Perfect Valentine

Bessie & Bea's formula for a lovely Valentine's Day ...

Gather your lovely retro Valentine's Day cards and decorations

Take down a red tea pot from the hutch ~ tea is a good idea any day!

Assemble a gift basket  for a  friend who needs a lift

Enjoy some sweet treats.

Most importantly, spend the day with the ones you love
and thank the good Lord for the blessings in your life.


Happy Valentine's Day from Bessie & Bea with LOVE
XoXo

Just livin'

How are you doing sweet readers? 

It's been a rather busy summer for us gals.

We hope you are doing well and ... just livin'.

Love, Besse & Bea

Just Livin'

It's bread and jam and a pot of tea

   With someone you love for company,

A fire for chilly nights, a chair,

   And radio music sounding there;

A sense of home and familiar things

   An old back porch where a cricket sings.

Not askin' much, just a place to stay,

   A quiet bed at the end of day,

A friend to drop in for a little chat,

   Gossiping over this and that;

A game of checkers or dominoes,

   And a small wood fire that softly glows.

It's dreams in your heart, deep down inside,

   Clean living, decent, a bit of pride

In the little town and the people there,

   The church and the store that you sort of share,

The crazy sidewalk, the yew-tree's shade,

   The little first of July parade.

It's bread and butter and simple things,

   Tears and laughter and wedding rings,

A birth in the house -- a death next door,

   Sunlight falling upon the door;

A child to love when the day is done,

   Just being alive ... is such splendid fun.

By: Edna Jaques

Tea Time Tuesday 6: Rainy day cheer

Hello Lovely Readers!
It's a rainy day here at Bessie's Cottage,
and a perfect opportunity to have tea.

Good old Orange Pekoe does the trick today. 

Bea is off gallivanting across the country while Bessie 

keeps the home fires burning and the kettle whistling.

If you are cold, tea will warm you

if you are too heated; it will cool you
if you are depresses, it will cheer you
if you are exhausted, it will calm you. 

- William Gladstone

There isn't a biscuit in the house ~ not even one. 

Bessie will have to venture off to the market soon to remedy that horrid situation!

In the meantime, it gets one thinking about all the tasty treats go with tea...

English Scones

Canadian Butter Tarts

Earl Grey Shortbread

Nanaimo Bars

Check out Tea Time Tuesday over at Rose Chintz Cottage.

“The spirit of the tea beverage is one of peace, comfort and refinement.”
-- Arthur Gray

 

Love,

Bessie

Weddings and Soap

How is your summer going, dear ones? How are you spending your time in these glorious, warm months?

Bessie has been occupying herself in the capacity of unofficial Wedding Planner 

in the past couple of months. 

She was involved in all aspects of assisting the bride ~ from hosting a bridal tea

Above: Some of the hats and facinators that the guests donned at the bridal tea

Below: A tasty spread

... to floral arrangements ...

Above: Close up of bridal bouquet

 ... to creating a photo booth at the wedding reception. 

Guests ham it up for the photo booth at the reception

And the nuptials went off without a hitch!

Bea has been busy as a ... well, as a bee! She's just recently learned the fine art of soap making. 

Hopefully Bea will share some of her soapy enthusiasm on Creative Sandwich sometime soon!

Bessie & Bea

X0X

Check out Tea Time Tuesday at Rose Chintz Cottage 

Tea Time Tuesday 5: Bessie and Bea celebrate the Royal Wedding

It's Tea Time Tuesday over at Rose Chintz Cottage today, so in honour of the Royal Wedding Bessie & Bea proudly present

The answer to the question on everyone's lips ...

"Did you happen to catch Bessie & Bea at the Royal Wedding?"

Goodness gracious, the old girls would never miss a chance to hobnob with the Uppidies, the Hoypoloi, the Blue Bloods! Well sadly, the official invitation never arrived in the mail, so the ladies took it upon themselves to celebrate Will & Kate's nupitals the Bessie & Bea way ~ with a tea party ~ in front of the telly of course.

Country Living

It was in the wee hours of the morning, but that didn't quash the delight that Bessie & Bea experienced 

by toasting Prince William and Princess Catherine 

with  Cucumber Sandwiches and piping hot English Breakfast Tea. 

Bessie says she doesn't like the old stuffy title of the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge! 

Bea heartily agrees.

Country Living
Oh! and if you're interested in reading the program from the Royal Wedding,
you can find it here: Royal Wedding Programme PDF
Wishing the couple will live happily ever after!

Love

Bessie & Bea

X0X

Tea Time Tuesday 4

It's Tea Time Tuesday over Rose Chintz Cottage ... join Besse & Bea for a cup of Orange Pekoe.

Friendship is born at that moment when one person says to another: 

"What! You, too? Thought I was the only one."
C. S. Lewis

Be thankful for your friends. 
Have them over for a quiet cup of tea and let them know what they mean to you.
Love each other. Life is too short to do anything less.
Until next time, dearies ~
Love, Bessie & Bea
A friend loves at all times. Proverbs 17:17

Tea Time Tuesday 3

Tuesday has become our most beloved day of all ~ after all, it means it's time for Tea Time Tuesday. We love having tea. It is one of our favourite past-times!

