Teatime Tuesday~ Bringing Back The Lost Art Of Letter Writing

Hey Ya'll,  It's Teatime Tuesday!!!

A little series where I share tea, tea cups, and more....

Today I made a nice hot cup of Haskap Berry Pie Tea from St. Fiacre's Farm.

 I met her through Instagram and did a barter with her....The tea is amazing! If you are a tea lover as I am and interested in buying some tea for yourself  or as a gift please do visit. 

Click link above to take you to their Farm Store!

Recently I was blessed to meet a lovely lady via interwebs who just so happens to live in my old home state of Washington. She reached out and we moth decided we should become pen pals. That's right! Not just emailing back and forth but by snail mail. Sending letters and cards etc.... 

Penning a letter onto paper is truly a lost art in this computer age where email, texting, Facebooking, and Tweeting has taken over our culture. Surely some people still write letters on paper or note cards, But, it is almost a dying art. It doesn't have to be extinct however. The Greeting Card Companies are still in business, Which is nice. There's just nothing like getting a handwritten letter or card by a loved one or a friend through the post. And in return they would love a letter in return.

I am thrilled to have a pen pal now..I have been working on my letter to her and hoping to get it in the post soon...In the recent year I have been collecting note cards and greeting cards to keep on hand to write out to people in my life. I am not always great at getting them out...But decided now is the time to start writing more and sending a hello to those close to me. I have also vowed to be better at sending out a birthday greeting to family and friends. Just making a special effort will bring a smile to those I love and they will know that I think of them often & love them dearly. 

Life can get crazy busy sometimes. It may seem easier ( well it actually is) to just send a message through your phone or computer. I just want to encourage you to send a letter to someone special once in a while. It's the thoughtfulness that counts and makes people feel good that you thought of them and that you took that extra time to actually hand write it, which is priceless!!!

Wanna make something even more special to send through the post? I went on to Shutterfly and designed my own note cards (shown above)...You can put any picture on a card...Now that's sweet!

I hope this will inspire you to bring back the lost art of letter writing! 

Have a happy Tuesday ya'll!!!! See you soon!

Chicken Scratch~ Home Sweet Home Tours & Teatime Tuesdays

I'm excited to share with y'all...

I am going to be sharing some fun home tours with y'all this Fall and I am starting Teatime Tuesdays back up!!! So be sure to visit often as there is a great lineup of homes I have to share!!!

Tuesdays will be perfect days to grab a cup of tea and chat a while. And every so often I just blog a bunch of chicken scratch as I share the goings on & this & that's at Farmgirl Freckles!

Come on back ya hear! it's going to be fun!!!

Tuesday Teatime~ Valentine Cards

Today I'm enjoying a nice cup of Chocolate Super Berry Burst Tea that my parents sent me for Christmas. It is quite yummy along with a couple little heart chocolates. I was thinking back to my childhood elementary school days when Valentines day would roll around. We would have the big classroom party with treats and made special Valentine boxes for classmates to deliver Valentines for you. It was always a bustle running around the room

 and filling the boxes with our stacks of cards and goodies. 

Then the teacher would give everyone time during the party to look through the box of Valentines while eating goodies. The girls looked out for the Valentines from the boys...Would  the card have "Love" written on it and if it did, the girls would giggle. 

The best Valentine would be from your best friends. 

My kids enjoyed their elementary days passing out Valentine cards to their friends too. We would have parties at home and decorate cookies. These are surely sweet memories I will always cherish with my kids. Funny little traditions we keep. Now that they are older, I still give them a Valentine card with goodies. Someday they will probably do the same for their little ones when they have families of their own. I found this picture of my girl seven years ago with her homemade Valentine box while at a Valentines homeschool party. Such precious moments.

 xoxox

I wish I would have thought to keep my childhood Valentine cards...I just love the illustrations and style they used to be made in. They don't make them like they used too!So I started collecting old vintage Valentine cards to use in decor etc...during the holiday. I especially love looking at the written names on the back...Sweet cards given by their friends long ago. So darling!

