One Step At A Time....

 I have been so determined......
 Last week I told you, I had unpacked my cups & saucers and put them on a shelf upstairs. I was not, I repeat... NOT... going to pack them up for another ten years! I was going to buy a china closet!

They are just too beautiful to hide!

                I DID IT! I DID IT! I DID IT!


I had a different type in mind but this one is very pretty.
It is Italian (no wonder I liked it) from the Fifties.

The detail....is so beautiful!

We bought the matching corner cabinet too!

         I can't wait to get them all settled into their new home!
    

This brings me to my teascape for today....
Did you think I wouldn't use a tea cup after all this????? lol

I was so tired after all the picture taking and excitement. I had to sit down with a cup of Provence Rooibos that my friend Donna and I bought at the "White Linen Tea House" in Wheatfield, NY.
When Donna reads my post, she won't believe I still have some left!

When I look at each teacup I remember where I got it or who gave it to me.
I have been collecting since I was sixteen!
My Aunt Catherine served coffee in her teacups! I loved going there for coffee...we would drink out of a different cup each time we would visit.
We would have our favorites and if she gave it to someone else we would object! lol
MEMORIES....

This one was given to me by a friend. Her grandmother died and she didn't know what to do with it. So she gave it to me....

My husband bought the candle at work....Creme Brulee.

I pretty much can tell you where everything came from.....I remember stuff like that.

The tray is a favorite of mine. I love the teapots.....I bought this at The Christmas Tree Shop, when I lived in Schenectady, NY.

The Blue bird of Paradise was a gift from my daughter, Jennifer. The teapot is Yorktowne. The tea diffuser was my mother in laws.

I love using everything I own...if it breaks, so be it! At least I used it a few times!


This is what Caesar & Chloe thought of Mommy's running around today!

Caesar is a Japanese Chin. He is doing what he likes to do best!

Chloe is a Maltese. She loves chasing the squirrels in Texas!

I loved sharing with you today....

Thank you for stopping by....Please come again!

Thank you, Susan for hosting this fun party at BNOTP!
Be sure to visit all the lovely tablescapes.

Blessings My Friend,

Running Ahead of Myself

I am into so many things this week I hardly have time to breathe! I have taken a bunch of pictures this week to share with you. Mostly before and afters! 




Thought you might like to see what I see out my kitchen window. The flowers in my yard are beautiful!
My nephew, John went to Italy and brought the Cafe, Latte and
Zucchero set back for us. My husband and I brought the little houses back from Scotland. The ulu is from Alaska. The ballerina is green and from Occupied Japan.

I am going to try to join other blog events for the first time! Wish me luck!


I hope you will sit for a few minutes and read my bog and enjoy yourself........we all deserve to do something for ourselves everyday! I figure if your reading this you MUST be a dishaholic!




I love teacups and have been saving them since I was 16. I do have quite a few but no where to store them. I am working on that!
For now they are on a shelf in a bedroom upstairs (not practical). Slowly as I share them, I will bring them down and have to do something with them! I am hoping this moves me to go and buy a china cabinet to store them.....

Today I want to share two of my favorites.....

My husband bought me the teapot. The cup was given to me by my Aunt Elaine.....

Of course my favorite color is pink....I do love blue & burgundy  too! This cup & saucer is Royal Albert "Pitcher Plant".

This beautiful black & gold teacup is Elizabethan. The only other mark is Made in England and Fine Bone China. There is a little gold "2".

The two plates are a new purchase. We bought them in a shop that was going out of business in Old Spring, Texas.

Both are signed by Marjolein Bastin.

The teapot has two sides. I thought I took both but I didn't. I guess you will see it in another post!

This is my favorite picture!  You can see my new clock.

I would like to Thank

 Susan at BNOTP for hosting Tablescape Thursday

Katherine at Lady Katherine Tea Parlor for Tea Time Tuesday

I am not sure how I find out who does what but I am learning!

 I am ready to take the next step!!!

Thank you for visiting Sweetladyelaine...I enjoy visiting your blogs.

Come back and to see my progress!

Have a wonderful week

Blessings My Friends,

SISTERS

My ladies from my bible study in Buffalo send me the neatest poems and I wanted to share this one with all my blogger friends......

This is dedicated to all my SISTERS out there...wherever you are!!!

SISTERS!

