OPERATION CHRISTMAS CHILD ~ shoebox ~ Nov. 15-22

OPERATION CHRISTMAS CHILD ~ Samaritans Purse

Mission is to demonstrate God's love in a tangible way to needy children around the world, and together with the local church world wide, to share the Good News of Jesus Christ.

     You can help and participate by filling a shoe box(s) for a boy or girl for Christmas and delivering it /them to your local church along with $7.00 for shipping.  Go to their website and choose a boy(s) or girl(s) to send a Christmas shoe box to.

GIFT IDEAS ~

Toys:
small cars etc.
School Supplies:
pens, etc.
Hygiene Items:
toothbrush, etc.
Other:
hard candy, etc.

A Personal Note:

Do Not Include:
listed

ALL THE INFORMATION IS ON THEIR WEBSITE:  http:/www.operationchristmaschild/

Enjoy your holidays and help someone else enjoy theirs.

>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
Katie Frasure told me about the...

   Christian Appalichian Project

     I was born in Pikeville, KY and want to give
you this information.  Families there need your
help!.  1-800-755-5322  Support a family...contact
Brenda Watts at  bwatts@chrisapp.org

* Food Basket Project
  (dry/canned foods)
* Compassion Basket Project
  (personal hygiene, towels, etc)
* School Rediness Backpack Program
   (school supplies)
* Christmas Basket Program
  (gifts for a family)

Go to their website and fill out an application
and support one family, small as family of 3.

God Bless,
Betty J

Tasty Recipes Halloween Contest

           Tasty Recipes Halloween Contest

     October 31st is fast approaching and we're already thinking of recipes to celebrate the spooky holiday with!  Have any favorites?  Add your Halloween inspired recipes to Belle Ayers Tea Parlor & Boutique by midnight, Sunday, October 31, 2010, and you'll be entered into the "Tasty Recipes Halloween Contest!"  The winner will be announced here on Monday, November 1, 2010.  You can share your recipes here in the comments area, along with your name and email address, so I can contact the winner.

Best of luck!

October Birthday Giveaway

OCTOBER BIRTHDAY GIVEAWAY ~ Winner will be announced after end of month, here.

"HAPPY BIRTHDAY!" Greetings to all!!!

Martha

Robin

Gentleman Thomas Anthony Prater

   Link to my royal family line...

   Gentleman Thomas Anthony and Judith Ivye Prater, my 11th great-grandparents were born in England (link to my royal ancestors).  Thomas, born May 6, 1573, Stanton St. Bernard, Wiltshire, England, was the 6th child, and was named after his first born brother who had died.  His father was very wealthy, thus his inheritance was substantial.  Thomas inherited Stanton St. Bernard Manor.  Thomas' grandmother was Elene Kingston Prater.

     Thomas' business was the woolen trade, farming, and ferrier.  His land at Eaton Water was located on the banks of the Thames River where he owned a ferry.  Eaton Water was also a place that people who used the river to transport their goods to the ports of London could stop and feed their livestock and find food and lodging for themselves.

     Thomas' wife Judith Ivye Prater died when her 7th son was born.  Thomas placed a stone carving in the wall of West Kingston Church above her tomb.  This stone carving shows Thomas, his Coat-of-Arms with simbols of his wifes family Coat-of-Arms and the carving of his children and a eulogy to his children and all people who were to read this stone carving.  Judith's tomb is in the floor of the Ivye chapel with the above carving in the wall just above her tomb.

     Thomas Anthony's tomb is in the floor of the church at his manor of Stanton St. Bernard, Wiltshire.

Duchess Betty J

Halloween

October Birthday Giveaway!

Is your birthday in October?!?  If so,  leave your comment and your name below this message by midnight on October 31st.  The next morning, I will draw one winner from all the names and post result here.  Be sure to come back and see if you are the winner!

"Happy October Birthday!"
Betty J

Win A Vintage Notecard Kit

To enter, send a postcard with your name, address and phone number to:
Collage:  Vintage Notecard Kit, Country Victorian, 1115 Braodway, New York, NY 10010
Deadline to enter is October 29, 2010.

Flower Arranging Kit

     Flower Arranging Kit ~  Caring For Flowers

     Be prepare for anything,  from flashes of inspiration to minor emergencies, by keeping a
flower-arranging kit always within arm's reach.  Simply fill a pretty basket with one or more ot the following essentials:

*  Two pair of scissors--one for cutting flower stems and one for other items, such as ribbon
*  Prunning shears
*  Wire cutters
*  Waterproof floral tape
*  Floral foam
*  Waxed string or dental floss
*  Florist's wire
*  Flower food
*  Ribbons
*  Raffia

Leave your comments and suggestions!

Happy decorating!
Betty J

Artful Flowers ~ In Season

     Flowers are a must for a buffet or dining table--which may accommodate as few as two or as many as dozens of guests at once.  Try these simple but artful ideas for displaying your favorite blooms to their peak seasonal advantage. 
     This October, we will be entertaining about sixty family members in our home for a Halloween buffet.  Everyone's very excited and it will be a lot of fun.  I have already started decorating for fall and Halloween, inside and outdoors.  Also bought a new bingo game called...TEAGO...you can find it on the internet.

* FALL *
Transform a pumpkin, either miniature or full size, into a colorful "vase" for fresh flowers.  Simply fit a glass or plastic container inside a clean, hollow pumpkin and place the bouquet inside, with stems trimmed to fit.  Water-drenched floral foam in the bottom of the plastic or glass container will provide additional anchorage and keep the arrangement fresh longer.

