The Ten Cannots

Good morning, and happy Monday to you. I received an email this morning, and I want to share the contents with you...I believe these statements to be true.

The Ten Cannots

by the Rev. William J. H. Boetcker

Presbyterian Clergyman in 1916

"You cannot build character and courage by taking away man's initiative and independence."
"You cannot help small men by tearing down big men."
"You cannot strengthen the weak by weakening the strong."
"You cannot lift the wage earner by pulling down the wage payer."
"You cannot help the poor man by destroying the rich."
"You cannot keep out of trouble by spending more than your income."
"You cannot further the brotherhood of man by initiating class hatred."
"You cannot establish security on borrowed money."
"You cannot bring about prosperity by discouraging thrift."
"You cannot help men permanently by doing for them what they could and should do for themselves."



And this...


"Property is the fruit of labor...property is desirable...is a positive good in the world. That some should be rich shows that others may become rich, and hence is just encouragement to industry and enterprise. Let not him who is houseless pull down the house of another; but let him labor diligently and build one for himself, thus by example assuring that his own shall be safe from violence when built."

"To sin by silence when they should protest makes cowards of men."

Abraham Lincoln


These are really wonderful truths to live by, don't you think?

Have a wonderful day, everyone, and may God bless you all!

Mary

What Do We Teach our Children

Please visit Charlotte and Ginger, our wonderful hostesses for Spiritual Sunday. Just click on the blue sky to the right.

When I first read this story, I was so moved by it...I hope it touches your heart.

"A frail old man went to live with his son, daughter-in- law, and four-year old grandson. The old man’s hands trembled, his eyesight was blurred, and his step faltered. The family ate together at the table, but the elderly grandfather’ s shaky hands and failing sight made eating difficult. Peas rolled off his spoon onto the floor. When he grasped the glass, milk spilled on the tablecloth.
The son and daughter-in- law became irritated with the mess. “We must do something about Grandfather, ” said the son. “I’ve had enough of his spilled milk, noisy eating, and food on the floor.” Therefore, the husband and wife set a small table in the corner.
There, Grandfather ate alone while the rest of the family enjoyed dinner. Since grandfather had broken a dish or two, his food was served in a wooden bowl. When the family glanced in Grandfather’ s direction, sometimes he had a tear in his eye as he sat alone. Still, the only words the couple had for him were sharp admonitions when he dropped a fork or spilled food.
The four-year-old watched it all in silence. One evening before supper, the father noticed his son playing with wood scraps on the floor. He asked the child sweetly, “What are you making?”
Just as sweetly, the boy responded, “Oh, I am making a little bowl for you and Mama to eat your food in when I grow up.” The four-year-old smiled and went back to work.
The words so struck the parents that they were speechless. Then tears started to stream down their cheeks. Though no word was spoken, both knew what must be done.
That evening the husband took Grandfather’ s hand and gently led him back to the family table. For the remainder of his days, he ate every meal with the family. And for some reason, neither husband nor wife seemed to care any longer when a fork was dropped, milk spilled, or the tablecloth soiled."
———————————————————————
"Children are remarkably perceptive. Their eyes ever observe, their ears ever listen, and their minds ever process the messages they absorb.
If they see us patiently, provide a happy home atmosphere for family members, they will imitate that attitude for the rest of their lives. The wise parent realizes that every day the building blocks are being laid for the child’s future. Let us be wise builders and role models."

I was at the hospital once, washing my hands in the ladies room, when a young woman came in with an elderly woman. As the elderly woman was using the toilet, the younger woman badgered here by continually telling her to hurry up...over and over again, without taking a breath. The poor woman told her, "I'm trying, I'm trying..." I was so upset and angry. I politely told her to be patient, that a person can't help how long it takes them to use the toilet. She glared at me, waited about 10 seconds and started in again. When the woman was finished, she came out with tears in her eyes, looked at me, and just hung her head down as she headed for the door. The young woman grabbed her arm and "helped" her out. I just stood there for a moment and prayed for both of them.

We're all getting older...if we're fortunate we will reach a ripe old age and will even need a little help getting around. I hope I taught my children well. Pray for those that were not taught to be patient and kind...pray that God will change their hearts.


Mary

~Pink Saturday and Roses~

This is a beautiful summer day for sharing our pinks with Beverly at http://howsweetthesound.typepad.com .  Thank you, Beverly, for being our gracious hostess for this wonderful event.

