Good Friday / New Office

My hubby and I went to church at noon for Good Friday Communion.  With a somber heart I reflected on what happened to Jesus Christ on this day so many years ago, but also with a grateful heart for His grace, mercy, and love that sent Him willingly to the cross for the redemption of mankind.  So thankful His plan of salvation included me and whosoever will.

[Internet Photo]

When we returned home my hubby resumed the task of putting the office back together. We're not finished, but at least I was able to start working at my new desk.  Below is a peek. The window treatment is ordered, the shelving unit for the right wall has to be assembled, and wall decorations have to be put up, but it's looking good!  I'll post final pics when it's all done.

Compartmentalized shelf from IKEA 

A Surprise Package

When my hubby brought the mail in on Monday, he was carrying a package he said was for me.  The return address was from my friend, Nancy, who lives in Marquette, MI in the Upper Peninsula.  I hurriedly opened it and found several items inside.  I began by opening the two decorative boxes, and to my delight I found a beautiful 'Crinoline Lady' teacup.

If you recall, the logo for the Southern Belle Tea Tour [that was cancelled last September due to hurricane Irma] was taken from a piece of china portraying a Crinoline Lady.

The teacup from Nancy [pictured below] has special meaning for two reasons:  First, it's a keepsake from the trip 'that almost was,' and secondly - most importantly - Nancy gave it to me from her personal collection. Nancy was a blogger until recently giving it up.  Her blog [which can still be accessed] is called Two Cottages and Tea.  I had never heard of Crinoline Ladies until she wrote a couple of posts about them, and shared photos from her collection. You can view her two posts here by scrolling down to October 22nd and July 11th, 2017.  The saucer was in the box with the green gingham lid, and the teacup was in the purple birdhouse style box.  I did a happy dance!

Isn't it beautiful!  It's bone china from England made by Colclough pottery.  The company was founded in 1890 in Staffordshire England by Herbert J. Colclough, who was the Ex-Mayor of Stoke-on-Trent.  It is said he was the man who brought fine bone china to the ordinary people.  Thank you, Nancy!  I will treasure it always. 

Also in the box were Wild Huckleberry tea and scone mix from the Upper Peninsula.

And a tea-themed Heritage Lace doily with a blue teapot drawing by Sandy Clough.

I haven't said anything about the rescheduled trip on my blog until now, but it's rescheduled for May and there are two openings.  If anyone is interested in details e-mail me.  Nancy also enclosed two items to go in the gift bags which I'm not posting because I want them to be a surprise for the participants. She would have been a participant in the first trip, but is unable to go on the upcoming trip. 

We'd love to have you join us.  There will be a total of 10 participants [not counting me], and a great itinerary has been planned.  

Bible Study and Touches of Easter

Today was the day my friends gathered at my house for Bible study.  Since Easter is this Sunday [how did it get here so quickly - it seems like we just celebrated Christmas!] I thought I better set out a few Easter decorations.  My house is still somewhat disheveled from the on-going office renovation, but I didn't want to postpone Bible study.

We've temporarily set aside our studies on Women of the Bible, to do Dr. David Jeremiah's study of the Book of Revelation and end-time prophecy.  It is SO good and so enlightening.  Revelation can be a daunting book to understand with its symbols and images, but Dr. Jeremiah makes everything so clear.

I didn't prepare a luncheon today, but I did serve a dessert and tea.  I always like lemon desserts at Easter time, so I made a lemon cake garnished with shredded coconut.  

I used my 222 Fifth bunny dishes [Sydney pattern]. It's not a fancy tablescape since we had just finished our Bible study sitting at the same table.

My girlfriend, Lori, took the pictures and sent them to me to post on the blog.

We had food for the soul first, and then food for the body.  Our Heavenly Father provides everything we have need of.

The tea we had with our cake was Harney & Sons Soho blend.  It's a chocolate flavored black tea, and very good. It was a birthday gift from my girlfriend.  Thanks, Sandy!  Everyone loved it.

