Fav Blog Pics of the Year 2014

What a wonderful year this has been!

And I have so enjoyed blogging.

January 1st is my 3rd year Bloggaversary!

Thought I'd join in the fun and share
 a "favorite few" photos

 from each month, hopefully 

to make our eyes happy with one last peek.

Thank you, loyal readers
 for all your visits and sweet comments.

I wish you all a truly blessed and happy New Year! 

Hugs!

JANUARY

FEBRUARY

MARCH

APRIL

MAY

JUNE

JULY

AUGUST

SEPTEMBER

OCTOBER

NOVEMBER

DECEMBER

HAPPY NEW YEAR!

Please ring in the New Year safely,

 and may the coming year be filled

 with God's blessings of good health and joy.

As always, thank you for your visit!

♥

~Michele

Linking:

Home and Garden Thursday   *   Feathered Nest Friday

A Finch Christmas Teacup!!!!!

I hope everyone had a wonderful Christmas!

I know I have been absent - so sorry!

 We've just had so many social engagements to host or attend,

 and I simply ran out of time!

I know I never did share a holiday home tour -

 it's been way too busy and now it's just too late.

 Perhaps next year.

I honestly need to start decorating in October! 

I do strongly feel I must ask that you to please

 indulge my holiday side one more time

 and allow me to share one last Christmas item;

 a perfect surprise from my husband!

Well, he knows my love of tea, and of yellow finches....

And he found a Christmas Yellow Finch

 Tea cup, saucer and snack plate trio!!!!!

So I am enjoying my teatime today

using my sweet new set and just relaxing

and praising God for our happy and healthy holiday.

The new tin of Harney & Sons White Christmas Tea

 was a hostess gift from my women's club friend Kathy,

 who recently attended my Christmas Tea & Cookies Social.

But what I am drinking today is a special Christmas tea blend -

was inserted inside a card from our fellow blogger

 Angela of Tea With Friends.

Her blog is a go-to for All Things Tea -

 I especially enjoy reading her tea reviews!

BTW: she is also a published author!

What a wonderful Christmas season this was. 

I hate for it to end, it all happens so fast, doesn't it?

As always, thank you for your visit!

♥

~Michele

Linking:

Tea Time Tuesday   *  Tuesday Cuppa Tea   *   Teacup Tuesday (T)

Teacup Tuesday (M)  *   Friends Sharing Tea

Christmas Tree with White and Gold

I have never shared our Christmas tree

all dressed up in white and gold.

I figured I had better do it today before it's too late!

(Warning: pic heavy!)

I was inspired to do so this year

 due to a very lovely surprise in the mail recently-

from an old tea society friend and fellow blogged

Sylvia from A Grandma's Blessings. 

So I wanted to show our tree

 and a few of its ornaments

 so you could see just how perfect

 my newest and precious Friendship Angel looks on it!

Here she is! Isn't she absolutely lovely?

(Thank you so much, Syl!)

So many of our unique ornaments are gifts

over the year from very special loved ones.

This shamrock St. Nick was from my sister and her family.

This beautiful swan is from dear Cindy and her husband Ben.

And this delicate artisan spun glass fountain

 is from their daughter Nicole.

We hired two of our nieces decorated our tree this year - they needed the money and I loved the help

 so it worked for everyone for the good. I couldn't find most of my pearl strands - lent a bunch to a friend for one of her projects and when she returned them I was careless

 and didn't get put back into the right bins,  so you can see from the top of the tree 

the nieces were trying to "make do" with the couple they had to work with...

only after the entire tree was finished did we find the other ones.

So you can tell it isn't quite how it should be, but no one was interested in starting over.

This is from my tea sister/friend Mary D

 who said it's a heart full of angel feathers!

♥

I always wrap gifts up using  white or shiny silver or gold

 or muted or ivory under this tree.

When I took this picture and was posting

 I saw in the pic there was something I never noticed.

It was a hostess gift my friend who came to the tea social

the other day placed under there I hadn't seen till posting!

Sneaky! I told them all no gifts!!!

It was a nice selection of homemade cookies -

good thing I found it before the cat did! LOL!

This tree has lots of white birds sitting on its branches! 

I love birds!

There are so many on my tree I'd like to share,

 but this is getting long - so I will just end

 with one of my very favorites

 from our first married Christmas together:

HAVE A VERY MERRY CHRISTMAS!

♥

~Michele

Christmas Cookie Swap & Tea Social

Because it's been so hectic and I've had little time to post

 I am putting two parties into one blog post to share this before

Christmas. Not much longer now, is it?

I hosted my annual Christmas Cookie Exchange

 followed a few days later by having a large

"Tea, Coffee and Cookies Social."

There's always such fun and clever ways my friends and family

 find to package their cookies up for easy swapping.

These are both easy-to-host parties because the cookies

are the main attraction, and when you do a swap

you get lots of kinds to share with very little effort!

Let's just say by the time I hosted the Tea Social

the raspberry thumbprints and the ginger snaps

were GONE........hrm, seems Mr. Finch Rest has his favorites!

We always have a gift exchange at my cookie swap.

I think my favorite this year was made by my youngest daughter.

It was a cute pedestal snowman themed mug

with a couple hot cocoa mix kits inside

with really cute decorated marshmallows

and little wooden stir sticks with chocolate & peppermint!

Handmade gifts are always so special to receive, aren't they?

The evening cookie swap consisted of ten ladies 

and the informal tea a few days later was held mid afternoon. 

I ended up having about 20 gals

 from my civic women's club for the social.

I made it as easy as possible simply just stacking holiday

teacups and coffee mugs

and provided a help-yourself area for hot cuppas:

Holiday tea bags

Coffee

Egg Nog

Mulled Cider

Lemon Water

And all the cookies you cared to eat!

Here's the glass mugs above, up close. 

We had cookies, and fruit bars and candies, too this year.

I swear I am gaining weight just posting about them!

SOOOOO yummy!!

My only wish is that YOU could have joined us!

Then you could have smelled the pine and mulled cider,

seen all the candles flickering, and heard the sounds of

the soft holiday music and laughter....

setting the tone for a very happy Christmas....

Because I wish you the very best!

I shared my pine cone decor yesterday and still hope to show my tablescape,

trees and mantle this week. I am behind, but when there's a will there's a way!

As always, thank you for your visit!

♥

~Michele

Linking:

Tea Time Tuesday   *   Tea Cup Tuesday   *   Tuesday Cuppa Tea