A young wife sat on a sofa on a hot humid day,
Drinking iced tea and visiting with her Mother. As
They talked about life, about marriage, about the
Responsibilities of life and the obligations of
Adulthood, the mother clinked the ice cubes in her
Glass thoughtfully and turned a clear, sober glance
Upon her daughter
 
'Don't forget your Sisters,' she advised, swirling
The tea leaves to the bottom of her glass. 'They'll
Be more important as you get older. No matter how
Much you love your husband, no matter how much you
Love the children you may have, you are still going
To need Sisters. Remember to go places with them now
And then; do things with them.' 
 
'Remember that 'Sisters' mean ALL the women...
Your girlfriends, your daughters, and all your other
Women relatives too. 'You'll need other women. Women
Always do.'
 
What a funny piece of advice!' the young woman
Thought. Haven't I just gotten married?
Haven't I just joined the couple-world? I'm now a Married woman, for goodness sake! A grownup! Surely
My husband and the family we may start will be all I
Need to make my life worthwhile!'
 
But she listened to her Mother. She kept contact
With her Sisters and made more women friends each
Year. As the years tumbled by, one after another,
She gradually came to understand that her Mom really
Knew what she was talking about. As time and nature
Work their changes and their mysteries upon a woman,
Sisters are the mainstays of her life.
 
After more than 50 years of living in this world,
Here is what I've learned:
 
THIS SAYS IT ALL:
 
Time passes.
Life happens.
Distance separates.
Children grow up.
Jobs come and go.
Love waxes and wanes.
Men don't do what they're supposed to do.
Hearts break.
Parents die.
Colleagues forget favors.
Careers end.
BUT.........
 
Sisters are there, no matter how much time and how
Many miles are
Between you. A girl friend is never farther away
Than needing her can reach.
 
When you have to walk that lonesome valley and you
Have to walk it by yourself, the women in your life
Will be on the valley's rim, cheering you on,
Praying for you, pulling for you, intervening on
Your behalf, and waiting with open arms at the
Valley's' end.
 
Sometimes, they will even break the rules and walk
Beside you...Or come in and carry you out.
 
Girlfriends, daughters, granddaughters,
Daughters-in-law, sisters, sisters-in-law, Mothers,
Grandmothers, aunties, nieces, cousins, and extended
Family, all bless our life!
 
The world wouldn't be the same without women, and
Neither would I. When we began this adventure called
Womanhood, we had no idea of the incredible joys or
Sorrows that lay ahead. Nor did we know how much we
Would need each other.
 
Every day, we need each other still. Pass this on
To all the women who help make your life meaningful.
I just did. Short and very sweet:
 
There are more than twenty angels in this world.
Ten are peacefully sleeping on clouds. Nine are
Playing. And one is reading my blog at this
Moment.

Thank you to all my SISTERS!

ENJOY!

Blessings My Sisters!

Welcome to Tablescape Thursday

This week my inspiration came from my shopping spree at Goodwill. Mind you, I was not looking for anything in particular....I just happened to see the prettiest napkins.....and they just happened to have hydrangeas on them.

Here are a few of my favorites!

 

These are Vanilla Strawberry Hydrangeas. I love these.....

 

                             

These are Rhapsody II....

These are Endless Summer.This one grows even if its buds have been damaged by cold.

Just looking at these pictures I can smell these beautiful flowers.

A little info is always good.....


How to Plant and Care for Hydrangeas

Planting Your Hydrangea

Planting your hydrangeas in early spring or in the fall is ideal. When you are planting a hydrangea remember that the blooms and stems must be protected from strong winds and the hot afternoon sun. Avoid planting in open areas where strong winds could break stems. Planting on the eastern side of a building ensures that, in the afternoon, when the sun is at its hottest, your plants are in the shade.
Make sure your plant has good drainage. If the soil is too wet the roots might rot, and the plant will die. Incorporate a lot of organic matter, and an all-purpose slow-release fertilizer into the soil to give your hydrangea a strong start.

General Hydrangea Care

• If you plant them in the summer, they need a lot more water in the beginning to establish the root system.
• Most varieties thrive in full sun to part shade, as long as they are planted in moist, rich soil.
• Water deeply once a week, and maybe more, if the weather is particularly hot or dry.
• Hydrangea fertilization needs vary greatly, depending on your intended bloom color. Certain elements of the fertilizer affect the soil pH, which is a major determinant of bloom color in the pink/blue hydrangea varieties.

