An Anne of Green Gables Birthday Tea

Dear Friends,

For Tasha's birthday yesterday we hosted an "Anne of Green Gables" tea party with a friend of ours.
It would have been wonderful to have had you there as well, but, since you weren't, allow us to show you what we did in pictures. . .

For the centre piece there was a freshly gathered bouquet of Queen Anne's Lace blossoms--so perfect for the occasion!

 Tasha setting the silverware before we began.

 There were many delicious things to eat that we mentioned in the Anne books including:

 "Anne Shirley’s 'Unpoetical' Sandwiches"

"The girls sat down by the roots and did full justice to Anne’s dainties, even the unpoetical sandwiches being greatly appreciated by hearty, unspoiled appetites sharpened by all the fresh air and exercise they had enjoyed."— Anne of Avonlea

Plain old cherries.

And plain old peaches. 

"Susan Baker's Monkey Face Cookies"

"In a very brief time everything had changed. Walter was in bed, warm, fed, comforted. Susan had whisked on a fire, got him a hot cup of milk, a slice of golden-brown toast and a big plateful of his favourite “monkey face” cookies..." —Anne of Ingleside

More "Unpoetical Sandwiches".

"Diana Barry’s Splendid Lettuce Salad"

“Oh, Anne, mayn’t I help you cook the dinner?” implored Diana. “You know I can make splendid lettuce salad.” — Anne of Avonlea

In the back of the plate can be seen a good-for-you "Anne Shirley's Lady Fingers:"

  "I’m going to have the daintiest things possible. . . things that will match the spring, you understand. . .little jelly tarts and lady fingers, and drop cookies frosted with pink and yellow icing. . ."

— Anne of Avonlea

(What we really ate were coconut-date rolls)

And now here we are going to the party. . .

As a present, our friend brought another bouquet of other beautiful flowers!

 

Hyrum stole a lot of attention with his adorable looks and handsome overalls.

We all donned tea party hats—fancy and un-fancy alike—which added to the party.

After we were finished with the tea, Audrey gave us recitation of "Music" by Percy Bysshe Shelly:

 

"MUSIC, when soft voices die,
Vibrates in the memory;
Odours, when sweet violets sicken,
Live within the sense they quicken.

 

Rose leaves, when the rose is dead,
Are heap'd for the beloved's bed;
And so thy thoughts, when thou art gone,
Love itself shall slumber on."

Our hostess "Anne". . .with almost the hair colour that she wanted. :)

It was such a lovely party and we did have a splendid time.

Thank you for stopping by and enjoying our tea party through the pictures.

Blessings,
Marqueta (. . .and Tasha, who write this post!)

Little Pleasures~

Dear Friends,

A wonderful welcome to all of our new followers, and welcome back to dear ones who know us well!

We have been having the most amazing, mild winter this year, that we wish we had put in a winter garden of greens. Our hyacinths and irises are starting to peek out of the ground, and the rose bush out back has put out a few tiny leaves. We hope they know what they're doing!

This silk scarf and glass "fairy wing" pendant were sent to me recently by a friend with whom I attended high school, but didn't get to know very well until we became friends on Facebook. She purchased the pendant, but the scarf was made by her, and matched perfectly the skirt that I was wearing the day it arrived. The rainbows in the glass wings echo the rainbows I had been observing in the dew drops outside my kitchen window just minutes before. I love you, Alice!

Look at the "peacock eyes" on the lace; so exquisite!

We have been busy cutting up many pairs of denim pants that we rescued from our local thrift store, to make into a rug, as well as several aprons from the pockets parts. We've cut up several t-shirts to make diapers for Rebecca, as well, which is a fun and easy sewing project (as long as you don't have a toddler on your lap).

We're also making yet another bonnet out of a broken straw hat; first cutting it to shape, then covering the broken parts with duct tape.We're using an outgrown pairs of velvet baby bloomers for the crown, and cutting up a white dress of the girls' that is not quite pristine anymore. We'll have to wait till our camera batteries charge up before we can show you the completed project.

Truly the first of the year is a wonderful time for getting out all those craft/sewing projects that have languished so long! It's also a great time for clearing out the old, and bringing in the better. The thrift store where we volunteer has been inundated by donations this past week, so everyone must be feeling the same way!

We have recently been enjoying the writings of the Irish mystic John O'Donohue. His audio series "Anam Cara," narrated in his own voice, is truly beautiful and soul-stretching. "Anam Cara" means "soul friend" or "kindred spirit" in Gaelic, and we love the words so much that we can see ourselves using them often in the future.
We also were introduced today (via the radio) to the minister Charles Capps, who presents the Law of Attraction in a wonderful, scriptural way. Thank heavens for the internet, where we can search new people out and be further enlightened. Truly we are blessed to live in this age of shared wisdom!


May you enjoy these videos, if you can watch them, and may you feel the peace of the Lord upon you as you go to work on making this the best year of your lives so far.