I thought about embroidering a pink rooster, so I could continue the fun of the rooster party, but I’ve spent all my time looking at the fantastic roosters, so no time for needle and floss!  So…I have put together a little vignette of pinks that go well together for you to see.  I just put them together on my dining table, but am looking for a place for the two pictures…they are printed on canvas, I believe, and I bought them when I went to tea last week.  The bath salts  and room spray were a birthday gift, and will go in my bathroom, while the Old Country Roses shoe, which was given to me as hostess gift  for my Shabby Chic tea will find a place somewhere in the living room. I found the pink glass rose stem at a dollar store, but not THE Dollar Store.  I bought 16 of them, one for each of the Rose Petals in my tea club as a favor for a tea I gave three years ago.  The pearls are real, and were given to me by my grandfather when I was only 15 years old.  I have three strands of them, plus earrings.  They are very special to me. 

 

           

 

Thank you so much visiting my tea cottage today.  I hope you enjoyed my little contribution to Pink Saturday…now click on the Pink Lady to the right and join Beverly, who has posted a long list of participants waiting for your arrival! 

If you haven’t seen all the roosters at Barb’s Rooster Party, they’re still waiting for your arrival…believe me, it’s worth the time to see them…they’re fabulous!

My cottage is always open, and I would love it if you could stop in for a cup of tea.  It’s always better with two…or three…or more! 

I know there are more precious bloggers that are dealing with illness.  For all those in blogland that are in need of prayer, please let your requests be known so we can pray for you!

May God bless each and every one of you!!!

Mary

~Shabby Chic Rooster Party~

 

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Happy Friday, everyone!  Its time for Barb’s Rooster Party, at www.bellavista.blogspot.com,

AND  time for Janice’s Chippy Paint Friday, at www.thefadedcottage.blogspot.com! 

I have the perfect roosters for both occasions…and they are so anxious to meet you!

This shabby rooster usually sits on top of the refrigerator, as he stand guard over the kitchen.  I let him down for pictures, since he was a little difficult to photograph way up there!

 

I bought this lamp at T.J. Maxx on clearance for only $20!  I really like the crackle finish.

 

I bought this rooster lamp at Home Goods about 4 years ago for $100.  I was feeling pretty guilty til I saw it in a decorating magazine, selling for about $300!

One of my favorite roosters is this green guy…he’s all wood and has an aged look about him.  He seems to be very intent on that speck on the table…mmm…a crumb!

Hey, you looking at me? 

 

Another great Home Goods buy, a little candy dish, adorned with another white shabby rooster!  My granddaughter has a habit of hiding my jewelry in it…when I can’t find a pendant or chain, this is the first place I look!

I hope you have a great time seeing all the roosters and chippy paints…there’s always so many wonderful home accessories to delight our eyes here in blogland, and today should be a lot of fun.

Please don’t forget that we have people in our blogging community that need our prayers…Amy, Andrew, Rachel, Ceekay, and more.  You can find some of them on my sidebar…please visit them to get more information on the specific needs and let them know you are praying for them.  Please remember to pray for our troops and their families. Keep our country in yours prayers, that our leaders are wise and cautious in making serious decisions for our nation.

God bless you all!  My tea cottage is always open, and you are always welcome…I always have the tea kettle on and scones in the oven. Come back and visit soon!

Mary

~White Wednesday Lights~

  Welcome to White Wednesday, with our lovely hostess Kathleen at www.fadedcharmcottage.blogspot.com.  Visit her and other white lovers to see how beautiful and versatile white can be.  Just click on the lovely lady to the right, and you’ll be there in no time!

I was so busy the last couple of days, I was barely able to get this post together.  I had hoped to get some better pictures of these darling lamp shades…I took several, but for some reason, it just wasn’t that easy to capture how pretty they are.  I found them at Lowe’s, and thought they would look good when I had my Shabby Chic tea in June.  Along with the white slipcovers on the dining chairs, it was a very nice look.

With the lights on in the evening.

I’ve been racking my brain trying to remember what these are called…as soon as I go to sleep, it will hit me!  I saw this at Home Depot, and knew I had to have it!  I was going to paint an outline around the roses in a soft pink, because I thought they wouldn’t be noticed, way up there on the ceiling, but decided to do it in all white anyway, and think it was the right choice.  Besides, it would have taken hours to paint all that!

