End of March 2012 Photo Challenge

Here are the last of March 2012 Photo Challenge with Chantelle at Fat Mum Slim.

If you are interested in doing the April 2012 Photo Challenge, please go here.

Chantelle is also doing another amazing photo challenge called

The Hair Photo a Day Project. Pantene in New York has

contacted Chantelle to host the project. It is to encourage people

to cut and donate their hair so they can create free,

real-hair wigs for women who have lost their hair

due to cancer treatment.  Such a good cause!

I hope you all will check it out.

 OK, here's the rest of the March 2012 challenge...

24.  AN ANIMAL

I just happened to catch a shot of this

magnificent creature after he had caught

a squirrel and flew to this tree.

25.  BREAKFAST

 Oatnut French Toast with fresh strawberries and blue berries

with unsweetened syrup and a liiiiiitle powdered sugar.

Probably should have gone without the powdered sugar.

26.  KEY

John Lennon once said, "When I was 5 years old,

my mother always told me that happiness was the key to life.

When I went to school, they asked me what I wanted to be when I grew up.

I wrote down 'happy'. They told me I didn't understand the assignment,

and I told them they didn't understand life."

 

27.  YOUR NAME

The girls call me BB. It is music to my ears.

I found this on an advertisement.

28.  TRASH

My great-uncle made this trash bin many, many years

ago when he was in his 80's. I just thought it was so amazing

that he did this when he past 80 years old. He has long since

passed on to a better place, but I still have this old trash bin. 

He put a bit of Tennessee "humor" on the lid.

It sure has seen its better days...but I can't 

bring myself to just throw it away. It's very sturdy and useful!!

29.  FEET

A bride's feet....a dotting father helping his daughter.

30.  TOY

My husband's birthday present.

31.  WHERE YOU RELAX
I love to relax outdoors if at all possible.
Notice the moon to the left of the cloud?

 Well, that is it for March. I enjoy the photo challenges from Fat Mum Slim.
I hope to be able to continue it for April!

Stay happy, stay healthy, and SMILE A LOT!!

Here's to your health!

GIVEAWAY AT BEE HAPPY

An awesome lady by the name of Deb (I call her Miss Bee) at Bee Happy

is having a giveaway. The drawing will take place on April 7, 2012.

She has two lovely books that will make it

to two lucky winners:

Tilda's Studio and Stitch!

To find out more details, please visit her blog and enter.

Miss Bee shares many wonderful things on her blog.

A recent excitement for Miss Bee is that she is now opening

her eBay Shop.

http://stores.ebay.co.uk/beehappyhomeandaccessories

 I hope that you will pay her a visit!

Here's to your health!

It's Tea Time Tuesday!

Well, we are at the end of March. Can you believe it?

The time keeps moving on and it's another tea time Tuesday.

Today is my birthday.

I visited micupoftea at Poetry in a Pot and found out

that I was the winner of her beautiful tea box.

I was Lucky #13.  I never really thought that 13 could be so lucky.

Mi is a delightful lady.  She has wonderful health tips, is a collector, and

her photos are just perfect that explains her style and uniqueness!!

I hope you pay her a visit.  Thanks, Mi for the opportunity

to sign up for your awesome giveaway!  

I am looking forward to trying the tea.

Now since it's my birthday I think it's appropriate to share

another wish list.... of AYNSLEY CHINA!

I guess by now most of you know that blue is one of my

favorite colors. And I am also finding out about myself

that I love the cups with big roses.

This is an Aynsley Textured Bluish Victorian's Tea Cup and Saucer Duo.

I love the beautiful color, handle, and scalloped edges.

Such a BEAUTY!

This is a gorgeous Aynsley "Robin's Egg Blue,"

English Fine Bone China Tea Cup and Saucer.

Another of my favorites with the big rose!

 Since I am making three wishes today, here is a lovely set!

This is Bell China Flowered Victorian's Tea Cup and Saucer Duo.

The wishes are made; the tea is ready.

I will join these awesome ladies for tea!

