Dragons Take Tea

Hello, Dear Ones!

I wanted to share this little tea set that is my Mothers.

 I brought it home because it's special to me.

I don't remember my Mother ever having a tea party 

but when we had tea together she called it 'taking tea'.

 This style is called dragonware because of the raised hand painted dragons.

There are lots of different sets of dragonware out there.

I think maybe they were produced in the 40s or 50s.

 Now when I was a little girl I was so fascinated with this little tea set.

I would spy with my tiny little eye these dragons 

and wonder why dragons would be painted on these pieces. 

Taking tea was a girly sweet thing to do and dragons spit fire and ate people! 

Just didn't make sense to me.

 Anyway, now that I'm older I've adjusted my thinking 

and dragons are okay painted on each piece.

They have a  pearlescent look to them and are gold trimmed.

 Look at these dainty little tea cups! 

They have ruffly little feet!

 Here's the big bad dragon!

Although, I think he's kinda cute now.

And, probably not a 'he' but a 'she'! ;)

 Now I know a little salt shaker doesn't have anything to do with a tea set 

but this has always sat with the entire group! 

I must remember to ask my Mother where she got it and why just one?

It's a little different in color and style but I think I'll keep it with the dragonware set.

So, Dear Ones, dragons can 'take' tea, don't you think?

I'm joining My Romantic Home for Show and Tell
Mockingbird Hill Cottage for A Favorite Thing

Creative Home Expressions for Creative Home Acre Blog Hop

Be a bunch of sweeties,

Shelia ;)

I'll leave you with a little Note Song ~

Puff The Magic Dragon

Puff, the magic dragon lived by the sea 

And frolicked in the autumn mist in a land called Honah Lee 

 Little Jackie Paper loved that rascal Puff 

And brought him strings and sealing wax and other fancy stuff, oh
Puff, the magic dragon lived by the sea  

And frolicked in the autumn mist in a land called Honah Lee 

 Puff, the magic dragon lived by the sea 

And frolicked in the autumn mist in a land called Honah Lee
Together they would travel on a boat with billowed sail 

Jackie kept a lookout perched on Puff's gigantic tail 

Noble kings and princes would bow whene'er they came 

 Pirate ships would lower their flags when Puff roared out his name, oh
Puff, the magic dragon lived by the sea 

And frolicked in the autumn mist in a land called Honah Lee 

Puff, the magic dragon lived by the sea 

And frolicked in the autumn mist in a land called Honah Lee
A dragon lives forever but not so little boys 

Painted wings and giant rings make way for other toys 

One gray night it happened, Jackie Paper came no more 

And Puff that mighty dragon, he ceased his fearless roar
His head was bent in sorrow, green scales fell like rain 

Puff no longer went to play along the cherry lane  

Without his life-long friend, Puff could not be brave 

So Puff that mighty dragon sadly slipped into his cave, oh
Puff, the magic dragon lived by the sea 

And frolicked in the autumn mist in a land called Honah Lee 

Puff, the magic dragon lived by the sea 

And frolicked in the autumn mist in a land called Honah Lee

 ~ sung by Peter, Paul and Mary

Libbey

Hello, Dear Ones!

Thank you again for all of your prayers for my Mother and your sweet words about our little  grandbaby to be! Mother is doing so much better now. Mr. Precious and I have packed up everything in her apartment and taken it all to a storage facility. 

I went in and cleaned the apartment this morning and now we're done! 

Whew! That was work.

So we're just taking one day at a time with her.

But in the mean time, I have brought some of her things over to my house to keep for her 

~ a few pieces of furniture and dishes! :)

So I wanted to toss out a quick post and show you a set of glasses that my Mother had when I was little. I loved them so and was just thrilled when she would use them, mostly just when we had company.

 They're not expensive...

just little Libbey glasses.

 But they're priceless to me!

 Aren't they sweet with the pretty butterflies all over.

I don't even remember what dishes my mother would use with these.

 My tiny lips slurped up sweet tea from each rim! 

Tea was even sweeter from these darling glasses.

One glass is broken so there's only seven.

But that's okay.

I'm so happy to have these glasses now.

My little Mother is happy that they will be in my keeping.

I'll be showing you some more of my Mother's things later so stay tuned!