Tuesday Teatime~ But She Had Wings

I have taken a hiatus doing my Tuesday Teatime with you the last few months. I am hoping to continue on having tea with you as we are in the middle of so much change while packing and storing our home away for a time while we wait in limbo, and as my dear Mr. Darling searches for a new ministerial call. Throughout these last several months I have been working on myself. A lot of anxiety and stress had overcome me to a point of depression and caused me to believe something was direly wrong with my health. I had everything checked out by the doctors who had but only good news of my health. So, what was wrong and why was I feeling like I was going to die? Was I going crazy or was this all in my head? I had no clue that anxiety, stress and depression would overcome someone to the point of almost giving up. I didn't think I was one of those people. Well, I am one of those statistics. I had so much anxiety built up and held in...I was making myself literally sick over it. Now that I have learned what the problem is I am under the doctors care of managing my anxiety. It has been almost three months of working on it. I have felt this overwhelming feeling of happiness which I had lost and didn't realize it before. I have been happier and smile more and feel like a new me is emerging. So very much like the metamorphosis of a butterfly. I have found enjoyment in reading nonfiction, sewing again and just being present with my family. I am certainly and probably always will be a work in progress but I feel right now, this moment that I can really fly.

When I think of a butterfly I think how remarkable these winged creatures are. They are beautifully designed by God. Their life cycle carries a lot of meaning and symbolism parallel to the growing process of a growing Christian. I have had many moments throughout my life of experiencing "Metamorphosis", becoming a new creature in Christ. It has been a long road of transformation. I have experienced hurt, sorrow, pain, loneliness, judgment, and condemnation.... Just as many people do. Throughout these trials however, God helps me to emerge from these things, growing me and changing me inside my cocoon, just as a beautiful butterfly emerges and sours high above. 

From the beginning we are fragile and require nourishment, and protection until we have matured and are ready for the next phase of life. From our "egg we hatch" but we are just a worm stumbling and inching along while consistently growing and changing. Like the growing caterpillar, we "molt" and shed our outgrown skin, shedding layers of our former selves. Once matured the caterpillar cocoons itself preparing for the next phase of life as it shelters itself in a secret dwelling place and finds comfort and healing. Our 'Spiritual" cocoon is a place where God takes all of those things and replaces them with His word, His creative works, His Holy Spirit and His love. With time and patience and even rough roads and bad weather the creature inside has to break out and shed layers of it's old self until it finally breaks out and spreads it's wings. Before it does that the cocoon of many species becomes transparent...Before we can become effective, we shed the layers of our former selves God requires us to be transparent, that we can be a living example of His greatness in our lives.

Inside the cocoon, the caterpillar goes through major transformations, It is no longer a fuzzy worm inching on the ground. It has grown wings that are beautifully colored, taking new shape and form it emerges from it's secret place. The new creature is not used to it's new form, just as we change we are not used to our new forms. But the butterfly realizes it has capabilities and masters flying. As Christians we grow and change and our cup overflows from the digestion of God's word and applying it throughout our life. But at some point it is time for us to break free from that cocoon and soar to greater heights. We can grow so much more than we think. We are all uniquely designed, fearfully and wonderfully made, handcrafted by the Master's hands, varying in gifts, talents and abilities. There is no need to covet someone else's "wings" when God has a purpose for each of us. And it is His perfect timing and for all of the seasons or stages in our lives. Isn't that beautiful to think we too are like a butterfly designed for a great purpose by our Heavenly Father? 

Yes, as I mentioned before I am still a work in progress. I feel like I am finally feeling those wings. Perhaps I need more time shedding those layers off. I am growing and changing every day. I am feeling the joy that was always there but almost lost it...Perhaps I was blinded or just didn't see my potential. I am grateful that God is opening my eyes and showing me I do have great potential, to be brave and to let go of the old life and emerge into a new life...

It can be scary...But, He is such a loving, patient Father. 

Let's chat soon,

Tuesday Teatime~ Christmas In The 1950's

Happy Teatime! 