Terri at Artful Affirmation

Martha at Martha's Favorites

Sandi at Rose Chintz Cottage

Trisha at Sweetology

These wonderful ladies always have new and exciting

things happening in their lives. Pay them a visit.

You won't regret it.

Here's to your health!

Photo Challenge with Fat Mum Slim-March 17-23

It's time to catch up with Fat Mum Slim's Photo Challenge for March 2012.
You should visit and see what others are doing with their photos.

I will include the dates March 17-23 for this post. 

HERE WE GO....

17.  GREEN

  Beautiful cupcakes for Saint Patrick's Day!

18. A CORNER OF YOUR HOME

I like this corner of the house because it has 

a beautiful cross that my friend Marianne from

Leisure Lane made me many years ago.

It still hangs on my wall.

She called this one "The Eye of God."

19.  FUNNY

Little Bit told me (BB) a joke the other day:

Little Bit:  BB, what did the grapes say to the orange?

BB: Uhhh....I don't know, what?

Little Bit:  Silly, fruit doesn't talk!!

she's so cute...

20.  BEFORE/AFTER

21.  DELICIOUS

My salad of course, with a little Hummus.

 

22. KITCHEN SINK

23. MOON

I was driving  home from work

and saw this big beautiful moon.

Tea Tuesday or Maybe Sake Tuesday

I came upon a couple of yard sales over the weekend.

I was not planning to go to any yard sales, but

there were two in my neighborhood. When I came

back from my morning shopping, I decided to stop at only one.

It seems I made the right choice for the stop. Here is what I found.

Beautiful embroidered handkerchiefs from Japan.

My neighbor said that during her travels to Japan

she picked these up many, many years ago.

The handkerchiefs have Yokohama Goods on them with 

Japanese writing and then 001.  I didn't notice that

at the time or I would have asked her what it meant.

 The handkerchiefs are pure silk and the embroidering is very beautiful.
I love the ships and the flowers.

The sake cup came in this little wooden box.

Sake is a clear alcoholic beverage popularly produced and consumed in Japan.
It is made from rice and water. It is said that water is very important to make good sake.

I've never had sake, but I just couldn't pass up these beautiful items.
Sake is served in tokkuri (small sake bottles) and poured into
o-choko (small sake cups). It is considered polite to pour sake
into each others cup when you are drinking with someone.
You should always notice if your company's cup is empty or not.
When someone wants to pour you more sake, you should
hold your o-choko cup up.

Sake can be served hot or cold. Hot sake is called atsukan,
and cold sake is called hiyazake.

I just couldn't let this beautiful find go to waste. It cost me all of $2.00.

I would love join these beautiful ladies for Tea Time Tuesday:
Terri at Artful Affirmations.  Terri's blog is always so cheerful.
Martha at Martha's Favorites. Martha is a delightful lady with many delightful collections.
Trisha at Sweetology. Trisha's blog is just full of many wonderful treats all created by her.
Sandi at Rose Chintz. Sandi has a wonderful blog and tea time is always enjoyable.

Please take time a visit these wonderful ladies. They are as sweet as Trisha's treats.

Here's to your health!

Photo Challenge with Fat Mum Slim-March 2012-Week 2

Here are the picture I took for the Photo Challenge with Fat Mum Slim for March 2012. 

This is dates March 10 - 16.

10.  Loud

My husband's band

11.  Someone you talked to today

My family, of course.

12.  Fork

A delicious salad at the end of my fork makes me feel so healthy.

13.  A sign

This is a sign that Spring is near...

14.  Clouds

15.  Car

 This is a beauty!!

16.  Sunglasses

See what a mess they left for me to clean off the table?

That's it until next week. Fat Mum Slim has a great following. 

There are nearly 1000 people joined in for the March Photo Challenge .

Here's to your health!!

Old Barn

I saw this old barn in my Tennessee travels. I think the vines are what's holding it together.

I am joining Barn Charm at Bluff Area Daily, today. Please visit the blog for more amazing barns.

