Grow Your Blog ~ Party & Giveaway

Today I'm joining Vicki's blog 2 Bags Full, where she encourages bloggers to get to know others by a meme she is running called "Grow Your Blog" I might have missed this party in 2013 when it started but I'll be sure to be participating this year and I'll have a giveaway for February 15th, 2014. Please join in the fun, come along and share some of life's most admired. 

About Me:

Hi! I'm Cindy of Grandma's Afternoons. I've been blogging for just a little of 3 years now. I'm semi-retired working seasonally operating Grandma's Tea Room in the beautiful province of Prince Edward Island.  I'm 8 years retired from caring for seniors in the Health Care. In my free time I can be found in the garden, crafting, or taking a rewarding walk on the beach. I have 3 grown children with 6 1/2 grandchildren, 5 girly girls and one adorable grandson, and another on the way. 

About My Blog:

I have a blog identity crisis happening.  I started blogging on my B&B Wordpress blog Hats'N Hospitalitea where I talk about PEI and the amazing places to visit on the Island. I have a hobby blog at Scrap'N Wrap where I talk about my wire wrapped seaglass and scrapbooking. However, after blogging for 3 years and having 3 followers I returned to my old first time Blog "Grandma's Afternoons" where I talk about some of my favourites; gardening, tea, seaglass, scrapbooking and just soome of lifes pleasures that might bring happiness to the day. Having followers is rewarding for me, mostly I think it is because I've lived a life of giving be it work, school, children, the tea room and volunteering and sometimes hearing love is enough to keep you going along the windy road of life.

Grandma's Garden:

At my house, you are always welcome, stop in and ring the bell if no answer start pulling weeds. Gardening is the best therapeutic life there can be, next to beachcombing that might be.  In my garden I have mini fairy gardens, bottles of fairy dust about, a pond, plenty of strawberries, blueberries, concord grapes, raspberries, blackberries, currants and even a kiwi tree.  The gray days of the Winter months the pond freezes over, the snow replenishes mother earth and we take to RV-living, roaming the roads.  Here are some of my favourite flowers.

The pond and waterfall

Oh the Hens & Chicks

And oh how I love Hollyhocks, they are my favourite

Oh how about these Clematis are they beautiful?

I just love it when the Magnolia blooms

Imagine, I almost forgot about the daylilies

Oh I just love these red and purple poppies

A perfect spot to sit and look at all this

I almost forgot to mention I have a barn out back, Lori took this picture and sent it to me on FB of my croc pots.

My Fairy Park

Grandmas Tea Room:

In yesteryears all women were gifted with tea cups and saucers. All my Cousins, Aunts and Grandmas had plenty.  Then they were gifted to me. I had an inspiration to open a tea room in the front parlour of our old family farm house that seated only 4 small bistro tables and hours of fun.  In 2008 we moved into Winsloe, where the tea room and gardens are located today.

Crafting: Sea Glass and Scrapbooking

I've been rather obsessed with scrapbooking over the years and when I couldn' t find what I was looking for in supplies, as they were limited on the Island.  I started making them, building borders, and page layouts of nautical, beach and Anne of Green Gables memorabilia. 

Then by accident my hobby took a new turn and I found myself on the beach in search of seaglass. Didn't matter the colour or shape it was all so pretty, every piece made me happy, happy, happy. I realized one day that I had a shipwreck of seaglass... not really but I self taught myself to wire wrap. Now I have many pieces along with the scrapbooking designs of PEI in a little giftshop called The Island Made Gift Shop. We open during the summer months and operate less during the Winter. Here is a peek at some of my work.

I tried my hand at paperback book corsages for Victoria's wedding this past August.

Grandma's Travels:

With having one child in North Carolina most of our travels take us there.  But we have driven to other places we enjoyed and many of them were on a beachcombing at one spot or another.

Ocean floor of Hopewell Rocks, New Bruswick

Sundown along the Island River Parkway in Ottawa

Beachcombing in Nova Scotia

 Hiking on Grand Manan Island

Walking around a bay

To relaxing on a cloudy day.

Grandma's Camera:

One thing I have done a lot of in the past few years is stop to take a picture. I mean, ya sure being a scrapbooker you always have a picture taking moment that you are capturing.  But this is different, it is almost like I'm in search of something I'll never find or aquire and it is in the old houses and old barns, trees and cars of years ago that I find peace just in photographing them all. Maybe this will explain it better.

Look at the tree growing on the inside of this barns left hand side

See the same spot on the left, the tree comes out the broken barn wood and straight up to the top of the roof and along the peak.

This outbuilding could have been a curiosity shop and has seen a lot of years and storms.  Just the evidence of the tin roof shows.  The log cabin is parged with limestone Tabby, a mixture of lime and boiled oyster shells that was used years ago and lined most of the walls of a slaves quarters and made numerous roads in Vingina, and South Carolina.

Well this has been a journey and a little about my love of life.

Want to know where I keep visitor's to the Island each year? Visit here, maybe you will visit or come and stay with us.

Want to see why Grandma's Tea Room was listed with the 7 top Tea Rooms in Canada, visit here.

