I Corinthians 15:19-22

If in this life only we have hope in Christ, we are of all men most miserable.

But now is Christ risen from the dead, and become the firstfruits of them that slept.

For since by man came death, by man came also the resurrection of the dead.

 For as in Adam all die, even so in Christ shall all be made alive.

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I Corinthians 15:3-4

 Moreover, brethren, I declare unto you the gospel which I preached unto you, which also ye have received, and wherein ye stand;

 By which also ye are saved, if ye keep in memory what I preached unto you, unless ye have believed in vain.

 For I delivered unto you first of all that which I also received, how that Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures;

 And that he was buried, and that he rose again the third day according to the scriptures...

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An "Abrasive" Post

 Before the Baking Soda

Some garage sale finds: 25 cents each! I don't go very often to garage/yard sales, I suppose because I always end up buying something. And if I do not buy something, because I think I will have no place to put it, I later regret not buying it.
I still kick myself for passing up the portable manual typewriter, with zippered case, and typewriter ribbons still in the unopened plastic package, as well as complete instructions, and it looked BRAND NEW. All for $2.00. What was I thinking? I was thinking "I already have a manual typewriter. Where would I store this one? I don't need one of these!" I valiantly resisted temptation and left it. And then of course, too late, I realized that one of the interns at The Pleasant Times could really use it! I will probably never cease to regret this until I find another one in mint condition for a similar price. Sigh. Where was I... oh yes, the china.

 I have a hard time resisting bone china, even if it has imperfections. I bought orphaned saucers, tea cups that weren't exactly my colors, and pieces that are missing some of the gold from the edge. I can't help myself-- maybe that is why I should not go to yard sales!

 These bowls were in need of a washing. Since I knew the lady who was holding the sale, I was so bold as to ask if I could be rude and try to wash some of these things before I bought them. I wanted to see if some of the stains could be rubbed off, and they could. I brought the lot home for a bubble bath and some gentle rubbing with Baking Soda.

 Good ol' Arm & Hammer-- I hope you can see in these two photos that half of the dish has had a baking soda paste treatment, and the other half is "as found."

 The baking soda paste shines them right up. These two say "Japan" on the bottom.

 This is my new sparkly china collection. The tea cup on the upper left and the sugar/creamer set are "Royal Dover," the other tea cup is a "Royal Vale" and though it is not my usual color choice, I think I am getting fond of it; the saucer on the lower left is a "Royal Kent" and will go well with any orphaned tea cup. The one on the lower right I bought just because I liked it, it is Gladstone "Laurel Time." I am not sure if it will match anything, but it is pink and that is good enough. The one in the middle is a Mikasa "Hunter" bone china saucer. It is rather plain, but I thought it would be useful to match up with other tea cups from the china hutch:

 Tea cups with a lot of gold will go well, I think.

 Or, as it is a large saucer, I can use it to layer with other plates.

Or I can pair it with my old stand-by: the clear glass punch cup.

Molasses Oatmeal Cookies

Afternoon Tea by Sir John Everett Millais, 1889 Public Domain found on Wikimedia Commons

Molasses Oatmeal Cookies
Modeled off of "Ginger Creams" in my 1956 Betty Crocker Cookbook, my version is cake like, and sweetened without refined white sugar. I added oats and raisins, you can also add nuts. Make little cookies and they will be perfect for a child's tea party!


1/4 cup olive oil
1 small egg
1/2 cup molasses
1/2 cup apple juice concentrate (or you could try orange juice, but it might not be as sweet)
1/2 cup raisins

1-3/4 cup unbleached flour
1/2 cup rolled oats
1/2 tsp. soda
1/2 tsp. salt
1    tsp. ginger
1/2 tsp. nutmeg
1/2 tsp. cloves
1/2 tsp. cinnamon

Mix wet ingredients, then mix dry ingredients in a separate bowl, and add to the wet ingredients. Mix thoroughly. Chill dough.
Heat oven to 400F (if you know your oven well, you can adjust this temperature. My 375F is quite hot and 400F tends to burn, so I bake mine at the lower temperature for the same amount of time).
Drop dough by rounded teaspoonfuls a little ways apart on a greased baking sheet (these cookies do not spread very much). Bake until set, about 7 minutes. Cool, if you can-- my family eats them before they get off of the baking sheet!