After the ladies left, I took a picture of the vase of beautiful Easter/Spring flowers Lori brought me.  

Another Busy Weekend

Saturday evening Jerry and I went to see our granddaughter, Brooke, perform in her high school musical, Legally Blonde.  What a talented cast of high school students.  Brooke was in several scenes where she sang and danced.

The pictures are all at the end of the performance because no photography was allowed during the performance.

~ Taking their bow ~

~ Brooke and her dad ~

Yesterday was my presentation at the assisted living facility's monthly tea, and as stated previously this month's topic was the life of Beatrix Potter and how The Tale of Peter Rabbit came to be.   The ladies loved hearing about Beatrix.  

I purchased a copy of the photo of Beatrix Potter [below] when I visited the National Portrait Gallery in London in 2007.  A close friend of hers, Delmar Banner, painted it in 1938 and gave it to the National Portrait Gallery in 1948.  I took my copy to the presentation for the ladies to see.

An interesting bit of trivia I learned while researching Beatrix was that when Prince George was born [Prince William and Kate's first child], his nursery was decorated in a Beatrix Potter theme.  The Middleton family are distant relatives of Beatrix.

She [Beatrix] felt children's literature was taken more seriously in the United States than in the U.K.  Her life was so fascinating to research.

Since Easter is next Sunday and I always take the residents a treat, I decided on a Cadbury Egg and Jelly Beans.  Cadbury is a British Chocolate Company so I thought Beatrix would be pleased. ;-)  The company has been in operation since 1824, before Beatrix was even born!

And last, but certainly not least, my hubby's sister-in-law has been researching the genealogy of his family for a long time.  When my hubby had lunch with his brother last Friday, he gave him a BEAUTIFUL leather hardcover book that my sister-in-law bound by hand.  [I didn't know such a thing was even possible!]  Over 300 pages of documented ancestry and history, complete with family pictures we didn't even know existed. What a labor of love - not only the book itself, but the investment of time [years] spent in research preserved for future generations.  Thanks, Linda!  Your work is amazing.  My pictures don't begin to do your book justice.

Painting's Done

The office is painted, but that's just one part of the project.  Albeit a big part since the walls had to be wiped down, nail holes spackled and sanded, and the border removed before painting could begin.  Last time the walls and ceiling were painted the same color - a light beige - but this time I wanted a white ceiling.  Since the walls were a light color previously, it looks like they're only going to require one coat of paint.

I like the light green - the color of tea!  [Sorry! I had to mention tea in this post somewhere. ;-)] I'm sitting at the makeshift computer station typing this post.  Tomorrow I'll look for a new window treatment.

Remember the ancient Grecian alarm clock that hubby helped our granddaughter Izzy make for school?  [Below is the picture I showed at the beginning of the month.]

Yesterday afternoon and evening Jerry took a break from the bedroom project and went to Izzy's school where she and her classmates demonstrated their projects for parents, grandparents, and friends.  I hated to miss it, but I had to stay home and work on Sunday's presentation since my computer was covered over all day while the room was being worked on.  Jerry was very impressed with the students and their projects.

Izzy left bright and early this morning to fly to Milwaukee with her Dad.  He took her to work with him for the next two days.  She was excited about her daddy/daughter time as well as flying for the first time.

Is she excited or what?  ;-)

Such a good daddy to make memories that will last a lifetime.  So proud of you, Jeremy, and happy for you, Izzy!  

Office Renovation Has Begun

I only have a few minutes for a progress report and then my temporary desk will be covered with a paint tarp.

Yesterday was a strenuous day for my hubby as he removed the 'monster' computer desk and lateral file cabinet from the office.   We donated it to a resale shop, and were glad to be rid of it.  It served us well for several years, but was just too big to keep.

The room is empty now except for the table of computer equipment. When my hubby disconnected all the equipment wires yesterday to remove the desk, he created a nightmare for himself by not marking them. Our landline phone still isn't working!  We'll call AT&T to come out after the new furniture is installed.  Fortunately we both have our cell phones.  If hubby had his way we'd cancel the landline and just use our cell phones.  Do you still have a landline?  Old habits die hard for me.

