Drink Tea. Read Books. Be Happy

Fog on her glasses 

From the still steaming tea 

A book in her hand 

As she casually reads. 

She's deaf to the world: 

The book's all she can hear. 

She's completely lost now, 

Or perhaps she is found 

In this strange paper world 

That's far from the ground.

- Unknown -

Sweet friends, boil some water,

add your favorite tea to a well-loved tea pot,

pull your favorite tea cup from the shelf,

grab a soft blanket,

and settle down for a little bit of quiet time

with a book that is sure to put a smile on your face.

Tea Shop Folly

by

Carrie Francett Pagels

Almost destitute, Lilly has run out of hope

when she inherits her great-aunts home-

but it's not the Tea Shop that a handsome young gentleman thinks it is.

Lilly's inherited house is crammed full of tea cups.

Theo, a Soo Locks engineer, visits frequently

in the hopes he will find the perfect antique tea cup for his mother

and is charmed by the lovely 'Shoppe owner.'

Lilly can't turn the bachelor away when he persistently pursues her aunt's collection,

which she's trying to pack up and remove from her house.

Is the man only interested in the tea cups, or in her?

When Theo begins referring people to Lilly,

and the genuine Tea Shoppe owner sets the police on Lilly

for her lack of a business license, sparks fly!

"What he needed was a good strong cup of English tea -

like his grandmother used to make,

God rest her soul."

{ Tea Shop Folly - pg. 9 }

"Lilly pressed a hand to her chest.

Was a man - this man - actually bringing her flowers?

She gestured to the chair on the other side of the small table,

covered by that day's assortment of tea cups."

{ Tea Shop Folly - pg. 37 }

Tea Shop Folly

is a tea cup courtship novella.

There are only 95 pages in this sweet little book

which makes it perfect for enjoying one afternoon.

As the days turn to autumn coolness 

you can curl up by the fire with Tea Shop Folly

and lose yourself in a world of delightful tea cups and tender romance.

If you have read a novella than you know 

that often there are little bits and pieces left out of the story,

but this leaves room for the readers imagination to dive into whimsical oceans

and walk down charming pathways.

Carrie offers her readers a beautiful romance that is clean and fresh,

delightful characters that have integrity,

and a touch of history that is fascinating.

The lovely Carrie gave me a copy of Tea Shop Folly to read and review.

Please know that all thoughts are my own 

and I was not required to give a positive review.

You can find this book on amazon.com

in both paperback and ebook form.

"Lilly pressed a tea cup into Theo's hand,

and the warmth of her fingers sent a thrill through him.

Her eyes widened slightly,

as they stood on the landing outside his mother's room."

{ Tea Shop Folly - pg. 76 }

The secret to a well balanced life

is a cup of tea in one hand 

and a book in the other.

- Unknown -

I love nothing more than a rainy day

with a blanket,

a cup of tea,

and a good book.

- Unknown -

Have a splendid and extra beautiful weekend,

sweet friends!

* * * * * * * * * *

Please take advantage of 15% off your purchase at

Rose Petal Blessings.

There are oodles of delightful tea items available.

Simply use the coupon code:

TEATIME15

when you checkout.

Always free shipping to USA residents.

Offer good until October 14, 2016.

{{{ hugs }}}

Keep Calm...And Eat Apple Cake

Good apple pies

are a considerable part 

of our domestic happiness.

- Jane Austen -

This isn't an apple pie, my friends,

but it's an apple cake and I must say it's just as good as pie.

Apples. . .

a wonderful fruit to enjoy during the autumn season.

Here is the recipe, lovelies.

For the cake

1 c vegetable oil

2 c sugar

3 eggs

3 c flour

1 tsp baking soda

2 tsp vanilla

1 c chopped pecans

3 c peeled and chopped apples

For the frosting

1/2 c butter

1 c brown sugar, packed

1/4 c evaporated milk

1/2 tsp vanilla

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. 

Grease a 9 x 13-inch pan. 

