Pretty Pink Tea Set

These lovely dishes were found at a consignment store.

Their elegant beauty won me over.

These very pretty tea cups and dessert plates were tucked away on a shelf collecting dust.

My heart went out to the tea set....

how terribly sad that they have been forgotten.

Although maybe not too sad

since the delightful china got to come home with me

where they now sit in my china cabinet ready for tea with friends.

I rushed over to the sales lady and told her I must have these beautiful dishes.

We walked back to the tea set and began to gently wrap and pack them up 

for the trip to their new home.

But wait, we soon realize the china should be a set of 12,

but there are only 7 plates and 9 cups.

"No problem," said the sales lady, "You can have the set for $15.00."

Of course I said "Sure" since they were originally priced somewhere around $40.00 

So onward to my home they came.

All sweet and delicate for my use.

We taste with our eyes

as well as our mouths.

~ Chef Aaron Patterson ~

Before I close I wanted to mention a fun tea party
Jessica Dotta (author) is hosting for her book launch of Born of Persuasion.

You are all invited and she would love for you to join in on the fun 

so click on the picture for more details or click on this link: Born of Persuasion

Blessings and hugs to you!

Enjoy your Monday :)

Linking up with:

Tea Time Tuesday

Joyful Exultation

Now with joyful exultation

Let us sing Jehovah's praise,

To the Rock of our salvation

Loud hosannas let us raise.

Thankful tribute gladly bringing,

Let us come before Him now,

And with psalms His praises singing,

Joyful in His presence bow.

For how great a God, and glorious,

Is Jehovah whom we sing;

Over idol gods victorious,

Great is He, our God and King.

In His hand are earth's deep places,

His the strength of all the hills,

His the sea whose bounds He traces,

His the land His bounty fills.

~ John Zendel ~

"Sing unto God, sing praises to his name:

extol him that rideth upon the heavens by his name JAH,

and rejoice before him."

~ Psalm 68:4 ~

Have a blessed Lord's Day!

God Is My Rock

This is a snapshot of beauty where I live - enjoy :)

May you have a splendid day, friends!

Announcing The Winners

Happy Wednesday to all of you!

Today is the day I announce the winners of the 1 year blogiversary giveaway :)

Before I say who the two blessed winners are,

I just want to say a big thank you to all of you for your thoughtful and encouraging comments

about my one year in blogging.

Once again I am in awe of your kindness :)

So thank you, blogging friends!

I truly wish I could give each one of you a gift,

but for today I will have to be content with giving out only two gifts.

Now lets pick two names!

And the winners are........

Are you ready?

Okay, drum roll, please........

Are you sure you're ready?

Maybe I should wait and announce the winners later today.........

Hmmm...... :)

Okay, okay, here we go.......

The winner that will receive the box of goodies is

Nancy from This Sweet Life

and the second winner who will receive the vintage handkerchiefs and handmade cards is

Jennifer from Where The Green Grass Grows

Thank you for entering the giveaway, my dear friends :)

Have a splendid day!

Colorful Seashells

My dear mother has been unwell for some time

so my little man colored a few seashells for his Gamma to help her feel better.

The shells are a simple project for a child 

but my son thoroughly enjoyed himself while coloring them.

I had some seashells saved up from a trip I took to Florida some years ago
and the jar is a spice jar I saved.

He used regular markers

and wrote "I love you" on a strip of paper which we glued onto the jar.

We then tied some lace around the top because he and I know Gamma loves her lace :)

Simple, yet heartfelt.

A delightful and colorful pick-me-up for someone you love.

Thank you for visiting and have a wonderful day.

Last Reminder!

Good morning to you, blogging friends.

How was your weekend?

I hope it was lovely and you enjoyed every moment of it.

I wanted to remind you that Tuesday is the final day to enter the GIVEAWAY

so if you have not done so than you may want to click on the link and put your name in.

1 Year Blogiversary Giveaway

AND....

Wednesday is the last day to join the TEA CUP EXCHANGE.

Click on the link or picture for more information.

I would love, love, LOVE for you to join :)

Have a beautiful Monday!

He Giveth More Grace

He giveth more grace when the burdens grow greater.