The border is the last visible memory of my Sandy Clough tea lady days left in the office.  We put the border on one wall when I was an independent distributor for her company, A Sandy Clough Tea.  I was ready for it to be taken down.  Life has long-since moved on, and the company no longer exists.

Today is paint day.  Monday the carpeting will be cleaned.  I watched a YouTube video on how to steam the indentations out of carpeting left by furniture, but I can't try it until the carpeting is cleaned.  Hope it works.  I really don't want to replace the carpeting if I don't have to.  Fortunately berber is durable.

Hubby is ready to get busy so I will sign off for now.  The timer for my tea just went off in the kitchen so it's time for a morning cuppa.  More reports to follow as the project progresses.

Happy Spring!

As I type this post about the first day of spring, it's 27 degrees in the city where I live.  It doesn't feel like spring, but the sky is clear and the sun is shining, so by faith spring is coming!

Happy Spring everyone!

Weekend Happenings

I hope you had a good weekend and enjoyed celebrating St. Patrick's Day.  Last Friday afternoon my hubby asked if I wanted to go to a pub to eat.  He's a school board member and received a gift card to the pub from one of the elementary schools during Board Appreciation Month in January.

Roger's Roost is close to our house, yet this was our first visit.  The duo from American Pickers TV show would have loved it with all its memorabilia from times past.  I discovered the pub was established in 1968.

It was all decked out for St. Patrick's Day.  My hubby ordered fish and chips, and I did likewise, but later wished I would have gotten a Reuben sandwich.  Not that the fish wasn't good, but the Reuben would have been more in keeping with St. Patrick's Day.

It was late afternoon so the lunch hour had passed, and it wasn't time for the dinner crowd - a perfect time to go.  

Very nostalgic similar to Cracker Barrel.

Barnes and Noble sent an e-mail that the Beatrix Potter book I ordered had arrived, so from the pub we went to pick it up. I will begin reading it today as my presentation is this coming Sunday.

A large Marshalls/Home Goods store is right next door, and I never pass up an opportunity for a quick stop when I'm in the area.  I was hoping a 222 Fifth teacup in the Sydney pattern might have come in, but no such luck.  I was pleasantly surprised to see dessert plates and bowls in that pattern, however, so they came home with me.

And these cute bunny napkin rings.

When we got home I called seven Home Goods stores within a 40 mile radius searching for one more bunny teacup, to no avail.  Guess I'll just have to hope they bring the pattern back again next year at Easter time.

Saturday was a full day.  After breakfast Jerry and I went to Ikea to purchase a wall storage unit for my newly renovated office.  Ikea opened in nearby Canton, MI in 2006, but this was our first time to shop there. Oh!  My!  Goodness!  What a store!  It was almost overwhelming.  Since it was Saturday, it was packed with people.

Below is the compartmentalized unit I bought, only  a bit larger - mine is about 6' tall and has 25 compartments.  Lots of storage for all my 'stuff.'  ;-)  I got a new desk chair, and a small work table too.

Then it was back home to work on emptying out the contents of the two computer desks so hubby can dismantle them to paint.  I sorted, pitched and shredded. It will be an ongoing task from the guest bedroom, but it's out of the office. My computer desk never looked so orderly!  ;-)  

By 10:00 o'clock last night the office was bare and empty of 'stuff.'  I can hardly wait to get rid of the two bulky computer desks, and have a nice compact, efficient work space.  I had a nostalgic moment before shutting the light off at bedtime, reflecting back 40 years earlier when this was our son's bedroom with a red, white, and blue theme. Our country's Bicentennial was still fresh in everyone's mind, so one wall had a Revolutionary War wallpaper mural that was accented by royal blue carpeting.  Even at eight years old Steve loved history, and later it was his major in college.  How quickly the years have passed!

This will make the fourth transition for this bedroom.  Onward and upward - nothing is forever [except eternity]!

~ Making Progress ~