Winter Tea '16

Winter came to most areas in the Eastern United States this week and we were no exception.  So, it is time for a winter tea.  

Ecclesiastes 3:1-11New Living Translation (NLT)

A Time for Everything

For everything there is a season,
    a time for every activity under heaven.
2 A time to be born and a time to die.
    A time to plant and a time to harvest.
3 A time to kill and a time to heal.
    A time to tear down and a time to build up.
4 A time to cry and a time to laugh.
    A time to grieve and a time to dance.
5 A time to scatter stones and a time to gather stones.
    A time to embrace and a time to turn away.
6 A time to search and a time to quit searching.
    A time to keep and a time to throw away.
7 A time to tear and a time to mend.
    A time to be quiet and a time to speak.
8 A time to love and a time to hate.
    A time for war and a time for peace.

9 What do people really get for all their hard work? 10 I have seen the burden God has placed on us all. 11 Yet God has made everything beautiful for its own time. He has planted eternity in the human heart, but even so, people cannot see the whole scope of God’s work from beginning to end. 

I have always liked that series of verses in the Bible.  It resonates with me.  It is time for winter.  Winter is usually seen as a time for reflection while we are awaiting spring. 

So, while were are stuck indoors, what are you reflecting on?

We got snow too, although it was so much less than what many places near here got.  So, outside just like in the bible verses above we can't yet see what all of the beauty of spring holds for us....  we cannot see the whole scope of God's plan for us in the near future can we?  Do you have faith that it will be amazing? I do.

Sherry

Home Sweet Home #210

Hello and welcome to Home Sweet Home!  This week I was In the Pink and dreaming of spring weather instead of this never ending winter.

Then I shared a Spring Still Life & the Difference Between the Canon 50mm f/1.8 and f/1.4 Lens.

There are so many great ideas, great decorating, and delicious recipes at the Home Sweet Home Party each week.   You all had a lot of great post! Here are a few that caught my eye.  You guys are all so talented!! Seriously! 

Jacqueline at Purple Chocolate Home shared a tutorial on how she created these Fluffy Bunny Tail Chair Sash. So adorable.

Kristi at Making It in the Mountains shared 10 Perfectly Industrial DIY Projects.  Love these! 

Kathleen at Charm Bracelet Diva shared How I Created a Land of Nod Boy's Bedroom On a Budget!  

Kathy at Stylish Revamp shared her Kitchen Details from a beautiful kitchen remodel. 

I had on several occasions wanted to feature some of your entries but, you don't create a link back to the Home Sweet Home party.  So, please include that link so I can feature you too!

I am really lucky to have all of your amazing posts because, it is you who make the Home Sweet Home party so special!  You are all so talented and share such wonderful posts!  It is really hard to feature a few and, remember to be featured you must have a link back to the Home Sweet Home party.   Thank you to everyone who joins me at Home Sweet Home!  It is wonderful to have you here!

Sherry

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Guidelines for Home Sweet Home Party: 

Attention: To link up you must have a permalink back to this party in your post or you won't be featured.

Link up anything from your home or garden.   I love seeing home tours and neat shops too!

My button for the party is under the button tab at the top of the blog, if you want to use it.   If you are new here I hope you will become a follower. Please don't link up more than two posts.  No Etsy link ups or direct advertising, please.  Please visit some of the other blogs and get some great inspiration.  Thanks.:)
Now let's see your beautiful home, delicious recipes, crafts, or whatever makes your home special!

 *If you are pinning a post submitted here, please pin from the original source.

An InLinkz Link-up

Spring Still Life & the Difference Between the Canon 50mm f/1.8 and f/1.4 Lens

I am having fun playing with a new lens today.  I have updated and purchased a new 50mm f/1.4 lens, which is the perfect lens for these still life tea shots.  I am posting this so if anyone is having a hard time deciding about which 50mm lens to go with you can see how it works in these photos.  

I love trying out different angles with the new lens to see what it's capabilities are.  As with most equipment; if you can afford to upgrade, the nicest perk is it just makes your job a whole lot easier.  In this shot I am focusing on the tulips.

And in this shot, I have made the focal point the teacups.  You can see how nice and sharp it gets the main subject while everything else will not be quite as sharp.

