My beauty comes from having my own style, living my own way, and knowing my own mind. (a quote I love from Pinterest)

Hi!  I'm Sue and the writer of Tealightful!  Below is my hubby, Mike!  Here we are at Ohiopyle State Park this past fall, 2013.  This is a great park in which to rent and ride bikes on the gorgeous trails!  Just look at the beautiful scenery behind us.  

Every few months or so, a group of friends who have been re-acquainted through Facebook get together for brunch.  Here we are at Chef Marc's Palate in Latrobe.  There is something special about getting together with folks you've known since you were a kid!

My beautiful daughter and her beautiful grandma!  I believe grandparenting must be our greatest second chance...the chance to do for our grandchildren what we wished we would have done for our children...and having the time to do it!

My son visiting with his gramps.  Gramps went to be with the Lord on January 17.  He will be sorely missed by all!  I do believe we should not mourn for too long, however, because there are so many memories to cherish and his life is worth celebrating!  He gave us many good memories and funny gramp-isms!  I love the tribute my son wrote for his gramps:  Gramps (Written January 17, 2014, by Andy) 

Today I lost one of my best friends. My grandfather Joe was an important person in my life not just because he was my grandfather but because he was the one who let my parents know that I was up for adoption. Without him I wouldnt be where I am today and probably wouldnt have the great life I have today. He was one of the funniest and nicest guys I have ever met and he went above and beyond for his friends and family. He always had others in mind and was constantly giving. We bonded through baseball and he was always at my games. I never knew how to tell him I loved him but I try to show it in the way i live my life. I would always think "would this make gramps proud?" I hope that i can grow up to be half the man he was and i hope that ive made him proud. Hes been one of my best friends and i enjoyed sitting and answering his questions, watching sports, or listening to his "grampsisms" and its hard to accept that I wont be able to do that anymore. He is in a better place now and heaven has just added another left handed Pitcher to their roster. I love and I miss you Lefty. RIP.  

Family will always be the ones we go running back to, and family should be given an enormous amount of attention.  I believe one of God's best ideas was creating families!  My sister, Cyndi, and I are in the back (she is on the left); in the middle row is my mom (left) and my sister's mother-in-law, Maryann (part of our family via love); and my niece, Megan, and daughter, Julia, are seated on the floor (Megan on left).  Christmas 2013

Julia and me

Love this old ladder for displaying my scarves.  

My mom crocheted this beautiful blue basket as a Christmas present for the women in the family!  Huge hit--we loved it.  My mom said later that she was really worried as to whether or not we would like them.  She need not have worried!  I want another one since I am using this one in my bedroom.  I would love to have another one for downstairs.  Mom????  if you're reading this...

Okay.  I love jewelry, but I run out of room for it all.  Thus, the guitar stand holding my dad's old Gibson serves dual purposes!  

Repurposed plastic scarf hanger:  I hate throwing things away that could have a potential second purpose, so I decided to experiment:  I got some fabric that would coordinate and cut lengths of it and tied the individual lengths around the scarf hanger to create a small wreath.  Kind of cute!  I hung it over a handle on a drawer.

I'm a preschool teacher, and I made these cute little sock snowmen with my preschoolers.  My daughter and her friend, Ashley, were home visiting and helped me help the students with this project.  When finished, they asked if they could make one, too!  Of course!  They turned it into a contest to see who could make the cutest snowman, and I think it was a tie!

Some things old and some things new:  The teapot in the back on the table is a new purchase from a tea store in Bedford, PA, called Everything Tea  http://everythingtea.webs.com/  This is an adorable little tea shop, with a delightful  and personable owner.  I always stop in when I'm in Bedford to buy more loose tea and other tea items.

The teacup and teapot in the forefront are actually from garage sales.  It's amazing how well they match my store-bought teapot in the back!  The decorative wooden display case was a gift from my daughter for Mother's Day a few years ago.  We saw it when we were out shopping together and she purchased it, stored it, and then gave it to me once Mother's Day rolled around.  It's nice because I can change out the decorations inside of it and make it look new and seasonal!  The little bird statue is from a garage sale.

