What Do You See Outside YOUR Open Window Today?

What Do You See Outside YOUR Open Window Today?
Remember: "When God closes a door, He always opens a window!" You never know what might be out there waiting for you!

Tuesday, September 18, 2018

Tea Time Trivia and Blessings

It is no secret that I love tea.  I love all the stuff that goes with tea...teapots, teacups, tea cozies,

I even have a teatime calendar (thanks to my sister giving it to me every year for Christmas!)
 And lots of books about tea and teatime...
and many tea cups and tea pots

I also have Tea Tins to hold tea...


Added note: I should have mentioned in my original post that this lovely little red Lipton Tea tin with the pretty lady on the front is a recent "gift", from the estate of my husband's cousin Janice, who recently passed away.  I will think of Janice every time I take a tea bag from this delightful tin.




Yes, I have a small collection of Lipton Tea tins. I have some others too, but Lipton is my favorite.
Obviously this one is a bit old and worse for the wear, but that's probably why I keep it...


 Here is one of the several devotional books that I've been given over the years...Emilie Barnes is one of my favorite authors about things pertaining to tea...but in this book she goes to a different level...

 "Fill My Cup, Lord..."  (one of my favorite hymns too!)
Yes, Lord...

 But, Oh! My cup is chipped and cracked, and not in perfect condition...much like my life and my body...How can I serve You?



"He gives power to the weak, and to those who have no might He increases strength...but those who wait on the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings like eagles, they shall run and not be weary, they shall walk and not faint."  
Isaiah 40:29, 31

"And He said to me, "My grace is sufficient for you, for My strength is made perfect in weakness."
Therefore most gladly I will rather boast in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me." 2 Corinthians 12:9

Yes, even when our strength is small and frail, and our "cup" is chipped and worn, Christ comes to fill our "cups" with His strength, His love, and His peace.  

To quote Emilie Barnes:

"Whatever your circumstances, you, too, 
can hold up your cup and it will be filled.
If your cup is polished and dry, 
hold it out for the Lord's plentiful pouring.
If your cup is full of the old and the unsatisfying,
hold it up for the Lord's cleansing.
If your cup is cracked and broken, hold it up anyway,
for the Lord's resources are plentiful and can keep even leaky cups replenished.
Come to Him as you are, cup in hand, 
and hold it up to receive His blessings.
And then you will say, as I have said over and over again in wonder and amazement...
"Surely...my cup runneth over."
Emilie Barnes
Fill My Cup, Lord...with the Peace of Your Presence
Copyright 1996 by Harvest House Publishers


It's Tea Time somewhere
So put on the tea kettle
and pour a cup of 
tea for you and me!
I'll be right over!

26 comments:

  1. Ah yes, A girl after my own heart! I love teas and tea pots and tea cups. Lovely photos here!You can send me that tea cozy whenever you want! LOL

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    1. Oh Melanie, I would love to send it to you, but my sister gave it to me and she would probably wonder where it went when she comes looking around! Ha Ha! Did you get the pictures I sent you? It looks like it would be fairly simple to make, especially since you are crafty and know how to do things like that! For me it would be a challenge!! Please let me know what you finally create! I know it will be beautiful!! I wish we had taken the time to meet before you moved so far away...we could've had a tea party together. Maybe sometime when you visit Florida again we can arrange that!

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  2. Such a nice post. Tea is very special and I've been drinking it since I was tiny compliments of my grandmothers who served it for breakfast and for after school tea with me. I have one cozy I bought on Prince Edward Island in the Anne of Green Gables store. Your collection of Lipton canisters is wonderful! How did you get started on them?

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    1. Annie, have you met my friend Sandi@RoseChintzCottage below? She lives on Prince Edward Island, near the Anne of Green Gables store, etc., and often writes about life there and especially tea time. If you haven't met her, please go check out her blog. I think you would enjoy getting acquainted. I'm not sure exactly how I got started on the Lipton canisters, but I believe the first one I got was the one with the three ladies at tea time...and then I just kept my eye out for them. The most recent acquisition is the red one with the lady on front...that came from my husband's cousin Janice's estate. She passed away this summer, and her home is in the process of being closed out, and I saw this tea tin and had to have it. I should have mentioned it above...maybe I will go back and add that note in memory of her.

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  3. Always a beautiful lesson, Pam! Great photos and scripture and analogies. Always beautiful.

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    1. Thank you, Terri...it was a rainy afternoon and I couldn't go anywhere...so, why not have tea? Wish you were closer...I know, you are more of a coffee girl, but we could still have such a lovely time. One of these days we will do that again!!!

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  4. Dear Pam! I just love this post! Not only did you talk about your tea things but you shared some of my favourite scripture verses. Isaiah 40 is especially a favourite and a great encouragement to me right now. You have some very nice pieces of china and tea tins! A really lovely post with wonderful food for thought. Blessings to you, my friend!

