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.
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!
Sue, you are doing such a great job on your blog! I love it xoxo
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