This is my most prized teacup!  It is hand painted by my daughter's friend, Ashley, who actually has a site on Etsy if you would like to have a personalized one of your own:  https://www.etsy.com/listing/129990559/decorative-personalized-tea-cup
Curiously Craftea is the name of Ashley's site on Etsy.

My favorite Bible verse is Romans 8:28, which is awesome because it matches my birthdate!  "All things work together for good to those who love God and are called according to His purpose."  Ashley hand-painted the verse around the edge of the tea plate!  She chose blue and yellow because my dining room is yellow with blue dishes!  Matches perfectly!  The design is all Ashley's own--beautiful!

The blue/white dishes are mostly from Cracker Barrel.  The Lord's Prayer plate is from a thrift shop.  I love shopping at Thrift King in Jeannette, Pa--Westmoreland County's largest thrift store!  I always find something there that I love, and since I teach preschool, I find treasures for my students, too!

The "Keeping Good Company" book is a gift from my friend, Kim!  I treasure it and have fun perusing through it from time to time for ideas!  The little heart teapot to the right is a gift from Thrift King from my daughter.

This "treasure" is from an antique store.  Got a great deal on it and really enjoy it.

As gifts, I enjoy finding old teacups/saucers, filling them with soil, planting a small starting from one of my house plants in it, and then decorating the top of the soil with little beads.  The plant actually does quite well if you leave it to grow in the cup.

Cracker Barrel lamp from my hubby for Valentine's Day 2014!  No, he did not hand-pick it; I saw it a month or so ago at Cracker Barrel, but when I went back to get it, they had sold out.  A very sweet employee at CB took my name/phone number and called me when they got more in!  So my hubby bought it for me as part of my Valentine's Day present, along with some yummy peanut butter gobs from Sheetz, which I find delicious!  Yes--from Sheetz--they are so good, but very full of calories, so I eat only a quarter of one gob per day.  At least I try to keep it to a quarter!  The little picture with birds on it behind the lamp is actually a picture off of a calendar.  I like the picture so just found a frame and placed it in the frame.  It coordinates well with the lamp!  

Another Thrift King find!  Love, love, love this picture.  I believe it cost me $25.  

My mom and dad made the heart hanger, and I discovered this tea chime at a store in Bedford, Pa.  

This teacup/saucer is a gift from a friend of mine-Lisa!  She invited a few friends over for a tea party, and this gift was part of the table setting.  Inside, she had inserted a bookmark!  I think it looks so pretty with the ribbon she had on it, so I just leave it on!

My daughter knows I had been searching for a book to read to my preschoolers called "Saturdays and Teacakes."  She called me from college and said she had ordered it for my from Amazon and to watch for the package to be delivered.  She kept asking me daily if I had received the package yet, and I was wondering why she was so impatient for it to come; I told her not to worry--that it would come!  Well, when it did come and I opened up this big box (way too big for sending a single book), I got a very nice Valentine surprise!  She had also purchased this kitchen Willow Tree angel for me, and also, she had purchased a cross scarf holder!  What a sweet surprise!

This little guy is actually a Christmas bear, but after Christmas is over, I can't say goodbye to him yet, so I tuck his stocking cap behind him so it does not show.  I then took a teacup, which had come in a box with other identical teacups from a thrift store, but this particular one was broken.  I planted a spider plant in it so I didn't have to toss it away.  

This quilt was started by my great grandmother but never finished.  My mom is a quilter and quilts once/week with some friends.  They finished this quilt and I got it!  A true treasure!  and family heirloom!

This quilt rack is from a friend of mine.  I paid her a little bit for it (not enough, I'm sure), but she wanted to get rid of it, and I needed one, so it was a win-win situation for both of us (and her husband, who likes when people take stuff away--lol).  Works great for my new quilt!