Are you looking for seaglass perhaps you will visit  Island Made gift shop.

Be blessed with the beauty that surrounds your day and take in the moment.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Now! onto the good stuff ~ the Giveaway.

Seeing as I am a seaglass artisans I see no reason other than to be giving away a necklace and pendant of seaglass wirewrapped.  This giveaway seglass necklace has a retail value of $38 when sold in the shop.   These are my giveaway regulations; leave a comment on this blog post. The winner will be selected on February 15th using a random select.   I will return here and announce the winner on Feb 15. It will be up to you to give me your full mailing address.  

I'm getting excited to go around and visit your blogs. Be sure to visit Vicki the host of this blog party and by visiting her you will find the list of others to visit.  Good Luck with the giveaway.

It was so nice to have met you today, it warms my heart to know I may become your new "kindred spirit" (Anne of Green Gables) and follower.  We are RV-living, service isn't the best but I'm excited to let you know I'll be getting around to all of your blogs if it takes me a year to do it.

Thank you for visiting, 

~oo~ Grandma (Cindy

Hearty Hydrangeas ~ Tea Time Tuesday

Hearty Fall Hydrangeas

Turn purple when dried

Making a perfect match for my pedestal tea cups

This lovely tea cup was gifted to me along with 5 others of it's kind.

This one has dainty rose coloured flowers that resemble the Columbine that re-seeds itself each Fall.

One of my favourite fabric shops in Prince Edward Island is "The Island Fabrics" Julie and Alberta are always so helpful. Last time I was in and Alberta helped me pick this Hydrangea fabric to make place mats, they turned out lovely.

Petite Pink is this pattern on my 5" side plates.

Mom was sure to put my name on these, I guess she knew they would come in handy in Grandmas Tea Room.

Today I am having an imaginary tea.  I've selected one of my favourites called "Last Mango in Paris"  It's flavour is wild with mango and such an ever so faint scent of ginger, just enough to tingle your tastebuds.  With this tea I'm having Gingered Pear Bread - spread lightly with butter, would you like a slice?  I'm serving it hot right out of the oven. 

Gingered Pear Bread

          2 loafs - 

3 cups chopped unpeeled pears 3 medium

1 1/4 cups sugar

1/2 cup vegetable oil

1 Tablespoon finely chopped gingerroot

3 eggs

3 cups all purpose flour

1 teaspoon salt

Heat oven to 350F. Grease bottoms only of 2 loaf pans. Mix pears, sugar, oil, gingerroot and eggs in large bowl. Stir in remaining ingredients. Pour into pans.

Bake loaves. About 50-65 minutes or until toothpick comes out clean. Cool 10 minutes. Losen sides of loaves from pans; remove from pans. Cool completely on wire. Rack before slicing. Store tichtly wrapped in refrigerator up to 1 week.  This also freezes very well.

Best Baking - Betty Crocker's

Today I'm joining  the ladies for tea over at Rose Chintz Cottage, where Sandi has entertained an afternoon tea party, won't you join us.

Dark Roast ~ Sunlit Sunday

The Roosters have something to crow about this morning....

Fresh roasted Coffee. 

For a mile around everyone was smelling fresh roasted coffee. 

Have you ever started out to do something, that something vanished, and poof it was gone?  Well that is what happened to a file I recently made with this take on the road computer.  I have to say I've had more trouble using a tablet then I had raising 5 kids.  I made an amazing file called "Sunlit" and poof here it is Sunday morning and it is as gone as the last 10 years have.

The Rooster Roasters

Not exactly how I wanted to announce we were doing small batch roasting and sales, but our roaster arrived and we have been turning green beans into dark roast, just the way I like them.  Mr. Guy is happy happy happy, says the next best thing to waking up beside Miss. Cindy is having fresh roasted coffee.

This is our first small batch roast we did. Full, balanced just not dark enough for me.

So we ran it again and this time roasted the beans until the second crack and beyond until the oil spilled out of the bean.

Now, that's my kind of coffee, dark roast.  You can visit us roosters when we return home to Prince Edward Island where we will be roasting up the freshest small batch coffee on the Island.  Visit our new web site for the Rooster Roasters and let me know what you think and if I made any mistakes, typose, or errors; I'd appreciate your input. 

This week I'll be making a new file folder and in it placing pictures for sunlit sunday so I can continue to venture over to "My Little Home and Garden" where we share photos during the long months of the Winter to brighten your days.

~oo~ Grandma 

This Old House

Today started off with the sun shining and the smell of sweet grass in the air.

I love country life and have come to realize that is what I'm missing in life. Jennifer took me out for a drive after she got home from work yesterday so I could take a few pictures.  I just love ole, doesn't matter if it is an ole barn, ole house or ole outhouse you may find me in front of it taking a snapshot.

This house doesn't provide me with information other than it looks like there might have been some sort of plantation up behind it.

The prespective one imagines when they see this old house with an open door is so welcoming.

All changes when you see a no tresspassing sign. 

I'm enjoying a cup of hot apple cider and watching a beautiful Cardinal finding the new location of the bird feeder.