Love,

Marqueta

A Merry December to you!

Dear Friends,

A merry December to you! This year is just flying by~ as it reaches its close, we reflect back on all the little things that we did and didn't accomplish. It seems like just yesterday that we were putting away the decorations from Christmas, and planning all the wonderful things that we would do before we next took them out of storage.

One of the nicest things this year has been the gaining of new friends, and keeping up with longer acquaintances. One of our dearest friends even invited me to be in her newsletter which she has begun publishing. Imagine my surprise when I saw myself on the cover! If you'd like a peek at Emily's Desert Rose Homestead Newsletter, visit her blog here.

I think you'll be truly enchanted with what she has put together!

Now we're off to watch the girls practice for their latest at-home production of "The Nutcracker." This year's costumes are quite creative, being culled from the local thrift store where we volunteer!

Love and blessings,

Marqueta

A Visit With Friends, and to Amish Country

Dear Friends,

A blessed Sabbath to you! Yesterday the temperatures warmed up enough to make a perfect day to go visit our beautiful friend Emily from Desert Rose Homestead. She and her family were visiting Missouri, and invited us to join them for a picnic at Adam-Ondi-Ahman (a spot that is sacred to Latter-Day Saints).

Mr. Graham was nice enough to chauffer the troop, and as we left Kansas City we whizzed past the Sports Center, as well as Worlds of Fun.

The traffic decreased as we traveled north, and we knew we weren't in the city any more when we had to cautiously pass this combine!

We also passed this tractor supply store, and Frankie informed us that he would own every single tractor when he grows up~

A farmhouse with a windmill in the front yard told us we were close to our destination~

 

And finally we were there!

Emily and her family were patiently waiting for us when we arrived (we misjudged the driving time by almost an hour!), and everyone had a wonderful time catching up and munching on the goodies provided.

There were lots of uninvited guests at the picnic, too, including lots of ladybugs and spiders!

There was just enough time to play "Hide and Seek" while we put things away,

And for making a fairy house in the big oak tree!

Though we wished we could have stayed together longer, it was finally time to part ways, until the next happy day when we could visit again. One thing that I love about Emily's family is that they are at the same stage we are, of dreaming about that piece of land and working toward making it a reality. We've been so very blessed to make so many wonderful friends through blogging!

We spent some time absorbing the peaceful spirit that prevails at this special spot, and collected a few rocks and seeds to remember it by.

Some of us decided to rest on Father's shoulder instead!

We then decided to drive through Jamesport, the largest Amish community in Missouri. Although it was definitely a tourist attraction, it was a wonderful thing to see the buggies and wagons, and not be the only ones who are stared at because of their apparel! ;)

We found a little store that we selling apples, and bought a bushel of Red Delicious and a peck of Honey Crisps for $10 each; what a bargain! The owner of the store, Mr. Yoder, took time to come out and talk to us, while swinging on one of two porch swings out front. Not quite like shopping in the city!

We felt truly at home in Amish country, and it was a little difficult dragging ourselves away and heading back to "civilization." Seeing all the farmhouses along the way, and picking up a local small town newspaper and perusing the "farms for sale" section helped to fuel our dream of finding our own place beyond the sidewalks. We know it's out there somewhere!

Thank you so much for coming along with us today, and may all your worthy dreams come true.

Love,

Marqueta

A Beautiful Day, and Another Beautiful Gift

 Dear Friends,

A happy day to you! We are praying for all who have been affected by tornadoes and other disasters lately, and are very grateful for the gift we are given each day of safety and peace.

The sun has finally come out, and we are enjoying something that we have not yet experienced yet in Missouri; the sound of wind rushing through the leaves. Our apple tree is blossoming out back, showing promise of future fruit. The dogwoods around town are simply gorgeous now, but we are grateful to have a little apple tree to enjoy (and a peony which is about to bloom!).

We had a wonderful Resurrection Sunday, dressed in our Sunday best~

Our church was going to throw away these tissue paper flowers from a party, and we brought them home and created instant giant "magnolia" blossoms out of them!

We found a mess of mustard garlic and nettles in the woods, and cooked them with mashed potatoes~ Yum!

(Google thinks I look better sideways)

 

 Frankie and the girls have been creating snaileries all around the house with the snails that are everywhere~

And a pair of robins have decided to set up housekeeping in a wreath hanging on our front stoop!

We were so blessed to be the recipient of a giveaway from The Fairy Glade, out of England. It's not every day we receive a package of Royal Mail!

We love the beautiful post cards and stickers. . .

. . . And a hand-knit bell brooch pin that is so springy and sweet! Thank you, Devina!

Over and over we feel overwhelmed with gratitude for all of our wonderful blog friends that we never would have met if not for the wonders of the internet. We thank all of you for your sweet friendship and support, and we pray for you, too.

May you all be blessed today with peace and joy.

Love,

Marqueta