Journaling Website

My dear friend Kim just shared this with me.  It looks like a web site that I would definitely make use of for optional journaling pages.  http://www.graceisoverrated.com/

This description is from the site:  These pages were created out of a sense of delightful, insightful personal exploration.  They combine fill-in-the-blank journal prompts with unconventional to-do lists, game-show-inspired lightning rounds, action-inspiring quotes, and oodles of hand-drawn doodles.   These pages are for your personal use only and are not to be used for any commercial purpose whatsoever.  If you have any questions about the use of my pages, please check out my FAQ page or send me a quick email at christie(at)graceisoverrated(dot)com and I'll be delighted to answer them.

Quotes Make My Days Better!

• A man is about as happy as he makes up his mind to be.  ~Abraham Lincoln (one of my favorite people and my favorite quote ever, because I feel it is so true--decide to be miserable and you will be; decide to be happy and you will be regardless of your circumstances.)  Photo from:  http://mentalfloss.com/article/31357/24-vintage-photographs-abe-lincoln
  

“You can never get a cup of tea large enough or a book long enough to suit me.” ― C.S. Lewis

I love to try new flavors and brands of tea.  My first cup of hot tea is in the morning when I first awaken or right after I exercise, because sometimes I can force myself to exercise before my cup of tea, but not always.  I always have a flavor of green tea for my first cup due to the claim that it is very healthy for you.  I put a teaspoon of honey in that first cup also, rather than sugar.  For some reason, I don't enjoy honey in regular tea but only in green tea--go figure?  Lipton makes some good flavors of green teas, like Orange Passionfruit Jasmine, White Mangosteen Peach, and Mixed Berry.  Up until recently, my favorite of Lipton's Green teas was Passionfruit and Coconut, but I can no longer find it in any of the stores near me:(

Celestial makes a good tea called Sleepytime Vanilla.  Here is a quote from the web site:  "Vanilla lovers, rejoice! We've added the creamy, nutty flavor of rich vanilla to our beloved Sleepytime® blend of floral chamomile, cool spearmint and lively lemongrass. With its comforting aroma and perfectly balanced flavor, Sleepytime Vanilla is an exquisitely soothing new way for you to wind down your day."

—Charlie Baden, Celestial Seasonings Blendmaster

I haven't yet tried the other Sleepytime flavors, but will definitely do so.

Where Is God?

Where Is God?

Humans know a lot about abandonment, some more than others.  At one time, we have all experienced what it feels like to feel abandoned by someone.  On the other hand, we have probably been the perpetrator at one time or another; we have been the one to do the abandoning.  It may have been an inadvertent abandonment, or it may have been on purpose.  Either way, the feeling of being abandoned is not a pleasant sensation.  In fact, it hurts.  I’ll bet we have all felt abandoned by God from time to time, also.  Let’s look at what God says in His Word about abandonment:

“I will not fail you or abandon you.”  Joshua 1:5

“For the Lord loves justice, and He will never abandon the godly.”  Psalm 37:28

“Don’t love money; be satisfied with what you have.  For God has said, ‘I will never fail you.  I will never abandon you.’  Hebrews 13:5

“Since they thought it foolish to acknowledge God, He abandoned them to their foolish thinking and let them do things that should never be done.  Their lives became full of every kind of wickedness, sin, greed, hate, envy, murder, quarreling, deception, malicious behavior and gossip.” Romans 1:28

“We are pressed on every side from troubles, but we are not crushed.  We are perplexed, but not driven to despair.  We are hunted down, but never abandoned by God.  We get knocked down, but we are not destroyed.”  2 Corinthians 4:8-9

Where is God today?  Has He abandoned us, given up on us, left?  Take a look around you.  I mean really slow down and look.  If God has made the decision to abandon us, why does the sun still come up every day, and why does the earth’s daily rotation continue on as since the beginning of creation?  Why do the moon and stars continue to help light the earth’s darkness?  If we looked at all the scientific data on what needs to occur every single day of our lives to keep the earth operational and habitable, we would be awestruck.  God created the planets and keeps them in their place and keeps them as hot or as cold as they need to be-every day.  If God has abandoned us, why would He even bother?  He could let planet earth be blown to smithereens in a heartbeat, but alas, we are still up and operational!