I'm joining Savvy Southern Style for Wow Us Wednesday
No Minimalist Here for Open House Party 
Katherine's Corner for Thursdays Favorite Things Blog Hop

From My Front Porch To Yours for Thursday Treasure Hunt
The Charm of Home for Home Sweet Home

Be a bunch of sweeties,

Shelia ;)

I'll leave you with a little Note Song ~

Good Directions

I was sittin' there sellin' turnips on a flatbed truck
Crunchin' on a pork rind when she pulled up
She had to be thinkin' "This is where Rednecks come from"
She had Hollywood written on her license plate
She was lost and lookin' for the interstate
Needin' directions and I was the man for the job
I told her way up yonder past the caution light
There's a little country store with an old Coke sign
You gotta stop in and ask Miss Bell for some of her sweet tea
Then a left will take you to the interstate
But a right will bring you right back here to me
I was sittin' there thinkin' 'bout her pretty face
Kickin' myself for not catchin' her name
I threw my hat and thought, "You fool, that could've been love"
I knew my old Ford couldn't run her down
She probably didn't like me anyhow
So I watched her disappear in a cloud of dust.
I told her way up yonder past the caution light
There's a little country store with an old Coke sign
You gotta stop in and ask Miss Bell for some of her sweet tea
Then a left will take you to the interstate
But a right will bring you right back here to me
Is this Georgia heat playin' tricks on me
Or am I really seein' what I think I see
The woman of my dreams comin' back to me
She went way up yonder past the caution light
Don't know why, but somethin' felt right
When she stopped in and asked Miss Bell for some of her sweet tea
Mama gave her a big 'ol glass and sent her right back here to me
Thank God for good directions:and turnip greens

~ sung by Billy Currington

I've Got Great News!

Hello, Dear Ones!

I want to thank you all for your sweet love, concern and prayer for my little Mother.
God listens and He answers prayer.
Mother's mind seems to be back to normal now! Hallelujah!
Her legs are so weak and she can't walk but is rehabbing them.
They have placed her in the nursing home area but she has a great attitude and that again is answered prayer. She always told me never to put her in a nursing home because people go there to die!
Mr. Precious and I have been packing and moving her things out of her apartment and putting it all in storage for her.
I am bringing a few things to my house that we didn't want to get broken or mused up.
Dishes, of course! :)
So you don't know how much I love you all and thank you all for being there for me.
God bless you!!

Now more great news!!!

Guess what?

 Little Carter is going to be a big sister!

Praise be to God!

 My lovely daughter, Angela, is going to have another baby and is due in October!

She and her hubby want to be surprised at the gender of little 'Sweet Pea' (we give lots of nick names in our family) so we'll just wait and see what little bundle God sends.

Now you want to see a miracle?

Let me introduce you to our little Sweet Pea...

Little Sweet Pea is 20 weeks old here. You can see the little heart!

No, no...that's a little leg! Just sayin'. :)

Isn't this a miracle?

I just had to share with you our good news. 

Can I hear a 'Hallelujah'!

Can I hear an 'Amen'! :)

Follow my blog with Bloglovin

Be a bunch of sweeties,

Shelia ;)

I'll leave you with a little Note Song ~

I Saw God Today

Just walked down the street to the coffee shop,
Had to take a break,
I've been by her side for eighteen hours straight,
saw a flower growing in the middle of the sidewalk,
pushing up through the concrete,
Like it was planted right there for me to see,
The flashing lights,
The honking horns,
All seem to fade away,
but in the shadow of the hospital,
at 508,
I saw God today,
I've been to church,
I've read the book,
I know He's there,
But I don't look,
near as often as I should,
His fingerprints are everywhere,
I just look down and stop and stare,
open my eyes and then I swear,
I Saw God Today,
Saw a couple walking by,
they were holding hands,
and she had that glow,
Ya, I couldn't help,
but I noticed that she was starting to show,
stood there for a minute,
taking in the sky,
lost in that sunset,
a splashing down from mounting in shades of red,
I've been to church,
I've read the book,
I know He's there,
but I don't look,
near as often as I should,
His fingerprints are everywhere,
I just look down and stop and stare,
open my eye and then I swear,
I Saw God Today,
Got my face pushed up against the nursery glass,
she's sleeping like a rock,
my name on her wrist,
wearing tiny pink socks,
she's got my nose,
she's got her Mama's eyes,
my bran new baby girl,
she's a miracle,
I Saw God Today 

~ sung by George Strait

My Heart Is Breaking

 That's right, Dear Ones, my heart is breaking.

If you read my blog you've heard about the ordeal with my little Mother and her being in rehab.

She's been in the hospital a couple of times the past couple of months with UTIs and chest pains.

No stroke, no heart attack.

Praise God for that!

Well, in the morning she'll be moved to the nursing home floor.

She has been mentally confused and has lost all use of her legs.

She's so weak and they can not find out why.

The following snaps are from a few years ago.

 Mr. Precious and I have been praying about what we needed to do.

We've decided to pack up her things from the retirement home apartment and put them in storage. 

We had told her when she gets the strength of her legs back 

we would just move her things back into another apartment there.

We thought this would give her hope.

But today that hope was smashed.

They'll move her in the morning.

I won't be there as I have a doctor's appointment but will visit later in the day.

I feel numb, I've cried, I've prayed and then cried some more.

Mother will be 90 next month and I was going to throw her a big party at the retirement home.

