New Pajamas and a Tea Party

No matter how young or how old we are...we girls love a new set of pajamas...

...a pretty new nightgown...

...a new pair of slippers...

They just feel so good. Especially when it's cold outside, and there's no where she has to be.

So when one receives all 3...well, let's just say...

a girl might not ever come out of them!

Sophia's new jammies and bunny boots (as she calls her new slippers) arrived in the mail...

...and she was pretty excited.  They are very good for hopping.

Commence hopping.

On this chilly morning
we had enjoyed reading through some tales,
and I had begun my knitting time (a new Tasha Tudor inspired Cottage Shawl, for me) with the softest new yarn, Frog Tree's Alpaca Sport ....(acquired at my favorite place to knit, crochet, receive needed instruction..The Joy of Knitting shop, here in Franklin)

Sophia was wearing her pretty new gown.

Scout popped out from between the table and Grammy's Rocker ...wondering what Phia was up to, for she's ALWAYS up to SOMETHING interesting...

she looked awfully busy...

she was 'tidying up'...
 as they say on Peppa Pig...her most favorite show.
*****

Grammy is teaching her that she must tidy up one mess before beginning another...

...and there is always, always another mess on the way...

*****

This lovely new mess requires a basket filled with tea party goodies...

....and a sweet old cloth that is just the right size for impromptu tea party picnics..

...requiring several goes at getting it to lay, just so...

Now onto the guest list. 

There's Winnie bear and Grammy rabbit...

They love each other.
She leans on him, because he never ever falls over.

Then there is Really Old Bear
(not to be confused with Old Bear, who is the star of Jane Hissey's books)

He is a lighter shade of mohair...a very, very old shade...

Looking over Really Old Bear and the tea tray...
..Phia takes inventory.

Hmmmmmm what else do I need...

tea pot...check...a tea cup...

yes..

two tea cups...check...

Now to feed Winnie bear...

Oh...it's too hard to reach him...
must adjust the seating arrangement...

Oh, alright, Winnie bear...just come sit in my lap..

I will feed you.

Now... it is time for Really Old Bear's nap...for he is really really old...

Phia fixes and fixes until she gets his covers just right...

Really Old Bear looks so comfy... Maybe Phia will just slip right in there next to him...

Now of course, this went on for several more minutes, with several more tries,
but, alas, poor Sophia failed to achieve the same level of comfiness as Really Old Bear.
She is most comfy in her very own room,
in her very own bed..

reading books to Little Teddy.

We are very excited that Christmas is just around the corner, although it is very difficult explaining this to one little girl who, upon waking each morning, asks,
"Is it Kissmiss?"

Soon little Phia....soon.

*****
Our love for Tasha Tudor and Christmastide is reflected on our dining table....

The yellow ware bowl belonged to our beloved Tasha.  I was incredibly fortunate to find it on a website, The World of Tasha Tudor... Cellar Door Books.
It is perfect for pomanders and pinecones.
The tiny book of hers, The Bouquet, was found after quite an online search.
Sweet treasures resting alongside the Tudor family's hand-dipped beeswax candles.

Blessings, friends.

Goodness and Mercy

We have been aware of the presence of Goodness and Mercy,
but we have finally come face to face...

They appear tattered and worn on the outside,
but on the inside..their spirits are refreshed by the thought
that they have been sufficiently acknowledged.

Isn't that how it is?
We 'feel' a presence,  just like we 'feel' the wind...
but when we finally see it face to face....
like leaves swirling in mid-air...
we can truly believe!

Goodness..who is nicknamed 'ohma'
because of Grammy's favored saying,...repeated often by Xavier .."ohmagoodness"..
is now known ..
as something God shares with those who seek Him.
Her dearest friend is Mercy...
formerly known as a very southern term ..followed by very many exclamation marks...
is now known for being one of God's greatest gifts!

These two have been around for quite a long time...

working steadily... all these days... in the home of Grammy and Big Daddy.

They scurried silently through the rooms...


...Welcoming children who would call out "Grammy and Big Daddy"...

Xavier, lover of all God's tiniest creatures...
including Chicky Chick...who would go to Heaven, not long after Easter...

and Baby Bun...
wounded beyond repair, who we would lose the following week...

loving them with his tender heart, whilst they were on this earth...


Princess Kyleigh...who would enjoy her very first Tea Party......

..... ever smiling...Colin...

..and "Miracle at Christmastide"... newborn, Sophia...

Around the kitchen, they'd sneak ... smelling eggs that were 'scrandled'...

spying their Dormice friends, John Jacob and Eliza....

 ...passing Scout's favored 'circle of sunshine' she found each morning, in the foyer...

And up the stairs...


into the play room....
watching Xavier as he played with a set of 'lincoln logs'...
enjoyed and cherished so many years ago, by my Matthew, Cale, and Olivia....

and the wooden train set...each piece, a Christmas gift for my mother , who began requesting the set when she became a 'memaw,' and her grandchildren became toddlers...

out the windows, they hopped....

...landing with a bounce, into the blooms of the climbing hydrangea..

...and into the blushing petals of the 'Bride'...

'neath the towering stalks of Xavier and Grammy's Hollyhocks...

...stopping to gaze at the first bloom of Xavier's 'Rainbow' summer cutting garden....

down the drive...
to the pond and the great marshmallow tree...

a little boy claimed as his own....

......Sprinkling their blessings every where they stopped to rest.

How evident are their gifts all around...do you see? Goodness and Mercy are everywhere at once..for that is the nature of these two ..

They are now joined by a new friend, Shirley...

Who shares with Goodness and Mercy, the resource she has found...in Grammy's growing library...

(Thankful to a very talented craftsman, Seth Tudor...
son of our beloved Tasha Tudor....who crafted the wooden art stand)

..and Shirley, Goodness, and Mercy shall follow Grammy and Big Daddy for all the days of their lives...

into their new home,
and into the lives of their children and grandchildren.
Such a gift!
How blessed we are!
And one day, we will all dwell in the house of the Lord!

These are the children...along with the ones who love our children...and the grandchildren ...of Grammy Christie and Husband...worshipping on Easter Sunday...
All of us together, at once. I believe it was a first. God is so Good.

Thank you, in advance, all my dear friends...new and dear...tried and true...
for all of your prayers in these next several...
very hectic...
days ahead.
May God add His richest blessings upon you!