Grab a cuppa tea or cuppa Joe and join me! 

Today I am drinking my favorite holiday tea by Celestial Seasons...

Yummy Sugar Cookie Sleigh-ride tea in an old Santa mug.

 I am sharing a few snippets of my Daddy's Christmas in the 1950's... I love going through old photos given to me and just pondering on my family and their lives back in the day. I look through these pictures of Christmas past and simply smile. A simpler time...A time not so consumed with stuff and busyness. baking cookies, simple gifts under the Christmas tree dressed in glass balls, lights and tinsel or cards hanging on the door, the children dressed in jammies or wearing their Christmas best. 

 Their television is off, music is probably playing on the 

radio as Christmas dinner and cookies fill their home with sweet smells.

Family is over around the Christmas tree, the kids are playing with their new toys or playing games as they fill the house with laughter and giggles, making memories that will last their lifetime. And through these photos I can peek into their life so many years ago.

I love seeing my grandparents and great grandparents young...and my daddy along with the aunt and uncle as littles. I wish I could have been there myself to see my dads reaction to opening gifts he had longed for all year. Like the race cars or train sets and the cowboy stuff. 

Those are the kinds of Christmas memories we have tried giving to our children throughout the years. Simple yet sweet, filled with tradition and memories they will cherish throughout their lives. We are not the type of parents who give our kids the biggest, most expensive latest fad like gifts. I like to think of my kids as individuals, giving something handmade or needful, something they really like or something that compliments what they are into. Much thought goes into each gift for that specific person. Christmas is so commercialized in our day now... I would rather make our Christmas a simple Christmas like the 50's. wouldn't you?

Love, The Freckled Farmgirl

Tuesday Teatime~ Cocoa Time & Cocoa Recipes

Happy Tuesday! It's teatime again! Well, really today we are having cocoa! My last post I shared with you our cocoa station I put together...So of course I had to take advantage of making a nice cup of hot cocoa in my favorite vintage Santa mug designed by Howard Holt in 1960.

I wanted to share a few Hot Cocoa recipes with y'all! 

A couple of them you can make and jar up as gifts! 

Who doesn't love something homemade!!?

~French Vanilla Hot Cocoa Mix~

Ingredients:

. 6 C nonfat dry powdered milk

. 2 C powdered sugar

. 8 oz. French Vanilla flavor non-dairy powdered coffee creamer

. 2 C Nesquick 

. 6 oz. box instant French Vanilla pudding mix

Instructions:

1. Combine all ingredients in a large container and mix thoroughly

2. Spoon into Mason jar or Mason Jar Mug then top with lid

3. Decorate jar

4. Attach a label to the jar with the following instructions:

French Vanilla Cocoa Mix:

 Combine 3 heaping Tablespoons of mix to 

1 Cup boiled water. Stir well and enjoy!

~Peppermint Hot Chocolate Mix~

Ingredients:

. 2 C Powdered milk

. 12 Candy Canes

3/4 C Sugar

. 1/2 C Powdered Sugar

. 1/3 C Hershey's Cocoa

. 2/3 C Powdered Coffee Mate Creamer

Instructions:

1. In a large bowl combine all ingredients and stir well

2. Add in crushed candy canes ( crushed in food processor ) into the powdered mix or layer them into a jar and top with mini marshmallows if you are gift giving.

3. Mix 1/3 C of hot cocoa mix with 8 oz. water, mix well and enjoy with marshmallows on top!

~Two Ingredient Nutella Hot Cocoa~

Ingredients: 

2 TBL Nutella

1 C milk

Instructions:

Heat 1 C milk in saucepan until it's steaming, but not quite boiling. Stir in Nutella until it's  evenly dissolved. Top with whipped cream or marshmallows and perhaps some chocolate shavings! Enjoy!!

I hope you will try these fun recipes! 

And be sure to share a cup of cocoa with someone...

Thanks for stopping in! See you again with more Christmas cheer!

Love, The Freckled Farmgirl