Combine oil, sugar, and eggs. 

Stir in flour and baking soda. 

Add vanilla, pecans, and apples. 

Spread in prepared pan 

and bake for 45-50 minutes. 

Cool for 2 hours before adding the frosting.

For the frosting. . .

Boil all ingredients in a small saucepan for 2 minutes. 

Set the pan in a bowl filled with ice water. 

Beat the icing until it's of spreading consistency. 

Spread over the top of the cake

and enjoy some sweet apple goodness.

This recipe called for pecans,

but I did not add them when I made it

{simply because I didn't have any on hand}.

It was good without the nuts so if you're not a nut fan

you can leave them out and the cake is still extra delicious.

Have a beautiful and blessed autumn day,

sweet friends!

{{{ hugs }}}

The Haven Of Rest

My soul in sad exile was out on life’s sea,

So burdened with sin and distrest,,

Till I heard a sweet voice, saying, “Make Me your choice”;

And I entered the Haven of Rest.

I yielded myself to His tender embrace,

And faith taking hold of the Word,

My fetters fell off, and I anchored my soul;

The Haven of Rest is my Lord.

The song of my soul, since the Lord made me whole,

Has been the old story so blest,

Of Jesus, who’ll save whosoever will have

A home in the Haven of Rest!

O come to the Savior, He patiently waits

To save by His power divine;

Come, anchor your soul in the Haven of Rest,

And say, “My Beloved is mine.”

Chorus

I’ve anchored my soul in the Haven of Rest,

I’ll sail the wide seas no more;

The tempest may sweep o'er the wild, stormy, deep,

In Jesus I’m safe evermore.

- Henry J. Gilmour -

 Which hope we have as an anchor of the soul, 

both sure and stedfast, and which entereth into that within the veil;

Whither the forerunner is for us entered, 

even Jesus, made an high priest for ever after the order of Melchisedec.

- Hebrews 6:19 & 20 -

And it shall come to pass, while my glory passeth by, 

that I will put thee in a clift of the rock, 

and will cover thee with my hand while I pass by.

- Exodus 33:22 -

 Many are the afflictions of the righteous: 

but the Lord delivereth him out of them all.

- Psalm 34-19 -

What stabilizers are to a ship in stormy water,

the conscious presence of Christ is to a Christian

during the storms and stresses of daily living.

The Scriptures teach that

"man is born to trouble as surely as sparks fly upward." {Job 5:7}

It is our reaction to life's storms that reveals the level of our spiritual maturity.

Not only do we have the indwelling presence of Christ,

but we also have the assurance that Jesus Christ is in heaven today

interceding for us.

The author of this text, Henry J. Gilmour,

came to the United States from Ireland as a teenager.

He practiced dentistry for a number of years

and then spent the last twenty-five years of his life as a gospel musician.

He was a gifted soloist

and was greatly respected as a choir director.

- Kenneth W. Osbeck -

And the peace of God, 

which passeth all understanding, 

shall keep your hearts and minds 

through Christ Jesus.

- Philippians 4:7 -

Come unto me, 

all ye that labour and are heavy laden,

 and I will give you rest.

- Matthew 11:28 -

My dear friends,

may you have a glorious and blessed Sunday!

The Witnesses - Book Review

Young lawyer Parker House is on the rise -

until his grandfather’s mysterious past puts both of their lives in danger.

Parker House’s secret inheritance is either his greatest blessing . . . or his deadliest curse. 

The fresh-faced North Carolina attorney shares his German grandfather’s uncanny ability 

to see future events in his mind’s eye -

a gift that has haunted 82-year-old Frank House

through decades of trying to erase a murderous wartime past.

While Parker navigates the intrigue and politics of small-town courtroom law, 

Frank is forced to face his darkest regrets. 

Then, a big career break for Parker collides with a new love he longs to nurture 

and the nightmares his grandfather can no longer escape. 

Sudden peril threatens to shatter not only Parker’s legal prospects 

but also his life and the lives of those dearest to him.