Babies are still being born, the seasons are still occurring at the proper time (although in Pennsylvania, it seems like we have more winter than we want!)  Bring on Spring!  Spring is still a time of renewal and new birth!  It has not ceased! 

So apparently God still cares and still takes care of us!  He has not abandoned us, and according to His Word, He will not abandon those who love Him.  Do you love Him?  If so, do you show Him that you love Him?  When you love someone, you think about them, you desire to please them and you desire to do good things for them.  God loves us, thinks about us (and the very hairs on your head are all numbered. So don't be afraid; you are more valuable to God than a whole flock of sparrows ~Luke 12:7) and desires to please us and do good things for us.  But do we let Him?  Or are we so busy with our own plans and our own lives that we totally disregard God in our plans and in our day-to-day lives? 

No, God doesn’t abandon those who love Him, but we abandon Him more often than we think.  When we have important decisions to make, do we consult Him?  When we worry, are we trusting Him?  When we are perplexed, do we give up on Him?  Our Omnipotent God wants to be involved in every aspect of our lives—our work, our play, our rest, our finances, our dreams, our marriages, our child rearing—every aspect!  But we have to invite Him!  He does not barge in uninvited!  God is still here, waiting on you to pray to Him, so do not abandon Him. 

Just as a parent would never want to abandon their own child, God does not abandon us, His children.  It may seem like it at times, but where is God at those times?  He is still with you, caring for you, loving you, working all things out for you. Be patient, keep praying, have faith and trust Him.  Sometimes our trials are lessons, sometimes they are actual tests, and sometimes we will never know or understand the “why’s” of our situations.  But God knows what is going on with you, ALL of the time, and He knows why.  He sees the beginning AND the end.  Wait on God and His timing!  If you desire is to do things your own way, He will allow that, but do not expect good results.  Remember God’s promises to ALWAYS be with those who love Him and to never abandon them.  God is a keeper of promises.  God never gives up on us, and we should never give up on God!  

Where is God?  He is waiting to hear from you right now!  Go and visit with Him.  He’ll love to hear from you!  He likes company!  And He hopes you will return again and again.  We cannot outdo our welcome at God’s throne!

What Is Your Choice Today?

What Is Your Choice For Today?

Lincoln once commented, “A man is about as happy as he makes his mind up to be.”  The mind!  Oh, the mind.   Our minds can lead us in many directions.  It does seem to take a very conscious effort to guide our minds in a positive direction some days, in fact, most days.  I know.  I will often be going through my normal day with a “ho-hum,” sort of “just get this thing done, then move onto the next thing” attitude.  But if I stop to consider my frame of mind, I often realize that I’m not particularly happy or particularly sad.  Why?  Many times, it’s just because I’m not thinking about happiness.  It is at that moment I then consciously and on purpose make the decision to be happy, and I do feel happier then!  Really!  That’s all it took…to stop and think about how I’m feeling and making a conscious decision to feel one way or the other!

The Bible talks about happiness, so I feel it is very important subject matter to God.  Consider the following Bible verses:

·         “You will show me the way of life, granting me the joy of your presence and the pleasures of living with you forever.”  Psalm 16:11

·         “No wonder my heart is glad and I rejoice.  My body rests in safety.”  Psalm 16:9

·         “Give me happiness, O Lord, for I give myself to you.”  Psalm 86:4

·         “Make me walk along the paths of your commands for that is where my happiness is found.”  Psalm 119:35

·         “So I recommend fun, for there is nothing better for people in this world to eat, drink, and enjoy life.  That way they will experience some happiness along with all the hard work God gives them under the sun.”  Ecclesiastes 8:15

·         “What sorrow awaits you who are rich, for you have your only happiness now.”  Jesus said this in Luke 6:4.