 

I usually don’t have any lamp shades on the chandelier, but there are times I like to have them, so I have 2 sets; this white set, and a  raspberry pink toile set…I use those during the winter months to lend a cozier feel to the room.

That’s just another little peek inside my home…I hope to show more in future posts, and hopefully, I’ll continue to get just a little better with the camera.  I didn’t realize how difficult it is.   I’ve been trying to tinker with different online editing programs, and should soon be much better at it…I hope, anyway!

Have a wonderful Wednesday, everyone.  I’m continuing to pray for Amy and Rachel and Barry and Ceekay…please keep them in your prayers and thoughts. Please continue praying for our country as it goes through serious changes, and pray for our troops and their families. 

God bless you all, and God bless America, the land of the free and the home of the brave. 

Now just click on that lovely lady in white, and visit Kathleen and the other participants for more of White Wednesday!

Mary

~Teacups, Teacups, Teacups~

It’s time once again for Teacup Tuesday, brought to you by our lovely hostess, Kim, at www.shabbypinkandpretty.blogspot.com  Just click on the teacup to the right to visit Kim’s wonderful blog and the other participants that are bringing you their beautiful teacups or other tea related treasures!

I went to tea  last Saturday with the ladies from my tea club. We are in our fifth year since forming our club, which we named The Rose Petal Tea Society, and we address each other as “Rose Petal Mary, or Bev, or whatever our name is.  Each month, the hostess chooses the color or theme for the tea.  In June, our tea was at my home, and I decided on a Shabby Chic theme…I posted pictures of it in July.  This month, our colors were black and white, in case you couldn’t tell.  We went to Niles Canyon, about an hour’s drive from my house, to have tea at “Thyme For Tea”, and they have a very large gift shop as well as delicious food. They also carry their own house blend by the same name that is sooooo good!   I took my camera and got some great pictures of many beautiful teacups for you to see.  We were in teacup heaven!

This little green sweetie was my favorite, along with it’s matching teapot and cake stand.  It is made by Ashdene, in Australia.  I can’t remember the name, but the word “mint” was in it.  And look at the pretty green one next to it…I do love green!

 

Aren’t these lovely?  Puppy seems to be quite content sitting in the middle of these beauties!

Pretty yellow bumblebee teacups and teapot.  Notice that the body resembles a beehive…so adorable!  I especially like this set because I use honey in my tea…a LOT of honey!  There were 3 of us at our table that use honey, so we told our server to keep her little dishes and bring a creamer full of honey…one for each of us!

This is a two tiered plate stand with the pretty birds singing to us!  I thought it was just a garland sitting on top, but it’s actually attached and part of the stand.  Too cute!  The teacup sitting there is adorable as well.

Oh, be still my heart…aren’t these gorgeous?

 

 

As you enter the tea parlor, this beautiful china hutch greeted us with beautiful teacups!

 

Oh, how elegant these are!  Another beautiful shade of green!

  

Being silly…this little hat is adorned with cherries…it goes so well with her  outfit…I think she should buy it, don’t you?

 

No, she should buy it!  Sue, it’s you!

 

 

I think I’m going back for this one!

Isn’t this gorgeous?  What a beautiful shade of pink!  Why don’t I buy these, too?

 

One of the girls bought this one…so pretty!

For anyone that loves pretty note cards, this is the place to come!

 

I do wish I had a tablet and pen to write down the names of all of these beautiful teacups, but my hands were full…camera, purse, shopping bags…you know how it is.

I think these are exquisite…the shape of the teacups and teapot, with their pretty scalloped edges, the butterflies and dragonflies…my granddaughter would love this set, but it was quite expensive, at least for a 10 yr. old!

Rose Petals caught shopping.  We had one lone Rose Petal that forgot to wear her black and white, but she’s pretty in pink, anyway!

 

Having a little laugh!  These two are sisters that I have known since the summer before starting high school. 

Soooooo  much to see!

Singing Happy Birthday to Margaret, only 70 yrs. young!

I hope you enjoyed this little tour and meeting a few of my Rose Petal friends.  We have such a good time at tea …I recommend a tea club to all of you. If you don’t know of one, start your own, like we did. 