I won't be able to do this now.

She has always had such pride in her appearance and now that is even gone.

We've been packing up her things for two days now.

Memories flooding in and out.

More tears.

More prayer.

I'm not saying she is dying, only God knows that,

but she has gone downhill so fast it's just astonished us.

Dear Ones, I'm exhausted mentally and physically and will be taking a break for a while.

I can't sleep or function very well in the day.

I love my Mother and she has always been my best friend.

I need your prayers too as I go about this.

I know God is in control and will give us the answers and the wisdom.

As much as I love my little Mother, God loves her more.

You are always a bunch of sweeties,

Shelia :(

I'll pass on a Note Song today.

Heavenly Sunshine

Hello, Dear Ones!

I wanted to share with you what I found this weekend!

Sunshine!

Heavenly Sunshine!

 Well, these little salt and peppers aren't exactly 'Heavenly Sunshine'...

but close.

They're sitting on my crocheted doily edged in Heavenly Sunshine 

that I crocheted years ago.

 Just look at this little darling couple.

Are they Dutch, German or Swiss?

I don't know and I don't think I care either

because I love them.

 Just look at the little Mister.

 And the little Misses.

 Painted florals on the sides and back.

 They seem to be very olden and have lots of crackling on them.

Is that the word? Well, it is now! :)

 Even the little feet are cute and worn ~ they've walked many a mile in someone's kitchen 

and I fear sat a little too close to a burner too.

The only markings on the bottom says 'Hand Painted".

If anyone know anything about these cute things, please let me know.

May your day be filled with Heavenly Sunshine.

I'm joining The Tablescaper for Seasonal Sunday 
Dwellings The Heart Of The Home for Amaze Me Monday

A Stroll Thru Life for Inspire Me Tuesday

Be a bunch of sweeties,

Shelia ;)

I'll leave you with a little Note Song ~

Heavenly Sunshine

Walking in sunlight all of my journey;
Over the mountains, through the deep vale;
Jesus has said, “I’ll never forsake thee,”
Promise divine that never can fail.

Heavenly sunlight, heavenly sunlight,
Flooding my soul with glory divine:
Hallelujah, I am rejoicing,
Singing His praises, Jesus is mine.

Shadows around me, shadows above me,
Never conceal my Savior and Guide;
He is the Light, in Him is no darkness;
Ever I’m walking close to His side.

In the bright sunlight, ever rejoicing,
Pressing my way to mansions above;
Singing His praises gladly I’m walking,
Walking in sunlight, sunlight of love.

~ sung by Me

Fashion Plates

Hello, Dear Ones!

Today I thought I would do a different kind of post.

Are you familiar with fashion plates?

I just love these and wanted to share some with you today.

I looked up the definition for you if you didn't know what fashion plates are:

A picture showing fashion: an illustration showing a style of clothing, especially a current or new fashion

Okie Dokie!

With that settled I wanted to show you some olden fashion plates
and label them with some song titles.

I just love my music and you know how very talented I am.

Okay, here we go~

 Green Sleeves ~ Perry Como

I Do, I Do, I Do, I Do, I Do ~ Abba

 I Fought The Law And The Law Won ~ Bobby Fuller Four

 I Like Big Butts ~ Sir Mix-A-Lot

 Dude (Looks Like A Lady) - Aerosmith

 Mellow Yellow ~ Donovan

 Fernando ~ Abba

I Write the Songs ~ Barry Manilow

 Bette Davis Eyes ~ Kim Carnes

Walk Like An Egyptian ~ The Bangles

 L'il Red Riding Hood ~ Sam the Sham and the Pharaohs

 Going To The Chapel ~ The Crystals

 Little Children ~ Billy J. Kramer

 Listen To The Rhythm Of The Fallen Rain ~ The Cascades

 Beyond The Sea ~ Bobby Darren

Garden Party ~ Ricky Nelson

Was that fun? 

I had a ball and I appreciate you all popping in to visit me and all of my silliness.

I'm linking to Favorite Things Blog Hop at Katherines Corner 
Flaunt It Friday at Chic On A Shoestring

Show and Tell at My Romantic Home
Be Inspired at Common Ground 
Pink Saturday at How Sweet The Sound

Be a bunch of sweeties,

Shelia ;)

I'll leave you with a little Note Song ~

The Hills Are Alive With The Sound Of Music

The hills are alive with the sound of music,
With songs they have sung for a thousand years.
The hills fill my heart with the sound of music.
My heart wants to sing every song it hears.
My heart wants to beat like the wings of the birds
That rise from the lake to the trees.
My heart wants to sigh like a chime that flies from
A church on a breeze,
To laugh like a brook when it trips and falls over
Stones on it's way,
To sing through the night like a lark who is
Learning to pray.
I go to the hills when my heart is lonely.
I know I will hear what i've heard before.
My heart will be blessed with the sound of music.
And I'll sing once more.

