Afternoon Tea Time and a New Perspective - One year later...

This was originally written almost one year ago (1/29/2017)...I like reading back over previous posts to see what I was doing this time last year...and if there is anything new or if I need to follow up on anything...and after reading this particular post I realized that I never followed up on what was so lovingly suggested to me last year by my hubby and several others...It all sounded so plausible and wonderful at the time...but like many great ideas it kind of went in one ear and out the other as soon as I closed the computer screen...That's sad.  It was a great idea. Praying that if God still wants me to do this He will help me get back up and try again...and not give up so easily.  That's all a part of this "renewal" project for 2018.  Being renewed to new life, new ideas, new dreams...and following God's leading to be/do all that He wants me to be/do. 

How about you?  Do you have any dreams or ideas that need to be revisited in this new year?  Can we pray for each other and encourage one another as we seek God's direction and trust Him to lead us in these pursuits? 

Thank you, all of you, who wrote such encouraging words last year. I am ashamed that I didn't follow up on this. Praying now that God will show me His plan. Amen.

Original Post 1/29/2017:
Yesterday I was thrilled to find this lovely little teapot at our local flea market.  I was drawn like a magnet across the yard to it as soon as my eyes rested upon it's loveliness.

As it turned out, I actually knew the couple who was selling it, and it belonged to the man's grandmother!  So that made it even more special to me.  I brought it home and cleaned it up and did a little research on the manufacturer of this sweet little teapot:

And I found out that the McCormick Tea Company in Baltimore, MD, actually contracted with the Hall China Co. from East Liverpool, Ohio to manufacture these pots back in the 1940's-90's.  This vintage teapot was most likely from the 1950's or thereabouts, which makes it at least as old as I am!

The teapot actually came with an infuser for loose tea, which was included with my pot...so I am thrilled that it came with all of it's original parts intact, with the exception of a little chip/crack in the infuser.

So naturally, a new teapot warrants a tea party, don't you agree? Since none of the men in the house were interested in attending an afternoon tea party with me, and since it was too blustery of a day to invite anyone over at such short notice, I decided to enjoy a little tea party with my favorite baby doll, "Baby Elva"...

Here she is, all dressed up in her pink party dress, which was actually my very own baby dress! So the teapot isn't the only antique at this party!

Anyway, as I sat here in my rocking chair, sipping Red Rose Tea from a sweet, delicate little bone china "June Bouquet" tea cup that was a gift from my Grandma "Elva" Mursch (yes, Baby Elva is named after my grandmother...and in honor of the March for Life/Sanctity of Life this week, click HERE for more on that story),

I picked up one of my delightful little books about tea time to read..."So Rare a Treasure" by Sandy Lyman Clough.  Sandy is a renowned artist as well as writer...and her claim to fame is her beautiful paintings of teacups and teapots and many other lovely antique treasures.

As I sat there reading and sipping tea and munching on a delicious store-bought "Chip's Ahoy made with bits of Reese's Peanut Butter cup" cookie, I was struck with a new perspective on something that I had been thinking about earlier today.

This morning my hubby was talking to me about my blog, in particular about the new series that I'm writing, "The Secret Garden Chronicles", and he was encouraging me to think about writing a series of small devotional style books---perhaps E-books...and his idea was that they didn't have to be 365 pages long with a devotional for every day of the year, which is what my goal had always been but I'd given up on because it was too exhausting...but that perhaps I should just put together maybe 20 chapters or stories, with the photographs that I take to go along with the stories, and that a shorter style of devotional book might be more realistic.

I kind of "pooh-pooed" the idea in my mind...(but I didn't tell him that), thinking that no one would want such a short book and it would be more trouble than it was worth, etc., you know...just being negative in my thinking...and then this afternoon I picked up this little book, and as I sat there reading through it while sipping my tea and eating my cookie, I noticed that it only had seventeen chapters/stories...and it was devotional in nature, writing about the things she loves...antiques, tea cups and other "treasures", with stories from the heart...

and I was enjoying reading this little book because it wasn't exhaustive...and it was delightful and encouraging...and suddenly I realized this was exactly the kind of book my husband was trying to tell me about this morning!

Now, trust me, I know he has never picked up this book or read anything quite like it, but he was describing it to me so accurately, that I have to believe he was inspired by the Lord to tell me this.

So now, what do I do with this idea?  I do what any God-fearing woman with a crazy idea would do...I pray about it..and seek God's wisdom first.

Psalm 37:5(NKJV)

Commit your way to the Lord,

Trust also in Him,

And He shall bring it to pass.

If this idea truly is from the Lord, He will bring it to pass, in His time...and in His way.  So, dear friends, will you pray with me that God would give me a clear vision as to what He wants me to do?

Lord, I place this idea in Your hands today,

and I ask that You will guide me and give me wisdom.

Thank you for my hubby and his encouraging words to me today.

If this is truly from You, Lord, 

I commit this to You,

and I will trust You

to bring it to pass in accordance with Your will.

Amen.