Two witnesses, two paths, an uncertain future.

My Thoughts

The Witnesses was the first book that I've read by Robert Whitlow and

I must say that I was very excited to dive into the story 

since Robert is quite the well-known author.

I am very sad to that I did not care for The Witnesses.

It was with great anticipation that I started reading this book,

but by the middle I was struggling to make it through 

and by the end I was rejoicing it was over 

so that I could move onto something more my style.

You may be wondering why I didn't care for this book. . .

well, let my try to explain.

Parker and his grandfather have a special "ability" to see things before they happen,

kind of like seeing into the future.

Because of this ability Parker seems like he has a sixth sense when dealing with court cases.

The same goes for his grandfather when he served in the war.

The German military used Parker's grandfather 

to "see" into the future to help them fight the war.

I am going to be honest and say that this kind of storytelling is not my style.

The writing was clean and without vulgarity

which I greatly appreciated.

The faith part of the story was more of a "feel good" aspect

with Scripture sprinkled here and there.

In one chapter Frank House comes to know the Lord,

but it was through some odd "experience" with lots of light.

The author never mentions placing your faith in Jesus Christ for salvation,

but rather plays off of feelings and emotions.

I will say that I seem to be the minority since the book has received great reviews.

I would encourage you to read other reviews 

because while I did not enjoy it you might.

I am giving this book 2 stars.

 ** I was given a complimentary copy of this book from

the Fiction Guild Team for an honest review. 

All thoughts are my own and no other compensation was received. **

About The Author

Robert Whitlow is the bestselling author of legal novels set in the South 

and winner of the Christy Award for Contemporary Fiction. 

He received his J.D. with honors from the University of Georgia School of Law 

where he served on the staff of the Georgia Law Review. 

Website: robertwhitlow.com

Sugar Dish Pin Cushion and Button Holder

Happy day to you, dear ones!

And since tomorrow is the first day of autumn

may I just say Happy Fall!

Since I have tea on the brain due to the Tea Cup and Mug Exchange

I thought I would show you a lovely little pin cushion I made

out of a vintage sugar dish.

So here I have the sugar dish. . .

I cut a round piece of fabric larger than the lid.

Then I sewed a gathering stitch around the edge of the fabric.

I filled the circle with some batting,

pulled the thread tight, and knotted to close.

I glued on some sweet daisies to cover the batting.

I added a little glue to the bottom side of the cushion

and pressed the little cushion into the lid of the sugar dish.

Then I flipped the lid upside down

and tucked it into the dish.

You can take the lid off and store buttons, thread, needles, etc

inside the dish.

Then you can place the lid properly on the sugar dish

as the cushion should fit inside.

Or simply leave the lid upside down 

for easy access to your pins.

I also made a pin cushion out of the matching creamer dish.

I made a larger cushion

and added a pretty rosette to the bottom.

Before tucking it into the creamer

I applied some pink trim to the inside edge of the creamer.

And voila!

Two delightful pin cushions.

I must tell you that I found the inspiration to make the sugar dish pin cushion

from a lovely blog {Sadie Seasongoods} 

where a tea pot was made into a pin cushion.

You can check out the beautiful talent of Sarah

by clicking here.

Once again,

today is the last day to sign up for the Tea Cup and Mug Exchange.

Click here for details.
{{{Registration is now closed}}}

And like I said,

I have tea on my mind so I made several tea related items for my Etsy shop.

Here is a little peek at what's new. . .

Mug rugs with a pocket

for holding a linen napkin and a tea bag.

Mug rug sets which include a mug rug,

two tea cup coasters, and a tea bag wallet.

Tea cup coasters

and tea bag wallet sets.

Stop by for a visit, sweet friends.

Rose Petal Blessings

Have a beautiful and blessed day!

{{ hugs }}

I will be sharing with this post with these lovely parties.

How Great Thou Art

 I will extol thee, my God, O king; 

and I will bless thy name for ever and ever.

Every day will I bless thee;

 and I will praise thy name for ever and ever.