~ sung by Julie Andrews

Here We Go

Hello, Dear Ones!

I wanted to share with you our 15 day cruise to Barcelona, Spain that we took recently.

We just returned last Thursday evening and I'm still a bit fuzzy from the time changes.

If you would like to see my first post about our ship, you can click HERE.

This was our first port ~ Nassau, Bahamas.

We had to pose in the most touristy spot!

A few sights around town.

Our next port was Medeira, Portugal.

Such a lovely place.

An open market place.

Oh, this was so much fun. We rode a cable car up the mountain and the views were so beautiful!

I got my snaps out of order...oh well.

This was Alicante, Spain, our fourth stop, such a lovely place.

We've been to Cannes, France and I promise we thought we were there.

Alicante looked so much like Cannes.

Just had to show you these marvelous sand sculptures!

The horse was lifesize.

Our third port was Gibraltar and we rode in another cable car to the top of The Rock!

Here we are at the top! It was such a beautiful view and we could see across the waters to Africa!

But...

the highlight for me on The Rock was the Barbary monkeys! 

Look at these little boogers and they don't have tails.

They are very used to folks and I was able to get pretty close to snap their pictures.

I wanted to add this funny little trio of art that is used for a warning. We were not to touch the monkeys or feed them. We were told they loved women's hair and would pull it sometimes. If you had food they would grab it from your hands or even your camera!  And they will bite!!
I heeded the warning and all was well. But when I walked away a man who was standing close by screamed! I turned around and one of the monkeys had jumped on his back! Yikes!

Our final port and destination was Barcelona, Spain.

When we got off our ship we stayed for three days and toured all around Barcelona.

It's really a beautiful city.

Look at the bottom left little sign.

This was a doggy pooping area only! I loved this!

One of the biggest tourist attractions was this church. We could go in, but the lines were 10 miles long or so :) so we just viewed from the outside.

The adding on just continues.

We saw these hanging legs everywhere. I think they were pig legs but I'm not sure!

There was fish to choose from. I walked by holding my tiny nose.

The kitty seemed interested though! ;)

This little area was surrounded by many olden apartments or flats, I'm not sure what you would call them in Spain. But at around 4:30 pm in the afternoons the space came alive. Families would come out with dogs and children. It was so fun watching the little children running around chasing each other and kicking their balls. Some of the shops would just be opening. 

We came every afternoon to the little market on the bottom left and bought bottled water and oranges. The oranges were some of the best I've ever eaten and so sweet!

You can see we ordered some pizza and ate outside and pretended to be locals! :)

The really nice restaurants didn't open until 8 pm and we just didn't want to wait and eat that late so we made do! :) We really look like we've gone without eating, don't we? ;0

This was the most beautiful art museum!

The top right painting is by the artist El Greco and is called Christ Carrying The Cross.
Many years ago we were in Madrid, Spain and visited the Prado Art Museum.
We picked up a canvas that had been printed and then art students had painted over the design in oils.
The canvas we bought for $2 (US money) was Christ Carrying The Cross
 and it's the same size as the original.
I feel very attached to that painting and almost cried when I saw it here in the museum.
 I've been looking at one almost just like it in my home hanging on my wall for over 30 years.

Well, there you have it ~ our trans Atlantic cruise.
We had a wonderful time and I do feel so blessed to get to travel from time to time.
But it's always great to get to come back home and sleep in my bed.
My laundry is not quite done yet and my house needs a good cleaning since it sat collecting dust and bugs for 19 days.
But Chloe Dawn is thrilled to be home and I have my diet Cherry Dr. Peppers in the fridge.
Life is good!

I'm linking to Wow Us Wednesday at Savvy Southern Style
Tuesdays At Our Home at Our Home Away From Home 
 Oh, The Places I've Been at The Tablescaper

Be a bunch of sweeties,

Shelia ;)

I'll leave you with a little Note Song ~ 

Spanish Harlem

There is a rose in Spanish Harlem
A red rose up in Spanish Harlem
It is a special one, it's never seen the sun
It only comes out when the moon is on the run
And all the stars are gleaming
It's growing in the street right up through the concrete
But soft and sweet and dreamin'
There is a rose in Spanish Harlem
A red rose up in Spanish Harlem
With eyes as black as coal that look down in my soul
And starts a fire there and then I lose control
I have to beg your pardon
I'm going to pick that rose and watch her as she grows in my garden
I'm going to pick that rose and watch her as she grows in my garden
(There is a rose in Spanish Harlem)
La-la-la, la-la-la, la-la-la-la
(There is a rose in Spanish Harlem)
La-la-la, la-la-la, la-la-la-la
(There is a rose in Spanish Harlem) 

~ Sung by Ben E. King