Bea will often bake some delectable cupcakes for the occasion like this

or this

Beautilicious!

We have been reading a little book called Painting as a Pastime by Winston Churchill. What a delight! If you can find a copy which isn't easy since it's out of print, read it ~ it's a 26 pages plus there are 18 colour plates of dear Winston's own paintings. He may not be the greatest painter England ever produced, but his paintbox brought him years of enjoyment. Here's a wee quote from the book ...

"I cannot pretend to feel impartial about the colours. I rejoice with the brilliant ones, and am genuinely sorry for the poor browns. When I get to heaven I mean to spend a considerable portion of my first million years in painting, and so get to the bottom of the subject. But then I shall require a still gayer palette than I get here below. I expect orange and vermilion will be the darkest, dullest colours upon it. and beyond them there will be a whole range of wonderful new colours which will delight the celestial eye."

Please see Sandi's Rose Chintz Cottage to check out all the other bloggers

who are participating in this week's Tea Time Tuesday!

Now excuse us, while we finish drinking our beautiful ruby red Tetley Delight Wild Berry Herbal Tea.

Bessie & Bea
x0x

Winners!!

Bessie & Bea are pleased as punch to announce the winners of their OWOH giveaway.

And since there were over 100 comments TWO names were drawn out of the hat.

Winner of the Messy Date Stamp Set is ... Kathy from Canada

katiecowsudderthings.blogspot.com

Winner of lovely 2nd Prize is ... Carolyn from the UK

messmuddleandfun.blogspot.com

Thank you to all the lovely visitors who left us sweet comments during OWOH. 

For those of you who didn't win our official prizes, we offer you 
this virtual trophy ~ just for being so very special.
Thank you.
We loved every minute of the ride!

Love,

Bessie & Bea

Tea Time Tuesday 2

Hello ever-lovely readers ... this is our 2nd Tea Time Tuesday and since yesterday was Valentine's we thought we would show you the pretty flowers that Mr. Bessie gave Bessie for the occasion.

Well, if the truth be told, Bessie went to the market and bought the flowers herself. When the mister is a little forgetful about special occasions ~ about buying flowers and such for his lady ~ his lady goes out and buys them herself! She's learnt a thing or two being married to the romantic fool for all these years.

So this morning, Bessie is sitting with a coffee (tea will come later!) and rather enjoying the beautiful arrangement which is Mr. Bessie approved. *wink, wink*

So how did you spend your Valentine's Day, dear loves? Do you have some beautifully fragrant flowers to enjoy today and in the days that follow? Do you express your love to your beloved throughout the year in big ways, or in little ways?

... until next time, we wish you love ... Bessie (and Bea) ... and remember these things ...

Love is patient,

love is kind.

It does not envy,

it does not boast,

it is not proud.

It is not rude,

it is not self-seeking,

it is not easily angered,

it keeps no record of wrongs.

Love does not delight in evil

but rejoices with the truth.

It always protects,

always trusts,

always hopes,

always perseveres.

I Corinthians 13:4-7

Edge of the Brook

William Adolphe Bouguereau

(1825 – 1905)

x0x

Tea Time Tuesday

Hello darling readers! We always take time for tea, but it's even more fun when we can pull out a couple more cups and saucers out of the old china cabinet to share with our dear friends.

Today's offering is a Chai Latte that we made using President's Choice Brand (Real Canadian Superstore) Chai tea bags. This tea is very lovely choice on a wintry day, especially when it is served up in a delightful mug Bessie brought home after a recent shopping trip to one of her favourite boutiques (Bea gave Bessie the same mug in blue, too!).

Have you ever heard of Tea Time Tuesday? It's a wonderful virtual tea time to be shared with other bloggers who enjoy a cuppa as much as us old gals do. We'll try to post on Tea Time Tuesday as often as possible because we think it is a wonderful idea. You could say it's Bessie & Bea Approved.

Now is that one lump, or two?

Bessie & Bea
xOx

One World One Heart

Bless your hearts ~ Bessie and Bea have a giveaway!

We're still here dear hearts! Suppose some of our readers were doubting it ~ but you know us girls, we just get so busy at times that we forget about this blogging business (let alone flossing!).

It's time for the One World One Heart blogging event again and we are going to give it a go one more time. Rules say we're supposed to tell you a little bit about ourselves before we explain all the "fine print" details.

We are Bessie and Bea, and we are the best of friends. We love things such as our appreciation for re-purposing the mediocre, snail mail, not taking ourselves too seriously, cupcakes, simple Christmas times with our families, making art, laughing (usually at each other), old buttons, lace, rusty things and God's glorious creation! Yes, it's true we met on the Internet, but some think we must've been separated at birth since we have so much in common (except Bea is a year younger than Bessie). If you wish to read more about Bessie and Bea, just click on View My Complete Profile under About Bessie and Bea creative sandwich's lovely proprietors.