How to Adjust Hydrangea Color

Hydrangeas may produce pink, blue, or lavender blooms, depending on where it?s planted and how it?s fed. The presence of aluminum in the plant ultimately determines the color, and pH affects the uptake of aluminum. Alkaline soils, pH of 6.0 or more, are more likely to produce pink blooms, and more acidic soils, pH 4.5 to 5.5, produce blue flowers.

Pink hydrangeas can be turned blue by applying aluminum sulfate to lower the pH and add aluminum to the soil. Applying lime to raise the pH level will help blue hydrangeas turn pink. If your soil naturally produces very blue or very pink hydrangea flowers, you may need to grow your hydrangeas in containers or raised beds to achieve the desired color. If you do attempt to change the color of your blooms by adding these minerals, dilute them well, and add sparingly. It is very easy to scorch your plants by adding too much. White hydrangeas are not affected by efforts to change bloom color.
I thought this was interesting.....alot of people don't know that you
can adjust their color!

So on to MY tablescape.......


This is my kitchen....I used my everyday set of dishes and mixed them up a bit.

I got my Pfaltzgraff dishes for wedding presents in the 70's. They are the only 12 piece set of everyday dishes I own. I do have two full sets of china.

I bought the blue glass chargers at a thrift shop in Houston. The white pleated plate was topped with a pasta bowl from Pfaltzgraff. The little cobalt blue bowl matches the big bowl I use for salad. They were a gift from my mom. The napkins I bought at Salvation Army in Houston.

The soup tureen was a wedding present. The Pfaltzgraff glasses are from the 70's. The corn plates I bought in the Pfaltzgraff outlet for $2.00 each. I did buy twelve, since I have a place setting of twelve.

I collect pitchers and this one is from Schenectady, my home town....

The chairs need cane seats and to be refinished. Project # 9,999!!!!

Yankee Candles are my favorite...Island Guava, water Garden and Coconut Lime by Essentials provide the light. I never use scented candles on the table for dinner. I did so today because the colors were in the napkins.

I love this vase! It is clear and blue.....I bought it on sales years ago at Hobby Lobby in IL. It has a tulip edge.

My sunny backyard in the background.

I would like to thank Susan from BNOTP for hosting this event every week. I hope you view as many tablescapes as you can. I try to catch at least 25!


Thank you for stopping by...I hope to blog a little more than I have been. I have some before & after pictures to share.

See you next week!

Blessings My Friend,

A Mixed Up Table or Blogger?????

I forgot that today I needed to set a table for Tablescape Thursday.....
I went to a new dentist today and when I came home I was still numb and hurting. I completely forgot in all my pain!


A few days ago, I unpacked my squirrels and they have been sitting on my kitchen table, so my inspiration came from them.....this is too funny! The movers labeled the box they were packed in, Evil Squirrels!
I have been laughing the whole time I set this table. I wonder what my husband is going to say when he sits down to dinner tonight......and sees garden squirrels!
Well, it turned out nice! Just a little different for me.....
but everything goes together!

Chargers are a green-blue and I bought them at a thrift store.

The white ruffle plates and bowl (Sieubenville, Ivory) are also thrift finds! I have eight plates but only two bowls.

I collect pitchers and this one was a gift from my friend, Gretchen.

My Happy (evil) Squirrels!

They were on our pond in Buffalo.

A Christmas Tree Store find years ago.

                    My salad bowl that I bought years ago.

The frog was given to me by my friend Ann from Schenectady, NY
The lantern is from Pottery Barn. I bought it at Goodwill in Buffalo.

The vase is from Kirkland's.

The green flowers are from my friend, Rutha. She lived with us for two years. Now has a baby of her own. Missing them.

The yellow beads are pop-it beads....
 I just bought them on line from La Mona Lisa.

Well there you have it, an attempt by me at a different kind of table. A squirrelee one at that......I did have a good time creating it. I am finally trying to think outside of the box! 

Thank you to Susan at BNOTP for hosting this fun event every week. I do love playing with dishes! I hope you visit as many blogs as you can to see all the beautiful tablescapes! Remember to leave comments because we need your support!

Thank you for stopping by Sweetladyelaine's.
Remember to Praise Jesus for all your earthy possessions!
He owns all!

Blessings My Friend,