Healthy Tea Day!

I had written a "poem" the other day and quickly filed it away. I remembered it a few days later and was going to take a look at it again, but could not find it. I contacted my dear friend Marianne, to help me pray for this written piece, that God would bring it to mind where I had filed it. After I asked her to pray I ended up not having any time to search for it again. She contacted me yesterday to let me know that she was praying. (She is such a great friend and I can always count on her.) I told her yesterday that I ended up not having time to search for it, but I hoped that when I really needed it that it will just show up. I found it this morning (filed away in my pictures and not in my writings) and thought that I would share it with you for today's tea time.

Although it starts out "It was a dark, chilly morning," it's not. Our days are now humid and hot. Can you believe that in March it is in the 80's here?  But when I wrote this piece, it was a dark, chilly morning and raining.

Beating the Chill

It was a dark, chilly morning, but I hurried over to a good friend's house.

A hot cup of tea will sooth the chill inside my soul

and bless my heart for health.

Now the chill of the day can be good or it can be bad.

A bad chill will consume you and make you feel like

you will never be warm again.

It can shiver your bones, sending you to bed

without a delight in your heart.

If you let it consume you, it will take over your day.

A good chill can be a reminder that you need

to be uplifted with a good cup of hot tea

and maybe some morsels of treats

to delight your whole being,

giving strength to your shivering body.

A good chill can remind you to put more kindling

on the fire to douse that cold feeling.

A cozy fire eases the chill and calms your soul

giving peace to a tiring mind.

Visiting with a good friend will also warm that chill in your heart.

It will give you a new way to review your day

and send you off with lots of happiness.

Whatever it takes, the chill should not have the last say.

Be thankful for the many ways to beat the chill.

As you can see, the chill that I speak of does not just speak of feeling cold.

The chill is in reference to our choices, or having bad emotions.

Whether good or bad, each choice or emotion has an outcome.

So make good choices for yourself, and keep your emotions intact.

Let us make the choice that keeps peace between us and God.

Jesus said to Peter in Luke 22:32, "But I have prayed for you, Simon, that your faith may not fail. And when you have turned back, strengthen your brothers."

God did not stop Peter from being chilled. Instead Jesus prayed that Peter's faith would not fail and his victory would be a testimony for others. In the same way we are to pray more and to ask God to help us so our faith will not fail or be chilled.

I would like to join Martha at Martha's Favorites for tea today.

Here's to your health!

Photo Challenge with Fat Mum Slim-March 2012

I have decided to join Chantelle at Fat Mum Slim's in her March 2012 Photo Challenge. Chantelle is a fabulous lady and I enjoy this challenge. I sometimes find it difficult to post these day to day photos, so I am going to try my best to post each week.  So here we go:

1. Up

He was so close we could hold a conversation. You can also see how humid the day was.

2. Fruit

My father-in-law's orange tree a couple of years ago. They are called Blood Orange.

3. Your Neighborhood

A good day for balloons!

4. Bedside

Note to self: replace with items easier to dust...

5. A Smile

When my now 20 year old was about 4 years old, he use to draw

these happy faces. My husband, still to this day, have these hanging

in his once-upon-a-time office. My son use to leave these all

over the house. He was a happy little boy.

6.  5 PM

I'm back in my neighborhood. I made this one to look like a painting.

7.  Something you wore

I use to wear this dress during the time I first met my wonderful husband.

I was very petite and this dress was my favorite. It looked very feminine.

Notice all the details.  It is handmade in Indonesia.

This is the back view. Notice how low it goes.

  OK, I'm getting carried away with beautiful memories with this dress.  ah-hum...

8.  Window

My kitchen window, of course!

The frame looks green in this picture, but it's actually white.

Note to self: learn how to use better lighting.

9.  Red

A favorite spoon dish.

Well, that challenge was fun. Take time to visit Chantelle

at Fat Mum Slim and join in the challenge.  You still have time!

The best part is getting to view the photos that others took!

Here's to your health!