     Consider supplementing a fall arrangement with other seasonal elements, such as whole fruits, pinecones, preserved leaves, and dried flowers.

Happy decorating!
Betty J
http://blackberrypatchcookbook.blogspot.com/

Fall

    

Don't you just love that first crisp day of fall?  Our's occured on September 4th at 57 degrees and then we have had some more days in the 90s which will disappear next week.  Thankfully!  Cooler days are such a relief after months of summer heat, and we know that the spectacular show of fall colors are just around the corner.  We've seen neat bales of hay in the fields and pumpkins piled high at the roadside markets---all signs of this wonderful season. 
     As we traveled to Floyd County Kentucky, the tree leaves were just beginning to change colors and fall to the ground, blowing in the wind and swirling onto the road.  The cooler weather is a perfect travel companion, so pack a bag or a picnic, and take off!
     This time of year is ideal for outdoor entertaining.  Enjoy the fruits of the fall harvest.
     Revel in the wonders of fall and in the beauty that abounds in our beloved country.
     So, pour yourself a cup of fresh hot tea, and drink in the wordl around you!

Blessings,  Betty J
http://blackberrypatchcookbook.blogspot.com/

2010 Prater Family Reunion

Saturday, my husband, Ed and I attended the Prater family reunion in Eastern kentucky at the home of Robert Prater, the old home place of Rhodes & Luranna Ousley Prater (photo at left, son, Jackson below).  A good time was had by all and we met lots of new cousins.  The table looked like Thanksgiving dinner.  I must say, I came away too ful!  It was a pleasure to meet Robert, Beulah and Molly and all the rest.  I collected names and mailing addresses and took family pictures, which I will post soon as developed.  We are looking forward to the reunion again, next year!

Betty J

2010 Prater Family Reunion

Saturday, my husband, Ed and I sttended

Grandparents Day

Grandparents Day was fabulous!  I hope all you grandparents had agreat day!
G-Grandmother, Betty J

Belle Ayers Tea Guild

Belle Ayers Tea Guild ~

Join us for tea, parties, giveaways, sharing creations and ideas.

From fabulous tablescapes to delectable recipes.

To join:

1.  Become a follower, if you aren't already.
     (click on follow in top left of page).
2.  Spread the word!  Please post about this blog.  Let the whole 
     world know about our Tea Guild and share our excitement.
3.  Leave me a comment on this post.
     Please!  In your comment - leave me an e-mail address and
     your blog name.  You may send it to me in an e-mail if you wish.
     I will automatically add you to our Tea Guild list.


                                             Duchess Betty J

Taylor Leighton

Taylor Leighton, my great-granddaughter.
All natural beauty.  My daughter-in-law,
Lisa Beth loves photography  and takes
many photos of her grandchildren.

Betty

Valentine Wedding

Ed and I were married at
my friend, Barbara's house
during a two foot snow on
Valentines Day.  This year
we celebrated our 25th
wedding anniversary.

Blue and White Dishes

My 17th Century Stafforshire dish pattern.  This sets design is a countryside with church in background and an inn up front with a carriage, driver, coach occupants and four horses pulling coach.  Beautiful quaint scene in my favorite blue and white.

Hummingbird Nest

When I put together the spring wreath below, I had no
idea what history would follow it.  I hung it on our large
front porch and placed a glass top table under it.  One
evening, while working with dried flowers at the table,
a humming bird came down twice and hovered above
the table, so close I could have touched it.  I told my
husband, "It looks like she wants me to move!"  Little
did I know she had built her nest behind the bottom of
this wreath.  I didn't know until fall when I took the wreath
down, that she had built there.  I'm thrilled to have had this
experience and it will never happen again.  Next time, I will
know to move away.  I've had the wreath out again this
year, in hopes that another hummingbird will take up
residency, but no luck.

30 Year Old Birdhouse

30 year old birdhouse found in a thrift store.  Great find!

Devine Birdhouses

Decorating schemes soar with these colorful shelters.

The notion of a cozy hose is as appealing to finches, robin and wrens as it is to you and your family.  And birdhouses, whether designed to blend into their natural surroundings or provide a lively spot of color, double as decorative accents even indoors--with faux birds.

From the purely practical side a wooden box with a simple portal will do, but hanging a lovingly painted architectural folly shows off your romantic sense of style.  Creating a one-of-a-kind masterpiece is easy.  Store-bought houses can quickly be transformed with handcrafted upgrades--picket fences, weathervanes or shutters--or embellished with materials that reflect your passions.

Originally devised to attract songbirds to the garden, fanciful birdhouses strike a decorative note indoors or out.  In the same way that a single rose is beautiful but an entire bouquet is bteathtaking, a solitary birdhouse is beguiling.  Displaying a flock of these avian havens, however, makes any decorating scheme truly take flight.

TWICE AS NICE  A garden bench makes the perfect roost for a spectacular blue and white duplex with a steeple penthouse.

OF A FEATHER  Craft one-of-a-kind creations from architectural salvage and dollhouse supplies.

GO TO THE SOURCE

Looking for architecturally designed shelters that are as lovely as they are functional and species specific?  One of our favorite purveyors is:  songbirdgarden.com

Happy Birding!

Betty J 

Honey Scones

Honey Scones, a light taste of honey and ginger flavor
these tender scones;  nice with breakfast, as a lunchtime
treat or served with afternoon tea.

Makes 6 to 8 scones

Dough:
2  1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1/4 cup granulated sugar
2  1/2 teaspoons baking powder
3/4 teaspoon ground ginger
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup unsalted butter, chilled, cut into small pieces
1/4 cup honey
1/2 cup whipping (heavy) cream