I just happened to take the exact same photo with the new lens that I had taken on the blog a year ago.  Here on the left is the old 50mm lens the f/1.8 and on the right is the new  f/1.4.  The photo on the left is only focused on the surface nearest the camera and, I am speaking of using the lens on  Auto Focus only.   That is really the best that f/1.8 lens will do.  It will always focus on the item nearest the camera; the surface of the teacup I have the arrow on.  Whereas the photo on the right is focused in three areas creating a sharper image overall.  The new lens (f/1.4) is much easier to manipulate to get different focal points with.  Here is a very technical article from Adorama that gives you more of a detailed description of why the lenses vary.  The cost difference is significant; the lens on the left is around $100 and the lens on the right is four times that.  I looked for side by side pictures like this for over two years and had a hard time finding any to decide if I really wanted to spend the money and upgrade to this lens. The thing that finally sold me was that Matthew Mead suggested using this lens and well if it is good enough for him it was just the lens I was looking for.  I hope this helps anyone looking to compare these two Canon 50mm lenses.

Sherry

I will link this to:

Rooted in Thyme Simple and Sweet Fridays

Share Your Cup Thursday at Have a Daily Cup of Mrs. Olsen

Year End Recipe Review 2014

This year I did something different with the blog, I gradually just shifted it to coffee/tea and recipes.  So for the year end review I picked some of my favorite recipes from each month to highlight, just in case you missed them. 

For the New Year I made this Chocolate Pound Cake with Mint Icing.

In February we had Strawberry and Chocolate Chip Scones.

Made some lovely cupcakes for a little tea party.

Here I was just taking advantage of the mega amounts of strawberries we had in the backyard last year by creating The Humble Angel Food Cake Embellished.

And in May we still had strawberries, so I had to make a chocolate version naked cake in Fudge and Strawberry Cake.

I got so lucky the publishers found me last year and found out I will blog for free cookbooks!  I loved this cookbook in Beach House Baking and The Windswept Cherry Pie.

Time to have a little Christmas fun in Blackberry Scones for Christmas in July.

In August I played with my cupcakes to make them Beachy Cupcakes.

Oh, and then came fall, my favorite season, and time to bake apples in Rustic Apple Cider Pie.

In October I created my first ever recipe on my own from start to finish in Pumpkin Spice Latte Cake.

For November we had to try the Cranberry Upside Down Cake.

And for December I loved this Christmas morning idea in Cranberry and Brie Puff Pastry Swirls.

There you have the year end recipe review of my favorite recipes I have tried on the blog this year.  All of the recipes can be found on my Pinterest boards. Follow along for 2015 and we'll see what new recipes we can cook up.

Sherry

I will link this to:

Foodie Friday at Rattlebridge Farm

Strut Your Stuff Saturday at Six Sisters Stuff 

Homemaking Linkup at Hope In Every Season 

The Best Blog Recipes link party 
Lou Lou Girls Fabulous Party

Table It! at Rustic & Refined
Anything Goes Party at Bacon Time with the Hungry Hypo

Sweet and Savoury Sunday at Baking in Pyjamas
Tickle My Taste Buds Tuesdays at Lori's Culinary Creations

Fridays Unfolded at Nancherrow
Project Inspire at An Extraordinary Day

Totally Terrific Tuesday at Live Randomly Simple

Wow Us Wednesday at Savvy Southern Style

Foodie Friends Friday at Walking on Sunshine

Tea Time is Soul Time

The simple art and pleasure of making and pouring your chosen tea means you are taking care of yourself.  A moment in time where it really is all about you having a moment just to be. 

                                           
~Nicola Salter

Hot Water for Tea

And when you are just being....what are you saying to yourself?  Give yourself a break.  Breathe.  Inhale deeper than usual and exhale.  Do it again.  Every now and then take a sip of tea and breathe deep again.  Are you starting to feel calm and centered?  

This is your soul time.

This is tea and meditation.  Not so hard is it?  You deserve it. Accept yourself and know that you are right where you need to be.  Your purpose is unique and important.  Have compassion for yourself.  Quite your mind and just be.  You are a creation of pure white light.  That goodness is in you.  Don't let your mind take that weekly moment away to soothe your soul.

Sereni-tea

n. absence of stress while drinking tea.

Sherry

I will link this to:
  

Tea Time Tuesday at Rose Chintz Cottage 

A Return to Loveliness  at A Delightsome Life 

Tea Cup Tuesday at Martha's Favorites

Tea Cup Tuesday at Artful Affirmations

Tuesday Cuppa Tea at Antiques and Teacups 

Friends Sharing Tea at Bernideen's Tea Time Blog 

Wow Us Wednesday at Savvy Southern Style

Inspire Me Tuesday at A Stroll Thru Life

Tweak It Tuesday at Cozy Little House

Show and Tell Friday at My Romantic Home

Feathered Nest Friday at French Country Cottage

Say G'Day at Natasha in Oz

Your Going to Love it Tuesday At Kathe with an E

The Scoop at Confessions of a Plate Addict
Totally Terrific Tuesday at Live Randomly Simple
Project Inspire at An Extraordinary Day
Do Tell Tuesday at Maybe She Made It
Make It Pretty Monday at The Dedicated House
Amaze Me Monday at Dwellings-The Heart of Your Home

Tea & Chocolate Dipped Oranges

I experimented this weekend with a fruit and chocolate sweet treat for the holidays.  Something different than a cookie or candy, something that doesn't taste so overloaded with sugar.

