Humble Lily Tea

For tea today I just managed to get into the garden between sprinkles of rain.  We have had a lot of rain, but the garden is so pretty this time of year I am making myself get out there.

The easiest way to pop out back and take a few pictures between rain is to use my little white chair.

Tea today is served in my Spode Blue Room mug. 

This is the lily I named my tea after.  It is a sterling silver spoon in the Lily pattern by Whiting monogrammed with an "S."  I found it at the thrift store last week.  I bought a whole bag of silver for $10 and I just wanted this spoon.  Isn't it pretty!  

This is an easy tea; not to linger due to the rain, so we are just having cookies.  This cookie recipe I believe I have made four times in the last two weeks.  The children keep asking for more.  I have made more chocolate chip cookies than any other recipe on the blog and this is the best recipe I have ever made.  The texture is perfect every time, due to cream cheese and corn starch in the batter!  You can get the recipe at: Softbatch Cream Cheese Chocolate Chip Cookies. 

The roses drooping with rain.

This is the part of my garden I call the brambly rose garden. It is really a mess but, I sorta like it a little wild like that.  It has roses, daisies, irises, lilacs, daylilies, and blackberries, thus the name brambly. 

This area is the shade garden.  The garden morphs every year and this hosta needs diving this year and I could make more of them in the background of this garden.  Do you change your garden every year?  It seems to me no two years are exactly the same.

Behind the hosta I have some sandstone where I created a rock garden.  I love how after a few years it is covered in moss and even a wild violet now calls this it's home.

There is the long shot.  I really have just a few garden beds these two, a vegetable garden, and an herb garden. My gardens are humble and small, they are enough to keep me busy.  

This passage of the bible was in my inbox today and I am going to include it.  It is important and timely.

Drawing Close to God

Beloved:
Where do the wars and where do the conflicts among you come from?
Is it not from your passions that make war within your members?
You covet but do not possess.
You kill and envy but you cannot obtain;
you fight and wage war.
You do not possess because you do not ask.
You ask but do not receive, because you ask wrongly,
to spend it on your passions.
Adulterers!
Do you not know that to be a lover of the world means enmity with God?
Therefore, whoever wants to be a lover of the world 
makes himself an enemy of God.
Or do you suppose that the Scripture speaks without meaning when it says,
The spirit that he has made to dwell in us tends toward jealousy? 
But he bestows a greater grace; therefore, it says:
God resists the proud,
but gives grace to the humble.

So submit yourselves to God.
Resist the Devil, and he will flee from you.
Draw near to God, and he will draw near to you.
Cleanse your hands, you sinners,
and purify your hearts, you of two minds.
Begin to lament, to mourn, to weep.
Let your laughter be turned into mourning
and your joy into dejection.
Humble yourselves before the Lord
and he will exalt you.

~James 4:1-10

I read this passage in two versions and this was my favorite because it says God is a jealous God, and he is!  So that is the humble part of my post and this next verse is for the lily.

"And why worry about your clothing? Look at the lilies of the field and how they grow.  They don't work or make their clothing, yet Solomon in all his glory was not dressed as beautifully as they are.  And if God cares so wonderfully for wildflowers that are here today and thrown into the fire tomorrow, he will certainly care for you.  Why do you have so little faith?" 

Spoken by Jesus in Matthew 6:28-30.

Sherry

I will link this to:

  

There Is No Place Like Home at Rose Chintz Cottage 

Tea in the Garden at BTTCG

Home & Garden Thursdayat A Delightsome Life

Tea Cup Tuesday at Martha's Favorites

Tuesday Cuppa Tea at Antiques and Teacups 

Friends Sharing Tea at Bernideen's Tea Time Blog 

The Art of Home-Making Mondays at Strangers & Pilgrims

Inspire Me Tuesday at A Stroll Thru Life

Tweak It Tuesday at Cozy Little House 

Proverbs 31 Linkup at A Proverbs 31 Wife

Amaze Me Monday at Dwellings- The Heart of Your Home

Roses of Inspiration at The Enchanting Rose

Wise Woman Linkup at A Wise Woman Builds Her Home

Vintage Charm at Charm Bracelet Diva

The Homemaking Party at Classical Homemaking

Thoughts of Home at Decor to Adore

Though Provoking Thursday at 3-D Lessons for Life

Rooted in Thyme Simple and Sweet Fridays

Share Your Cup Thursday at Have a Daily Cup of Mrs. Olsen
Faith Filled Friday at Missional Woman
What To Do Weekends at Shoestring Elegance
Feathered Nest Friday at French Country Cottage
Saturday Show Off at Rose Garden Malevik