorial Day and a wonderful week everyone!

Saturday 23 May 2009

Spiritual Sundays


Welcome to Spiritual Sundays which is a weekly event hosted by Charlotte and Ginger. Folks gather here to share and inspire with their stories of faith, hymns, and testimonials. Please click on the Spiritual Sundays button on my sidebar to go visit.

Today I would like to share a spiritual song written in 1998 by Lynn DeShazo and Gary Sadler.

BE UNTO YOUR NAME

We are a moment, You are forever

Lord of the ages, God before time.

We are a vapor, You are eternal

Love everlasting, reigning on high.

CHORUS

Holy, holy, Lord God Almighty

Worthy is the Lamb Who was slain.

Highest praises, honor, and glory,

Be unto Your name.

Be unto Your name.

We are the broken, you are the Healer

Jesus Redeemer, mighty to save.

You are the love song we'll sing forever

Bowing before You, blessing Your name.

When my hubby and I pastored our last church, this was one of the favourite songs of our flock. It is a simple song but it glorifies the Lord with its words and lovely melody. The words penned tell how insignificant we are and how great and mighty our God is! I'm sure most of you are familiar with it.

To all my friends in America, I wish you a safe and happy weekend. God bless each one of you.

Pink Saturday


It's Pink Saturday again and I would like to welcome you all to my blog! On this special day, there are lots of pink sites to check out, so I hope you will pay a visit to Beverly at 'How Sweet the Sound' by clicking on the link http://howsweetthesound.typepad.com/my_weblog/ or click on the Pink Saturday button on my sidebar to go browsing after your visit here.

First, I am showing you my pink jug of lemon water.
"Why would she be showing that?" you ask? Well, I try to drink at least 8 glasses of water a day and this jug holds that amount. It really does help that it's pretty and pink!!
I think presentation is everything!! Something as simple as water is more appealing when it is poured from a pink jug, don't you agree?

Now, let's take a peek into the laundry/half-bath, shall we? On one wall hangs a garden trellis which I tole painted a number of years ago.
As you can see, there are tiny pink posies, ivy growing from a tiny flower pot, and two birdhouses. I love the robin's egg blue and pink together.
Next, there is my little pink sand-clown. He is kind of hard to see sitting in the window, so I'll put him up on the washing machine and you can get a better look at him.
Oops; he doesn't like it up there because he is afraid of heights so....Let's try him on the cabinet..... much better! This little sand-clown is made with Island sand from the shores of PE Island. I have three of them and I will show you the other two another time.
This arrangement also sits in the window but the light isn't good so I'll move it where you can get a better look at it. It was a gift from my sister-in-law.
Lots of pink there too!
That about wraps it up for my pinks today. I will have more pink to show you next week in the laundry/half-bath, so please come back and visit next Saturday. Have a wonderful Pink Day everyone and enjoy your long weekend, all you ladies who live in the States!