He sendeth more strength when the labors increase;

To added affliction He addeth His mercy,

To multiplied trials, His multiplied peace.

When we have exhausted our store of endurance,

When our strength has failed ere the day is half done,

When we reach the end of our hoarded resources,

Our Father's full giving is only begun.

Chorus

His love has no limit; His grace has no measure,

His power has no boundary known unto men;

For out of His infinite riches in Jesus,

He giveth, and giveth, and giveth again!

~ Annie Johnson Flint ~

"And they sing the song of Moses the servant of God,

and the song of the Lamb, saying, Great and marvelous are thy works,

Lord God Almighty;

just and true are thy ways, thou King of saints."

~ Revelation 15:3 ~

Have a blessed Lord's Day!

Double-Decker Confetti Brownies

Hello blogging friends!
It has been quite the fun, but busy week - VBS was going on all week at my church
so if I have not been around to visit you than that is the reason.
My apologies for being absent, but hopefully I will get caught up with each one of you :)
I pray all of you are doing well.

How about a yummy recipe for the weekend.....
Something that will satisfy your sweet tooth.
Well, these brownies will do the trick.

My husband (who is NOT a chocolate lover)

actually enjoyed this recipe and has already requested for me to make it again.

If he likes it than that must mean it's good :)

Here is what you will need:

3/4 cup (1 1/2 sticks) butter or margarine, softened

1 cup granulated sugar

1 cup firmly packed light brown sugar

3 large eggs

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour, divided

2 1/2 teaspoons baking powder

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/3 cup unsweetened cocoa powder

1 tablespoon butter or margarine, melted

1 cup mini M & M's, divided

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

Lightly grease a 13 x 9-inch baking pan.

In large bowl cream butter and sugars until light and fluffy;

beat in eggs and vanilla.

In medium bowl combine 2 1/4 cups flour, baking powder and salt;

blend into creamed mixture.

Divide batter in half.

Blend together cocoa powder and melted butter;

stir into one half of the dough.

Spread cocoa dough evenly into prepared baking pan.

Stir remaining 1/4 cup flour and 1/2 cup M & M's into remaining dough;

spread evenly over cocoa dough in pan.

Sprinkle with remaining 1/2 cup M & M's.

Bake 25 - 30 minutes or until edges start to pull away from sides of the pan.

Cool completely.

Splurge a little and enjoy this yummy sweetness :)

Mmmm ... they will melt in your mouth.

Have a delightful weekend!

Linking up with:

Bouquet of Talent

Misery Loves Company - Book Review

"Don't tell me it's terrifying.

Terrify me."

Juliet Belleno, better known as Jules, struggles with the death of her husband.

He was a police officer killed on duty and the devastation of losing him

leaves Jules feeling empty and alone.

Jules fills her days with blogging and writing reviews for authors

and other than that she has little contact with the outside world.

One day while at the grocery store Jules bumps into her favorite author, Patrick Reagan.

And that's the last memory she has ... until she wakes up in a strange room.

Once Jules realizes she has been kidnapped she starts to discover truths 

about her husband's death, her career, and her faith that will forever change her life.

Misery Loves Company

by

Rene Gutteridge

My Thoughts

Jules had her heart broken when her husband (Jason) passed away.

He was her life and her source of joy - now that he is gone she has no purpose of living.

Her father is an alcoholic and she has secluded herself to her home 

where she spends her days on the computer.

When Jules is kidnapped and she fears for her life she prays for her deceased husband to save her.

She soon begins to realize he can't do anything for her, but God can.

And so begins her journey of finding faith in Christ.

"Jason told me that God is invisible so we won't search for Him with our eyes.

So we'll depend less on what seems concrete
and more on the faith it takes to see without our eyes.

And then when we see Him, we'll know we've also been seen."

On this journey Jules will learn things in life that will crush her, 

but also have the possibility of making her stronger ... if she is willing to learn.

I was completely drawn into the story from page one. 

Rene, the author, had a way of grabbing my attention, 

making me see and feel the story that was unfolding before my eyes.

This book will keep your attention with the suspense

and have you guessing who and what is involved in the mystery.