Of course, this is just a small sample of all the teacups, teapots, linens, china and accessories that we saw.  I will show you a few more in coming weeks, so if you enjoyed these, be sure to come back for another visit.  I always have the tea kettle on, scones in the oven,pretty china teacups on the table…you are always welcome at my cottage!

Please, before you go, remember to pray for sweet Amy Dawn and all others that you know in blogland that need our prayers.  Pray for our courageous troops that are far from home and missing their families…they need a blanket of prayer to cover them.  Pray for our country, that our leaders will listen to wise counsel and make wise decisions for our nation.  and that it will always remain one nation under God.

Now, click on over to Kim’s to see even more beautiful teacups!

Met Monday Hutch Makeover

This is my first participation in Metamorphis Monday, brought to you by the very creative Susan at www.betweennapsontheporch.blogspot.com.  Just click on the yellow butterfly to the right, and you’ll join Susan and the other bloggers that have some wonderful transformations that will inspire you to create more beauty in your home or yard.

As I continued to collect teacups, teapots, china, collectibles and everything else to do with tea, I found that I had literally run out of room for storage.  So for months, I looked for a china cabinet that would work in my home.  After looking high and low in antique stores, thrift stores, flea markets, garage sales, I told hubby that I was just going to give it up, and find other nooks and crannies for my goodies. Then one day, I was browsing through a cottage decorating magazine, and saw a china hutch that I really liked.  It had an open hutch top, and I thought that would be the perfect style for me.  I hastily went to my trust dusty computer and googled Craigslist.  The very first hutch to appear, being listed that very day, was this china hutch and buffet…for…$75!  The young woman selling it told me it belonged to her grandmother, and she tried to keep it, but it was just too big and it really wasn’t her style.  She also said it was big and heavy, so I had to wait for my son to get off work so he could go with us to help hubby load it on the truck.  Well, when we got there, I took one look and knew I had a winner.  It was solid knotty pine, and the entire buffet bottom was all drawers!  That’s exactly what I needed for all my linens, that were in stuffed in drawers all over the house.  I couldn’t wait to get it home and begin the transformation…Here it is!

Before

Sanding stage…these sanding blocks (there is another name for them, but I can’t remember it off hand) are great…they made the job easier for me, since I have a hard time controlling the electric sander…it always runs away from me. 

 

 

I tried to get a better shot of the drawer pulls…they are adorable!

     

 

The priming stage…a lot of drawers…I hated this part.  After I got it all taped papered and taped, I realized that it wouldn’t work and took it all off! 

 

First coat of paint

     

 

And after…I really like it.  I had planned on embellishing the curves on the top, but I just got impatient and wanted it done!

 

You can see the little French Country buffet that I posted previously…it’s over against the wall…see it?

 

Last month, I posted the little French country buffet that I purchased at Teen challenge Thrift Store many years ago…I always planned on redoing it, but never knew quite what to do…so when I brought this home, it became clear that it should be painted white right along with my “new” china hutch.  We did them at the same time…what a job! Not sure I would do that again, but it get done and we brought them both in the house at the same time… I loved them both!

I have to give a lot of credit to  Shari at www.mycottageofbliss.blogspot.com . She has a wonderful tutorial on painting furniture that I found to be very helpful.  Shari is so sweet friendly…she way beyond the call of duty to answer my questions and research products for me, and she encouraged me along the way.  I did have some problems with the paint, so I really needed that encouragement!  I also got some great information from Cindy at www.myromantichome.blogspot.com .  She has another great paint tutorial on her website, so if you’re thinking about painting any furniture, they will be there to help you!

I think that at first, painting a piece of furniture can go against all reason, but what I found to be so great about it is that it unified my hodge podge pieces into a cohesive cottage style look, which I have always admired, but was always afraid to try for myself.  Once you dive into that paint can, all fear is gone…go ahead…you can do it!

Thank you so much for visiting me today, and taking a peek inside my home.  I hope to participate in this event again and again…I gain a great deal of joy from finding wonderful things to add charm and character to my home, always with the desire to make it inviting and comfortable…and always have it ready to serve guests a cup of tea and a scone…cottage style does that for me, but it can be done with any style in mind, with an imagination and a can of paint!

Please continue to pray for Amy, Rachel, Wanda’s mom, and the others that you know  in blogland that need our prayers.  And please continue to pray for our troops, the troops from other countries, and our own United States of America.

God bless everyone!  May Monday be the beginning of a wonderful week for you!

 

Mary