Spring's Simple Joys

Last week I was careful to look for signs of Spring so that I could encourage those who were weary of this cold weather we have been experiencing.
God is so faithful to show us!
~♥~The birds have been singing their songs here every morning. I have spotted and heard the red cardinals,
the mourning doves,
the chickadees and sparrows,
the blue jays and robins,
and even the red- winged black birds,
one true sign of Spring which you can read about here. Although this article is from New England, the same evidence can be said of Ontario.
As I was driving to town for groceries and errands, I grabbed my camera to capture a few scenes for you.
I get so excited when I spot even the smallest indication of Spring, so bear with me as I tell you that I pulled over immediately when I spotted this first picture, but felt so embarrassed when the farmer stopped his tractor thinking I wanted to speak with him,
I quickly took the photo from the window as I drove away:)
The things I do to share Scenes of Spring with you...I tell ya:)
~♥~This was a joyful scene for me as I have not seen many farmers out spreading manure yet, and this truly reminded me of Spring.

~♥~Maple syrup buckets were hung in many sugar bush areas...

~♥~The new Spring collection at Bath and Body Works...
the packaging alone is so adorable, so fresh and Spring-like,
and the scent is wonderful:)
My favourite new collection is Country Chic,
although I prefer to say: Country Chick~
a blend of wildflowers, woods and citrus....love it!
You can visit their website here

~♥~The sweet and feminine dress my daughter ordered
for her college gala from Ruche
and the vintage collection of clothing,
including many lovely dresses found here.

Her English Muse Ivory Lace Dress:

~♥~The glorious Spring sunshine in the windowsills
as I observe this on my drive into town...

~♥~The sunlight streaming through our windows at home,
morning and evening...

~♥~An action-packed Sunday as our dear friends met us at church, their excited reunion with many friends they hadn't seen in years, a beautiful service concluding with this song by Lincoln Brewster; a powerful reminder taken from Isaiah 40:

Strength will rise as we wait upon the Lord
Wait upon the Lord
We will wait upon the Lord
Strength will rise as we wait upon the Lord
Wait upon the Lord
We will wait upon the Lord

Our God, You reign forever
Our hope, our strong Deliverer

You are the everlasting God
The everlasting God
You do not faint, You won't grow weary
You're the defender of the weak
You comfort those in need
You lift us up on wings like eagles

(pause playlist to listen;
you can click on the four arrows for full screen viewing.
The song gets loud but the ending is worth it...so precious)

~♥~And the Spring Party that followed our church service as we had three families over to our home for the day. There was so much laughter and chatter as we caught up...secretly I think that at least three of the women had a serious case of Spring Fever...but don't tell them I said that.
The meal consisted of caesar salad, spinach lasagne, garlic bread followed by desserts.
Don't you just love the cinderella glass slipper in the form of that precious little glass tea pot, a thoughtful gift from friends, who also included Lady Earl Grey tea which is wonderful. You can visit the Teaopia website here. The pretty spring collection of tea cups (for my oldest daughter) was purchased for $3.00 at my favourite thrift shop, the MCC which you can check out here

~♥~The decadent desserts included:
cherry cheesecake,
chocolate fudge cake,
(both brought by my friends)
and the carrot cake,
which I shared before in this post here

~♥~The little spring gifts for my friends because:
Spring is nature's way of saying, "Let's party!"
~Robin Williams

~♥~Cheerful Gerberas bringing Spring indoors...

The year's at the spring
And day's at the morn;
Morning's at seven;
The hillside's dew-pearled;
The lark's on the wing;
The snail's on the thorn;
God's in His heaven -
All's right with the world!
~Robert Browning