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    1. Oh, so lovely to see you here at my tea time table today, Sandi! I was thinking of you when I wrote this, and thought that I should link up with your tea time on Tuesdays...I just don't always get around to doing a special tea time post with so many other things going on here in my "neck of the woods". Yes, Isaiah 40 has always been a favorite of mine as well, and I pray that the words of this passage will minister to you in a very special way today. I know you've had a difficult couple of years, and I do pray for you. May your day be filled with joy and blessing...and strength from our Lord.

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  5. Love this, Pam. Put together very nicely with the analogies. I, too, have many accoutrements for tea. When you have tea, think of me and thee.

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    1. I would love to think of you when I have tea, but this says you are "unknown"! Do I know you? Please tell me who this mystery guest is! You are always welcome at my tea table, but I'd love to get better acquainted! Thank you for visiting! Please come back anytime, and let me know who you are! Have a blessed day!

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  6. I love Tea also and I love all your teapots, cups and Tins. I keep my tins also.Love all the verses you put with your post!
    Have a blessed day

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    1. Thank you, Sylvia, for joining me for tea this morning. It is always a delight to visit with you. So glad you could come!! :)

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  7. While I can't drink "regular" tea, as it upsets my stomach, herbal teas are a definite "go," especially on a cold winter's day. Love your collection, Pamela, and the words you shared with us today.
    Blessings!

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    1. I have plenty of herbal teas stashed about my tea cupboard, so never fear...herbal tea is here...so come on down and share a cup with me! It would be so lovely to have you. We could go search for "Racer" in the back yard. I'm sure that he and Mrs. Racer would love to join us!

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  8. I love all your collections. I'm not a big tea drinker because I have yet to taste tea the way my mother made it. All of the writings you shared today reminded me of Patsy Clairmont and her quote about God using cracked pots and also a little story one time of someone carrying buckets with leaks. I will have to look that up now.

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    1. I found it! http://word4life.com/brokenpot.html

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    2. Yes, Patsy Clairmont is another of my favorite writers/speakers. Love her so much. I thought of her too as I wrote this. I wonder how your mother made tea that was so different? Did she put milk or lemon or something extra in it?

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    3. She just made Lipton iced tea and it was icy cold and sweet!! Maybe it was our delicious Tulsa water! When my parents came to visit me in Texas, Daddy would bring a gallon of his Tulsa water to drink. Haha!

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    4. Water does make a difference! I do not like chlorine water in tea. Well water, even our sulphur water, makes very good tea when it is boiled.

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  9. I loved all your tea sets and other tea goodies, and I really enjoyed how you used the imperfect cup to share Christ with us. Very good analogy!

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    1. Thank you, Mary. Don't we all have some chips and cracks from life? And yet God continues to use us and bless us and fill us...we just have to be willing to let Him do that! Sometimes I know I resist because I'm too tired, too busy, too lazy, too something other than willing and receptive. Praying God will continue to find ways to use this old chipped cup in the days/years remaining. Thank you for visiting. Always a delight.

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  10. Pam: I enjoyed your post and the pictures of the tea tins. I remember trying to wait up for my dad who worked nights. I wouldn't make it and he'd have to wake me. But we had a 'tea party.' I am sorry that I outgrew those times. I need to find someone who drinks tea and share a pot of tea with her.

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    1. Yes, you should do that. I am sure there are some ladies in your church or possibly even your neighborhood who would love to share a pot of tea with you. It doesn't have to be elaborate. Just a simple "let's sit down a have a cup of tea together" is a wonderful way to visit and get acquainted. If you aren't comfortable inviting them to your home, perhaps there is a little cafe' or tea room somewhere in your area that you could meet. Sometimes we just have to be the ones to initiate these little "tea parties" instead of waiting for others to do it first. You don't even have to bake anything fancy. I've had little tea parties with store bought cookies or cake. This is one of those "nike" moments..."Just Do It!" Praying that God will lead someone to you or you to someone who will enjoy this special time with you. It will be such a blessing for both of you.

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  11. Love all of your tea pretties. I have that same book, Fill my cup Lord, sitting on my mantle. I've had it for years. Hugs and blessings, Cindy

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    1. Me too. I just had to pull it back off the shelf and re-read it. I have some others by her as well..all good stuff. Sometimes it is good to go back and read those old books that meant so much to us at the time. They are still pertinent today, I believe! Thank you for stopping in. I hope you are feeling better.

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  12. I so enjoyed this posting, Pamela!
    You have quite a beautiful collection of all things tea related, just lovely.

    Oh...Emily Barnes...I absolutely love her!! She certainly can write about tea related things and so beautifully.
    Shortly after I became a follower of Jesus Christ I had the opportunity to go to a Ladies Conference in Canada with a very dear friend and Emily Barnes was the quest speaker, I shall never forget that amazing time and her messages. That would have been nearly 33 years ago. Pure joy!

    Thank you for sharing your beauty with us~

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Thank you for visiting here today. I would love for you to sign my guestbook and let me know you stopped by. I always enjoy reading your comments and words of encouragement! May you be blessed as you go on your way. Please come back and visit again soon.