Great is the Lord, 

and greatly to be praised; 

and his greatness is unsearchable.

- Psalm 145: 1-3 -

Here is a beautiful version of How Great Thou Art.

Enjoy the music while you ponder the precious words of this hymn.

O Lord my God, when I in awesome wonder

Consider all the worlds thy hands have made,

I see the stars, I hear the rolling thunder,

Thy power throughout the universe displayed.

When through the woods and forest glades I wander

And hear the birds sing sweetly in the trees,

When I look down from lofty mountain grandeur,

And hear the brook and feel the gentle breeze.

And when I think that God, his Son not sparing,

Sent him to die, I scarce can take it in,

That on the cross, my burden gladly bearing,

He bled and died to take away my sin.

When Christ shall come with shout of acclamation

And take me home, what joy shall fill my heart!

Then I shall bow in humble adoration,

And there proclaim, "My God, how great thou art!"

Then sings my soul, my Savior God, to thee:
How great thou art! How great thou art!
Then sings my soul, my Savior God, to thee:
How great thou art! How great thou art!

 - Carl G. Boberg

The original text was written by a Swedish pastor,

Carl Boberg, in 1886.

While visiting a beautiful country estate, 

Boberg was caught in a sudden thunder storm.

The awesome and violent lightning and thunder quickly ended,

leaving clear brilliant sunshine

and the calm, sweet singing of the birds in the trees.

Falling on his knees in awe and adoration of Almighty God,

the pastor wrote nine stanzas of praise.

Swedish congregations began to sing his lines

to one of their old folk tunes.

The text was later translated into German and Russian

and ultimately into English by Stuart K. Hine and his wife.

How Great Thou Art reminds us of God's unlimited power

and love in creation and redemption.

- Kenneth W. Osbeck - Amazing Grace -

O Lord God, thou hast begun to shew thy servant thy greatness, 

and thy mighty hand: for what God is there in heaven or in earth, 

that can do according to thy works, and according to thy might?

- Deuteronomy 3:24 -

Great is the Lord, 

and greatly to be praised in the city of our God,

in the mountain of his holiness.

- Psalm 48:1 -

Great is our Lord, and of great power: 

his understanding is infinite.

- Psalm 147:5 -

Lift up your eyes on high, and behold who hath created these things, 

that bringeth out their host by number: 

he calleth them all by names by the greatness of his might, 

for that he is strong in power; not one faileth.

Why sayest thou, O Jacob, and speakest,

 O Israel, My way is hid from the Lord, 

and my judgment is passed over from my God?

Hast thou not known? hast thou not heard, 

that the everlasting God, the Lord, the Creator of the ends of the earth, 

fainteth not, neither is weary? there is no searching of his understanding.

- Isaiah 40:26-28 -

O Lord, how great are thy works! 

and thy thoughts are very deep.

- Psalm 92:5 -

He hath made the earth by his power, 

he hath established the world by his wisdom, 

and hath stretched out the heavens by his discretion.

- Jeremiah 10:12 -

Have a blessed Lord's Day,

precious friends!

9th Tea Cup and Mug Exchange Sign-Up

{{{Registration Closed}}}

If you missed this exchange than you can participate in the next one

which will likely be in March.

Life is like a cup of tea. . .

to be filled to the brim

and enjoyed with friends.

Sweet friends,

it's time for the 9th Tea Cup and Mug Exchange!

If this is your first time participating in the exchange 

than let me warmly welcome you - I am so glad you are going to join the fun.

If you are a returning participant than let me say "Welcome back!"

The past Tea Cup and Mug Exchanges have brought many women together

from all over the world and lasting friendships have been made.

The idea of this exchange formed one day while I was looking at my collection of tea cups

and I thought to myself that it would be a joy to bring ladies together over a cup of tea.

The first exchange was a success and soon mugs were included

since everyone has different tastes and styles.

At the end of this post you can visit the links to previous exchanges

and see what others have been blessed with.