·         “A glad heart makes a happy face; a broken heart crushes the spirit.”  Proverbs 15:13

·         “For the despondent, every day brings trouble; for the happy heart, life is a continual feast.”  Proverbs 15:15

·         “So go ahead.  Eat your food with joy, and drink your wine with a happy heart, for God approves of this!”  Ecclesiastes 9:7

·         “Be happy with those who are happy, and weep with those who weep.”  Romans 12:15

·         “Are any of you suffering hardships?  You should pray.  Are any of you happy?  You should sing praises.”  James 5:13

The Bible declares that we find our joy and happiness in having a right relationship with our Heavenly Father.  Without that right relationship (regularly spending time praying and reading more about Him, and just sitting still and quiet in His Presence worshipping Him), where is our hope, and what do we put our faith in, if not our Sovereign, All-Knowing, Always Loving God? 

This, again, has everything to do with our mind.  Do we stop in all our busyness throughout each and every day to think about God and all He has blessed us with?  We must in order to feel happy.  Many people wait for all their circumstances to be just as they desire before they will feel happy.  That’s a lot of waiting!  We can be happy regardless of our circumstances!  This is such awesome news!  “All things work together for good to those who love God and are called according to His purpose.”  Romans 8:28 tells us this.  But hold on!  What this verse does NOT say is, “Some things work together for good to those who go to church or for those who talk to God only when they are in need, and are called according to their own purposes, never considering or caring what God’s plan is.”  No!  It says, “ALL things work together for good to those who LOVE God!  Can you really love someone you don’t know well or who you don’t talk to often?  Now back to the verse:  “called according to “His” purpose” – “His” meaning God.  We can’t see the full picture, only God can.  We have no idea what our trials might mean—what they might teach us, how they might help someone else along life’s path.  Our job is to trust His purpose in all we go through and to trust He is by our side 100% of the time.  We can be happy through our trials if we are trusting that God is always there with us and is working things out. 

Does this mean we should place our happiness as our number one concern and priority?  No, I believe happiness is a by-product of trusting God and helping others.  For instance, let’s say you planned to go shopping and out to lunch with a friend one day, but another friend suddenly phones and says her baby is ill and asks you if you could please give her a ride to the pediatrician’s office in an hour.  Awww!  You were so happy thinking about shopping and lunch.  Here is where feelings get a little rough.  Can we, if we decide to help our friend with her baby, still feel happy?  Yes!  We will be disappointed about not shopping and going to lunch, but sacrificing that happiness can bring on a different kind of happiness…knowing you helped someone in a bind and that God is pleased with your selflessness.  You can go shopping another day, but your friend’s baby is sick today.  Your human mind wants to focus on what you gave up, but instead, meditate on God’s response to your kindness.  That will go a long way to having a better attitude in your circumstances.  It is all in what you allow your mind to think about—yourself and your own pleasure or the needs of others.

Make up your mind to be happy in God each and every day, and He will bless you with the peace that goes along with that mindset.  It’s all in the choice you make each day!

Cranberry Jello Salad

This would be nice to serve at a tea:
Cranberry Jello Salad
Ingredients:  
1 small serving size box of Jello (any RED flavor will do)
1 can of mandarin oranges--either large or small depending on desire
1 can of pineapple tidbits--large or small depending on desire
Approximately 1/2 to 1 cup of crushed walnuts
1 can of WHOLE cranberry sauce
Optional:  You can add grapes and/or apples if so desired.

Empty packet of jello into large bowl.  Add 1 cup boiling water and stir until jello is dissolved.  Add 1 cup of cold water.  Place bowl in refrigerator until jello is semi-firm, approx. 2 hours.  Then add the can of whole cranberry sauce, mandarin oranges, pineapple tidbits and walnuts and mix together.  Place in refrigerator until firm.  Enjoy!

