Spring Prelude

Happy Tuesday dear friends. I am always thankful that you have chosen to join me here!

“He who dwells in the shelter of the Most High will abide in the shadow of the Almighty. I will say to the Lord, “My refuge and my fortress, my God, in whom I trust.””
‭‭Psalm‬ ‭91:1-2‬

Today is a spring prelude in the Sunshine Cottage!

Blooming trees and shrubs begin to dot our Appalachian Foothills during the month of February…forsythia, Japanese quince, Japanese Magnolia (tulip tree), and more. Bulbs begin to push up from the winter ground as spring begins to arrive in the Deep South.

It is Tea On Tuesdays and Mary and I are excited to welcome a special guest today. Shannon, from Belle Bleu Interiors is sharing tea from her beautiful sitting room. Shannon is so sweet and talented and a joy to have as a blogging friend. You will find the links for Mary and Shannon at the bottom of this post.

I am serving up a favorite tea, Earl Grey, with comforting flavors of vanilla and cream to lighten the citrus notes of a traditional Earl Grey. With its soft warm flavors, this is a great tea to start off your day. I am often asked about the butterfly teapot, also a favorite of mine. It came from Pier 1 several years ago. I miss their store where I could always find something lovely for the table.

I was totally undecided about this post until last Thursday when my two precious granddaughters arrived carrying yellow daffodils. They love flowers and love to pick them…hopefully they will love gardening. The happy flowers were picked from their yard which is a part of the old farm place. They were probably planted at least fifty years ago. The daffodils became my inspiration for tea!

“Then my heart with pleasure fills
And dances with the daffodils.”
~William Wordsworth

Blue and yellow are a favorite combination that always makes me smile! The cobalt cloth that features bees has been in my linen stack for years. Bees are a definite prelude to spring. We have already spotted a few of them around the garden!

I must share a bit of my everyday living. As a blogger, I always try to share pretty photos and encouraging sentiments. But as we all know, life is not perfect. Now as I tell you about a few issues, please know that they are first world issues, certainly not third ones. My camera had shown some signs of sickness prior to our recent trip to Montana. It became sicker while we were there and died. Upon returning from the trip, our son gave us advice on purchasing a new camera. We ordered, and it arrived in two days, just in time for me to photograph our teatime. There was only one problem, the photographer (me) didn’t have a clue how to use it. I am challenged technically. I called our son and he came to give me a quick lesson. He talks in technical terms that I do not understand. He left and I thought I could at least get a few photos. Hours later, I called it quits. I realized I must go with what I had, even though I knew they could be better.

My IPad had also been showing signs of sickness, and yes, you guessed correctly, it died on the same day as the camera. I use my IPad to edit photos. Once again, first world problems only. I asked my patient and sweet RM to remind me of this as I complained. He did, and I made it through my little meltdown and managed to finish this post! More practice with my new camera is certainly in my plans!

Johnson Brothers “willow” was purchased a couple of years after we were married, so I am sure it would be considered vintage. The salad plates with the wide yellow band and narrow cobalt band are called “spring prelude” by Paula Deen. I love these plates as an accent to “blue willow”. I found these at Tuesday Morning many years ago!

Teatime was kept simple with banana walnut muffins that were the perfect accompaniment for a cup of Earl Grey. After the photos, I did indulge in one (or maybe a couple) and a cup of Earl Grey. The sun was shining, but it was a cold and windy Saturday. Our temps this week go up into the low 80’s. Definitely a prelude to spring!

 

I have mentioned our upcoming 50th wedding anniversary several times. This Thursday, February 23rd is THE BIG DAY! Our son and daughter-in-love will be hosting a dinner in their home. It will be an intimate time of vow renewals and special music with family and friends. Hopefully, in the future we may share some photos with you all. Our plan was to celebrate the entire month of February, which we seem to be doing…but I decided we would celebrate this entire year. My RM has more exciting things planned.

The cottage garden is showing signs of spring with bulbs popping up in the raised beds!

A pretty tulip needlepoint pillow is a definite prelude to spring!

Be sure to click Mary’s and Shannon’s links for beautiful tea settings and inspiration!

Mary ~ Home Is Where The Boat Is

Shannon ~ Belle Bleu Interiors

As always, thank you for your visit and your gracious comments! Wishing you a joy-filled day and week!

 

Linking with:
 Pieced Pastimes,  Between Naps on the Porch, Katherines Corner, Follow The Yellow Brick Home,
 Imparting Grace,Life and Linda