Now, lets go over a few details 

and hopefully I will answer all of your questions concerning this exchange.

Please read this entire post for the complete details.

It's very easy to participate. . .

The exchange is open to everyone 

whether you're from America, England, Canada, Sweden, Australia, etc.

The more the merrier. . . 

and who doesn't love making friends from another country?

Also, you DO NOT need to have a blog in order to participate.

Let's go over a few rules . . .

{ 1 }

You will need to purchase a tea cup with a saucer or a mug 

or you can send one from your own collection;

it's completely up to you.

If you send one from your own collection 

please make sure it's in good condition with no stains or chips.

Tea cups or mugs from antique or thrifts stores are also fine,

but again, please make sure they are in good condition.

{ 2 }

Please add tea or coffee 

and at least one extra item to your tea cup or mug package.

It can be handmade treasures, doilies, linens, etc.

Some participants enjoy sending a package full of goodies

while others are only able to send a few items.

Either one is fine and acceptable.

You will send a tea cup/mug package to a special someone 

and you will receive a tea cup/mug package from a special someone else

so you will be making two friends in the process.

{ 3 }

Fill out the sign-up form.

All you have to do is click on the link below
and answer the questions.

Registration Closed


{ 4 }
PLEASE do not join the exchange only to receive something
and not send anything out - this is terrible etiquette!
If you sign up than you are committed to sending a tea cup/mug parcel.
I understand that life happens
and if you sign up, but then realize you cannot participate
please let me know before September 21st.

*** Whatever you sign up to exchange is what you will send and receive. ***
You can also sign up to exchange both a tea cup and mug.

Sign up for the tea cup exchange will start today, September 12th

and will go until Wednesday, September 21st so we have 9 days to sign up and spread the word.

I will email each one of you on either Friday the 23rd or Saturday the 24th

with the information you need to send your special someone her tea cup or mug.

We have until Wednesday, October 5th {11 days} 

to get a tea cup/mug package together and shipped out.

I would advise those of you who choose to ship overseas to send your packages out

immediately after receiving the information of the person you are sending to

because shipping takes at least 2 - 4 weeks longer.

And finally. . . 

I will have a linky party on my blog around the first part of November

so that we can share our treasures with everyone.

The reason for having the link up later 

is because we want to make sure everyone has their tea cup or mug in hand.

If you do not have a blog you can send me pictures of your new tea cup or mug

and I will put them on my blog for all to see.

Does everything make sense, sweet friends?

You can email me with any questions that you might have:

kekepania525@gmail.com

For those of you that sign up I will be in touch periodically via email

with updates and reminders.

One more thing, I will also be giving your email address to the lady that is sending to you

so that if there are any issues with shipping you and the sender can work things out.

If you do not wish for me to give your email address out than please let me know.

The Tea Cup and Mug Exchanges in the past have been a tremendous blessing

and I know this one will be as well so please join us for some sweet fun.

You can see what others received from the last exchange by clicking on this link:

8th Tea Cup and Mug Exchange

You can also read a few testimonials 

from ladies that joined the past exchanges by clicking on the link below:

Testimonials

If you would like to spread the word about this exchange

than you can share this button on your blog

by simply copying the code and pasting it on your sidebar.

<div align="center">
<a href="http://theenchantingrose.blogspot.com/2016/09/9th-tea-cup-and-mug-exchange-sign-up.html" rel="nofollow" title="The Enchanting Rose"><img src="http://i1056.photobucket.com/albums/t377/peaches525/PicMonkey%20Image230_zpskcocwm0z.jpg" alt="The Enchanting Rose" style="border: none; height: auto; width: 200px;" /></a></div>

. . . Remember . . . 

Please fill out the form by clicking on the link below: 

Registration Closed

You must fill out the form in order to participate! 

If you have any issues with the form please email me at: 

kekepania525@gmail.com 

 Love and hugs to you, dear friends! 

I hope you join the fun! 

Tea or coffee with a friend
is like capturing happiness
in a cup.