England Knows You Cannot Have Too Many Tea Houses!

I do wish there were more tea houses in America!  I would love to have information on all the tea houses in the country and travel around to visit them all!  One tea house we have in our area is called The Victorian Lady of Academy Hill.  It is located in Greensburg, PA.  It is located in a large Victorian house and is a tea house and a gift shop combined.  The owner, Carol, is always welcoming and hospitable!  It is a pleasure to just stop in and take a look around and listen to the beautiful and peaceful music she has playing.  Carol serves either a cream tea or an afternoon tea.  Both are delicious, but the afternoon tea is served with sandwiches, while the cream tea is not.  One can get a pot of tea selected from a generous menu of teas, and then once you are finished with that pot, you can order a different variety of tea!  If you are in the area, I highly recommend  www.victorianladyofacademyhill.com/.  

Welcome to Tealightful!

T is for Treasures and of course Tea!
E is for Enlightenment and Enjoyment
A is for Amazing...Grace, that is!

I was delighted when I finally came up with a name for my new blog.  I love tea; inspirational quotes and people; flea markets, garage sales, estate sales; good books; spending time with loyal and true friends and family; and Jesus! I find all of these things delightful, so I put a little twist on the word delightful and came up with tealightful!  I'm not sure if this is original, but it is to me, and I was struggling to create a name, and when this popped into my head, I knew Tealightful was it!  For all you coffee lovers out there (although I doubt you clicked on this due to the name), I'm sorry, but I love the smell of coffee but never could develop a taste for it.

I hope to include on my blog those wonderful, interesting, tealightful items I discover at flea markets, antique shops, garage sales, and even those items sitting out beside someone's garbage can waiting to be hauled off by the garbage man (I can't believe some of the nice things people just toss into their yards to be hauled away)!  I guess it's true what they say:  "One man's junk is another man's treasure!"

I also love quotes, so much so that for graduation gifts I made each of my two children quotation books (I typed up 50 or so of my favorite quotes and placed them into small photo albums, so the kids could flip through and hopefully find a quote to help them through their day.  Therefore, I hope to type up a collection of quotes here to inspire you and me!

I do love tea!  I have passed on this love of tea to my daughter, and my son enjoys a cup from time to time, too.  There is even something relaxing about making a cup of tea.  I like to put the tea kettle on the stove and heat the water that way.  Somehow, it tastes better than heating it in a microwave, and I don't own a Keurig, nor do I really desire one.  But just boiling the water, unwrapping a teabag or gathering a teaspoonful of loose tea into a diffuser and placing it in a pretty teacup is a way to say to myself, "Relax!"

My closest friends love tea,too!  We love to invite each other to tea parties from time to time just to get together, get away from the daily duties, and enjoy each other's company.  Oh, and I can't forget that we love goodies, too!  So we always make sure to bring some sweets to the party!

I am blessed with a wonderful family, also!  So, probably, unbeknownst to them, they will appear from time to time on my blog, also!  I am married for almost 28 years now and have two grown children who attend college.  I have wonderful parents, cousins and in-laws, also, so I am truly blessed!

I also love to read!  I don't get a lot of time to read, but I do read every night before bed, some nights longer than others.  But this is how I get through a book--by spending at least 15 minutes a night in bed relaxing with a good book!  This way, even though I may not have a lot of time every day to read, I don't forget what is happening in a book, because I check in and read a little bit daily.

And last but never least, I love Jesus Christ!  He is my daily strength, hope and inspiration!  I accepted Jesus as my Savior when I was 11 years old and have never looked back.  He has gotten me through many trials, and He shows His love and mercy to me each and every day!

This, my friends, is what I will be sharing on this blog.  I hope you get some new decorating and craft ideas, some inspiration, and just a bit of time away enjoying the little things that bring me happiness.