Enjoy your Tuesday,

~00~ Grandma 

When Nature Calls

Another sunny morning and this one has come with a dusting of snow on the ground.  As I look out across the back yard and into the woods something is moving deep in the woods wandering among the fallen leaves. Nine deer make their way from one feeding station to another as the morning sun creeps higher over the tree tops. Morning blessings, that is all I can say.  I so enjoy the country life my daughter is sharing with me while we visit North Caroliina.

The French Gardener had me make a list of things to do before the busy season starts in May.  One of the items on the length of my arm list is to paint and decorate the bathroom for the tea room. I didn't have a plan in mind but feel it needs something to bring some life to it.  I know you don't live in a bathroom, but being its the second most favourable room to the kitchen, it should be pretty. At least  should be an attractive room for a lady considering most of the visitors to the Tea Room are ladies they would appreciate looking at a wonder of pretty while sitting and tinkling.

I've decided on a nature style for the bathroom

I'm going to start by looking for these little beauties to hang a curtain rod on. 

  I think they would do nicely, but I also think Jennifer might miss them from her bathroom.

I was also thinking of making a mirror by cutting some of the grape vine and wrapping it around the outside of the mirror. This is hard to imagine but I've got the picture in my head.

Jennifer has these branches with different shells cut for leaves.  I'm planning on some of the same idea but a little closer to nature. I'm going to put a branch from a tree out back on the wall behind the door and perhaps find a few wee birds to attach to the branches.  It it doesn't appeal to the eye then I will change the plan.

I seem to be following themes as I age, and back to nature is a nice one to look at knowing I like wood oh and seaglass but that just doesn't fit.  Do you follow a theme?  How many of you have a bird somewhere in your powder room?

Well, little Logan hasn't learned to say Grandma yet, but I can tell he is calling me, got to run.

~oo~ Grandma

Warmer Days

Warmer Days ~ Sunlit Sunday

The RV has landed.... North Carolina.

We pulled into the driveway at 10:30 pm

Jennifer came bouncing out into the carport excited that we arrived finally.

She had been sending emails all day telling us to hold up,

not to come as there were touch down Tornados all around.

We didn't get the message because we were too busy at the largest Antique Warehouse wehave ever seen.  I guess we missed all the comotion.

The sun was so hot and warm on my face I went for a long deserved walk in the woods and then down another road.

I stood at the side of the road and watch rushing water coming down from the mountains just listening to the sound of the running water reminded me of home. The sun was so warm on my back, and you can see a faint shadow of me in the bottom right. 

I walked on, enjoying the hint of hickory in the air, the sound of a hound well off in the distance anxious for a hunt. I also paid attention to the gun shots I could hear off in the distance, listening making sure they didn't get closer. As I walked I could hear the laces from my running shoe clicking as it hit the side of my shoe.

What a feeling you get from warmer days.

I think we have come through 3 seasons to get here.  But we are here, without the snow with plenty of gradchildren instead.  I grabbed the youngest up off the floor when I arrived and just figured he would know his grandma, he started to cry. Jennifer looked at me and said he'll stop don't put him down, you've waited a long time to hold him. 

I'm joining today with Karen and her meme on Sunlit Sundays. Where we are searching for the sun during these long Winter days.

~oo~ grandma

RV living ~ Shadow Play

The weather has gotten warmer and we 

are back on the road

This picture was taken from the inside and a few days ago when the weather was very cold and snow covered the ground everywhere. We were in New Brunswick at the time of the picture and as I look out the window now there isn't any snow in sight, nice ah, I know.

I'm finding blogging and picture resizing to be a bit challenging on the road. I'll get around and caught up to reading all your lovely blogs soon.  For now I'm suffering from temporary internet connection and for short stints. (The men in this RV want to keep moving)  Speaking of challenges I'm linking up with Donna as she has a shadow Play challenge going on.

Moving on,

~oo~ Grandma

RV living ~ A Day on the Road

We pulled out of the wall-mart parking lot this am at 6am when I woke from the tapping of the freezing rain on the roof and windows.

We took our time, besides we have the luck of our HOB

I am reading The Help and looking over my book at the road every once in awhile.

Yesterday we made it to where we volunteered on Staton Island a year ago we helped victims of storm Sandy get through a devistating time. Yes we went beach combing and I found a very nice piece I'll wire wrap tomorrow and show you later.

I got tired of reading so I made a few earrings.

The weather got worse and after a car hit the guard rail and spun causing debres to be spread all over the highway....we decided to stop until the sun warmed up a little.

We found a few antique shops and I got 

This amazing grand piano and stool for $8.95 she  needs a little dusting but will be perfect for the doll house, that's not all

I found this antique fainting chair for the kitchen of the doll house.

Well I should get grandpa tucked in for the night.  We are approximately 3 hours from Jennifer's and she was so disappointed to find out we had stopped for the night. We have a full day of shopping the Antique Warehouse of Staunton, Virginia.

I'm going to have a hard time sleeping wondering about tomorrow's finds 

~oo~ grandma