*** I was given a free copy of this book from Tyndale Publishers for an honest review.

All thoughts are my own. ***

1 Year Blogiversary GIVEAWAY

It's been one whole year since I started this blog.

Wow, what a journey the first 365 days have been :)

When I stared The Enchanting Rose I had no idea how wonderful blogging was.
In fact, I didn't know much about blogging at all.

I thought I would just be writing and posting about things I enjoy in life,

my walk with the Lord, and the crafts I make.

I have done that, but I have learned that blogging is so much more;

it's a world of making friendships and connecting with people from around the globe

In the last year I have made several friends through blogging 

that I cherish and hold very close to my heart.

Each one of you have encouraged me by your comments

and you were there for me when I was going through difficulties and trials in life.

The emails and comments from you have shown me the joy of blogging

and that it's not about me, but about you and the connection we share.

All of you, dear friends and followers, 

inspire me to create and write about my faith in Jesus Christ,

it is you that challenges me to come up with new ideas to share,

and it is you that makes me love the world of blogging.

Each day you put a smile on my face :)

You are a gift to me and in return I want to give a gift to you

so I am having a 1 year blogiversary giveaway :)

My heart is so thankful for your kindness and friendship!

The giveaway will start today and go until midnight on July 23rd

and the winners will be announced on Wednesday, July 24th.

*** Rules - Must Do ***

1. Be or become a follower of The Enchanting Rose

either through GFC, Bloglovin', Email, etc.

2. Leave a comment below and you will automatically be entered into the giveaway.

These two things are all you have to do to enter,
but if you want your name entered more than once you can.....

*** Optional - Extra Entries ***

1. Like my Facebook Page

2. Follow me on Pinterest

Let me know if you like The Enchanting Rose on Facebook
and if you follow along on Pinterest and I will put your name in the hat more than once :)

The first winner will receive all kinds of goodies:

a pretty box filled with scrapbooking stickers and embellishments, 

stamps and ink, rose paper,

3 handmade embroidery hoops with music fabric, birds, and a flower on them,

a roll of washi tape, lace trim, rose clothes pins and a matching notepad.

The second winner will receive two vintage floral handkerchiefs,
one white handkerchief, and three handmade note cards.

So what are you waiting for?

You had better enter the giveaway now :)

Remember the giveaway ends on July 23rd at midnight

and the winner will be announced on July 24th.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Thank you, sweet friends of mine,

 for making blogging so much fun and memorable.

Love and hugs to you!

Jesus Loves Even Me

"It is one thing to know that God loves the world,

but it is quite another to know God loves "me."

We can sing of His love and omnipresence with the crowd 

and easily believe God is aware of our corporate efforts to love and serve Him.

Yet in spite of what we know, we have a hard time comprehending 

that God knows each of us intimately and understands us perfectly, as no one else can.

Before we will know the joy of God's presence,

we must come to the point when our hearts, not our heads, 

are convinced that our God is a personal God

We must be able to say with absolute confidence,

"He knows me. He loves me. He sees me."

The human heart longs for tangible proof of this fact-

proof that we can see, touch, or feel.

But God wants us to believe what He declares to be true in His Word.

He wants us to live by faith, not by "feel."

Psalm 139 is a personal, beautiful acknowledgement that God made,

knows, and sees every individual.

David was awed to know that he could never be out of God's sight,

that even in his mother's womb, God saw him and formed him."

{Taken from the book 'Glimpses of God' by Debi Pryde}

"And we have known and believed the love that God hath to us.

God is love; and he that dwelleth in love dwelleth in God, and God in him."

~ 1 John 3:16 ~

Commit and Trust

Commit thy way unto the Lord.

All you need He will afford.

Never fret or be oppressed.

Commit and trust, delight and rest.

Trust in Him, His Word is true.

He will do what's right for you.

Praise the Name you have confessed.

Commit and trust, delight and rest.

Chorus

Fret not! He's watching over you

Fret not! The Lord will see you thro'

Fret not! You're sure to stand the test,

Commit and trust, delight and rest.

~ Bill Harvey ~

Have a blessed Lord's Day, sweet friends!

P.S. - the peonies are from my garden :)

I hope you enjoyed them.