Now back to the details ... OWOH is a whole lot of fun, when bloggers from all over the world show off their blogs to other bloggers. We're giving a prize away ~ all you need to do is make a comment on this post ~ maybe tell us one or two things that you like (and be an active blogger yourself). On February 17th, Bea will get her frilly robin egg blue hat out of her closet and we'll put all the comments into it, then we'll draw a winner out the hat ~ without as much as a peek. We will let the lucky winner know and arrange to mail the gift out, so it's important you leave us a way to contact you when you leave your comment!

Well you're just probably itching to know what we have up our sleeves for an OWOH giveaway gift. This year, we will be giving a lucky reader Messy Date Stamps (see the picture at the bottom of this post) so you can create your very own calendar! And if we get over 100 comments, we will add a bonus prize which will include a collection of Bessie & Bea (beautifully) Handwritten Recipes, Herbal Tea Selection and any other little goodies we can fit into the envelope! We look forward to getting your comments, hearing from old friends and making new ones. Tra-la for now (comment your little hearts out) and always remember ...


We love you dearies ~
Bessie & Bea
xOx

Tea for Three

Hello lovelies ~

Our dear friend Cynthia, who, even though being a woman of a certain age, has decided to go to university to take Fine Arts. In celebration of her braveness and new life, Bea hosted a beautiful little intimate tea party in her honour.

Although the rainy weather put a kabosh on our intended garden party (and crochet game), Bea invited us into her cozy cottage to partake tea together.

We laughed. We cried.

We talked about babies and art.

Oh, and our bellies were full.

It was a very good day indeed.

Until next time,

Bessie & Bea x0x0

It really is all about Pretty!

Well bless my soul ~

it looks like Bessie and Bea may have to take a road trip!

Just look at what is coming up in a couple short months...

it the Mother~of~all~shabby~chic-ish~sale, and it is taking place in the town of Coaldale in the heart of southern Alberta. We are sure, that our vintage-smart readers will simply swoon at the thought of attending the lovely Laura's event bursting forth with charming handmade lovelies and a whole lot more.

Why not plan to join the festivities on September 10 & 11. You won't be disappointed.

And who knows ... maybe you'll spot Bessie and Bea there too!

Bessie's Watermelon Salad

You can be assured that the girls don't always tolerate the heat too well on these hot summer days. It's on those insufferable humid days that Bessie makes up a batch of her famous Watermelon Salad. Here, for the first time, Bessie and Bea are sharing this family recipe with the world. Get your pens out and keep a copy in your safe deposit boxes!

Bessie's Watermelon Salad

1 small red onion

2 limes

3.3 lb (1.5 kg) sweet, ripe seedless watermelon

1 cup feta cheese, cut up in chunks

Fresh cilantro bunch, chopped

1/4 cup Fresh mint, chopped

3–4 Tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

1/4 cup black olives

black pepper

Squeeze juice out of limes and put into small bowl. Cut red onion in half and then cut into very fine half moons and steep in lime juice.

Cut up watermelon into bite-sized chunks and place in wide, shallow bowl. Cut up feta into small bite-size chunks and add to watermelon. Finely chop mint and cilantro. Save a few Cilantro leaves to garnish top of salad. Add onion along with lime juice to watermelon. Add oil and olives. Toss salad very gently so that the feta and melon don't lose their shape. Add a good grinding of black pepper.

Bea says to serve Bessie's Watermelon Salad with pasta and a creamy Alfredo sauce.

Delicious and refreshing!

Yields 8 servings

Bessie & Bea xox

Joy!

“It is not how much we have, but how much we enjoy, that makes happiness. – C. H. Spurgeon

Today, I've been thinking about happiness and joy...

We all seem to want more. We know better, but we think, if I can just have this, or if I can just learn how to prosper, or if only I could win the lottery! But when we look around us at those who have more, and some much, much, more than ourselves ~ we see just because they have more resources, they don't have more happiness or joy. In fact, they often are much less happy. Sure they may exhibit a superficial happiness, but where's the joy? Where is the contentment? So, if things don't bring us happiness, how can we be happy? Can we experience joy in the midst of life's most difficult times? Yes.

I can still have joy in my heart when life is twisting me all up inside? At that point I am not feeling happy, but an inner joy remains: faith picks me up and hope carries me on.

My thoughts are with my dear friend Bea, today. Her brother is gravely ill and she has gone to be with him to comfort him, and her mother. This is not a happy situation, but Bea carries with her the joy of the Lord with her which gives her strength to care for her family in the midst of this most difficult experience.

To read more about joy, please read C. H. Spurgeon here. You will be glad you did!

Joyfully yours,

Bessie x0x0

New Canvas

Hello Lovelies!

A dear sweet friend of ours
sent us this quote,
and we just had to share it with you this morning ...

Each day is a new canvas to paint upon.
Make sure your picture is full of life and happiness,
and at the end of the day you don't look at it and wish
you had painted something different.
~ Author Unknown

Happy Painting!
~ ~ ~

Bessie & Bea
x0x

Forgiveness

Be kind one to one another,

tenderhearted,

forgiving one another,

as God in Christ forgave you.

Ephesians 4:32

It is a season to reflect upon forgiveness.

Easter blessings to all our readers.

Love,

Bessie & Bea