I tried chocolate dipped tangerines, which were too sour. Then, I decided sweet navel oranges were the perfect citrus item to dip in chocolate.  The chocolate I used was Guittard Semisweet Chocolate Baking Chips.

The chocolate chips tempered really well and dried with a nice snap when you bit into the fruit.  I just dipped half of the orange slice into the chocolate and sprinkled with sea salt. The chocolate is still wet here in this shot.  I photographed this later in the afternoon and with daylight savings time I was losing my natural light source fast.  The teacup is made by Old Amsterdam Porcelain Works.

"The art of tea, whichever way you drink it, or whichever country you are from, has one underlying thread for all of us.  It is the cultivation of yourself as you follow the ceremony of preparing your tea, the way in which you make your tea, how and where you drink it, and with whom.  Making a cup of tea creates a space for just being."
~Nicola Salter

Sherry

I will link this to:
  

Tea Time Tuesday at Rose Chintz Cottage 

A Return to Loveliness  at 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 

Wow Us Wednesday at Savvy Southern Style

Inspire Me Tuesday at A Stroll Thru Life

Tweak It Tuesday at Cozy Little House

Show and Tell Friday at My Romantic Home

Feathered Nest Friday at French Country Cottage

Say G'Day at Natasha in Oz

Your Going to Love it Tuesday At Kathe with an E

The Scoop at Confessions of a Plate AddictTotally Terrific Tuesday at Live Randomly Simple
Treasure Box Tuesday at Yesterfood

Foodie Friday at Rattlebridge Farm

Strut Your Stuff Saturday at Six Sisters Stuff 

Homemaking Linkup at Hope In Every Season 

The Best Blog Recipes link party 

Lou Lou Girls Fabulous Party
Table It! at Rustic & Refined

Anything Goes Party at Bacon Time with the Hungry Hypo
Sweet and Savoury Sunday at Baking in Pyjamas

Tickle My Taste Buds Tuesdays at Lori's Culinary Creations
Fridays Unfolded at Nancherrow
Project Inspire at An Extraordinary Day
Foodie Friends Friday at Walking on Sunshine

Share a Snap Sunday: Fall Color

The fall color here has peaked but this maple tree of our neighbors has leaves falling all in our yard.  The stunning colors are like little presents strewn all over the yard and walk. 

Here is another shot that was nice on my desktop. 

~Sherry

I will join:

Share a Snap Sunday at Nicer Than New
Make It Pretty Monday at The Dedicated House

Silent Sunday: A Calming Cup of Tea

~Sherry

I will join:

Silent Sunday at Nicer Than New.

A Cheerful Tea

I always put my pictures in the post in draft and then I come back and add the words later and I think I will come up with something very clever and poetry like and then nothing...I mean nothing comes to me.  I think the 6 children I have going through this house several days a week sorta leaves me at a loss of words.  Well onward, I have a very inspiring book (spiritual)  I will be reading and posting about on the blog.  It will really get me thinking, I can't wait to share that.  

My tea today I dubbed cheerful.  It just looked that way in the photographs.  It was perfect for this week too, because it was a year ago this week we lost my Grandfather.  So a cuppa and a cheerful time together was a needful thing.  

The cup was made by Gracie China.  You can only see the roses but, there were several different flowers spilling down from the rim of the cup and the outer perimeter of the saucer that were very pretty.  I will have to photograph it again and show all of the flowers.

This was my intended Victoria Sponge cake that I destroyed last week not once but twice.  I don't think I was meant to make a sponge cake but, this angel food cake from the grocery was still the perfect cake to base my berries and cream on.  I will share how I made it tomorrow.

How is your week going?

Sherry

Easter Collage

I made a new collage this week with some of the looks I have been creating here on the blog.  I really wanted to make the blog pop with color this spring.  I must have been inspired by that long colorless winter. 

Later in the week I started working on a different computer and I didn't realize how dark some of my photos were.  So, here is a updated version of that collage made on the other computer and now it doesn't look so dark.  Which one looks better to you?  

Are you starting to see color where you live?

Sherry
I will link this to:

Mosaic Monday at Little Red House

What's It Wednesday at Ivy and Elephants

Seasonal Sunday at The Tablescaper 
Sundays at Home at Thoughts from Alice
Make It Pretty Monday at The Dedicated House

Amaze Me Monday at Dwellings of Your Heart and Home
Share Your Creativity Party at It's Overflowing